Wettest March on Record
By Jeff Moffitt
@moffittjc (121604)
Gainesville, Florida
April 2, 2022 10:58am CST
Heading into the month of March, the entire north Florida area was in drought conditions, with some areas in the panhandle in severe drought conditions. The result was some pretty bad wildfires throughout the area. What was unusual about the situation was that our state's "dry season" started about a month earlier than usual. Sounds like we could have been in for a rough ride this spring.
Then March enters the picture, and well, came marching in strongly. Heavy rains, multiple stalled cold fronts, and warm ocean breezes contributed to a seriously wet month, shattering the all-time record for the wettest March since records were kept. More than 11 inches (almost 28 cm) of rain fell during the month, which equates to about 18% of our yearly total. We normally don't see that much rain until the summer monsoon season kicks in. Just like that, we went from drought conditions to flooding conditions. Kind of makes me wonder what we're in for when hurricane season starts up in June.
And it hasn't stopped yet, Here we are two days into April and it's still raining. This doesn't bode well for our already-flooded rivers.
Is the weather in your area unusual for this time of year, or is Mother Nature following her normal patterns?
24 people like this
24 responses
@kareng (59221)
• United States
5 Apr 22
@moffittjc We have another big one coming in tonight around midnight. These things are coming way to close together now!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
7 Apr 22
@kareng Great, that means another one for us too. What you get we get a day or two later.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Apr 22
We're going to get that same rain later in the week after you do. They were already talking about the hopes of a few nice days to let the water soak into the ground before the next round of rain moves in.
I agree with you about the shifting seasons. I've noticed here in north Florida that it gets colder later in the season than it used to. And our rainy and dry seasons seem to be shifting as well.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Apr 22
Spring hasn't arrived for you yet? We've already blown by spring, heading into summer here already! LOL
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Apr 22
@CarolDM We got up close to the 90s earlier in the week, but the forecast for the next few weeks shows temps holding steady in the low to mid 80s.
1 person likes this
@CarolDM (203422)
• Nashville, Tennessee
2 Apr 22
@moffittjc We had 30s the last two nights, 40s last night. And finally in the 60s today. It is trying.
1 person likes this
@RebeccasFarm (89873)
• Arvada, Colorado
2 Apr 22
It is pretty normal here now finally evening out.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Apr 22
I'm hoping things even out for us too. Our ground is super saturated and our rivers are well over flood stage. We need to get our water levels back down to normal before the summer rainy season starts.
1 person likes this
@RebeccasFarm (89873)
• Arvada, Colorado
2 Apr 22
@moffittjc Yes you do, I understand. I hope it will clear out soon.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Apr 22
@RebeccasFarm It's raining cats and dogs right now! I can't believe how hard it's coming down.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Apr 22
@jstory07 But you said it is raining all the time. Couldn't have described Florida more perfectly! haha
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
10 Apr 22
Oh, so you live in Florida too! Lol
1 person likes this
@Deepizzaguy (102930)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
2 Apr 22
The weather in the Lake Charles area is normal at this time. I am also concerned when hurricane season starts in June.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Apr 22
I saw a report not too long ago that the surface water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico are already higher than they should be at this time of year. I'm sure that is not a good sign of things to come this summer. Warm water temps are what fuels the strength of those hurricanes.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Apr 22
@Deepizzaguy Me too. We all need a break this year.
1 person likes this
@Deepizzaguy (102930)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
3 Apr 22
@moffittjc I just hope that no hurricane strike the southern gulf coast this year.
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40243)
• United States
2 May 22
Hm, here it is cold and rainy. That's within normal for our May. Anywhere from 40s to 80s. Well I'm happy it's not a drought there, but dont want floods either, wow!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 May 22
I think we hit our first day of the year in the 90s today. I'm so not looking forward to summer.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
5 May 22
@FayeHazel Today seemed a little hotter, but thankfully the humidity isn't here yet. With a nice gentle breeze, it makes it feel a little more bearable. But when that humidity kicks in soon, nobody's going to want to be outside!
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40243)
• United States
4 May 22
@moffittjc huh? Wow! I would be tempted to say NICE except sounds like maybe not so nice?
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (137259)
• United States
2 Apr 22
We've had more rain or snow days than dry days last month and it rained all day yesterday. It's beautiful and sunny outside today but the wind has been howling around the house today. (We were supposed to reach 65F today but have only made it to 60F at 2:30 pm. I don't think we're going to make it to 65F today.)
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (137259)
• United States
3 Apr 22
@moffittjc The forecast here shows rain every day except next Saturday.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Apr 22
@DaddyEvil You better make plans to have a funtastic day next Saturday!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Apr 22
It's a beautiful sunny day here too. It's nice to finally see the sun. We'll have a few days of sunshine before the next round of rain moves in mid-week. Hopefully some of our floodwaters will recede. It would suck if we head into our summer rainy season already flooded and saturated.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
21 Apr 22
Mother nature is certainly wonky and has been since last November but this year no month has been normal.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
22 Apr 22
We seem to finally be back into our normal spring weather pattern.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
22 Apr 22
@MarshaMusselman I’m starting to learn to expect the unexpected when it comes to the weather.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
22 Apr 22
@moffittjc we've not had a normal month for quite a while now so I have no clue on what to expect.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
22 Apr 22
Yeah, that's not good at all. Thankfully, Florida has a very porous, sandy base, so the water soaks into the ground very quickly (well, most of the time anyway).
