2006
The warmest year recorded up to 2006- though subsequently fractionally beaten by 2007. A notably snowy March. The first five months had near-average temperatures, but the rest of the year was consistently very warm, with the equal warmest summer, and comfortably the warmest autumn on record. July was a particularly outstanding month, eclipsing even August 1995 for heat and sunshine. Sunshine was well above average, though it was not as sunny as 1995 or 2003.
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 |
| 2006 |
1 |
6.6 |
1.9 |
4.2 |
11.5 |
19 |
-4.2 |
31 |
5 |
30 |
90 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| 2006 |
2 |
7.1 |
2.2 |
4.6 |
10.7 |
15 |
-1.5 |
11 |
4 |
22 |
90 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
| 2006 |
3 |
7.2 |
1.5 |
4.4 |
15.9 |
26 |
-5.8 |
3 |
10 |
57 |
90 |
0 |
11 |
5 |
0 |
3 |
| 2006 |
4 |
12.2 |
4.5 |
8.3 |
16.7 |
25 |
-0.3 |
5 |
2 |
27 |
130 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
| 2006 |
5 |
14.8 |
7.3 |
11.0 |
20.9 |
5
|
1.7 |
14 |
0 |
70 |
100 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
| 2006 |
6 |
18.8 |
10.9 |
14.9 |
24.8 |
12 |
7.5 |
1 |
0 |
12 |
110 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
| 2006 |
7 |
22.9 |
13.3 |
18.1 |
28.4 |
21 |
7.7 |
14 |
0 |
14 |
170 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
| 2006 |
8 |
18.9 |
12.5 |
15.7 |
27.2 |
6 |
8.6 |
25 |
0 |
59 |
90 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
| 2006 |
9 |
19.6 |
12.9 |
16.3 |
23.0 |
21 |
6.4 |
8 |
0 |
48 |
130 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
| 2006 |
10 |
15.4 |
9.6 |
12.5 |
17.8 |
1 |
3.7 |
20 |
0 |
66 |
100 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
| 2006 |
11 |
11.0 |
5.2 |
8.1 |
13.5 |
27 |
0.1 |
3 |
0 |
22 |
150 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 2006 |
12 |
8.2 |
3.2 |
5.7 |
13.6 |
10 |
-2.9 |
19 |
6 |
54 |
160 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
| 2006 |
Win |
6.9 |
2.0 |
4.5 |
|
|
|
|
19 |
87 |
100 |
0 |
8 |
5 |
0 |
4 |
| 2006 |
Spr |
11.4 |
4.4 |
7.9 |
|
|
|
|
12 |
154 |
110 |
0 |
14 |
5 |
1 |
7 |
| 2006 |
Sum |
20.2 |
12.2 |
16.2 |
|
|
|
|
0 |
85 |
120 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
2 |
| 2006 |
Aut |
15.3 |
9.2 |
12.3 |
|
|
|
|
0 |
136 |
120 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
| 2006 |
Year |
13.6 |
7.1 |
10.3 |
|
|
|
|
27 |
481 |
115 |
5 |
19 |
6 |
9 |
11 |
Daily data can be accessed here.
Winter 2005/06: Dry with near average temperatures, and not much snow. The driest winter recorded.
January: Dull and dry during the first half, with a half-hearted easterly from the 5th to 8th, with a little sleet. The second half was brighter, though not enough to raise sunshine totals to average. Very cold end, with a max of just 0.7C on the 31st. The coldest January since 2001, although temperatures were about average.
February: Slightly above average temperature, although it was enough to make it the coolest February since 2003. Often fairly mild during the first half, following a cold start. Some wet snow showers from a brief northerly on the 8th. Easterly winds during the final third brought near-average temperatures (even more feeble than the February 2005 easterlies), but northerlies on the 28th brought below-average temperatures and a little snow. Driest since 2003.
Spring 2006: Near average temperatures- the coolest, along with 2001, since 1996. March was notably cold and snowy, then April and May had slightly above-average temperatures, and April was notably sunny.
