Sun Chaser

Apparently it was a glorious month. The hottest month overall here since July 2006 with an average high of 25.0c, also the sunniest August since 1995. Typically I spent the 7th-24th in Greece - where it was colder than at home. Frustrating memories of the 14th when it was 33c and blazing sun at home while we were having torrential downpours and 24c on the island of Skopelos.

After hearing so many times "at least this March is drier than last year" - after this monstrously wet ending, we are projected to finish at 139mm, right behind last year's wettest ever 144mm!

For ones I can remember, torn between 2018 and 2022. 2018 had some really incredible moments but let down by a pretty horrible first half of spring and last 6 weeks of the year. 2022 was just consistently good if only exceptional in the second half of March, 2 weeks in July and the first half of August. Looking further back, 2003 looked like a great year to live through. Lovely spring, classic summer and great September to boot.

WYorksWeather That one day February 15th was amazing... 17c and sunshine in mid February is a first for me, even after through 2019 and 2023. An April equivalent would be brilliant. HOWEVER of course that day was surrounded by horrible wet weather which we don't need any more of next month it better dry up soon!!

raz.org.rain It's close, really close. I will say March 2024 has had a couple more, and warmer, springlike days, and has been slightly drier so on paper it's better, however unlike last year it came after an equally poor February and winter overall, so it feels possibly worse. *Stormforce~beka* Nooo. The curse of the south coast. Moving back down to Devon this weekend so I'll be joining you soon

The ability of this month to oscillate between a week of misery and then one of the nicest March days I've ever known and repeat is wild tbh. February was like it too. A really weird spell of weather this is

CryoraptorA303 Part of me, having lived in the SW for nearly 20 years, is saying deal with it like we always have because that's what the weather is like down there! So much SE envy growing up. The other part of me, having lived in the SE for 6 months now and due to move back down soon, is realising how 2023/24 has been the most dire late autumn to early spring period I've ever experienced including the very worst winters in the SW. It has been absolutely excruciating here. It's been even worse. Maybe I don't have to be jealous of the SE's warmer summers any more because tbh what IS this weather torture atm????

Genuinely forgot what it's like to feel the joy of a UK high building in. Another wet April might just send me insane. Posting these charts 15 days away on the off chance (0.00001%) that a scenario like this verifies.

SummerShower Yeah June 2017 was a really funny one! Giving shades of July 2021 and May 2012 with how polarised it was

baddie Being a lot smaller and unaware of weather stats, 2014 in my mind was always equal to 2013. I really enjoyed 2014, a rare combination of sunny warm dry June and July without ever being exceptionally hot. August was gross statistically but the following September made up for it pretty well, very settled and warm.

I'd also say 2017 - the best month of that summer was June and that was a week-long hot spell surrounded by cool and EXTREMELY DULL weather. The final week of June where I was had three hours of sunshine! It was also fairly wet. Having memories of a washout camping trip with school at the end of June 2017. July started off decent but descended slowly throughout the month and ended up slightly duller, cooler and wetter than average - nothing too bad though. August was just very cool and fairly wet/unsettled - lots of days in the high teens and a couple of hot days during the final BH couldn't save it. Overall the summer was the 3rd coolest, 3rd wettest and 4th dullest in the last 10 years and kind of fell flat after the solstice. If anything I'd say June 2017 is HEAVILY overrated and helped by the fact it came after the excruciatingly dull June 2016, while August 2017 is slightly underrated (it was sunnier and less wet than other dire Augusts it gets compared to) I believe most see it as a decent summer but to me it was poor.

B87 It's been awful. I didn't realise how bad it was as I was comparing to 2023 which recorded 223% of rainfall here.

Frigid Loved April 2021 even as a general disliker of cold weather. The fact that by that time of year the sun is getting strong, as strong as it is in August/first half of Sep - yet it was so cold and frosty despite being the sunniest April ever in the UK?

TwisterGirl81 What's keeping me going is that the 6 week spell of glorious sunny dry weather starting in mid May last year seemed to come out of nowhere! None of us were expecting such a good spell until we were actually in it. I still have a screenshot from May 11th of the following weekend being forecasted at 10c with heavy rain.... in actual fact it was 21c and clear blue skies and heralded some beautiful weather.

Wade I will say the first half of March 2024 has been a bit wetter than the first half of March 2023, but of course it was the second half of last March that was horrifically wet. It does look like drying out a little now so perhaps this March won't end up notably wet. Sunshine wise however... absolutely dire

In Absence of True Seasons Onto April. Perhaps the weather will turn with the month! Would be nice

In Absence of True Seasons Used to look forward to March so now it seems a little extreme that we've had the two dullest wettest Marches in decades in succession?

Another day of relentless fog and drizzle and 12c, you'd think it was November. Thought March 2023 would be the worst March for a loooong time but..... 2024 is sure having a good go at it!

After all my moans, yesterday was beautiful. Laying out in the sunshine in 17 degrees with, as someone else said, a slightly muggy feel - it easily felt like it could've been high teens or even early twenties there. The sun was out, the clouds were making very interesting shapes - I don't know my types sadly - and the tree blossom looked beautiful. It really did feel like summer and it took me totally by surprise! Having said that... back to it today. Watching it absolutely chuck it down from the comfort of a train.

BlueSkies_do_I_see April 2020 was glorious. The only time I've ever seen 27c on my birthday and I've spent it in Greece and Spain before! Came after a gloriously sunny (although cooler) end of March - just that last third alone was enough to make March 2020 one of the sunniest Marches. And of course it led into the UK's sunniest month on record - May 2020!

The last time we had a dire autumn and winter and first two thirds of March, it was 2020 and the weather suddenly flipped at the equinox. I'm not saying it'll happen again but..... something to think about

TwisterGirl81 Dull March so far. EXTREMELY dull February. RECORD dull December. Somewhat dull October and November. Very dull July and August. It never stops. The last widely sunnier than average month was June, 9 months ago. Since then we've had at least 5 widely duller than average months? It doesn't seem right at all

1 year since I basically cursed the weather by making an account here, it seems since the day I joined it's been almost ceaseless bad weather! Sorry everyone I don't know how this March will compare to 2023 but I doubt it will end up being remembered fondly either.

baddie We can only hope. Seeing how constantly unsettled it's been since the last equinox perhaps there will be a major long-term settling down come the spring equinox, 2020 style?

danm Thursday and Sunday look lovely and I'll really appreciate the warmer temperatures coming now. But I'm dying for some clear blue skies!!!!