Highlight: A look at March 2023 and Q1/2023 state-by-state climate rankings. Discussion: March 2023 maintained a Q1/2023 temperature signature across the U.S.: Warm East/South; cool West/North-central (Fig. 1). In March, Oregon, California, Nevada, and North Dakota each observed a top-5 coldest month of March in the 129-year climatology. Snow cover and a persistent negative phase Pacific North America (-PNA) pattern were the catalyst enhanced by the cooling sea surface temperature anomalies in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. Florida observed a top-10 warmest month. The national temperature ranking was 45th coolest. The precipitation ranking for the U.S. in March was 33rd wettest with California, Nevada, and Utah each observing a top-10 wettest all-time month of March and most of the precipitation in the form of snow (Fig. 2). The Midwest U.S. was also wetter than normal with Indiana observing the 13th wettest March on record. On the dry side, Virginia observed their 8th driest March on record while Maryland and Delaware were both 11th driest. In the core of the Great Plains drought, Kansas received their 14th driest March on record. The Q1/2023 state-by-state temperature rankings were controlled by the effect on climate by very cool SSTA off the West Coast (causing a chilly West U.S. JAN/FEB/MAR) while warm SSTA of the western North Atlantic Ocean ran parallel to the anomalous warm temperatures across the South and East U.S. (Fig. 3). In fact, the entire Southeast U.S. observed a record warm Q1/2023. The following states recorded their warmest JAN/FEB/MAR on record: Florida, Georgia, South and North Carolina, plus Virginia. Outside of the states observing record warmth, all states across eastern U.S. including Texas were in the top-10 warmest all-time. In the West, cool climate prevailed including the 11th coolest Q1 on record for California. Nationally, Q1/2023 ranked 20th coolest on record. The precipitation ranking was 23rd wettest and included 3 Western states and 5 Midwest States observing MUCH ABOVE normal amount (Fig. 4).  Conversely, Maryland was 3rd driest and Delaware 5th driest for JAN/FEB/MAR 2023. Fig: 1: Temperature historical ranks by state for March 2023. Fig: 2: Precipitation historical ranks by state for March 2023. Fig: 3: Temperature historical ranks by state for JAN/FEB/MAR 2023.    Fig: 4: Precipitation historical ranks by state for JAN/FEB/MAR 2023.  

Highlight: February 2023 and DEC/JAN/FEB 2022-23 U.S. Review. Record warm in Virginia for FEB-23; record warm in Massachusetts for DEC/JAN/FEB 2022-23. Wisconsin wettest DEC/JAN/FEB 2022-23 on record. Discussion: Record warmth greeted Virginia in February 2023 while the entire eastern 40% of the U.S. ranked in the MUCH ABOVE normal temperature category for the last month of meteorological winter (Fig. 1). In fact, 13 states ranked in the top 5 warmest of all time in the East for February. The Great Plains were generally temperate to ABOVE normal while the chilly weather for the month was located across the West, lead by California and Arizona each ranking in the top 15% coldest of all-time. Overall, the U.S. ranked 28th warmest in the 129-year climatology. In February, the U.S. ranked 50th driest in the 129-year climatology. The most extreme precipitation rank was 5th wettest on record in Wisconsin while surrounding states Iowa and Michigan were in the top 10 wettest of all-time (Fig. 2). Conversely, the Coastal Northeast U.S. was quite dry. All Southern New England ranked in the top ten driest on record. The Coastal Southeast and Northwest were also drier than normal to end meteorological winter. Winter 2022-23 ranked 18th warmest on record. The entire East and most of the South U.S. were in the MUCH ABOVE normal category which included an all-time-record warm winter season in Massachusetts while 17 states were in the top 5 warmest all-time (Fig. 3). The West U.S. was moderately chilly averaging in the top 1/3 all-time coldest winter seasons. The winter 2022-23 precipitation ranking was 22nd wettest on record. Wisconsin observed the wettest winter season of the 129-year climatology (Fig. 4). The impressive rain and snow in California ranked 12th wettest all-time. A total of 29 of the 48 contiguous states were wetter than normal during meteorological winter. The Northwest and Florida were the only dry zones.     Fig: 1: NOAA state rankings of temperature for February 2023. Fig: 2: NOAA state rankings of precipitation for February 2023. Fig: 3: NOAA state rankings of temperature for DEC/JAN/FEB 2022-23. Fig: 4: NOAA state rankings of precipitation for DEC/JAN/FEB 2022-23.        

January 2023 ranked 6th warmest in the 129-year climatology. Most of the eastern half of the U.S. was MUCH ABOVE normal during January including all-time-record warmth in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Jersey.

The December 2022 U.S. Climate Rankings by State and the 2022 Annual State Rankings; Highlight: December arctic blast but month manages near normal.    Fig: 1: NOAA state rankings for temperature during December 2022. December 2022 U.S. climate rankings discussion: Remarkably, despite a harsh arctic outbreak in December, the U.S. temperature averaged almost exactly normal and ranked 64 (of 128 years) which is right in the middle (Fig. 1). The cold region was the Great Plains, Montana and Washington although not particularly impressive. Sixteen states were warmer than normal including MUCH ABOVE normal in Maine. The precipitation ranking was 35th wettest (of 128 years) and included the wettest December on record for North Dakota (Fig. 2). California to the North-central U.S. was wetter than normal while much of the Northeast Corridor was also wetter than normal. Only 5 states were drier than normal centered on the eastern Ohio Valley and Georgia/Florida. Fig: 2: NOAA state rankings for precipitation during December 2022. Annual 2022 U.S. climate rankings discussion: The contiguous U.S. ranked 18th warmest (of 128 years) in 2022. Many states were MUCH ABOVE normal including most of the West, Texas, Florida and the Northeast U.S. (Fig. 3). All states were warmer than normal except the Upper Midwest/Midwest States. The precipitation ranking was 27th driest (of 128 years) including MUCH BELOW normal precipitation in California, Nebraska, and Texas (Fig. 4). Of course, true of climate patterns during the climate change era, long-term climate across a region such as long-term dryness in California has encountered a historic wet regime so far in January. Most states were drier than normal in 2022. The wetter than normal states included North Dakota, Virginia and the central/northern Appalachian Mountains. Fig: 3: NOAA state rankings for temperature during the year of 2022. Fig: 4: NOAA state rankings for precipitation during the year of 2022.