HAPPY VALLEY, OREGON WEATHER: MARCH 2020
TEMPERATURES
March 2020 averaged slightly below the Normal for both Maximum and Minimum Temperatures. Comparing with February 2020, this March’s Average Maximum of 53.4° was 3.3° above the previous month but the Average Minimum Temperature of 38.0° was only 0.5° above February’s. Going back another month in time, this March’s Average Min. Temp. was 3.0° colder than January 2020, a very unusual occurrence as the Average Minimum for March is normally only the 4th coldest month of the year, behind December, January, then February. For Minimum Temperatures, 24 of the first 27 days were <=40°, including 18 consecutive from the 5th to the 22nd. At this Happy Valley station’s location at 600 feet above sea level, there were 10 days that fell to <=35° but only 1 day reached <=32°. Other locations at lower elevations tend to have colder minimums on calm, clear nights due to cold air being heavier and sinking where slight breezes at higher locations tend to keep the temperatures from dropping as much. Splitting the month into two, the following Max/Min/Mean Averages occurred: 1st-15th: 50.8°/36.7°/43.8°; 16th-31st: 55.8°/39.2°/47.5°. The diurnal temperatures ranged from a maximum of 26.8° on the 22nd (64.3°/37.5°) to a minimum of 5.3° on the 13th (40.0°/34.7°).
Maximums ≤32°: 0
PRECIPITATION
Through the first 22 days of the month, only 1.36″ of liquid precipitation (rain/melted snow and hail) was measured (33% of the monthly total), appearing that this month would continue the drier-than-normal pattern that has plagued much of this Water Year but measurable precipitation occurred every day from the 23rd-31st, bringing the month’s total to 4.09″, getting closer to the average of 5.66″ but still only 72% of this Normal amount. Though there were 16 total days of precipitation here in Happy Valley, only 3 days recorded a fall >0.50″, all occurring from the 24th-30th, the maximum being the 0.73″ on the 30th.
Measurable Snowfall occurred on 3 days this month, the maximum being 1.7″ on the 14th. The final measurable snowfall of 0.2″ came in the early morning of the 25th, quite late in the season, historically, for this area. March’s maximum snow depth was the 1.0″ that occurred on the morning of the 14th. The 2019-2020 Snow Season totaled 4.2″: November 0.1″, December 0.1″, January 1.4″, February 0.3″, and March 2.3″. There were 2 days of snowfall ≥1.0″, and 8 days ≥0.1″.
Hail fell on 3 days this month with 7 individual events observed, 3 of these being on the 31st and 2 each on the 7th and 24th.
≥0.25″: 6
≥0.50″: 3
≥1.00″: 0
MISCELLANEOUS
Sky Cover: March brought 9 Clear, 8 Partly Cloudy, and 14 Cloudy days.
Barometric Pressure ranged from a maximum of 30.46″ (1st) to a minimum of 29.58″ (14th).
Relative Humidity peaked at 99% (29th) and reached a Minimum of 32% (22nd).
Dew Point went from a maximum of 51° (3rd & 29th) to a minimum of 25° (15th).
Wind averaged 0.4 MPH and the Maximum Gust reached 15 MPH (16th, 30th, & 31st).
HAPPY VALLEY WEATHER FORM: MARCH 2020
Cover Photo: Tall Oregon Grape under Snow. 2020-03-14.