RAINFALL in March was above average, according to the Huddersfield University weather station.

March was also cooler than expected. And April will stay cool in the next few days.

Huddersfield meteorologist Paul Stevens said the area was likely to remain fine, dry but cold in the coming days.

“The temperatures have fallen since Easter and they will continue to stay cold, perhaps dropping to minus 1 or minus 2 at night in some areas, bringing a frost.

“But it should remain dry and I don’t think the cold front we are expecting early next week will reach as far down as the Pennines.

“It could mean sleet or snow in the far north and Scotland, but we should avoid that.”

A total of 85.4mm of rain was recorded in March, compared with the average for March of 63.12mm.

The wettest day of the month, with 19% of the total rainfall, was Tuesday 30 – when 16.2mm of rain fell.

The monthly mean temperature was 6.56°C, which was more than half a degree lower than the average March figure of 7.13°C.

The warmest day of the month was Wednesday 17 with an average temperature of 11.9°C.

The coldest day was -0.6°C, recorded on Sunday 7, making it the coldest March day since 2001. The temperature fell below zero on eight days of the month.