March: Cold, sunny first week with northerly winds, the nights were particularly cold. Snow on the afternoon of the 2nd caused a temperature drop from 4C to -1C in just half an hour. The 4th was particularly snowy, but the snow melted on the 5th and 6th as slightly less cold air moved in. Then until the 22nd easterlies brought mostly dull, cold weather. Further snow on the 12th, though it struggled to settle on concrete surfaces due to high ground temperatures. Sunny on the 22nd/23rd, with sharp frosts. We were heading for an exceptionally cold March, but a very mild, mostly cloudy last week meant it was only the coldest since 1996.
April: Cold, bright first third, with wintry showers at times, especially on the 8th when a big snowstorm caused a temperature drop from 5C to 0.6C in just half an hour. The remaining two-thirds were fairly warm, but never outstandingly so, with good sunny periods. It was a very sunny month overall.
May: Warm, cloudy first half with frequent low cloud from the North Sea, though it was very warm and sunny on the 5th. The second half was cool, bright and showery, and overall it was quite a similar month to May 2000. The wettest since 2000.
Summer 2006: The equal warmest summer recorded, alongside 2003. The driest since 1995. It was quite sunny, but not spectacularly so- mainly because the remarkably July was followed by a dull August.
June: Very warm, dry and sunny until the 12th, though low cloud from the North Sea was an occasional nuisance. From the 13th onwards, it was generally dry and cloudy with frequent westerly winds, and temperatures continued mostly above average. The warmest June since 2003, and the driest recorded. No June between 1993 and 2002 recorded an average maximum of 18C or above, yet every June from 2003 to 2006 inclusive has done. Sunshine was only slightly above average.
July: A remarkable month. The first week had a lot of low cloud from the North Sea, but after that, winds blew mostly from the west or south and it was consistently hot and sunny. 15 consecutive days of 21C or above from the 16th to 30th, beaten only in August 1995. Thunderstorms on the 22nd. The last few days were unsettled with sunshine and showers. Overall, easily the warmest of any month recorded, the driest July, and probably the sunniest too, edging out August 1995. The maximum of 28.4C on the 21st was the highest maximum in any month since August 1996.
August: In contrast to July, this was a dull damp month, though fairly warm due to above-average overnight minima. Sunshine and showers to begin with, but the second week was very dull. Sea fog, and some thunder, around the 20th. The month ended with sunshine, showers, and some hail.
Autumn 2006: The warmest autumn recorded, by almost a full 1C. The warmth was consistent rather than outstanding, and there was a certain monotony about the constant above-averageness.
September: Exceptionally warm, and quite sunny- the warmest September by a long way, comfortably beating September 1999, and it was actually warmer than August had been! Thunderstorms on the 11th and 14th. The 21st was a very summerlike day, with unbroken sunshine and a maximum of 23C.
October: A boring month, consistently warm, dry, with average sunshine. It started with some dramatic convective weather and a mix of sun and showers, but after that it was often wet and cloudy, and consistently warm. The warmest October since 2001.
November: Another mild month- the warmest, along with 2003, since 1997. A settled first half with close to average temperatures, and much above average sunshine. The second half was cloudier and more unsettled, with well above average temperatures. Brief cool snap around the 18th with rain at 3C. It was notably dry, but less so than November 2004, and for the second successive November, sunshine was well above average.
December: Mild, sunny and changeable during the first half of the month. The second half was mostly cold and anticyclonic, with plenty of sunshine until the 23rd, when it became very gloomy for a week. Christmas Day was particularly dismal. On the 27th, rain fell at 1.1C, the lowest temperature at which I have recorded no advance on rain. Overall, it was quite a mild December- the mildest since 2000- but temperatures were only about 1C above the long-term mean.
Overall, at 10.3C, the warmest year recorded up to 2006, but fractionally beaten in 2007. Frosts and snow were rare, but not exceptionally so. Sunshine was above average. The driest year recorded, just beating 2003.
