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graphs      CLIMATE-UK.COM'S  REVIEW  OF  THE  BRITISH  METEOROLOGICAL  SCENE
     MONTHLY  SUMMARY
     No. 601 For   JANUARY  2006
DRIEST SINCE 1997.  VERY DULL UNTIL THE 19TH THEN SUNNY. VARIABLE TEMPERATURES
Text Box: Although the Atlantic was active, especially during the first three weeks, the favoured depression track was past Iceland into the Norwegian Sea; as a consequence the UK’s weather was influenced by continental anticyclones from the 4th-9th and 22nd-24th while high pressure covered the country for most of the last week. The main sea-level pressure anomalies were +14mbar over the Baltic and -15mbar over east Greenland. Low pressure centred over northern England early on the 1st moved away quickly and a short-lived ridge of high pressure brought local frost and patchy fog early on the 2nd before Atlantic fronts delivered rain later that day and on the 3rd. It was briefly very mild in Cornwall and Devon with 14°C at Teignmouth and Falmouth. A developing anticyclone over northeastern Europe resulted in an easterly flow becoming established over Britain from the 4th-8th. Freezing fog lasted all day in central Scotland on the 4th but most places were overcast and rather cold during this period with a few sleet or snow flurries; a spell of heavier snow affected central and southern parts of England and Wales for a few hours on the 7th, followed by rain on the 8th as temperatures began to rise. Sunshine was mostly confined to a few coastal districts, but a fairly sunny day in Scotland on the 8th was followed by a sharp frost with -8.5°C early on the 9th at Aboyne (Aberdeenshire). From the 9th-19th a mainly south-westerly flow held sway, bringing unsettled weather with frequent rain and strong winds, the heaviest of the rain and roughest winds in northern and western regions. The rain on the 9th was preceded by snow and freezing rain briefly in Scotland, but the depression of 10th-11th was the most vigorous of the month with winds gusting to 70kn in the Western Isles; 78mm of rain fell in 48 hours at Shap (Cumbria). Amounts of rain over much of central and eastern England, however, were small. It became
Text Box: very mild during the third week with 13.9°C at Malvern (Worcs) on the 18th and again at Kinloss (Moray) on the 19th, while the minimum overnight 18th/19th at Newry (Down) was 11.7°C. The shortage of sunshine continued especially in eastern England and the Midlands with just 16.3 hours of sunshine at Watnall (Notts) in the 31 days ending on the 19th. A vigorous cold front swept across the country overnight 19th/20th with local hail and thunder but a small anticyclone developed over the UK on the 21st, and this in turn developed into a strong ridge from an intense anticyclone over northern Russia. From the 25th-31st highest pressure lay over the British Isles. Nearly all parts of the UK were dry from the 20th onwards, and several days were sunny (8.6 hours at Bognor in Sussex and Weymouth in Dorset on the 29th and at St Mawgan in Cornwall on the 30th), but it turned colder with widespread night frosts and a few patches of freezing fog: minima below -10°C occurred widely in northern Britain overnight 29th/30th and 30th/31st, with -11.7°C at Aviemore (Inverness-shire) on the latter night while persistent freezing fog resulted in some low day maxima, notably -2.5°C at Eskdalemuir (Dumfriesshire) on the 30th. Some light falls of snow were noted in southern England, chiefly in Kent, late on the 27th. Cold spells from the 4th-8th and 23rd-31st were offset by a milder period around mid-month; nevertheless, this was widely the coldest January since 2001. It was an outstandingly dry month with less than 10mm of rain reported from several places in eastern England, the Midlands, and the Moray Firth area, although averaged nationally it was not as dry as January 1997. There was a notable shortage of sunshine until the 19th but an abundance thereafter; monthly percentages ranged from 60-70 in the Central Lowlands of Scotland to 160-170 locally in Cornwall and West Wales.
                                                                                                                                           
                       TEMPERATURE                                SUNSHINE                            RAINFALL        
                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                   
                                          Highest and lowest totals                     Highest and lowest totals        
                                              on record for month    
Maximum fall in 24 hrs (beginning 09 h)
                    on record for month    
Days with snow or sleet
 
Days with fog (Vis <220 yards at 09 h)
 
                                                                                         
     
Difference from average
   
Difference from average
 
Highest maximum
   
Lowest minimum
   
No. of days with grass minimum below 0ºC
   
Days of no sunshine
 
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