NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY

MARCH 2010

1st-6th…Wet weather swept through the Southern US on Monday due to a
strong low pressure system moving through the region. The system that
brought precipitation to the Southwest finally made its way eastward
and into the Plains. Flow around this system picked up moisture from
the Gulf of Mexico and triggered scattered showers over the Southern
Plains and Gulf states. In Henderson, Texas, 0.50 inches of rain were
reported, while Richland, Texas reported strong winds at 25 mph with
gusts up to 38 mph. As this system moved into the Gulf states,
rainfall totals remained less than a quarter of an inch. These areas
also remained cool with highs in Texas in the 40s and the Southeast
remained in the 60s. In the north, a strong low pressure system
hovered just offshore of New England, which continued to push moisture
onshore from the Atlantic Ocean. Thus, overcast skies covered the
region which allowed for a few light rain and snow showers persisted
over New England and the Northeast with accumulations less than a half
of an inch. Highs remained in the 30s and 40s. In the Central US, high
pressure build over the Northern Plains and pulled cool and dry air in
from the North. This brought sunny skies to the Northern and Central
Plains, which spread over the Mississippi Valley and Great Lakes. Most
areas remained in the 30s and 40s under mostly sunny skies. In the
West, another low pressure system in the Pacific Ocean approached the
West Coast. However, high pressure dominated and allowed for a warm
and sunny day over the Pacific Northwest and California.
Both coasts saw wet and active weather on Wednesday. In the West, a
cold front from the eastern Pacific brought an unstable airmass to
northern California and areas of the Pacific Northwest today. The
front pushed across the coast and move through these regions with
showers and locally heavy rainfall during the morning hours. As the
disturbance trekked further inland by the afternoon, off and on light
showers continued to spread over the coastal areas. A few isolated
thunderstorms accompanied showers behind the front this afternoon.
Meanwhile, bands of snowfall blanketed the higher elevations of
northern California. Elsewhere in the West, light, scattered, valley
showers and mountain snow developed throughout ares of the
Intermountain West as a wave of low pressure trekked through the
region. In the East, a strong low pressure system off the Mid-Atlantic
coast continued to produce precipitation near the New England and Mid-
Atlantic shoreline. Wrap-around flow from this system ushered Atlantic
moisture into these regions and produced areas of light rain and
snowfall through the afternoon. As this system continued to affect the
Northeast, the Southeast saw drier and warmer weather activity today.
Low relative humidity levels and gusty winds across most of Florida
created favorable conditions for wildfire spread.
Finally, dry and tranquil weather activity persisted throughout the
Central U.S.
Relatively calm weather continued throughout the country on Friday.

The only main weather system was a low pressure system moved through
the Rockies and was on the verge of moving into the Plains. There was
not a lot of moisture wrapped up in this system, but areas of snow
fell through the Central Rockies. Winter Weather Advisories were in
effect for parts of Colorado and Wyoming due to this snow. At the same
time, Red Flag Warnings were posted in southeast Colorado due to the
low humidity in that part of the state. Low humidity was also
experienced in the Southeast including Alabama, Georgia and Florida.
Fire weather was quite high in those states as Red Flag Warnings were
also posted there.
Meanwhile, a low pressure system off the West Coast brought only a few
rain showers to the immediate coast of Northern California. This low
will continue to move southward into the weekend, eventually providing
precipitation to Southern California and parts of the Southwest.
A high pressure system stretched from the Gulf Coast through the Great
Lakes and provided dry conditions for much of the East. The Northeast
rose into the 30s and 40s, while the Southeast saw temperatures in the
50s and 60s. The Northern Plains rose into the 20s and 30s, while the
Southern Plains saw temperatures in the 60s and 70s.

7th-13th…Low pressure moved through the nation's midsection today and
brought some active weather with it. Strong thunderstorms raced across
the Plains and caused several areas of wind damage throughout northern
Texas. Storms were expected to continue through the afternoon and
evening, with rain expected to push into the Mississippi Valley. In
addition to the wet weather associated with the Plains low, showers
and thunderstorms were reported along the Gulf coast as warm moist air
streamed northward onto land. East of the Mississippi Conditions were
much more pleasant, with warm weather and clear skies. Temperatures
throughout the Mid-Atlantic rose into the 60s, while highs in the Deep
South rose into the 70s. In the West, temperatures were cooler as a
trough in the Jet Stream sagged into the West Coast. This trough
brought some scattered clouds and numerous brief showers to the
region.
