• Air temperature ranged between 8.0°C and 20.5°C
• 246.4 hours of sunshine measured throughout the month
• 27.0mm of rainfall measured, making for a drier-than-average month

MARCH ROUND-UP

March ushered in spring and longer days bathed in an average of 7.9 hours of sunshine. But at 13.8°C, the mean air temperature for the month was slightly lower than that of the previous two months.

In March, the air temperature ranged between a low of 8.0°C, recorded on the nineteenth day, and a high of 20.5°C, reached on the very last day. Warm weather was accompanied by 11.4 hours of sunshine, making the 31^st of March the brightest day of a sunnier-than-average month.

Having maintained a lighter-than-expected mean cloud cover of 3.2 oktas, March outshone the climate norm for this time of year of 222.3 hours of sunshine by just over 24 hours.

Generally pleasant weather was punctuated by a couple of stormy days. Having yielded 8.4mm of precipitation – around 31% of last month’s lower-than-expected total rainfall, the sixteenth of March was the month’s wettest day. On the day, rain was accompanied by thunder and hail, and a maximum gust of 36 knots blowing from a west by north-west direction was recorded.

Precisely a week later, on the 23^rd of March, the day was once again characterised by rain, thunder, hail, and strong winds, which picked up speed to reach a maximum gust of 36 knots blowing from a north-westerly direction.

In general, March was slightly windier than the norm, with the wind speed for the month averaging at 9.6 knots, rather than the expected 9.4 knots.

WEEKEND WEATHER OUTLOOK

Today’s gloomy weather is caused by a trough of low pressure, which is extending towards the Maltese islands from Algeria, and which is expected to move eastwards across the Ionian Sea to reach Greece by tomorrow evening. This pressure system is also what is giving rise to today’s very strong to gale force (F7-8) easterly winds, backing northeast by evening, and becoming strong (F6) overnight.

Saturday morning is expected to be characterised by rather strong to strong (F5-6) north by northeasterly winds, backing northwest by evening and dying down to Force 4-5. Light rain is forecast for the day, particularly in the morning, with the afternoon becoming partly cloudy.

Sunday is expected to start on a rather cloudy note, becoming partly cloudy as the day progresses. Moderate (F4) northwesterly winds becoming west by northwest by evening are expected to make for a somewhat calmer Sunday, before the winds increase in strength overnight to become rather strong to strong (F5-6).

Maximum temperatures are expected to hover around the 16°C and 17°C marks throughout the weekend, dropping to a minimum of 12°C on both Saturday and Sunday.

Published on: 16.04.2021