PITSFORD HALL WEATHER STATION NORTHAMPTON, UNITED KINGDOM MONTHLY WEATHER REPORT - MARCH 2002 Headline: Mostly dry apart from an unsettled third week. A notable gale on the 9th. An unremarkable month statistically. An unsettled first week across much of the UK as a succession of weak frontal systems crossed the UK. In Northamptonshire, apart from a small amount of rain on the 2nd, it remained dry with some good sunny spells (7.4hrs on the 1st, 6.1hrs on the 5th). Although cold to begin with, with a particularly severe ground frost on the 2nd (-5.2C), temperatures generally rose becoming very mild by the 7th and 8th. A small intense area of low pressure tracked close-by to the north on the 9th. Severe gales battered the county and winds gusted up to 60mph at Pitsford Hall. Toddlers escape serious injury as a pane of glass was blown from a second-floor shop window in Northampton. The strong winds also forced the postponement of the Saints' clash with Newcastle at Frankin's Gardens rugby ground and power lines in Hanslope were brought down causing delays for rail passengers between Rugby and Northampton. Strong winds persisted on the 10th with gusts up to 44mph recorded. The third week was generally unsettled with spells of heavy rain brought in on fronts tied into Atlantic lows. Chilly at first with north-easterly winds prevailing, it soon became milder as winds swung round from the south. Low pressure tracking eastwards through the county on the 18th brought a particularly wet day with 14.1mm falling in a little over 6 hours. Anticyclonic conditions held sway from the 21st until the end of the month. Some mild temperatures were recorded by day (up to 17.3C on the 30th), but clear skies and light winds overnight brought frost and fog more especially later as winds turned more easterly. Apart from some lightish showers on the 30th, the county embraced dry conditions until the end. Climatological & Agromet Statistics - March 2002 Air Temperatures The Highest Maximum: 17.3C on 30th The Lowest Maximum: 7.5C on 2nd The Highest Minimum: 8.9C on 21st The Lowest Minimum: -2.5C on 2nd The Mean Maximum: 12.1C The Mean Minimum: 3.1C The Overall Mean: 7.6C Difference from the Monthly Mean: +0.4C Relative Humidity: Highest Relative Humidity (at 0900): 100.0% on 17th Lowest Relative Humidity (at 0900): 60.8% on 7th Mean Relative Humidity (at 0900): 87.9% Dew Point: The Highest Dew Point (at 0900): 10.7C on 21st The Lowest Dew Point (at 0900): -2.0C on 27th The Mean Dew Point (at 0900): 4.8C Rainfall: Total: 35.8mm Difference from the Monthly Mean: 79.6% Duration: 30.8hrs Highest 24-hour fall (from 0900): 14.1mm on 18th Rain Days (>/=0.2mm): 11 Wet Days (>/=1.0mm): 7 Lowest pH: 6.23 on 18th Sunshine: Total Duration of Bright Sunshine: 104.4hrs Sunniest day: 8.5hrs on 29th Sunless days: 3 Cloud cover (mean at 0900): 6.5 oktas (81.3%) Pressure (reduced to sea level): The Highest Pressure: 1035.0mb on 24th The Lowest Pressure: 985.4mb on 18th Mean Pressure (recorded at 0900): 1017.6mb Winds: Run of wind (mean over 24 hrs): 122.7 miles Mean daily wind speed: 6.6mph Highest 24-hour Wind Speed: 13.5mph on 10th Run of wind (to date): 3803.1 miles Highest Maximum Gust: 60mph on 9th Highest wind strength (at 0900): 23.1mph on 7th Mean wind strength (at 0900): 8.4mph Winds from the Following Directions: N 0 NE 4, E 2, SE 6, S 9, SW 1, W 0, NW 8, Calm 1 Days with: Thunder: 0 Hail less than 0.5cm: 0 Hail greater than/equal to 0.5cm: 0 Snow or snow & rain: 0 Snow lying: 0 Fog: 6 Air Frost: 4 Duration of Air Frost: 14.0hrs Ground Frost: 12 Evaporation: Total evaporation (tank): 51.18mm ? ? There is some uncertainty over the accuracy of evaporation readings this month owing to observational errors on the 24th. Ground Temperatures: Lowest Grass Minimum: -5.2C on 2nd Mean Grass Minimum: 1.2C Lowest Concrete Minimum: -4.4C on 2nd Mean Concrete Minimum: 1.7C Lowest Bare Earth Minimum: -2.5C on 2nd Mean Bare Earth Minimum: 2.6C Soil/Earth Temperatures: Surface mean: 6.6C 5cm mean: 5.4C 10cm mean: 5.9C 20cm mean: 6.7C 30cm mean: 6.8C 40cm mean: 6.7C 50cm mean: 7.0C 100cm mean: 6.7C Climatological observations made at 0900 UTC. Averages refer to the period 1971-2000. All data © Northamptonshire Grammar School.