Climatological Report (Monthly)
Issued by NWS Buffalo, NY
Issued by NWS Buffalo, NY
247
CXUS51 KBUF 020953
CLMROC
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
903 AM EDT TUE APR 01 2025
...................................
...THE ROCHESTER NY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH 2025...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1991 TO 2020
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1871 TO 2025
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 86 03/29/1905
LOW -9 03/06/2014
HIGHEST 77 03/19 74 03/05
LOWEST 8 03/02 18 03/22
03/24
AVG. MAXIMUM 51.8 43.6 8.2 50.1
AVG. MINIMUM 29.6 26.8 2.8 32.8
MEAN 40.7 35.2 5.5 41.5
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 1 5.8 -4.8 3
DAYS MIN <= 32 21 23.2 -2.2 14
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.2 -0.2 0
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 7.02 1873
MINIMUM 0.47 1958
TOTALS 2.30 2.49 -0.19 1.94
DAYS >= .01 17 16
DAYS >= .10 5 8
DAYS >= .50 2 0
DAYS >= 1.00 0 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.54 03/16 TO 03/17 0.33 03/22 TO 03/23
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 54.0 1900
TOTALS 4.0 17.9 -13.9 9.1
SINCE 7/1 86.3 98.9 -12.6 MM
SNOWDEPTH AVG. 0 0
DAYS >= 1.0 2 4.1 -2.1 3
DAYS >= 0.1 7 8
GREATEST
SNOW DEPTH 1 03/03 3 03/23
03/07
03/08
24 HR TOTAL 1.2 03/01 TO 03/02 MM
DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 745 924 -179 720
SINCE 7/1 5068 5446 -378 MM
COOLING TOTAL 0 0 0 0
SINCE 1/1 0 0 0 MM
................................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 11.9
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 38/200
38/270
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 55/290 DATE 03/24
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.70
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 3
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 12
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 16
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 61
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 1 MIXED PRECIP 1
HEAVY RAIN 4 RAIN 5
LIGHT RAIN 14 FREEZING RAIN 1
LT FREEZING RAIN 2 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 1 SNOW 1
LIGHT SNOW 14 SLEET 3
FOG 11 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 2
HAZE 3
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
&&
... WARM, QUIET MONTH OF MARCH LACKING MUCH SNOWFALL ...
MARCH CAME IN LIKE A LION THIS YEAR, AND GUSTY WINDS REMAINED
THROUGH THE MONTH WITH THE AVERAGE WIND SPEED FOR THE MONTH ABOVE
NORMAL. IT WAS A MILD MONTH AS WELL, WHICH LIMITED THE ACCUMULATION
OF SNOW. THE END OF THE MONTH FINISHED WITH A THICK GLAZE OF ICE
ACROSS THE ROCHESTER METRO AREA.
THE TEMPERATURE AVERAGED 40.7F THIS MONTH WHICH IS 11TH WARMEST ON
RECORD. THE CORE OF ANOMALOUS WARMTH THIS MONTH OCCURRED RIGHT
BEFORE THE ASTRONOMICAL START OF SPRING, WITH 3 DAYS TOPPING THE 70
DEGREE MARK BEFORE MARCH 20TH. THE 77F DEGREE READING ON THE 19TH
WAS NOT ONLY THE WARMEST TEMPERATURE THIS MONTH, BUT ALSO SET A NEW
DAILY RECORD, TYING THE FORMER RECORD OF 77F DEGREES SET BACK IN
1903. THERE WERE 10 DAYS AVERAGING BELOW THEIR DAILY AVERAGE, WHILE
20 DAYS AVERAGED ABOVE THEIR DAILY AVERAGE. IT WAS A COLD START TO
THE MONTH WITH THE 8F READING ON THE 2ND THE LOWEST MARCH
TEMPERATURE SINCE MARCH OF 2019 WHEN THE THERMOMETER DIPPED TO 6F
DEGREES.
PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH TOTALED 2.30 INCHES WHICH IS ABOUT TWO
TENTHS OF AN INCH BELOW NORMAL FOR THE MONTH. THE BULK OF THIS
PRECIPITATION FELL WITHIN 3 EVENTS, A SYNOPTIC SYSTEM OF RAIN ON THE
4TH, THUNDERSTORMS ON THE 16TH AND COLD RAIN AND FREEZING RAIN ALONG
A STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY THE 28TH-30TH. THE 17 DAYS WITH
MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION ARE A DAY GREATER THAN THE LONG TERM MEAN
FOR THE MONTH. SNOW WAS LACKING THIS MILD MONTH WITH JUST 4.0 INCHES
ACCUMULATING. THIS IS OVER A FOOT BELOW NORMAL. THIS RANKS 15TH
LEAST SNOWIEST MARCH MONTH FOR ROCHESTER. SNOW DEPTH FOR THE MONTH
WAS NOTHING MORE THAN AN INCH EARLY IN THE MONTH.
