Midwest Overview - March 2011

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Winter Hangs on North

March temperatures were well below normal across the snow-covered northern half of the Midwest, and near normal over the southern half of the region (Figure 1). The largest departures, -8°F, were found over west-central Minnesota, while across Wisconsin and Michigan temperatures were generally 2°F to 4°F below normal. The northern Midwest remained covered in snow most of the month, although southern portions of the Minnesota and Wisconsin, and most of lower Michigan were snow free for several days during the third week of March.

Precipitation was near to above normal from southern Minnesota across much of Wisconsin and southern lower Michigan (Figure 2). Precipitation was also above normal from southern Missouri through the Ohio Valley, and from 125 percent to 150 percent of normal in most of Ohio and eastern Kentucky. In contrast, it remained very dry across northern Minnesota and the Michigan Upper Peninsula, with precipitation less than 50 percent of normal. Precipitation was also less than 50 percent of normal in western Iowa to northwestern Missouri.

March snowfall topped two feet in parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin (Figure 3) and was above normal from central Minnesota eastward into lower Michigan, and across central Missouri (Figure 4). In Missouri, snowfall totals for the season beginning July 1 were running much above normal to near record amounts in the state. Columbia reported 53.4 inches for the season, which was 1.6 inches short of the all-time record 54.9 inches set in 1977-78. Some snow season statistics for other locations in the state include:

Kansas City      36.9 inches      9th snowiest
St. Louis          36.8 inches      6th snowiest

At the end of the month there were four or more inches of snow inthe northern half of Minnesota, the northern half of Wisconsin, and the northern half of lower Michigan (Figure 5). There were also two or more inches of snow on the ground in north-central and northeastern Ohio.
 

Spring Flooding Still a Concern

At the end of the month stream flow conditions in the southern half of the region were at or below normal, while they were much above normal in the Upper Mississippi River basin (Figure 6). On March 31st the Mississippi River at St. Paul, MN was at 18.75 feet, 1,75 feet above major flood stage and down from a peak of 19 feet earlier in the week. Flood stage there is 14 feet. A second crest is expected as runoff increases from melting snow and additional rain. The Mississippi River was experiencing minor flooding as far south as Grafton, IL, with moderate flooding reported at several locations between the Quad Cities and Burlington, IA.
 

For more details on weather and climate events during March 2011, click on the individual weekly report links on the upper right.

The Missouri State Climate Office also contributed to this report.

-SDH-