March 2009
Prawle Point, south Devon on a warm and sunny day in March.
Prawle Point, south Devon on a warm and sunny day in a sunny and warm March.
Summary for  March 2009
Mean Max: 13.3ºC (+2.2ºC)
Mean Min: 3.7ºC (-0.1ºC)
Mean: 8.5ºC (+1.1ºC)
     
High Max: 18.7ºC 19th
Low Max: 7.8ºC 4th
High Min: 8.9ºC 12th
Low Min: -2.2ºC 6th
Mean Grass Min: 0.7ºC  
Grass Min: -4.9ºC 6th
     
Rain Total (gauge): 0.0 mm (0%)
Rain Total (tipping bucket): 41.4 mm (64%)
Rain Days >0.2 mm: 7 Days  
Rain Days >1.0 mm: 5 Days  
Max 24 hrs: 12.3 mm 3rd
Days without any rain: 24  
     
Air Frost: 4 Days  
Ground Frost: 14 Days  
Snow Falling: 1 Days  
Snow (50%) @ 9am: 0 Days  
Thunder Heard: 0 Days  
Hail <5 mm: 2 Days  
Hail >5 mm: 0 Days  
Fog @ 9am: 1 Days  
     
Total Monthly Sunshine: 189h:05m  
Total Monthly Sunshine: 189.3 Hours  
Most Sunshine in a Day: 11h:39m 22nd
Average Daily Sunshine: 06h:05m  
Sunless Days: 2 Days  
Cloudless Days: 8 Days  
Total Possible Sunshine: 369h:26m  
Percentage of Total Sun: 51%  
     
Mean Soil Temp @ 30 cm: 7.9ºC  
Min Soil Temp @ 30 cm: 5.0ºC 6th
Max Soil Temp @ 30 cm: 10.0ºC 18th
Mean Soil Temp @ 100 cm: 7.5ºC  
Min Soil Temp @ 100 cm: 6.2ºC 7th
Max Soil Temp @ 100 cm: 8.5ºC 24th
     
Mean 10 Min Wind >39 mph: 0.1 Days  
N: 1.44 Days  
NE: 2.26 Days  
E: 2.46 Days  
SE: 3.01 Days  
S: 3.39 Days  
SW: 3.53 Days  
W: 9.30 Days  
NW: 2.60 Days  
Calm: 7.82 Days  
Mean Wind: 4.2 mph  
Max Gust: 48 mph 8th
     
Mean Cloud Cover: 59%  
Mean RH @ 9am: 83%  
Rain Duration >0.1mm/hour: 27.3 Hours  
Frost Duration: 14.5 Hours  
Max Frost Duration in a Day: 9.0 Hours 6th
     
Mean Sea Temperature: 8.6ºC  
Normal for Month:    
Max Sea Temperature: 9.6ºC 15th
Min Sea Temperature: 7.7ºC 2nd
     
Mean Pressure @ 9am: 1016.9 hPa (+2.4 hPa)
Mean Pressure: 1016.0 hPa (+1.5 hPa)
Max Pressure: 1034.8 hPa 22nd
Min Pressure: 980.2 hPa 5th
     
Max Dewpoint: 9.7ºC 18th
Min Dewpoint: -4.9ºC 6th
Mean Dewpoint: 3.2ºC  
     
Max Humidity: 91% 2nd
Min Humidity: 37% 29th
Mean Humidity: 73% (-8)

 

A wet start then warm, dry and sunny.

