Not only did we break the record for the all time warmest March on record since record keeping began but we also recorded the hottest temperature ever at my local airport (CYKZ) and CYYZ also shattered its all time record.
Not only was it incredibly sunny & well above average for sunshine hours we only had a mere 20.1mm (0.79") of rain for the month compared to an average of about 70mm (2.75") & last year we had 112.9 (4.44"). Fire weather conditions have started exceptionally early and with the dry brush conditions the fire weather index hit an all time high for this early in the season!
March was also a month of extreme with very strong temperature shifts, some deep low pressure systems & high synoptic wind gusts! I've also recorded the driest humidity reading of 16% since my record keeping began. So not only have we had 99% humidity days, but also some bone dry readings. It's pretty unusual to have anything below 45% as far as humidity goes for this part of Southern Ontario so 16% is a pretty big deal!
March 2012 Averages Average temperature = 6.8°C
Average humidity = 71%
Average dewpoint = 1.5°C
Average barometer = 1017.7 mb
Average windspeed = 9.0 km/h
Average gustspeed = 13.6 km/h
Average direction = 256° (WSW)
Rainfall for month = 20.1 mm
Rainfall for year = 72.2 mm
Maximum rain per minute = 3.0 mm on day 01 at time 00:01
Maximum temperature = 27.5°C on day 22 at time 16:11
Minimum temperature = -14.1°C on day 05 at time 05:07
Maximum humidity = 99% on day 18 at time 10:25
Minimum humidity = 16% on day 27 at time 15:31
Maximum dewpoint = 16.2°C on day 22 at time 14:03
Minimum dewpoint = -19.0°C on day 27 at time 15:31
Maximum pressure = 1036.9 mb on day 10 at time 09:18
Minimum pressure = 986.5 mb on day 03 at time 01:31
Maximum windspeed = 46.3 kmh from 225°( SW) on day 03 at time 09:15
Maximum gust speed = 72.2 km/h from 225°( SW) on day 03 at time 09:14
Maximum heat index = 27.7°C on day 22 at time 16:11
Avg daily max temp :12.9°C
Avg daily min temp :1.0°C
Growing degrees days :46.4 GDD
Total windrun = 6659.6km
Sunshine hours month to date= 146.5 hrs
Sunshine hours year to date= 300.8 hrs
Frost days= 14
Ice days= 2
Very cold days= 2AWCN11 CWTO 251534
UPDATED WEATHER SUMMARY FOR ALL OF SOUTHERN ONTARIO AND THE
NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION ISSUED BY ENVIRONMENT CANADA
AT 11:33 AM EDT SUNDAY 25 MARCH 2012.
-------------------------------------------------------------
==WEATHER EVENT DISCUSSION==
..SUMMARY OF THE EPIC HOT SPELL ACROSS ONTARIO..
THIS WILL LIKELY BE THE FINAL SUMMARY FOR THIS MODERN DAY MARVEL
FROM MOTHER NATURE, MOST OF WHICH OCCURRED WHILE IT WAS STILL
OFFICIALLY WINTER. THE CAUSE WAS ATTRIBUTED TO SIMPLY A STATIONARY
ABNORMALLY STRONG HIGH PRESSURE AREA ACROSS EASTERN NORTH AMERICA.
THE FOLLOWING ARE SOME EXTRAORDINARY EXAMPLES FROM THIS HISTORIC
EVENT TO CONVEY A SENSE OF ITS SCALE.
IT WAS UNPRECEDENTED IN ITS DURATION AND AERIAL SCOPE. IT AFFECTED
ALL OF EASTERN CANADA FROM MANITOBA TO NOVA SCOTIA, AND LASTED FOR
UPWARDS OF 10 CONSECUTIVE DAYS. WINDSOR RECORDED A FULL 10 DAYS IN A
ROW OF 20 DEGREES OR MORE. KITCHENER HAD 8 DAYS AT OR OVER 20 C.
THERE WERE CLOSE TO 250 RECORDS ANNIHILATED IN ONTARIO ALONE,
(INCLUDING A PRECURSOR WARM-UP EARLIER IN THE MONTH). IT WAS
UNDOUBTEDLY A RECORD FOR THE MOST NUMBER OF RECORDS!
MANY LOCALES SURPASSED THEIR PREVIOUS ALL-TIME MARCH HIGHEST
TEMPERATURES. SEVERAL STATIONS EVEN RECORDED THEIR WARMEST MARCH
DAY, ONLY TO BREAK IT THE NEXT DAY WITH EVEN HOTTER TEMPERATURES.
HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES SHOWCASING SOME NEW HOTTEST MARCH RECORDS
AND THE DATES THEY OCCURRED:
TORONTO 26.0 (MARCH 22 2012)
WINDSOR 28.4 (MARCH 21 2012)
LONDON 27.5 (MARCH 22 2012)
HAMILTON 26.8 (MARCH 22 2012)
OTTAWA 27.4 (MARCH 21 2012)
PETAWAWA 28.8 (MARCH 21 2012)
DAILY RECORDS WERE OFTEN SHATTERED IN DRAMATIC FASHION. FOR EXAMPLE,
PETAWAWA'S 28.8 C ON MARCH 21ST WAS ALMOST 17 CELCIUS DEGREES WARMER
THAN THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 12.2 C.
