Coldest March In England Since 1892

By Paul Homewood

 

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/hadobs/hadcet/cet_info_mean.html

 

The March numbers are out for the CET series . At 2.7C this is the coldest March since 1892, which registered the same temperature. Indeed, you have to go back to 1883 to find a colder March.

For the UK as a whole, though,  1962 was the colder month, when a similar high pressure blocking system brought polar air across the country. (See Update)

 

(More details on 1962 here).

 

The annual anomaly, so far this year, is now running well below average, at –1.40C, a figure not seen since the 19thC.

 

 

Now, let’s look at what the figures have done to the 12-month averages, since 2000.

 

 

There is a clear downward trend of over half a degree in the last 12 years, proving that what we have seen in the last few months, or even last year, is not the exception.

Finally , a look at the January – March numbers over the last century.

 

 

Temperatures so far this year have not been quite as low as a couple of years in the 1980’s, and much warmer than 1917, when the first three months averaged 1.9C. (Interestingly the famous winter of 1962/3 was much warmer than 1917 at 2.9C, thanks to a return to mild weather in the second half of March).

The significant thing, though, is the 5-year trend, which has now been falling since it peaked in 2002. The green line, by the way , is the mean, so the 5-year average is now below this.

 

And It Might Get Worse!

After 1962 recorded the coldest March in the last 50 years until this year, it went on to record the coldest Spring as well! Of course, in those days they did not know it was all caused by global warming.

 

Update

March 1962 was 2.8C, so my original statement was incorrect. March 2013 is now officially the coldest March since 1892.

I have replaced the opening paragraph, which was getting a bit disjointed.

 

References

The CET series is here.

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/hadobs/hadcet/