March 2016 Summary

In Brief:
Cool, particularly at night.
Unsettled first week, then mainly fine but still cool.
Unsettled again final week, coinciding with Easter.

Temperature: [Minimum]:
The temperature on the night of the 7th fell to -0.8 degs C, making it the coldest March night since 2013.  
The 26th was the mildest night of the month with a low of 9.5 degs C.  There has been a milder night than this every month since February 2015, and every March since at least 2004. 

The average night-time temperature for March 2016 was 4.13 degs C.  This is the lowest for March of the last thirteen.  It is only 0.02 degs higher than the average for February 2016.  December 2015 had an average minimum of 10.08 degs C!
The temperature fell below 5 degs C on 19 nights in March 2016.  This is the most in any March since at least 2004, beating the previous 'best' of 18 in 2010.  It is the most times in any month since December 2010, when it did so 21 times.
The temperature fell below 0 degs C on one night in March 2016, the first time this has happened in March since 2013.

Temperature: [Maximum]:
The coolest days of the month were the 4th and 19th, with a maximum temperature of 8.0 degs C.  This is the lowest March maximum since 2013. 
The warmest day of the month was the 25th with a maximum of 15.6 degs C. This is the second lowest March maximum of the last thirteen.  Last year saw the lowest March max during that time of 14.4 degs C.

The average maximum for March 2016 was 11.37 degs C, exactly 2 degs C below December 2015, and making it the second coldest March since at least 2004. The lowest itself was 2013 with an average of just 9.85 degs C, and March 2006 was only slightly warmer at 11.38 degs C.  It maybe worth noting here that the summers of 2006 and 2013 were probably the sunniest and warmest since 2004, but here we concentrate on reports rather than forecasts!!

Rainfall:
113.8 mm of rain fell during March 2016, which compares with 190.0 mm in February 2016, and 65.0 mm in March 2015.  It was the wettest March since 2013, but the driest month since October 2015. 
The wettest day of the month was the 27th [Easter Sunday] with 22.8 mm, making it the third wettest March day since at least 2009. The two wettest both occurred in 2013.   The only other days of March 2016 with more than 10 mm were the 8th [11.9], 9th [20.9], and the 24th [13.5].

There were 16 completely dry days, the same number with no measurable rain.  These occurred as a two-week spell from the 10th to the 23rd, plus the last two days of the month.  The wettest spells were the 8th and 9th, and the 24th to the 29th, a period which was the day before Good Friday to the day after Easter Monday! 

Cumulatively 537.4 mm of rain has fallen from January to March 2016, compared to 363.6 mm during the same period in 2015 [+47.8%].

Thunder:
None this month.