| March 2009
climate report for Tucson |
| |
| March
2009 headlines |
Decade
of 2000s headlines |
| 7th warmest
on record |
Warmest
March decade on record |
| 24th driest
on record |
2nd driest
March decade on record |
| 2nd
warmest January-March period on record |
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| |
The
very warm temperatures that occurred during the last week of February
continued through the
first week of March. In fact, the first six days of the month goes
into the record books as the
warmest on record with an average temperature of 70.1 degrees. The
combined last eight days of February and the first six days of March
goes into the record books at the warmest on record for this period
with an average temperature of 67.7 degrees. |
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| Average
temperatures March 1-6 |
|
Average
temperatures 2/21 - 3/ 6 |
| Warmest
during this period |
Warmest
during this period |
|
1st-6th |
Normal |
Dep |
|
2/21-3/6 |
Normal |
Dep |
| High |
83.3° |
70.8° |
+12.5° |
High |
83.3° |
70.2° |
+13.1° |
| Low |
56.8° |
43.3° |
+13.5° |
Low |
52.1° |
42.9° |
+
9.2° |
| Avg |
70.1° |
57.1° |
+13.0° |
Avg |
67.7° |
56.6° |
+11.1° |
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Near
normal temperatures returned to the area during the second week of
March. The upper air
flow pattern was out of the south southwest from the 7th to the 9th.
This brought a significant
amount of mid to high level clouds across the area but the low levels
of the atmosphere were fairly
dry. On the evening of the 8th, a weather disturbance moved over the
area and developed showers
across the area. These showers continued overnight into the morning
of the 9th with rainfall
amounts ranging from 0.10" to 0.33". This system also brought
1-3" of snow above 7500 feet. |
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|
| Temperatures
warmed up to above normal values on the 11th and 12th before another
weak weather system moved through the area on the 14th with very light
precipitation. A significant warmup occcurred by the 16th with daily
highs being in the 80s from the 16th through the 22nd. |
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| The
last week and a half of March was active with several dry cold fronts
moving through the area producing gusty winds and below normal temperatures.
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| |
| March
2009 goes into the record books as the 7th warmest on record
with an average monthly temperature of 63.2 degrees, which is four
degrees above normal. Temperature extremes for the month ranged from
a record high of 91 degrees on the 2nd to a low of 38 degrees on the
28th. |
| |
| Area
rainfall totals for the month ranged from a tenth of an inch to a
third of an inch.
Officially, the International airport recorded just under two-tenths
of an inch /0.18"/, which is almost two thirds of an inch below normal
and ranks as the 24th driest March on record. |
| |
| March
2009 stats |
Month
|
Normal
|
Departure
|
| Average
high temperature |
77.9°
|
73.3°
|
+
4.6°
|
| Average
low temperature |
48.5°
|
45.1°
|
+
3.4°
|
| Average
temperature |
63.2°
|
59.2°
|
+
4.0°
|
| Rainfall |
0.18"
|
0.81"
|
-
0.63"
|
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| 2009
stats thru March |
Year
|
Normal
|
Departure
|
| Average
high temperature |
73.2°
|
68.7°
|
+
4.5°
|
| Average
low temperature |
44.3°
|
41.8°
|
+
2.5°
|
| Average
temperature |
58.7°
|
55.2°
|
+
3.5°
|
| Rainfall |
1.37"
|
2.68"
|
-
1.31"
|
| 2008-09
Water Year rainfall (Oct-Mar) |
2.69"
|
5.59"
|
-
2.90"
|
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| The
first three months of 2009 goes into the records books at the 2nd
warmest on record with an average temperature of 58.7 degrees.
The warmest January to March period occurred in 1986 when the average
temperature was 59.9 degrees. The 2008-2009 water year is at the halfway
mark and is currently 2.90 inches below normal. This ranks as the
22nd driest water year to date. |
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March decade in review: the 2000s
|
The month of March during the decade of the 2000s will go into the record books as the
warmest and 2nd driest decade on record (dating back to the mid-1890s). The decadal average
temperature of 61.0 degrees is a three-tenths of a degree warmer than the 1990s. The average
decadal precipitation of 0.54" is slightly over a quarter of an inch drier than the 1990s
|
| Decadal
average temperatures |
| 2000s |
1990s |
1980s |
1970s |
1960s |
1950s |
1940s |
1930s |
1920s |
1910s |
1900s |
| 61.0° |
60.7° |
59.7° |
58.0° |
57.5° |
58.2° |
57.6° |
58.0° |
57.2° |
58.1° |
57.0° |
| Decadal
average precipitation |
| 2000s |
1990s |
1980s |
1970s |
1960s |
1950s |
1940s |
1930s |
1920s |
1910s |
1900s |
| 0.54" |
0.81" |
0.90" |
0.75" |
0.51" |
0.70" |
0.59" |
0.70" |
0.91" |
0.61" |
0.88" |
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2004 (66.7°), 2009 (63.2°) and 2007 (63.0°) are ranked as the 1st, 7th and 9th warmest March's
on record respectively. 2002 (0.07") and 2009 (0.18") ranks as the 14th and 24th driest March's
on record.
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| Year-by-year
statistical recap for Tucson International airport |
| Year |
Avg.
high |
Avg.
