January 2014 proved to be a winter month the likes of which we have not seen before. Rain fell on 26 days in the month producing a record 219.1mm. which is 250% of the long-term average making this the wettest January on record. This huge total also broke the record for the wettest month, which was previously held by November 2002, when 203.5mm was recorded.
The very wet January is in direct contrast with January 1997 when just 9.4mm of precipitation was recorded and the 30-year average is 87.5mm.
The wettest day was the 5th with a total of 24.2mm. There were three days when around 25mm fell and five other days when rainfall totals were into double figures.
Small hail (less than 5mm in diameter) fell on four days, fog was noted on five days and thunder was heard during two days.
Although a mild month it was not a record there being nine warmer Januarys since 1984. With a mean temperature of 5.1C it was 1.1C above the long-term average. The record for the warmest January was set in 2007 with a mean of 6.5C and in contrast the coldest January was way back in 1987 with a negative mean of -0.15C.
The coldest day was the 30th when we had persistent mist and fog and a maximum of just 2.4C. The continuous low cloud gave us a gloomy day with no measurable bright sunlight and virtually no solar activity.
Another memorable feature of January was the frequent strong winds. There was only one day when the maximum wind gust was in single figures (20th) but fifteen days with maximum gusts exceeding 20mph. However, there were maximum gusts of 46mph and 45mph on the 25th and 1st respectively.
Using the rule of thumb that one inch of rainfall is equal to approximately 17.4 million gallons per square mile I calculate that the Marlboorugh area has received something like 149 million gallons of precipitation, or approaching 1,000 tons, in 31 days.
The weather station of Marlborough, Wiltshire
