Brits will soon bask in balmy temperatures – as the mercury rockets by up to 20C in places – and spring finally arrives.
It is set be warmer here than in Madrid on Saturday March 8 with temperatures to peak at 16C in southern and eastern areas. This will be a rise of more than 20C to Wednesday’s lows of -5C, recorded in Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, and a stark jump from -2.4C in Santon Downham, Suffolk.
Advanced weather modelling maps show the warmest of the balmy spell – Saturday March 8 – and Madrid is forecast 14C that day. Those in the Spanish capital can also expect rain – whereas GFS weather maps don’t show any showers in the UK on the same day.
The Met Office anticipates a period of fine weather too. Writing on its website about the forecast between March 3 and March 12, the service says: “High pressure is likely to have more influence across the south of the UK, at least at first. Here, there should be a good deal of fine/dry weather during early March with a chance of night frosts and morning fog patches.”
The daily average temperature high across the UK for March sits at around 9C. Yet the GFS weather model shows temperatures in central and southern England rising well above this from March 6 to March 8. The data suggests temperatures could reach highs of 13C quite widely on March 6, with 12C to 15C highs possible in England and Wales on March 7. And on March 8, temperatures could reach 16C.
Weather maps for March 8 show those in the south-east can expect the best of the weather, with 14C to 15C possible for much of the rest of England. Wales could see highs of 13C. Sadly however, Northern Ireland and Scotland aren’t expected to see temperatures rise into double figures.
Meteorological spring starts on Saturday but the weather for the rest of the week will likely remain cold. A chilly -2C is expected across Aberdeenshire and Scottish Highlands, -1C is anticipated across Cumbria and it struggle to exceed freezing in the Midlands and parts of Wales.
Get email updates with the day’s biggest stories
