There wasn’t a lot of weather in Berks County to analyze in March, with a month that was slightly warmer and drier than normal, according to the measurements on the automated equipment at Reading Regional Airport.
The main event was likely the continued absence of snow, and with chances of any snow dwindling rapidly, the 2022-23 season is poised to be the leanest on record at 3.7 inches. It would knock off 3.9 inches from three years ago in a 154-year database.
The winter of 2019-20, which included the dawn of the COVID-19 era, was similar to the one that just occurred, except that March 2020 was a good deal warmer than March 2023.
The other notable weather event last month was that the average first day for a 70-degree reading was about two weeks late and didn’t occur until Saturday, April 1.
The last time the first 70 didn’t occur until April was in 2015. The frigid regime of that winter — setting a record coldest February — was reluctant to break. The first 70-degree days in 2013 and 2014 also came in April, both years with cold winters, though 2015 was the worst of the bunch.
In any case, none of the first 70s mentioned was close to record tardiness, which is late April.
The lightest snowfall seasons on record:
• 3.7 inches: 2022-23
• 3.9: 2019-20
• 6: 1972-72
• 6.8: 1918-19
• 7.1: 1930-31
• 7.4: 1997-98
• 9.6: 1994-95
Jeffrey R. Stoudt, retired meteorologist and founder of the Berks Area Rainfall Networks had this analysis of weather last month:
“The pattern flip anticipated as March began did not fully execute,” he said. “March still ended warmer than average (+1.7) but not nearly as anomalously so as January and February. This March was quite bland weatherwise in both temperatures and precipitation, in sharp contrast to March 2022 which was replete of meteorological madness.
“This March contained no really warm or cold weather and few daily departures from normal of 10 degrees or slightly more. March usually brings numerous departures from normal on both sides of at least 10 degrees … the extremes of 23 and 66 (degrees) are both very modest. … snow and sleet were feeble, only a few traces most places.”
However, less than an hour to the north, the snow season total was double or more than the Berks total.
Through the first quarter, the airport recorded 7.15 inches of precipitation, 1.96 below the normal of 9.11 inches.
The county as a whole was faring better than that, according to the Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center, a division of the weather service, at 8.3 inches.
That total is arrived at by taking numerous stations into consideration and the quality controlling work of a hydrologist.
March weather
43.2 degrees: Temperature
41.5 degrees: Normal
2.53 inches: precipitation
3.53 inches: Normal
Snow: zero (season, 3.7″)
Ice days (high of 32 degrees or lower): zero (season, 4)
Source: National Weather Service
Precipitation total/snow where applicable from the Berks Area Rainfall networks and the CoCoRaHS collaborative:
Bally, 3.44 inches; Shartlesville, 3.30; Boyertown, 3.24; Mohrsville SW, 3.23; Mohrsville, 3.22; Topton, 3.16; Bernville, 3.10; Pine Grove, 3.09/2.8; Henningsville, 3.07/1.0; (East) Reading, 3.06; Oley Furnace, 3; Hamburg, 2.95/0.2; Frystown, 2.95; Dryville, 2.94; Wernersville, 2.92; Elverson NE, 2.88; Shillington, 2.86; Womelsdorf and Mohnton, 2.85; Auburn SW, 2.84/1.5; Lincoln Park, 2.75; Cornwall Terrace, 2.72; New Morgan, 2.69/0.2; Knauers, 2.67; Lobachsville, 2.59/0.3; Wyomissing, 2.53; West Reading, 2.51; Hopewell, 2.49; Adamstown, 2.48/0.2; and Reiffton, 2.37.
Source: Berkshire mont
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