Daily Data for Each Month of 2002

2002- Notably warm by night, quite wet and cloudy, often windy

The most remarkable aspect of 2002 was its warm nights- while some subsequent years have had a higher mean temperature, none have had a higher average minimum.  The frequency of snow, frost and hail were all exceptionally low, and as a result it was probably the most snowless year in the region since at least 1992.  There was only 1 day of 25C and above, and only 28 days reached 20C and above.  I associate this year with long spells of muggy south-westerly winds.  However, due to reasonably sunny weather in early to mid spring, annual sunshine across the region was near or only a little below normal.

Winter 2001/02 began with that cold sunny December and snow at the end, and the cold sunny weather and snow cover persisted into early January, but it then turned relentlessly warm, wet and windy.  Spring 2002 was a homogeneously warm one, while it was drier and sunnier than average, the driest and sunniest spring since 1997.  Summer 2002 had warmer than average nights, but it was often dull, wet and windy.  Autumn 2002 was also quite warm but dull and wet, and December was remarkably gloomy.

January 2002- Cold bright start then warm, cloudy, wet and windy

It started with mostly cold, sunny weather, and there was an ice day on the 2nd.  The 3rd was cloudy and warmer, with a thaw of most of the existing snow cover, then the 4th was again sunny and very cold.  Following a week of increasingly warmer, cloudier weather, a conveyor belt of warm south-westerlies then persisted almost without a break from the 11th onwards, with bands of rain alternating with drier, brighter interludes.  It was very warm indeed around the 21st.  There was a brief northerly on the 24th followed by some snow around midday on the 25th but this soon melted.  The 29th had a severe gale with some structural damage.  Thanks to the cold start, though, it was fractionally less warm than January 1999.

February 2002- Very warm, wet and windy

It was very cloudy, warm and windy on the first four days with gales on the 1st, then bright showery weather arrived on the 5th and 6th.  The second week was mostly cloudy and warm, but there was a feeble northerly outbreak on the 13th which brought in a brief spell of dry sunny weather with chilly nights.  A very unsettled windy spell followed, and following gales on the 20th, a northerly brought hail and sleet showers.  There was a north-westerly on the 22nd/23rd, with gales on the 22nd, and some wet snow during the intervening night which provided a dusting, but it melted during the day, with sleety showers that evening.  There was more snow on the 28th but it turned to rain as a wind picked up off the sea, and there were rain showers in the evening.  It was the warmest February since the record-breaking one in 1998.  Despite all the wind and rain, sunshine was a little above normal.

March 2002- Generally warm and cloudy until the 25th, then exceptionally sunny from the 26th onwards

The 1st was bright and fairly cold with some sleety showers overnight.  Until the 8th, the weather then continued mainly cloudy with westerly winds.  There was some wet snow on the 9th, then it turned dry and sunny for a time before an easterly picked up on the 14th bringing sleet showers.  The weather continued quite warm and cloudy until the 25th, with light rain at times.  However, the 26th onwards was very sunny on every day, with notably warm days but also fairly cool nights as an anticyclone reigned.  The sunshine near the end of the month more than offset the lack of sunshine earlier on, resulting in the sunniest March since 1997.

April 2002- Warm, dry and sunny

High pressure dominated and brought mostly warm dry weather with plenty of sunshine.  Low cloud was often a feature of the first week but the second week was very sunny.  It was cool at times in the second week due to a weak northerly regime and there were some showers on the 13th and 14th.  It turned warmer in the third week, and very warm on the 23rd and 24th with 20C exceeded, again with plenty of sunshine.  The 25th onwards was more unsettled, with the emphasis on sunshine and showers rather than dull wet weather.  There was a notable squally hail shower on the afternoon of the 28th.  April turned out to be the sunniest month of the year, and it was the driest since 1997.  It was the warmest April recorded up to this point, but some subsequent Aprils have been warmer.

May 2002- Settled but often cloudy first half, changeable windy second half, warm nights

The month opened with two showery days and a hail shower temporarily whitened the ground on the evening of the 1st.  It was sunny until the 5th but then turned dull with low cloud due to persistent north-easterly winds.  There was a warm southerly burst on the 14th/15th.  The second half was unusually windy for the time of year with deep Atlantic depressions.  However, it was not particularly dull as the emphasis was generally on sunshine and blustery, squally showers rather than dull wet weather, and sunshine for May 2002 was about average.  It was dry and sunny on the 31st as high pressure took over.  It was the fifth consecutive warmer-than-average May.

