Heat records standing since 1895 were broken in March, according to the National Weather Service. All 50 states broke at least one record for high temperatures.
Abnormally warm air fueled 223 tornadoes in March—a huge jump from the approximately 80, according to preliminary reports from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Storm Prediction Center. Hawaii had a rare tornado on the island of Oahu, and the largest hailstone ever observed in the state—4 and a half inches.
The unusually early March tornado outbreak was the first billion dollar natural disaster of the year.