A COLD FRONT PLOWED ACROSS WESTERN NEW YORK TO START THE MONTH OF
MARCH, WITH BRISK WESTERLY WINDS DRIVING CLUSTERS OF LIGHT SNOW
ACROSS WESTERN NEW YORK. LATE WINTER`S CHILL REMAINED THROUGH THE
3RD BEFORE A VERY DEEP STORM SYSTEM FEATURING NEAR RECORD LOW
PRESSURE INTENSITY FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR TRACKED ACROSS THE CENTRAL
PLAINS AND THE CENTRAL GREAT LAKES ON THE 4TH. A SURGE OF MILD AIR
AHEAD OF THIS STORM SYSTEM SENT THE TEMPERATURE WELL INTO THE 50S ON
THE 4TH AND 5TH. THIS STORM SYSTEM BROUGHT AN ALL DAY SOAKING
RAINFALL TO WESTERN NEW YORK ON THE 5TH WITH RAINFALL TOTALS AROUND
A HALF AN INCH. THE RAIN AND SNOWMELT SWELLED AREA CREEKS AND RIVERS
TO BANK FULL ON THE 5TH, THOUGH ICE JAM FLOODING WAS MINOR WITH MUCH
OF THE ICE FLUSHED FROM THE CREEKS AND RIVERS JUST BEFORE THEY
SWELLED. FOLLOWING THIS SYSTEM QUIET WEATHER PREVAILED RIGHT THROUGH
THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH. THOUGH THERE WERE LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS ON THE
6TH THROUGH THE 9TH ON A WEST TO NORTHWEST FLOW. THE FIRST
WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK OCCURRED ON SUNDAY THE 16TH.
THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON PRODUCE WIND DAMAGE FROM THE
SOUTHERN TIER NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE GENESEE VALLEY AND FINGER
LAKES REGION. A SIGNIFICANT DROP IN TEMPERATURES FROM THE 16TH TO
THE 17TH WITH THE THERMOMETER FALLING FROM A 72F READING ON THE 16TH
DOWN TO A HIGH OF JUST 45F ON THE 17TH. A FEW FLURRIES OF SNOW
STARTED THE THIRD WEEK OF THE MONTH. ON THE 24TH STRONG SOUTHWEST
WINDS REMAINED DEEP THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS, WITH A PEAK GUST OF
55 MPH AT THE ROCHESTER AIRPORT. A CLOSED UPPER LEVEL LOW PASSED
OVER WESTERN NEW YORK ON THE 26TH WITH BURSTS OF SNOW QUICKLY
COATING THE GROUND, TO ONLY BE MELTED SOON AFTER WITH THE
REEMERGENCE OF SUNSHINE. AN ACTIVE FINAL 4 DAYS OF THE MONTH
FEATURED A STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY OVER WESTERN NEW YORK THE 28TH
THROUGH THE 30TH. INTERVALS OF RAIN STARTING THE LATE AFTERNOON OF
THE 28TH BECAME LIGHT FREEZING RAIN DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS OF
THE 29TH INTO THE 30S, WITH A TENTH OF AN INCH OF ICE ACCUMULATING
IN NIAGARA COUNTY, AND UPWARDS TO A QUARTER OF AN INCH OF ICE
ACCUMULATING IN THE METRO ROCHESTER AREA. A GUSTY LINE OF SHOWERS
OCCURRED EARLY ON THE 31ST, THIS AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT THAT PUSHED
ITS WAY ACROSS NEW YORK STATE.
THE WATER TEMPERATURE ON LAKE ONTARIO RANGED FROM 34F AT THE START
OF THE MONTH TO 41F ON THE 20TH. WINDS AVERAGED 11.9 MILES PER HOUR
WHICH IS OVER A MILE PER HOUR GREATER THAN NORMAL. THE 12 DAYS
RECORDING A WIND GUST OF AT LEAST 40 MPH IS THE GREATEST AMOUNT IN
THE PAST 18 YEARS. THE STRONGEST GUST OCCURRED ON THE 24TH WITH 55
MPH RECORDED DURING THE MID-AFTERNOON HOURS.
IN ALL A TYPICAL EARLY SPRING MONTH, FEATURING MILD BREEZES AND
LACKING MUCH SNOW.
&&
THOMAS
$$