If it felt hotter to you in March than normal, you weren’t alone. The world recorded its second warmest March since records began in 1895, a 126-year period. The average temperature for the entire world in March — every high and low, the winter temperatures in the northern and summer temperatures in the southern hemisphere — is 54.9°F. March 2020 was 2.09°F above that average. The only warmer March on record is recent — March 2016 — which was 2.36°F warmer-than-average.
While it was the United States’ 10th warmest on record, Florida soared above all other states.
Florida recorded its warmest March this year with an average temperature of 71.1°F. This is only the third time Florida’s March average exceeded 70°F, the previous two times being 1997 (70.5°F) and 2012 (70.3°F). Florida’s March average for the 20th century was 64°F, putting this year’s March 7.1°F above that average.
The Suncoast soared into the record books as well.
With Sarasota’s seasonable average being 66.6°F in March, we passed that easily, averaging 73.1° this year, our warmest recorded. Two big reasons for that are:
1. Humidity — We talk about dew points quite a bit on the Morning Edition, but that’s because they’re critically important to how warm it gets in the morning. We won’t get too wonky, so just know that the dew point is the temperature where water will condense. When the dew point and temperature are the same, humidity is 100%, and fog can form. The temperature outside can not get below the dew point temperature, so when moisture is high and dew points are hitting 68°, 69° or 70° in the morning, your morning low cannot get any cooler. That’s why you saw so many 60s and 70s the second half of last month despite the average low being in the 50s.
2. Lack of Rain — The weather was drier than average, and without any rain-cooled air and extra clouds that rain brings, temperatures were able to jump higher than normal last month. Despite the fact that we broke no individual record high for any day, the persistent warmth allowed temperatures, especially in the morning, to average as high as they did.
