and vehicles, was the most significant weather event last month.

The Naval Oceanography Command Facility yesterday released its statistics for the month of March.

"March was a below normal rainfall month for Bermuda,'' a NOCF spokesperson said. "Bermuda received 2.73 inches of rainfall or 1.67 inches less rain than is normal for the month.'' The facility said last month marked the first time that the Island's 90-day rainfall figures registered over 100 percent of normal, a figure not seen since 1989.

"Despite below normal rainfall for March, the last month of the 90-day period, heavier than normal rain in January and February put the Island over the `break even' mark. The Island has received over 14.72 inches over the previous 90 days, exceeding what is considered `normal' for the same day period by over one inch.'' The facility also reported warmer than average daily temperatures last month with an average of 65.7 Fahrenheit or 1.5 degrees warmer than is normal for the month. The average daily maximum temperature was 70.3 degrees Fahrenheit, 68.4 degrees is normal. The average daily minimum was 61.2 degrees Fahrenheit, 60.2 is normal for Bermuda in March.

The absolute maximum temperature was 74.5 degrees Fahrenheit as compared with 1990's record of 79 degrees and the absolute minimum was 50.2, compared with 45 degrees in 1951.

The average wind speed for March was 14 knots which is normal. However the peak hourly sustained wind speed was 36 knots from the west-northwest at about 10 a.m. on March 21. The highest peak was 56 knots recorded slightly earlier on the same day.