March 2008
A March sunset over south Devon.
A moody March sky in south Devon.
Summary for  March 2008
Mean Max: 11.3ºC (+0.3ºC)
Mean Min: 3.8ºC (+0.2ºC)
Mean: 7.5ºC (+0.2ºC)
     
High Max: 16.3ºC 31st
Low Max: 7.8ºC 18th
High Min: 10.1ºC 2nd
Low Min: -2.7ºC 5th
Mean Grass Min: 0.2ºC  
Grass Min: -6.7ºC 5th
     
Rain Total (gauge): 116.4 mm (181%)
Rain Total (tipping bucket): 88.8 mm (138%)
Rain Days >0.2: 19 Days  
Rain Days >1.0: 16 Days  
Max 24 hrs: 22.4 mm 22nd
Days without any rain: 10  
     
Air Frost: 3 Days  
Ground Frost: 15 Days  
Snow Falling: 0 Days  
Snow (50%) @ 9am: 0 Days  
Thunder Heard: 2 Days  
Hail <5 mm: 4 Days  
Hail >5 mm: 0 Days  
Fog @ 9am: 0 Days  
     
Total Monthly Sunshine: 132h:25m  
Total Monthly Sunshine: 131.8 Hours  
Most Sunshine in a Day: 10h:48m 30th
Average Daily Sunshine: 04h:16m  
Sunless Days: 3 Days  
Cloudless Days: 0 Days  
Total Possible Sunshine: 369h:54m  
Percentage of Total Sun: 36%  
     
Mean Soil Temp @ 30 cm: 7.3ºC  
Min Soil Temp @ 30 cm: 5.8ºC 23rd
Max Soil Temp @ 30 cm: 8.8ºC 2nd
Mean Soil Temp @ 100 cm: 3.2ºC  
Min Soil Temp @ 100 cm: 7.7ºC 12th
Max Soil Temp @ 100 cm: 8.0ºC 2nd
     
Wind >39 mph: 0.0 Days  
N: 3.59 Days  
NE: 1.21 Days  
E: 0.61 Days  
SE: 1.98 Days  
S: 3.34 Days  
SW: 3.83 Days  
W: 9.75 Days  
NW: 5.35 Days  
Calm: 3.33 Days  
Mean Wind: 6.3 mph  
Max Gust: 58 mph 10th
     
Mean Cloud Cover: 60%  
Mean RH @ 9am: 80%  
Rain Duration >0.1mm/hour: 55.3 Hours  
Frost Duration: 19.8 Hours  
Max Frost Duration in a Day: 7.5 Hours 23rd
     
Mean Sea Temperature: 9.2ºC  
Normal for Month:    
Max Sea Temperature: 11.0ºC 31st
Min Sea Temperature: 8.8ºC 23rd
     
Mean Pressure @ 9am: 1008.8 hPa  
Mean Pressure: 1008.0 hPa (-6.5 hPa)
Max Pressure: 1036.8 hPa 5th
Min Pressure: 961.1 hPa 10th
     
Max Dewpoint: 9.8ºC 11th
Min Dewpoint: -5.5ºC 5th
Mean Dewpoint: 2.8ºC  
     
Max Humidity: 87% 16th
Min Humidity: 43% 22nd
Mean Humidity: 74% (-7)

 
March started generally sunny and warm, and ended that way too but for the majority of the month it was cool and unsettled with the 3rd week being especially cold and wet.
Rainfall was way above average with 181% of the normal. Rain fell on 21 out of the 31 days in the month.
There was no snow lying or falling at any point in the month, but there were 4 notable hailstorms accompanied with thunder and lightning on two occasions.
Sunshine levels were slightly above normal but there were no days at all during the month that were cloud-free. This month actually had less sunshine than February.
Soil temperatures remained relatively constant throughout the month and were above normal.
The month started windy, carried on being windy and ended windy. In fact, it was windy all the time.
3 air frosts of which none were severe and there were 15 ground frosts.
Sea temperatures remained just above normal throughout the month.
Mean pressure was was 6.5 hPa below normal and indicative of the unsettled, cyclonic nature of this month.
Dewpoints were typically variable for this time of year with the sea being at its coldest.
With a relative humidity of 74%, this was 7 percentage points below normal.
 
