January 2006
Everyone knows January was dry, grey and rather cold. The rainfall for
the month was only 42mm. The average for the last few Januaries was
157mm, so January 2006 produced not much more than a quarter of the
average. Indeed, there were 19 days with no rain at all, and the
highest daily fall was a mere 9mm on the 10th. Six other days had only
1mm of 'rain', but it was probably just melted hoar frost.
The overall temperature for the month was 5.5°C, where the average for
the last few years is 6.1°C. But the middle of the month was quite
mild: the 19th had a high of 12.0°C. The lowest was -2.3°C on the
24th.
The first week of February has been cold and grey, with a couple of
crisp sunny days. There has been only 5mm of rain, though mild wet
weather is forecast for the weekend of 11th and 12th. But we shall
need some serious rain in the rest of the month to make up the deficit
of the winter.
February 2006
The Met Office keep banging on about the seasons, so I thought I would
look at the last few Winters. The Met Office call the period from
December to February Winter. (Spring is March to May, Summer June to
August, Autumn September to November.) Over the last few years the
average Winter rainfall has been 406.8mm. This Winter just ended
produced only 241mm. You can see why the Environment Agency are
concerned. The average for Spring is 263.8mm, for Summer 222.2mm and
for Autumn 442.6mm. It will be interesting to see if the rest of 2006
can make up the deficit.
February's rainfall of 101mm consisted of two downpours (35mm on the
14th and 26mm on the 19th) plus 14 days when there was less than 10mm
each day. There were also 12 days with no rain at all. February's rain
seems to be quite variable: in 2005 it was only 45mm, and the average
over the last few years is 96mm.
Nobody needs telling that the temperatures were down. The minimum was
-2.4°C on the 3rd, with a warmish few days in the middle of the month:
the 14th made 10.4°C and the 15th 10.9°C. The average for the month
was 4.5°C. This is nearly 1°C down on the February average for the
last few years.
March started cold and dry, but the first week ended wet, mild and
windy.
March 2006
The month was divided sharply into the first 22 days and the last 9.
The average daily temperature for the earlier part of March was 4.8°C.
For the second part it was 9.7°C. Indeed the daytime maximum was
always in double figures in the last week and included a 13.4°C on the
26th. The monthly average was 6.1°C, against an average March figure
of 8.4°C.
Equally the rainfall pattern suddenly changed too. The first part of
the month gave us only 28mm, but the second part produced 91mm. The
highest daily total was on the 23rd with 21mm. There were 14 days
without any rain, all in the first part of the month. The total
rainfall so far this year is 262mm, the average for the last few years
being 326.5mm. But the reservoir levels in our region are normal,
according to the Environment Agency.
The first week of April has been quite mild and Spring-like after a
mostly chilly start to the day, and always with a cold wind. The
second week is forecast to be warmer still, with temperatures up to
15°C. My tadpoles will enjoy that.
April 2006
Average rainfall in April over the last few years was over 100mm. Now,
with only 37mm in April 2006, the average has dropped to just over
90mm. This year's is the lowest April total I have recorded this
century. There were 20 days with no rain at all, and the highest on
any one day was 9mm. The total so far this year is 299mm against an
average at this time of the year of 416.8mm.
The highest daytime temperature was 17.4°C on the 26th, and the lowest
nighttime temperature was 1.0°C on the 4th. The overall monthly
average was 10.3°C.
May has started dry (all zeroes except 17mm on the 7th) and warm:
22.6C on the 4th. Anyone interested in looking at the weather for
further ahead should try the BBC's monthly forecast at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/ukweather/monthly_outlook.shtml.
No more than a general indication of trends, and so not specially
accurate in detail. But it is updated weekly for the month
ahead.
May 2006
At last quite a wet month. The 141mm of rain that fell was nearly twice
the monthly average of 75.4mm. Most of it came in the eight days between
the 17th and the 24th, when we had 115mm. The highest total was 40mm on
the 21st, but there were also 17 days without rain. The total this year
so far is now 431mm, against an average of 501.7mm.
The temperatures were exactly on the average for the month, 13.7°C. The
highest was 23.4 on the 12th, the lowest 5.5°C on the 30th. The seasonal
average for Spring was rather down on the average for the last few
years: 10°C, but that was due to a cold March.
June has started with a heatwave. The lowest daytime temperature I've
recorded in the first week is 24.4°C, with two days at 28.9°C and one at
28.8°C. But no rain so far, though there is some talk of thunderstorms
in the outlook period.
June 2006
June was extraordinary. There were 29 out of the 30 days with negligible
rainfall, of which 25 had none at all. So it was just the 21mm on the
25th that brought the total up to a more respectable 30mm.The monthly
June average for the last few years has dropped from nearly 58mm up till
last year to just over 53mm now. The total rainfall for the year so far
is 461mm against an average of 554.8mm.
Temperatures too were unusual. The thermometer registered 20°C or more
on 24 out of the 30 days, and the minimum night temperature was 10°C on
the 5th and the 22nd. The highest day temperature was 29.9°C on the
17th. The overall monthly average was 18.9°C against an average for the
last few Junes of 17.2°C.
July has continued the trend, with a high of 33.4°C on the 2nd, but
rather more rain with 16mm in the first 9 days.
