March in Tucson was wetter and cooler than usual, the weather service says.
The typical rain expectations in March range about half an inch, according to Gigi Giralte, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Tucson.
The month ended with a rainy and windy weekend. And April kicked off Monday with showers throughout the day.
This year, the city experienced 1.25 inches in rain, which Giralte said was “pretty high.”
Tucson weather in March was influenced by a few winter storms which came through the area as well as the effects of an El Nino winter, Giralte said. The characteristic effects of an El Nino winter season is an increase in precipitation, which the Old Pueblo has seen so far this year.
“Looking at March of last year, we got about 0.6 inches of rain, and we’ve almost doubled that this year,” Giralte said. “Looking before that in 2022, we received 0.19 inches of rain. So, we’re definitely pretty wet for the month of March this year.”
The airport, the site of Tucson’s official weather data, recorded half an inch of rain over a 24-hour period on March 7, followed by 0.6 inches through the month.
Overall in March, the airport reported six days of measurable rainfall this year, where the rain was around or above 0.1 inches, along with a seventh day with traces of rain.
In terms of temperatures, the average for the month of March is about 72 degrees, with the average high being 82 degrees.
But this year Tucson had below normal high temperatures overall in March, the weather service said.
The average low temperature for the month of March is about 48 degrees, but this year lows were generally lower, including a low of 41 degrees on March 18, according to Giralte.
However, the city also hit 80 degrees a couple times in March, thus making it an interesting month weather-wise.
