March 2023 Summary – Warmer Than Average

Major coastal storm moves out to sea as it dissipates on 15 March 2023 after bringing up to three feet of snow and over three inches of liquid precipitation to parts of the Northeast on 13-15 March 2023. Visible satellite image courtesy of weather.cod.edu.

Blue Hill Observatory March 2023 Summary: 

March 2023 was warmer than average with near average precipitation and sunshine. The approximated 24-hour mean temperature for the month of 37.9 deg F was 3.4 degrees warmer than the 1891-2020 130-year average for March, and it was 2.1 degrees warmer than the 1991-2020 30-year average. The average maximum temperature of 46.2 deg F was 2.1 degrees warmer than the 30-year normal, and the average minimum temperature of 31.1 deg F was 4.2 degrees warmer than the 30-year normal. Much of the month was warm with 24 days at or above the normal mean temperature. The warmest temperature was 59F on the 23rd, and the lowest temperature was 25F on the 5th and 20th. The total precipitation was 5.96 inches, which was just 0.44 inches more than the 30-year normal. The largest storm of the month was a significant Nor’easter on the 13th-15th, which brought a storm total of 3.73 inches of liquid equivalent precipitation and 7.2 inches of snow during the last half of the event. This was the largest single-storm precipitation total since 4.00 inches was recorded in less than 24 hours on 1-2 September 2021. The snow total was the largest amount in 24 hours for March, and it was the largest single-storm snowfall of the season. The minimum sea-level pressure at Blue Hill on the 14th of 29.25 inches was the lowest of the month. This historic storm brought more than 30 inches of snow to areas of interior New England. Total snowfall for the month was 10.6 inches, which was 4.4 inches below normal. The mean wind speed was 12.8 mph, which tied as the second lowest on record for March, and the prevailing wind direction was from the northwest. The highest wind gust was 51 mph from the north-northeast during the Nor’easter on the 14th. March bright sunshine was above average with 181.2 hours, or 51 percent of possible, which was two percent more than the long-term average for March.

BHO Lowest March Mean Wind Speed, mph (1885-2023):

1) 12.1 in 1995
2) 12.8 in 2012
   12.8 in 2023
4) 12.9 in 2020
5) 13.0 in 2022

Mike Iacono
Chief Scientist
Blue Hill Observatory