January 2015 was a month of two halves weatherwise. The
first part mild and unsettled with recordable rainfall occurring on
thirteen of the first sixteen days. Rather over 80mm of my monthly total of 99.6mm fell during this period. Although this first total figure is near to what an average whole month of January should produce, it is about half the total for the similar period in 2014. The wettest day of the month, 14th recorded 22.2mm, and significant falls of over 15mm fell on the 2nd and 7th. All three of these days gave more than half the final monthly total. This period also gave me a record highest maximum temperature on 9th of 16.6C. This was slightly higher than Exeter Airport’s figure, which was the highest anywhere in the U.K. that day. This figure was more than one degree higher than my previous January record, and it was followed by the mildest night of the month, with a low of 9.2C.

Temperatures started to ease down as we approached mid
month and the winds settled into a NW direction, which stayed that way for the remainder of the month, except for two days, 20-21st, when there was some rain. Light falls of rain occured on seven of the days in the final fortnight. The month which had only recorded one air frost on the 7th, then produced another six, with the coldest night occuring on the 23rd with a minimum of -4.7C. Overall, however, this was a mild January, without any ‘severe’ weather. The average temperature of 6.6C was higher than last year’s figure, but into this I have to take on board my adjusted minimum temperatures, which read low until last May, so I put the month about equal with that of 2014 as far as temperature goes. Rainfall however was about a third of last year’s record breaking wetness.

Peter at Pottlelake