AUSTIN (KXAN) — As we wrap up meteorological winter, we see the beginning of spring arriving this weekend with the arrival of March.
Meteorological spring includes the entire months of March, April, and May. May is typically our wettest season of the year in Central Texas followed closely by fall.
March forecast
First, the March forecast. Along with the spring seasonal outlook NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center also released their monthly outlook for March.
They expect odds that likely point to a warmer-than-normal month ahead.
The rainfall outlook isn’t as clear, but the odds lean (with lower confidence) toward a drier-than-normal March.
Normally March warms quickly with average highs rising from the upper 60s to the upper 70s by the end of the month. Lows average in the upper 40s at the beginning of the month before reaching the mid-50s by the end.
We average 1 freeze in March and a little less than 3 inches of rainfall.
March also marks the unofficial beginning of severe weather season in Central Texas that continues through the first half of June.
Spring forecast
Meteorological spring is expected to follow a similar trend as March. Odds are high for a warmer-than-normal spring, but odds only lean slightly toward a drier-than-normal season ahead.
With spring being our wettest season, we use it to attempt to fill up our lakes and water the ground ahead of the typically much hotter and drier months of mid-late summer.
Spring averages
Average highs climb quickly in spring from the low 70s in March to near 80s in April to the upper 80s in May.
While spring is barely our wettest season on average, it contains easily our wettest month of the year. May is the only month that averages more than 4 or 5 inches of rain in Austin. May averages 5.04 inches of rain followed by October as our second wettest month of the year with 3.91 inches of rain.
Severe weather season begins in March and peaks in May
While severe weather is possible year-round, March 1 marks the unofficial beginning of severe weather season in Central Texas.
National Weather Service data tracked severe weather climatology within the KEWX radar (New Braunfels) coverage area and found an average of 32 severe weather incidents (hail, wind, or tornadoes) in March, 44 in April, and a whopping 74 in May.
Flash flooding is also a common type of severe weather here in Central Texas. Flash Flooding season runs from May through July, but peaks in June.
Stay with the First Warning Weather Team as we navigate the severe weather season and the dangers that come with it.
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