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Public Information Statement regarding March Record Highs

| by Henry Luker

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
950 AM CDT SAT MAR 17 2012

…UNPRECEDENTED MID MARCH WARM SPELL RECORDS…

TEMPERATURES HAVE BEEN FAR ABOVE NORMAL ACROSS IOWA FOR MOST OF
MARCH…ESPECIALLY SINCE THE 14TH WITH MANY LOCATIONS BREAKING DAILY
RECORDS ON EACH OF THE LAST SEVERAL DAYS. BELOW IS A SUMMARY OF SOME
OF THE NEW RECORDS THAT HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED…DISREGARDING DAILY
RECORDS WHICH HAVE BEEN SUMMARIZED IN PREVIOUS RECORD EVENT REPORTS.

REMARKABLY…THE HIGH TEMPERATURES REPORTED ON EACH OF THE LAST
THREE DAYS…FROM MARCH 14TH-16TH…NOW COMPRISE THREE OF THE TOP
FIVE WARMEST HIGHS ON RECORD FOR THE YEAR TO DATE AT EACH OF THE
SITES LISTED BELOW.

DES MOINES
———-
DES MOINES HAS RECORDED THREE CONSECUTIVE DAYS WITH HIGHS ABOVE 80
DEGREES FROM THE 14TH-16TH…WHICH IS THE FIRST TIME THIS HAS EVER
OCCURRED IN MARCH. PREVIOUSLY THE EARLIEST IN THE YEAR THAT DES
MOINES HAS REACHED 80 DEGREES THREE DAYS IN A ROW WAS THE FIRST
THREE DAYS OF APRIL IN 1882.

THE FIVE WARMEST TEMPERATURES EVER RECORDED AT DES MOINES FOR THE
YEAR THROUGH MARCH 16TH ARE NOW AS FOLLOWS:
1. 84 DEGREES 03/16/2012
2. 82 DEGREES 03/11/1972
3. 81 DEGREES 03/15/2012
4. 81 DEGREES 03/15/2012
5. 81 DEGREES 03/03/1983

THE FIVE WARMEST OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURES EVER RECORDED AT DES
MOINES FOR THE YEAR THROUGH MARCH 16TH ARE NOW AS FOLLOWS:
1. 59 DEGREES 03/11/1990
2. 58 DEGREES 03/16/2012
3. 57 DEGREES 03/14/2012
4. 57 DEGREES 03/07/2000
5. 56 DEGREES 03/13/1990

THE FIVE WARMEST DAYS…IN TERMS OF AVERAGE TEMPERATURE…EVER
RECORDED AT DES MOINES FOR THE YEAR THROUGH MARCH 16TH ARE NOW AS
FOLLOWS:
1. 71.0 DEGREES 03/16/2012
2. 69.0 DEGREES 03/14/2012
3. 68.0 DEGREES 03/07/2000
4. 66.0 DEGREES 03/12/1990
5. 64.5 DEGREES 03/03/1983

WATERLOO
——–
YESTERDAY…MARCH 16TH…WATERLOO RECORDED A HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 82
DEGREES. THIS MARKS THE EARLIEST DATE OF THE YEAR ON WHICH WATERLOO
HAS EVER TOPPED 80 DEGREES.

THE FIVE WARMEST TEMPERATURES EVER RECORDED AT WATERLOO FOR THE YEAR
THROUGH MARCH 16TH ARE NOW AS FOLLOWS:
1. 82 DEGREES 03/16/2012
2. 79 DEGREES 03/15/2012
79 DEGREES 03/07/2000
4. 77 DEGREES 03/14/2012
77 DEGREES 03/16/1930

THE FIVE WARMEST OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURES EVER RECORDED AT
WATERLOO FOR THE YEAR THROUGH MARCH 16TH ARE NOW AS FOLLOWS:
1. 54 DEGREES 03/07/2000
2. 51 DEGREES 03/08/2000
51 DEGREES 03/13/1995
51 DEGREES 03/15/1945
5. 50 DEGREES 03/14/2012

