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graphs      CLIMATE-UK.COM'S  REVIEW  OF  THE  BRITISH  METEOROLOGICAL  SCENE
     MONTHLY  SUMMARY
     No. 622 For   OCTOBER  2007
         GENERALLY DRY; VARIABLE TEMPERATURES; SUNNY IN SCOTLAND AND NORTHERN IRELAND
Text Box: Apart from two short periods of south-westerly winds (15th-17th and 26th-29th) high pressure controlled Britain’s weather throughout the month. With mean monthly sea-level pressure 8-10mbar above normal in all parts of the UK this was the seventh most anticyclonic October in 135 years of records, and the most anticyclonic since 1985. As a consequence rain fell infrequently and gales were rare. From the 1st-8th a flat ridge of high pressure lay over the UK and the North Sea, then on the 9th an active but shallow depression tracked SE-wards across the British Isles followed by a renewed build of pressure. From the 11th-13th high pressure again lay over southern Britain, but the anticyclone then retreated to eastern Europe and a changeable south-westerly airflow affected the British Isles from the 14th-16th. The first three days of October were mostly cloudy with mild nights and cool days; outbreaks of rain affected chiefly southern districts on the first, and northern and western areas on the 2nd and 3rd. Two fine days with long sunny periods followed - 10.6h of bright sunshine at Wittering (Cambs) on the 4th and at Camborne (Cornwall) on the 5th - but the next three days were cloudier again with patchy fog night and morning. Rain spread from the northwest overnight 8th/9th and the 9th was a wet day over practically the entire UK; 10-20mm fell widely, with around 30mm locally in Herts, Beds, north Cambs and south Lincs. From the 10th to the 14th most regions were rather warm but generally cloudy with morning fog in places, but the sun did break through in some areas allowing the temperature to climb to 20°C; the month’s highest UK maximum of 20.4°C was logged at Dyce (Aberdeenshire) on the 11th and Leconfield (East Yorks) on the 12th, while overnight 12th/13th Sutton Bonington (Notts) recorded a minimum of 16.0°C. The next few days were less settled, though still cloudy and mild, but there was occasional rain in most regions, and on the 16th central and southern parts of England and Wales had several hours of heavy rain. The wettest area extended from north Devon across the south Midlands to East Anglia, with 67mm at Brize Norton (Oxon) and 50mm at Bedford. A cold front cleared SE England early on the 17th followed by a rapid pressure rise
Text Box: and a large anticyclone lay over England till the 21st, retreating to the Baltic from the 22nd-25th. A SW-ly flow developed between the 26th and 29th, veering westerly on the 30th as high pressure again developed close to southern Britain. The period 17th-22nd was cold and mainly sunny over much of Britain, although the north and west of Scotland and Northern Ireland were cloudy at times with occasional rain. Daytime temperatures were only slightly below normal, but there was widespread air frost at night even in southern England. A southeasterly flow developed from the 22nd until the 25th, advecting still colder from central Europe across England & Wales. Notable minima included -4.2°C at Shap (Cumbria) early on the 24th and -4.9°C at Aboyne (Aberdeenshire) on the 25th, while the intervening day was particularly cold in the Central Belt of Scotland thanks to persistent fog; Strathallan (Perthshire) recorded a maximum of just 5.9°C. Much of eastern, central and southern England were cold and dull with drizzle in places from the 24th-26th. From the 27th, all regions became unsettled for a few days and in the highlands and islands it was both wet and windy for a time: Tyndrum (Perthshire) collected 74mm of rain in 72h, while Stornoway (Western Is) recorded the month’s highest gust of 54kn on the 26th. The weather settled down again from the 29th with long sunny periods especially in England and Wales. Both mean max and mean min temperature for the month were close to 0.5degC above the long-term average over England & Wales, and around 1.5degC above in Scotland and Northern Ireland; it was the coolest October since 2004, but as measured by the CET it ranked 23rd warmest in the last 100 years. Rainfall was below normal almost everywhere, apart from a narrow zone extending from Gloucestershire to The Wash which caught the heaviest rain on the 16th. Averaged over England and Wales this was the driest October since 1995. Less than 20 per cent of the normal fell local in eastern Scotland and in the Channel Islands. Sunshine was plentiful in Scotland and Northern Ireland with excess of 30-40 per cent in places, but much of the Midlands and Southeast had a rather cloudy month.
                                                                                                                                             
                       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