As many look forward to a sunny and warm week ahead, the first week of April looks set to follow in the theme of meteorological spring so far: dry, warm and sunny.
Provisional Met Office statistics show that England enjoyed its sunniest March since records began in 1910, with many individual counties also topping their sunshine duration records.
It was also the UK’s third sunniest March on record, and Wales’ second.
It was also a very dry month, with only Scotland recording more than half of its meteorological average rainfall.
Sunshine for many this March
With 185.8 hours of sunshine throughout the month, England enjoyed 59% more sunshine than its long-term meteorological average, making March 2025 its sunniest March since this series began in 1910, beating the previous record of 171.7 hours recorded in March 1929 by more than 14 hours.
There was also a north/south divide, with southern England recording its sunniest March since 1910 and northern England its third.
And it was sunny across the board, with all four UK nations experiencing above average sunshine hours for March, with the UK recording its third sunniest and Wales its second.
In fact, at least 150% of average sunshine was recorded across north Wales and much of central and eastern England.
The southeast of the country was especially sunny, with the Midlands and East Anglia recording their sunniest Marches.
It was only the Western Isles, parts of Northern Ireland and parts of northern Scotland which did not reach their respective average sunshine hours for the month.
Met Office Scientist Emily Carlisle said:
“Persistent high pressure, along with a lack of fronts arriving from the west, has meant that many have enjoyed a warm, dry and very sunny March.
"At the beginning of the month, some areas of Cumbria reached 19°C for example and although temperatures have dipped at times, many have continued to enjoy some warm spring sunshine.”
Very low rainfall, especially for England and Wales
March was also a very dry month, with below average rainfall for many. Provisional statistics show that the UK recorded just 43% of its average rainfall for March.
Most of the southern half of England and parts of south Wales recorded just a fifth of their long-term average rainfall, with most stations in this area having recorded less than 10mm of rainfall across the month, with less than 5mm in the driest areas.
Wales recorded its 4th driest March since the series began in 1836, with just 23.9mm of rainfall across the month.
England too was especially dry, recording its 6th driest March and Northern Ireland its 9th.
England again saw a north/south divide, with the south of the country recording far less rainfall than the north (16% and 38% respectively).
Many counties too recorded a very dry March, with Norfolk, Suffolk, Devon, Cambridgeshire and Gwynedd all within their top three driest Marches since 1836.
Only Scotland recorded more than half of its average rainfall (64%), with Shetland the only county to see above average rainfall (129%).
Above average temperatures for all this March
The mean temperature for March was also above average for the UK, up 1.3°C. Scotland in particular, saw higher mean temperatures, 1.7°C higher than average.
The highest temperature of 2025 so far was reached with 21.3°C in both Northolt, west London and Chertsey, Surrey on 20 March, however there is nothing unusual in this as we move through the year.
The UK’s experienced its tenth warmest March by mean temperature, but fourth warmest by average maximum temperature.
This is because high pressure meant temperatures could build by day, resulting in high daytime maxima, but were brought down closer to average overnight, as heat escaped under clear skies.
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