Daily data will be posted online at the end of the year.
Winter 2007/08: Yet another mild winter, though less so than 2006/07, with remarkably little snow (indeed the most snowless winter since I started recording)
January: Mild and wet
It started with a brief cold snap, and there was a dusting of snow early on the 3rd, accompanied by a very gusty easterly wind. However, the rest of the month was mild with westerly winds and frequent rain. Sunshine was close to average. It was a notably mild January overall but less so than last year's. The wettest January since 2004- and a contrast to the last five months, all of which had been dry.
February: Dry, exceptionally sunny, some very warm days
Gales and wet snow on the 1st, but high pressure soon took over, providing a fortnight of mostly dry, sunny weather, with variable temperatures, many warm days and frosty nights, and some stunning sunsets. The last week was boring, with mild cloudy weather and south-westerly winds. This was the driest February since 1998, and the mean maximum was the highest (alongside 2002) since 1998, but the mean minimum was the lowest since 2003, reflecting the dry sunny nature of the month.
Spring 2008: At 8.5C, a relatively cool spring by recent standards, but still warm as measured by the long-term mean. It contained a fair mix of weather.
March: Changeable, but dry and sunny overall
The month had a cool unsettled feel to it, yet statistically temperatures were about average and it was quite sunny and dry. The north-westerly outbreak on the 3rd/4th was rather feeble, but did produce a cold night overnight 4th/5th. Most of the rest of the month consisted of changeable north-westerly winds, and a high frequency of sunshine-and-showers days. The month's significant cold snap coincided exactly with the Easter weekend, bringing snow showers at times, though accumulations on the ground were limited.
April: Sunshine and showers in the first half, cloudy second half
This was a near average month statistically, perhaps slightly on the wet side. It started warm, but a cold northerly wind set in from the 5th to 7th, providing the lowest April temperatures in the area since 1999. Heavy wet snow brought a two-inch cover early on the 7th (the deepest recorded in April since my records started), which took until midday to melt. Sunshine and showers prevailed almost without a break until midmonth, resulting in 7 days of hail, a total beaten only in March 1995. However, the second half was dull with easterly winds. Warm interlude near the end, with southerlies. Remarkably, it ended up as the coolest April since 2001.
May: Dry and warm, sunny first half, cloudy second half
The month opened with two days of sunshine and showers, but high pressure soon took over giving a spell of dry weather and hazy sunshine. The onshore breeze prevented temperatures from climbing to the heights that inland areas experienced. After the 11th, low cloud was a regular nuisance, and the warmth was felt mainly through the overnight minima. Another sunny spell around the 20th, introduced by a brief surge of arctic air, which brought a couple of cool nights. It was the warmest May since 1999, and the driest since 2001.
Summer 2008:
June: A pretty "average" month overall
The month started with a spell of cloudy, muggy weather, but after a couple of very warm, sunny days on the 8th and 9th, northerly winds brought fresher weather in the second week. It continued cloudy at times, but bright showery weather prevailed around midmonth. Westerly and south-westerly winds prevailed during the second half, which was fairly mixed but there were some good sunny spells at times. Gale force winds developed on the 22nd from an exceptionally deep depression for the time of year. Temperatures were a little above the long-term normal, but this was still enough to make the average minimum the lowest since 2001.
July: Dull and wet
After a warm sunny day on the 1st, followed by three bright showery days, the month became dull, rather cool, and exceptionally wet from the 5th to 18th. The 9th was particularly wet with 34mm of rain. Sunshine and showers on the 19th and 20th, with a slight thunderstorm on the 19th, then the last third was much warmer and cancelled out the cool weather of the first two-thirds. The warmth was felt mainly at night, and after a few reasonably sunny days, low cloud from the North Sea became a regular nuisance.
