March 2003 Weather In Muskegon

I finished last months report by saying there would likely be more winter to experience. March proved that true.

On the 3rd day of the 3rd month temperatures dropped to the monthly low of -3 degrees. The 1st 14 days of March saw temperatures fail to be above average.

On the 4th occurred the snowiest day of the month when 3.7 inches of snow hit Muskegon. For the month Muskegon received 12.9 inches of snow, an inch above the normal.

The cool theme is continued in looking at the monthly average temperature of 33.3°, which .7 degrees below normal. This is the third below normal March consecutively. All months of 2003 have seen below normal temperatures. This is the longest stretch of below normal temperatures since at least October 1999. Year to date temperatures are 1.6° below normal.

Also below normal was precipitation. 1.48 inches fell, .88 inches below normal. Rainiest day was the 24th when .29 inches fell.

The cold was not necessarily accompanied by wind. Average wind speed was .5 knots below, 9.7 as opposed to a norm of 10.2. The windiest day was the 19th when the average wind was 17.6 knots. Least windy day was the 26th when the average was 3.3 knots.

Once gain Muskegon was mainly cloudy, with 12 cloudy days, 14 rated partly cloudy and only 5 rated clear.

April has been above average in warmth the past 3 years. Temperatures have been as high as 84° and as lows as 17°.the past few years. Snow is atypical.

Typically in these conditions sailboats return to the water and human legs appear from under winter layers. Despite the expected balminess sailors should beware as on April 6th 1988 a storm occurred that produced 25 foot waves on Lake Michigan....