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graphs      CLIMATE-UK.COM'S  REVIEW  OF  THE  BRITISH  METEOROLOGICAL  SCENE
     MONTHLY  SUMMARY
     No. 613 For   JANUARY  2007
   WARMEST SINCE 1921.   DULL AND WET IN MOST WESTERN DISTRICTS BUT SUNNY IN THE EAST
Text Box: The very unsettled south-westerly type which set in just before the New Year lasted without interruption until the 20th. This was followed by a brief northerly outbreak, but rising pressure led to the establishment of a large anticyclone close to southwestern Britain from the 26th onwards. The mean monthly pressure chart shows a steep westerly gradient (somewhat veered from normal) over the British Isles. The anomalous flow over the region was therefore north-westerly, and sea-level pressure ranged from 8mbar below normal at Lerwick to 4mbar above at Scilly and Valentia. The main anomaly centres were -19mbar over Finland and +9mbar between Ireland and the Azores. A vigorous west to south-westerly airflow covered the UK during the first week, Atlantic fronts crossed all parts at frequent intervals, and following the passage of a warm front on the 8th tropical maritime air swept the entire country for a period of 24-36h. The New Year’s Eve gale subsided quickly early on the 1st, but not before Sheerness (Kent) logged a gust of 64kn, and the first two days of the month brought sunshine and blustery showers. All areas where mild and wet on the 3rd and a high of 14.3°C was recorded at Hawarden (Flintshire), but showery weather returned for the next two days. Heavy orographic rain affected western and northern districts between the 6th and 10th - 245mm in 120h at Capel Curig (Snowdonia) - and it became exceptionally mild with 15°C reported from Prestatyn and Colwyn Bay (both in north Wales) on the 8th, while the minimum the following night at Sutton Bonington (Notts) was 12.5°C. On the 10th a gust of 82kn was logged at Benbecula (Western Isles). The rapid succession of frontal systems resumed on the 10th maintaining the very unsettled and often very windy weather, but pressure became relatively high over southern Britain between the 10th and 15th resulting in relatively small amounts of rain here. A gust of 77kn was recorded at Lerwick (Shetland) on the 12th, while 60mm of rain fell at Loch Shin (Sutherland) on the 14th. An
Text Box: intense depression crossed central Scotland on the 18th and a severe gale swept England and Wales with gusts to 65-75kn over a wide area; 19 people died. Parts of central Scotland had 5-10cm of snow, but it was again exceptionally mild south of the border with highs close to 15°C at several sites in southern England, the southwest Midlands and along the north Welsh coast. Strong rises of pressure in mid-Atlantic on the 21st/22nd were associated with a short-lived northerly outbreak over the UK which brought light to moderate snowfalls to Scotland and northern England between the 21st and 24th, and to the Midlands and southeast England between the 22nd and 25th, although at low levels the snow did not last long on the ground. The temperature fell to -7.1°C at Dalwhinnie (Inverness-shire) overnight 24th/25th and to -6.8°C at Benson (Oxon) the next night. Falmouth (Cornwall) reported 8.4h of bright sunshine on the 25th. The Atlantic anticyclone drifted to a position off SW Ireland by the 26th and the flow over the British Isles backed northwesterly, bringing milder but cloudier weather with local drizzle and hill fog. The 31st was sunny in southern Britain and temperatures reached 13-14°C in some eastern districts. This January ranked fifth warmest in the entire CET record, after 1796, 1834, 1916 and 1921, but in Scotland and Northern Ireland that of 2005 was fractionally warmer. Rarely for January there was not a single instance of a sub-zero maximum at a low level (below 300m amsl) site in the UK. Rainfall ranged from about 60 per cent of the long-term average along the Channel coast from Dorset to Cornwall, in Lincolnshire and the East Riding, and locally in northeast Scotland, to 200-250 per cent locally in the southwest highlands, the Lake District and north Wales. Sunshine was in short supply until mid-month but was plentiful thereafter; sunshine percentages ranged from below 60 locally in western Scotland to 160 in northeast England where Boulmer (Northumberland), with 91h, reported its sunniest January since 1991.
                                                                                                                                           
                       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
         
Date
         
Year
         
Date
         
Year
           
                                                                     
      ºC       ºC       ºC       ºC             Hrs       Hrs         Hrs       Hrs       mm       mm         mm     mm          
                                                                                                                                           
