395
CXUS53 KIWX 010940
CLMSBN
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
540 AM EDT WED APR 01 2026
...............................
..THE SOUTH BEND CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH 2026
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1991 TO 2020
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1893 TO 2026
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR'S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
............................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 85 03/21/2012
03/31/1981
07/14/1936
LOW -13 03/08/1943
HIGHEST 77 03/26 MM MM 78 03/14
03/30
03/28
LOWEST 16 03/17 MM MM 16 03/01
AVG. MAXIMUM 55.3 46.2 9.1 54.8
AVG. MINIMUM 32.8 27.2 5.6 31.7
MEAN 44.1 36.7 7.4
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 1 3.5 -2.5 0
DAYS MIN <= 32 14 21.1 -7.1 19
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.1 -0.1 0
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 7.96 1976
MINIMUM 0.54 1958
TOTALS 5.32 2.35 2.97 5.16
DAILY AVG. 0.17 0.08 0.09 0.17
DAYS >= .01 14 12.4 1.6 12
DAYS >= .10 8 6.0 2.0 10
DAYS >= .50 5 1.3 3.7 5
DAYS >= 1.00 2 0.2 1.8 1
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 1.55 03/10 TO 03/11
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 33.9 1960
TOTALS 3.7 6.8 -3.1 0.4
SINCE 7/1 94.8 63.5 31.3 MM
SNOWDEPTH AVG. 0 -1
DAYS >= 1.0 2 2.0 0.0 0
GREATEST
SNOW DEPTH 1 03/17
24 HR TOTAL 2.1R 03/16 TO 03/16
DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 639 879 -240 666
SINCE 7/1 5252 5612 -360 MM
COOLING TOTAL 0 2 -2 0
SINCE 1/1 0 2 -2 MM
............................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 11.7
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 46/180 DATE 03/10
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 68/250 DATE 03/13
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.52
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 12
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 10
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 9
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 69
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 7 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 5 RAIN 9
LIGHT RAIN 13 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 1 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 1 SNOW 2
LIGHT SNOW 5 SLEET 0
FOG 18 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 3
HAZE 10
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
...TOP 10 WETTEST AND WARMEST MARCH ON RECORD.
A BREAKDOWN OF THE LA NINA PATTERN WE EXPERIENCED OVER THE WINTER
LED TO VERY MILD AIR AND ACTIVE WEATHER DURING MARCH. IN FACT, NWS
NORTHERN INDIANA EXPERIENCED THE MOST ACTIVE MARCH FOR SEVERE
WEATHER ON RECORD (DATING BACK TO 1986) THROUGHOUT MARCH, WE ISSUED
A RECORD 18 TORNADO WARNINGS AND A RECORD 57 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WARNINGS. PREVIOUS RECORDS WERE 7 TORNADO WARNINGS (2023) AND 28
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS (2025). SEVERE WEATHER OCCURRED ON
MARCH 6TH, MARCH 10TH, MARCH 22ND, MARCH 26TH, AND MARCH 31ST. ALL
SEVERE WEATHER HAZARDS OCCURRED IN OUR FORECAST AREA THIS MONTH,
INCLUDING DAMAGING WINDS, LARGE HAIL, AND TORNADOES. WE ALSO HAD
HIGH WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH ON MARCH 13TH CAUSED BY A VERY
TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT THAT DEVELOPED OVER THE GREAT LAKES.
SEVERAL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS MOVED THROUGH THE MIDWEST AND GREAT
LAKES IN MARCH, BRINGING SURGES OF MILD AIR AND PERIODS OF ACTIVE
WEATHER THROUGHOUT THE MONTH. IN SOUTH BEND, MARCH WAS NOTICEABLY
WARMER THAN NORMAL WITH NUMEROUS DAYS HAVING HIGHS IN THE 60S AND
70S. MARCH WAS SO MILD, IN FACT, THAT THERE WERE 4 DAYS THIS MONTH
WITH DAILY AVERAGE TEMPERATURES OVER 20 DEGREESA ABOVE NORMAL! THERE
WERE NO PROLONGED STRETCHES OF COLD AIR THIS MONTH BUT A SERIES OF
STRONG COLD FRONTS DID BRING BRIEF COOL DOWNS FOR 24-48 HOURS BEFORE
MILD AIR RETURNED. AFTER A NEAR RECORD HIGH OF 77 ON MARCH 26TH, A
HIGH OF ONLY 39 DEGREES WAS RECORDED THE FOLLOWING DAY. VERY WARM
TEMPERATURES LED TO AN AVERAGE TEMPEATURE THIS MONTH OF 44.1
DEGREES, WHICH IS 7.4 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. MARCH 2026 TIES WITH
2024 FOR THE 7TH WARMEST MARCH ON RECORD. RECORDS BEGAN IN 1893.
THIS IS THE WARMEST MARCH SINCE 2012.
SEVERAL NEW TEMPERATURES RECORDS WERE SET THIS MONTH. THEY ARE AS
FOLLOWS:
- MARCH 6TH RECORD HIGH TEMP: 77 DEGREES (OLD RECORD: 71 IN 1973)
- MARCH 9TH RECORD HIGH TEMP: 73 DEGREES (OLD RECORD: 70 IN 2000)
- TIED MARCH 10TH RECORD HIGH TEMP: 69 DEGREES (OLD RECORD: 69 IN
2021)
- MARCH 10TH RECORD WARM LOW: 56 DEGREES (OLD RECORD: 53 IN 2021)
- TIED MARCH 30TH RECORD HIGH TEMP: 77 DEGREES (OLD RECORD: 77 IN
1943)
BECAUSE OF THE ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN THIS MONTH, SOUTH BEND SAW
ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION THIS MONTH! THERE 14 DAYS WITH MEASURABLE
PRECIPITATION THIS MONTH, BUT IT REALLY ADDED UP FAST! TWO DAYS THIS
MONTH HAD OVER AN INCH OF RAIN: A RECORD RAINFALL OF 1.19 " ON MARCH
6TH (OLD RECORD; 1.06" IN 1908)) AND 1.09" INCHES FELL ON MARCH
15TH. MARCH 10TH FELL JUST SHY WITH 0.99". OVER HALF OF THE MONTH'S
PRECIPITATION FELL IN JUST THOSE 3 DAYS! THERE WERE ALSO SEVERAL
OTHER DAYS THIS MONTH WITH RAINFALL AMOUNTS BETWEEN 0.25-0.75
INCHES. IN TOTAL, MARCH HAD 5.32" OF PRECIPITATION, WHICH IS 2.97"
ABOVE NORMAL AND RANKS AS THE 7TH WETTEST ON RECORD. THIS IS THE
WETTEST MARCH SINCE 2023.
UNSUPRISINGLY, SNOWFALL WAS HARD TO COME BY WITH SUCH MILD
TEMPERATURES. MEASURABLE SNOWFALL FELL ON JUST FOUR DAYS THIS MONTH;
THE SNOWIEST DAY WAS MARCH 16TH WITH 2.1". WITH A TOTAL OF 3.7" FOR
THE ENTIRE MONTH, THIS IS 4.1" BELOW NORMAL. MARCH 2026 RANKS AS THE
46TH LEAST SNOWY ON RECORD. THIS IS THE 3RD CONSECUTIVE MARCH ON
RECORD WITH BELOW NORMAL SNOWFALL.
JOHNSON
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