Weather log West Wales & Midlands March 2019

Weather log West Wales & Midlands March 2019

Key:

WW = West Wales

Lwn = Llanwnnen

AG = Aldermans Green, Coventry

LL = Long Lawford

CL = Church Lawford

CC = Capel Curig

MH = Milford Haven

Mids = Midlands

CITE = Coton-in-the-Elms, Derbyshire

COL = Climatological Observers Link

PWS = Personal weather station

Unsettled and wet start to Spring, much cooler than was the end of February even though it was quite mild..

Brief cold snaps with wintry showers in places mid month:

Sun 10th wintry showers, even parts of lowland N Midlands had a snow covering first thing, moreso Peaks and hills of Wales though. Thunder and hail in places too.. here at Lwn a heavy mid afternoon hail shower was accompanied by thunder and lightning. Strange day temperature- wise as a brief warm sector gave a max 8.9c here 0430 (it had been 3c around midnight), the day max then being 7.4c with a subsequent marked dip after the hail and thunder to below 3c for a while.

Tue 12th rain turned to sleet and snow in places during the day, a little sleet here midday and snow fell over the Beacons..

Very wet first half to March, most places at least double the average for this stage:

Here at Llanwnnen 145.1mm to 16th = looks like being the wettest March recorded here (167.9mm to beat from 2008). However the latter stages of the month look a lot more settled...

Wed 20th some places, especially much of WW Wales and S Midlands rather overcast and misty and as a consequence chilly, while others were rather warm and sunny, especially W & N Midlands (max Newport, Salop 17.8c, Trawsgoed 14.3c, Pershore 13.7c, Lwn 12.8c, Aberdaron 8.3c). Shawbury 10.3 hrs sunniest in UK (Bablake 8.5 hrs, Aberporth 7.7 hrs, Lwn est 1 hrs, Aberdaron & Valley 0 hrs)

Sunny and dry end to month and generally mild:

Thu 28th sunny (Aberporth 11.9 hrs = sunniest in UK, Shobdon 11.6 hrs, Lwn 11.5 hrs est, Aberdaron 5.4 hrs)

Fri 29th after fog and frost in places, largely sunny and mild/ rather warm, but much cooler (and locally misty/ cloudy) many coasts (Newport, Salop 17.6c, Watnall & Shawbury 16.9c, Bablake 16.8c, Llysdinam, Powys 16.0c, Lwn 15.3c, Trawsgoed 12.7c, Aberporth 9.9c, Pembrey 9.8c, Aberdaron max 8.9c). Sunshine Watnall 11.9 hrs, Shawbury 11.6 hrs, Aberporth 8.6 hrs, Lwn 8.5 hrs est, Valley 1.9 hrs. Driving to Aberaeron mid afternoon it was a mild, rather calm 14c when we set off, felt cooler air 12c by Temple Bar half way to the coast, then Ciliau Aeron to coast around 10c, although pleasantly sunny with light breeze all rest of the day.

Nature notes:

First Bluebell in flower (usual ones sheltered beneath house insulation), 'normal' ones look due for the usual April bloom.

Wed 20th Chiffchaff briefly heard Carmarthen (car park by old railway line)

Thu 21st first Bluebell flowers appearing at top of garden (again these are early cf countryside ones)

Fri 22nd Chiffchaff from garden; Sat 23rd Chiffchaff Lampeter University

GSW drumming heard a few times early month, almost daily latter month..

Sun 24th half a dozen Chiffchaff Longwood, 1 seen (3 singing within a 50m area by Castell Goetre fort and farm)

Thu 28th first Stitchwort flowers out

Fri 29th Aberareon plenty of Stitchwort flowering, also much Wood Anemone along the river; some trees leafing (inc Sycamore); snatch of Blackcap; plenty of Chiffchaff in the woods,

Fair bit of Blackthorn bloom out by month end; many Dandelions in flower

As per March log, plenty of red Holly berries remaining on garden tree..guess they will drop off by end of April?



March 2019 summary

Mild, rather wet/ wet; sunshine average to rather sunny

Rainfall March 2019:

Valley 96.6mm (154%)
CC 486.2mm (200%)
Aberdaron c 95mm
Trawsgoed c 155mm
Aberporth 81.8mm (131%0
Lwn 152.3mm (185%) = only wettest since 2017 (153.9mm)
Pembrey Sands c 60mm
MH 76.0mm

Nottingham 85.6mm
Shawbury 53.4mm (115%)
Coleshill c 72mm
Coventry, Bablake 64.2mm (135%)
CL 63.8mm (140%)
Pershore c 47mm
Hereford c 65mm
Shobdon 77.4mm (131%)

PWS

Llangeitho, Ceredigion 141.7mm
Talsarn, Abermeurig Bont, Ceredigion 108.4mm
Llanelli, Carms 75.5mm

Bulkington 51.2 mm
Clifton-on-Dunsmore, Rugby 50.3mm
Lilbourne, Rugby 52.6mm
Dunchurch 51.6mm
Crick 54.6mm
Daventry 49.3mm
Radford Semele, Leamington Spa 61.2mm
Shirley, Solihull 65.5mm
Edgbaston, Bham 72.4mm
Harbourne, Bham 89.7mm
Alvechurch 62.3mm
Malvern 69.3mm



Sunshine March 2019:


Aberporth 131.2 hrs (111%)
Llanwnnen est 93 hrs (100%)

Nottingham 125.7 hrs (134%)
Coventry 153.5 hrs (113%)
Shawbury 108.2 hrs (113%)