News File Photo Two people walk near the Lake Huron shoreline at Bay View Park in this April 2020 News file photo.

ALPENA — March brought Northeast Michigan warmer and wetter weather than usual.

The average temperature for the month was 32.8 degrees, 4.1 degrees above normal, according to Andy Sullivan, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gaylord.

Sullivan said it was “a pretty warm month,” and followed the trend set in the past couple of months. March 29 was the warmest day of the month, with the temperature reaching 59 degrees.

The area saw 2.73 inches of precipitation for the month, 0.87 inches above normal.

Sullivan attributed the warmer, wetter weather to “weather system after weather system” moving through the region every few days, bringing rain.

Although the overall amount of precipitation was up, the region saw less snowfall than usual, with 7.3 inches of snowfall falling for the month, 4.9 fewer inches than usual.

Sullivan said a cumulative 67 inches of snow fell between October and March, while the normal snowfall for the year is 78.3 inches.

Sullivan said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center said there should be above-normal temperatures and above-normal precipitation over the next three months, which is a continuation of the weather the region has had over the past several months.

“Most of last year was above-normal, so it doesn’t look like it’s changing anytime soon,” he said.

Meanwhile, the sunshine returned on Wednesday to the delight of many Alpena residents who have been sheltering in place.

The Weather Service expects temperatures warm and skies to clear over the next few days, with the possibility of some locations reaching into the upper 50s today and possibly up to 60 degrees on Friday.

Crystal Nelson can be reached at 989-358-5687 or cnelson@thealpenanews.com.