England enjoyed its sunniest March on record last month, along with its sixth driest, as persistent high pressure brought long spells of clear weather.
Some 185.8 hours of sunshine were measured across England, 59% more than the long-term average, according to provisional figures from the Met Office.
This beats the previous record of 171.7 hours set in 1929.
Wales saw its second sunniest March, with 53% more hours than average.
Scotland and Northern Ireland also saw an above average amount of sunshine, at 20% and 13% respectively, though neither nation came close to record levels.
☀️ March 2025 has been the sunniest March on record for England, according to provisional Met Office statistics.
— Met Office (@metoffice) April 1, 2025
️ We also saw above average temperatures.
☔️ It was also dry, with well below average rainfall.
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Met Office scientist Emily Carlisle said: “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 19C for example and although temperatures have dipped at times, many have continued to enjoy some warm spring sunshine.”
Across the UK as a whole there were 158.1 hours of sunshine, the third highest total recorded for March, behind 165.5 hours in 2022 and 166.9 hours in 1929.
Met Office records for sunshine begin in 1910.
Last month was also very dry, with the UK seeing just 43% of its average rainfall for March.
Most of the southern half of England and parts of South Wales recorded only a fifth of their long-term average.
Wales experienced its fourth driest March on record, England its sixth and Northern Ireland its ninth, based on Met Office data for rainfall beginning in 1836.
By contrast, Scotland saw nearly two-thirds (64%) of its average rainfall for the month.