July 2006
To sum it up, hot and dry. The rainfall total was 43mm, barely half the
monthly average for July. There was only one day with double-figure
rain: 10mm on the 31st. 23 days produced no rain at all. The rainfall
for the year so far is 413mm against an average of 640.5mm. So the
plants and trees have had to cope with a shortage of about 5 inches this
year.
Temperatures too have been unusual, to say the least. The highest was
35.5°C on the 17th, the lowest daytime temperature was 21.9°C on the
31st. Night figures were mostly stifling, with 20.5°C on the 18th, but
only 12.0°C on the 11th. The overall monthly average was 21.8°C compared
with an average for the last few years of 18.1°C.
August has started with temperatures more like an ordinary summer, if
there is any such thing these days. But still hardly a drop of rain.
August 2006
The 23rd was the wettest day, with 26mm of rain. The other 30 days could
only manage 31mm between them, giving a total for the month of 57mm.
This compares with an average for the last few years of 72mm. The total
rainfall for the year so far is 570mm, against an average of 710mm for
this time in the year, a difference of about 80%. So a dry year so far,
but not desperately dry.
August was not a spectacularly hot month, unlike July. The highest
temperature was 25.3°C on the 6th, the lowest during the day was 17.9°C
on the 11th. The warmest night was on the 6th with 18.6°C, while the
coolest night was the 10.0°C on the 24th. The overall monthly average
was 17.5°C against 18.4°C for the last few years and against 21.8°C for
July.
September has started mixed, with gales, some sunshine and a few showers
in the first week.
September 2006
The last four days of September provided 36mm, half the total rainfall
for the whole month. There were 17 days without rain at all, and only
one day, the 30th, with more than single figures. The average September
rainfall over the last few years is only 56.2mm, so this year's 72mm is
a small bonus. But the rain for the year so far is still only 642.0mm
against an average of 766.2mm, under 85%.
The highest temperature was the 23.5°C on the 11th, the lowest 11.0°C on
the 7th. It seems extraordinary that the last time there was a
temperature of less than 10°C was in May, when one would normally expect
the first frosts around this time of year. The overall average for
September was 17.0°C against an average for the last few years of 15.1°C.
October has started as September ended, with gales, rain and mild
temperatures. But the nights are getting dark earlier, and Autumn is
truly here.
October 2006
The month gave us 257mm of rain, well up with the last few years and
above the average for October of 218mm. The highest fall was on the 19th
with 70mm, and there were 30mm amd 32mm on the 22nd and 23rd. There were
only 8 days with no rain at all. This has brought the total so far this
year to 899mm, nearly 100mm below the average for this time in the year,
but better than last month when the total was 124mm below the average.
Temperatures were well above the average as summer seemed to extend
beyond its usual months. The average for the month was 14.4°C against an
average of 12.3°C for the last few years. The highest temperature was
18.4°C on the 10th, the lowest daytime temperature never falling below
double figures for the whole month. And the temperature at night was
only below double figures on three nights, the 3rd (8.8°C), the 4th
(9.6°C) and the 31st (7.5°C).
November is looking to be colder, on the other hand. There have been no
night temperatures into double figures in the first week, though the
daytime figures are well up in the bright sunshine. (As I write this, I
have just chased a bee out of my kitchen.) Rain has been negligible so
far; indeed it seems to have consisted of fog and mist condensing on to
chilly surfaces during the night.
November 2006
As I wrote in my last piece, November seemed to be looking colder. I was
quite wrong: the first week was chilly, but then the weather returned to
its warm, wet and windy self. Rainfall was high at 203mm; the average
for November is 184.7mm. There were only 9 days with no rain, but 22
days with less than 10mm. So a steady drizzle overall, with the highest
at 31mm on the 19th.
Temperatures, after the first week, were definitely on the mild side.
The highest was 14.9°C on the 12th, the lowest 3.7°C on the 2nd. The
monthly average was 10.2°C, a full degree above the average for
November. So the Met Office's Autumn (September to November) average was
a warm 13.9°C, against an average over the last few years of 12.0°C.
December has continued the warm, wet and windy spell. The lowest
temperature in the first week has been 8.5°C. However, frosts look more
likely in the middle of the month. But I've been wrong before!
December 2006
December started warm, wet and windy. The first half of the month gave us 122mm of rain, followed by a much drier spell of 7mm through till the last three days brought 95mm. The total rainfall for the month was 224mm, with the highest being 59mm on the 29th. The overall temperature for the month was a mild 8.5°C against the December average of 6.8°C, the lowest was 0.1°C on the 20th, the highest 13.8°C on the 1st. December also produced the highest atmospheric pressure reading I have had: 1049 hPa on the 22nd.
Overall the rainfall for 2006 was 1326mm, slightly up on the average of 1297.8mm, but well below the total of 1805mm in 2002. The average temperature for the whole year was 12.4°C, significantly higher than the average for the last few years of 11.8°C.
The Met Office is predicting a warm 2007, and certainly the first week or so has continued the trend of wet, mild and windy weather of this Winter. Indeed the Winter seems not to have properly got started, and with the days beginning to lengthen perhaps we shall have another early Spring. But there is a long trudge through the rest of January and then February before we can look for that.