It is a record wet March in parts of North Carolina, while the entire state experienced warm temperature and respectively Pollen season is here last month.
The rains often blow through
Heavy rain, especially on the coast, caused a wet March for the state. NCEI reports a preliminary statewide average rainfall of 5.45 inchesrated as The 28th was the wettest over the past 130 years.
The lion-like start saw consecutive rains in the first few days of the month. One low pressure system on March 1 and 2 brought two days total more than 2 inches in parts of the southern mountains and along the coast, while Another system is offshore on March 4 brought up to 4.33 inches at Cape Hatteras.
After just four days, Hatteras has already exceeded its normal March rainfall, but there will be more throughout the rest of the month.
March 6 saw more widespread rainfall with local total more than 2 inches on the coast, while the Piedmont had more than 1 inch on March 9.
Then one low pressure system on March 23 again wet beachwhile the entire eastern half of the state lay at the fire hydrant on March 27 and 28, with up to 2.97 inches IN Rockingham.
During the whole month, Hatteras The total of 13.86 inches — more than three times the normal monthly rainfall — easily eclipsed the 11.20 inches from 1989 and became the wettest March on record there. This is also the wettest month on record Elizabeth Cityhas a total of 9.25 inches.
Thanks to early rainfall, this was also a remarkably wet month in the mountains. Try on had the 12th wettest March in the past 104 years and the 11th wettest March for Attractive lake since 1949.
After a dry February, a wet March was a welcome sight, even with continued rainfall and offshore storm systems destroying the roads up and down the Outer Banks.
Moderate drought (D1), which returned to parts of eastern North Carolina in late February, has since subsided to cover only parts of Greene, Lenoir and Pitt counties. Realistic conditions, esp flow levelthere was a good recovery in March, but the rainfall deficit was 2 to 3 inches – or about 33% less than normal — remains in parts of the Coastal Plain as of early 2024.
A feeling of spring in the air
Continuously above normal temperatures throughout the month made for an overall warm March in North Carolina. The National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) recorded a preliminary statewide average temperature of 53.8°F and ours March 16 is the warmest since 1895.
Our average temperatures were 3 to 6 degrees above normal, making this among the 10 warmest Marches observed in some areas. New Bern And Raleigh Each country had the 9th warmest March on record, while it was the 9th warmest March in history Fayetteville and 6th warm in both Greenville And pecan.
The warmth starts early, when temperatures are high hit lows in the 70s on March 3 with high pressure on the head. ONE Similar pattern on March 12 to 14 helped temperatures Warm into the 80sincluding a maximum temperature of 82°F in Charlotte – the warmest day of the year up to that point and two weeks earlier than the average first warm day on April 1.
The most significant cooldown of the month occurred between March 24 and 26 when High pressure in the north Colder air flows across the state. Monday morning, March 25, low temperature dropped into the 20s in parts of central and western North Carolina, causing some vegetation to freeze slightly.
And not all areas felt that brief chill. RaleighThe lowest temperature for the month was 33°F, while Wilson never drop below 35°F. At both locations, this was only the second time in the past 100 years that temperatures were above freezing for the entire month of March, and that had not happened at either location since 1945.
During the last week of the month, our temperatures increased again, from the upper 50s onwards. March 27 in the 80s by March 31. Our Sandhills ECONet stations are located at Hamlet And Lilesville both reached 85°F and set new daily high temperature records since 2008.
The widespread warmth in March is perhaps best evidenced by the number of days with temperatures at or above 70°F. There are 15 such days in Raleigh17 inches Wilmingtonand 20 inches Lumberton. Farther west, pecan There have been 14 warm days and Lincolnton there were 16 days in the 70s or higher, the 4th most on record at both locations and the most in any March since 2016.
The pollen apocalypse comes
If your allergies have been active this spring, you can blame the weather, which is when pollen production peaks in March.
It starts with our temperatures, which begin to warm to spring-like levels in February and prompt vegetation to go into dormancy. As we noted in February climate summary, this year the leaf season started 2 to 3 weeks earlier than usual, so pollen season started quickly. We saw the first increase in grass pollen levels on March 1, while representativeThose levels didn’t start rising until late March or early April.
Rain can be both a blessing and a curse when it comes to pollen, and it was certainly a bit of both last month. Showers during the first two weeks of March helped grass and other vegetation green up and mature more quickly, which then put more pollen into the air.
More rain later in the month eventually helped wash away some of that pollen, but by then the nasal discomfort had completely cleared up. Grass pollen levels in Raleigh reached 17.9 particles per cubic meter on March 8 and 19.2 particles on March 18, based on North Carolina Department of Air Quality sampling data. Those are the two highest observed March grass pollen values in the online archive since 2006.
Between those rains, wind is also a factor. Wind gusts over 30 mph March 10, March 20And March 30 helped keep pollen airborne steadily throughout the month.
That culminated in a spike in tree pollen on April 1, with 5,219 particles per cubic meter – the highest level. Highest daily count ever observed by NC DAQ in Raleigh – primarily from mulberry, pine, oak, gum and ash trees.
Because of its direct connection to temperature, our spring pollen season is being impacted by climate change. Study at the NC State College of Natural Resources noted that pollen season has lengthened by nearly a month over the past 30 years, starting about 20 days earlier and ending about 10 days later.
That extra time allows for more overall pollen production, and when the weather cooperates, it can create days of more severe allergies like we’ve seen over the past month. It’s not something – or perhaps anything – to sneeze at.
