As March bid farewell to the winter chill, it brought with it a mixed bag of weather across the UK, painting a picture of unsettled skies and damp landscapes.
The month kicked off with a shiver as temperatures plunged below the seasonal norm, sending a cold snap sweeping across the country. Southern regions, in particular, felt the bite of winter’s lingering grasp. Even as the nation thawed, snowflakes danced their way through parts of southwest England in early March, casting a frosty veil over the countryside and causing a ripple of travel disruptions.
But as the days rolled on, a shift occurred in the atmospheric mood. The icy grip loosened its hold, making way for a gentler, milder climate. Thermometers climbed steadily, reaching for the mid to high teens in many areas. Parts of London basked in the warmth, with values in excess of 18c, marking a stark contrast to the colder start to the month.
Yet, just as spring seemed to have firmly taken root, nature had other plans. Towards the month’s end, a chilly reminder of winter’s resilience swept through parts of the South West, blanketing the landscape in a fresh coat of snow on the 27th and 28th, catching many off guard. Plymouth in particular got a surprise given the near sea level altitude and warmer seas locally. Very heavy rainfall coupled with colder air filtering into the system brought about evaporative cooling and caused the freezing level to plummet. It was a very localised event but impactful nonetheless.
Throughout the month, the weather remained in a state of flux, with a parade of frontal systems marching across the skies, bringing with them the familiar companions of rain and wind. By mid-month, several regions had already surpassed their average monthly rainfall, with no reprieve in sight. The heavens continued to open up, drenching the land and leaving soggy footprints in their wake.
As March drew to a close, it did so with a flourish of unsettled weather, as showers danced across the nation and winds howled across the west. The stage was set for April to step forward, ushering in a new chapter of weather patterns and seasonal transitions but as we’ve seen already, there is no change in the weather as yet!!!
The anomaly charts below use the climatology of between 1991 to 2020. March was milder for most overall but notably for the south east regions. Parts of Scotland though, mainly northern, remained around average.
Rainfall amounts varied across the country but it was a wet month overall, Unusually dry across W Scotland and parts of East Anglia too. Notably wet across central and southern parts of England and this projects that low pressure systems perhaps ran further south than is the norm. Eastern Scotland gives this away too as the wet weather here was caused by nagging easterly winds
With a wet month in the bag its no surprise to see that March was a dull month generally across the UK. Again Parts of northern Scotland bucking the trend with a rather sunny month in the northwest.