A day max of 18.7°C on the 19th was the warmest March day recorded (since moving here in 2005). There was a very sunny spell lasting from the 14th to the 24th with a total of 110.2 hours' sunshine, an average of over 10 hours per day. Only 1.4 mm of rain fell from the 11th to the 31st (21 days) and this continued a theme lasting since the previous autumn of long, dry, calm spells of weather interspersed with short, intense wet periods. Overall this was one of the best March months I can remember and continues a run of sunny Marches from 2007 & 2008.
Overall a dry month.
There were 4 frosts of which none were severe but there were 14 grass frosts and this was indicative of the calm, clear, starry nights that dominated this month.
Sunshine levels were well above average.
Soil temperatures were generally below normal but recovered towards the end of the month.
Winds were dominant from the west.
There were 4 air frosts which amounted to a total time of just over 14 hours with temperatures below 0°C.
Sea temperatures gradually rose from about mid-month onwards.
Mean pressure was +2.4 hPa above normal indicating at the anticyclonic nature of this month.
Dewpoints were significantly low at times throughout the whole of the month.
This dry air through the month meant relative humidity ended up being well below normal.
Weather Data for Otter Valley, Devon.  March 2009  
  Temp (oC) Hum (RH%) Dewpoint (oC) Wind (mph) Rain Pressure (hPa) Grass Sun  
  Min Max Ave Min Max Ave Min Max Ave Max Ave Run mm Min Max Ave Min Hours Observations
1 4.1 12.2 8.2 58 89 74 0.7 5.9 3.3 19 3.4 81 0.0 1007 1014 1010 1.7 6.6 Sunny intervals all day
2 -0.2 12.2 6.0 60 91 76 -2.4 6.0 1.8 16 1.8 42 0.0 1014 1019 1016 -1.3 2.8 Fog am, then sunny intervals
3 7.1 9.7 8.4 78 91 85 3.0 6.4 4.7 34 5.6 136 12.3 986 1016 1001 3.5 0.0 Cloudy am, rain pm, windy
4 0.3 7.8 4.1 67 90 79 -1.9 3.3 0.7 16 1.7 40 1.9 982 986 984 -0.9 4.2 Sun & showers, hail pm
5 1.1 9.6 5.4 60 90 75 -2.0 3.8 0.9 19 5.5 133 12.2 980 1003 992 -0.1 7.5 Sunny intervals all day
6 -2.2 10.7 4.3 63 91 77 -4.9 5.0 0.0 11 1.4 34 0.0 1003 1008 1006 -4.9 4.1 Sunny am, cloudy pm
7 4.6 12.5 8.6 68 91 80 1.4 8.3 4.9 14 2.0 49 0.0 1007 1013 1010 -0.5 1.8 Sunny ints am, cloudy pm
8 4.7 10.8 7.8 59 89 74 0.2 8.0 4.1 48 9.0 217 2.9 1004 1007 1005 1.2 6.4 Sun am, hail showers pm
9 4.1 11.7 7.9 55 80 68 0.0 3.4 1.7 31 8.0 193 0.0 1007 1016 1011 0.4 6.4 Sunny intervals all day
10 7.1 12.5 9.8 68 91 80 3.4 7.2 5.3 31 8.1 195 10.6 1007 1019 1013 3.5 3.2 Sunny intervals all day
11 5.4 13.1 9.3 79 91 85 0.6 8.8 4.7 10 1.7 41 0.0 1019 1024 1021 0.5 0.7 Brief sunny intervals all day
12 8.9 13.4 11.2 73 90 82 5.9 8.5 7.2 19 4.8 115 0.0 1022 1023 1023 6.8 0.8 Brief sunny intervals all day
13 7.9 11.8 9.9 69 88 79 4.1 6.4 5.3 21 3.7 89 0.0 1015 1023 1019 6.5 0.8 Brief sunny intervals all day
14 8.7 13.5 11.1 57 88 73 3.0 7.1 5.1 31 6.7 161 0.0 1013 1025 1019 4.6 7.5 Sunny intervals all day
15 2.2 16.7 9.5 55 91 73 -0.8 8.1 3.7 10 1.0 25 0.0 1025 1033 1029 -0.5 11.2 Sunny all day
16 2.1 15.6 8.9 54 89 72 -0.6 6.7 3.1 11 1.3 32 0.0 1031 1033 1032 0.2 11.1 Sunny all day
17 1.7 17.7 9.7 54 90 72 -1.4 8.7 3.7 14 2.1 51 0.0 1032 1034 1033 -0.1 11.2 Sunny all day
18 6.9 18.3 12.6 56 88 72 2.8 9.7 6.3 11 2.1 50 0.0 1028 1034 1031 1.7 10.0 Sunny all day
19 1.3 18.7 10.0 38 88 63 -1.3 6.8 2.8 12 1.9 45 0.0 1026 1028 1027 -0.5 11.6 Sunny all day
20 2.2 14.6 8.4 45 87 66 -1.0 5.7 2.4 14 3.3 80 0.0 1028 1031 1029 -0.4 10.3 Misty am, sunny pm
21 -1.1 17.2 8.1 44 86 65 -4.3 5.6 0.7 16 2.2 52 0.0 1030 1032 1031 -2.4 11.5 Sunny all day
22 2.3 17.8 10.1 47 83 65 -2.3 6.8 2.3 17 3.8 92 0.0 1031 1035 1033 -1.9 11.7 Sunny all day
23 6.7 12.7 9.7 63 87 75 1.4 6.5 4.0 32 9.6 231 0.0 1018 1031 1024 3.5 3.8 Sunny intervals all day
24 3.3 12.6 8.0 50 81 66 -0.2 3.1 1.5 23 6.9 165 0.0 1016 1022 1019 0.7 10.5 Sunny intervals all day
25 7.2 11.6 9.4 62 86 74 2.9 5.6 4.3 40 11.5 275 0.0 1007 1016 1011 1.4 3.5 Sunny intervals all day
26 5.4 14.3 9.9 56 88 72 1.5 8.3 4.9 29 7.2 173 0.7 1002 1012 1007 1.4 3.1 Sunny intervals all day
27 3.9 11.1 7.5 62 82 72 0.5 3.7 2.1 23 4.8 114 0.0 996 1004 1000 0.8 3.6 Sunshine & showers all day
28 1.1 11.9 6.5 57 89 73 -1.5 3.8 1.2 26 5.8 140 0.7 995 1011 1003 -2.8 9.0 Sunny intervals all day
29 1.1 14.1 7.6 37 87 62 -2.0 0.6 -0.7 14 2.0 46 0.0 1011 1015 1013 -2.8 11.1 Sunny all day
30 -0.8 11.9 5.6 66 89 78 -3.8 5.6 0.9 14 1.8 43 0.0 1015 1023 1019 -3.9 3.6 Sunny am, cloudy pm
31 7.6 13.2 10.4 60 85 73 4.5 7.1 5.8 8 0.3 8 0.0 1022 1024 1023 6.1 0.0 Cloudy all day
3.7 13.3 8.5 59 88 73 0.2 6.1 3.2 20 4.2 3143 41.4 1012 1020 1016 0.7 189.3  

Graphs for March 2009
Figure 1. Temperature and Rainfall for March 2009.
Figure 2. Sunshine, air pressure and mean wind speed for March 2009.
Figure 3. Wind direction for March 2009.
Figure 4. Soil & sea surface temperature (SST) for Lyme Bay for March 2009.
Figure 5. Wind run, maximum gusts and mean pressure for March 2009.