Spring Weather Chat

[Bottesford]

I experienced low humidity with decent warmth in Germany, Poland and Ukraine before. The great thing was there is that it stayed warm overnight without being too warm to sleep.

In the UK that just never ever happens- either its very humid with warm nights, or not humid and it goes cold overnight. I'd happily loose the humidity if we could keep the evenings warm enough to enjoy in a t-shirt at least till 9-10pm anyway.

[Milhouse]

One of the main frustrations with me regarding Spring is that soon as the sun goes low in the sky it can often turn chilly, especially under high pressure after a warm pleasant feeling day. I guess the rapid transition into lighter evenings in April wrongly makes us think that it should all of a sudden become warm enough to sit outdoors.

[March Blizzard]

One of the main frustrations with me regarding Spring is that soon as the sun goes low in the sky it can often turn chilly, especially under high pressure after a warm pleasant feeling day. I guess the rapid transition into lighter evenings in April wrongly makes us think that it should all of a sudden become warm enough to sit outdoors.

I like that aspect of it, it also goes for temperature rises. If I remember right the temperature rose by 9C in one hour in late march last year, Aberdeenshire I think. It's one of the charms of March in particular, the "continental" feel of warm days and cold nights.

[Bottesford]

I too like the day to night variation that spring gives - total contrast to a lot of our hardly changing day to night temperature weather (like recently).

However do agree it can be a little frustrating to only experience the warmth on your ten min lunch break and it be cold when you get home!

[Thundery wintry showers]

Late-March 2012 had some remarkable diurnal ranges. I remember that in Cleadon I had minima of 3C and maxima of 20C which is extremely unusual within two miles of the North Sea coast.

[March Blizzard]

Late-March 2012 had some remarkable diurnal ranges. I remember that in Cleadon I had minima of 3C and maxima of 20C which is extremely unusual within two miles of the North Sea coast.

The temperature disparity across the country was also huge at times, I think on the 15th the max here was about 3-4C in fog yet in Kent I think it was pushing 20C in unbroken sunshine. Sunshine seems to have a massive impact on temperatures during March, places that don't have it stay cool/cold and when the sun sets temperatures plunge if clear.

[Milhouse]

There was a week last March where it was predicted to be very mild and sunny but due to the fog lingering temperatures stayed in single figures for many. I guess the sun isnt quite strong enough to clear it away as it is in April or May.

[summer blizzard]

There was a week last March where it was predicted to be very mild and sunny but due to the fog lingering temperatures stayed in single figures for many. I guess the sun isnt quite strong enough to clear it away as it is in April or May.

I recall the warm spell discussion thread featuring members complaining that it was cloudy and the like ramming it down everybody's throats that we shouldn't count this as a warm spell.

Meanwhile i was sat in Millennium Square enjoying the sun.

[Aaron]

Late-March 2012 had some remarkable diurnal ranges. I remember that in Cleadon I had minima of 3C and maxima of 20C which is extremely unusual within two miles of the North Sea coast.

On one day I had a subzero low followed by a high above 20C. It was really bizarre as you don't know what to do in that situation, clothing-wise.

Edited January 26, 2013 by Aaron

[summer blizzard]

On one day I had a subzero low followed by a high above 20C. It was really bizarre as you don't know what to do in that situation, clothing-wise.

You have a jumper spare for the evening, it's not coat worthy though unless your going to be out into the wee hours.

[Aaron]

I recall the warm spell discussion thread featuring members complaining that it was cloudy and the like ramming it down everybody's throats that we shouldn't count this as a warm spell.

Meanwhile i was sat in Millennium Square enjoying the sun.

We had a similar period at one point, I think it was in May or March, we had a lot of low cloud and fog that struggled to burn off, and people here were complaining about it like there was no tomorrow (or was that just me..).

You have a jumper spare for the evening, it's not coat worthy though unless your going to be out into the wee hours.

I didn't bother wearing a coat, I just left the house in a shirt.

