Unseasonably warm temperatures rewrote the record books Wednesday across the Sierra and valley floor.
At Reno-Tahoe International Airport, the afternoon high reached 86F at 3:43 PM, breaking the daily record and setting a new benchmark for the warmest March day ever recorded. The previous monthly record was 83F, set on March 31, 1966. This also marks the earliest date on record that Reno has reached 86F. Historically, temperatures of 80 or higher in March are rare, occurring just 11 times since records began in 1893.
South Lake Tahoe saw a similar milestone. The high climbed to 76F at 2:42 PM, breaking its daily record and becoming the warmest March day on record for that location. The previous record was 71F, set on March 30, 2015. This is also the earliest date South Lake Tahoe has ever reached 76F…