July did not prove to be the summer month to which we all looked forward. With the mean temperature 2.0C below the long-term average, it was a cool month. This was principally due to depressed daytime temperatures as the nights were close to the long-term average. The mean maximum temperature was not equalled until the 22nd when we experienced a brief spell of days with much sunshine and high temperatures. The hottest day was the 22nd when the thermometer peaked at 28.8C. In contrast, the coldest day was the 2nd when a maximum of only 15.3C was reached.
It was also a very wet month with the total rainfall of 91.6mm being 155% of the long-term average. The wettest day was the 6th with 20.5mm but substantial falls were recorded on the 3rd, 7th and 12th with 11.2mm, 10.6mm and 12.1mm respectively. There were only eleven dry days.
Winds were generally light with the highest gust of 26mph recorded on the 2nd.
Compared with recent years the sunshine was only 95% of the average and solar energy 93%.
There were two days when thunder was heard, on the 6th and 11th. A funnel cloud was observed for quite a time to the north of the town on the 5th.
Monthly Summary for June 2012
The disappointing summer continued into June with frequent depressions sweeping across the country. Consequently, the mean temperature was 0.5C below the long-term average with very few warm days and the coldest June since 1994. The maximum occurred on the 28th when the peak temperature registered was 26.7C. In contrast, on the 11th the thermometer struggled to a maximum of only 11.5C when the average is 20.3C.There were no air frosts during the month although on two nights the temperature dipped close to 4C.
The most significant feature was the amount of rain that fell. With a total of 127.9mm, it was the second wettest June I have recorded, which was 232% of the long-term average. The record was set back in June 1998 with 143.2mm. The wettest day was the 11th with 23.4mm and there were five additional days when totals ran into double figures. Not surprisingly there were only eight dry days.
It was also a very windy month, providing a record for the average wind speed over the month. On two days, 7th and 16th, I recorded maximum gusts of 40mph and six other days with maxima in excess of 30mph.
The solar energy was 74% of the average and bright sunshine also low with 88% of the average.
Monthly Summary for May 2012 also Spring 2012
After the wet and cold month of April, May 2012 was warmer and drier than average. With a mean temperature of 12.5C, it was 0.7C above the long-term average. There were cold days at the start of the month with maxima of only 8.2C and 9.5C on the 3rd and 4th respectively when the mean maximum is 17.3C. However, several very warm days were enjoyed during the last week when a maximum of 27.6C was recorded on the 23rd and 27th. There was only one minimal air frost when the thermometer briefly dropped to -0.2C on the 16th. A record was set on the 25th when the the highest minimum was noted at 14.7C. The previous high was 13.9C in 1989 and 2001.
Although it was the wettest May for 4 years the total rainfall of 52.4mm was 90% of the long-term average. There were 18 dry days with the wettest being the 7th when 13.7mm was recorded.
The evapotranspiration total was 83.1mm, which meant a net loss to the atmosphere of almost 31mm. Solar energy was 89% of the figure for last year and the total for bright sunshine of 322.7 hours was also down on 2011 with 90% of that figure.
The mean temperature for spring 2012 was 9.3C, which is 0.4C above the long-term average. The total rainfall was 221mm, which was also above the long-term average at 126%.
Monthly Summary for April 2012
April 2012 was a quite remarkable month and in direct contrast to March 2012. With a mean temperature of 7.4C it was the coldest April since 1989 (6.6C) and 1986 (5.8C) and 1.3C below the long-term average. In fact it was 0.7C colder than March 2012. There were seven days with an air frost,the lowest being -3.4C on the 16th. There were five days when the maximum did not reach double figures, the long-term maximum average being 13.8C. The warmest day was the 30th when the the thermometer peaked at 16.4C.
The rainfall was another contrasting feature. With a total of 145.8mm it was the third wettest April I have recorded, that is after 1998 (151.2mm) and 2000 (165.2mm). There were only four dry days but seven days with totals in double figures. The maximum rainfall was 15.2mm on the 28th/29th (0900-0900) with fifteen continuous days of rainfall from the 16th to the 30th. Last year April gave us just 5.4mm in total. I should also note that there were three days when small hail fell in the heavy showers.
The wind strengths were also noteworthy for any month let alone the beginning of Spring. The average for the month was 4.9mph, the highest for over four years and usually reached during the boisterous winter months. A record for April was set in the early hours of the 29th when a maximum gust of 44mph was recorded. In addition it is important to note the 10-minute average speeds to get a fuller picture. For seven hours during the night of the 28th/29th the average was in excess of 20mph.
The sunshine for April was 86% of the total for April 2011, Solar Energy 73% and Evapotranspiration 63%.
Monthly Summary for March 2012
March 2012 was notable for the almost continuous high-pressure systems that blocked rain-bearing fronts from making progress into the country This resulted in a very low rainfall totalling 23.2mm, which is only 40% of the long-term average. Almost half the total fell on the fourth with 11.1mm, being the wettest day of the month. It was the fourth driest March I have recorded (March 2011 set the record of 12.7mm) with 26 dry days. It has been the second driest February and March period with a total of 52.5mm, which is 68mm below the long-term average. The record was set in 1993 when I recorded only 33.9mm for this period.
The mean temperature was 1.6C above the long-term average but interestingly this was almost entirely due to the high maximum temperatures. The mean was 13.6c and was the highest I have recorded for March. Another record for my station was set on the 28th when the peak temperature was 21.0C. beating the previous high set in march 1990.
There were seven days with fog that was dense well into the morning and sometimes very reluctant to clear. The solar energy was 10% up on 2011 as was the total for evapotranspiration, thus exacerbating the drought conditions.
The diurnal range has shown a general rising trend for both February and March over the last 28 years with the difference between the day maximum and minimum increasing by 1.5C and 2.2c respectively.