THE FIVE WARMEST DAYS…IN TERMS OF AVERAGE TEMPERATURE…EVER
RECORDED AT WATERLOO FOR THE YEAR THROUGH MARCH 16TH ARE NOW AS
FOLLOWS:
1. 66.5 DEGREES 03/07/2000
2. 64.0 DEGREES 03/16/2012
3. 63.5 DEGREES 03/14/2012
4. 63.0 DEGREES 03/08/2000
5. 61.0 DEGREES 03/12/1990

MASON CITY
———-
YESTERDAY…MARCH 16TH…MASON CITY RECORDED A HIGH TEMPERATURE OF
81 DEGREES. THIS MARKS THE EARLIEST DATE OF THE YEAR ON WHICH MASON
CITY HAS EVER TOPPED 80 DEGREES.

THE FIVE WARMEST TEMPERATURES EVER RECORDED AT MASON CITY FOR THE
YEAR THROUGH MARCH 16TH ARE NOW AS FOLLOWS:
1. 81 DEGREES 03/16/2012
2. 79 DEGREES 03/07/2000
3. 78 DEGREES 03/14/2012
4. 74 DEGREES 03/15/2012
74 DEGREES 03/16/2003

THE FIVE WARMEST DAYS…IN TERMS OF AVERAGE TEMPERATURE…EVER
RECORDED AT MASON CITY FOR THE YEAR THROUGH MARCH 16TH ARE NOW AS
FOLLOWS:
1. 62.5 DEGREES 03/07/2000
2. 61.5 DEGREES 03/16/2012
61.5 DEGREES 03/14/2012
4. 60.0 DEGREES 03/12/1990
5. 58.5 DEGREES 03/07/1987

OTTUMWA
——-
ON MARCH 15TH OTTUMWA RECORDED A LOW TEMPERATURE OF 60 DEGREES. THIS
MARKS THE EARLIEST DATE OF THE YEAR ON WHICH OTTUMWA HAS EVER
EXPERIENCED A LOW IN THE 60S.

THE FIVE WARMEST TEMPERATURES EVER RECORDED AT OTTUMWA FOR THE YEAR
THROUGH MARCH 16TH ARE NOW AS FOLLOWS:
1. 88 DEGREES 03/16/1927
2. 82 DEGREES 03/16/2012
3. 81 DEGREES 03/14/2012
4. 80 DEGREES 03/15/2012
5. 79 DEGREES 03/12/1990
79 DEGREES 03/03/1983
79 DEGREES 03/16/1945

THE FIVE WARMEST OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURES EVER RECORDED AT OTTUMWA
FOR THE YEAR THROUGH MARCH 16TH ARE NOW AS FOLLOWS:
1. 60 DEGREES 03/15/2012
2. 59 DEGREES 03/07/2000
3. 58 DEGREES 03/16/2012
58 DEGREES 03/13/1990
58 DEGREES 03/11/1990

THE FIVE WARMEST DAYS…IN TERMS OF AVERAGE TEMPERATURE…EVER
RECORDED AT OTTUMWA FOR THE YEAR THROUGH MARCH 16TH ARE NOW AS
FOLLOWS:
1. 70.0 DEGREES 03/16/2012
2. 70.0 DEGREES 03/15/2012
3. 69.0 DEGREES 03/14/2012
4. 68.0 DEGREES 03/07/2000
5. 67.5 DEGREES 03/12/1990

FINALLY…IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE EXTREME WARMTH EXPERIENCED IN
RECENT DAYS DOES NOT PRECLUDE THE POSSIBILITY OF BELOW NORMAL
TEMPERATURES…SNOW…OR HARD FREEZES DURING THE REMAINDER OF THE
SPRING SEASON. IN SEVERAL PREVIOUS YEARS RECORD MARCH WARM SPELLS
HAVE BEEN FOLLOWED BY HARD FREEZES IN APRIL…AND WE ARE STILL WEEKS
AWAY FROM THE AVERAGE LAST FREEZE DATES IN IOWA.