Thursday, 02 April 2020
Lockdown Day 10 - March's Weather Summary
Covid-19 Pandemic to one side, I thought I'd post a summary covering our weather for March 2020. The first thing to say is that it eventually turned out to be much drier than February. However, as February was the wettest month of the last 10 or so years that isn't saying a great deal. March started off a bit like the previous several months with low pressure systems coming in off the Atlantic Ocean bringing gale force winds and heavy rain.
Temperature & Rainfall Records for March 2020
The middle of March saw a distinct change in the weather as high pressure began to dominate bringing us a much drier second half of the month.
March Rainfall Records 2010-2020
By the time the end of the month arrived, we'd only had 30.0mm of rainfall, all of it falling in the first half of the month. That's below average for March, with only 2012 and 2011 having less rainfall over the last 11 years, but I for one aren't complaining as it has helped dry out the allotment.
The last week of March was been on the cool side and strangely we've had colder days in March than we had through the winter months. March has the coldest days of 'winter' and the warmest day of the year on 24 March when the thermometer hit a very pleasant 19.5°C. It wasn't a particularly long spell of fine weather and it also coincided with the start of the lockdown due to Covid-19. In the end the final average for the month turned out to be just that about average.
March Temperature Records 2010-2020
We've had more frost in March than January and February combined, although I think that is due to those two months being exceptionally mild rather than any unusually cold March nights.
The frosts have coincided with the first of the fruit blossom opening. On our last visit to the allotment around a week or so ago the greengage and plum blossom was just beginning to open.
I'm guessing that by now the greengages and plum trees will be in full flower. Hopefully, the frost won't have damaged the blossom and we can look forward to harvesting some fruit in August and September.