This March is set to be the coldest since 1962 in the UK in the national record dating back to 1910, according to provisional Met Office statistics.
From 1 to 26 March the UK mean temperature was 2.5 °C, which is three degrees below the long term average. This also makes it joint 4th coldest on record in the UK.
The table below gives details of statistics up to the 26 March for broken down by the counties used to compile climate statistics.
| mean temperature | precipitation | |||
| Actual (deg C) | Difference from 1981-2010 average (deg C) | Actual (mm) | Percentage of 1981-2010 average (%) | |
| Regions | ||||
| UK | 2.5 | -3.0 | 62.2 | 65 |
| England | 2.9 | -3.3 | 63.4 | 99 |
| Wales | 2.8 | -3.0 | 86.2 | 74 |
| Scotland | 1.6 | -2.5 | 50.3 | 36 |
| N Ireland | 3.0 | -2.9 | 78.9 | 83 |
| England & Wales | 2.9 | -3.3 | 66.6 | 94 |
| England N | 2.0 | -3.5 | 54.0 | 72 |
| England S | 3.4 | -3.2 | 68.4 | 118 |
| Historic Counties | ||||
| Aberdeenshire | 0.6 | -3.1 | 67.9 | 86 |
| Anglesey | 3.9 | -2.9 | 79.8 | 100 |
| Antrim | 2.9 | -2.8 | 68.9 | 75 |
| Argyllshire | 2.5 | -2.1 | 47.2 | 22 |
| Armagh | 3.1 | -3.1 | 96.8 | 125 |
| Ayrshire | 2.0 | -2.9 | 53.8 | 41 |
| Banffshire | 0.8 | -3.1 | 56.4 | 76 |
| Bedfordshire | 3.0 | -3.5 | 50.1 | 119 |
| Berkshire | 3.4 | -3.2 | 78.5 | 157 |
| Berwickshire | 1.6 | -3.2 | 65.0 | 108 |
| Brecknockshire | 1.9 | -3.1 | 100.5 | 74 |
| Buckinghamshire | 3.1 | -3.4 | 66.6 | 137 |
| Buteshire | 2.7 | -2.3 | 58.0 | 36 |
| Caithness | 2.3 | -1.9 | 45.5 | 52 |
| Cambridgeshire | 3.2 | -3.5 | 40.0 | 102 |
| Cardiganshire | 2.8 | -2.8 | 62.5 | 54 |
| Carmarthenshire | 3.4 | -2.7 | 87.0 | 69 |
| Carnarvonshire | 2.8 | -3.0 | 96.1 | 64 |
| Cheshire | 2.9 | -3.5 | 42.1 | 72 |
| Clackmannanshire | 1.7 | -2.7 | 65.3 | 57 |
| Cornwall | 5.1 | -2.3 | 102.0 | 109 |
| Cumberland | 1.6 | -3.3 | 42.1 | 37 |
| Denbighshire | 2.1 | -3.4 | 66.2 | 75 |
| Derbyshire | 1.9 | -3.7 | 58.8 | 81 |
| Devon | 4.0 | -2.7 | 112.9 | 118 |
| Dorset | 4.0 | -2.7 | 96.8 | 132 |
| Down | 3.2 | -3.0 | 158.4 | 193 |
| Dumfriesshire | 1.3 | -3.1 | 65.6 | 53 |
| Dunbartonshire | 2.1 | -2.7 | 49.4 | 25 |
| Durham | 1.6 | -3.4 | 61.9 | 99 |
| East Lothianshire | 1.9 | -3.2 | 55.4 | 100 |
| Essex | 3.5 | -3.3 | 44.2 | 110 |
| Fermanagh | 3.0 | -3.0 | 45.6 | 42 |
| Fifeshire | 2.3 | -3.0 | 58.8 | 89 |
| Flintshire | 2.9 | -3.5 | 60.9 | 105 |
| Forfarshire | 0.9 | -3.0 | 73.1 | 89 |