Daily Weather Data for Otter Valley, Devon.  March 2008  
  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 8.1 13.1 10.6 60 85 73 3.2 8.5 5.9 48 12.5 301 0.0 1004 1016 1010 5.4 6.3 Sunny intervals all day
2 10.1 13.2 11.7 56 85 71 3.2 9.0 6.1 28 8.6 207 0.0 1012 1014 1013 6.8 3.6 Sunny intervals all day
3 1.8 10.1 6.0 56 84 70 -2.1 4.4 1.2 29 5.5 132 2.6 1010 1016 1013 -2.8 4.9 Sunny then hail showers
4 1.2 10.6 5.9 51 85 68 -2.8 2.4 -0.2 21 5.3 126 0.0 1010 1034 1022 -3.9 10.1 Sunny intervals all day
5 -2.7 11.4 4.4 63 85 74 -5.5 5.8 0.2 17 2.4 57 0.2 1033 1037 1035 -6.7 6.0 Sunny am, cloudy pm
6 6.6 10.8 8.7 72 83 78 2.8 5.9 4.4 18 4.4 107 0.0 1021 1033 1027 3.7 0.0 Cloudy all day
7 5.1 12.3 8.7 54 85 70 0.4 5.3 2.9 30 5.8 139 1.8 1011 1020 1016 0.3 7.2 Sunny intervals all day
8 4.1 11.2 7.7 78 86 82 0.7 7.3 4.0 23 5.3 128 3.0 998 1013 1006 0.7 0.8 Sunny int am, drizzle pm
9 2.7 10.9 6.8 69 86 78 -1.2 6.1 2.5 22 3.4 81 1.4 994 999 996 -0.1 5.3 Sun & showers all day
10 4.3 10.5 7.4 71 86 79 0.2 5.7 3.0 58 14.2 341 22.4 961 994 977 0.4 2.0 Sun & showers all day
11 5.2 13.7 9.5 70 86 78 1.5 9.8 5.7 42 10.1 243 3.0 979 992 985 2.5 1.8 Sun & showers all day
12 4.8 10.8 7.8 51 82 67 -0.1 5.8 2.9 49 12.2 293 1.4 992 1013 1002 1.7 8.5 Sunny intervals all day
13 6.1 10.4 8.3 81 86 84 2.3 7.5 4.9 15 3.1 75 1.6 1007 1014 1011 1.4 0.0 Cloudy, int light rain
14 7.8 12.7 10.3 83 86 85 5.2 9.2 7.2 12 2.5 59 1.0 1009 1012 1010 5.6 1.7 Sunny intervals all day
15 8.9 10.6 9.8 84 86 85 6.2 7.5 6.9 20 4.2 100 12.8 997 1011 1004 5.7 0.0 Rain intermittent all day
16 5.4 9.0 7.2 77 87 82 1.7 6.4 4.1 24 5.8 140 4.2 996 1014 1005 5.6 0.3 Light rain am, bright pm
17 2.4 10.1 6.3 59 84 72 -1.5 3.6 1.1 16 3.6 86 0.0 1014 1019 1016 -0.4 2.8 Sunny intervals all day
18 1.2 7.8 4.5 56 85 71 -3.2 0.2 -1.5 16 3.9 93 0.0 1018 1023 1021 -2.3 4.4 Sunny intervals all day
19 1.1 11.7 6.4 48 84 66 -3.0 2.3 -0.4 19 3.8 92 0.0 1023 1026 1024 -3.4 9.5 Sunny intervals all day
20 0.1 10.1 5.1 73 86 80 -2.8 6.5 1.9 30 5.0 120 0.4 1008 1027 1017 -3.6 0.3 Sunny int am, rain pm
21 5.2 10.5 7.9 66 85 76 0.2 7.3 3.8 41 15.2 366 4.4 994 1007 1001 2.5 6.5 Sunshine & showers
22 3.1 8.3 5.7 43 81 62 -3.7 0.1 -1.8 33 12.4 298 0.0 995 1010 1002 -0.8 5.7 Sunny intervals all day
23 -2.3 9.8 3.8 66 86 76 -5.3 4.6 -0.4 26 4.5 109 3.0 999 1010 1004 -5.8 2.9 Sun & showers all day
24 3.2 10.6 6.9 63 84 74 -0.8 4.2 1.7 27 6.4 154 0.4 1001 1006 1004 0.2 3.3 Sunny intervals all day
25 2.3 12.1 7.2 50 80 65 -2.4 2.9 0.3 17 4.8 116 0.0 1006 1011 1009 -2.8 6.1 Sunny intervals all day
26 3.7 10.6 7.2 65 85 75 -0.5 6.2 2.9 21 3.7 89 4.4 1000 1007 1003 -1.9 3.7 Rain am, sunny int pm
27 -1.1 13.3 6.1 54 86 70 -3.8 4.6 0.4 14 2.4 50 0.2 999 1005 1002 -4.4 8.6 Sunny intervals all day
28 4.7 12.2 8.5 57 85 71 0.6 8.2 4.4 33 9.2 118 5.0 993 1006 999 0.4 3.0 Rain am, sunny int pm
29 4.1 10.2 7.2 77 86 82 0.6 6.6 3.6 35 8.4 201 15.6 997 1010 1003 -1.1 1.5 Sunny int early am, then rain
30 3.8 14.4 9.1 52 86 69 0.5 6.5 3.5 22 3.9 94 0.0 996 1003 999 -0.1 10.5 Sunny intervals all day
31 6.2 16.3 11.3 61 85 73 3.4 9.1 6.3 18 3.7 90 1.6 1002 1019 1011 3.4 4.6 Sunny intervals all day
3.8 11.3 7.5 63 85 74 -0.2 5.8 2.8 27 6.3 4601 88.8 1002 1013 1008 0.2 131.8  
Graphs for March 2008

 
Figure 1. Temperature and Rainfall for March 2008.
Figure 2. Sunshine, air pressure and mean wind speed for March 2008.
Figure 3. Wind direction for March 2008.
Figure 4. Sea Surface Temperature (SST) for Lyme Bay for March 2008.
Figure 5. Wind and mean pressure for March 2008.