The Central and Northern High Plains saw snow on Tuesday as a low
pressure system moved off the Central Rockies. This system
strengthened as it moved into the Central Plains and away from the
mountains, and low level flow around this trough pulled moisture in
from the Gulf of Mexico. The northern edge of this system pulled cool
air in from Canada and triggered snow over the High Plains. Snowfall
accumulation ranged between 1-2 inches in most areas, with up to 5
inches in western Nebraska. Highs remain near freezing over the
Northern and Central Plains. Ahead of this system, a warm front
extended eastward and over the Midwest. Due to warm air moving in from
the South, this allowed for scattered rain showers. Rainfall totals
remained less than a half of an inch, but due to this slow-moving
system, many areas of the Mid- and Upper Mississippi River Valley saw
problems with flooding. In Spring Hill, Missouri, 0.24 inches of rain
was reported, while 0.35 inches fell over Hastings, Nebraska earlier
in the morning. Strong winds were reported over the Mississippi River
Valley as the low pressure system approached. Gusts reached up to 22
mph in Auburntown, Tennessee. Meanwhile, in the West, another trough
of low pressure moved over the Great Basin and into the Central
Rockies. This had light moisture associated with it, and kicked up
scattered snow over the Rockies. Most areas of Utah saw snowfall
accumulations between 2-4 inches. This system dipped into the
Southwest and with warmer temperatures, allowed for scattered showers
and thunderstorms to develop. Phoenix reported 0.12 inches of rainfall
with isolated thunderstorms, while northern Arizona saw near 2 inches
of snow. In the Pacific Northwest, another Pacific storm pushed a cold
front onshore, which brought cloudy skies and cool conditions, but has
not yet triggered any significant precipitation. Medford, Oregon saw
0.06 inches of light rain, as it is situated right on the coast.
Several weather systems produced unsettling weather activity
throughout the nation on Wednesday. In the West, a dissipating front
produced pockets of light rain and high elevation snow from portions
of central California through the Pacific Northwest during the morning
and afternoon hours. To the east, a trough of low pressure from the
Pacific continued to crank out a mix of rain and snow across the Great
Basin and portions of Arizona and New Mexico. Meanwhile to the south,
another storm system in northeastern New Mexico produced significant
rain and snow showers and gusty winds from northern New Mexico and
Colorado to the Southern and Central Plains. Elsewhere, a cold air
mass remained in place over southern California and yielded to cool
daytime highs. In the Midwest, a quasi-stationary low pressure system
produced unsettling weather activity from the Northern Plains through
the Great Lakes. Wrap-around moisture from this system combined with
cold air to produce a mix of rain, snow, and ice. A warm front
associated with this system reached across Mid-Mississippi Valley
through the Mid-Atlantic and aided in producing active weather in the
Southeast. A swath of increasing rainfall and thunderstorms developed
from eastern Mississippi to South Carolina. Some thunderstorms in
eastern Mississippi and Alabama ran the risk of turning strong to
severe with hail and locally damaging winds. The risk of heavy
rainfall and flash flooding throughout these states increased through
the afternoon as showers and thunderstorms became more widespread.
The early start to the severe weather season continued on Friday,
although there were no official reports of tornadoes. Instead, a
developing low pressure system moved through the Southeast and
Mississippi Valley, drawing a considerable amount of moisture
northward from the Gulf of Mexico. This moisture produced areas of
heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms that sparked Severe
Thunderstorm Watches in the Southeast and Tennessee Valley. Large hail
was reported for these thunderstorms from Alabama through Kentucky.
These thunderstorms were expected to continue to roll through the
Southeast into the evening.
Florida also saw its share of severe thunderstorms along the peninsula
of the state. Farther to the north, a low pressure system rotated in
the eastern Plains and provided some snow showers in the Upper Midwest
and scattered precipitation in the Northeast. In the West, a strong
Pacific storm slammed into the coast and renewed significant rain and
high elevation snow from Washington through Northern California.
Winter Storm Warnings were posted for the higher elevations of
California.