  *Hampstead   09.6   +3.2   04.4   +2.7   13.6   18   -02.4   26   06   04   08   07.4   31   067   154   1910   096   2003   020   1917   10   12.8   06   067   102   1910   131   1995   14   1914   00   05   00  
  Thorney Island   10.0   +2.3   05.9   +3.2   13.5   19   -02.7   26   09   03   08   06.8   23   073   107   1958   105   2003   035   1975   13   10.6   17   056   070   1941   160   1988   12   1987   00   02   00  
  *Wattisham   09.0   +3.2   04.0   +2.1   13.5   18   -04.3   26   11   05   08   07.2   25   065   116   1968   093   2001   022   1996   10   11.8   06   051   103   1960   133   1988   06   1997   00   05   00  
  *Wittering   09.2   +3.4   04.4   +2.8   13.7   12   -03.4   24   09   04   06   07.2   21   074   131   1950   096   1959   016   1996   09   24.4   09   061   112   1948   107   1948   12   2000   00   04   00  
                                                                     
  Lyneham   08.9   +2.7   04.4   +2.6   13.0   18   -03.7   24   13   04   10   07.7   25   063   116   1952   088   1952   027   1996   09   14.6   09   088   129   1945   132   1995   06   1997   00   03   00  
  Ross-on-Wye   09.9   +3.0   04.8   +2.3   14.0   19   -03.0   26   00   03   12   07.4   23   063   113   1915   096   1952   017   1996   10   12.7   10   068   094   1859   161   1943   07   1898   00   02   00  
  *St Athan   09.7   +2.7   06.0   +3.1   13.0   09   -01.2   26   06   03   06   06.4   25   053   101   1954   085   1959   021   1996   11   13.6   17   097   106   1954   172   1995   09   1997   00   00   00  
  St Mawgan   10.0   +1.5   06.8   +2.4   13.3   18   -01.4   26   04   01   10   08.0   25   056   091   1945   114   1963   029   1973   07   10.6   09   082   068   1944   217   1974   14   1987   00   00   00  
                                                                     
  *Edgbaston   08.7   +2.6   04.8   +3.0   12.7   12   -01.8   23   09   03   09   06.0   23   064   136   1887   077   1952   007   1917   09   18.4   09   078   110   1887   153   1960   13   1888   00   03   00  
  *Valley   09.5   +1.7   06.7   +2.5   11.6   03   -01.2   25   04   01   07   07.5   25   058   098   1946   094   2001   024   1983   10   14.0   21   089   098   1941   195   1948   07   1997   00   00   00  
  *Woodford   08.9   +3.0   04.2   +2.8   13.0   12   -03.9   23   10   05   10   06.4   23   046   084   1945   074   2003   011   1953   06   17.0   17   123   173   1942   170   1948   08   1997   00   01   00  
  *Watnall   08.8   +3.0   04.4   +2.8   13.5   09   -01.4   24   10   03   06   07.3   23   068   120   1948   083   2000   013   1996   09   16.2   17   082   151   1942   149   1948   10   1997   00   03   00  
                                                                     
  *Leeming   09.3   +3.1   04.3   +2.9   13.1   08   -02.7   25   16   03   03   05.9   22   068   121   1945   091   1959   018   1996   08   12.4   17   068   114   1945   129   1948   06   1997   00   04   00  
  *Boulmer   09.1   +2.5   04.2   +2.7   14.3   31   -00.6   25   06   02   01   06.2   16   091   165   1945   104   1959   010   1996   11   11.2   17   056   081   1945   189   1948   09   1989   00   02   00  
  *Eskdalemuir   06.7   +2.3   02.6   +3.0   11.1   12   -03.6   16   17   04   13   05.6   16   037   085   1911   096   1959   009   1996   04   34.4   08   274   171   1911   390   1928   38   1997   00   06   00  
  *Bishopton   08.1   +1.9   04.1   +3.0   12.1   12   -01.7   25   13   03   10   06.8   22   046   110   1921   069   1972   009   1940   06   28.4   01   234   228   1921   241   1928   18   1963   00   02   00  
                                                                     
  *Leuchars   08.2   +2.2   03.0   +1.8   13.8   31   -01.9   23   22   04   01   06.4   29   073   121   1922   101   1959   014   1996   13   10.6   19   068   106   1922   167   1993   12   1953   00   02   00  
  *Dyce   08.0   +2.5   03.2   +2.5   15.0   12   -03.0   30   16   04   07   05.5   17   057   108   1941   089   1959   010   1996   09   08.0   07   049   058   1941   157   1970   13   1989   00   07   00  
  *Stornoway   07.7   +1.0   04.2   +1.7   11.2   31   00.1   25   10   00   12   02.8   10   022   058   1880   079   2001   012   1907   01   18.0   14   192   157   1943   274   1993   26   1963   00   01   00  
  *Aldergrove   08.1   +1.9   03.9   +2.2   12.7   12   -02.8   25   10   04   06   06.7   22   057   121   1927   082   1959   024   1996   08   13.8   17   079   092   1927   150   1984   22   1997   00   01   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 a nearby site.