************************************************************************************** MONTHLY WEATHER REPORT MARCH 1999 TEXT-ONLY VERSION Hard copy versions of this report, including graphics, can be obtained from the weather station at the following address: Pitsford Hall weather station Pitsford Hall Moulton Lane Pitsford Northampton NN6 9AX Enclosing a stamped address A4 envelope. The full register can be downloaded separately to this report from this web site. If you encounter any problems in downloading data or viewing the files, please contact the station via the answerphone on 07967 438314. For official purposes, data entries should always be double checked with the station office. ************************************************************************************** Pitsford Hall Weather Station Office: Pitsford Hall Northamptonshire Grammar School Pitsford Northampton NN6 9AX Tel. 01604 880306 Fax. 01604 882212 E-mail weather@brixworth.demon.co.uk Web site http://www.brixworth.demon.co.uk/weather Registered member of the Climatological Observers Link Station grading: A Climatological Station No: 91012 Station Manager: M J Lewis, BSc(Hons), FRGS Observers: Christopher Cockrell Simon Fleming Benjamin Goodyear Alexander Jackman Andrew Sunderland Honorary Foundation Observers: Paul Dickens William Keggin Martin Sheehy Andrew Stanton Statistical Analysis of Air Observations - March 1999 Temperatures: Mean Max: 10.9C Mean Min: 3.7C Mean Temp: 7.3C (mean comparison: +1.7C) Highest Max: 18.2C on 17th Lowest Max: 4.2C on 7th Highest Min: 9.5C on 2nd Lowest Min: -1.4C on 11th Relative Humidity: Max: 97% on 2nd* Min: 61% on 22nd* Mean: 84%* * Relative humidities observed at 0830hrs. Absolute maxima and minima are available from the hygrograph plot. Rainfall: Total for Month: 30.4mm (mean comparison: 58%) Max: 5.0mm on 2nd Rain Days: 14 Wet Days: 9 Duration: 49.8hours Rainfall acidity: Lowest pH: 5.70 on 6th Mean pH: 6.18 Winds: Max Max Gust: 48mph on 3rd Mean wind speed at observation: 7.6mph Mean 24 hour wind speed: 6.0mph Directions: north 3, northeast 3, east 0, southeast 4, south 0, southwest 7, west 3, northwest 11, calm 0, variable 0 Pressures: Max: 1026.5mb on 16th Min: 982mb on 3rd Mean: 1009mb Sunshine: Total: 106.8 hours Most in a day: 8.9 hours on 31st No of sunless days: 5 Cloud Cover: Mean cloud cover at observation: 72% Other observations: Days with fog recorded at 0830 hours: 2 Mean visibility: 6 (moderate, up to 7km) Days with air frosts: 1 Duration of air frost: 5 hours Days with snow falling: 1; 6th: slight. Days with snow lying at observation: 0 Days with hail observed: 0 Days with thunder heard: 0 Days with lightning observed: 0 Gales: 9 Note: The climatic averages (temperature and rainfall) at Pitsford Hall are based on the averages of a number of adjacent climatalogical stations over the period 1961-90. Statistical Analysis of Ground Observations - March 1999 There is no analysis of ground observations this month. The waterlogged nature of the ground is resulting in significant delays in commissioning the site. Register of Air Observations - March 1999 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th Temperatures Air Max (C) 14.6 13.3 5.7 8.1 4.7 5 4.2 6.1 Air Min (C) 5.9 9.5 5.5 2.2 1.9 1 2 2.5 Dry Bulb (C) 11 10.6 7 4.4 2.9 2.6 3.4 3.6 Wet Bulb (C) 10.4 10.4 5.5 3.6 1.4 1 2.8 3 RH (%) 92 97 78 87 74 72 90 89 Rainfall Total (mm) 3.5 5 1.6 0.5 0.7 3.3 3.1 0.4 Duration (hrs) 8.25 6 2 0.5 2.75 13 3.25 0.25 Acidity (pH) 6.64 6.5 6.65 _ 6.2 5.7 5.75 6.2 Winds (mph) Direction sw n se nw nw se se nw Speed (0830) 10 4 19 5 10 8 5 7 Speed (24 hrs) _ _ _ _ _ _ 8 5 Max Gust 44 36 48 35 27 27 35 21 Pressure (mb) At 0830hrs 1003 1004 985 987 994 998 999 1002 From 0600hrs 0 -1 -2 +2 +1 0 -1 0 Insolation Cloud types sc sc ac ac ac sc sc st Cloud cover 8 8 4 6 6 9 8 8 Sunshine (hrs) 2.5 0 2.4 4.5 2.2 0 0 0 Visibility 6 8 8 8 7 4 6 5 Other Ppt Snow/sleet falling _ _ _ _ _ s _ _ Depth of snow _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Hail (<5mm) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Hail (>/=5mm) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Other