March 2007 Saint Cloud Weather Summary

Saint Cloud Weather Summary for March 2007

Early Snow, Late Rain Make Wettest March in 42 Years

The second of two snowstorms combined with five solid days of rain to end the month turned our recent streak of dry months around. The total melted precipitation for March 2007 at the St. Cloud Regional Airport was 3.33 inches of rain, 1.83 inches above normal. That total makes March 2007 the third wettest March in St. Cloud precipitation records (which date back to 1893) and the wettest March since 1965. The last two days of the Feb. 28-March 2 Blizzard produced .44 inch of melted precipitation and the end of the month rainstorm from March 28 through April 1 produced 2.31 inches over the last 4 days of March. Throw in a round of showers and thunderstorms on the 24th and 25th (.54 inch) from a warm front that led our balmiest day of the year and these 8 days accounted for 3.26 inches of the 3.33 inch March total. The only record rainfall was set on March 30 when 0.67 inch of rain broke the daily record of 0.61 inch, set in 1993.

The heavy precipitation combined with the balmy conditions to send river and lake levels very high. Widespread river flooding is expected during at least the first week of April as the heavy late month rain hits swollen rivers and streams. The unusually deep frost levels in the ground, caused by having bare ground during out coldest weather in late January and the first half of February has made things worse by forcing a lot more of this moisture directly into the rivers. And with significant precipitation in the forecast for Monday night and Tuesday, rivers will continue to rise throughout the week.

The last statement of hydrologic conditions from the Minnesota State Climatology Office was released before the big rains at the end of the month. A lot of that rain ran off into rivers because of the frost in the ground, but the frost was mostly out in the southern half of the state. Even where frost remained, the rainfall and runoff combined to push the Mississippi River and other streams in northern Minnesota to the highest levels seen since the early summer of last year. It will also go to help historically low levels of the St. Croix River and tributaries to Lake Superior. The big question that remains, however, is whether we can continue to get large rainfalls after the frost is gone to keep river levels up and get water tables up before the high usage of the summer.

Of all of that precipitation, 8.2 inches ended up falling as snow during March, leaving St. Cloud 0.3 inch below normal. 7.1 inches of that total fell on March 1-2. For the season, nearly 70% of the total season snowfall occurred during the two big snowstorms on February 23-26 and February 28-March 2, which totalled 18.6 inches at the Reformatory (21.8 inches at SCSU). Only 8.1 inches has fallen otherwise during the entire cold season. Through March 31, only 26.7 inches has fallen during the cold season of 2006-2007 (2006-2007 Seasonal Snowfall). That is the least snowiest cold season since the 1986-1987 season when 18.1 inches fell. But that could change Monday night and Tuesday since we are only 0.5 inch behind last year's snowfall and 1.4 inches behind 1999-2000.

Despite the snow and the rain, March 2007 temperatures in Saint Cloud were well above normal. The average temperature of 34.0°F was 5.6°F warmer than normal and ranks as the warmest March since 2000 and the 16th warmest March in St. Cloud weather records. There were only 6 of the 31 days in March that had a cooler than normal temperature and only 1 after the 7th. However, the warmth of this March will be best characterized by the 23rd-26th. On those four days, the high temperature was at least 62 and the temperature reached a record high of 79°F on the 26th, falling only 2°F short of the all-time March record high of 81°F, set on March 23, 1910. Both the 25th and the 26th averaged 59°F, 26°F above normal, and setting or tying a record for each day. Even though the following 5 days had temperatures of 4-15°F above normal, some residents complained how cold it was after having such extreme warmth.

The warm March allowed the cold season of 2006-2007 to rank as the 12th lowest total of lows of at least 0°F. With only 25 days such days, the cold season of 2006-2007 is the 9th year since 1997 to rank in the top 18 and is yet another sign of our 9th mild winter of the past 10 cold seasons.

The warm temperatures helped to melt the snowpack, 12-20 inches deep in some parts of central Minnesota after the second major snowfall, in a mere 2-3 weeks. That rapid snowmelt is one of the reasons for the on-going flooding. The deep frost layer has led to a relatively slow thawing of area lakes.

The outlook for early April turns to another extreme. A batch of leftover cold air, which has remained in northern Canada, will move over Minnesota, beginning Tuesday and likely lasting throughout the week. At the leading edge, a major storm could produce another 1/4 -3/4 inch of liquid and a good chunk of that will fall as wet snow in the northern half of the state. In St. Cloud, we could see a wet snowfall on the tail end of this storm. Please note that, despite the last three Aprils, snow in April is normal in central Minnesota. St. Cloud averages 2.6 inches per year with April 2002 having more than 15 inches. Usually, due to the milder temperatures, April snowfall doesn't stick around long, but it could be cold enough this week to keep any snow cover we pick up Monday night and Tuesday for at least a few days.