March, so the old saying goes, ‘roars in like a lion and out like a lamb’. Well this March both animals would be extremely damp as 88 mm of rain fell in the month, double the average for the area. However, despite so much rain it was still 4 mm less than the total for March 2023. Despite all the rain there were 13 days when no rainfall was measured.

It was another mild month; the average temperature was 8.6°C, which is 1.3°C above the average for the area. The highest daytime temperature was 16.7°C on the 19th.  Most nights were also mild with just two air frosts and 10 grass frosts. The coldest night was the 4th when the temperature fell to minus 2.7°C.

‘Nelson’ was this month’s named storm. Actually named by the Spanish Met Office it was not too severe across the UK, only affecting the south and west with snow falling across parts of Devon and high winds in the Channel on the 28th. The sea-level atmospheric pressure rose to 1025 hPa on the 21st, falling to 975 hPa towards the end of the month. The average pressure was 1005 hPa. Winds were mainly from the southwest with a maximum gust of 31 mph on the 28th.

There were five days with no sunshine at all but a total for the month of 82 hours, which is 26 percent below the average for March in our area. However, whilst low this was still 20 hours more than in the previous March.

Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink

 Having rather glibly suggested there would be no ‘hosepipe bans’ this year due to the very wet weather refilling aquifers and reservoirs, I appear to be wrong. Evidently, as well as failing to keep our rivers and seashores clean, support sewers and sewage works, repair leaking pipes, etc., the regional water companies are ignoring the provision of new sources of drinking water. According to the press [1] no new reservoirs have been completed since 1992, with just three new reservoirs planned or under construction when an estimated 30 will be necessary to cope with future needs and safeguard our water supply. Unfortunately, we are getting ‘all or nothing’ rainfall rather than a steady precipitation leading to periods of flood and drought. Another problem is that the rain doesn’t necessarily fall over populated areas where it is required meaning water needs to be moved from where it falls, mainly in the north-west, to where it’s needed in the south-east. Ofwat, the government regulator [2], states that sustainable and resilient ways to secure water supplies across the country are vital given the challenges of climate change and increasing population. Apparently, they have launched a multi-billion pound project to “encourage water companies to bring more investment in major infrastructure schemes, including new reservoirs.”  Home investment in new hosepipes may be premature…

[1] The Times Newspaper, accessed 2 April 2024

[2] https://www.ofwat.gov.uk 

For local weather details and forecasts go to: https://offweather.hopto.org

Richard Seaton

rkseaton@outlook.com