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Wellness Center offers Suitcase Fitness class on April 17

Sports Car Club del Valle Rio Grande conducting driving school on April 27

Sangre de Cristo Chorale concludes its concert season with "Never Only A Capella"

Volunteers needed for horseback riding program

Friday, April 12, 2002

Nary a cloud in the sky

March was warm and dry in Los Alamos and White Rock

March was dry and windy in Los Alamos and White Rock last month as storms systems continued to steer away from New Mexico.

With very little recorded precipitation since last fall, the period between October 2001 and March was the driest on record, said Laboratory meteorologist George Fenton of Meteorology and Air Quality (RRES-MAQ). By comparison, the winter of 1999-2000 preceding the Cerro Grande Fire was the sixth driest on record.

"Persistent High pressure over the Four Corners area continued to deflect precipitation producing storm systems north and east of us, with the Sangre de Cristo Mountains shielding us from the systems to the east," said Fenton. "Due to large pressure gradients between the Four Corners High and these systems, high winds occurred frequently during the month."

In Los Alamos last month, .02 inches of precipitation was recorded at the Technical Area 6 measuring station, which is 2 percent of normal for the month. Measurable precipitation was recorded in Los Alamos on March 8, but no measurable snow fell in the past two months, he said.

In White Rock, .01 inches of precipitation was recorded at the Technical Area 54 measuring station, only 1 percent of normal for March, said Fenton.

Both Los Alamos and White Rock saw near normal temperatures in March. In Los Alamos, the mean temperature was 39 degrees Fahrenheit, the mean maximum temperature was 53 F, about 2 F above normal, and the mean minimum temperature was 24 F, or 3 degrees below normal.

In White Rock, the mean temperature of 39 F was 2 F below normal, while the mean maximum temperature of 58 F was 3 F above normal for the month. The mean minimum of 21 F was 6 F below normal, said Fenton.

A number of temperature records were established last month in Los Alamos and White Rock. Highs of 68 F and 69 F were recorded March 13 and 31 in Los Alamos. Minimum temperatures of 2 F and 0 F on March 2 and 3 also established records, said Fenton.

A balmy 71 F and 73 F on March 13 and 28 established high temperatures records in White Rock. Minimum temperature records also were set in White Rock on March 2 (2 F), 4 (3 F) and 9 (5 F).

Wind gusts topping 50 miles per hour were recorded in Los Alamos on March 1, 8 and 14, while 40-mile-per-hour or higher wind gusts were recorded March 13 and 23.

Winds gusts exceeding 40 miles per hour were recorded in White Rock on March 1, 7, 8, 13, 14, 16 and 23.

--Steve Sandoval

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