Precipitation surplus for the second straight month

The long road out of drought has at least been a smoother ride over the past several weeks. For the second month in a row, the Salisbury airport has recorded a surplus of precipitation for the month compared to average.

As of Sunday evening, March 23rd (the date of the is post), the airport has recorded 4.92″ of rainfall. The nearly 5″ of rain is already 1.92″ above average (3.00″) with at least one more opportunity for rain before the month is over. This comes after an above average February with snow, ice and rainfall combining for a liquid equivalent of 4.23″ of precipitation at the Salisbury airport. This was close to 1″ (.98″) above the average of 3.25″.

Despite the trend, drought conditions persist on Delmarva, especially in northern parts of the peninsula. The short term gains come at a critical time, however, as the growing season continues to get underway.

The spring seasonal outlook points toward a continuation of typical precipitation patterns in the eastern third of the US, while drought conditions persist in the Southwest and are expected to grow in the Great Plains. Above average temperatures are also expected in our region as the warming continues over the coming several weeks. You can read more about NOAA’s spring seasonal outlook for the US here: NOAA Spring Outlook