Obs Thunder heard _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Lightning seen _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Ground Obs Grass Min 4.3 9.1 4.2 0.8 0.9 0.2 0.2 -0.2 Concrete Min 4.9 10.1 5.4 2.8 2.5 1 3.1 2.2 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th Temperatures Air Max (C) 5.6 8.4 7.1 11.9 12.3 12.8 14 15.2 Air Min (C) 1.4 1.5 -1.4 0.5 5.4 1.3 3.5 3 Dry Bulb (C) 3.6 2.5 1 6.1 8.4 7 6 7 Wet Bulb (C) 2.9 2 0.6 5.6 7.1 5.7 4.7 5.5 RH (%) 88 91 92 92 82 81 80 78 Rainfall Total (mm) _ _ tr 4.9 tr _ _ _ Duration (hrs) _ _ 0.5 2.5 _ _ _ _ Acidity (pH) _ _ _ 5.89 _ _ _ _ Winds (mph) Direction nw nw nw nw n nw sw nw Speed (0830) 4 4 2 1 9 4 6 2 Speed (24 hrs) 5 3 1 4 4 3 4 4 Max Gust 27 21 14 18 17 20 15 14 Pressure (mb) At 0830hrs 1003 1012 1014 1007 1011 1021 1025 1026 From 0600hrs 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 Insolation Cloud types sc st cc st cc cc c c Cloud cover 7 8 4 8 1 1 1 4 Sunshine (hrs) 2.1 3.2 1.2 0.9 3.9 7.3 6.8 5 Visibility 5 6 7 3 7 7 7 7 Other Ppt Snow/sleet falling _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Depth of snow _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Hail (<5mm) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Hail (>/=5mm) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Other Obs Thunder heard _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Lightning seen _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Ground Obs Grass Min 0.9 2.1 -2.2 -0.6 6.2 1 2.9 3.1 Concrete Min 1.6 3.4 -1 0.6 6.4 2.2 4.8 4.8 17th 18th 19th 20th 21st 22nd 23rd 24th Temperatures Air Max (C) 18.2 11.8 9.9 9.9 9.6 10.2 14.2 13.6 Air Min (C) 5.2 8.4 3.3 2.4 5.1 2.8 5.3 5.1 Dry Bulb (C) 8.5 9.8 6.7 5.5 7.5 5.6 10.5 8.5 Wet Bulb (C) 7.8 8.7 5.4 4.5 7 3.1 8.5 7 RH (%) 90 87 86 84 93 61 74 79 Rainfall Total (mm) _ _ _ 2 2.7 _ _ _ Duration (hrs) _ _ _ 1.75 3.5 _ _ _ Acidity (pH) _ _ _ 6.13 6.41 _ _ _ Winds (mph) Direction ne ne ne nw sw nw w se Speed (0830) 4 7 10 5 9 11 14 8 Speed (24 hrs) 3 12 7 6 13 7 5 5 Max Gust 16 39 23 29 42 27 29 26 Pressure (mb) At 0830hrs 1026 1023 1024 1025 1003 1013 1010 1008 From 0600hrs 0 -2 -0.5 -0.5 -2 0 1 0 Insolation Cloud types c c c sc sc ac ac st Cloud cover 2 7 8 8 8 4 6 8 Sunshine (hrs) 7.9 5.3 2 0.9 3.3 6.2 5.8 2 Visibility 6 6 6 7 7 9 7 6 Other Ppt Snow/sleet falling _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Depth of snow _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Hail (<5mm) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Hail (>/=5mm) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Other Obs Thunder heard _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Lightning seen _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Ground Obs Grass Min 3.1 3.1 5.9 2 4.4 1.4 1.6 1.7 Concrete Min 4.8 4.8 7.2 3.1 5.8 3.2 3.5 7.2 25th 26th 27th 28th 29th 30th 31st Temperatures Air Max (C) 9.1 11.8 13.7 14.6 13.4 12.4 17.5 Air Min (C) 3.7 4.1 3.2 2 4.3 7 8.5 Dry Bulb (C) 7.3 5.2 9 4.5 10.9 9.5 11 Wet Bulb (C) 6.1 4.4 6.6 3.5 10 9 9.4 RH (%) 87 87 68 84 89 93 80 Rainfall Total (mm) 1.9 _ _ _ 0.2 0.6 _ Duration (hrs) 2.5 _ _ _ 1 2 _ Acidity (pH) 5.87 _ _ _ _ 6.17 _ Winds (mph) Direction n w sw w sw sw sw Speed (0830) 4 7 4 5 18 11 18 Speed (24 hrs) 4 5 3 14 10 7 7 Max Gust 21 21 14 33 40 22 22 Pressure (mb) At 0830hrs 1000 1000 1005 1012 1009 1013 1014 From 0600hrs -1 1 2 1 0 1 1 Insolation Cloud types st ac clear cs st st c, cs Cloud cover 8 5 0 3 8 8 4 Sunshine (hrs) 0 6.7 7 7.5 0.2 1.1 8.9 Visibility 5 7 7 5 7 5 7 Other Ppt Snow/sleet falling _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Depth of snow _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Hail (<5mm) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Hail (>/=5mm) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Other Obs Thunder heard _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Lightning seen _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Ground Obs Grass Min 3.3 4.6 3 1.9 3.8 6.8 8.2 Concrete Min 5.8 4.9 4.9 4.5 5.3 7.4 8.8 Cloud and Visibility Codes Standard cloud types Cirrus Ci Cirrocumulus Cc Cirrostratus