December Weather Report.
I have to agree with the nationwide report that says that this
December was the coldest since 1890. I remember it well!
The average temperature here worked out at 0.9, with the maximum mean being 4.9+, and the mean minimum -3.1. This means that on average, the temperature was below freezing for rather over nine hours each day. The minimum reading, on the morning of the 26th. of -11.5C was quite the lowest that I have recorded since we moved here in 1994. This fact was collaborated by several other weather-watchers around the valley. Only two days and three nights later, we had above average temperatures, with the month’s mildest day at 10.8C, and mildest night at 5.6C. Three nights were colder than the -8.7C recorded on January 5th. This figure was first broken on December 3rd; the morning after the first snowfall, at -8.9C. Then came -10.4C on the 19th, which was followed by the only sub-freezing day of the month.
Snow was recorded on the ground on 12 mornings, along with 23 Air Frosts, but pluses were that it was a dry month with rain/snow falling on just eight days, totalling 30.5mm, which is probably less than a third of the usual total expected. Also, it was undoubtedly a sunny month; totals of over ninety hours were recorded a little further west of here.
Weather Summary for 2010.
Cold winter, Cool Spring, but becoming sunny and dry, Fine and warm in June, then an average summer and autumn, but a very cold final six weeks.
2010 nationwide is considered the coldest year since 1986, and in
Pottlelake, an average temperature of 9.23 was nearly 1 1/4 deg. C.
lower than 2008 & 2009. The main feature of the cold was the night time temperature which averaged out at 4.14C, and gave 92 Air Frosts. In 2009 there were 51.
However, these implied clear nights were endorsed by a considerably drier year, with 766.3mm of rain (and snow) falling on 147 days as opposed to 1093.1mm. on 168 days in 2009. I should reckon on an average here of around 900mm. March and September would be considered wetter than average, whilst December, at 30.5mm was the driest month.
The highest temperature of the year, 27.5C was recorded on 9th. July; the coldest daytime maximum -1.0C on 28th. November. The warmest night, 16.0 on 21st. August, and the coldest, -11.5C on 26th. December. There was an air frost free period of 157 days from 13th. May to 17th.October. The equivalent in 2009 was from 28th. April to 18th. October.
Peter, Pottlelake