Typical Mud Season in Norfolk
By Russell Russ
March 2007 weather highlights from Norfolk’s National weather Service Cooperative Weather Observer Station, Norfolk 2SW, as recorded by the great Mountain Forest Corporation. The station has recorded weather observations since January 1, 1932.
The month’s high temperature of 69 degrees was observed on March 14. This was a record high temperature for that date. It replaced the old record of 68 degrees set back in 1990. The low temperature of minus 5 degrees was observed on March 6. The average temperature this month was 30.4 degrees which was just 0.1 degree above normal.
This March saw nineteen days with measurable precipitation and unfortunately not many nice clear early spring days. The end result was a typical mud season in Norfolk. There were numerous days where we received only a little snow then it turned to rain or sleet or freezing rain. Norfolk usually will get more snow during these types of storms, but this year that snow line was to the north of us. Freezing rain on March 2 accumulated to about a quarter inch of ice on trees and wires causing some power outages throughout town. The storm on March 16 dumped 11 inches of snow at the station, but there were reports around town of 12 inches all the way up to 16 inches.
The total precipitation recorded for the month was 4.72 inches which was 0.27 inches above normal. The 16.4 inches of snowfall recorded was 2.3 inches below the normal monthly snowfall amount.
Through the first quarter of 2007 we are 1.75 inches below normal for total precipitation and 24.0 inches below normal for snowfall. Our winter season (October through March) snowfall total through March is 39.5 inches. Comparing this winter season to date to the last 75 years we are now 49.0 inches below a normal winter season’s snowfall total.
We ended the month with ice still covering Tobey Pond and Wangum Lake. Last year the ice went out between March 28 and March 30. Typically, the ice goes out sometime between late March and the first or second week of April.
