Weather

Since December, most of the Northeast has experienced an unusually quiet winter. This trend continued into March and the start of the meteorological spring. The temperature in Boston averaged 47 degrees for the month. The high temperature was a balmy 59 degrees on March 23. Rain fell on 11 days during the month, for a total of 4.29 inches, slightly above normal for March. Snowfall in Boston was a meager 0.9 inches, well below the average for March of 7.8 inches. Similarly, the seasonal snowfall total for Boston through the end of March was 12.4 inches, more than three feet less than the historical average of 49.2 inches for the same period. Although Boston and other coastal communities escaped significant snow, inland areas saw more of the white stuff. On March 2–3, a storm dropped heavy wet snow that was quickly followed by rain. Two to three inches of snow accumulated in the hills of Worcester County. On March 13–15, a nor’easter brought wet snow to many areas, with wind gusts up to 60 mph on Cape Cod. The highest snowfall was in Franklin County, with 37 inches recorded in Hawley. Windsor, in neighboring Berkshire County, had 31 inches. Snow amounts were lower in communities closer to the coast. Haverhill recorded 8.0 inches while Newburyport had just 4.3 inches. The South Shore and Cape Cod had little accumulation but did not escape the strong winds.

SALTMARSH SPARROW BY BRI BENVENUTI