Champaign, Ill. – March 2016 was the 10th-warmest March on record with an average temperature of 46.5 degrees, 5.2 degrees above normal. Illinois was not alone; essentially the entire U.S. was warmer than normal in March, according to Illinois State climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey at the University of Illinois.
March is the latest in a string of above-normal months in Illinois going all the way back to September 2015. In fact, the September-March average temperature of 45.6 degrees was 3.9 degrees above normal and the third-warmest September-March combo on record since 1895.
The warmth for the past several months is due to the moderating influence of El Niño on winters in Illinois, as well as our trend toward milder winters in recent decades, Angel said. The winter of 2013-14 was the exception to the rule.
The March statewide average precipitation was 3.28 inches, 0.32 inches above normal. Far southern Illinois was the wettest, with amounts of 5 to 8 inches common.
The largest monthly precipitation total in the state was Smithland Lock and Dam in Pope County with 8.73 inches. An area from Quincy to Peoria was the driest, with amounts closer to 1 to 3 inches. The Quincy Airport reported only 1.08 inches of precipitation for March.
Northern Illinois experienced some snow in March, while the rest of the state was quiet. Amounts of 1 to 4 inches were common in the north, and a few places along the Illinois-Wisconsin border received more. A site near Gurnee reported a monthly total of 8.2 inches of snow. Overall, snowfall was below normal for March across the state.
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