March followed the trend of above average temperatures for the third month in a row. With a mean temperature of 7.2C it was 0.8C above the 30-year average. It followed January and February which were +1.2C and +1.6C. The warmest day was the 30th when the thermometer touched 18.8C, the warmest day since 7th October.
It follows that the incidence of air frost was below the long-term average. There were seven days with an air frost, two when the temperature only just dropped below zero. It was quite a contrast with March 2013 when there were 19 occasions that an air frost occurred. The lowest temperature was in the early hours of the 24th, the coldest since November, when a low of -3.8C was recorded.
Unlike the previous two months when we had record rainfall, only 40.8mm of precipitation was recorded. This is 70% of the 30-year average or 17mm below the long-term average. There 16 dry days, the totals when rainfall did occur were modest with the very wet day on the 2nd producing 15.4mm.
Fog occurred during the morning of 4 days, thick fog (visibility less than 200 metres) for 3 days of those days, namely 12th, 13th and 14th.
Hail fell during rain showers that occurred on 3 days. On the 16th and 23rd it was large hail which is classed as greater than 5mm in diameter.
The monthly totals for Solar Energy and Sunshine were 5% and 6% respectively above the mean for recent years.
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