General and Barometric Pressure

  March was another poor month that was often unsettled and dull. After a cool, but not cold, start to the month, lasting through to the 11th, it would then become much milder for much of the rest of the month. During that cool start we had the first 'Day of laying snow' of the year, but it was quickly gone. Whilst rainfall would finish above average for the month, it was never heavy, but was a very regular visitor.

  Like February high pressure was generally absent during the month and consequently MSLP would finish -11.1 MB below average. A mean of 1003.5 Mb for the month is the second lowest in my records (to that of 2018), but the low of 971.3 MB on the 28th is the lowest yet recorded for March and for the first time pressure did not attain 1030 Mb on at least one day during the month,; the highest only being 1025.5 MB (7th).

  Whilst not cold, for the first few days it was certainly a chilly start to the month. This saw rain on the afternoon of the 1st turn to snow, lasting for a time into the evening that gave the first covering of the year, a level depth of 1.25cms on the morning of the 2nd. Whilst that snow would quickly melt, the 2nd would be a cold day with a maximum of just 4.2°c.

  It remained cool through to the 11th, especially by day during the 7-11th, but in these first eleven days only two air frosts would be recorded. After the rain and snow of the 1st and more rain on the 2nd, it generally fell dry for this period as well. The weather was mixed, the 4-6th did get to enjoy spells of sun, but it then became cloudy and overcast through the rest of the period.

  The period of the 5-11th was actually dry, the main breakdown in the weather now commencing. The 12-14th was the wettest part of the month, but through to the end of the month only the 23rd and 30th would be dry.

  Temperatures were never actually that high by day, but under a blanket of cloud the nights were mild. The period 22nd to 24th suffered from a cool wind and was mainly dry by day and even saw some sunshine as would the final four days of the month when any rainfall became more showery.

  Temperature

  With a mean minimum of 3.21°c and a mean maximum of 9.55°c March 2024 saw the temperature 0.87°c above the fifteen year average for this site. This saw it being the warmest March since 2022 and since the record began, four have been warmer and eleven colder.

  The highest maximum during the month was 13.5°c (56.3°f - 17th) and the lowest minimum, -3.3°c (26.1°f - 4th). Day-time maxima would finish only just above the average (by 0.35°c) and it never got that warm and certainly never felt that way. However, night-time minima would finish well above average (by 1.39°c); frost was never an issue and under cloudy skies the nights were often mild.

  At the Met' Office site at Shap a mean minimum of 2.4°c and a mean maximum of 8.8°c saw the monthly mean temperature 0.95°c above average. It was the warmest March since 2022 and since the record began (1992), eight have been warmer. twenty have been colder, three have been exactly the same and there is no data for one year.

  Precipitation

  At Maulds Meaburn rainfall in January totalled 106.9 mm (4.21 In), this being 117.5% of the average for 2007-23, making it the driest March since 2022 and in a record that commenced in 2008, twelve have been drier and four wetter.

  However, no one particular day really saw a heavy fall, the month's wettest day only yielding 14.1 mm (13th), albeit this fell in the middle of a run of three quite wet days, the 12th having 14.0 mm and the 14th 13.5mm. It was more the frequency of the rain from the 12th. Rain was recorded on all but the 23rd and 30th after this point and the total of nineteen ''wet days' (days with at least 1.0mm of rain) for the month is the highest yet for March in my records.

  Locally rainfall at Maulds Meaburn North was also 106.9 mm and at Castlehowe Scar 137.3 mm. At the Met' Office site at Shap, rainfall of 191.8 mm represents 135.6% of its average making it the dritest March there since 2022. And since the record commenced (1989), twenty-eight have been drier and seven wetter.

  Figures from the Environment Agency's rainfall sites were, (figure in brackets being the monthly average for 1991-2020)   'Data kindly provided by the Hydrometry and Telemetry team of the Environment Agency (Penrith)':

  At Appleby in Westmorland rainfall of 65.4 mm (LTA of 61.0 mm) represents 107.2% of its average (1857-2023) and made it the driest since 2022 - since the record commenced, 103 have been drier and 64 have been wetter.

  Kirkby Thore 51.2 -- (50.5 mm)

  Haresceugh Castle (Kirkoswald) 96.14 mm -- (71.5 mm)

  Brothers Water 331.3 mm -- (213.2 mm)

  Seathwaite Farm (Borrowdale) 394.6 mm -- (262.0 mm [average for 1845-2023]) represents 150.6% of its average - making it the driest since 2022 and since 1845 when the record commenced, 150 have been drier and 29 have been wetter.

  OTHER:-

  During the month the following 'days of' were recorded: snow fell on one day and was laying on the ground to a depth of least 1cm on one day -- the wind speed averaged 8.10 mph, with a maximum gust of 45 mph (13th).

  We had 2 Air Frosts in the month (year 17)          --          Grass Frosts totalled 13 (year 47).

  The 1 foot soil temp ranged from a low of 5.0°c on the 3rd -4th        to      a high of 8.9°c on the 21st     --      with a monthly mean of 7.0°c

  The 1 meter soil temp ranged from a low of 6.8°c on the 6-8th      to      a high of 8.1°c on the 23rd - 24th     --     with a monthly mean of 7.4°c

  Cumbrian Rainfall

  As daily totals were never that great, it wasn't necessarily the fact that March finished wetter than average that defined it as a poor month, it was more that rainfall was a regular and constant companion throughout the month.

  By the close of the month the ground conditions were pretty much dire; wet, boggy and showing no signs of drying out and which would still be the case to at least the middle of April.

  Only Seaton (Nr. Workington - 93%) would finish slightly drier than average, the county as a whole trending around the 125-130% mark.

  It was wettest along the southern coastal area, extending in land into the LDNP and again in the far northern portion of the county and this would see Barrow (182.6%) recording the greatest percentage fall.

  Daily falls were never excessive, the wettest period across the board being 12-14th when Ennerdale Black Sail notched up 220 mm, but an inch or more of rain falling in a 24Hr period would only apply at sites within the LDNP - it was just the number of days on which rain was recorded (at least 20) and also the number of 'wet days' (a day with at least 1mm of rain).

  That wet spell of 12-14th had followed a relatively dry week before it, but from the 12th the only dry day during the rest of the month would be the 30th.

  Impacts - none known - but the ground conditions were becoming awful for agriculture and once into April lambing would be severely impacted (next month).

  Snow - very limited and just to the 2nd when broadly just 1 cm was recorded, but only at a few locations.