JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After a very warm February, some big weather changes are possible as we move into March.
The third month of the year may feature more active weather and possibly some much cooler weather.
Toasty February
February was no doubt a warm one.
The Jacksonville International Airport tied or broke five record highs in the month.
St. Simons Island broke their all-time February high and had seven of the final nine days of the month with record highs.
It was turned into a dry month, with 1.42″ of rain in Jacksonville. This is around half of the average February rainfall.
Status quo to start March
It does look like the warm and mostly dry conditions will continue to at least start the month.
Temperatures will remain at near-record levels the first few days, with a cold front cooling things down this weekend.
Next week still looks warm, with above average highs expected.
The 6-10 day outlook from the Climate Prediction Center features above average temperatures across the entire region, with near-normal rainfall.
The average high for early March in Jacksonville is in the low 70s.
Transition mid-March?
There are some strong indications that things may begin to change across the country in the middle part of the month.
A pattern shift across the country will likely lead to tumbling temperatures across much of the U.S.
For our area, we will likely be in a transitional phase, with above-average temperatures in Northeast Florida and below-average temperatures in Southeast Georgia.
Storm tracks may also slide to the south, resulting in above-average rainfall regionwide for mid-March.
A cool late March
Confidence is increasing in a below-average late March across most of the country.
Cold air that has been trapped in Canada will likely plunge across the lower 48, resulting in some big changes. Below-average temps are expected across nearly the entire country for late March.
It is unclear if this cold air will make it all to the way into the area.
For now, below-average to average temperatures are expected across our region to close out the month.
Average high temp for late March is in the mid to upper 70s.
There is also increasing confidence in an active storm track over the east coast, including Florida and Georgia.
This will likely continue above-average rainfall prospects from mid-March in the region.
While rainfall could ruin some spring break plans, the rainfall will be very beneficial as we approach the heart of brushfire season in April, May and June.
So after a quiet and warm February, it is becoming likely March will be a very different story.