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
22 Apr 22
@TheHorse Most of Florida is flat, from Miami up to about Orlando. After Orlando, there are lots of hills until just before the Florida/Georgia line, then it flattens out again. Mountains? The only mountains we have in Florida are the landfills! haha
@TheHorse (218927)
• Walnut Creek, California
22 Apr 22
@moffittjc Glad to hear that. And I also hear that many of Florida's hills and mountains have been removed.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Apr 22
Yeah, it's pretty schizophrenic here too right now. Thankfully, today is a beautiful sunny day, but we have more rain in the forecast next week.
1 person likes this
@DianneN (247186)
• United States
3 Apr 22
@moffittjc We had a coldish, but beautiful morning, but showers coming today. At least tomorrow looks to be sunny and 55. We used to return from Florida then and were always disappointed with the weather. By May it is perfect.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Apr 22
@DianneN We usually have nice Mays as well, but the weather is so unpredictable now that who knows what to expect anymore.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (44549)
• Staten Island, New York
4 Apr 22
My weather app is showing rain most of this week. Unless something changed already.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
10 Apr 22
@lovebuglena I think with climate change, it is like feast or famine with the weather. It's either too dry, or too wet. At least that's been the case here where I live in Florida.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
6 Apr 22
Looks like a lot of people across the US are expecting rain.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (44549)
• Staten Island, New York
7 Apr 22
@moffittjc Rain is good, especially in those places that are experiencing draughts.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
6 Apr 22
It’s been unusually hot and muggy here after nearly a week of solid rain. Looks like we’re going to have more rain moving in over the area in the next few days.
1 person likes this
@RubyHawk (99405)
• Atlanta, Georgia
6 Apr 22
@moffittjc It’s still cool here but after all the rain it might be hot and muggy.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
8 Apr 22
@RubyHawk It’s been hot and muggy the past two days here, but I was mildly surprised when I woke up this morning to nice cool temperatures. It looks like we’ll have a very mild and pleasant weekend ahead.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (178877)
• United States
3 Apr 22
I guess we're getting normal weather for March and April. There is s**w on the ground this morning; and that makes me very unhappy. I am done with the white crap. Have a good Sunday.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Apr 22
The sun is finally shining this morning, and the skies are clear blue. As much as I love rain, it's good to see the sun again. Now we just have to deal with all the river flooding and localized flooding. I think we'll have a few good days of sunshine before the next round of rain moves in.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Apr 22
@LindaOHio It’s ok, we’re used to it here. We get so much rain that we often have flooded conditions several times a year.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (178877)
• United States
4 Apr 22
@moffittjc I'm glad the drought is over; but I'm sorry about the flooding.
1 person likes this
@dgobucks226 (35621)
•
6 Apr 22
In my area of NJ. we receive a lot of rain and many cooler days this time of year which is great for the plants and flowers but not much fun for active people. It's A pretty short spring season temperature wise too. But when the middle of June hits we will usually have a heat wave for a little spell. It will be really oppressive something you might see in July or August here. I remember those rainy seasons when I lived in Fort Myers for a time.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
10 Apr 22
My girlfriend and I went on a little vacation to Fort Myers Beach a few years ago, staying at a very nice hotel on the beach. And sure enough, it rained every single day we were there. We'd get some sun and blue skies in the morning, but sure enough every afternoon the thunderstorms would build up and unleash their fury.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Apr 22
@dgobucks226 Thank God we get a break 2 days a year from that tropical weather! Lol
1 person likes this
@dgobucks226 (35621)
•
10 Apr 22
@moffittjc Yes, it can be downright tropical there at certain times of the year.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
15 Apr 22
I hate the fact that every spring it turns into tornado season.
1 person likes this
@bunnybon7 (50973)
• Holiday, Florida
14 Apr 22
I live here also, so yes it's scary to me cause now I wonder if hurricane season is not perhaps starting earlier also. 
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
15 Apr 22
It seems like hurricane or tropical systems are forming by earlier and earlier each season.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
18 Apr 22
Well it was snowing here yesterday afternoon so yah I would say our weather is a little odd.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
19 Apr 22
@moffittjc it’s pretty normal round these parts
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
18 Apr 22
That’s crazy! Well…at least for this Florida boy!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Apr 22
Oh goodness, it's still going on there in the east? That doesn't sound good at all.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Apr 22
@JudyEv In south Florida, where I grew up, sugarcane was the major crop grown. But all it took was one hurricane to come through and flood the fields and an entire season’s crops would be ruined. Florida is flat and low-lying, so it didn’t take much to cause flooding conditions. So I can greatly empathize with the people of your country who are going through such devastating times.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
4 Apr 22
@moffittjc They were saying yesterday that sugar-cane plantations are awash with crops ruined. It's millions of dollars to some people. And that's just one industry.
1 person likes this
@Elizaby (6902)
• Pensacola, Florida
5 Apr 22
Here in the panhandle the last several weeks we have had a pattern of where we would get severe weather on Tuesday into Wednesday before the system headed your way including today. So be on the lookout for rain for this week as it is on way
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
6 Apr 22
Yep, already expecting that next round of rain here. Are all or most of the wildfires over in your area extinguished now?
@dgobucks226 (35621)
•
7 May 22
Wow! And I thought your rainy season began in May? You may need to buy a canoe.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
7 May 22
Yeah, May is usually when it starts. But it seems our weather is all over the place now, so who knows what to expect anymore. We got some pretty intense overnight thunderstorms last night.
1 person likes this
