March 2021 is coming to a close and yes, it was a warm one. Not record breaking as we will finish several degrees lower than the March of 2012 that many of you probably remember, not be as warm as the other extremely warm March set way back in 1910, but still it will likely… Read more March 2021
Month: March 2021
La Nina Fading
The La Nina that is currently in the Pacific Ocean has been fading slowly away in the past couple of months. In turn, there is plenty of talk that it will change rapidly into an El Nino for the winter of 2021 and 2022. For somewhat unknown reasons, this time of year the computer guidance… Read more La Nina Fading
Return of the Rain Gauges
As we move into April the odds increase that rain will be more dominate than snow, although, we do average several inches in April. I mention this because April is usually the month when you can bring out your rain gauge or for some of you, rain gauges. Rain gauges like many other things, are… Read more Return of the Rain Gauges
Windy Times
March and April are the windiest months of the year. Truth is, we probably never get out of our windy season in the northern plains, but statistically this is the windiest time of year. March 15 through April 15 is generally the windiest 30-day period of the year. Meaning, we are in the middle of… Read more Windy Times
Pattern and Snow
The warm temperatures this month could be attributed to the lack of snow cover, but even if the month started with a noticeable snowpack, the temperatures would still have been above normal, just not as warm. A typical five-to-ten-inch snowpack usually takes about ten days to melt, this year we only had a few inches… Read more Pattern and Snow
Winter Dry Season
The below average precipitation in the past several months has raised many eyebrows. I always remind individuals that from November through March we only average the same moisture as we do in the month of June. Winter is a dry period for us. Recent wetter winters have tended to warp our perceptions of winter precipitation and snow amounts. We… Read more Winter Dry Season
Driest?
The National Centers of Environmental Information recently released data suggesting that the period from September through February was the driest on record in North Dakota and around the tenth driest in South Dakota and Minnesota. The interesting thing is I have gone through many long-term climate sites in North Dakota and the only station I could… Read more Driest?
Severe Season
This is the time of year when the severe storm season hits the central and southern plain states. This past weekend there was quite the outbreak of tornadoes in the Texas panhandle and locations that did not get severe weather got quite a bit of rain. Kansas and Nebraska in particular had some fairly widespread… Read more Severe Season
Another Miss
Although there was some light snow or flurries in the area yesterday and today, yet another snow storm missed North Dakota to our south. Another one will miss us in the next couple of days and we will see what may develop this weekend. I mention this because these storms missed us to the south,… Read more Another Miss
Soil Temperature Errors
This is the time of year that the soil temperature data from the North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network, usually referenced as NDAWN, is widely used. NDAWN has 161 sites, meaning 161 different ways that rodents, the wind and thaw/freeze cycles try to destroy the soil temperature sensors at these stations. In turn, you may find… Read more Soil Temperature Errors