1993
The first year of my weather records was notable for the strong contrast between persistent above-average temperatures in the first half, and persistent below-average temperatures in the second half. Autumn 1993 was especially cold with an exceptional cold snowy spell in late November, and the year also featured a white Christmas. Along with 2007, one of only two years not to feature a maximum temperature of 25C or above.
Monthly Data
| Year | Month | Max temp (°C) | Min temp (°C) | Mean temp (°C) | Highest Max | Date | Lowest Min | Date | Air frosts | Total precip (mm) | % of average sun (est) | Days of thunder | Days of sleet or snow | Days of snow lying | Days with fog | Days with hail |
| 1993 | 1 | 8.7 | 2.2 | 5.4 | 13.9 | 16 | -5.8 | 2 | 6 | 44 | 110 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1993 | 2 | 8.5 | 3.6 | 6.0 | 15.1 | 7 | -3.3 | 27 | 5 | 8 | 80 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 1993 | 3 | 10.1 | 3.1 | 6.6 | 16.0 | 13 | -2.9 | 26 | 4 | 9 | 130 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1993 | 4 | 11.6 | 5.5 | 8.5 | 16.6 | 23 | 0.4 | 15 | 0 | 97 | 80 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1993 | 5 | 13.9 | 6.9 | 10.4 | 20.8 | 17 | 1.4 | 15 | 0 | 97 | 80 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1993 | 6 | 17.8 | 9.9 | 13.8 | 23.6 | 29 | 5.1 | 15 | 0 | 34 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1993 | 7 | 18.3 | 11.0 | 14.7 | 22.7 | 16 | 6.3 | 12 | 0 | 46 | 110 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1993 | 8 | 18.1 | 10.4 | 14.2 | 23.2 | 31 | 5.4 | 23 | 0 | 76 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1993 | 9 | 15.0 | 9.0 | 12.0 | 24.1 | 1 | 1.9 | 28 | 0 | 102 | 70 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1993 | 10 | 11.3 | 5.5 | 8.4 | 16.2 | 7 | -2.2 | 16 | 4 | 79 | 100 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1993 | 11 | 6.6 | 2.0 | 4.3 | 14.3 | 4 | -8.4 | 24 | 9 | 48 | 70 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 1 |
| 1993 | 12 | 7.1 | 2.0 | 4.6 | 13.8 | 18 | -2.5 | 21 | 8 | 74 | 140 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 1992/93 | Win | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||||
| 1993 | Spr | 11.9 | 5.2 | 8.5 | 4 | 203 | 90 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 | ||||
| 1993 | Sum | 18.1 | 10.4 | 14.3 | 0 | 156 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | ||||
| 1993 | Aut | 11.0 | 5.5 | 8.2 | 13 | 229 | 80 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 2 | ||||
| 1993 | Year | 12.3 | 5.9 | 9.1 | 36 | 714 | 95 | 2 | 22 | 14 | 13 | 8 |
Daily data can be accessed here.
January: A very mild and exceptionally windy month. After a deceptive cold quiet start, strong south-westerly winds set in on the 4th and continued almost without a break until the 24th. It was generally very mild throughout this three-week period, but there was a brief cold snap from the 11th to 14th, when returning polar air brought a mix of sunshine and wintry showers. It turned quieter towards the end of the month. Overall, sunshine and rainfall were close to normal, and the mean maximum of 8.5C was notably high for January.
February: Another largely mild, snowless month although, in contrast to January, it was exceptionally dry with high pressure in charge. There was a very warm, sunny springlike day on the 7th with the temperature reaching 15C- a value not surpassed in February until 1998- but generally it was boring and dull with a lot of anticyclonic gloom. There were some brief attempts at northerlies in the second half, but it took until the last three days for an Arctic northerly to become established. The 27th and 28th featured sunshine and snow showers, with some particularly frequent and heavy showers on the 28th. It was the driest February recorded, and temperatures were about 2C above average by day and night.
Spring 1993: Notable for the exceptional contrast between the dry sunny March, and the dull wet April and May. With a mean temperature of 8.5C, it was slightly warmer than average.
