CXUS56 KOTX 011630 CLMEAT CLIMATE REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA 930 AM PDT WED APR 01 2026 ................................... ...THE WENATCHEE WA PANGBORN FIELD CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH 2026... CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1991 TO 2020 CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1959 TO 2026 WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR'S VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S) NORMAL ................................................................ TEMPERATURE (F) RECORD HIGH 78 03/28/1994 03/31/1992 LOW 4 03/04/2019 HIGHEST 71 03/19 54 17 72 03/26 LOWEST 27 03/10 34 -7 30 03/06 03/14 03/14 03/19 AVG. MAXIMUM 55.8 52.5 3.3 54.6 AVG. MINIMUM 36.1 33.7 2.4 36.6 MEAN 46.0 43.1 2.9 45.6 DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0 DAYS MAX <= 32 0 0.6 -0.6 0 DAYS MIN <= 32 11 12.2 -1.2 5 DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 PRECIPITATION (INCHES) RECORD MAXIMUM 2.34 1983 MINIMUM 0.02 1994 TOTALS 1.39 0.73 0.66 0.99 DAILY AVG. 0.04 0.02 0.02 0.03 DAYS >= .01 5 6.3 -1.3 9 DAYS >= .10 2 2.2 -0.2 5 DAYS >= .50 1 0.2 0.8 0 DAYS >= 1.00 1 0.0 1.0 0 GREATEST 24 HR. TOTAL 1.23 03/12 TO 03/13 0.43 DEGREE DAYS HEATING TOTAL 584 679 -95 595 SINCE 7/1 4300 5153 -853 MM COOLING TOTAL 0 0 0 0 SINCE 1/1 0 0 0 MM ................................................................ WIND (MPH) AVERAGE WIND SPEED 7.5 HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 43/290 DATE 03/08 HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 56/290 DATE 03/08 SKY COVER POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.27 NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 20 NUMBER OF DAYS PC 10 NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 1 AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 58 WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH THUNDERSTORM 0 MIXED PRECIP 1 HEAVY RAIN 0 RAIN 0 LIGHT RAIN 6 FREEZING RAIN 0 LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0 HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 1 LIGHT SNOW 2 SLEET 0 FOG 4 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 2 HAZE 0 - INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS. R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED. MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING. T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT. $$ MARCH 2026 FINISHED WITH SLIGHTLY WARMER THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON. PRECIPITATION WAS ABOVE NORMAL FOR THE WENATCHEE AREA AND EAST SLOPES OF THE CASCADES ADN BELOW NORMAL FOR THE COLUMBIA BASIN UP INTO THE OKANOGAN VALLEY AND HIGHLANDS. THE MONTH BROUGHT SEVERAL WEATHER CHANGES AS IS TYPICAL FOR THE INLAND NW START OF SPRING. ON THE 8TH A STRONG COLD FRONT PASSAGE BROUGHT WINDY CONDITIONS WITH A PEAK WIND GUST OF 56 MPH AT THE WENATCHEE AIRPORT AND 55 MPH IN CHELAN. THIS ALSO BROUGHT A SIGNIFICANT TEMPERATURE DROP WITH HIGHS IN THE LOW 60S ON THE 8TH DROPPING INTO THE UPPER 40S ON THE 9TH. THEN A LOCAL BAND OF HEAVY SNOW HIT STEVENS PASS ON THE 9TH AND 10TH WITH 28 INCHES FALLING OVER THE TWO DAY PERIOD. THEN STRONG WINDS HIT THE REGION LATE ON THE 11TH INTO THE 12TH WITH PEAK GUSTS OF 40 TO 55 MPH OVER MOST OF CENTRAL WASHINGTON. BUT LOCALLY STRONGER GUSTS OCCURRED WITH ISOLATED WIND DAMAGE. THE ROOF OF TOWN HALL WAS BLOWN OFF IN PATEROS. PEAK WIND GUSTS INCLUDE 59 MPH IN EPHRATA, 52 MPH WENATCHEE AIRPORT, AND 45 MPH IN BREWSTER. VERY STRONG GUSTS HIT THE MOUNTAINS WITH DIRTY FACE MOUNTAIN ABOVE LAKE WENATCHEE PEAKING AT 109 MPH. FOLLOWING THE WIND STORM, A STALLED BOUNDARY WET UP OVER THE CENTRAL CASCADES INTO THE WATERVILLE PLATEAU PRODUCING STEADY ACCUMULATING SNOW ON THE 13TH. THE SNOW AMOUNTS WERE HEAVY IN THE CASCADES WITH 45 INCHES AT STEVENS PASS, 32 INCHES AT HOLDEN VILLAGE, 17 INCHES IN PLAIN, 14 INCHES LEAVENWORTH, 9 INCHES MAZAMA, 7 INCHES TWISP, 6 INCHES CHELAN, AND ANYWHERE FROM 4 TO 7 INCHES IN THE WENATCHEE AREA. FOR THE WENATCHEE AIRPORT 1.19 INCHES OF MELTED DOWN SNOW (PRECIPITATION) FELL ON THE 13TH, MAKING IT THE 2ND WETTEST MARCH DAY ON RECORD, AND 9TH WETTEST ALL TIME. STEVENS PASS FROM THE 9TH THROUGH THE 14TH MEASURED 80.5 INCHES OF SNOW. THEN FROM THE 16TH THROUGH THE 20TH A RAPID WARM-UP OCCURRED AS THE WENATCHEE AIRPORT WENT FROM A HIGH OF ONLY 40F ON THE 15TH TO 71F ON THE 19TH. THIS RESULT IN RAPID SNOW MELT WITH RISES ON RIVERS AND STREAMS ALONG THE EAST SLOPES OF THE CASCADES. THIS LED TO FLOODING ON THE STEHEKIN RIVER, CRESTING AT 25.4 FEET DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON ON THE 20TH MAKING IT THE FIRST TIME SINCE RECORDS BEGAN OF THE RIVER REACHING FLOOD STAGE IN THE MONTH OF MARCH. DEEP WATER WAS REPORTED OVER COMPANY CREEK ROAD. THERE WERE ALSO A COUPLE REPORTS OF SNOW MELT FLOODING BETWEEN CASHMERE AND WENATCHEE INCLUDING SLEEPY HOLLOW ROAD AND MISSION CREEK. ONE DAILY RECORD WAS SET DURING THE MONTH AT THE WENATCHEE AIRPORT. WHEN 1.19 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FELL ON THE 13TH.