June 2002- Dull and windy (unusually so for a summer month) with warm nights

There was a dry sunny day on the 1st followed by a “Spanish plume” on the 2nd which brought severe thunderstorms that evening.  Two showery days followed, then it was dull and drizzly between the 5th and 9th.  Westerly winds brought sunshine and showers on the 10th, but the 11th-14th were cloudy and windy with drizzly showers.  The third week was warm and very humid, and continued windy, but there was a fair amount of sunshine.  The last third was generally dry but cloudy, and that pesky gusty westerly wind continued to blow on a near-daily basis.  It was the warmest June since before 1993- but June 1992 was almost certainly warmer.

July 2002- A cloudy westerly month, cold first half, warm second half

It was dull and wet on the 1st but was brighter with showers on the 2nd.  The rest of the first week was mainly cloudy with some outbreaks of rain at times.  Heavily subjective TV forecasts painted the forecast for sunshine and showers for the 10th-13th as “rain replaced by showers, therefore heavier with risk of thunder- truly miserable- where's our summer?”, but it backfired when we got four mainly dry, sunny days with only a couple of showers on the 12th.  The third week was dry but often cloudy, and it continued that way until the 26th, when it became very warm and sunny for a time.  Cloudy wet weather returned during the last two days.

August 2002- Warm but dull and wet

It started dull and wet but then the 3rd-9th were often warm with some hazy sunshine, and there were dramatic cloudbursts and thunder late on the 7th.  The 10th was a very dull drizzly day.  The middle part of the month was generally warm and sunny, with 25C just nudged on the 14th.  High pressure was quite domin/at from the 20th onwards but it was placed to the west allowing cloudy northerly winds in.  These northerlies were often not especially cold but they brought rain and drizzle on the 22nd/23rd.  The 27th was sunny then it became quite humid towards the end.

September 2002- Warm and dry, sunny start, mostly cloudy second half

 The month opened with two dry and sunny days, then it turned more unsettled from the west and it was dull and wet on the 9th.  The 10th and 11th were very sunny, but sea fog rolled in overnight 11th/12th and was soon replaced by general low cloud from the North Sea.  From the 12th to 20th the weather was mainly dry but generally dull, with North Sea low cloud, and there was occasional drizzle.  A northerly outbreak on the 21st/22nd brought brighter, showery weather.  It remained settled for the rest of the month, with some sunny days and some dull days.  It was warm and sunny on the 30th.  It was the driest September since 1997 but sunshine was a little below normal.

October 2002- Cool and wet with average amounts of sunshine, potent northerly outbreak in the third week

October 2002 started with two warm dry sunny days, and it reached 22C on the 1st.  It turned cloudy after that, though there was little in the way of rain.  The 9th-12th were dull and wet, then it turned brighter towards midmonth and a cold northerly was unleashed on the 18th bringing frequent heavy showers, and rain fell with a temperature of just 5C that evening.  The 19th was very frosty but it warmed up with rain on the 20th.  There was another cold NW'ly on the 23rd/24th.  There was a gale on the 25th and then a very severe gale on the 27th.

November 2002- Warm, dull and wet, frequent southerly winds

A preponderance of southerly winds brought large amounts of dull damp weather, not unlike Novembers 1994 and 1997.  Changeable southerly and south-westerly winds dominated during the first half and brought generally wet weather with a shortage of sunshine.  There was a one-off cold night on the 17th/18th.  The last third of the month was generally cloudy with some mist and fog at times, and temperatures fell closer to normal.

December 2002- Exceptionally cloudy, wet at times

The month began dull and wet, then an easterly regime took hold from the 6th to 16th.  The Scandinavian High was in the wrong place to bring one of those classic “sunshine and snow showers” winter easterlies, so the result was day after day of stratocumulus and temperatures near 5C.  It turned wet on the 14th-16th.  Showers of sleet and soft hail unexpectedly developed early on the 17th, followed by three dry sunny frosty days.  The last third of the month was exceptionally warm, and mostly dull, but Christmas Day had some good spells of hazy sunshine.  A further easterly incursion on the 30th/31st brought a sleety rain shower late on the 30th.