Cs Altocumulus Ac Altostratus As Nimbostratus Ns Stratocumulus Sc Stratus St Cumulus Cu Cumulonimbus Cb Visibility codes X Dense Fog <20m E Dense Fog up to 20m 0 Thick Fog up to 40m 1 Thick Fog up to 100m 2 Fog up to 200m 3 Moderate Fog up to 400m 4 Very poor visibility up to 1000m 5 Poor visibility up to 2km 6 Moderate visibility up to 7km 7 Good visibility up to 20km 8 Very good visibility up to 30km 9 Excellent visibility 40km United Kingdom Climatological Analysis - March 1999 March got off to a mild start over S England, S Wales and S Ireland on the 1st as a depression and trailing fronts, moving E, brought wet weather to many parts of the British Isles. Temperatures of 11C were reported from many places in S England at 0600 GMT. Scotland remained mostly dry (apart from rain in the S during the morning), and was very sunny in places. The rain over the remainder of the British Isles turned to drizzle later in the day under a warm sector, and although readings of 14 to 16C were reported in places in the Midlands, East Anglia and Lincolnshire, it remained much cooler in Scotland and parts of N England. (Barbourne 16C, Aviemore and Aboyne -1C, Capel Curig 41mm, Kinloss 9.1h.) 2nd. Following overnight rain and drizzle across almost all the British Isles, roads in the Welshpool (Powys) area were affected by flooding, while the River Afan was running high at Cwmavon. In Wells 32 mm of rain fell on the 1st and 2nd combined. It was a warm night in S England, Wales, the Midlands and Ireland with 1800 - 0600 GMT minima including Shawbury 10.0C, Heathrow 11.1C, Manston 10.2C, Yeovilton 11.3C and Cork 11.2C, although minima in Scotland were much lower. At Forest Hill (London), the minimum of 11.3C was higher than any March value for the past 25 years with the exception of 1981,1990 and 1998. It was a mainly cloudy day in most places, with widespread rain (heavy over Wales and W parts of England) and sleet and snow in addition over high ground in Scotland. It was very mild in S England, with maxima including 15.4C Reading University AWS site, 15.3C Maidenhead, 15.1C Heathrow, 14.8C Brize Norton; gusts of 30 to 40 kn were reported from SW England for much of the day (44 kn at Valley at 2100 GMT). (Aboyne -4C min, Capel Curig 47mm, Tiree 3.2h.) The morning of the 3rd brought reports of a blockage along the A5087 Ulverston to Barrow coast road due to floodings, and of river flood alerts in S Wales and along the English-Welsh border. Heavy rain and blustery showers affected many areas of the British Isles at some time during the day, and it turned cooler in the W later as SW winds turned to a NW direction. Snow and sleet fell over high ground in N England and Scotland. (Guernsey 12C, Aboyne -3C, Sennybridge 29mm, Guernsey 8.4h.) Following some heavy snowfalls on high ground in Scotland several roads there were blocked by the morning of the 4th, including the A939 between Cockbridge and Tomintoul, and between Ballater and Corgraff, and the A9 at Slochd. In addition, rescue teams were searching the Cairngorm and Ben Nevis mountains for walkers stranded in whiteout conditions. The SW wind over the SE corner of the UK turned northerly during the morning giving a cool day with some rain in the E and showers in the W, these being blustery in Scotland. Snow and sleet fell over high ground in Scotland, N England and N Wales. (Jersey 9C, Aviemore 0C, Newcastle 26mm, Lerwick 7.5h.) Following clearing skies, the 5th began with icy roads in areas of S Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Sleet and snow fell over the Pennines, E England and the Midlands at times during the day, where is remained fairly cloudy, while there were occasional rain showers over Ireland and Scotland with snow over high ground. (Torquay 9C, Buxton 2C max, Trawscoed -2C min, Scarborough 31mm, Lerwick 8.6h.) A northerly airflow with embedded troughs continued to blow on the 6th. It was dull over much of the E half of England and Scotland, with snowfall in many E areas and over the highlands; falls were heavy at times in N England and over the Pennines, leading to the curtailment of sporting fixtures such as