March was still coat weather in New York. (image: TigerCoin via flickr.com)
In New York, March came in like a lion and left like a smaller but still ferocious lion.
Overall, the month ranks as one of the warmest Marches of the last 116 years (sixth warmest, actually) for the state, but it ended on a cool streak. For the last full week of the month, statewide heating degree days were 22-percent higher than usual. And here in Manhattan, city-dwellers who have been waiting to eat lunch outside just have to keep waiting.
But despite the chilly weather, the average retail price for a gallon of propane fell by more than three cents last week, according to the latest report from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). New York prices have now given back a nickel since hitting their record high March 7. And the propane inventory for the Mid-Atlantic was up 16-percent last week, which may have helped to ease some of the pressure off prices.
Elsewhere, both heating oil and kerosene posted tiny gains last week.
The last full week of March was a chilly one in New York. (image: nyserda.org)
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