March weather was one for the record books

Decorah weather observer Richard Bernatz says 16 temperature records were set in March in Decorah.

Bernatz says there were 11 consecutive days--March 14th through the 24th--when records were set for temperatures, either a maximum high, minimum high, maximum low or minimum low.  March's average temperature of 51.0 degrees was 18.4 degrees warmer than average--the largest deviation from the mean (either warmer or colder) of any month since temperature records were kept in Decorah.

March high temperatures in Decorah averaged 62.5 degrees--20 degrees higher than normal.  March low temperatures averaged 39.5 degrees--16.9 degrees warmer than normal. There were ten days in March when the 24-hour low temperature was greater than the average high temperature for that day.