the FA Cup 6th round match at Barnsley. Flooding occurred in Pickering (N Yorkshire). Wintry showers were widepread, with hail in Jersey and Penzance, for example, although in some W areas, including much of Ireland, it was very sunny. On Dartmoor some heavy snow showers led to a covering of snow by the evening although on the Marlborough Downs snow fell without settling above 200m; in Stoke-on-Trent snow accumulated to a depth of 5cm at midday before thawing during the afternoon, while at Keyworth an accumulation of 3cm after two hours of heavy snow also subsequently melted rapidly. (Bognor Regis 10C, Birmingham 2C max, Biggar -5C min, Aultbea 15mm, Weymouth 9.2h.) Clear skies over Ireland clouded over by mid-morning on the 7th and the remainder of the day was generally cloudy over the entire British Isles. Rain and drizzle was widespread over much of England and Wales, heavy at times in NE England. Ireland was mainly dry, while there were some wintry showers over Scotland. Snow led to the blocking of some roads in Yorkshire and NE England. (Penzance 11C, Buxton 2C max, Sennybridge -1C, Topcliffe 22mm, Penzance 10.0h.) Little cloud over much of Scotland led to an early air frost in many places there by dawn on the 8th, followed by a day with sunny spells. England, Wales and Ireland were mainly cloudy, with rain and drizzle falling in the NE and E, under an easterly wind. There was also some light rain in SW England around midday, which moved slowly E in the evening. Snow caused the closures of the A6024 between Holmfirth and Glossop, and the A689 at Killhope (Durham) during the morning. (Herne Bay 9C, Saughall -6C, Guernsey 9mm, Tiree 7.6h.) Following heavy rain over a period of several days in North Yorkshire (e.g. 130mm in 5 days at Fylingdales Moor), a red flood alert continued in effect for the River Derwent in North Yorkshire between Stamford Bridge and Elvington; flooding was worst in Malton where the river was 3.5m above normal levels. The geographical extent can be seen in this figure, provided by the York Evening Press. The flooding by the river was the worst since 1931. Several roads in the area were impassable due to floodwaters, including the A64 at Malton, the A66 between South Bank and Grangetown (Cleveland) and the A1046 in Stockton (Cleveland). The 9th was another generally cloudy day over England and Wales, with early-morning rain in the S clearing to the E by early afternoon. There was rain over E Scotland, NE England, the Midlands and East Anglia for most of the day, with sleet and snow over parts of NE England, the Pennines and the Midlands for a while; two hours of snowfall led to 5cm of lying snow in Sheffied by midday. W Scotland was sunny following a moderate frost in places, as was N Ireland, although S Ireland remained mainly cloudy. (Guernsey 11X, Buxton 2C max, Loch Glascarnoch -5C, Coningsby 12mm, Stornoway 9.0h.) The persistent area of low pressure to the E of the British Isles that was the reason for the persistent rainfall during the previous week can be seen in these maps. At Marton (Cleveland) the rainfall total for the 10-day period 28 February to 9 March was 123.6mm, compared to the March average of just 26.7mm for 1991 to 1998. Some roads in Cleveland and North Yorkshire remained severely flooded on the 10th while recent heavier rains further south (10mm in 12 hours at Lincoln and 34mm in 24 hours at Keyworth) led to flooding of the A610 in Nottinghamshire. Overnight snow on the A1 S of Grantham led to a slippery road surface (with 3cm of snow cover) that caused some minor accidents early in the day. In E parts of England there was further precipitation overnight 9/10th, although in other areas clearing skies for a while before dawn led to air frost, mist or fog in places. There was rain/sleet/snow in East Anglia during the morning; elsewhere it was mainly dry although in the evening rain spread from the W to parts of W Scotland. (Lee-on-Solent 11C, Bournemouth -5C, Watnall 19mm, Weymouth 9.7h.) The 11th saw a frosty start in places, with icy conditions on some roads in Lancashire leading to early morning accidents. There were morning