Just how fickle can the weather be in March?

For much of the UK, the weather during the past week has given us a taste of spring warmth, with temperatures in the range of 15-21C – well above average for this time of year.

March this year couldn’t have been more different from March last year, which was the coldest in half a century, leaving much of the country covered in a blanket of snow.

This shows just how fickle a month March can be, with a wide range of weather possible as we make our way through spring – the transitional season between winter and summer. 

Spring is also a time of year when the position of the jet stream can vary hugely. If, like last week, it sits to the north of us, then low pressure systems are steered towards Iceland and Scandinavia, allowing high pressure to build.

However, if like March last year, the jet stream is well to the south of the UK, it allows cold air to flood in from the east, bringing some snow.

So, given how fickle the weather can be in March, what are some of the extremes that have been seen over time?

Temperature

The highest maximum temperature on record in March is 25.6C, reached at Mepal in Cambridgeshire on 29 March 1968.

High pressure centred over the Mediterranean sent a surge of very warm air across the UK from northern Africa, giving weather that would have rivalled a mid-summer’s day.

The lowest minimum temperature on record in March is -22.8C, taken at Logie Coldstone in Aberdeenshire on 14 March 1958.

A bitter north east wind had delivered snow and very cold air from the Arctic, which allowed the temperature to drop away under clear skies and light winds.

Rainfall

With March being a month when the position of the jet stream can varying a lot, there can be a difference in rainfall from year to year.

During March 1981, the jet stream steered deep areas of low pressure across the UK, resulting in rainfall across much of the country being 150 to 200 per cent of what would normally be expected.

However, during March 2011, high pressure sat over us for most of the month, leading to most places having less than half the average rainfall.

As for this week, a meandering jet stream will make the weather more unsettled than last week. It’ll be windier, with rain edging southwards, before turning colder for all places in time for the weekend.