January
January 2013 was cooler and drier than average. In fact, the month was the driest January recorded at this station, beating the previous driest set in 2010. Despite a warm spell at the end of the month when the highest January temperature was recorded, January was cooler than average.
The month started off on the mild side with January 5th being the fourth successive day that the temperature topped 10°C - a first for January. The highest temperature recorded was 13.3°C on the 29th at 16:31, beating the previous best of 12.2°C, set on January 13th 2011. The lowest temperature recorded was on the 16th at 07:28, when the thermometer dropped to -6.3°C. This was only 0.2°C warmer than the lowest ever recorded here in January at 06:38 on 7th January 2010. Also on the 16th, the temperature high was -1.6°C at 14:04, making it the third coldest day recorded, only beaten by the -2.2°C on December 20th, and the -2.8°C on December 18th, both in 2010. The average temperature for the 16th was -4.3°C. The average temperature for the month was 3.0°C, 0.2°C lower than the January average. There were 52.1 hours of sunshine, surprisingly beating June 2012's total of 50.7 hours, which remains the lowest in the last 12 months. There were 17 frost days.
29.0 millimetres of precipitation was recorded in the month, compared to an average of 32.0 millimetres. The previous driest January was in 2010 when 30.8 millimetres of precipitation was recorded. There was precipitation on 17 days in the month, with the most being recorded on the 16th. 14.6 millimetres was measured on this day, of which at least 8.0 millimetres was snow melt. Evapotranspiration for the month was 11.3 millimetres, higher than December 2012's low of 10.2 millimetres.
The first snowfall of 2013 occured on the 13th when a light dusting fell overnight, but this mostly thawed during the day. Snow fell on 10 days, with the most being 6.3 centimetres on the 21st - the highest daily snowfall since February 4th 2012, and the highest this snow season. Overnight on the 25th / 26th, 9.0 centimetres fell, making the snow depth 16 centimetres in undisturbed places. At 07:23 on the 26th, the temperature dropped to -0.1°C for a couple of minutes. This made it the 17th consecutive day of sub-zero temperatures - a record for this weather station.
Winds were slightly stronger than average - 4.7 mph, against an average of 4.5 mph. The maximum wind speed was 26.5 mph from 293°(WNW) on the 30th at 14:02, with the maximum gust speed being 40.3 mph from the same direction one minute earlier. The average gust speed for the month was 7.3 mph. The total windrun for the month was 3391.2 miles.
The maximum barometric pressure for January was 1035.4 millibars on the 4th at 11:40, with the lowest being 985.0 millibars on the 27th at 04:53. The average barometric pressure for the month was 1011.5 millibars, the lowest for January.
Weather Underground History | Weather Underground Graph
February
February 2013 was colder than average with below average rainfall and average winds. A block of high pressure over Scandinavia kept temperature around freezing for the second half of the month, with very little sunshine.
The average temperature for the month was 2.5°C, 1.1°C below the average. This was 0.5°C lower than the January 2013 average temperature, but 0.4°C above the all-time February low set in 2010. The highest temperature recorded in the month was 10.4°C on the 19th at 15:08, with the lowest being -2.0°C on the 13th at 03:57. The low equalled the previous highest minimum temperature set in 2011. There were 66.5 hours of sunshine, making it the sunniest month since October 2012, although most of this was in the first half of the month. There were 14 frost days - a record for February. The average daily maximum temperature was 5.1°C, and the average daily minimum temperature was 0.1°C.
Precipitation for the month was 25.6 millimetres, with 12.0 millimetres of this falling on the 10th. This was the driest month since March 2012, during which 20.4 millimetres were recorded. Snow was recorded on four days amounting to a total of 13.2 centimteres. Six centimetres fell on the 13th and 5.5 centimetres on the 11th. On the 13th, there were 9.0 centimteres of lying snow. Evapotranspiration for the month was 16.7 millimetres, the highest since October 2012.
