HAPPY VALLEY, OREGON WEATHER: MARCH 2021
TEMPERATURES
March 2021 averaged slightly below the Normal for both Maximum and Minimum Temperatures, though the first 4 days were well-above Normal as Maxima averaged a nearly +15° departure but quickly cooled to the upper-40s to low-50s from the 5th-10th. The month’s coolest Maximum Temperature was 45.1° on the 15th, the warmest waiting until March’s final day when it jumped to 66.9°, the warmest Max. Temperature since 70.6° on 10/9/2020. After a Minimum Temperature of 41.4° on the 1st of the month, not a single day with a Minimum above 40° was recorded until 3/18/2021 with 41.9°. Overall, only 5 days failed to fall to ≤40°. The 31.4° on 3/15 and 31.8° on 3/16 were the latest Minimum Temperatures ≤32° since this station began reporting on 5/29/2014 (and almost reached freezing again on 3/30, bottoming out at 32.6° – oh, so close!). March’s Average Minimum Temperature of 37.8° was 2.1° below that of January 2021 and is the 4th consecutive year for March to average colder than that normally colder month.
PRECIPITATION
March averaged well-below normal as the total of 2.67″ was just 47% of the Average of 5.66″. The month began mild and dry, with no measurable rain through the first 4 days, quickly followed by the month’s rainiest day on the 5th of 0.55″. The first 17 days totaled to 1.19″ of Precipitation, with measurable amounts occurring on 7 days (four of which were ≤0.03″); from the 18th-31st, rain totaled to 1.48″, occurring on 9 days. Just a Trace of Snowfall was observed, with Snow Pellets falling on the 15th. The 2020-2021 Snow Season final amount was 7.3″, with 2 days of snowfall ≥1.0″, and 8 days ≥0.1″. The greatest Snow Depth was 5″ on 2/12 to 2/14/2021. Hail fell on 2 days, with 3 individual events observed, 2 on the 7th, 1 on the 25th.
≥0.25″: 4
≥0.50″: 1
≥1.00″: 0
MISCELLANEOUS
Sky Cover: 8 clear, 13 partly cloudy, and 10 cloudy days.
Barometric Pressure ranged from a maximum of 30.51″ (23rd) to a minimum of 29.77″ (3rd).
Relative Humidity peaked at 98% (3rd, 6th, 11th, 22nd, & 25th) and reached a Minimum of 34% (12th).
Dew Point went from a maximum of 50° (18th) to a minimum of 28° (12th).
Wind averaged 1.1 MPH and the Maximum Gust reached 27 MPH from the S (28th).
Cover Photo: Foggy Sunrise Behind Mt. Hood, 3/3/2021.