PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — March typically brings warmer temperatures, budding trees, and blossoming foliage to the Portland metro area, but that hasn’t been the case this year. Increasing daylight hours have helped send some trees and shrubs into the budding stage, but colder-than-normal temperatures have slowed that process.
Spring flowers and mushrooms outside KOIN Tower in Portland Monday, March 6, 2023 courtesy KOIN 6 Meteorologist Josh Cozart
February was nearly three degrees colder than normal, seeing record-breaking cold daytime highs in last full week of the month. This is typically when Portland sees a gradual warming trend, helping to jumpstart the growing season. The below-freezing stretch of weather and record-breaking single-day snow accumulation helped extended the winter season.
The cooler-than-average temperature trend continues into the first full week of March. That trend isn’t likely to break anytime soon. These colder-than-normal temperatures have also helped bring snow back to elevations above 1,000 feet as late as Sunday, March 5, 2023.
While a few warmer days are expected in the next week, the trend is still cold.
Much of the Pacific Northwest is expecting to see below-normal temperatures over the next three to four weeks. These colder-than-normal temperatures aren’t expected to harm the spring foliage, but it will continue to push the bloom date back for many plants.