You know the saying, "in like a lion, out like a lamb" - not this year.
March has been a very interesting and complicated month for weather. We had lots of rain, which usually came with mixes of snow and ice. March was also colder than normal, which when taken at surface value might beg the question, "Why didn't we get more snow?". It all had to do with storm track. Many of our winter storms dating all the way back to December have taken a more westerly route. Any area of low pressure which tracks to the west of Albany generally brings in warm air from the south and gives us rain. The storms that track east of Albany give us the best chance for snow as the cold air gets locked in across our forecast areas. Despite some colder temps, the tracks were always too far west. March's average temperature was 33.6° which is 1.2° below normal. Today should not have a huge effect on the average.
March is already 3rd all time for total rainfall (5.99") this month. This knocks March 1977 down to 4th with 5.90" of rain. Even with the rain expected today, this is where the month will rank.
After a little ice this morning, temps will warm into the 40's which will leave us with some scattered rain showers for the rest of the day. Tomorrow some very mild weather is expected for the first day in April. Many locations will get into the 60's with 70's to our south possible. It is an April Fool however, late tomorrow afternoon another front is forecast to push through with heavy rain, wind, and maybe even a thunderstorm. This will bring temps back down a bit for the rest of the week.
So enough doom and gloom, here is the positive news - the overall weather pattern does look to be changing to more of a spring one. Over the next week or two the forecast models are hinting at an overall pattern for more spring weather. That would mean highs in the 50's and lows near 30°.
By the way, opening day is today - as baseball is one of my favorite sports, here is a forecast for our NY teams.
Yankees - Game time 1:05pm in the Bronx - Temp 47°, breezy, mostly cloudy with the chance of some showers. They should get the game in, but if your going bring a warm jacket and something to keep the rain off. It will be a cold day at the park!
Mets - Game time 4:10pm in Miami - Temp 79°, partly sunny, with the chance of thunderstorms. This by no means describes my loyalty to either team, however given the choice, I'd rather be at the Met game! 70's sound good about now.
Brandon
