March heralds the beginning of Meteorological Spring, and with daffodils, snowdrops and crocuses making an look many people begin to think about hotter sunshine and longer days. March 2023 has obtained off to a chilly begin, and with quite a few snow and ice warnings throughout the UK it’s a honest query to ask if that is an uncommon begin to Spring within the UK.
The quick reply to this query is: no. The ‘transition’ seasons within the UK, Spring and Autumn, can typically be extremely variable, with modifications within the situations throughout the nation as we transfer from winter in the direction of summer time and vice-versa. Certainly, statistically it’s marginally extra prone to snow in March than it’s in December within the UK.
Comparisons of temperature
You don’t need to look again too far within the observational report to discover a related begin to March, as Dr Mark McCarthy from the Met Workplace Nationwide Local weather Data Centre explains: “If we glance again initially of March in 2021, the utmost temperatures for the UK had been very related to the values we’ve seen initially of March 2023. The graphs beneath present in blue how temperatures have been beneath common and are very related. By mid-to-late March 2021 temperatures then turned milder than common, as proven in orange.”
Going again additional, March 2018 and 2013 had been additionally each notably chilly months, as proven within the graphs beneath. When it comes to imply month-to-month temperatures for the UK, 2013 was significantly colder than 2018, and March 2013 was the coldest March for UK imply temperature since 1962 (rating 5th coldest within the sequence again to 1884).
Snow comparisons
For vital March snowfall many individuals will keep in mind the March of 2018 with widespread freezing situations that additionally delivered plenty of snow throughout a lot of the UK.
Dr McCarthy provides: “For the primary three days of March 2018 there have been greater than 100 climate remark stations recording at the very least 2cm of mendacity snow. Simply over 50 of those stations had 10cm or extra for these first three days. In some places this snow continued till 18 March when there was one other widespread snow occasion.
“March 2013 was one other snowy month, nevertheless this time the snow occasions had been extra clustered in the direction of the top of the month.”
It’s too early to evaluate how the snow report for March 2023 will sit alongside March information in earlier years. Nevertheless, with loads of impactful snow within the forecast, it can definitely be a memorable chilly spell for a lot of. Maintain updated with the Met Workplace forecast and extreme climate warnings.
