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graphs      CLIMATE-UK.COM'S  REVIEW  OF  THE  BRITISH  METEOROLOGICAL  SCENE
     MONTHLY  SUMMARY
     No. 577 For   JANUARY   2004
        MOSTLY MILD WITH FREQUENT RAIN;   BRIEF WINTRY EPISODE 26TH-29TH
Text Box: Mild, rainy weather dominated during January, but there were also occasional colder and brighter interludes. Mean monthly pressure was below normal, anomalies ranging from -3mbar in southwest Ireland to -9mbar in Shetland, and the anomalous flow over the UK was northwesterly. The first four days of the month were rather cold with widespread night frost, and parts of Scotland and northeast England were snow-covered following the Hogmanay storm. A southwesterly type returned around the 5th, and the second week of January was very mild but also very disturbed with widespread rain and strong winds on most days. Capel Curig in Snowdonia logged 196mm of rain between the 5th and the 15th, South Uist recorded a gust of 70kn on the 10th, and a waterspout in the Bristol Channel was observed off the Glamorgan coast near Barry on the afternoon of the 11th. Notable temperatures included a maximum of 13.6ºC on the 10th at Teignmouth, Devon, and a minimum of 11.7ºC in central London early on the 11th. Colder weather intervened between the 14th and 18th. Heavy snow fell in mid-Wales and the west and south Midlands (15cm locally in Powys) on the 14th, and the following day Boltshope Park in Durham had 20cm. Meanwhile 56mm of rain fell at Capel Curig on the 15th. Very mild westerly winds returned from the 18th to the 23rd with 13ºC exceeded locally, and heavy orographic rain affected western Britain where Loch Glascarnoch measured 82mm during the 18th/19th.
Text Box: It turned rather colder but brighter on the 24th and 25th, and colder still from the 26th to the 29th as the wind veered northerly. Snow fell widely with 15cm in south Lincolnshire overnight 27th/28th, while a dramatic squall-line brought heavy snow and thunder to much of the UK as it travelled southwards during the 28th, seriously disrupting road, rail and air traffic, but the 29th was very sunny (8.9 hours at Eastbourne). The cold weather lasted to the month’s end in northern Scotland where Altnaharra recorded a minimum of -10.2ºC and a maximum of -5.1ºC on the 31st, but the rest of the UK had heavy rain and gales, gusts reaching 60-65kn in many southern and central districts, while Capel Curig recorded 98mm of rain in 48 hours. The month’s top temperature, 13.9ºC, also occurred on the 31st at Madley (Herefordshire). Mean monthly temperature was close to the 1971-2000 normal in northern Scotland, but about 1 degC above everywhere else; over England and Wales there were 20 warmer Januarys in the last 100 years. Much of the month’s rain fell in the second week and on the last two days, and averaged nationally it was the wettest January for five years. At a local level there were deficits of 10-30% in Aberdeenshire, but a few sites in Moray, Ayrshire, the Scottish Borders and North Yorkshire had double the normal amount. The first half of January was dull (only 7 hours’ sunshine at Aviemore up to the 23rd) but several sunnier days later on improved matters; much of southern England reported monthly totals 20-40 per cent above normal, and Lerwick in Shetland enjoyed a 65 per cent excess.
                                                                                                                                         
                       TEMPERATURE                                SUNSHINE                             RAINFALL                                                       
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                   
No. of days with grass minimum below 0ºC
                      Highest and lowest totals    
Maximum fall in 24 hrs (beginning 09 h)
                Highest and lowest totals    
Days with snow or sleet
 
Days with fog (Vis <220 yards at 09 h)
 
     
Difference from average
   
Difference from average
             
Days of no sunshine
                      on record for month                         on record for month        
                                                                                         
           
Highest maximum
   
Lowest minimum
         
Maximum duration
       
First year of record
         
Days of no rainfall (0.1 mm or less)
         
First year of record
         
Days with thunder
     
       PLACE  
Mean Maximum
   
Mean minimum
             
No. of air frosts
       
Total for month
                   
Total for month
                   
                               
% of average
                   
% of average
                 
                                                                     
                                   
Highest
   
Lowest
 
Year
             
Highest
   
Lowest
 
Year
       
             
Date
   
Date
         
Date
         
Year
         
Date
         
Year
           
                                                                     
      ºC       ºC       ºC       ºC             Hrs       Hrs         Hrs       Hrs       mm       mm         mm     mm          
                                                                                                                                         