Winds in the month were normal with an average wind speed of 4.6 mph. The average gust speed was 7.5 mph. A gust of 40.3 mph was recorded from 315 °(NW) on the 4th at 12:32, making this the equal strongest gust of the year so far. The maximum wind speed was 26.5 mph from 315° (NW) also on the 4th at 12:33. The total windrun for the month was 2858.2 miles.
The average barometric pressure for the month was 1017.3 millibars, with the maximum being 1037.4 millibars on the 26th at 21:42. The minimum pressure recorded was 989.3 mb on the 5th at 18:50.
Weather Underground History | Weather Underground Graph
March
Nationally, March 2013 was the coldest March for over 50 years, thanks to a stubborn high pressure system over Scandinavia, which diverted the jet stream over the Mediterranean. Atlantic low pressure systems were kept at bay by the high pressure block. Locally, March 2013 was not only the coldest recorded, but also the third coldest month on record. The month was also the windiest ever March, with a month record of 19 rain days.
The temperature averaged a mere 1.8°C, a full 3.7°C below the month mean. The highest temperature recorded was only 9.5°C on the 5th at 14:28, with the lowest temperature -3.7°C on the 14th at 05:44. On the 23rd, the temperature was -0.1°C at midnight which was the maximum temperature on the day. That made it the coldest March day ever recorded. The month started as normal with 6.2 hours of sunshine on the 2nd, before the month high on the 5th. Signs of what was to come were evident by the second week of the month when a cold easterly set in, forcing a drop in temperatures. There were 19 frost days in the month, beaten only by 20 days in December 2010, and cumulating in an unbroken run of 11 frost days from the 21st onwards.
The average daily maximum temperature was 4.4°C, and the average daily minimum temperature was -0.5°C. The average dewpoint of -0.4°C and the maximum heat index of 9.5°C were also March records. There were 74.6 hours of sunshine in the month, the best so far in 2013, but well down on the March 2012 total of 125.2 hours. March was, in fact, the sunniest month since September 2012, highlighting what a gloomy autumn and winter it has been.
Precipitation for the month totalled 31.8 millimetres, 4.7 millimetres more than the mean, but snowfall was to be the most significant weather event. A total of 25.3 centimetres of snow were recorded, slightly below the January total of 29.3 centimetres. On the 22nd, 4 centimetres of snow fell in the early hours with wind gusts of up to 30 mph. By 22:00, another 5 centimetres had fallen, and despite a slight thaw during the afternoon, the snow depth was 7 centimetres by dark. The snow continued to fall into the 23rd, with a further 11 centimetres. The snow depth was 14 centimetres by evening, with drifts up to a metre in places. Another 4 centimetres of snow fell in the early hours of the 24th, taking the snow depth to 18 centimetres. By the end of the month, there were still pockets of snow left on the ground in sheltered areas. Evapotranspiration for the month was 27.8 millimetres, the highest since October 2012.
The easterly winds throughout most of the month were bitingly cold, and at times gale force. The average wind speed for the month was 4.9 mph and the average gust speed was 7.8 mph, both March records. The maximum wind speed was 20.7 mph from 113° (ESE) on the 25th at 11:39, and the maximum gust speed was 34.5 mph from 113° (ESE), two minutes earlier at 11:37. The total windrun for the month was 3586 miles, the highest of 2013 so far.
The average barometric pressure for the month was 1009.6 millibars, with the highest being 1031.1 millibars on the 1st at 11:40, and the lowest being 987.5 millibars on the 17th at 16:35.
Weather Underground History | Weather Underground Graph
April
April 2013 was a very cold and windy month, although generally not as cold as 2012. The cold winds persisted for most of the month, usually from an easterly direction, bringing a record seven frost days in the month.
The highest temperature in the month was a disappointing 17.3°C on the 14th at 12:06, the highest since September 16th 2012. The minimum temperature was an April record of -1.9°C on the 2nd at 02:58. April 7th was the 18th consecutive frost day, beating the record set on January 26th this year. The average temperature for the month was 7.0°C, 1.5°C lower than the mean, but 0.5°C warmer than 2012. The average daily maximum temperature was 11.2°C, and the average minimum daily temperature was 3.2°C. There were 100.6 sunshine hours in the month, the highest since May 2012. Every month so far this year has recorded below average temperatures.
