Temperature, snowfall and precipitation data listed below were collected at the Monmouth weather station located a little more than 4 miles from the Northwestern Illinois Agricultural Research and Demonstration Center (NWIARDC), while soil temperature probes are located at the NWIARDC.
Temperature
For the month of March, the average high air temperature was 41 degrees and the average low was 20 degrees, both 10 degrees cooler than the 30-year average (Table). March 3rd saw record cold low (-14 degrees) and daily average (-5.5 degrees) temperatures.
Soil temperatures are measured at a depth of 4 inches below the surface. The average high temperature was 37 degrees in bare soil and 33 degrees under sod (Table and Figure). The average high soil temperatures were 2 degrees cooler than last March (2013). Similarly, average low temperatures were 30 degrees in bare soil and 29 degrees under sod, 4 and 5 degrees lower than in 2013, respectively.
MARCH 2014 WEATHER
| Soil Temperature | |||
| Air Temp | 4" (Bare) | 4" (Sod) | |
| (°F) | -------------------(°F)----------------- | ||
| Monthly average high | 41 | 37 | 33 |
| Monthly average low | 20 | 30 | 29 |
| Observed high (date) | 62 (31) | 53 (31) | 44 (31) |
| Observed low (date) | -14 (3) | 14 (1) | 15 (4) |
Precipitation
Total precipitation for March was 2.49 inches, 0.26 inches below the 30-year average (Table). Approximately 0.29 inches of the total 2.49 inches of precipitation in March fell as snow.
2014 PRECIPITATION (in inches)
| Since January 1 | ||||
| Month | Monthly Total | Monthly departure from average | Total accumulation | Total departure |
| January | 1.19 | -0.47 | 1.19 | -0.47 |
| February | 3.33 | 1.46 | 4.52 | 0.99 |
| March | 2.49 | -0.26 | 7.01 | 0.073 |