mist and fog patches in eastern England. Scotland and Ireland were generally cloudy with rain and showers, especially in the W, while England and Wales clouded over from the SW, the cloud being followed by light or moderate rain. (Jersey 13C, Leconfield -4C, Stornoway 21mm, Skegness 7.1h.) Roads in North Yorkshire and Cleveland remained flooded by the morning of the 12th, and rain over England cleared in the S and Midlands to be followed there by mist and fog patches in places. Eastward moving fronts gave rain during the day to Scotland, N England and Northern Ireland, while rain (and rather misty conditions) pushed into S England around midday. This rain was heavy in places, e.g. in Yate (Gloucestershire) 22mm fell in 7 hours, leading to some local road flooding; there were also reports of thunder. At Forest Hill (London) the afternoon maximum of 15.7C was in contrast to values below 10C during the previous 8 days. (London 16C, Redhill 1C, South Uist Range 14mm, Colwyn Bay 9.3h.) The wet and misty conditions (e.g. 23mm fell during the night at Wells) cleared from S England overnight, and here the 13th was a mild day. After a cold start with icy patches on some roads in N Scotland, rising temperatures led to melting of lying snow and an avalanche in the Ben Nevis range that killed one climber. It was very sunny in many areas. (Gravesend 15C, Loch Glascarnoch -4C, Exmouth 24mm, Colwyn Bay 10.2h.) A ridge built over S parts of England on the 14th, where early morning clear skies led to a widespread ground frost before another mild afternoon developed. Cloud in Scotland and N England was accompanied by some light rain, while over the remainder of the British Isles there were sunny spells. (Poole 15C, Bournemouth -1C, Loch Glascarnoch 13mm, Bognor Regis 10.7h.) Anticyclonic conditions persisted over southern areas on the 15th while in the N eastward-moving fronts brought spells of rain. Most of England and Wales had a warm and sunny day (after early ground frost in places), although parts of NE England and East Anglia were rather cloudy. Ireland was generally cloudy with rain in the N, and rain in Scotland was heavy at times. (London 16C, Bournemouth -2C, Lusa (Skye) 46mm, Bognor Regis 10.6h.) Pressure rose to around 1030 mb during the late morning in SE and centr S England. The 16th was another mild day over S England, N Wales, the Midlands, East Anglia and S Ireland, although clear skies before dawn led to a ground frost in parts of Cent S England. N England, the Midlands and Wales had some overnight rain which persisted in some parts of N England and N Wales until early afternoon. Scotland and N parts of Ireland were generally cloudy, with rain and drizzle (especially in the W). (Hawarden 18C, Bournemouth -2C, Isle of Skye 34mm, Bognor Regis 10.5h.) Later in the evening it turned cloudy over most parts of the United Kingdom. Following the clearance of cloud over most of England and Wales overnight, the 17th dawned with fog patches in parts of S England, Yorkshire, N Wales and Cheshire. Persistent cloud (with some light rain) over Scotland meant a warm night there - overnight minimum temperatures included 8.7C at Kirkwall, 9.1C at Stornoway and 10.2C at Dyce. At 0000 GMT pressure readings of 1032 mb were reported from Devon. Once the fog had cleared it was a warm and sunny day over S Wales, S England, East Anglia and the Midlands; in E Scotland temperatures rose to as high as 18.6C (at Dyce) once the cloud cleared, although it remained cloudy and therefore cooler in N England and S Scotland. At Bristol (Totterdown) the maximum temperature of 20.6C was reported to be the first reading above 20C in the area since 1965. In the south there were some large diurnal ranges, e.g. 15.9C (max 19.1C, min 3.2C) at Cirencester. (Shobden 21C, Leconfield 1C, Kirkwall 4mm, Penzance 10.8h.) The 18th saw a slight drop in temperatures over England compared to recent days, the wind now blowing from a NW direction over the entire British Isles. Early morning fog patches in S England cleared to give some sunshine before cloud spread to much of the area by lunchtime. Over N parts of Ireland, N England