March's high temperatures were only slightly above normal for the month. The lowest high temperature of the month was 46° on the 1st, and the highest high temperature of the month was a near record 76° on the 31st. This came out to a 30° range of high temperatures this month. Low temperatures, on the other hand, were well above normal. There were no record high temperatures, but there was a day that set a record high low temperature of 50° (old record was 49° set in 2001). In terms of temperature, the month of March was pretty average except for the last two days which were quite warm and beautiful. Overall, temperatures were 2.1° above normal.

We recorded an above average 7.52 inches of precipitation in March. After only one month of below precipitation the weather fired back and gave us more than our share in March. There were no record setting days of rainfall this month, but the 29 days of measurable precip that we experienced is a new record beating the old record of 27 days by 2 whole days! After this month's above normal precipitation Corvallis rose back above normal for the water year to 36.97 inches which is 2.91 inches above normal.

Table 1 - daily data recorded at the Hyslop Experiment Station.

Table 2 - access to the daily data recorded at the Corvallis Agri-Met Automated Station. You choose the station and parameters.

Summary:

Parameter                 Observed   Dep.*   Parameter                       Observed   Dep.*
 
Average maximum temperature  56.5    +1.6    Days with measurable precip.      29       +10.2   
                                                                         
Average minimum temperature  41.5    +4.5    Days with .10" or more precip.    16       +4.0    
                                                                       
Monthly precipitation        7.52    +2.97   Days with .50" or more precip.    5        +2.4    
                                                                                    
Growing degree days @ 50F     47      +25    Days with 1" or more precip.      1        +0.6       
                                                                   
* departure from 1971-00 normal

Looking ahead to April:

Maxima rise to about 61°
Minima rise to about 40°
Average precipitation is 2.98 inches
There are an average of 16 days with measurable precipitation

Oregon Climate Service

George H. Taylor, Oregon State Climatologist

Wayne P. Gibson, Programmer/GIS mngr.

Mandy Matzke, Research Asst./Manager of Data Services

Kelly Jenson, Undergraduate Assistant

Melanie Mitchell, Student Assistant

Sandra Terra, Undergraduate Assistant

Oregon Climate Service, Strand 316,                                  Phone: (541) 737-5705  
Oregon State University                                                      Fax: (541) 737-5710   
Corvallis, Oregon  97331                                                     E-mail: oregon@oce.orst.edu   
                                                                             Web: http://www.ocs.orst.edu