Assessing the U.S. Climate in March 2025

Assessing the U.S. Climate in March 2025

Key Points:A multi-day severe weather outbreak in the middle of March caused significant damage across several states from Texas to Tennessee, resulting in multiple fatalities. Two EF-4 tornadoes hit Arkansas on the same day.
Wildfires spread across parts of southern Appalachia—burning more than 30,000 acres—driven by strong winds and dry conditions, and exacerbated by the additional fuel available from downed trees following Hurricane Helene.
March was the sixth-warmest March on record for the contiguous U.S.

Map of the U.S. selected significant climate anomalies and events in March 2025.

Other Highlights:
Temperature

The average temperature of the contiguous U.S. in March was 46.9°F, 5.4°F above average. Generally, March temperatures were above average to much above average across most of the Lower 48, except for parts of California and the Southeast. Kansas had its fourth-warmest March on record (tied with 1946), with Nebraska and Texas recording their fifth warmest.

The Alaska statewide March temperature was 16.7°F, 5.9°F above the long-term average, ranking in the warmest third of the 101-year period of record. Southcentral Alaska and the North Slope experienced much-above-average temperatures during March.

For March, Hawai’i had an average temperature of 64.8°F, 1.3°F above the 1991–2020 average, ranking in the warmest third of the 35-year record. Kaua’i had its warmest March on record (for the 1991–2025 period of record).

For January–March, the average contiguous U.S. temperature was 37.0°F, 1.8°F above average, ranking in the warmest third of the record for this period. Temperatures were near- to above-average across most of the contiguous U.S.

The Alaska January–March average temperature was 14.5°F, 8.6°F above the long-term average, ranking fourth warmest for the first three months of the year.

Hawai’i had its third-warmest (tied with 2004) January–March average temperature of 64.5°F, 1.2°F above the 1991–2020 average for this period.
Precipitation

March precipitation for the contiguous U.S. was 2.38 inches, 0.13 inch below average, ranking in the middle third of the historical record. Precipitation was below average over much of the northern Plains and parts of the central and southern Plains, the central to southern Rockies, the middle Mississippi Valley and from the Carolinas to the eastern Great Lakes, with some areas being much below average. Western regions experienced near- to above-average precipitation while the Lower Rio Grande Valley, the upper Mississippi Valley and the Great Lakes regions had areas of much-above-average precipitation. West Virginia had its fifth-driest March, while Michigan and Wisconsin had their second- and fifth-wettest March on record, respectively.

Alaska’s average monthly precipitation in March ranked in the driest third on record.

Precipitation across Hawai’i in March averaged 4.23 inches, 2.62 inches below average, ranking in the middle third of the 1991–2025 record.

The January–March precipitation total for the contiguous U.S. was 5.92 inches, 1.04 inches below average, ranking in the driest third of the record for this period.

The January–March precipitation total for Alaska was 7.84 inches, 0.55 inch below average, ranking in the wettest third on record for the period.

Precipitation across Hawai’i from January–March was 11.54 inches, 5.52 inches below average, ranking in the middle third of the 1991–2025 record.
Drought

According to the April 1 U.S. Drought Monitor report, about 43.4% of the contiguous U.S. was in drought, down about 1.0% from the beginning of March. Drought conditions expanded or intensified across parts of the Southwest and the southern and central Plains, while contracting or reducing in intensity across parts of the northern Rockies, Great Lakes and along portions of the middle and northern Atlantic coast.
Monthly Outlook

Above-average temperatures are likely across the Southwest, extending through the South and Gulf Coast to the Southeast. Drier-than-average conditions are favored in the Southwest and Florida Peninsula, while above-average rainfall is likely from the south-central Plains to the Ohio Valley.

Drought is expected to persist across much of the Southwest, northern Plains and parts of the central and southern Plains, while some drought improvement is expected in the Great Lakes region and along the northern Atlantic coast. Visit the Climate Prediction Center’s Official 30-Day Forecasts and U.S. Monthly Drought Outlook website for more details.

Significant wildland fire potential for April is above normal across parts of the Southwest, extending through the southern and central Plains, portions of the northern Plains and upper Mississippi Valley, the southern to Mid-Atlantic coastal regions and southern Alaska. For additional information on wildland fire potential, visit the National Interagency Fire Center’s One-Month Wildland Fire Outlook

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