and Scotland overnight light rain cleared by mid-morning to give sunny spells with a few showers, while the Midlands and much of Ireland was genarlly cloudy all day. (Bournemouth 16C, Shoreham 2C, Tulloch Bridge 9mm, Newcastle 10.5h.) Low relative humidity were recorded during the afternoon in S England, with 1500 GMT temperatures/dew points of (10.8C, -2.5C) at Brize Norton, (12.2C, -1.3C) at Boscombe Down and (12.8C, 0.0C) at Dunkeswell, for example. The 19th was another day with fresh NW winds over the British Isles. Scotland had a mixture of sunshine and showers, while over England and Wales clear conditions overnight were followed by developing cloud during the late morning in most places. Ireland was mainly dry with sunny periods. (Great Malvern 14C, Yeovilton -1C, Lerwick 4mm, Scarborough 10.4h.) The 20th dawned cloudy in most parts of the British Isles, with the exception of a relatively cloudfree area over SW and Cent S England at dawn. This area, too, rapidly clouded over and it then remained generally cloudy over the British Isles with the exception of the Channel Islands. There was light rain and drizzle over Scotland for most of the day, while an area of frontal rain pushed into Ireland, then to Wales and W England, during the afternoon and evening. At Cirencester the first 16 days of the month resulted in just 2 air frosts, but a ground frost occurred every morning from the 4th to 20th. (Poole 14C, Benson -2C, Kirkwall 11mm, Guernsey 8.7h.) Pressure fell rapidly (falls of 5 to 7 mb in 3h were common) over most of the British Isles during the morning of the 21st as a depression tracked from W of the Outer Hebrides to the S North Sea; this was accompanied by an area of rain that subsequently cleared SE England around midday. As pressure started to rise, the wind veered from a southerly to a N or NW direction, and the remainder of the day saw blustery showers almost everywhere - these being of hail and snow in Orkney and Shetland. There was a report of a thunderstorm with hail near Canterbury around 1400 GMT. There were gales in exposed areas, with gusts to 50 kn in N areas. (Poole 14C, Loch Glascarnoch 2C, Capel Curig 23mm, Torquay 8.2h.) The winds moderated overnight, and clear skies over S Scotland led to a widespread air frost there by dawn on the 22nd; much of the rest of the British Isles (except for SE Ireland and the Channel Islands) had a cloudy night with light rain and drizzle in E England. Another area of rain spread to most of Scotland and Ireland during the morning from the W, continuing for the remainder of the day over much of Scotland. During the afternoon light rain also crossed over England, although amounts were small there. (Bournemouth 12C, Biggar -2C, Kirkwall 12mm, Guernsey 8.9h.) The 23rd was a cloudy day over much of the British Isles, with the exception of Cent S and SE England where there were sunny spells. There was light rain and drizzle over Scotland, N parts of Ireland and England before dawn, and over the N Midlands and parts of East Anglia shortly after dawn. In Caithness there were reports of 5cm of new lying snow, down to sea level in places. The rain largely cleared from England (except the extreme N) during early afternoon but continued over Scotland all day. (Poole 16C, Wick -1C, Buxton 16mm, Eastbourne 10.3h.) Rain and drizzle overnight in Scotland moved slowly S and became less extensive during the 24th, affecting an area stretching from Cumbria to Cornwall by the late evening. Over Scotland and NW Ireland this clearance led to showers and sunny spells, while the remainder of the British isles was generally cloudy. (Marham 14C, Baltasound 3C, Sella Ness 18mm, Kinloss 9.5h.) Temperatures fell under clear skies to give a slight frost over parts of N Ireland and Scotland by dawn on the 25th, although the night was cloudy over the rest of the British Isles with light rain from Scilly to the Isle of Man and NE England. Sunny spells and showers during the day over Scotland and Ireland contrasted with cloudy skies and pulses of rain over England and Wales, some of the rain being heavy in N England and the N Midlands. (Gravesend 