A Record-Breaking March and Warm Beginning of 2012...Updated 3/31

If you think this month or year has been warm, you're correct.  So far for this month and for the year of 2012, all Mid South climate sites rank in the top 2 warmest.  This is all thanks to arctic air remaining bottled up over the arctic and Siberia through the winter, with very few intrusions this far south.  Couple that with an incredible ridge that has parked over the eastern two-thirds of the country during much of this month, and we have very impressive departures from normal. March 2012 will to go gown as the warmest on record at all official Midsouth climate sites: Memphis, Jackson, Jonesboro and Tupelo.

The following tables show the rank, average temperature (°F), year of occurrence, and its departure from the 1981-2010 set of normals. 

Top 10 warmest March months through the 30th:

Memphis   Jackson   Jonesboro   Tupelo
Rank Ave T Year Dep    Rank Ave T Year Dep   Rank Ave T Year Dep   Rank Ave T Year Dep
1 64.6 2012 10.7   1 61.3 2012 10.5   1 62.4 2012 12.4   1 63.6 2012 9.7
2 62.6 1907 8.7   2 58.4 2007 7.6   2 61.8 1921 11.8   2 61.9 1945 8.0
3 62.3 2007 8.4   3 57.1 1973 6.3   3 61.1 1907 11.1   3 61.6 2007 7.7
4 62.0 1910 8.1   4 56.9 1976 6.1   4 59.4 1938 9.4   4 61.5 1938 7.6
5 61.4 1921 7.5   5 56.7 1974 5.9   5 58.8 1945 8.8   5 61.1 1935 7.2
6 60.4 1938 6.5     56.7 1995 5.9   6 58.6 1918 8.6   6 59.6 1974 5.7
7 60.0 1945 6.1   7 56.5 1977 5.7   7 58.5 1908 8.5   7 59.2 1946 5.3
8 59.7 1878 5.8   8 55.5 1967 4.7   8 58.1 1946 8.1   8 57.8 1976 3.9
9 59.3 1908 5.4   9 55.3 1961 4.5     58.1 2007 8.1     57.8 1997 3.9
10 59.1 1935 5.2   10 55.0 1982 4.2   10 57.0 1936 7.0   10 57.6 1973 3.7


Top 10 warmest years through March 30:

Memphis   Jackson   Jonesboro   Tupelo
Rank Ave T Year Dep   Rank Ave T Year Dep   Rank Ave T Year Dep   Rank Ave T Year Dep
1 53.7 2012 6.8   1 50.6 2012 6.4   1 51.8 1921 8.2   1 53.6 2012 6.6
2 52.8 1907 5.9   2 49.9 1990 5.7   2 50.6 2012 7.0   2 53.1 1938 6.1
3 52.2 1921 5.3   3 48.1 1953 3.9   3 49.8 1938 6.2   3 52.1 1990 5.1
4 51.7 1880 4.8     48.1 1974 3.9   4 49.1 1911 5.5   4 51.5 1974 4.5
  51.7 1990 4.8   5 48.0 1976 3.8   5 48.8 1990 5.2   5 51.4 1949 4.4
6 51.3 1882 4.4   6 47.3 1950 3.1   6 48.5 1932 4.9   6 51.1 1939 4.1
7 50.5 1890 3.6     47.3 1952 3.1   7 48.3 1946 4.7   7 50.9 1935 3.9
  50.5 1911 3.6   8 47.1 1949 2.9   8 47.9 1925 4.3   8 50.6 1953 3.6
  50.5 1976 3.6   9 46.7 1992 2.5   9 47.8 1953 4.2   9 50.4 1945 3.4
10 50.0 1974 3.1   10 46.5 1954 2.3   10 47.6 1908 4.0     50.4 1952 3.4

 



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