Warmest March Ever

Spiderwort  (Tradescantia ohiensis)

Despite the hot and dry conditions some flowering plants are thriving.  Spiderwort is perfectly evolved to  tolerate both the heat and drought.  It has substantial roots that harbor whatever moisture it can funnel down.

Phlox drummondii (or Phlox)

Fields of Phlox are appearing on roadsides and other disturbed areas.  This native plant is indestructible.

While it has been unusually warm in Florida for months.  The rest of the nation east of the Rockies has had a taste of our weather through most of March.  Thousands of individual record high temperatures fell.   What's more interesting to those who follow weather and climate are the average temperatures for the entire month.  Our average temperatures here in Central Florida were about 75° F (24° C).  In many locations that's a full degree Fahrenheit warmer that ever in the historical record.  The average temperatures combine both the highs and lows.

Never before in dozens of cities -- where long-standing records exist -- have March temperatures averaged as warm as they did last month.  A small selection of those cities are listed below.  They span 26 states from the central High Plains to the East Coast.

City	March 2012 Avg. Temp.	Previous Warmest March (Avg. Temp.)
Portland, Maine	41.2°	March 2010 (39.9°)
Concord, N.H.	42.1°	March 1946 (41.1°)
Burlington, Vt.	43.2°	March 1903 (40.0°)
Albany, N.Y.	45.9°	March 1859 (44.4°)
Allentown, Pa.	49.8°	March 1945 (48.2°)
Trenton, N.J.	52.5°	March 1903 (51.9°)
Washington, D.C.	56.8°	March 1945 (56.2°)
Roanoke, Va.	57.4°	March 1921 (57.2°)
Parkersburg, W. Va.	54.2°	March 1942 (54.1°)
Tampa, Fla.	74.4°	March 1997 (73.9°)
London, Ky.	57.3°	March 2007 (55.1°)
Nashville, Tenn.	61.1°	March 1907 (59.7°)
Cleveland, Ohio	51.4°	March 1946 (49.5°)
Detroit, Mich.	50.7°	March 1945 (47.9°)
Indianapolis, Ind.	56.6°	March 1946 (51.9°)
Chicago, Ill.	53.5°	March 1945 (48.6°)
Milwaukee, Wis.	48.8°	March 1945 (44.3°)
International Falls, Minn.	38.2°	March 2010 (34.4°)
Des Moines, Iowa	55.7°	March 1910 (51.5°)
Kansas City, Mo.	58.4°	March 1910 (58.3°)
Rapid City, S.D.	47.6°	March 2007 (44.3°)
McCook, Neb.	52.1°	March 2007 (48.3°)
Goodland, Kan.	50.7°	March 1907 (48.8°)
Oklahoma City, Okla.	60.8°	March 1910 (60.5°)
Burlington, Colo.	49.5°	March 1986 (47.7°)
Riverton, Wyo.	43.9°	March 1986 (43.2°)

CAUSES OF THE RECORD WARMTH

Human-induced climate change is likely the cause for the changes in the climate.  Still, it cannot be proven without substantially more data (years worth of data).  We can say that La Niña and the North Atlantic Oscillation probably had a direct role in creating extreme patterns in the jet stream that then resulted in abnormal warmth.

Why we're experiencing yet another La Niña episode, however, will also be a question that awaits more years of data.   In Florida we're very happy that La Niña is again waning (just like last spring).  It has been the driest on record for many areas of Florida this Spring.  In March we received no rainfall in Central Florida.

A Spinybacked Orbweaver (Gasteracantha cancriformis)

There is no shortage of spiders and other insects across Florida today.  Despite the drought they manage to find a way to survive, like this Spinybacked Orbweaver, that catches dew in its web.

Temperatures are forecast to be in the low 90°s F (33° F) across Florida the next couple of days.  This is when we native Floridians take to shelter from about 10:00 am until 7:00 pm.