March is going out on a mild note and state climatologist Harry Hillaker remembers that it came in — like a big cold, wet lion.
The big blizzard over western Iowa March 1st carried on for a couple days after that, and the first week of the month it was cold — but since that week only a couple days all month have been colder than normal.
After the big storm, it didn’t take things long to warm up. According to Hillaker, so far we’re running about six-and-a-half degrees warmer than usual for March, almost in "top ten territory" for records for this month.
It’s just about normal for precipitation, everywhere in the state. Looking at snowfall in particular, we got seven inches statewide this month, almost all of it in that big blizzard right at the start. It makes this the snowiest March in eight years.
Hillaker says it’s not "super-unusual" but has made for an interesting spring so far.