15C, Castlederg -2C, Coleshill 10mm, Kinloss 10.3h.) The 26th brought rain most places at some time suring the day, with fronts or troughs being analysed over most areas at sometime during the day. There was a frost at first in parts of E Scotland, then rain amounts were generally slight over most areas. The exception was SE England, the rain here falling from fronts associated with a NE-ward moving low centre. A brief but heavy hailstorm was reported in Birmingham in the late afternoon. (Poole 14C, Aboyne -3C, Redhill 12mm, Torquay 10.1h.) Clearing skies overnight led to a ground frost in many places on the 27th from S England to N Scotland. The exception to this was the Midlands where a persistent trough gave light rain until mid-afternoon in places. S England had a very sunny day, as did parts of S and E Scotland. Other areas of the British Isles had a rather cloudy day, with frontal rain falling in N Scotland. (Bristol Weather Centre 15C, Aboyne -4C, Kirkwall 7mm, Torquay 12.2h.) A weak ridge developed temporarily over the British Isles overnight, resulting in a cloudless night in many areas, with a widespread ground frost. By dawn on the 28th, however, frontal rain had reached most of Ireland from the W, and this pushed E to affect most of Scotland, Wales, NW England and SW England by midnight. Most of SE England and East Anglia had a very sunny day before the associated cloud arrived, however. (London 16C, Aboyne -6C, Tulloch Bridge 19mm, Hunstanton 11.0h.) Extensive overnight cloud prevented air frosts for the night ending on the 29th, and most of the British Isles reported rain during the day. High minimum temperatures for the 12 hours ending 0600 GMT included Leeming 10.3C, Ringway 9.9C and St Mawgan 10.3C, although it was a mild night in most places. The rain was heavy in S Scotland and parts of SW England; the best of the sunshine was confined to Ireland, Scotland and NW England following the clearance of the rain. However, there were heavy showers in this clearance over Scotland, with thunder at Glenrothes at 1825 GMT, and torrential rain near Glasgow airport at 1600 GMT. (Glenanne, Jersey 16C, Redhill 4C, Eskdalemuir 51mm, Tiree 7.9h.) It was mainly cloudy with light rain in S England, Wales, the Midlands and East Anglia on the 30th, after another mild night. The cloud pushed into N England during the day, but it remained mainly dry here. Scotland and Ireland had a mainly dry and sunny day, although there were a few rain showers in W Scotland. (Hawarden 17C, Lough Fea 4C, Tulloch Bridge 13mm, Edinburgh 11.1h.) Cloud and light rain (associated with a N-moving warm front) pushed into N England before dawn on the 31st and during the day progressed into N Scotland. Ahead of the front there was a slight air frost in parts of Scotland, but in the Midlands and S England there was another mild night, with 12-hour minima at 0600 GMT including 9.7C at Shawbury, 9.9C at Heathrow and 9.5C at Hurn. As the cloud cleared behind the front temperatures rose to near 20C in many places (20.0C at Buxton, Norfolk; 19.8C at Romford, Essex). (London 20C, Aviemore -2C, Teignmouth 6mm, Clacton 10.4h.) Information supplied courtesy of Roger Brugge, Climatological Observers Link. Notable Weather Events in Northamptonshire The following report is taken from the weather station's web site 17 March Warmest day of the year so far. Daytime maximum 18.2C. Overnight minimum on the 18th: 8.4C. Also, sunniest day of the year so far with 7.9 hours recorded. Statistical Analysis of Air Observations - 1998 Temperatures Mean Maximum 13.9 C Mean Minimum 6.5 C Highest Maximum 28.3 C on 10 August Lowest Maximum 1.6 C on 6 December Highest Minimum 15.5 C on 11 August Lowest Minimum -4.8 C on 1 February Monthly Mean 10.2 C Rainfall Total 656.7 mm Raindays 168 Wetdays 131 Most in a day 53.4 mm on 9 April Days with Air frosts 32 Ground frosts 53 Snow/sleet falling 1 Thunder 11 Hail <5mm 5 Hail >/= 5mm 3 Fog 30 Sunshine Total 1196.2 hours Sunniest hours 12.2 hours on 5 August Sunless days 82 Winds North 37 North-east 23 East 8 South-east 31 South 99 South-west 38 West 18 North-west 79 Calm 34 Variable 1 Max