  *Hampstead   07.8   +1.2   02.3   +0.6   12.0   06   -04.2   29   20   10   09   07.6   29   059   140   1910   096   2003   020   1917   06   11   15   092   147   1910   131   1995   14   1914   01   03   00  
  Thorney Island   08.7   +1.0   03.7   +1.6   11.8   10   -02.9   29   13   05   09   07.8   29   070   112   1956   105   2003   035   1975   10   13   12   084   110   1941   160   1988   12   1987   01   01   00  
  *Coltishall   07.0   0.0   02.7   +1.0   11.9   11   -04.0   29   14   06   14   07.7   29   051   093   1979   088   2001   027   1996   7   14   30   094   168   1964   109   1988   09   1997   01   04   01  
  *Wittering   07.2   +1.4   02.9   +1.3   12.0   31   -02.6   29   15   07   11   07.9   29   059   110   1950   096   1959   016   1996   7   13   31   069   134   1948   107   1948   12   2000   00   05   01  
                                                                     
  Lyneham   07.4   +1.2   02.7   +1.5   11.9   31   -03.1   29   12   10   11   08.3   29   059   114   1952   088   1952   027   1996   11   15   07   090   140   1946   132   1995   06   1997   02   04   00  
  Ross-on-Wye   08.3   +1.4   04.3   +1.8   13.0   31   -03.0   29   13   06   12   07.7   29   054   102   1915   096   1952   017   1996   8   22   30   090   133   1859   161   1943   07   1898   01   04   00  
  *St Athan   08.3   +1.3   04.3   +1.3   12.4   30   -02.2   29   12   05   13   07.1   29   054   105   1954   085   1959   021   1996   7   23   30   133   155   1954   172   1995   09   1997   00   01   01  
  St Mawgan   09.3   +0.8   05.8   +1.3   12.2   30   -01.2   29   04   01   10   07.8   29   067   114   1944   114   1963   029   1973   4   21   07   128   113   1945   217   1974   14   1987   00   01   00  
                                                                     
  *Edgbaston   07.1   +1.1   03.8   +1.8   12.7   31   -02.1   29   16   07   14   05.7   06   047   105   1887   077   1952   007   1917   5   20   30   101   174   1887   153   1960   13   1888   01   03   00  
  Valley   08.4   +0.5   05.1   +0.8   10.6   10   -01.1   18   09   02   12   06.9   29   048   085   1946   094   2001   024   1983   6   15   15   093   109   1941   195   1948   07   1997   00   03   00  
  Ringway   07.7   +1.3   02.6   +1.0   11.9   31   -04.2   29   14   08   15   06.1   27   034   081   1945   074   1991   011   1953   5   19   19   112   167   1942   170   1948   08   1997   01   05   01  
  *Watnall   07.1   +1.3   03.2   +1.6   12.4   31   -02.7   29   12   07   11   07.0   25   050   093   1948   083   2000   013   1996   6   19   30   072   141   1942   149   1948   10   1997   01   03   00  
                                                                     
  Leeming   07.4   +1.2   02.8   +1.4   12.4   19   -04.1   29   17   08   09   07.2   24   055   101   1945   091   1959   018   1996   9   23   31   081   145   1945   129   1948   06   1997   00   04   01  
  *Boulmer   07.3   +0.6   03.1   +1.5   12.9   19   -01.1   28   11   06   12   06.9   24   043   082   1945   104   1959   010   1996   7   24   31   111   170   1945   189   1948   09   1989   01   05   00  
  Eskdalemuir   05.2   +0.6   01.3   +1.5   10.3   19   -05.5   28   18   12   16   04.9   29   029   070   1911   096   1959   009   1996   1   62   31   226   151   1911   390   1928   38   1997   00   12   00  
  *Bishopton   07.0   +0.6   02.3   +1.6   11.5   19   -02.7   28   20   09   12   05.9   17   037   092   1921   069   1972   009   1940   2   23   08   164   169   1921   241   1928   18   1963   00   06   00  
                                                                     
  Leuchars   06.9   +0.8   02.2   +0.9   13.7   19   -02.6   28   20   09   10   06.7   24   058   100   1922   101   1959   014   1996   8   11   08   061   102   1922   167   1993   12   1953   00   07   00  
  Dyce   06.6   +1.0   01.6   +0.9   11.9   19   -02.9   28   22   11   13   06.9   24   046   091   1941   089   1959   010   1996   9   12   18   075   095   1941   157   1970   13   1989   00   05   00  
  *Stornoway   06.9   0.0   03.0   +0.3   11.0   07   -00.9   31   16   06   14   04.1   17   021   059   1880   079   2001   012   1907   0   14   18   149   129   1943   275   1993   26   1963   01   06   00  
  *Aldergrove   06.7   +0.3   02.7   +0.8   10.7   07   -04.4   26   14   06   12   04.9   17   036   081   1927   082   1959   024   1996   3   18   30   091   113   1927   150   1984   22   1997   00   04   00  
                                                                     
                                                                                                                                         
  Stations marked with an asterisk record sunshine electronically; comparisons      
  with earlier records are therefore somewhat speculative. Thorney Island's      
  sunshine figures are made at nearby Hayling Island.