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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
       
             
Date
   
Date
         
Date
         
Year
         
Date
         
Year
           
                                                                     
      ºC       ºC       ºC       ºC             Hrs       Hrs         Hrs       Hrs       mm       mm         mm     mm          
                                                                                                                                             
  *Hampstead   14.5   +0.3   08.4   +0.3   18.4   14   03.8   21   06   00   06   07.7   11   087   081   1910   169   1997   050   1976   20   16.7   09   041   062   1910   177   1987   05   1947   00   00   00  
  Thorney Island   15.5   +0.1   07.9   +0.2   19.0   05   02.2   21   07   00   05   09.9   05   122   099   1958   176   1994   076   1963   15   12.0   09   028   033   1941   213   1987   02   1969   00   00   00  
  *Wattisham   14.1   +0.0   07.5   +0.8   17.5   14   02.5   20   07   00   08   09.3   04   095   085   1968   155   1997   055   1976   19   17.8   09   043   080   1960   139   1960   03   1972   00   00   01  
  *Wittering   14.3   +0.6   07.7   +1.0   19.5   12   01.2   23   05   00   06   10.6   04   113   104   1950   165   1959   051   1976   21   27.8   16   044   082   1948   126   1960   04   1978   00   00   01  
                                                                     
  Lyneham   14.1   +0.2   07.8   +1.3   17.4   12   01.0   21   08   00   07   10.1   05   105   095   1952   161   1999   053   1968   24   23.0   01   054   080   1945   176   1949   05   1978   00   00   01  
  Ross-on-Wye   14.9   +0.4   07.4   +0.6   19.0   12   00.0   21   00   00   09   09.7   05   097   098   1915   156   1919   037   1915   20   25.4   16   037   056   1859   216   1907   09   1969   00   00   00  
  *St Athan   14.6   +0.4   09.2   +1.1   17.3   10   02.7   18   03   00   07   10.4   05   110   106   1954   153   1997   045   1968   17   21.0   16   049   050   1954   249   1998   11   1978   00   00   00  
  St Mawgan   15.2   +1.0   10.3   +1.0   18.5   05   05.5   24   00   00   04   10.5   05   132   112   1945   169   1994   051   1968   18   26.2   16   055   053   1944   217   1987   19   1965   00   00   00  
                                                                     
  *Edgbaston   13.9   +0.7   08.7   +1.4   17.3   12   02.5   24   00   00   06   09.4   07   083   084   1887   152   1997   027   1893   21   16.0   16   032   037   1887   191   1998   07   1969   00   00   00  
  *Valley   15.0   +0.9   09.5   +0.4   17.0   01   01.3   24   03   00   06   10.0   04   124   111   1946   151   1965   053   1968   18   09.4   27   035   034   1941   208   2000   09   1947   00   00   00  
  *Woodford   14.4   +1.1   07.2   +0.6   17.7   10   -01.4   24   13   03   07   10.1   05   092   091   1945   136   1959   062   1960   14   12.4   08   050   062   1942   191   2000   14   1946   00   00   01  
  *Watnall   14.2   +0.5   08.0   +1.3   19.5   12   02.0   19   08   00   06   09.0   23   102   093   1948   133   1995   045   1960   22   08.6   16   023   042   1942   143   1960   08   1947   00   00   00  
                                                                     
  *Leeming   14.4   +0.9   06.3   -0.2   19.8   12   -02.1   21   14   04   05   08.6   05   093   095   1945   144   1981   047   2005   20   07.6   08   020   034   1945   134   2004   07   1962   00   00   01  
  *Boulmer   13.9   +1.2   07.0   +0.1   18.1   11   01.8   24   00   00   04   10.3   01   122   115   1945   156   1986   046   2005   19   05.4   08   014   020   1945   159   2002   07   1985   00   00   00  
  *Eskdalemuir   13.2   +1.6   05.3   +0.7   17.4   01   -03.6   24   11   03   10   10.2   01   089   108   1911   130   1959   037   2005   14   29.0   27   069   042   1911   331   1967   12   1951   00   00   00  
  *Bishopton   14.2   +1.2   07.1   +0.8   18.7   01   00.3   18   03   00   09   10.2   01   099   117   1921   138   1993   030   1940   11   21.6   27   081   072   1921   266   1995   20   1951   00   00   00  
                                                                     
  *Leuchars   14.6   +1.7   06.5   +0.5   19.7   11   -01.0   23   11   02   06   10.2   01   123   115   1922   152   1986   048   1960   22   07.4   08   021   032   1922   183   2004   05   1951   00   00   00  
  *Dyce   14.0   +1.6   06.7   +0.8   20.4   11   00.7   19   11   00   03   10.3   02   119   120   1941   156   1986   030   1960   17   13.2   27   023   026   1941   230   2002   08   1985   00   00   00  
  *Stornoway   12.9   +1.0   09.2   +2.5   14.9   01   02.4   18   02   00   12   06.3   06   059   073   1880   135   1898   034   1921   10   13.4   27   082   056   1943   231   1989   19   1946   00   00   00  
  *Aldergrove   14.4   +1.6   08.9   +1.8   17.3   06   01.7   25   00   00   08   09.5   05   092   107   1927   117   1939   049   1954   18   07.0   27   031   035   1927   176   1976   19   1951   00   00   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.