March may continue the new year’s cooling trend

By Northern News Now meteorologist Dave Anderson – February 28, 2025

March is statistically our snowiest month of the year. Where the warm and cold air masses meet, the polar jet stream is created. The jet is a major creator and steerer of low pressure systems. March is when the jet stream is most likely in our region. We then get a lot of snow making lows.

The March 1985 blizzard created ten foot plus snow drifts in parts of our region. In this day of all wheel drive everything, I can’t believe the 68 Dodge Monaco my grandfather gave me that he got from Arrowhead Garage got through the storm with no trouble.

2025 has stepped off on a cool foot so far. February’s dance with the Polar Vortex made that month run seven degrees cooler than normal. January was two degrees cooler than normal so that makes the trend 4.5 degrees below normal mean temp for the year so far.

The trend will likely continue in March as it is expected to run at least one degree cooler than normal. Snow so far has been better than last year but still below normal. In March, it looks like we’ll stay that way with mostly dry conditions. But that doesn’t mean we are completely free from blizzard risk.

March 1st to 7th may get only flurries along with a cold snap, the 8th to 14th should be sunny and cold, the 5th to the 20th will get some more flurries but the chill will remain. The 21st to the 26th will be a sunny, dry and mild period. The 27th to 31st may get one of our classic March snow storms as temperatures go back to normal.

So, even though February ended on a warm note, many Northlanders know that was just a false spring. We still have second winter, fool’s spring, third winter and mud season to get through before real spring comes to the Tower-Soudan area. And, if a late March blizzard does come across, I still have that 68 Monaco in the garage.