| Glamorganshire | 3.6 | -2.8 | 123.1 | 98 |
| Gloucestershire | 3.2 | -3.3 | 77.1 | 129 |
| Hampshire | 3.9 | -2.9 | 85.4 | 133 |
| Herefordshire | 2.9 | -3.5 | 80.3 | 134 |
| Hertfordshire | 3.2 | -3.4 | 50.3 | 109 |
| Huntingdonshire | 3.1 | -3.6 | 56.4 | 143 |
| Inverness | 1.3 | -2.1 | 36.9 | 19 |
| Kent | 3.8 | -3.1 | 58.2 | 121 |
| Kincardineshire | 1.5 | -3.1 | 56.5 | 82 |
| Kinross | 1.5 | -3.0 | 65.6 | 65 |
| Kirkcudbrightshire | 1.7 | -3.0 | 79.2 | 54 |
| Lanarkshire | 1.2 | -3.0 | 51.8 | 47 |
| Lancashire | 2.6 | -3.3 | 41.1 | 45 |
| Leicestershire | 2.4 | -3.8 | 52.4 | 114 |
| Lincolnshire | 2.7 | -3.6 | 49.0 | 113 |
| Londonderry | 3.0 | -2.8 | 59.3 | 60 |
| Merionethshire | 1.8 | -3.1 | 98.6 | 62 |
| Mid Lothianshire | 1.7 | -3.1 | 59.4 | 83 |
| Middlesex | 4.2 | -3.3 | 57.7 | 128 |
| Monmouthshire | 3.1 | -3.2 | 94.8 | 100 |
| Montgomeryshire | 2.0 | -3.4 | 64.5 | 56 |
| Moray | 1.7 | -2.8 | 39.5 | 60 |
| Nairnshire | 1.5 | -2.9 | 32.0 | 47 |
| Norfolk | 3.0 | -3.4 | 60.5 | 128 |
| Northamptonshire | 2.6 | -3.6 | 61.0 | 133 |
| Northumberland | 1.5 | -3.3 | 63.0 | 92 |
| Nottinghamshire | 2.6 | -3.8 | 49.0 | 113 |
| Oxfordshire | 3.0 | -3.3 | 74.3 | 149 |
| Peeblesshire | 0.4 | -3.4 | 69.6 | 68 |
| Pembrokeshire | 4.0 | -2.6 | 76.9 | 77 |
| Perthshire | 0.6 | -2.6 | 58.8 | 39 |
| Radnorshire | 1.7 | -3.2 | 87.8 | 91 |
| Renfrewshire | 2.5 | -2.8 | 42.8 | 29 |
| Ross and Cromarty | 2.1 | -2.0 | 35.1 | 20 |
| Roxburghshire | 1.0 | -3.4 | 62.8 | 73 |
| Rutland | 2.4 | -3.7 | 58.0 | 123 |
| Selkirkshire | 0.5 | -3.1 | 76.5 | 68 |
| Shropshire | 2.6 | -3.5 | 61.6 | 108 |
| Somerset | 3.8 | -3.0 | 65.3 | 91 |
| Staffordshire | 2.3 | -3.7 | 51.0 | 87 |
| Stirlingshire | 1.9 | -2.9 | 53.2 | 36 |
| Suffolk | 3.2 | -3.3 | 46.4 | 104 |
| Surrey | 3.7 | -3.1 | 72.1 | 135 |
| Sussex | 4.0 | -2.8 | 64.6 | 103 |
| Sutherland | 1.5 | -2.4 | 38.8 | 27 |
| Tyrone | 2.8 | -2.8 | 60.1 | 57 |
| Warwickshire | 2.8 | -3.6 | 52.2 | 110 |
| West Lothianshire | 1.9 | -3.1 | 49.3 | 62 |
| West Suffolk | 3.3 | -3.5 | 31.8 | 80 |
| Westmorland | 1.2 | -3.1 | 56.1 | 40 |
| Wigtownshire | 2.7 | -2.8 | 55.5 | 51 |
| Wiltshire | 3.3 | -3.0 | 76.1 | 118 |
| Worcestershire | 3.1 | -3.5 | 63.9 | 133 |
| Yorkshire | 1.9 | -3.6 | 59.0 | 84 |
Clearly March has been extremely cold and snowy and joins 2006, 2001, 1995, 1987, 1979, 1970 and 1962 as years when March saw some significant snowfall.
