MARCH 2026 WARMER, WETTER, AND SUNNIER THAN AVERAGE
Armagh Observatory, 3rd April 2026: Armagh Observatory reports that March 2026 was warmer, wetter, and sunnier than average. This was the equal thirteenth warmest March on record at Armagh and the sunniest for four years, that is, since the record-breaking sunny March 2022.
The mean temperature was 7.8 degrees Celsius (46.1 Fahrenheit). This was approximately 2.0C warmer than the 225-year long-term (1796-2020) average March temperature at Armagh (5.82 C) and 1.1C warmer than the most recent (1991-2020) 30-year March average (6.75 C).
Gardeners will have noticed that average March temperatures have significantly increased over the last forty or fifty years. At Armagh, the (1961-1990) 30-year average March temperature (6.0 C) was 0.75C cooler than the corresponding most recent (1991-2020) average, suggesting an average March warming of approximately 0.25C per decade. This warming shows no sign of diminishing, for example, 18 of the last 26 Marches during the current 30-year period have been warmer than the most recent 30-year average.
This month, the highest maximum air temperature or warmest day was an unremarkable 17.6C on the 19th, followed by 16.2C on the 20th, and 15.5C on the 21st. Although this was not an exceptionally warm day, it was still the warmest day of the year at Armagh so far.
The lowest maximum air temperature, usually the coolest day, was 7.0C on the 5th, followed by 8.1C on the 13th, and 8.2C on the 12th. Although the 17th, St Patrick’s day, was slightly warmer than average with some sunshine late morning and early afternoon, it felt cool in the breeze and became wet from late afternoon.
The highest minimum air temperature, usually the warmest night, was 9.3C attributed to the 31st, followed by 7.4C attributed to the 24th. The lowest minimum air temperature or coolest night was -1.2C on the 6th followed by -1.0C on the 3rd.
There were 19 nights with ground frost (minimum grass temperature less than or equal to zero Celsius), the lowest three of which were -8.1C on the 3rd, followed by -7.8C on the 6th, and -6.3C on the 4th. There were two nights with air frost, namely the 6th and the 3rd, and no daytime air frosts.
Although March, April, and May usually rank among the drier months of the year, the Observatory’s long-term rainfall data suggest that March, while still a dry month, has become slightly wetter on average than in previous years. For example, dividing the precipitation record into three nearly equal parts, the first two, corresponding to the 140-year period 1838-1977, have an average March rainfall of 52.5mm, whereas the last, corresponding to the more recent 50-year (1977-2026) interval, has an average precipitation of 66.5mm. This represents an increased precipitation of approximately a quarter. Also, of the 24 wettest Marches at Armagh since 1838, eight have occurred in the last 17 years.
Total March precipitation this year was 69.35 mm including three trace values, that is, 69.2 mm if trace values are ignored. This is nearly 25% wetter than the 183-year long-term (1838-2020) average March precipitation at Armagh (55.7mm) and more than 15% wetter than the most recent (1991-2020) 30-year average (59.7mm). This contrasts with that for Northern Ireland as a whole, which according to the Met Office was drier than average. It shows that rainfall amounts, even over an area as small as Northern Ireland, vary significantly from place to place.
The wettest day this month saw 22.3mm of rainfall on the 24th, followed by 9.9mm on the 5th, and 7.5mm on the 12th. The 24th was also the thirteenth wettest day on record for March at Armagh. Snowflakes, sleet, and small hail were observed on the 25th, which was otherwise a reasonably sunny day with sunny spells and showers, and a total of 6.7 hours of strong sunshine. Hail was also observed around lunchtime on the 27th.
CREDIT: LiamMcArdle.com
With a total of 126.8 hours of strong sunshine, this March was sunnier than average, approximately 24% more than the 140-year long-term (1881-2020) average March at Armagh (102.4 hours of strong sunshine) and 23% more than the most recent (1991-2020) 30-year average (103.0 hours). This was the sunniest March at Armagh for four years, that is, since the record-breaking sunny March 2022 (188.4 hours of strong sunshine).
The sunniest days were the 19th with 10.3 hours of strong sunshine, followed by the 6th with 9.7 hours, and the 3rd with 9.3 hours. This month there were only 3 sunless days, that is, days with zero hours of strong sunshine, which is approximately half the long-term March average (6 days).
These data refer to observations at Armagh Observatory, which has been recording the weather at Armagh since 1795.
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