REMARKS 



The outstanding feature of the weather for March was the 

 heavy precipitation and high temperature. These factors taken with 

 the heavy blanket of snow on the ground at the beginning of the 

 month were the direct cause of the tiood. A total of 41.25 inches of 

 snow fell during January, February, and March, the normal for this 

 period being 35.38 inches. There were still 10 inches of snow on 

 the ground at Amherst on March 1 but this had all melted by the 

 l4th. There was still a heavy layer of snow on the hills in New 

 Hampshire and Vermont at the beginning of the rain on the 17th. 

 The snowfall during March was 4.75 inches and the total precipita- 

 tion 7.04 inches. This heavy precipitation during March has been 

 exceeded only twice since 1836. In 1876 the total precipitation was 

 7.14 inches and in 1899 it was 7.13 inches. The normal precipita- 

 tion for March is 3.68 inches. The total precipitation since January 

 1 is 16.15 inches, the normal being 10.45 inches. 



The mean temperature for the month was 40.9 degrees. This 

 has been exceeded only twice since 1837. It was 42.9 in 1903 and 

 42.5 in 1921. The highest temperature was 72 degrees on the 30th 

 which is the highest since 1927 when it was 74 degrees. 



The domestic heating load for the season is now 5888 degree- 

 days, the normal to the end of March being 5890 degree-days. 

 There were 170 hours of bright sunshine, the normal for March 

 being 201 hours. 



Dr. J. K. Shaw of the Department of Pomology makes the 

 following statement in regard to vegetation: 



"Although peach buds in the College Orchards were subjected 

 to a temperature of -16°, there remain plenty of live fruit buds. 

 In other years this temperature caused complete killing. The trees 

 were in excellent condition and bore no crop last year. Prospects 

 over the state for a peach crop should be good. 



"The unseasonably warm weather of the last of the month 

 advanced the buds of all fruits so that they are nearly a month ahead 

 of the season. Probably cooler weather in April will hold them 

 more or less stationary for a time and bloom may not occur especial- 

 ly early. Severe cold would do great damage to the buds in their 

 present state. However, injury from severe spring cold or frosts is 

 rare in well located orchards in New England." 



P. C. Stone, Observer C. I. Gunness, Meteorologist 