The cold weather is expected to continue through the Easter weekend and into April. You can stay up-to-date with forecasts and warnings online, through our mobile apps, facebook and twitter, and through TV and radio broadcasts.
The table below lists the coldest March average temperatures on record and details where March 2013 ranks in terms of cold months of March.
| Area | Coldest March
on Record (deg C and year) |
Rank of March 2013 | |
| Aberdeenshire | -1.4 | 1947 | 5 |
| Anglesey | 3.6 | 1962 | 2 |
| Antrim | 2.2 | 1947 | 5 |
| Argyllshire | 1.5 | 1947 | 5 |
| Armagh | 2.9 | 1919/1947 | 4 |
| Ayrshire | 1.0 | 1947 | 5 |
| Banffshire | -1.0 | 1947 | 5 |
| Bedfordshire | 2.3 | 1962 | 2 |
| Berkshire | 2.6 | 1962 | 2 |
| Berwickshire | 0.3 | 1947 | 5 |
| Brecknockshire | 1.1 | 1962 | 2 |
| Buckinghamshire | 2.3 | 1962 | 2 |
| Buteshire | 1.5 | 1947 | 5 |
| Caithness | 0.0 | 1947 | 5 |
| Cambridgeshire | 2.6 | 1962 | 2 |
| Cardiganshire | 2.0 | 1962 | 3 |
| Carmarthenshire | 2.5 | 1962 | 3 |
| Carnarvonshire | 2.3 | 1962 | 3 |
| Cheshire | 2.6 | 1962 | 2 |
| Clackmannanshire | 0.1 | 1947 | 4 |
| Cornwall | 3.9 | 1962 | 2 |
| Cumberland | 1.0 | 1947 | 4 |
| Denbighshire | 1.4 | 1962 | 2 |
| Derbyshire | 1.5 | 1962 | 2 |
| Devon | 3.1 | 1962 | 2 |
| Dorset | 3.1 | 1962 | 2 |
| Down | 3.0 | 1937/1947 | 4 |
| Dumfriesshire | 0.5 | 1947 | 5 |
| Dunbartonshire | 0.3 | 1947 | 5 |
| Durham | 0.9 | 1947 | 4 |
| East Lothianshire | 0.2 | 1947 | 5 |
| Essex | 2.8 | 1962 | 2 |
| Fermanagh | 2.8 | 1947 | 3 |
| Fifeshire | 0.7 | 1947 | 5 |
| Flintshire | 2.4 | 1962 | 2 |
| Forfarshire | -0.6 | 1947 | 4 |
| Glamorganshire | 2.9 | 1962 | 3 |
| Gloucestershire | 2.6 | 1962 | 2 |
| Hampshire | 3.0 | 1962 | 2 |
| Herefordshire | 2.4 | 1962 | 2 |
| Hertfordshire | 2.4 | 1962 | 2 |
| Huntingdonshire | 2.6 | 1962 | 2 |
| Inverness | 0.0 | 1947 | 5 |
| Kent | 2.9 | 1962 | 2 |
| Kincardineshire | 0.3 | 1947 | 2 |
| Kinross | -0.1 | 1947 | 5 |
| Kirkcudbrightshire | 0.9 | 1947 | 3 |
| Lanarkshire | 0.0 | 1947 | 5 |
| Lancashire | 2.3 | 1962 | 2 |
| Leicestershire | 2.0 | 1962 | 2 |
| Lincolnshire | 2.4 | 1962 | 2 |
| Londonderry | 2.2 | 1947 | 5 |
| Merionethshire | 1.2 | 1962 | 3 |
| Mid Lothianshire | 0.1 | 1947 | 5 |
| Middlesex | 3.4 | 1962 | 2 |
| Monmouthshire | 2.5 | 1962 | 2 |
| Montgomeryshire | 1.3 | 1962 | 3 |
| Moray | -0.2 | 1947 | 5 |
| Nairnshire | 0.0 | 1947 | 5 |
| Norfolk | 2.5 | 1962 | 2 |
| Northamptonshire | 2.1 | 1962 | 2 |
| Northumberland | 0.4 | 1947 | 4 |
| Nottinghamshire | 2.4 | 1962 | 2 |
| Oxfordshire | 2.4 | 1962 | 2 |
| Peeblesshire | -1.2 | 1947 | 5 |
| Pembrokeshire | 3.2 | 1962 | 3 |
| Perthshire | -1.2 | 1947 | 5 |
| Radnorshire | 1.1 | 1962 | 2 |
| Renfrewshire | 0.8 | 1947 | 5 |
| Ross and Cromarty | 0.8 | 1947 | 5 |
| Roxburghshire | -0.4 | 1947 | 5 |
| Rutland | 1.9 | 1962 | 2 |
| Selkirkshire | -0.8 | 1947 | 5 |
| Shropshire | 2.1 | 1962 | 2 |
| Somerset | 3.0 | 1962 | 2 |
| Staffordshire | 1.9 | 1962 | 2 |
| Stirlingshire | 0.1 | 1947 | 5 |
| Suffolk | 2.5 | 1962 | 2 |
| Surrey | 2.8 | 1962 | 2 |
| Sussex | 2.9 | 1962 | 2 |
| Sutherland | 0.1 | 1947 | 5 |
| Tyrone | 2.3 | 1947 | 5 |
