March monthly temperature 1.5 degrees milder than normal
By Nelson Daily Staff
There was plenty of precipitation, but not much accumulation of snow at the higher elevations said Ron Lakeman, Weather Forecaster for the Southeast Fire Centre in his monthly weather release.
“As is typical of a late winter-spring El Nino, March of 2016 was mild and very wet,” Lakeman said.
“The mean monthly temperature was 1.5 degrees milder than normal. The total amount of precipitation was 119.6 millimetres or 190% of the normal amount during March.”
“The amount of snow recorded this month was more than double the normal for March but the majority of it melted on contact,” he added.
Lakeman said the only two mornings in which there was any measurable snow on the ground were the (Wednesday) March 2nd and (Thursday) March 10th.
Lakeman said the initial half of the month was very eventful with a near constant stream of Pacific moisture entrained in a southwesterly flow aloft.
“Of the initial 15 days there was only one day in which precipitation did not fall,” he said.
“The heaviest precipitation of the month (23.8 mm of rain and wet snow) was due to the passage of a large frontal system during the night of the (Wednesday) March 9th.”
Lakeman said the second half of the month was less eventful but still unsettled with a few Pacific disturbances producing light precipitation at times.
“An upper ridge of high pressure allowed for mainly sunny skies and unseasonably warm temperatures during the final three days of the month,” he said.
“The warmest temperature of the month was 20.4 degrees during the afternoon of the 31st. It also tied the record daily maximum temperature for March 31st, the previous occurrence was in 1995.”
After some precipitation Monday, unseasonably warm temperatures, in the high teens, are expected to stick around for the next week as a ridge of high pressure continues to dominate the province.
