Portend of summer?
March roared in like a lion in Los Alamos and White Rock and left about the same – weatherwise that is.
Typical New Mexico spring winds made their presence known throughout the month, and it also was warm. However, both towns recorded near normal precipitation in March – mostly in the form of rain, according to Scot Johnson, a Laboratory meteorologist in Geotechnical Services (ERSS-GS).
A high-pressure ridge over the western United States was responsible for the warm and dry conditions, said Johnson. It was reflected in above average temperatures and several new temperature records. The mean temperature of 44 degrees Fahrenheit in Los Alamos and White Rock last month was 5 F and 3 F above normal respectively.
And high temperature records were established March 14, 15, 17, and 18 in Los Alamos, bettering previous records by nearly 4 F. “A new record one degree higher than the old is common. But four new records, in quick succession, all beating the old marks by an average of four degrees is rare,” said Johnson, noting that four high temperature records also were set in White Rock last month.
“Naturally, many high minimum temperature records were set, too,” Johnson added.
With the warm temperatures also came winds. Johnson said average wind speeds in the two towns were between 5 and 10 percent above normal in March.
Johnson said 1.23 inches of precipitation was recorded last month in Los Alamos, which is just about normal (1.28). Since January 1, Los Alamos has received 2.83 inches of precipitation, or 95 percent of the norm.
Likewise, White Rock recorded .95 inches of precipitation in March; the normal for the month is .88 inches, said Johnson. Since January 1, White Rock has received 1.97 inches of precipitation, or 96 percent of the norm.
Looking forward, Johnson said forecasts by the Climate Prediction Center of the National Center for Environmental Prediction call for warmer-than-average temperatures and average precipitation at least until next autumn.
More information about weather in the region can be found at http://weather.lanl.gov online.
Powerful Light Pulses Imitate Stars, Make Fusion Reactions Clearer
Milagro Telescope Zooms in on New Regions of Space
Library Researchers Make Searching More Predictable