| Warwickshire | 2.3 | 1962 | 2 |
| West Lothianshire | 0.3 | 1947 | 5 |
| West Suffolk | 2.5 | 1962 | 2 |
| Westmorland | 0.4 | 1947 | 3 |
| Wigtownshire | 1.7 | 1947 | 3 |
| Wiltshire | 2.5 | 1962 | 2 |
| Worcestershire | 2.7 | 1962 | 2 |
| Yorkshire | 1.4 | 1947 | 3 |
The full month figures for March 2013 will be available later next week and a summary of the month will be issued soon after.
Official blog of the Met Office news team 
Reblogged this on Old School Garden.
Reblogged this on Goaty's News.
Why do you blame the cold spring this year (apparantly due to changes in the jetstream due to the arctic summer ice melt last year) and the mild spring last year (apparantly signs that global warming was making spring start 2 weeks early) on global warming?
Do you realise how ridiculous it is to keep switching arguments? We were told 10 years ago, that kids wouldn’t know about snow, and we’ve had regular stories telling us about how ski resorts would all have to shut, and now we’re told that Europe is going to have much colder winters. Has the science or just the propaganda moved on?
James, the climate system is very complicated and it is not always possible to attribute a cause to our weather and some of this may just be natural variability. I am not aware of the Met Office making definitive statements regarding the causes of the cold weather this March or the warm weather last. The role of the Met Office is to research this area, and we, as well a some other research institutes have put forward a range of possible scientific hypothesis in response to questions about our current weather. This is an actiev area of research for the Met Office.
In response to your question about snow. I suggest you read an honest assessment of this from Steve Connor from the Independent at http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/steve-connor-dont-believe-the-hype-over-climate-headlines-2180195.html. In it he says: “Headlines are meant to draw people into a story and have to conform to quite rigid restrictions on space in the printed medium – where this headline first appeared. They are meant to be accurate, but they can never do full justice to the nuances of reporting. This is even more true when it comes to the more complex nuances of science. The headline in this case is not what the story itself said, as Dr Viner made clear. The story was about the frequency of snowfalls, and how “snow is starting to disappear from our lives”, which the it stated clearly.
A more accurate headline would be something like: “Snowfalls are becoming less frequent in our little corner of the world but that doesn’t necessarily mean that snow will disappear from our lives completely and forever.” Unfortunately, any sub-editor who would suggest such a tediously long headline is unlikely to last very long.
The second issue is about the difference between weather and climate. Just as one swallow does not make a spring, one hot summer or cold winter does not prove or disprove climate change. Climate is what we expect over a long period – often too long to be retained by human memory – whereas weather is what we get from one day to the next.”