March 2023 Review

It's time to take a look back at Edmonton's weather for March 2023.

March 2023 was pretty cool. The average High of -0.8°C was our 99th warmest since 1880.

The average Low of -11.4°C was the 96th warmest. 

So it was cool, but not as cool as 2014, 2011 or 2002.



High Temperatures

Over the course of March our average daily Highs rises from -3°C up to 6°C. In 2023 March was pretty cool until the middle of the month, and then was pretty close to average. 

Overall 22 Highs were below average and 9 were above. None were super cold or super warm.

In March we average around 10 Highs below freezing, and 2023 had 14. On the flip side we average 4 Highs of 10°C, and this year we only had 2. 

The coldest High was -13.9°C on the 6th, and the warmest was 11.2°C on the 23rd.



Warm Winter Days

For this "winter" from November 1st through March 31st we had 56 Highs of 0°C or more, when we average around 73. And we had 24 days reach 5°C, compared to an average of 35.



Low Temperatures

March 2023's Lows were cooler than the 30-year average for most of the month, with 26 below average and only 5 above. As with the Highs though, none of these were super cold or super warm.

In March we average 2 days with Lows of -20°C. 2023 had none, although we got really close with -19.6°C on the 8th. March also averages 3 days with Lows of 0°C or more, but 2023's warmest night was -4.9°C on the 24th.



Cold Winter Days

For the winter of 2022-2023 we had 23 Lows reach -20°C, when we average around 26. We had 10 Lows reach -25°C, when we average around 12. And our 3 Lows of -30°C were pretty typical.



Warm & Cold Months

March 2023 is a blue bubble, along with last November & December. The average High of -0.8°C was -1.7°C below the 20th century average. The average Low of -11.4°C was -1.9°C colder.



The Horserace

3 months into 2023 our cool March means that so far this year is our 37th warmest year on record. The Highs are the 41st warmest, and Lows are the 38th.



Across Canada

Looking across the country March 2023 was pretty cool in the west, and just a bit warm in central Canada.

For the year so far 2023 has been warmer than the 20th century average for all of these cities. For most cities it's just a little warm, although Toronto, Ottawa & Montréal are around their top-10.



Snow

March is usually a typically snowy winter month for us, averaging around 19cm.

In 2023 we were way down at 2.9cm, which was actually the airport's least snowy March. That follows an average February and low January.

By the end of March we average around 100cm of snow, but in 2023 we're way down at 64.1cm. That's below the 25th percentile, and is a bottom-5 year for the airport.



2nd Winter

We're probably not done yet with snow, though. In April & May the airport averages another 20cm of snow, although that can vary a lot from year to year.



Snow Across Canada

The big snow cities for March 2023 were St. John's with 70cm, Ottawa with 49cm, and Toronto with 45cm. They all had some 10cm+ days, along with Halifax & Montréal.

This messy chart has the snow totals for the winter so far. Ottawa is still at the top near 330cm (top-6 for them), and St. John's has almost closed the gap at 296cm. Edmonton's 64.1cm is near the bottom, just a bit above Vancouver's 54cm.



Snowdepth

By the end of March our average snowdepth is around 10cm.

This year the airport, Stony Plain and Campsie are a bit below that, following big drops in the past two weeks. Meanwhile Elk Island has just started dropping, but is still up at 37cm.

Across the country St. John's is the leader for snowdepth, after a snowy month. Most cities have already started to melt, but Winnipeg and Regina are still pretty flat.



April

For April, on average we only get 3 Highs below 0°C, although April 2020 & 2018 both started quite cold. Most Aprils reach 20°C, and 2001, 2015, 2016 & 2018 all got to 25°C. April still has lots of Lows below freezing, and averages 14cm of snow.