2012 started with the residual mildness of 2011, with the
minimum temperature on the 1st being the same as on the 31st December
at 9.4,  the warmest night of the month. Other than four or five days in
the middle and the last few days when the continental high pressure
brought cold easterlies, January was mild, sometimes remarkably so, with
my highest reading of 14C occuring on the 18th.  Overall, with a mean
temperature of just over 6C,  this was the mildest January since 2008.
Even so,  I recorded eleven air frosts with my ‘ low’ reading minimum
thermometer; the extreme being -4.2C on the 17th.

In marked contrast to the mild Januaries of 2007 and 2008,
rainfall in January 2012 was much lower at just under 50mm, with only
one wet day – the 29th when Ann recorded 10.1mm. This was the day we set off
to ‘seek the sun’, and I am very grateful to Ann for taking  the
readings for me for the ensuing week.  The lack of rainfall that we have
recorded over the past months is becoming quite significant, and the
coupling of mild and dry conditions throughout the darkest three months
just passed is really unusual.  Despite that, recordable falls occurred
on eighteen days. Perhaps this is why everything seems to be so
saturated when it did actually rain; there not being the chance for much
evaporation at this time of year. Nationwide, it appears to have been
sunnier than normal during January, and it was quite often the case that
there were some gloriously sunny days to help to get us through this
winter month.

Peter at Pottlelake