Although we have some chilly nights this week, March begins at the weekend and there is spring hope in the air. Daffodils are appearing, more daylight hours and winter begins to fade
The first of March is linked to daffodils as a joyful sign of spring and the increasing sunlight is very apparent at this time of year.
“If March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb.
If it comes in like a lamb, it will go out like a lion.”
For the start of March 2025, there will be high pressure over the UK which should bring settled, rather quiet weather. So more like a lamb than a lion. The jetstream will be away to the north directing Atlantic low pressures towards Iceland rather than at the British Isles.
The UK weather at this time of year can be varied and surprising. We can experience a cold spell with ice and snow or southerly warmth and sunshine. Even in one day, sunshine and blue skies can suddenly turn darker with a downpour and blustery winds. The temperatures can vary widely. Back in February 2019, London recorded the warmest February day reaching 21.2C. That would be a surprisingly warm day even in March. The UK's highest March temperature on record was 25.6C in Cambridgeshire back in 1968, occurring late in the month on the 29th.
Last March was unsettled with a lot of wet and windy weather. There was a colder start but soon the month became mild and stayed that way with few frosts and as shown above, mild nights. Globally "March 2024 is the tenth month in a row to be the hottest for the respective month in the ERA5 data record, going back to 1940" Copernicus.
Conversely, it can be cold. The all-time UK record is -27.2C occurring in the month of February but March also sees intense cold at times. As our climate warms, these cold spells don’t occur as often but 2018 was a cold March, by day and night after the Beast from the East event.
The March record was in Aberdeenshire mid-month in 1958, down to -22.8C. England’s lowest March temperature was -21.1C on the 4th in 1947 in County Durham, after the Second World War.
“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.” Charles Dickens Great Expectations, 1861
We know of April showers but March can produce similar conditions. Sheltered sunshine can be surprising and you find yourself overdressed and feeling hot. After a shower passes by it can feel decidedly chilly and it is often cold after dark. There can still be snowfall, even up until Easter but the likelihood of deep cold, of real winter does pass.
The ECMWF outlook charts keep colder conditions to the southeast of Europe into Asia whilst Scandinavia and northeast Russia see milder conditions. The monthly outlook for the UK shows milder than average conditions.
Sea swimmers will know that this is a cold time of year for having a dip. There is a lag with summer heat not being lost from water so quickly making an autumn swim more comfortable. However, the winter cold remains into March and April before any spring warmth is absorbed.
SST Sea Surface Temperatures at the end of February 2025
We have St David’s Day and Pancake Day coming up. The Cheltenham Festival, the Six Nations rugby continues and at the end of the month it is Mothering Sunday. In February the first hints of spring have begun. The snowdrops fade and crocuses show themselves. Next will be the host of daffodils and then tulips as spring takes hold and the birds busy themselves.
In Edinburgh on the 1st, sunrise will be 07:02 and sunset 17:47. By the end of the month, sunrise will be 05:44 and sunset 18:48, quite a leap. Two hours and 19 minutes difference through one month
In London on the 1st 06:44 for sunrise and 17:40 for sunset. By the 31st, sunrise will be at 05:36 and sunset 18:31, very nearly two hours difference.
For the end of February and at the weekend as March starts, there will be cool air across the UK. By day, any sunshine will be welcome and at night, areas with clear spells will see a touch of frost. The high pressure means that there will be plenty of dry weather with the risk of fog. A weather front will clip NW Scotland on Friday night with a burst of wet and windy weather but it fades, ready for the 1st of March.
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