Warm Weather Setting New Records

Doesn't really seem like March, does it? Record warmth has gripped the entire country for almost the entire month of March. Record highs have been falling like crazy with 943 record high temperatures set or tied since March 11. Compare that to only nine record low temperatures being set for the same period.
 
The following excerpt comes from the National Weather Service Office in Chicago on the 17th:

Chicago and Rockford have both broken high temperature records 3 days in a row and will likely break record highs for 5 days in a row. There is even the potential they could tie or break record highs for 6 or 7 days in a row depending on how warm temperatures get on Monday and Tuesday. It is extraordinarily rare for climate locations with 100+ year long periods of records to break records day after day after day. At the current pace… it is likely that Chicago and Rockford will not only break… but shatter their current record warmest Marches.

Minneapolis, Minnesota hit 79°F yesterday, the warmest it’s ever been this early in the year, going back to 1872, and 39°F above average. This smashes the old record by a remarkable 6°F. Previous record: 73°F, set just two days previously, and also on March 7, 2000.

Bismark, North Dakota hit 81°F yesterday, which was a remarkable 41°F above normal. Not only does this tie Bismarck’s warmest all-time monthly March temp on record (three other 81°F readings later in the month, with March 22,1910 being next earliest), it beats the next warmest early season record by a full 6°! The previous record was 75°F on March 12, 2007. Temperatures also soared into the 70′s well into Canada’s prairies on Friday, setting all-time warm temperature records for so early in the year across much of southern Canada.

International Falls, Minnesota hit 71°F yesterday, which was 36°F above normal, and their earliest 70°F reading by two weeks. Previously, the earliest 70°F reading came on March 30, 1967. Back on March 17, 1897, the temperature in International Falls hit -33°F!

Here in Atlanta we're also setting records. If we have highs in the 80s today Atlanta and Athens will tie the record (six days 1907 for Atlanta and six days in 1935 for Athens) for consecutive number of days above 80 degrees in March. You can read the record highs here in the Area Forecast Discussion.

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