Low |
Avg.
Temp |
Precip. |
| 2000 |
73.5° |
44.1° |
58.8° |
0.93" |
| 2001 |
74.5° |
45.8° |
60.2° |
0.88" |
| 2002 |
75.0° |
43.4° |
59.2° |
0.07" |
| 2003 |
73.1° |
46.5° |
59.8° |
0.51" |
| 2004 |
79.8° |
53.5° |
66.7° |
1.12" |
| 2005 |
71.9° |
46.6° |
59.2° |
0.37" |
| 2006 |
71.6° |
45.8° |
58.7° |
0.41" |
| 2007 |
78.3° |
47.8° |
63.0° |
0.59" |
| 2008 |
76.0° |
45.7° |
60.9° |
0.37" |
| 2009 |
77.9° |
48.5° |
63.2° |
0.18" |
| 2000s
avg. |
75.2° |
46.8° |
61.0° |
0.54" |
| 1971-2000
normal |
73.3° |
45.1° |
59.2° |
0.81" |
| Click
on a year for full climate report previously posted. |
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The first two graphs below shows the daily departure from normal, or periods of warm/cold, for
each March day from 2000 through 2009. The third graph is the departure from normal for
the monthly average temperatures. The fourth graph is the departure from normal for the
monthly rainfall. (all years compared against 1971-2000 normals except 2000/2001 which were
compared to 1961-1990 normals).
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[Daily
highs] [Daily
lows] [March
average temperatures] [March
precipitation] |
| Move
your mouse over the locations to change graphics. Click link for larger
view. |
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Temperature extremes for the decade ranged from 95 degrees on March 16, 2007 to 24 degrees
on March 3, 2002. Twenty-two records were set/tied this past decade (listing below is in
chronological order). For the third straight decade no record low temperatures were set during
March. The last record low temperature set at the International airport during March was back
in 1971 (22° on the 3rd).
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| Record
type |
Date |
Record |
Previous |
Year(s) |
| High |
Mar.
21, 2001 |
90°
(tied) |
90° |
1997/1910 |
| High
Minimum |
Mar.
21, 2002 |
59°
(tied) |
59° |
1978/1910 |
| High
Minimum |
Mar.
14, 2003 |
57°
(tied) |
57° |
1900 |
| Low
Maximum |
Mar.
4, 2004 |
48° |
51° |
1976 |
| High
Minimum |
Mar.
8, 2004 |
62° |
57° |
1918 |
| High
Minimum |
Mar.
11, 2004 |
61° |
60° |
1904 |
| High
Minimum |
Mar.
21, 2004 |
59°
(tied) |
59° |
2002/1978/1910 |
| High
Minimum |
Mar.
22, 2004 |
66° |
59° |
1972/1963 |
| High
Minimum |
Mar.
23, 2004 |
66° |
57° |
1976 |
| High
Minimum |
Mar.
30, 2004 |
66° |
65° |
1971 |
| High
Minimum |
Mar.
7, 2006 |
57° |
56° |
1925 |
| Low
Maximum |
Mar.
19, 2006 |
50° |
56° |
1968 |
| Low
Maximum |
Mar.
20, 2006 |
58°
(tied) |
58° |
1962/1957 |
| High
Minimum |
Mar.
27, 2006 |
61° |
60° |
1988/1925/1896 |
| High |
Mar.
14, 2007 |
87°
(tied) |
87° |
1934 |
| High |
Mar.
16, 2007 |
95° |
90° |
1994 |
| High |
Mar.
17, 2007 |
94° |
88° |
1994/1989/1939 |
| High
Minimum |
Mar.
21, 2007 |
63° |
59° |
2004/2002/1978 |
| High |
Mar.
2, 2009 |
91°
(tied) |
91° |
1910 |
| High
Minimum |
Mar.
4, 2009 |
59° |
55° |
1986/1908 |
| High
Minimum |
Mar.
5, 2009 |
60° |
58° |
1987 |
| High
Minimum |
Mar.
6, 2009 |
59° |
55° |
1987/1925 |
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| One
rainfall record was set during the 2000s |
| Date |
Record |
Previous
/ Year |
| March 6,
2000 |
0.75" |
0.66"
/ 1905 |
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| Looking
ahead into April |
| The
Climate Prediction Center
forecasts slightly enhanced probablities of above normal temperatures
and below normal precipitation. |
| |
|
| Normal
high temperature |
81.5° |
| Normal
low temperature |
50.5° |
| Normal
monthly temperature |
66.0° |
| Record
high temperature |
104°
on April 20 & 21, 1989 |
| Record
low temperature |
27°
on April 4, 1945 |
| Warmest
April (avg) |
73.8°
in 1989 |
| Coldest
April (avg) |
57.8°
in 1975 |
| Normal
rainfall |
0.28" |
| Wettest
April day |
1.17"
on April 1, 1999 |
| Wettest
April |
3.53"
in 1905 |
| Driest
April |
0.00"
in 2002 (last of 11 occurrences) |
| Record
April snowfall |
2.0"
in 1976 |
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The number
of daylight hours will increase from 12 hours 32 minutes on
the 1st to 13 hours 16 minutes on the 30th, a gain of 44 minutes.
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Glueck
|
www.weather.gov 
