(Radio Iowa)- State Climatologist Justin Glisan says March was warmer and wetter than normal, including one distinction for this year.”The first month that we’ve seen above average precipitation.” he says. Glisan says the weather pattern for March sent us three big storm events. “March 5th blizzard. March 14th a severe weather outbreak, and then another blizzard on the18th to the 19th,” he says. Glisan says there was a big disparity in precipitation across the state.

“The driest part was southwestern Iowa, 70 percent of normal. But then you go to central to north-central Iowa, upwards of 180 percent of normal, almost double what we would expect in March,” Glisan says. “So looking at the average about two-point-six (2.6) inches across the state, that’s almost six to seven tenths above where we should be, which is great news in terms of seeing drought conditions pulled back.” Glisten says part of the March precipitation was above average snowfall in northern and western Iowa after an earlier lack of snow.

“March acted more like winter than winter time did in December, January and February,” he says. Glisan says there was some warm weather between the storms. “Many parts of the state were in the top 15th warmest on record for March. Statewide, we’re about six degrees above average,” he says.

Glisan says February was about two inches below average for snowfall on top of December, January and February were combined about 13 inches below average.