March Blizzard

Biblical stuff in Stockport for the last hour and a half. Streets flooded. Don't even need lights on in my house, the constant lightning is enough!

If I have to take a late penalty, I guess I'll go for broke with 16.2C...

I'll go for 16.0C, please.

Not sure, my attempts at a second title have proved futile

I'll go for 16.3C, please.

I was in California and Nevada in April, and daytime temperatures typically reached 25/26C. However, due to the very low humidity in the arid/desert climate, it was far more pleasant than what we have had here recently, in similar daytime temperatures. Its been a bit unusual that the NW of England has probably been the warmest place in the country so far in June, and the heat has built up over days, with little cooling at night. Indoor temperatures are as warm as I can remember them being in a long time. I pretty much never have trouble sleeping, yet a few nights ago the heat got to me and I was still awake at 4am. That's unusual, for me. I guess in the NW we are used to short lived warm spells, punctuated with cooler ones, yet it's been very warm for a solid week now. I work outdoors in a physical job, and whilst I wouldn't say it's been too uncomfortable or unbearable recently, it really does take it out of me afterwards. I feel drained after work when the weather is as warm as this.

June tends to stick close to the long term average, I'll go for 14.7C, please.

11C on the nose. Cheers.

Funny you should say that, I've just come back from Vegas. The last day I was there (Friday) it was very windy (sun loungers were getting blown into the pool, it was carnage) cloudy and actually not all that warm; by Northern England or Southern Nevada standards.

I'll go for 7.9C, please.

Cloudy here now. Thought today was meant to be sunny for most of the day?

Yeah. It's weird. It's become/becoming increasingly common Mar-May, but less so at any other times. Not sure how accurate I am, but it certainly seems that way. But yeah, Today is much better than the past two. Has pollution been moderate/high lately? Seemed it here with a lot of haze. If the nights were clear and cold, it would be almost perfect for me!

What's with this high pressure domination in March in recent years anyway? It seems like the the past 5 years we have had a spell of protracted high pressure influencing our weather in March, particularly around mid month. I know the Atlantic tends to quieten down a bit this time of year, but surely we've seen more high pressure in recent years than the long term average? It just rolls in on que, destroying the last chance of any wintry weather, gives us weather purgatory of cloudy 10C days for 10 days or more, then tends to sod off late in the month to give way to pointless northerlies and NW'erlies in April, at a time when it would be far more welcome with the longer days. I'm thankful it's dry, but that's about the only positive I can put on this current spell. Not liking how hazy it has been, either.

With a UK High at this time of year, depending on how clear it is (and for how long) could have a large bearing on the CET at the mid month point. I'm inclined to think a clear high would return a lower CET value than a cloudy one, as clear and calm early- mid March nights will likely go sub zero, offsetting the warmer daytime maxima, whereas a cloudy high will have a far narrower temperature range. A difficult one to model/get right.

Never said the models did, I said their was *talk* of it amongst members on here as a possibility. To be fair, that wasn't unreasonable given the output. Yeah, the models suggested 16/17C maxes recently, but now are nearer 13/14 or below for much of us. Obviously, high teens isn't out the question at all, especially in breaks of any cloud, but perhaps isn't as likely or to be as widespread as thought only very recently.

On the BBC weather site, for my location, it's showing a max no higher than 11C through to the 15th, and it's full of cloud symbols. Suggests a cloudy, nondescript 10-12C high everywhere to me. Surely, for 15C and above at this time of year, the high will need to be clear to allow the sun to do it's work? Hope the BBC are wrong and it's clear, would love to see the diurnal ranges and sunshine. Sadly, I think it will be a cloudfest, and I've noticed that the max temps shown on the models have been losing a degree by the day as we get nearer. Just a few days ago there was talk of high teens or potentially even 20C, but now it's looking closer to the March seasonal average maximum temperatures.

Not sure what you mean, WH?

Maybe not specifically 20C Mushy, but more so people expecting temperatures well above the seasonal average as par for the course. I just don't get it. And I agree with you in that I find it odd when people half expect/look for January weather in November, sometimes even in October! As I said in my post (the part you omitted!) I'm not against some warmth, I'd just rather see it late March and April onwards. I did greatly enjoy that exceptional spell in March 2012, crystal clear skies and huge diurnal ranges, it was almost perfection. However, I recognise that it was truly exceptional for the time of year, and I wouldn't normally expect to see such a spell until at least late April or May in a typical year. Anyway, we can't seem to shake high pressure off in the Mid March period of recent years, it's quite remarkable. I just hope if the high pressure does take hold, it doesn't drag too much cloud in. A cloudy, 10C by day and night March high with no wind is downright weather purgatory, vile stuff. Just stagnant mildness with nothing going for it. If it's clear with some diurnal ranges, I'll be happy. Finally, I enjoy reading your posts on the mod thread. I find you very reasonable and realistic throughout the year.

Can I buy you a pint?! Couldn't agree more. I honestly don't get why people set themselves up for a fall by expecting July in March every year. I do get wanting a warm up, yeah, but all this whinging about not having 20C temperatures barely a week out of February is odd. I love high pressure in Spring and the potential for large diurnal ranges, but I'd rather see it after the Spring equinox, personally. It's Sod's law when we get weak warmth in March with a setup that would be much better served in May or even April for decently warm weather, and with the later sunsets to go with it.

Lots of snow in the southside today! Not as heavy or intense as it was in late January last year, yet it's persistence was amazing; literally non stop for around 8 hours, and the final accumulations round here was around the 4 inch mark. Its a shame this has come on the back of a very mild winter, and from air sourced from a ridiculously warm Arctic. In a normal year after a normal winter, far more would have joined in on the party I reckon. All in all, I'm glad this Winter produced one memorable snow event, something that looked highly unlikely during that blowtorch December.

Nah, I want 30C heat and 9pm sunsets now, It is March after all, why isn't it happening?! I'll be looking for snow again in subzero October. In all seriousness though, I'm sat here looking at 4+ inches of snow on the ground and the snow is still falling. 5 hours and counting. Don't get me wrong, I like Spring and Summer like the next man, but I don't get the mad rush for it to begin. We've got months and months of that not long from now. No rush, I say.

Still very much snow in Eastern Stockport. 4 inches on the ground. Been non stop since at least 8am. Similar to the late Jan 2015 snowfall. Amazing!

Coming down heavy and settling on all surfaces in Stockport.

I very much doubt that. Any proof? But yeah, the average maxima for both months are roughly the same, around 8/9/10C depending on where in the country you are. Says it all really when sun starved November is just as warm by day. You get a week of 15C maxima in March, chances are you will have to sit through a week of 5C maxima afterwards. Otherwise the average maxima for the month would be much higher than it actually is. Anyway, the weather will do what it will do, some of us will be happy, others not so much.

To be fair, but what exactly do people expect at this time of year? It's March, not July. It rains, it snows, it's windy, it's frosty, it can be very cold at times, and quite mild and pleasant at others. What we've seen so far this month is pretty standard early March weather, certainly nothing exceptional. If you want decent, consistent warmth, all one can really do is play the waiting game until we are in the warmer half of the year. As it stands, we have just started the 4th coldest month of the year.