Thread: March temperatures sets record as hottest ever

March temperatures sets record as hottest ever, Bureau of Meteorology says

By environment reporter Sara Phillips
Updated Fri at 1:00am

PHOTO: March has exceeded average temperatures, official statistics show(Bureau of Meteorology)
RELATED STORY: February 2016 the hottest month on record: climate scientist
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You could be forgiven for not noticing the end of summer — March was a hot one.

Information released by the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) indicated it was the hottest March on record, reaching 1.7 degrees Celsius above the long-term average.

This eclipsed the 1986 record of 1.67 degrees above the average, BoM said in its monthly climate report.

The unusual heat was particularly noticed in the Top End, where the failure of the monsoon allowed temperatures to creep up.

This, coupled with a high pressure system off the east coast of Australia, caused a heatwave strong enough to prompt BoM to issue a special climate statement about the phenomenon.

March 2 became Australia's hottest day on record.

Averaged across the country, it reached a top of 38 degrees Celsius.

There was no relief overnight either with minimum overnight temperatures the warmest ever, smashing the 1983 record by 0.83 degrees.

The hot March came on the back of the hottest February globally, and the hottest year for 2015.

A strong El Nino weather pattern prevailed at the start of the year, which has traditionally been associated with hotter weather.

Although the El Nino is weakening, the heat effects are expected to persist for a few more months.

Climate change is thought to be adding to the unusual heat.

The scorching start to 2016 prompted Australia's chief scientist Alan Finkel to warn that the world was "losing the battle" against climate change.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-0...m-says/7293500

This could be warmest March on record

By Gary Robbins | 12:39 p.m. March 26, 2015

Beach-goers enjoyed summer-like weather Thursday at La Jolla Shores. — Gary Robbins

San Diego is in the midst of another hot spell that could help make this month the warmest March on record, says the National Weather Service.

The highest average temperature for March at Lindbergh Field is 64.3 degrees, a reading set in 1978. The average temperature for the first 26 days of this month was 66.4, a full 7 degrees above normal. And cool weather isn't expected to arrive soon.

"It looks like the temperature is going to be above average through next Tuesday, when March ends," said Brandt Maxwell, a weather service forecaster.

San Diego's hot winter

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Determining the average monthly temperature is a two-step process: First you add up the daily averages for the month. Then you divide the total by the number of days in the month.

San Diego -- which hit 84 on Thursday -- is experiencing an extraordinarily long period of warm weather. At the very least, March will turn out to be the 17th straight month that the average temperature was above normal.

Forecasters say the region has remained warm largely because high pressure ridges have repeatedly set up over California, or near the state, producing mostly mild weather. The ridges also have contributed to below average rainfall by blocking many of the winter storms that otherwise would drop into San Diego County. A series of storms did reach San Diego in December, generating unusually heavy rainfall.

But the systems tapped a lot of sub-tropical moisture, helping to keep the region warmer than normal.

The warmth hasn't been limited to daylight hours. Overnight temperatures have been much higher than normal, partly due to the fact that the ocean has been warmer than average. There were periods in December when surfers were riding waves in shorts instead of wetsuits.

On March 15, the overnight low was 68 -- warm enough to lead weather service forecaster Mark Moede to say, "That's the real 'March Madness.' "

The benign conditions will continue on Friday when daytime highs in San Diego reach about 78, or 12 degrees higher than normal. Inland valleys and foothills will be in the 80s.

Forecasters say temperatures will gradually cool over the weekend. But another high pressure system is expected to form early next week.

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...warm-tandiego/