PENNSYLVANIA, USA — This month, we were in the 70s three times in the Scranton area. The warmest days were Friday, March 18, and Saturday, March 19, hitting 73 degrees both days.
In Williamsport, it was in the 70s four times this month. The warmest day was on March 6, with a high of 75 degrees that day.
Earlier in the week, we experienced record cold. The high of 30 degrees in Williamsport and 27 in Avoca this past Monday were the coldest high temperatures ever recorded for March 28.
That same day turned tragic when a snow squall moved through just before 11 a.m., causing a massive pileup on Interstate 81 North in Schuylkill County near Pottsville. People told Newswatch 16 those whiteout conditions happened fast. The deadly crash is a grim reminder of just how quickly conditions can change.
Another notable weather event this month was that Saturday snowstorm. The week leading up to the storm, the fate of the Scranton St. Patrick's Parade Day was unknown.
Ultimately, the parade committee postponed the parade to the following weekend, probably a good call. After all, it was 73 degrees and sunny the following Saturday.
We ended up getting seven inches of snow in the WNEP backyard on Saturday, March 12; that was the most one-day snow total we have had in more than a year.
The Scranton area picked up just under 10 inches of snow for the month of March. In the Williamsport area, nearly 8 inches of snow fell this month. That means March was snowier than the actual winter months of December and February, but not January.
After a wild week of weather this last week in March, the first weekend of April will be a much-needed quiet one.
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