Kirst Mason D'RavenThe March UFO Almanac
Each month the sky develops its own character. February often brings clear cold skies and watchful nights; March, by contrast, is a month of transition.
Weather systems collide, atmospheric visibility fluctuates, and historically the month has produced a surprising number of UFO encounters ranging from radar contacts and pilot sightings to mass civilian reports.
This almanac gathers documented UFO / UAP cases connected with the month of March, drawing from historical archives, military reports, newspaper coverage, and modern reporting databases such as NUFORC and MUFON.
The purpose is not to claim extraterrestrial explanations. Instead, like any traditional almanac, it records patterns in human observation. Some events were later explained; others remain unresolved. All are part of the historical record of how people have experienced the sky.
Sources are linked where possible so readers may explore the original material.
Historical March UFO Cases
March 1897 – The Great Airship Wave
One of the earliest mass UFO flaps in modern history occurred during March 1897 when mysterious “airships” were reported across the American Midwest. Witnesses described cigar‑shaped craft with propellers and powerful searchlights travelling slowly across the night sky.
Reports appeared in newspapers across Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Texas. Some witnesses even claimed to speak with the supposed pilots.
Historians consider the wave important because it occurred decades before modern aviation, raising questions about misidentification, hoaxes and early technological experimentation.
25 February – 5 March 1942 – The Battle of Los Angeles
Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, radar contacts and unidentified lights triggered an air defence alert over Los Angeles. Anti‑aircraft batteries fired more than 1,400 shells into the sky during the early hours of 25 February 1942.
Searchlights converged on an unidentified aerial object or group of objects moving slowly across the city.
The US War Department later suggested weather balloons may have triggered the alert, though the event remains one of the most famous wartime UFO cases.
Sources[https://www.history.com/news/world-war-iis-battle-of-los-angeles](https://www.history.com/news/world-war-iis-battle-of-los-angeles)%5Bhttps://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/battle-los-angeles%5D(https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/battle-los-angeles)
17 March 1950 – The Farmington Armada
Residents of Farmington, New Mexico witnessed what newspapers described as “hundreds of flying discs” moving across the sky in formation for roughly half an hour.Witnesses described silver objects performing coordinated manoeuvres at high altitude.The event was reported by the Farmington Daily Times and later entered UFO research literature as one of the earliest large‑scale sightings of the modern flying saucer era.
Sources[https://www.farmingtonmuseum.org/history/farmington-ufo-armada](https://www.farmingtonmuseum.org/history/farmington-ufo-armada)%5Bhttps://www.newspapers.com/article/farmington-daily-times-flying-saucers/15720525/%5D(https://www.newspapers.com/article/farmington-daily-times-flying-saucers/15720525/)
March 1967 – Malmstrom Air Force Base Missile Shutdown
During March 1967 personnel at missile facilities near Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana reported unidentified aerial objects near launch sites. Testimony from several officers later claimed that nuclear missiles at the base became temporarily disabled during the sightings.
The case gained attention after former Air Force personnel spoke publicly about the events decades later.
Sources[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ex-air-force-personnel-ufos-deactivated-nukes/](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ex-air-force-personnel-ufos-deactivated-nukes/)%5Bhttps://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/ufos/malmstromufo.pdf%5D(https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/ufos/malmstromufo.pdf)
30–31 March 1990 – Belgian UFO Wave Radar Intercepts
The Belgian UFO wave began in 1989 but continued into early 1990. During the night of 30–31 March Belgian Air Force F‑16 aircraft attempted to intercept triangular objects detected on radar.
Although pilots locked radar on the targets several times, the objects accelerated rapidly and evaded interception.The Belgian military later released a report acknowledging unexplained aerial activity during the wave.
Sources[https://www.ufoevidence.org/cases/case334.htm](https://www.ufoevidence.org/cases/case334.htm)%5Bhttps://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/10-02-03/%5D(https://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/10-02-03/)
13 March 1997 – The Phoenix Lights
One of the most widely witnessed UFO sightings in modern history occurred when thousands of witnesses across Arizona observed a massive V‑shaped formation of lights travelling silently across the night sky.
Later in the evening additional stationary lights were recorded south of Phoenix.
Military flares were later confirmed for some of the later lights, though the earlier formation sighting remains widely debated.
Sources[https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2017/03/13/phoenix-lights-20-years-later/98941972/](https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2017/03/13/phoenix-lights-20-years-later/98941972/)%5Bhttps://www.nuforc.org/webreports/phoenixlights.html%5D(https://www.nuforc.org/webreports/phoenixlights.html)
On This Day in UFO History – March
A selection of reported sightings historically associated with specific March dates.
March 1 1966 – Multiple UFO sightings reported across Michigan during a wave that later produced the controversial “swamp gas” explanation.
March 8 1994 – Ariel School UFO encounter reported in Ruwa, Zimbabwe (date sometimes listed as September but early March reports preceded the famous case).
March 13 1997 – Phoenix Lights mass sighting.
March 17 1950 – Farmington UFO Armada.
March 30–31 1990 – Belgian UFO radar intercept incident.
Researchers can explore many additional reports by date through:
NUFORC Database[https://nuforc.org](https://nuforc.org)
MUFON Case Files[https://mufon.com](https://mufon.com)
Seasonal Patterns – Why March?
Several environmental and cultural factors may explain why sightings appear frequently during this month.
• Increasing daylight contrasts with long twilight periods
• Early spring storms producing unusual cloud formations
• Military training cycles after winter
• Increased outdoor activity after winter months
In UFO research these conditions often correlate with increased sighting reports.
Closing Note
March is a month when the sky refuses to settle.
Storm fronts move quickly.
Cloud layers distort light.
Satellites flare unexpectedly.
And sometimes – just occasionally, something moves across the sky that refuses to fit any familiar explanation.
For sky watchers and historians alike the rule remains simple:
Keep looking up in March.
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