After 16 dry days, rainfall was recorded in the early hours of April 12th. In the entire month, there was a mere 11.6 millimetres of precipitation, the lowest monthly rainfall since April 2011. The 12th was also the wettest day in the month with 3.8 millimetres of rain. A light dusting of snow was recorded on the 2nd of the month, but this soon melted.
The wind was the most significant feature of the month. On the 14th, a gust speed of 36.8 mph from 248° (WSW) at 12:22 was the highest gust speed recorded in April, beating the previous best of 34.5 mph (NE) at 09:53 on April 29th 2012. The maximum wind speed was 25.3 mph from 270° (W) on the 17th at 22:44, also a record for the month. The average wind speed for the month was 6.0 mph, and the average gust speed was 9.3 mph.
The average barometric pressure for the month was 1013.9 millibars, with the highest being 1033.7 millibars on the 20th at 08:12, and the lowest 992.7 millibars on the 12th at 05:57.
Weather Underground History | Weather Underground Graph
May
May 2013 was the wettest and coldest May recorded at Bracken House. The average temperature was 0.8°C below the monthly mean, and the rainfall was 20.5 millimetres higher than average.
The average temperature for the month was 10.2°C, with the highest being 20.6°C recorded on the 7th at 14:10, and the lowest being 1.1°C recorded at 04:30 on the first day of the month. The maximum monthly temperature was the lowest maximum ever recorded in May. There was 124.8 hours of sunshine in the month, which was 19.3 hours less than May 2012. May was also the fifth consecutive month of below average temperatures.
There were 18 rain days in the month, a record for May, and a total of 62.0 millimetres was recorded, also a May record. The wettest day was the 28th on which 11.4 millimetres of rain fell, this was the wettest May day recorded at Bracken House. Evapotranspiration for the month was 87.1 millimetres, 5.7 millimetres lower than May 2012.
The average barometric pressure for the month was 1010.7 millibars. The highest pressure recorded was 1028.8 millibars at 00:18 on the 1st, with the lowest being 984.3 millibars at 05:30 on the 15th, another May record.
Winds were average for May. The average wind speed was 4.7 mph and the average gust speed was 7.5 mph. The highest wind speed recorded was 21.9 mph from 293° (WNW) at 15:43 on the 13th. The maximum gust speed was 29.9 mph, two minutes earlier, also from 293° (WNW).
Weather Underground History | Weather Underground Graph
June
June 2013 was drier, cooler and less windy than average. The maximum temperature in the month was only 22.7°C recorded on the 19th at 16:08. This was the lowest maximum temperature recorded in June. The minimum temperature was 6.2°C recorded on the 2nd at 05:23. This was the highest minimum temperature recorded in June. The average temperature for the month was 13.3°C, which was 0.5°C below the mean. June 2013 was the sixth consecutive month of below average temperatures. Sunshine hours were well up on 2012, with 107.9 hours, 57.2 hours more than 2012.
Rainfall was the lowest ever recorded in June at 30.2 millimetres, 36.6 millimetres below the average. Rain fell on 11 days, with the wettest day being the 20th when 11.2 millimetres fell. Evaoptranspiration for the month was 101.0 millimetres, 22.6 millimetres higher than 2012. The year to date rainfall total is 193.2 millimetres, 47.5 millimetres below the expected total at this time of the year.
The maximum barometric pressure for the month was 1032.7 millibars on the 3rd at 09:30, with the lowest being 998.9 millibars on the 22nd at 16:19. The average pressure for the month was 1017.3 millibars.
Winds were light in June 2013 with the maximum wind speed being 16.1 mph from 315° (NW) on the 30th at 17:19. The maximum gust speed was 28.8 mph from 338° (NNW) on the 23rd at 19:28. The average wind speed in the month was 4.2 mph, with the average gust speed being 7.1 mph. The total windrun for the month was 3058 miles.
