3/17/2024 - 3/23/2024

Climate in the News:

This past week the Climate Prediction Center released their seasonal outlooks for spring. In the Southern Region, we can expect temperatures to be above average with the highest chances of above average temperatures in West Texas and Tennessee. Looking at the Seasonal Precipitation Outlook below-normal precipitation totals are anticipated in West Texas, while above-normal amounts of precipitation are expected in East Texas, Eastern Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

Weather Synopsis:

Most of the interesting weather last week occurred two weekends ago when a stationary front stalled near the Gulf Coast. This brought heavy rainfall and thunderstorms to Southeast Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi on Sunday.

Temperature:

Overall, March is when the Region is starting to warm up. However, frequent cold fronts are still common bringing both rain chances and below-normal temperatures for a few days.

Last week the Southern Region escaped the heat and experienced a week of below-normal temperatures. The greatest departures from normal were experienced in Central Louisiana where weekly average temperatures were about 7 degrees below normal. A cold front swept through the region Sunday into Monday leaving behind cool temperatures. This event resulted in a freeze warning just north of Baton Rouge, LA. Overall average temperatures for the week ranged between 60 and 47 degrees Fahrenheit, about 12 to 13 degrees colder than the week prior.

Precipitation:

With the majority of the Region being in a humid subtropical climate, rainfall is common at any point of the year. Frequently, during the spring months, storm systems are common throughout the south. During March severe storm probabilities are at their highest in the Lower Mississippi Valley.

As discussed above, most of the precipitation received last week in the Southern Region was concentrated along the Gulf Coast and fell on Sunday the 17th. As the stationary front sat along the coast it contributed to high weekly precipitation totals south of Houston, TX of about 6.5 inches. The highest daily accumulation was seen in Galveston County where 3.98 inches of rain fell via a CoCoRaHS report Sunday.