Edited January 26, 2013 by Aaron

[Barry12]

On one day I had a subzero low followed by a high above 20C. It was really bizarre as you don't know what to do in that situation, clothing-wise.

Same here, I'd go out in t-shirt and shorts but I was freezing in the morning

[summer blizzard]

We had a similar period at one point, I think it was in May or March, we had a lot of low cloud and fog that struggled to burn off, and people here were complaining about it like there was no tomorrow (or was that just me..).

I didn't bother wearing a coat, I just left the house in a shirt.

There was a week in March where we had to wait until between 12-3 for the cloud to burn but it was amazing because it basically happened in the space of an hour.

It really was a stupidly sunny March.

Edited January 26, 2013 by summer blizzard

[Bradowl]

We want a Spring just like in April 1981.

Over a foot of snow on hills around here.

[Thundery wintry showers]

I recall that Philip Eden's sunshine stats for England and Wales were mostly running at 10-20% above average during the first two-thirds of March 2012, and then shot up into exceptionally high territory afterwards. The sunshine of the first two-thirds was quite variable so some spots will have been pretty sunny while others will have had a number of dry cloudy days, depending on where the patches of cloud cover ended up. I remember one evening when I forecast two or three days of widespread sunshine and then banks of low cloud unexpectedly formed that evening.

But in the UK the sunniest months of the winter half-year are rarely verging on wall-to-wall sunshine throughout. March 2003, for instance, was unsettled with close to average sunshine for many until around the 12th, before dry and exceptionally sunny weather took over. I think there's a good chance that I'll actually consider March 2012 more memorable than 2003 in years to come, because of how phenomenal the summer-like spell in the last third was (March 2003 had temperatures in the mid to high teens at times, but not into the low 20s).

March 2000 was perhaps a more typical example of a mild anticyclonic March in the UK- averaged nationally sunshine was slightly above average, but it was very sunny on some days (notably the 18th-20th if I remember rightly) and dull on others. The association between high pressure and sunshine generally strengthens as the season goes on because of the increasing sunlight strength, but in March cloudy highs are still fairly common (mid-March 1998 gave us a good example of one).

[March Blizzard]

Anyone know what the biggest diurnal range was in late March last year? I reckon somewhere like Aboyne can't have been far off 25C.

[reef]

Late-March 2012 had some remarkable diurnal ranges. I remember that in Cleadon I had minima of 3C and maxima of 20C which is extremely unusual within two miles of the North Sea coast.

Indeed, on the 28th March it reached 20.2C after a min temp of 3.7C. That day was notable for the huge diurnal range but also the first time we had hit 20C in March in 32 years of records.

The previous days were quite similar too. The 26th hit 16.9C after a min temp of -0.5C and the 27th reached 18.8C after a min of 1.9C.

Edited January 26, 2013 by reef

[Aaron]

Aboyne's biggest diurnal range in March last year was 22.9 degrees.

[Aaron]

The largest diurnal range I can find during March 2012, from limited research, is 23.1 degrees at Altnaharra.

[summer blizzard]

I recall actually that March 2011 also had a large diurnal range and a good sunny spell reaching 19C in Yorkshire, March 2010 was also pretty sunny as well.

[Cheshire Freeze]

I think we're statistically overdue a wintry March.....can't remember the last one. I suspect by March 1st a lotof people will be sick of the sight of snow, however I don't really think March will provide a respite this year. Decidely cold I reckon

[Aaron]

The same was said in March 2011, or was it March 2012? Either way, there have been many predictions of snowy March's and none of them have come to fruition, so I'm going to hold you personally responsible for the outcome.

Edited January 26, 2013 by Aaron

[legrandefromage]

drip drip slush slush! is spring coming? too soon! hush hush!

[Barry12]

drip drip slush slush! is spring coming? too soon! hush hush!

Nope, an average UK winter is too mild for snow

[Cheshire Freeze]

The latest CFS is a horror show in terms of anomalies for hot and dry lovers....bar June

Luckily for you lot it's months out

Shows a deepening trough sat over UK for July and August