This is the first article of a new regular feature, Earth Matters, where we explore information about our climate and the well being of our planet.

The March contiguous U.S. average temperature was 45.4°F, 3.9°F above the 20th century average—the 12th warmest March on record and warmest since 2012. Near-record warmth spanned from the Great Plains to West Coast and parts of the Southeast, while the Northeast was cooler than average. The March Lower 48 precipitation total was 2.08 inches, 0.43 inch below average, tying the 19th driest March on record. Below-average precipitation was widespread across the northern tier and the Southeast, with above-average precipitation in the Southern Plains and Ohio Valley.

This monthly summary is provided by NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information.

The maps below show how the average temperature, and precipitation values for the month of March 2015 deviate from the 30-year normals (1981-2010).

– Click on Map to Zoom In –