Weather Underground History | Weather Underground Graph
July
July 2013 was the hottest month ever recorded here with an average temperature of 18.0°C, and the maximum temperature of 29.0°C recorded on the 13th at 16:45, was the highest temperature ever recorded at Bracken House. This ended a run of six successive months of below average temperatures. The minimum temperature recorded was 9.0°C recorded on the 2nd at 03:05. The mean temperature for July is now 16.5°C. The average daily maximum temperature was 23.4°C, and the average daily minimum was 13.1°C. The average dewpoint of 13.7°C was a station record, as was the maximum heat index of 30.3°C, recorded at 17:38 on the 22nd. Sunshine hours were 135.6, well up on 2012's 93.0 hours.
Rainfall in the month totalled 65.8 millimetres, well down on last year's total of 91.8, but 7.2 millimetres above the average for July. Almost 50% of the month's rainfall (32.4 millimeters) fell on the 23rd, making it the wettest day of the year so far and the fourth wettest day ever at Bracken House. Rain fell on a total of 11 days, with the 22nd's total of 12.8 millimetres the second wettest day in the month. 259.0 millimetres have now fallen in 2013, 40.3 millimetres less than what is expected by the end of July.
The maximum barometric pressure for the month was 1035.4 millibars, recorded on the 8th at 08:29. The minimum barometric pressure was 997.8 millibars, recorded on the 28th at 02:57. The average pressure for the month was 1019.4 millibars.
Winds were very light in July 2013, with the maximum wind speed being 13.8 mph from 293° (WNW) on the 28th at 10:12, and the maximum gust speed being 21.9 mph from 293° (WNW) on the 28th at 10:43. The average wind speed for the month was 2.4 mph, and the average gust speed was 4.5 mph. The total windrun was 1587.6 miles.
Weather Underground History | Weather Underground Graph
August
August 2013 was the warmest, driest and least windy August ever recorded at Bracken House. On the first day of the month, the temperature reached 29.9°C at 17:38. This was the highest ever recorded here, beating the previous best of 29.0°C recorded on the 13th July. The minimum temperature recorded was 8.6°C on the 31st at 06:42, the highest minimum ever recorded in August. The average temperature for the month was 16.2°C, also a a station record for August. The average high temperature was 20.9°C and the average low temperature was 12.2°C. The mean temperature for August is now 15.4°C.
The average dewpoint for the month was 12.8°C, with the highest being 21.6°C at 14:05 on the 1st, and the lowest being 5.6°C at 05:48 on the 31st. The maximum heat index was 32.3°C at 17:28 on the 1st, a station record. There were 83.8 hours of sunshine in the month, higher than in 2012, but well down on the 135.6 hours in July.
Rainfall for August 2013 was only 17.6 millimetres, the 7th driest month on record, and the driest ever August. 5.6 millimetres fell on the 5th, and 4.6 millimetres on the 16th, with precipitation being recorded on 14 days. 273.6 millimetres of precipitaion has been recorded so far in 2013, 76.3 millimetres below the average at this time of year. The average rainfall for August is now 52.8 millimetres.
The maximum barometric pressure was 1028.9 millibars, recorded at 23:15 on the 31st, and the lowest was 1002.1 millibars, at 22:42 on the 17th. The average pressure for the month was 1016.1 millibars.
As with the rest of summer, winds were very light. The maximum wind speed recorded was 16.1 mph from 270° (W) on the 17th at 17:42, and the maximum gust speed was 23.0 mph from 248° (WSW) on the 17th at 17:36. The average windspeed for the month was 2.8 mph and the average gust speed was 5.2 mph. The total windrun was 1822.4 miles.
Weather Underground History | Weather Underground Graph
September
September 2013 was the driest, and least windy September ever recorded at Bracken House, although the temperature was slightly below average.
The maximum temperature recorded was 25.3°C on the 4th at 16:25, with the minimum temperature being 5.1°C on the 15th at 04:48. The average temperature for the month was 12.9°C, 0.4°C below the mean. The average daily maximum temperature for the month was 17.2°C, with the average daily minimum temperature being 9.4°C. The average dewpoint for September was 10.4°C, with the maximum being 16.9°C on the 3rd at 10:28, and the minimum being 3.9°C on the 16th at 05:58. The maximum heat index was 26.1°C on the 4th at 16:24. There were 84.5 sunshine hours, compared to 98.7 hours in 2012. This figure was slightly higher than August 2013's total of 83.8 hours.
