UK weather: Met Office warns rain likely by mid-April as sunniest March on record set to end

This comes as persistent high pressure dominated much of the UK throughout March, blocking wet weather systems and allowing sunshine to build. England saw 185.8 hours of sunshine, a 59% increase over its long-term average and beating the previous record of 171.7 hours set in March 1929.

“There was a clear north-south divide,” the Met Office said, with southern England recording its sunniest March on record, and northern England its third sunniest. Wales saw its second sunniest March, and the UK overall had its third sunniest March on record.

Met Office Scientist Emily Carlisle explained the conditions behind the exceptional weather: “Persistent high pressure, along with a lack of fronts arriving from the west, has meant that many have enjoyed a warm, dry and very sunny March. At the beginning of the month, some areas of Cumbria reached 19°C for example and although temperatures have dipped at times, many have continued to enjoy some warm spring sunshine.”

The southeast saw particularly high sunshine levels, with the Midlands and East Anglia both recording their sunniest Marches. However, the Western Isles, parts of Northern Ireland, and northern Scotland fell short of their monthly sunshine averages.

Temperatures across the UK were also well above average, with March 2025 ranking as the UK’s tenth warmest March by mean temperature, and the fourth warmest by average maximum temperature. The highest temperature of the year so far - 21.3°C - was recorded in Northolt, west London and Chertsey, Surrey, on 20 March.

Despite this warm and settled spell, change is on the horizon. The Met Office’s forecast for Sunday, April 6 to Tuesday, April 15, suggests that while high pressure is likely to persist initially, rain could begin to push in from the west as we head deeper into the month.

“Towards the middle of April, the weather may turn more unsettled as rain or showers try to push in from the west,” the Met Office said in its latest outlook. Breezy conditions are expected at times, especially in the southwest, with some cooler interludes depending on wind direction and cloud cover.