Maximum Gust 51 mph on 11 March Summary Register of Air Observations - 1998 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Temperatures Mean Air Max 7.5 10.9 11 11.5 18 18 Mean Air Min 2.1 3.5 4.3 3.8 8.4 10.6 Highest Max 13.7 17.5 15 20 24 25.5 & date 9 13 28-31 22 19 20 Lowest Max 3.4 3.1 5 5 11.5 13 & date 23,28 1 18 15 1 13 Highest Min 8.1 8.9 10 9 11 16 & date 9 12 29,30 23 11,15 21 Lowest Min -2.9 -4.8 -1 -2.5 5 5 & date 23 1 12 18 27 12 No. of air frosts 8 4 2 6 0 0 No. of ground frosts 17 11 _ 4 0 0 Rainfall Total 60.2 8.6 39.9 140.8 9.9 83.5 Rain days 14 5 14 23 7 19 Wet days 12 4 11 16 4 17 Most in a day 10.3 2.6 7.1 53.4 3.6 9.7 & date 2 6 3 9 10 1 Duration _ _ _ _ _ _ Sunshine Total 43.7 75.1 64.3 98.8 191 132.6 Most in a day 5.7 5.6 8.4 9.6 12.1 10.8 & date 10 22 19 25 17 28 No. of sunless days 9 4 12 5 2 3 Winds North 3 2 2 1 4 3 North-east 3 0 0 3 5 0 East 1 0 1 0 0 0 South-east 6 1 1 7 2 6 South 4 1 13 6 4 13 South-west 8 18 3 2 2 2 West 0 0 5 0 1 1 North-west 6 6 6 7 12 3 Calm 0 0 0 4 1 2 Variable 0 0 0 0 0 0 Maximum gust * _ _ 51 36 30 33 & date _ _ 11 17 1 10,11 Pressures Mean pressure _ _ _ 1006 1016 1012 Max pressure _ _ _ _ _ & date Min pressure _ _ _ _ _ _ & date Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Temperatures Mean Air Max 20 21.4 18.6 13.6 7.9 8.1 Mean Air Min 11.6 11.7 10.8 6.6 2.3 2.1 Highest Max 25.1 28.3 23.3 18.1 15.1 13.5 & date 20 10 1 13 8 14 Lowest Max 14.9 13.5 12.3 8.7 3.7 1.6 & date 2 26 12 31 17 6 Highest Min 13.7 15.5 13.6 12.1 9.6 7.1 & date 20,21 11 9,27 1 9 31 Lowest Min 9.8 7.5 6.4 1.6 -3.5 -3.7 & date 23 25 13 20 17 6 No. of air frosts 0 0 0 0 3 9 No. of ground frosts 0 0 0 1 10 10 Rainfall Total 21.4 31.4 67.9 109 41.6 42.5 Rain days 10 9 14 23 10 20 Wet days 6 7 10 20 9 15 Most in a day 6.6 11.2 21.2 28.7 7.3 5.1 & date 31 23 4 27 2 27 Duration _ _ _ _ _ 53.9 Sunshine Total 164.6 215.3 118.2 54.2 19.9 18.5 Most in a day 11.1 12.2 7.8 5.9 3.2 3.4 & date 21 5 3 12 10 20 No. of sunless days 3 3 4 5 15 17 Winds North 0 5 9 4 2 2 North-east 3 2 2 1 2 2 East 0 2 3 1 0 0 South-east 0 0 5 3 0 0 South 10 8 5 9 11 15 South-west 0 0 0 1 1 1 West 4 5 0 0 1 1 North-west 8 8 2 9 7 5 Calm 3 5 4 2 6 7 Variable 0 0 0 1 0 0 Maximum gust * 29 30 36 46 31 47 & date 13,30 21 14,16 26 14,15 13,14 Pressures Mean pressure 1013 1019 1010 1012 1017 1016 Max pressure _ _ 1032 1027 1032 1038 & date 21 8 20 1 Min pressure _ _ 995 980 987 991 & date 9 24 3 26 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Days with Hail <5mm 0 0 0 3 0 0 Hail (>/= 5mm) 0 1 0 2 0 0 Thunder 0 0 0 6 1 4 Fog 1 2 4 6 2 0 Snow/sleet 0 1 0 0 0 0 Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Days with Hail <5mm 0 0 0 0 2 0 Hail (>/= 5mm) 0 0 0 0 0 0 Thunder 0 0 0 0 0 0 Fog 0 0 10 1 2 2 Snow/sleet 0 0 0 0 0 0 Appendix Weather Station Inventory (including equipment in active use as of 31 March 1999) Rooftop Enclosure and Office Standard Stevenson screen containing Mahogany mounted maximum and minimum thermometers (Casella type) Wet and dry bulb hygrometer Large pattern Stevenson screen containing Sheathed pattern maximum and minimum thermometers (UK Met Office with calibration certificates) Sheathed pattern wet and dry bulb thermometers (UK Met Office with calibration certificates) Thermograph (UK Met Office) Hair Hygrograph (UK Met Office) Campbell-Stokes Sunshine Recorder (UK Met Office MKII) Snowdon-type pattern raingauge (UK Met Office) British Association pattern raingauge (for recording rainfall acidity) Tilting syphon rainfall recorder (UK Met Office MKI) Wind vane (UK Met Office) Totalising Cup-Counter Anemometer (UK Met Office, mounted on 5m mast) Digital wind direction system (Digitar, for determination of maximum gust) Fortin-pattern mercury barometer (currently being serviced) Open-scale micro-barograph (UK Met Office) High resolution digital pH meter (Hanna) Two PC's with modem links and dedicated fax/phone line Ground Enclosure (scheduled to be commissioned towards the end of April) Soil thermometers (5cm, 10cm, 20cm, 30cm) (UK Met Office and Casella types) Grass and concrete minimum thermometers (UK Met Office with calibration certificates)