March 2024 Summary – Sixth Wettest on Record
Excessive rain accumulated on the ground around the rain gage within the Blue Hill Observatory instrument enclosure on 29 March, 2024. Photo by observer Amanda Joly.
Blue Hill Observatory March 2024 Summary:
March was warm and very wet with record low snowfall and less sunshine than average. The approximated 24-hour mean temperature for the month of 39.7 deg F was 5.2 degree warmer than the 1891-2020 130-year average for March, and it was 3.9 degrees warmer than the 1991-2020 30-year average. The average maximum temperature of 47.9 deg F was 3.8 degrees warmer than the 30-year normal, and the average minimum temperature of 33.0 deg F was 6.1 degrees warmer than the 30-year normal and it was the ninth warmest on record. Twenty-four out of thirty-one days during March were warmer than average including every day from the 2nd to the 20th. There was no significant cold during the month, and there were no days with a high temperature below 36F. The warmest temperature reached 59F on the 17th and 31st, and the lowest temperature was 18F on the 1st. March brought frequent precipitation, and sixteen days had measurable precipitation including five days with one inch or more of rainfall. The total precipitation was 9.49 inches, which was 3.97 inches more than the 30-year normal, and the month was the sixth wettest March on record. The largest storm and the greatest in 24 hours was 2.49 inches of precipitation with several hours of occasional heavy rain and gusty winds on the 23rd. Other notable storms brought 2.32 inches of rain on the 27th-29th, 1.50 inches on the 6th-7th, and 1.40 inches on the 2nd-3rd. The total rainfall for January to March was 20.05 inches, which was the sixth highest on record. The total liquid equivalent precipitation for December through March was 27.38 inches, which was the second highest on record for those four months. The total snowfall for the month was only a trace, which occurred on six different days. This amount was 15.0 inches below the 30-year average, and it tied as the lowest snowfall ever observed in March. The mean wind speed was 12.9 mph, which tied as the fourth lowest on record for March, and the prevailing wind direction was from the west-northwest. The highest wind gust was 53 mph from the northwest on the 11th and 53 mph from the west-northwest on the 23rd. March sunshine was below average with 160.2 hours of bright sunshine, or 45 percent of possible, which was four percent less than the long-term average for the month.
BHO Warmest March Average Minimum Temperature, deg F (1885-2024):
1) 35.3 in 1945
2) 35.2 in 2012
3) 35.1 in 1946
4) 34.9 in 2010
5) 34.0 in 1903
6) 33.8 in 1973
7) 33.6 in 1977
8) 33.2 in 1902
9) 33.0 in 2024
10) 32.9 in 1936
BHO Highest March Precipitation, inches (1886-2024):
1) 18.81 in 2010
2) 13.07 in 2001
3) 10.96 in 1968
4) 10.02 in 1983
5) 9.53 in 1953
6) 9.49 in 2024
7) 9.00 in 1984
8) 8.72 in 1993
9) 8.68 in 2018
10) 8.09 in 1956
BHO Highest Jan-Mar Precipitation, inches (1886-2024):
1) 27.91 in 2010
2) 23.18 in 1956
3) 21.70 in 1983
4) 21.21 in 1958
5) 21.03 in 1953
6) 20.05 in 2024
7) 20.00 in 1998
8) 19.70 in 1936
9) 19.61 in 1984
10) 19.53 in 1999
BHO Highest Dec-Mar Precipitation, inches (1885-1886 to 2023-2024):
1) 33.60 in 2009-2010
2) 27.38 in 2023-2024
3) 26.94 in 1957-1958
4) 26.24 in 1993-1994
5) 26.09 in 1992-1993
6) 25.69 in 1983-1984
7) 25.50 in 1952-1953
8) 24.85 in 1967-1968
9) 24.54 in 2007-2008
10) 24.42 in 1969-1970
BHO Lowest March Snowfall, inches (1886-2024):
1) T in 1921
T in 2024
3) 0.1 in 1979
0.1 in 2006
5) 0.2 in 1903
0.2 in 2021
7) 0.3 in 1930
8) 0.4 in 1974
BHO Lowest March Mean Wind Speed, mph (1885-2024):
1) 12.1 in 1995
2) 12.8 in 2012
12.8 in 2023
4) 12.9 in 2020
12.9 in 2024
6) 13.0 in 2022
Mike Iacono
Chief Scientist
Blue Hill Observatory
