Monthly Summary

March 1999 broke the Northeast's string of seven consecutive warmer-than-normal months. The twelve-state region averaged 0.8 degrees cooler than normal during March and 3.5 degrees cooler than March 1998. West Virginia had the largest departure at 5.2 degrees cooler than the long-term normal. Temperatures were above normal in the six New England states. Maine had the largest positive departure at 4.2 degrees warmer than normal.

March was slightly wetter than normal across much of the region. New York had the largest departure with 139% of normal, followed closely by Vermont with 134% of the long-term average. The states of Delaware, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island reported deficits of less than an inch. Overall, the region received 107% of the March normal. Rochester, NY reported 22.3 inches of snow on the 4th and then another 18.4 inches two days later. This established several new snowfall records for that city:

• The 36 inch snow depth at midnight on March 7 was the greatest ever at Rochester since reliable snow depth records began back in 1926. This exceeds the 34 inches on February 1, 1966.
• Snowfall for March 4 through 6 totalled 40.7 inches. This easily broke the three-day snowfall record of 27.4 inches set January 30-February 1, 1966.
• The total snowfall for the month was 45 inches, which was the most in the month of March at Rochester in 83 years of record. The average snowfall in March at Rochester is 12.3 inches and the previous March record was 40.3 inches in 1959. It was the third largest amount in any month - trailing 60.4 inches in January 1978 and 47.9 inches in December 1981.

Monthly Summary of State Temperature and Precipitation Averages.

New Weather Records

Daily Snowfall Records (inches)

City                         Date        New       Previous 
Williamsport, PA              4th        7.6       6.0 in 1905
Buffalo, NY                   6th        9.4       5.9 in 1943
Rochester, NY                 6th       18.4       6.2 in 1997
Harrisburg, PA               14th        8.3       4.8 in 1958
Bridgeport, CT               15th        6.0       4.3 in 1967
Newark, NJ                   15th        2.6       1.1 in 1967

Maximum Temperature Records

City                         Date      New       Previous 
Bridgeport, CT               18th       68       67 in 1989
Hartford, CT (tie)           18th       70       70 in 1989
Blue Hill, MA                18th       68       65 in 1966
Boston, MA                   18th       70       68 in 1934
Worcester, MA                18th       65       64 in 1945
Providence, RI               18th       71       69 in 1945
Atlantic City, NJ            19th       71       66 in 1945

Minimum Temperature Records

City                         Date      New       Previous 
Rochester, NY                 8th       -7       -1 in 1943
Erie, PA                      8th        0        3 in 1986
Elkins, WV                   11th       -2        0 in 1960
Parkersburg, WV              11th       11       12 in 1960
Elkins, WV (tie)             13th        2        2 in 1960

Daily Precipitation Records (inches)

City                         Date        New       Previous 
Williamsport, PA              3rd       1.32       0.95 in 1994
Albany, NY                   22nd       1.65       1.08 in 1955