March weather was somewhat uneventful except for a fairly strong thunder storm that blew through early morning on March 29. Rainfall for the month came in at 4.25 inches, just 0.08 inch short of normal. We had eight days with measurable rainfall with a greatest one-day total of 1.08 inches on March 29. Normal rainfall for March is 4.33 inches. Our rainfall total for the year now stands at 13.25 inches. Normal through the first quarter of the year is 11.31 inches.

Temperature-wise, we had a high temperature of 86 degrees on March 10 and 23 and a low of 32 degrees on March 2 and 3. Over all, unlike February, March temperatures were a little below normal as March only tied February on high temperature at 86 degrees.

2017 RAINFALL BY MONTH IN INCHES

Month | Rainfall | Normal | Departure
January | 5.75 | 3.62 | +2.13
February | 3.25 | 3.36 | -0.11
March | 4.25 | 4.33 | -0.08
TOTAL | 13.25 | 11.31 | +1.94

Looking ahead to April: April is normally our driest month of the first half of the year and or fourth driest month of the year. However, April along with May, are often our stormiest months of the year. Normal rainfall for April is 3.30 inches. Hopefully, we will have enough April showers to produce an abundance of May flowers.

The above rainfall and temperature data was recorded by Barney Leach, former volunteer co-op weather volunteer for the National Weather Service and former weather volunteer for Channel 8 in Dallas, Channel 10 in Waco and radio station KNES in Fairfield.