March saw warmer temps, less snowfall
News Photo by Crystal Nelson Alpena resident Devon Gambs catches some air on a ramp at Riverside Skate Park in Alpena in this News file photo.
News Photo by Crystal Nelson Alpena resident Kaden Liske on Thursday bikes around the Riverside Skate Park in Alpena.
News Photo by Crystal Nelson Alpena resident Devon Gambs catches some air on a ramp at Riverside Skate Park in Alpena in this News file photo.
News Photo by Crystal Nelson Alpena resident Kaden Liske on Thursday bikes around the Riverside Skate Park in Alpena.
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ALPENA -- The month of March tied for the fifth warmest on record since forecasters began tracking Alpena's weather in 1916.
Dan Cornish, meteorologist with the National Weather Service Gaylord, said the average temperature was 35.9 degrees. He said the normal average temperature for March is 28.7 degrees.
March 2012 was the warmest March on record for Alpena, with an average temperature of 40.9.
"This spring has just been a favorable pattern for us to see some warmer temperatures and we haven't really had any strong systems come through that really brought that cold air down from Canada," he said.
The temperature peaked at a high of 71 degrees on March 22 while the monthly low temperature of 6 degrees was recorded on March 7.
Cornish said the weather has warmed up since a cold stretch in February and it's the warm weather that has also contributed to the lack of snowfall. The recorded snowfall for March was 0.4 inches, which is 11.8 inches less than the normal amount of snow typically recorded for the month.
He said storm systems haven't come through the Great Lakes as much and precipitation, such as snow, brings cooler temperatures with it.
While the weather was cold on Thursday, Cornish said warmer weather is headed our way -- just in time for Easter.
"This weekend is going to be a beautiful weekend," he said. "Saturday we're looking at highs in the mid-upper 50s and then Sunday some highs could creep into the low 60s as well."
Cornish said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center has forecast a warm April across the Great Lakes region.
However, Cornish said that warm weather in April can be dangerous for agriculture as northern Michigan isn't any stranger to harsh weather – whether it's snowstorms, cold weather, or cold overnight lows.
"It can be a big problem agriculturally for us because it doesn't take much for us to get cold and for crops to be ruined," he said. "That's a little bit of a concern always when we warm up in the spring."