The Northeast rose into the 40s and 50s, while the Southeast saw
temperatures in the 60s and 70s. The Northern Plains rose into the 30s
and 40s, while the Northwest saw temperatures in the 40s and 50s.

14th-20th…Widespread clouds covered the northeastern quadrant of the
nation on Monday as a strong nor'easter centered to the south of Long
Island continued to produce wet and windy weather across New England
and portions of the nearby Mid-Atlantic coast. Periods of heavy
rainfall, damaging winds continued to pound the saturated region
through the afternoon and created local flooding issues, blowing snow,
and possible power outages. Meanwhile in the South, low pressure and
an associated cold front sparked unsettling weather activity across
New Mexico and Texas as the pair dropped southward toward northern
Mexico. Areas of scattered rain and high elevation snow fell across
eastern and southern New Mexico, while widespread showers and isolated
thunderstorms developed throughout the Texas Panhandle. In the West, a
building ridge of high pressure brought warm and dry weather
conditions to most of the Pacific Northwest, Intermountain West,
California, and Arizona. Ridging over these regions allowed
temperatures to warm nicely through the afternoon with daytime values
reaching near to well above seasonal norms. The ridge also temporarily
postponed wet weather across the Pacific Northwest by keeping a
Pacific frontal system offshore. In the Central US, fair weather
conditions with mild daytime temperatures developed throughout the
Midwest due to high pressure.
Showery weather continued to fall across the Southeast today, while a
fairly quiet weather pattern developed throughout the rest of the
nation.
In the East, widespread clouds covered a good portion of the Southeast
throughout the first half of the day as an area of low pressure
trekked across the northern Gulf region. The system spread light rain
showers from Louisiana through Alabama during the morning hours before
reaching Georgia and northern Florida by the afternoon. Meanwhile, the
Central U.S. experienced fair weather activity due to a large ridge of
high pressure reaching across the Plains, while the Midwest, Great
Lakes, and Northeast saw another day of warm daytime highs. In the
West, tranquil weather conditions continued throughout most of the
West due to a ridge of high pressure located off the West Coast.
Slight offshore flow kept daytime temperatures throughout California
above seasonal averages. Meanwhile, the passing of a frontal
disturbance and the return of brisk northerly flow produced little
change in daytime temperatures across the Pacific Northwest.
Another day of relatively mild and inactive weather occurred
throughout the country on Friday. The main weather producer was a long
cold front that moved through the middle of the country and stretched
from the Southern Rockies through the Upper Midwest. This feature did
not carry much moisture along with it, thus only a fairly narrow area
of rain and snow pushed through the Central Rockies and Central
Plains. This front represented the majority of the precipitation that
fell in the country on Friday. Other than this, scattered diminishing
snow showers fell in the Intermountain West, while some morning
showers fell in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Meanwhile, a high
pressure system stretched into the Southeast and kept dry and clear
conditions dominant through the eastern third of the country. In the
West, a weak low pressure system dropped into the Great Basin, but dry
conditions persisted throughout the West.
The Northeast rose into the 50s and 60s, while the Southeast saw
temperatures in the 70s and 80s. The Northern Plains rose into the 20s
and 30s, while the Northwest saw temperatures in the 40s and 50s.

21st-27th…The Northern Rockies had light snow on Monday, while the
East Coast had light and scattered showers. A strengthening low
pressure system moved from the Pacific Northwest and into the Northern
and Central Rockies. This system had some light moisture associated
with it and triggered light snowfall over the Northern Rockies. The
Cascades, as well as the higher elevations of Idaho, Montana, and
Wyoming experienced snowfall accumulation between 1-2 inches. The
Pacific Northwest saw a few residual showers with no significant
accumulation. Highs remained in the 40s over most of the region. The
rest of the West Coast remained under sunny skies with highs in the
70s and 80s as high pressure dominated. Elsewhere, in the East, a
strong low pressure system continued spinning over the East Coast.
This system pulled moisture onshore from the Atlantic Ocean and pushed
overcast skies onshore. This system allowed for a few scattered
showers to develop over the Northeast and New England, with total
accumulation less than a tenth of an inch. Highs remained in the 40s
and 50s over most of the Northeast and New England. Behind this system
saw mild weather as high pressure built over the Central US. This
allowed for mostly sunny skies, warm temperatures, and pleasant
conditions. The Midwest saw highs in the 50s and 60s, while the
Central and Southern Plains saw highs in the 70s and 80s.
