By Rachel Webber, College of Agricultural, Human & Natural Resource Sciences
PROSSER, Wash. – The lion quickly surrendered to the lamb in March as a brief shot of early cold rapidly yielded to mild weather for most of the month.
The transition to generally wetter and more active weather that began in February continued in earnest. Although Green Bluff’s high was 19 degrees on March 1, Vancouver climbed to 62 degrees just two days later. Many areas dropped only into the low 50s by the morning of March 5.
March 2-8, Montesano received nearly 8 inches of rainfall by averaging more than 1 inch per day. The remainder of the month was characterized by alternating periods of unsettled and drier weather. Western Washington was generally wet, as Long Beach recorded only five dry days in the month.
“Unfortunately, the devastating March 22 landslide that struck Oso led to significant loss of life,” said AgWeatherNet Director Gerrit Hoogenboom. “This tragic event serves as a sobering reminder of the negative side of the recent active weather pattern.” By contrast, rain fell on only three days at Prosser.
A Web-based, publicly available system, AgWeatherNet (http://weather.wsu.edu/awn.php) provides access to near real-time weather data and value-added products from Washington State University’s statewide weather network, along with decision aids for agricultural producers and other users.
There were several days when parts of the state warmed into the 70s, including 73 degrees at 21 Acres on March 24. By contrast, Moxee plunged to 19 degrees on the morning of March 22.
Still, there were relatively few large temperatures swings, especially in eastern Washington. Monthly temperatures were generally 1-2 degrees above average, although Mount Vernon’s mean March low was nearly 3 degrees warmer than normal.
“Luckily, mountain snowpack levels remained near normal at month’s end,” said AgWeatherNet meteorologist Nic Loyd. “Nonetheless, potential issues such as an early melt off, a very dry spring or a late freeze remain valid concerns.”
Contacts:
Nic Loyd, WSU AgWeatherNet meteorologist, 509-786-9357, nicholas.loyd@wsu.edu
Rachel Webber, WSU CAHNRS Communications, 509-335-0837, rcwebber@wsu.edu