With high pressure dominant for most of the month, March was excessively dry – measureable rain fell here on only four days. The Met. Office confirmed that we had less than half of our normal rainfall in what is already one of our driest months. It was also the sunniest March since 1929. There were cold snaps with icy winds early and late in the month, with a milder slot in between. Reflecting the dry autumn and winter, the highest water level at the Devil’s Hole slack was 46 cm lower than last year’s record high. One result is that the spawning sites used by Natterjacks at this site may be too shallow this spring, unless we get a lot of rain.