Rainfall in September was only 22.8 millimetres, the driest ever September recorded here. The average Sepetmber rainfall is now 35.0 millimetres. Rainfall for the year up until September 30th was 299.2 millimetres, 89.4 millimetres below the average at this time of the year. This was the third successive month of below average rainfall, with only 50.4 millimetres of rain falling since August 1st. Evapotranspiration for the month was 52.9 millimetres compared to 60.5 millimetres in 2012.
The average barometric pressure for September was 1014.6 millibars, with the highest being 1028.9 mb on the 1st at 00:26, and the lowest being 994.4 mb on the 17th at 18:01. The average pressure was a station record high for September.
September 2013 was another calm month with record low maximum wind speeds for the month. The average wind speed was 2.5 mph, with the highest being 16.1 mph from 338° (NNW) on the 16th at 13:13. The average wind speed for September is 4.1 mph. The average gust speed for the month was 4.7 mph, with the highest being 28.8 mph from 248° (WSW) on the 15th at 11:44. The total windrun was 1636.2 miles.
Weather Underground History | Weather Underground Graph
October
October 2013 can generally be described as being wet, windy and mild. It was the wettest October ever recorded at Bracken House, and the temperature was 0.9°C above average.
Starting with the temperature, the maximum was 19.6°C recorded on the 8th at 14:25. This was well below the record October temperature of 27.4°C set in 2011. There was no air frost recorded in the month, the lowest temperature being 3.1°C at 06:03 on the 30th. The average temperature for the month was 11.5°C, and the mean temperature is now 10.6°C. The average dewpoint for the month was 10.1°C, a record for October, and the maximum heat index was 19.6°C. There were only 46.9 sunshine hours, well down on 2012's total of 67.1 hours, and the lowest monthly total of the year.
October was the wettest month of 2013 so far, with a total of 98.8 millimetres. This was the wettest month since June 2012, and the fourth wettest month on record. The average rainfall for October now stands at 55.2 millimetres. Precipitation was recorded on 24 days, with the wettest day being the 21st when 16.0 millimetres was recorded. This was the second wettest day of 2013, beaten only by the 32.4 millimetre downpour on July 23rd. There have now been 398.0 millimetres of rainfall in 2013, 44.4 millimetres less than the average for the end of October. Evapotranspiration for the month was 27.9 millimetres compared to 28.6 millimetres in 2012.
The highest barometric pressure was 1024.9 millibars recorded at 20:05 on the 11th. The lowest barometric pressure was 977.7 millibars at 04:52 on the 28th, when a fierce Atlantic storm wreaked havoc on the South of England. This surpassed the yearly low of 984.3 millibars set on 15th May by -6.6 millibars. The centre of the storm passed over Bracken House which got off lightly with only a moderate wind, and a small amount of rainfall. The average pressure for the month was 1008.8 millibars, equalling the lowest for October.
After three relatively calm months, the Autumn gales set in during October when a gust speed of 36.8 mph from 270° (W) was recorded at 11:32 on the 27th. This was the highest recorded gust speed since April 18th. The highest wind speed recorded was 21.9 mph from 270°(W) on the 27th at 12:07. The average wind speed for the month was 4.7 mph, with the average gust speed being 8.0 mph. The total windrun was 3309.2 miles.
Weather Underground History | Weather Underground Graph
November
November 2013 was colder, drier and less windy than average, in fact the month was the least windy November recorded here.
