Warm, rainy March likely for Pittsburgh region

Southwestern Pennsylvania is enjoying some unseasonably warm temperatures in the first week of March.

Temperatures Monday are about 10 degrees higher than average — though nowhere near 1972’s record-setting high of 72 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

“The average for now is around the mid-40s, and we’re sitting in the mid-50s right now,” said NWS meteorologist Shannon Hefferan. “So it’s not unusual, but it is above average.”

Temperatures will likely dip closer to normal by the end of the week.

“Winter’s not completely over, we might have a cold spurt near the end of the week, and we might see some snow showers later in the week,” Hefferan said.

However, the National Weather Service predicts that warmer-than-average temperatures will be the norm for the month — accompanied by higher-than-average rainfall.

“Warm usually means rain, so you’re going to have to take the good with the bad here,” Hefferan said.

It’s always difficult to predict when winter weather will be gone for good.

“We get a shot of cold and then it gets warm again, which is typical for March,” Hefferan said.