Annual Weather Report for 2012

There will be nothing surprising in starting this report with a
discussion about the rainfall totals that have been recorded during the
past year. The year total of 1462.0mm is far in excess of my previous
wettest year, 2000, at 1298.7mm.  So the average monthly total is about
122mm, which is much higher than any month would normally record.
Furthermore just 75.2mm of this enormous total was recorded in the first
three months of 2012.  We are used to unpredictable weather in this
country, but the rainfall ‘swing’ from a dry 2011, with a total of less
than half that of 2012 to the recent pattern is probably unprecedented.
Measurable rainfall in 2012 was recorded on 206 days, compared to 168 in
2011, ten days recorded falls of more than 25mm, compared with two in
2011. The highest total in any one day was 73.7mm on the 6th. July.

‘Dry’ spells of five days or more occurred from January  11-16inclusive;            February 23-March 1; March 18-April 2; May 20- June 1;
July 19-28; September 3-8.

Significant wet spells were April 16-30; May 6-10; June 2-July
16; August 14-16; 24-29; September 22-27; 30-October 18; 31- November 4;
19-27; December 13-31.

In terms of temperature, January was mild; February cold,
with the lowest reading of -9.9C occurring on the 4th;  then mild after
13th; March, warm. April, cool; May cool first three weeks then warm,
with a high of 29.0C on the 25th. This was the warmest maximum reading
since a similar figure on 6th. August 2006. June, cool and July, cool,
but with a warm week near the month’s end with the highest reading for
the year  of 29.2C on the 25th. making this the warmest afternoon since
July 27th. 2006. August, September and October, rather cool. November
about average. December -mild. The year overall was about 0.8C cooler
than 2011, but 0.9C milder than 2010. There were 62 airfrosts in 2012 as
opposed to 43 in 2011.

Peter at Pottlelake