Eastern Cornbelt:
The Eastern Cornbelt enjoyed much warmer temperatures during the first week of March, with highs across southern Illinois and Indiana climbing to the 60s and lows generally staying above freezing. Northern areas of both states posted highs in the 40s as the week progressed, with lows dipping into the 20s.
A return of chilly temperatures was in the weekend forecast for northern Ohio, with highs expected to top out in the 30s. For the following week, however, forecasts called for highs to push well into the 50s and 60s.
The warmer March weather was a welcome change from February, which saw average temperatures of 20 degrees in Illinois, a full 11 degrees below normal for the month. February snowfall totals for Illinois ranged from eight inches in southwestern areas of the state to just under 34 inches in northern Chicago.
Western Cornbelt:
Much of Iowa enjoyed temperatures in the 50s and 60s as the week progressed, with Missouri seeing temperatures in the 60s and 70s at midweek. Eastern Nebraska also posted highs in the 50s and 60s during the week, with some southern areas of the state notching 70-degree highs at midweek.
Gusty winds and scattered showers were in the March 4 forecast for central and eastern Nebraska, with lows expected to drop into the 30s on March 5 before climbing once again into the upper-60s and low-70s by the weekend.
Northern Plains:
Sources reported spring-like temperatures across much of the Northern Plains in early March, with Dakota residents enjoying highs in the 40s and expecting temperatures to reach the 50s and low-60s by the weekend.
Parts of southern Minnesota were blanketed with 6-8 inches of snow on the last day of February, but the precipitation was followed by warm weather, with temperatures commonly reported in the 50s at midweek.
“We have a lot of customers thinking they are going to be in the fields before Easter unless we get a lot of rain, which we badly need,” said one North Dakota contact. “The whole state is pretty bare. You’d have to look pretty hard to find snow around central North Dakota. The soil temperatures are in the 30s now, but I imagine they will be a little warmer after a warm week.”
Great Lakes:
While much of Wisconsin experienced spring-like temperatures as the week progressed, conditions remained cold in Michigan during the week, with lows dropping to the teens in southern areas of the state and the single digits in northern locations. Highs in Michigan were expected to climb into the 30s by the weekend.
Southern Wisconsin saw temperatures in the 30s for much of the week, with highs likely to push into the 40s and possible 50s by the weekend.
Northeast:
Cold, wintry weather continued in New England in early March, thanks to a Canadian weather system that generated 40 mph winds and snow squalls in northern areas of New England during the week. Temperatures in the teens were reported in northern New England, with highs reaching the 20s and 30s across southern areas of the region.
Highs in the 30s and 40s were reported across New York at midweek, with blustery conditions pushing wind chills down to the single digits in some locations. Temperatures in parts of central Pennsylvania pushed up into the 50s at midweek, however, while some locations in Maryland notched highs in the low-60s.