Stormy start to March

February turned out much colder than normal along the Front Range courtesy of an Arctic blast at in the middle of the month. West of the Front Range, temperatures were close to normal. Precipitation was above normal east of the Front Range and well below normal farther west.

The first half of March may start out with a few glancing blows from passing storm systems, with up-and-down temperatures. The passing storm systems could allow for near- to above-average snowfall across the southern half of the state and along the Front Range. However, swinging temperatures may not allow for any persistent snowpack to remain in place for long.

Temperature variability may be high through the first half of the month, but temps are expected to end up near normal overall. The average high temperature along the Front Range climbs through the 50s throughout the month of March, while the average low temperature climbs through the 30s.

Average temperatures across the mountains consistently rise; however, they are typically a few degrees lower compared to locales along and east of the Front Range. A stretch of more seasonable temperatures may be in store to end the month, with precipitation near to below normal expected.