Issued by NWS Grand Rapids, MI
000
CXUS53 KGRR 011845 CCA
CLMGRR
CLIMATE REPORT... CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS, MI
226 PM EDT TUE APR 1 2008
...................................
...THE GRAND RAPIDS CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH 2008...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1971 TO 2000
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1892 TO 2008
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 82 03/22/1938
03/29/1910
LOW -13 03/08/1943
HIGHEST 59 03/31 MM MM 77 03/27
LOWEST 9 03/08 MM MM 1 03/06
AVG. MAXIMUM 40.5 43.3 -2.8 49.1
AVG. MINIMUM 25.0 25.9 -0.9 30.0
MEAN 32.8 34.6 -1.8 39.6
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 MM MM 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 6 MM MM 5
DAYS MIN <= 32 28 MM MM 18
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 MM MM 0
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
TOTALS 2.47 2.59 -0.12 3.50
DAILY AVG. 0.08 0.08 0.00 0.11
DAYS >= .01 12 MM MM 20
DAYS >= .10 5 MM MM 8
DAYS >= .50 2 MM MM 2
DAYS >= 1.00 1 MM MM 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 1.04 03/31 TO 03/31
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
TOTALS 9.2 9.0 0.2 13.6
SINCE 7/1 107.0
SNOWDEPTH AVG. 1 MM MM 4
DAYS >= 1.0 2 2.1 -0.1 3
GREATEST
SNOW DEPTH 12 03/02 15 03/03
03/01
24 HR TOTAL 6.6 MM
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 990 956 34 787
SINCE 7/1 5637 6012 -375 5571
COOLING TOTAL 0 2 -2 5
SINCE 1/1 0 2 -2 5
.................................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 9.3
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 30/280 DATE 03/13
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 39/270 DATE 03/13
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) 49
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 4
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 15
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 12
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 66
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 2 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 1 RAIN 3
LIGHT RAIN 7 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 2 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 1
LIGHT SNOW 8 SLEET 0
FOG 16 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 2
HAZE 12
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
&&
GRAND RAPIDS RECORDS...
03/21/2008 - NEW RECORD SNOWFALL FOR DATE OF 6.6 INCHES.
OLD RECORD 6.3 INCHES IN 1983.
&&
MARCH 2008...
MARCH OF 2008 WILL MOST BE REMEMBERED FOR BEING COOLER... AND FOR
MOST OF THE MONTH... DRIER THAN NORMAL. A SYSTEM THE LAST TWO DAYS
OF THE MONTH PRODUCED ENOUGH RAINFALL TO BRING MOST OF THE AREA UP
TO AROUND NORMAL. SNOWFALL WAS GREATLY REDUCED COMPARED TO THE
WINTER MONTHS OF DECEMBER... JANUARY AND FEBRUARY. A MAJOR CHANGE IN
THE JET STREAM SENT MOST OF THE STORMS JUST SOUTH OF MICHIGAN.
UNLIKE THE WINTER MONTHS... MARCH HAD MORE DRY DAYS THAN WET DAY.
ONLY A THIRD OF THE DAYS OF MARCH HAD MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION.
MOST OF THE DAYS OF THE MONTH WERE COLDER THAN NORMAL. THERE WERE
ONLY 2 WARM PERIODS. THE 3RD AND 4TH WERE BOTH NEARLY 10 DEGREES
ABOVE NORMAL. THE 13TH AND THE 14TH WERE ALSO NEARLY 10 DEGREES
ABOVE NORMAL. MOST OF THE AREA DID NOT REACH 60 DEGREES THE ENTIRE
MONTH. THE WARMEST DAY OF THE MONTH WAS THE LAST DAY OF THE MONTH
BUT MOST REPORTING STATIONS ONLY REACHED THE UPPER 50S.
THE FIRST SNOW EVENT OF THE MONTH WAS MOSTLY OVER JACKSON COUNTY.
THE EVENT BEGAN THE EVENING OF THE 4TH AND CONTINUED INTO THE
MORNING OF THE 5TH BEFORE ENDING. UP TO 6 INCHES OF SNOW WERE
REPORTED IN EXTREME SOUTHEAST JACKSON COUNTY.
THE BIGGEST SNOWSTORM OF THE MONTH BEGAN ON THE MORNING OF THE 21ST
AND CONTINUED INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF THE 22ND. EIGHT TO
FOURTEEN INCHES OF SNOW FELL SOUTH OF A LINE FROM HOLLAND TO
JACKSON. AREAS SOUTH OF A LINE FROM HART TO LANSING HAD FOUR OR
MORE INCHES OF SNOW.
THE NEXT SNOW STORM WAS ON THE 25TH. 4 TO 6 INCHES OF SNOW FELL NEAR
AND NORTH OF ROUTE 10 AND WEST OF SCOTTVILLE.
FINALLY DURING THE LAST TWO DAYS OF THE MONTH... A STRONG STORM
DEVELOPED IN THE SOUTHERN PLAINS AND HEADED NORTHEAST ACROSS CENTRAL
LOWER MICHIGAN DURING THE LATE EVENING HOURS OF 31ST. THAT STORM
PUSHED A STRONG WARM FRONT INTO LOWER MICHIGAN BY THE MORNING OF THE
31ST. THE FRONT THEN STALLED NEAR INTERSTATE 96 FROM MID MORNING
UNTIL LATE EVENING ON THE 31ST. THAT PRODUCED A 10 MILE WIDE BAND
OF VERY HEAVY RAINFALL IN WHICH AROUND 2 INCHES OF RAIN FELL FROM
NORTH OF HOLLAND TO JUST SOUTH OF ROCKFORD TO ALMA. MOST OF THE
REMAINDER OF THE AREA HAD BETWEEN A HALF INCH AND AN INCH OF
RAINFALL FROM THE EVENT. THIS WAS THE HEAVIEST RAIN EVENT OF THE
MONTH ACROSS THE AREA.
$$
WDM
