THUNDER BAY — March was warmer than usual, according to Environment Canada.
The month as a whole was three-and-a-half degrees warmer than normal, said David Phillips, senior climatologist.
"It started off fairly, with almost summer-like temperatures. It was 16 degrees on the 11th, another 14 degrees on the 13th, and then it kind of cooled off in the middle of the month and to the end.
"It was kind of surprisingly very lamb-like at the beginning and kind of lion-like at the end, or at least frozen mutton at the end in some cases, because it was certainly a little cool."
Phillips noted that the trend of warmer-than-normal months has been going on since December.
"We had the warmest winter on record in Ontario and there was certainly no denying it in Thunder Bay. I mean, just look at the temperatures in December - over nine degrees warmer than normal, January was five degrees warmer than normal, and so was February."
While most of the month was free of any significant snow, the precipitation levels show that more than double fell compared to average.
The monthly normal for snow accumulation in Thunder Bay is 20.9 cm, according to Environment Canada. But in March, the city received 42.4 cm, that's 203 per cent difference.
Even Lake Superior saw less ice coverage this year, with Phillips noting that the Great Lakes had only four per cent ice and ended with less than one per cent ice coverage.
Typically, ice would cover upwards of 32 per cent and fall to 16 per cent by the end of the month.
