Nine States in West, Northeast See Record January-March Temperature Extremes in 2015, Says NOAA Report

Chris Dolce
Published: April 8,2015




 

The first three months of 2015 were the coldest on record in two Northeast states, and the warmest on record in seven western states, according to a just-released report from NOAA.

Statewide temperature rankings from January-March 2015 relative to previous January-March periods dating to 1895. States in darkest blue had a record cold Jan-Mar period in 2015, while those in darkest red experienced a record warm such period.
(NOAA/NCDC)

Vermont and New York state each chalked up their coldest January-March period this year, according to NOAA's National Climatic Data Center. The previous coldest first three months of any year in the Empire State was in 1912, while in Vermont tied its previous record from 1923. NCDC's dataset dates to 1895.
Five other Northeast states shivered through a top three coldest January-March, including Massachusetts (2nd coldest), Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and New Jersey (all 3rd coldest).
On the other end of the spectrum, January-March was the warmest such period on record in the following western states:
- Arizona
- California
- Nevada
- Oregon
- Utah
- Washington
- Wyoming
Idaho (2nd warmest) and Montana (3rd warmest) each landed one of their top 3 warmest first three months of the year.
The West experienced above-average temperatures with a ridge of high pressure being the dominant feature since January. In the Northeast and Great Lakes, temperatures have been much below average. This is due to an overall southward dip in the jet stream ushering in numerous bouts of arctic air.
Below is a look at a few of the larger cities that have seen their warmest or coldest January-March on record. Records date back to the late-1800s or early-1900s in many locations. Several of the cities that have seen their warmest first three months of the year also just recorded their warmest winter on record.

Warmest January-March on Record

Las Vegas

- Average January-March 2015 Temperature: 59.9 degrees
- Previous Record: 57.7 degrees (1986)
- Records date back to 1937
Los Angeles
- Average January-March 2015 Temperature: 64.8 degrees
- Previous Record: 64.3 degrees (1986)
- Records date back to 1875
Sacramento, California
- Average January-March 2015 Temperature: 56.9 degrees
- Previous Record: 56.5 degrees (1986)
- Records date back to 1877
Salt Lake City
- Average January-March 2015 Temperature: 42.6 degrees
- Previous Record: 41.8 degrees (1934)
- Records date back to 1874
San Diego:
- Average January-March 2015 Temperature: 63.5 degrees
- Previous Record: 62.2 degrees (2014)
- Records date back to 1877
Reno, Nevada
- Average January-March 2015 Temperature: 46.2 degrees
- Previous Record: 44.8 degrees (1934)
- Records date back to 1888

Coldest January-March on Record

Bangor, Maine
- Average January-March 2015 Temperature: 14.9 degrees
- Previous Record: 17.3 degrees (1948)
- Records date back to 1925
Hartford, Connecticut
- Average January-March 2015 Temperature: 24.2 degrees
- Previous Record: 26.1 degrees (1994, 1940)
- Records date back to 1904
Providence, Rhode Island
- Average January-March 2015 Temperature: 26 degrees
- Previous Record: 27.1 degrees (1978)
- Records date back to 1904
Syracuse, New York
- Average January-March 2015 Temperature: 17.8 degrees
- Previous Record: 20.6 degrees (1912)
- Records date back to 1902
Worcester, Massachusetts
- Average January-March 2015 Temperature: 21.9 degrees
- Previous Record: 23.1 degrees (1970)
- Records date back to 1892

MORE: 2014-2015 Warmest Winter on Record Cities