The Northeast saw another rainy day with flooding on Tuesday. A low
pressure system spinning over the Mid-Atlantic states continued to
pull ample moisture onshore, which triggered periods of heavy rain
over the Northeast. Widespread scattered showers extended over most of
New England and down the Ohio River Valley. Taunton, Massachusetts saw
a midday total of 1.71 inches of rain, while 1.14 inches was reported
in Berlin, New Hampshire. Albany, New York saw 0.85 inches of rain,
while most of the Ohio Valley saw less than a quarter of an inch.
Highs ranged from the mid-40s to lower 50s over the region. Meanwhile
in the Rockies, a low pressure system continued tracking southward
from the Northern Rockies into the Central Rockies. This had some
light moisture associated with it, which kicked up a few scattered
snow showers over the region. Southern Wyoming and northern Colorado
reported 3-5 inches of new snow on Tuesday. A trough extended
northward from this system and moved into the Northern Plains. This
was expected to trigger light and scattered showers, but has only
brought a few patchy clouds to the region. Rain has not yet been
reported. The Upper Midwest saw another day of flooding problems, due
to sunny skies and warm temperatures melting the frozen lakes and snow
over the region. Highs approached 60 in some areas of the Upper
Mississippi River Valley, while the Mid-Mississippi River Valley
reached near 70. Out West, high pressure returned to the West Coast
which allowed for mostly sunny skies and warm conditions. California
saw highs in the 70s and 80s, while the Pacific Northwest saw highs
near 60.
An intense low pressure system moved into the Lower Mississippi Valley
on Thursday and brought intense thunderstorms to the region. One of
the more organized lines of storms pushed through the Florida
Panhandle and brought heavy rain and gusty winds. Thunderstorms also
developed in the Mississippi Valley along a cold front associated with
the low pressure system. These storms were expected to gain strength
throughout the afternoon, and eventually produce supercell
thunderstorms containing large hail, strong winds and possible
tornadoes. More steady rain was found to the north and east of the
storm, as a stationary front extended into the Northeast. Temperatures
throughout the East were warm ahead of the approaching storm, with
highs in the 60s reaching as far north as Maine. In the Plains, a few
low clouds were noted in Montana and North Dakota while the West saw
high clouds streaming ashore as a late season storm system moved into
the Northwestern coast. The storm didn't produce a whole lot of rain
but precipitation fell all the way south into the Central Coast of
California, where the rainy season is coming to a close.

The main weather producer was a low pressure system that began the day
over the Appalachians before moving through the Mid-Atlantic and into
the Atlantic Ocean. There was a tremendous amount of moisture
associated with this storm that produced widespread morning rain from
the Appalachians through southern New England. As the storm moved out
into the ocean, precipitation quickly diminished throughout the East.
The heaviest rainfall occurred in the peninsula of Florida and was
accompanied by strong thunderstorms that acted to concentrate the
precipitation in the state. Moist flow in the Northwest continued to
produce scattered rain and high elevation snow from Northern
California through the Northwest. Additional showers fell in the
Intermountain West. Strong winds blew through the Southwest and
Southern Plains. Much of New Mexico was under High Wind Warnings due
to the intensity of the wind. Southwest winds 35 to 45 mph were common
in the area. The middle of the country was dry even as a low pressure
system moved into the Plains and instigated high elevation snow in the
Central Rockies. The Northeast rose into the 20s, 30s, and 40s, while
the Southeast saw temperatures in the 70s and 80s. The Northern Plains
rose into the 40s and 50s, while the Northwest saw temperatures in the
40s.

28th-31st…Widespread clouds covered the Eastern Seaboard on Monday as
a trough of low pressure continued to support stormy weather along the
East Coast through the afternoon. A moisture packing storm over the
Northeast fueled swaths of mixed precipitation throughout New England.
