Tuesday 17th March
Monday gave us a cloudy and dull day with outbreaks of brief, light drizzle from time to time but not measurable. The lack of sunshine meant a cool day with the maximum of 10.5C being 0.3C below average. The minimum of 8.7C was logged at 00.24.
The start to Tuesday was dull with total cloud cover, however, there are signs that the cloud will break up as the morning progresses and result in a warmer afternoon with much sunshine. The barometric pressure has been holding steady for the last two days but is likely to begin to build today.
The large area of high pressure to the west continues to hold back the progress of weather fronts from the Atlantic. The forecast surface pressure charts indicate that this area of high pressure will expand across the UK over the next few days and by Thursday be centred over the UK. The will result in much sunshine and very warm days with maxima well above average under light winds, however, there will be much cooler nights under clear skies.
Further pages from the recent Met Office data sheets.
Coldest March nights
Despite these springlike interludes, March can still produce penetrating cold. The UK’s lowest March temperature on record stands at -22.8°C, measured at Logie, Aberdeenshire on 14 March 1958. This value underscores the lingering influence of Arctic air masses and clear, calm nights early in the month.
Other notable low temperatures include -21.7°C at Corwen (Wales, 3 March 1965) and – 15.0°C at Ballykelly (Northern Ireland, 3 March 1947). Even into the 2020s, severe cold has been observed. In 2023, for example, Altnaharra in Sutherland dropped to -16.0C, one of the most significant low temperatures of the decade.
Wettest March days
As storm systems continue to track across the UK in March, the month can produce some of the heaviest rainfall events of the year. The wettest March day on record for the UK delivered 187.0 mm at Kinloch Hourn (15 March 1990), a remarkable total even by the standards of this famously wet region.
Other significant rainfall events include 177.2 mm at Seathwaite, Cumbria, on 28 March 2021, 118.6 mm at Honister Pass in 2023, and 112 mm at Cwm Dyli in Gwynedd in 2024, reflecting the consistency with which western upland areas receive intense rainfall during vigorous Atlantic weather patterns.