MARCH 2026 WARMER, WETTER, AND SUNNIER THAN AVERAGE
Armagh Observatory, third April 2026: Armagh Observatory experiences that March 2026 was hotter, wetter, and sunnier than common. This was the equal thirteenth warmest March on file at Armagh and the sunniest for 4 years, that’s, for the reason that record-breaking sunny March 2022.
The imply temperature was 7.8 levels Celsius (46.1 Fahrenheit). This was roughly 2.0C hotter than the 225-year long-term (1796-2020) common March temperature at Armagh (5.82 C) and 1.1C hotter than the latest (1991-2020) 30-year March common (6.75 C).
Gardeners can have observed that common March temperatures have considerably elevated during the last forty or fifty years. At Armagh, the (1961-1990) 30-year common March temperature (6.0 C) was 0.75C cooler than the corresponding most up-to-date (1991-2020) common, suggesting a median March warming of roughly 0.25C per decade. This warming reveals no signal of diminishing, for instance, 18 of the final 26 Marches throughout the present 30-year interval have been hotter than the latest 30-year common.
This month, the very best most air temperature or warmest day was an unremarkable 17.6C on the nineteenth, adopted by 16.2C on the twentieth, and 15.5C on the twenty first. Though this was not an exceptionally heat day, it was nonetheless the warmest day of the yr at Armagh thus far.
The bottom most air temperature, often the good day, was 7.0C on the fifth, adopted by 8.1C on the thirteenth, and eight.2C on the twelfth. Though the seventeenth, St Patrick’s day, was barely hotter than common with some sunshine late morning and early afternoon, it felt cool within the breeze and have become moist from late afternoon.
The very best minimal air temperature, often the warmest evening, was 9.3C attributed to the thirty first, adopted by 7.4C attributed to the twenty fourth. The bottom minimal air temperature or coolest evening was -1.2C on the sixth adopted by -1.0C on the third.
There have been 19 nights with floor frost (minimal grass temperature lower than or equal to zero Celsius), the bottom three of which have been -8.1C on the third, adopted by -7.8C on the sixth, and -6.3C on the 4th. There have been two nights with air frost, particularly the sixth and the third, and no daytime air frosts.
Though March, April, and Might often rank among the many drier months of the yr, the Observatory’s long-term rainfall information counsel that March, whereas nonetheless a dry month, has grow to be barely wetter on common than in earlier years. For instance, dividing the precipitation file into three almost equal components, the primary two, similar to the 140-year interval 1838-1977, have a median March rainfall of 52.5mm, whereas the final, similar to the more moderen 50-year (1977-2026) interval, has a median precipitation of 66.5mm. This represents an elevated precipitation of roughly 1 / 4. Additionally, of the 24 wettest Marches at Armagh since 1838, eight have occurred within the final 17 years.
Whole March precipitation this yr was 69.35 mm together with three hint values, that’s, 69.2 mm if hint values are ignored. That is almost 25% wetter than the 183-year long-term (1838-2020) common March precipitation at Armagh (55.7mm) and greater than 15% wetter than the latest (1991-2020) 30-year common (59.7mm). This contrasts with that for Northern Eire as an entire, which in line with the Met Workplace was drier than common. It reveals that rainfall quantities, even over an space as small as Northern Eire, fluctuate considerably from place to position.
The wettest day this month noticed 22.3mm of rainfall on the twenty fourth, adopted by 9.9mm on the fifth, and seven.5mm on the twelfth. The twenty fourth was additionally the thirteenth wettest day on file for March at Armagh. Snowflakes, sleet, and small hail have been noticed on the twenty fifth, which was in any other case a fairly sunny day with sunny spells and showers, and a complete of 6.7 hours of sturdy sunshine. Hail was additionally noticed round lunchtime on the twenty seventh.
CREDIT: LiamMcArdle.com
With a complete of 126.8 hours of sturdy sunshine, this March was sunnier than common, roughly 24% greater than the 140-year long-term (1881-2020) common March at Armagh (102.4 hours of sturdy sunshine) and 23% greater than the latest (1991-2020) 30-year common (103.0 hours). This was the sunniest March at Armagh for 4 years, that’s, for the reason that record-breaking sunny March 2022 (188.4 hours of sturdy sunshine).
The sunniest days have been the nineteenth with 10.3 hours of sturdy sunshine, adopted by the sixth with 9.7 hours, and the third with 9.3 hours. This month there have been solely 3 sunless days, that’s, days with zero hours of sturdy sunshine, which is roughly half the long-term March common (6 days).
These information check with observations at Armagh Observatory, which has been recording the climate at Armagh since 1795.
For additional data, please contact:
Professor Mark E. Bailey
Emeritus Director of Armagh Observatory
Armagh Observatory and Planetarium
Faculty Hill
Armagh
BT61 9DG
Tel: 028-3752-2928
E-mail: mark.bailey@armagh.ac.uk