The average temperature in the month was only 5.7°C, compared to the mean for November of 6.6°C. Only November 2010 was colder with an average temperature of 4.8°C. The maximum temperature was 12.2°C recorded on the 11th at 19:04, and the minimum temperature was -2.3°C recorded on the 19th at 21:46. The first ground frost of the Autumn was recorded at 07:08 on the 4th, and the first air frost occurred on the 19th when -2.3°C was recorded at 21:49. This was the lowest temperature since March 31st. The 19th was a particularly cold day with the maximum temperature of only 4.8°C recorded at 12:43. This was the lowest maximum temperature since April 1st. There were 67.6 sunshine hours in the month, compared to 57.2 hours in 2012. This was much higher than October's figure of 46.9 hours. The maximum heat index was 12.2°C recorded on the 11th at 19:04, and the average dew-point for the month was 4.1°C. There were five frost days.
Most of the high winds occurred at the beginning of the month before high pressure dominated in the latter half. The highest gust was 34.5 mph from 270 ° (W) recorded at 21:01 on the 2nd, and the highest wind speed was 20.7 mph from 270° (W) also on the 2nd at 20:02. The average wind speed for the month was only 2.6 mph, with the average gust speed being 4.5 mph. The mean wind speed for November is now 4.4 mph. The total wind run was 1862 miles, compared to the average of 3193 miles.
Rainfall totals for the month were low with only 31.2 millimetres being recorded, compared to the November average of 63.6 millimetres. Only November 2011 was wetter. Rain fell on 21 days, with the wettest day being the 6th when 5.8 millimetres fell. So far this year there has been 429.2 millimetres of precipitation, 78.7 millimetres lower than the average for the end of November. No snow was recorded. Evapotranspiration for the month was 12.7 millimetres, compared to 14.0 millimetres in 2012.
The maximum barometric pressure was 1040.4 millibars recorded at 23:20 on the 25th, the highest pressure recorded this year. The lowest pressure recorded was 985.4 millibars on the 2nd at 18:51. The average pressure for the month was 1016.4 millibars, a record for November, as was the maximum.
Weather Underground History | Weather Underground Graph
December
December was a remarkable month in which, for the first time, the temperature never dropped below 0°C. Apart from being extremely mild, it was a very windy month, with the highest gust speed record broken, while rainfall was well down on the average. A new barometric pressure low was also set in the month.
The average temperature in the month was 5.8°C, compared to the mean of 3.6°C. The highest temperature was 12.8°C recorded on the 16th at 06:39, with the lowest being 0.0°C at 00:20 on the 20th. This was the highest minimum temperature and also the highest average temperature in December. The coldest daytime temperature was 5.6°C on Christmas Day. There were 58.7 sunshine hours in the month, compared to 54.2 hours in 2012. The maximum heat index was 12.8°C on the 16th at 06:39, and the maximum dewpoint was 11.7°C on the 15th at 22:46. The lowest dewpoint was -1.8°C on the 6th at 01:31, with the average being 4.1°C. This was the highest maximum dewpoint in December. The average daily maximum temperature was 8.6°C and the average daily minimum temperature was 2.9°C. There were no (air) frost days.
Another feature of the month was the strength of the winds. Although the average wind speed of 6.1 mph, and the average gust speed of 9.5 mph, weren't records, the maximum wind speed and maximum gust speed records were broken. The new record maximum wind speed is 33.4 mph from 338° (NNW) on the 5th at 13:44 and the maximum gust speed record is now 47.2 mph from 315° (NW) also on the 5th, at 10:14. The maximum gust speed beat the previous high by 0.1 mph, set in February 2011. The mean speed for the month is now 4.8 mph, making December the windiest month in the year. The total wind run was 4,565 miles, compared to the average of 3,594 miles.
Rainfall totals for the month were 33.6 millimetres, well down on the average of 53.4 millimetres. Rain fell on 21 days, with the wettest day being the 18th when 5.6 millimetres was recorded. No snow has been recorded in the season so far. Evapotranspiration for the month was 15.6 millimetres, compared to 10.2 millimetres in 2012.
The average barometric pressure for the month was 1010.7 millibars, with the maximum being 1035.9 millibars recorded on the 2nd at 00:52. The minimum barometric pressure of 966.6 millibars recorded at 00:19 on the 24th was a station record, beating the previous record low of 966.9 set in November 2010.
