Most of you will have heard the old weather proverb ‘in like a lion, out like a lamb’ to describe March.
This is based on the idea March starts in winter and ends in spring, but of course we know that in reality that means nothing weather-wise.
Some of our worst snowfalls have been in March and April, and indeed can have a huge impact on our lambing season.
I remember at the end of March 2013 there was a huge fall of snow in Arran and Kintrye which brought down pylons and cut power to around 20,000 people.
And much to the delight of kids living in the affected areas, some schools were closed for a week.
So as you can see sometimes March can start like a lion and end rather more like a Scottish wildcat.
But this March, Mother Nature might actually play ball. What sticks clearly in my head is how quiet the weather was in October and November last year, but suddenly like a switch, in the first week of December it all went to pot.
The jet stream has remained nearby bringing bout after bout of wind and rain for weeks.
And remember the jet stream has been so powerful at times that it’s given us record-breaking flight times this winter.
The good news is the jet is finally on the move, and that means the low pressure systems and their rain is also on the way out.
There’s a fair signal for high pressure to build close to or over the UK later next week, which would bring much quieter and brighter conditions, and this may last until the end of the month.
If, as signalled by some computer models, the high pressure builds to our east then we would get a south to south easterly air flow bringing drier air from the continent and therefore sunnier weather.
At this time of year that means large diurnal temperature variations are possible.
I hear you… Well this just means it would feel fairly pleasant by day in the sunshine, but with clear skies at night temperatures could plummet.
So plenty to look forward to in the coming weeks, the daffodils are looking pleasant, the sun could come out for longer than half an hour, the clocks change and Easter is just around the corner.