March: Dry and sunny. It started off rather cold with some wintry showers on the 1st and a slushy covering, but this soon melted as dry, cloudy easterlies took over. The easterlies ran out of steam on the 5th, and the rest of the month was dry, sunny and often mild- particularly so around the 13th with 16C recorded. There was a brief colder showery interlude around the 23rd, with snow showers that afternoon. Overall another exceptionally dry month- the driest March recorded. It was again on the mild side, mainly due to a high average maximum. Sunshine was above average, and it was probably the sunniest March since 1990.
April: In contrast to March, April 1993 was very dull and wet (although April 1998 was subsequently wetter). It was another warm month, largely due to warm nights, consistent with the extensive cloud cover. The settled spell at the end of the month was plagued by low cloud from the North Sea, with no significant sunshine until the last two days.
May: Generally cloudy with persistent easterly winds and near-average temperatures. It started with a warm sunny day, but soon went downhill. Although much of the month was quite dry, there was an exceptional rainstorm on 13-15 May. The rain set in during late evening on the 12th, with close to 80mm falling in the subsequent 48 hours- I remember calling this the "mid-May 1993 monsoon"! It was quite warm and humid around the 17th and again towards the end of the month.
Summer 1993: This summer took a lot of flak for its cool unsettled weather, but in the North East it would be better termed a mediocre summer- sunshine and rainfall near average and temperatures a little below. It was the coldest summer on my records with a mean temperature of just 14.3C, and notable for its absence of thunderstorms and heatwaves- the temperature never reached 24C. There was no maximum of 21C or above until 5 June.
June: A near average month, perhaps slightly drier and warmer than average. It was often warm and sunny early and late in the month, but rather unsettled in the middle third. Unusual pink-topped clouds were noted on a showery day on 23 June.
July: Mostly dry with sunny intervals for the first 8 days, then a vigorous cold front moved south-east late on the 8th, and the rest of the month was cool and unsettled. Unseasonably cold with sunshine and showers from the 9th to 12th, with hail on the 9th. However, sunshine amounts remained well up to the average. The average minimum of 11.0 remains the coldest recorded for July.
August: A very unsettled first third, with near-average temperatures, and plenty of rain. The middle third was mostly dry with a continuation of the trend for near-average temperatures; however the final third was unusually cold, with frequent northerly winds. Overall a pretty uneventful month, though notable for being by far the coldest August recorded.
Autumn 1993: Dull, cold and wet- the mean of 8.2C is comfortably the lowest recorded for any autumn. However, it wasn't without its excitement, with the cold snowy latter part of November sticking out.
September: Very cold, dull and wet. It started warm and humid with the 1st featuring the year's only maximum above 24C. It turned cold and unsettled in the second week, then the 13th-15th was a washout, with persistent heavy rain. It was often muggy during the second half, with below-average temperatures and a good deal of cloud; the 27th-28th were especially cold. Overall, the coldest September recorded by measure of the mean maximum, and the wettest as well.
October: A mixed month, again somewhat on the cold side. It started with an unsettled week, and some thundery showers late on the 7th from a southerly airflow. A very cold third week with sharp frosts and maxima in single figures. A dramatic showery day on the 21st with plenty of rainbows, then the rest of the final third was mostly dull and dry and boring with anticyclonic gloom. It was comfortably the coldest October recorded, with an average maximum of 11C, compared with the long-term normal of 13C.
November: Another very cold month. The first half was fairly mild, and exceptionally dull with frequent south-easterly winds, continuing from the gloomy end to October. Following strong winds and rain on the 13th, it turned cold, bright and frosty for a time, before cold east winds set in. Snow showers fell on the 21st and 22nd, providing temporary dustings until late on the 22nd, when a prolonged snowstorm brought a two-inch cover. Remarkably, the snow cover lasted for a week, with an ice day on the 23rd, and exceptional low temperatures overnight 23rd/24th. Certainly one of the more memorable Novembers. The average maximum of 6.6C compares with a long-term average of 9C.
December: Wet and very sunny, with frequent westerly and north-westerly winds, often with showery mornings giving way to dry sunny afternoons. Christmas Day dawned clear and frosty, but snow showers developed by 11am, providing a covering by early evening; this snow cover stuck around for a few days. Temperatures were close to average overall- unusually, December was warmer than November had been!
Overall, at 9.1C, the second coldest year I've recorded, after 1996, although temperatures were close to the long-term average. It was probably the dullest year too, and the most thunder-free. Due to the wintry end, 1993 had the equal highest number of days of snow lying (14).