MONTHLY WEATHER SUMMARY – MARCH 2016

Goes on record as the fifth hottest March ever experienced in Bahrain since 1902.

The mean temperature of the month was 22.7°C which is 1.7°C above the long-term normal and is the same as the months of March in 1958, 1980 and 2014 and only exceeded by March 1969 which was 24.7°C, March 2010 which was 23.7°C, March 1977 and 2008 which was 22.9°C and March 2013 which was 22.8°C.

The mean maximum temperature of the month was 26.2°C with the highest temperature recorded in the month being 31.3°C which was on the 12th and 28th of March due to warm southeasterly to southerly winds.

The mean minimum temperature of the month was 20.0°C and goes on record as the third highest mean minimum temperature for March since 1946 and exceeded by March 1969 which was 20.7°C and March 2010 which was 20.3°C. The lowest temperature recorded was 17.1°C which was on the 31st of March at Bahrain International Airport and 15.5°C on the 24th March at Durrat Al Bahrain.

The mean relative humidity for March was 60% and the mean maximum relative humidity was 77% and the mean minimum relative humidity was 40%. 

On the 9th of March, a sharp upper trough extended over the central parts of Saudi Arabia which resulted in unsettled weather conditions associated with thundery showers over the Kingdom of Bahrain with 2.8 mm recorded in Bahrain International Airport and 12.6 mm of rain in Durrat Al Bahrain.

The month had 10 rainy days accumulating 8.6 mm in Bahrain International Airport. Trace amount were recorded on the 5th, 6th, 14th and 22nd of March. It is worth noting that the long-term mean total precipitation for March is 14.0 mm. The highest monthly rainfall ever recorded for March was 139.2 mm which occurred on March 1995. 

The total precipitation for March in Durrat Al Bahrain was 18.2 mm, in King Fahad Causeway was 9.2 mm and in Sitra Island was 8.4 mm.

Shamal winds accounted for 54% of the observation and 27%of the wind observed was prevailing from east to southeast direction with gusts reaching 37 knots on the 21st of March at Bahrain International Airport but recorded 38 knots at Durrat Al Bahrain 

Dust haze was reported on the 22nd of March where visibility dropped to 1500 meters at Bahrain International Airport.