A final note on the cold weather of the last week or so. I noticed this tweet from Paul Hudson yesterday.
Thursday, 01 March 2018
Good News - Meteorological Spring has Arrived!
February and winter 2017/18 went out on a bitterly cold day. I'm not in much doubt that it turned out to be our coldest February day since I started keeping records in 2010.
Temperature & Wind Chill Records for 28 February 2018
I thought the early morning temperature of -5.7°C (21.7°F) on Wednesday would be the lowest of the day but I was wrong as it fell to -5.8°C (21.6°F) early into the evening. Fortunately, it didn't fall any further remaining around that level well into the night. It didn't quite manage the lowest temperature I've recorded in February which is still -5.9°C (21.4°F) on 08 February 2012. However, with a daytime high temperature of -1.7°C (28.9°F) and daily average of -4.2°C (24.4°F) it absolutely obliterates my previous values for February of 1.2°C (34.2°F) and -2.0°C (28.4°F) respectively which both go back to 2012. Incidentally, the lowest average daily temperature I've recorded goes back to 20 December 2010 and -7.6°C or 18.3°F.
It's certainly been an unusually cold spell of weather and not only have we had bitterly cold temperatures but some snow as well. I'm aware other parts of the country have had much more snow than us but three days of snow showers have gradually built up a significant amount for us.
Judging by the amount that had fallen onto our outdoor coffee table we've had about 10cm, 100mm or 4in whichever are your preferred units.
I'd now like the snow to go so that some serious gardening tasks can be started. The forecast doesn't seem to hold out much hope of that happening until after the weekend.
Friday, 02 March 2018
Out of the Freezer and Into the Fridge
It goes without saying that Thursday was the coldest March day I've recorded since 2010. The lowest temperature was -5.4°C (22.3°F), the daytime high was -0.5°C (31.1°F) and the daily average -2.4°C or 27.7°F. It's our only "ice" March day when the temperature has remained below freezing all day.
Temperature & Wind Chill Records for 01 March 2018
I don't think our plants are enjoying the snow or the bitterly cold gale force winds.
I've now sorted out my February comparison tables.
Temperature & Rainfall Comparisons February 2010 - 2018
In summary a cold and dry February 2018. Hopefully March will be much better for getting on with some gardening jobs but it certainly hasn't got off to a very good start.
Sunday, 04 March 2018
Balmy Weather - In More ways Than One!
Sunday morning has started off almost balmy with the temperature hovering around 1.0°C or 34.0°F. It's rather unusual for our temperature to manage to reach such dizzy heights so far this month. In the table below, of last week's temperatures, I've highlighted the 0°C or 32°F level to show how many days were below freezing point.
Temperature Records for 26 February - 04 March 2018
To put some sort of perspective on how unusually cold a start we have had to March 2018 it's worth considering that in the previous eight Marches I've recorded a grand total of three days with average daily temperature below 0°C or 32°F. The first three days of March this year have all been below that level. The graph of our previous mildest and coldest March months is shown below again emphasising the unusually cold start to the month.
However, the good news is with the temperatures above freezing a thaw has set in even if it is a dull murky day with occasional bouts of sleety rain.
These early flowering daffodils are emerging from their blanket of snow. There's still a reasonable amount of snow to thaw and parts of the pond are still frozen over.
The weather forecast is for the milder weather to continue with temperatures gradually returning to more normal values through next week for early March.
Tuesday, 06 March 2018
Overnight Spring Arrives
Overnight the snow disappeared and after a bit of a misty start to Tuesday the sun came out, the temperature returned to normal for early March and it felt like spring had arrived.
I even moved the seed potatoes back into the greenhouse to continue chitting.
How cold was last week? Based on the Central England Temperature measure:
— Paul Hudson (@Hudsonweather) March 5, 2018
Coldest 28th February since 1785
1st March coldest day for any March day since 1878
Impressive!