The heaviest mounts of precipitation soaked areas along the New
England coastline and created increased flood risks through the
afternoon. To the south, waves of low pressure located off the Mid-
Atlantic Coast continued to spark scattered rain showers and
thunderstorms across the Mid-Atlantic during the early morning. Most
of the precipitation and thunderstorms over this region moved offshore
into the nearby Atlantic waters by the afternoon. Finally to the
south, heavy rainfall and strong thunderstorms associated with a cold
front over the Florida Peninsula brought severe weather activity to
southern Florida. A tornado touched down in Oakland Park, just north
of Fort Lauderdale between 8:00 and 8:30 am. While, the twister left
behind debris and property damage, no immediate injuries were
reported. Behind these storms, the flattened ridge of high pressure
over the Plains began to edge into the East on Monday. The ridge
brought drier weather to the eastern valleys and created breezy winds
across areas from the Ohio Valley to the Gulf Coast States. Winds from
the northwest began to usher cooler air into the East and yielded to
lower temperatures during the afternoon. Low relative humidity levels
and breezy wind conditions translated into increased wildfire risk
over the Florida Panhandle. Meanwhile, high pressure over the Plains
produced another day of warm to hot temperatures across the Central
US. Low relative humidity levels and breezy winds created increased
risks of grassland fires from the Northern High Plains through
portions of the Central Plains. Western South Dakota, eastern
Nebraska, and north-central Kansas saw extreme fire weather
conditions. In the West, a large low pressure system in the Gulf of
Alaska swung a frontal boundary toward the Pacific Northwest Coast on
Monday. Moist onshore flow and energy from this system created heavy
rain and high elevation snowfall across the Pacific Northwest.
Precipitation reached southward across areas of northern California
and spread eastward across the Northern Intermountain West and the
Northern Rockies. Meanwhile, high pressure over the Four Corners kept
the Central Great Basin, the Southwest, and southern California under
dry weather conditions.
Rain associated with the complex low pressure system off the East
Coast finally weakened Tuesday. Rain that lasted in the Mid-Atlantic
over the last few days finally came to an end Tuesday morning.
However, steady rain continued to pound through the Northeast as the
low pressure system moved up to the coast and transported massive
amount of Atlantic moisture across the region. 3 to 5 inches of rain
fell in Connecticut, and the Bristol and Norfolk County in
Massachusetts received 4 to 7 inches of rain Tuesday. This steady rain
set a few daily maximum rainfall records. For example, as of 2p.m.,
Providence of Rhode Island received 4.39 inches, which exceeded the
previous record 2.57 inches. The total rainfall on both Monday and
Tuesday reached nearly 8 inches in Providence. Apart from the steady
rain, strong winds 30 to 40 mph with up to 50 mph gusts also occurred
in parts of the Northeast Tuesday afternoon. Moving to the West,
unsettled and cold weather persisted across much of the Western U.S.
Tuesday as a strong system remained in place. Coastal and valley rain
with mountain snow continued to fall from the Pacific Northwest and
Northern California to Northern Rockies. In addition, very strong
winds 40 to 60 mph caused blustery conditions in higher terrains.
Gloomy skies hung over the Northeast on Wednesday as a weakening low
pressure system remained off the New England coast. While the heaviest
rainfall across this region came to an end today, flood warnings
remained in effect for rivers and streams across the region. Some of
these rivers continued to flood as continual rises occurred across
mainstream rivers and small streams through the afternoon. The rest of
the East saw clearer skies with pleasant weather activity and
unseasonably warm temperatures as high pressure built into the region.
Ridging over the region raised temperatures across the Midwest, the
eastern Valleys, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Southeast to well above
seasonal averages. Low relative humidity levels and breezy winds
raised concerns of grassland fire danger across southeastern South
Dakota, north-central Kansas and south-central Nebraska, and
northwestern Iowa. Similar conditions raised wildfire and general fire
danger concerns across southern Missouri and from Alabama through
Florida. Meanwhile, active weather continued in the West as an
energetic front and waves of low pressure moved through the western
half of the nation. These disturbances dropped across the Central
Great Basin with colder temperatures, rain, and heavy mountain
snowfall. Winter storm watches and warnings remained in effect for all
the higher terrain areas of this region, while high wind watches and
warnings remained in effect across Arizona and southern California.
Elsewhere, Pacific moisture spread across the West Coast and triggered
areas of light rainfall in the Pacific Northwest and northern
California. Finally dry, warm, and windy weather raised fire weather
concerns from southern Arizona through New Mexico, southeastern
Colorado, the Texas Panhandle and western Oklahoma.