looduskalender.ee

11^th week: depressions from west brought spring weather for the beginning of spring (20.03).

 

On March 16 -17 low pressure troughs and high pressure ridges arriving with the cold north-westerly air flows moved across Estonia. The night-time minimum temperature was recorded on 17.03 in Jõhvi: -24,6 °C, the western shores of the islands were markedly warmer (-3..-5 ºC). During daytime there were flurries of snow and the gusts of northwesterly winds reached 12-17 m/s in the low pressure troughs. The air temperature remained on the minus side (0..-9 ºC).

On Thursday (18.03) a humid low pressure trough with markedly warmer air reached Estonia and the southerly wind, 17 m/s in gusts, raised the air temperature to -1..+ 3 ºC in daytime.

On Saturday (20.03) the next low pressure trough moved across Estonia in a humid and warm westerly flow: there were drizzles everywhere (even in the night). The southerly wind reached up to 16 m/s and even the night temperatures stayed mostly on the plus side (0..+3 °C). Daytime brought clearing skies and regardless of the windy weather the air temperature was 2..8 °C. So calendar spring arrived.

On Sunday night (21.03) a high pressure ridge lay over Estonia with the calmer weather and the nightly air temperature fell to below zero. In southern Estonia the plus temperatures stayed  (up to  +2 °C). When the morning mist disappeared the air temperature rose to +1...+7 °C , and when the sun showed up it became nearly 10 °C. The maximum temperature of the week was recorded from Võru: +9,5 °C.At the same time another low pressure area already approached from the sea and from midday rain started to fall, beginning from the islands. In the evening as the depression reached western Estonia, the rain was replaced by slush and snow in northern Estonia due to the cold north wind.

 

Looduskalender.ee

Going towards spring in late winter, we always look for feathered friends arriving although our thick snow cover must have been a surprise for the migrants. The southerly winds favoured the arrivals of migrants. With the calendar spring starling flocks as well as skylarks were here. Gulls appeared on the coast and inland in addition to those whi had wintered here. Stock pigeons were seen and in the upper flows of spring-fed rivers grey herons were observed.