March brings Minnesota's most erratic climate - Farm Progress
March brings Minnesota’s most erratic climate
Climate Observations: Wild historical variations in March weather have meant farming or flooding.
Mark Seeley
February 23, 2024
Of all the months on the calendar, March shows the largest variation in climate from year to year.
In winters with abundant snow cover, frigid temperatures can prevail, and soils remain frozen well into the month. Conversely, in winters with sparse snow, the sun’s energy more efficiently heats up the landscape, soils thaw, and in some cases, farmers can begin to prepare fields for planting — such as in 1910, 1977, 1987 and 2012.
Over the past 100 years, the long-term temperature change across Minnesota in March has been upward of 4 degrees F. March 2012 was the warmest in state history, with a statewide mean temperature of nearly 42 degrees, about 14 degrees above normal.
Many counties reported daytime high temperatures in the 70s and 80s that month. Over 40 counties reported temperatures of 80 degrees or higher March 17-19.
March 1899 was the coldest in the National Weather Service records for Minnesota, with a statewide average temperature of just 10.9 degrees, about 17 degrees colder than normal. Snow covered most of Minnesota that month, with the temperature dropping between 15 and 20 degrees below zero at night.
According to old Fort Snelling climate records, March 1843 brought 22 days with subzero temperatures. One final notable fact is that the all-time extreme temperatures for March range from 88 degrees at Montevideo in Chippewa County on March 23, 1910, to minus 50 degrees at Pokegama Dam in Itasca County on March 2, 1897.
Variable precipitation
Precipitation in March has been highly variable, too. A number of climate stations have reported virtually no precipitation during March, especially in 1910 in Caledonia, 1925 in Morris and 1967 in Luverne. Conversely, March 1977 was the wettest in state history, bringing 3 to 5 inches of rain to many areas of the state. Madison in Lac qui Parle County reported 7.25 inches that year, a statewide record amount.
Extremes for the state in March for snowfall range from zero to as much as 66 inches, which occurred in March 1965 at Collegeville in Stearns County.
Abundant snowfall in March is usually a precursor to spring flooding of many Minnesota rivers, especially when a wet April follows.
What about indications of a weather pattern for this March? El Niño episodes are correlated with warmer-than-normal months of March in Minnesota, but there is no correlation with the precipitation pattern in March.
More on Minnesota’s weather history is available in my book, Minnesota Weather Almanac, Second Edition, available at most bookstores or through the Minnesota Historical Society Press.
About the Author(s)
You May Also Like
Current Conditions for
Boone, IA
38°F Sunny
Day 53º
Night 37º
See Detailed Weather Report
Enter a zip code to see the weather conditions for a different location.
Feb 22, 2024 Dicamba: 4 quick questions and answers for cotton|3 Min Read
Feb 22, 2024 Remove detrimental aluminum tariffs|3 Min Read
Feb 22, 2024 How interest rates impact farmland values|3 Min Read
Feb 23, 2024 Western lawmakers blast EPA air rule|1 Min Read
Feb 23, 2024 Frequently asked tax questions about annual gifting|2 Min Read
Feb 23, 2024 Ride safe, smart on ATVs, UTVs|3 Min Read
Feb 23, 2024 Some landowners could be due rails to trails compensation|5 Min Read
LEARN MORE
Related Knowledge Center: Climate science
What began as a theory in the 1890s — that industrial emissions of carbon dioxide could increase global temperatures — had progressed to a scientific fact a century later. Scientists across a range of disciplines are studying the impact of the still-growing concentration of carbon dioxide and other so-called “greenhouse gases” in the atmosphere as they call for industrial and governmental policies to slow, then halt, the warming of the planet.