THE WARMTH WAS SO PRONOUNCED THAT SOME LOCALES REPORTED NIGHTTIME
LOW TEMPERATURES WHICH HANDILY BEAT THE PREVIOUS RECORD MAXIMUM
TEMPERATURE. SUCH WAS THE CASE IN FORT FRANCES ON MARCH 19TH WHICH
REPORTED A LOW TEMPERATURE OF 15.1 C. THE PREVIOUS RECORD HIGH
TEMPERATURE FOR THE DAY WAS 10 C.
THERE WILL LIKELY BE ONE FINAL CHAPTER TO BE ADDED TO THIS WEATHER
STORY. MANY LOCALES ARE LIKELY TO SURPASS THEIR ALL-TIME MARCH
RECORDS FOR WARMTH, ESPECIALLY IN SOUTHERN ONTARIO. ALTHOUGH THERE
WILL BE ONE OR TWO COLDER SET-BACKS BEFORE THE END OF THE MONTH,
THERE ARE A COUPLE OF ABNORMALLY WARM DAYS EXPECTED AS WELL.
END/OSPC
AWCN11 CWTO 231359
UPDATED WEATHER SUMMARY FOR ALL OF SOUTHERN ONTARIO AND THE
NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION ISSUED BY ENVIRONMENT CANADA
AT 9:55 AM EDT FRIDAY 23 MARCH 2012.
-------------------------------------------------------------
==WEATHER EVENT DISCUSSION==
A MEMORABLE FEAST OF SUMMER IN MARCH IS ENDING.
COOLER AIR IS SLOWLY RETURNING TO SOUTHERN ONTARIO. EXCEPT FOR
ONE MORE DAY TODAY IN THE LOW TWENTIES IN THE WINDSOR TO SARNIA
AREAS WHERE THE WARM AIR AND SOME SUNSHINE WILL STRUGGLE TO HANG
ON, THE MERCURY WILL REMAIN IN THE TEENS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN
SEVERAL DAYS TO OVER A WEEK IN MANY LOCALITIES. TEMPERATURES THOUGH
TODAY WILL STILL BE QUITE A FEW DEGREES HIGHER THAN AVERAGE FOR
EARLY SPRING.
THIS UNUSUAL WARM SPELL IS ALSO REMARKABLE FOR ITS DURATION. MANY
LOCALES SUCH AS WINDSOR, SARNIA, LONDON AND KITCHENER HAVE ENJOYED 8
OR 9 DAYS IN A ROW WHERE THE AFTERNOON TEMPERATURE REACHED 20.0 C OR
HIGHER. THIS IS UNPRECEDENTED FOR MARCH IN ONTARIO AND THE RECORD
BOOKS HAVE BEEN REWRITTEN ACCORDINGLY.
BELOW ARE RECORD MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE RECORDS SET ON THURSDAY
22-MAR-2012. EXCEPTIONALLY WARM ALL TIME MARCH MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES
OF 28.5 C AT TILLSONBURG AND 28.0 C AT AMHERSTBURG WERE RECORDED,
BUT TEMPERATURE RECORDS FOR THESE SITES ARE RELATIVELY SHORT.
PLEASE REFER TO THE TABLE BELOW FOR MORE DETAILS.
-------------------------------------------------------------
LOCATION NEW TEMPERATURE RECORD PREVIOUS RECORD
WINDSOR 28.4 18.8 (2007)
HARROW 23.5 22.2 (1938)
SARNIA 25.5 15.0 (2007)
LONDON 27.5 23.9 (1938)
ST THOMAS 26.0 22.8 (1938)
DELHI 27.3 23.9 (1938)
WOODSTOCK 27.0 22.8 (1938)
ROSEVILLE 27.0 15.5 (1979)
KITCHENER-WATERLOO 26.5 21.7 (1938)
FERGUS SHAND DAM 26.0 14.5 (1979)
HAMILTON 26.8 17.8 (1910)
FORT ERIE 22.0 18.0 (1979)
PORT COLBORNE 21.0 17.0 (1979)
WIARTON 18.3 13.9 (2007)
KINCARDINE 25.0 12.0 (2007)
TORONTO DOWNTOWN 24.3 22.8 (1938)
TORONTO PEARSON 26.0 24.4 (1938)
BUTTONVILLE 26.3 18.4 (1988)
BARRIE 24.1 16.0 (1907,1953)
ORILLIA 24.5 17.2 (1935)
MUSKOKA 23.7 15.7 (1987)
PETERBOROUGH 26.0 24.4 (1938)
TRENTON 17.7 16.7 (1953)
KINGSTON 16.1 12.8 (1949)
BANCROFT 22.8 16.5 (1979)
BROCKVILLE 24.9 22.8 (1938)
OTTAWA 24.9 15.6 (1953,2000)
OTTAWA (CANADA DEPARTMENT
OF AGRICULTURE) 23.7 15.2 (2000)
KEMPTVILLE 24.5 16.7 (1953)
THIS WEATHER SUMMARY CONTAINS PRELIMINARY INFORMATION AND MAY NOT
CONSTITUTE AN OFFICIAL OR FINAL REPORT.
END/OSPC