Weather and Climate summaries

Overview of weather across the UK for previous months, seasons and years

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UK last month

March 2025

March saw persistent high pressure bring settled conditions for most of the month. The month started with high pressure over southern England, resulting in bright but cooler than average temperatures in the south while the north saw milder temperatures and some showers. The clear conditions in the south also brought widespread fog as well as frost at times. The high pressure slowly shifted eastwards and the milder temperatures extended further south, reaching 19°C in some areas of Cumbria on the 8^th. There were some scattered showers, especially in northern areas, but it was otherwise dry and often sunny. On the 10^th a cold front moved into northern Scotland, bringing some snow over high ground. Temperatures across the country then turned colder than average as high pressure near Iceland exerted its influence on the UK. The following brief period of low pressure saw an increase in temperatures, and then high pressure from the southwest moved in, bringing warm and settled conditions. The month closed with high pressure over the UK, with conditions settled, warm and sunny.

The mean temperature for the UK for March was 1.3°C above average, although there was some regional variation. Scotland and Northern Ireland were much warmer than average (1.7°C and 1.5°C, respectively), while southern England and Wales were a little less warm (0.9°C and 1.0°C above average, respectively). This was the seventh warmest March on record for Scotland, the eighth warmest March for Northern Ireland and the tenth warmest March for the UK overall. Maximum temperatures were particularly high, with the UK experiencing its fourth highest mean maximum temperature for March. The cold spell mid-month was balanced by much warmer periods in the beginning and end of the month. March has been dry for most, with only Scotland recording more than half of the average rainfall and only Shetland recording above average rainfall. Wales saw its fourth driest March on record, its driest since 1944. England saw its sixth driest March, while for Northern Ireland it was the ninth driest March. Suffolk and Norfolk experienced their second driest Marches on record, with only March 1929 drier. Sunshine hours, on the other hand, were well above average for the UK overall, which saw 158.1 hours of sunshine, 145% of the long-term average. Most areas saw above average sunshine, particularly in southeastern England. England saw its sunniest March on record, with Wales recording its second sunniest March and the UK overall its third sunniest March.

The UK monthly extremes were as follows: A maximum temperature of 21.3°C was recorded at Northolt (London) and Chertsey (Surrey) on the 20^th. A minimum temperature of -9.0°C was recorded at Tomintoul (Banffshire) on the 18^th. In the 24 hours ending at 0900 UTC on the 28^th, 60.0mm of rain fell at Tyndrum (Perthshire). A wind gust of 62 knots (71 mph) was recorded at Lerwick (Shetland) on the 4^th.

Regional values for February 2025