Spring has officially sprung, at least according to the Met Office, not that you would know it from the morning temperatures over the last couple of days. That’s because the Met office likes things nice and tidy with four seasons, each three months long, so meteorological Spring starts on 1st March.. Astronomical Spring does not begin until the Vernal (Spring) Equinox, this year on 20th March at 09:01 UTC (GMT for those using Imperial measures), so things have a couple of weeks to improve before we can complain that Spring is cold. Astronomical Spring seems to be a much more rational concept than Meteorological Spring.
What a week it has been! It began with the Environment Agency lifting the Flood Warning for groundwater flooding around the River Till, though the Flood Alert for Salisbury Plain was left in force. Falling water levels in the Tilshead aquifer and the River Till all gave the impression that the winter flood season might have been drawing to an end. Still, the wet spell in the middle of last week added 40.4mm of rain to the catchment and consequently the water levels in the borehole and the River Till have reversed direction once again.
The level has risen around half a metre in just the last 24 hours and if that is repeated in the next 24-48 hours, the Environment Agency might be tempted to reinstate the Flood Warning. The next week looks to be largely dry, but as we get to the middle of the month, there is an increasing probability of periods of wet weather across the whole country. Temperatures are likely to be mild and we should see a bit of sun. The mild, wet weather is likely to continue until the end of the month, even here in the south-west.