The contrasting Marches of 1961 and 1962 The Marches of 1961 and 1962 were very contrasting. March 1961 was dominated by high pressure to the south of the UK and this allowed winds from the SW to dominate. The weather was often idyllic with warm sunny days and gentle breezes. Around the middle of the month, temperatures soared into the low 20s in the south. The period from February to April 1961 was a very mild period with all 3 months quite a bit above the average. The final CET for March 1961 was 8.2 The following March, March 1962 was a complete contrast. This month was dominated by high pressure to the north and west and this allowed winds from the north to dominate. It was very cold and there were frequent frosts and at times snow in places. Temperatures rarely got into double figures and the CET for the month was a mere 2.8 In both cases, the position of the high pressure dictated the character of the weather for that March. With high pressure to the south, March 1961 was warm, whilst with high pressure to the north, March 1962 was very cold.