January 2012 day by day
January 3rd saw a very stormy day in places as a notably deep low (952mb whilst near Tiree) moved east north east across northern Scotland and out into the North Sea. The cold front gave severe weather in places too as it moved SE across England. Initially a Shapiro Keyser type low, it developed a belt of extremely strong winds which ran across central parts of Scotland, these caused by the folding down of high winds aloft created by a 'sting Jet' on the top of a wrap around occluded front. Pressure rose dramatically to the east as the low moved away, it was up 19mb in 2 hours at Tiree by 09Z, very close to all time UK pressure rise records. Some of the highest gusts were at Malin Hd (Ireland) 105mph, (which also recorded a 10-minute mean windspeed of 78 mph, thus exceeding the previous record of 77mph, recorded on the 26 Dec, 1998) Edinburgh Blackford Hill 102 mph and on the Tay Bridge (unofficial) Salsburgh 97mph, Islay 96mph, Inverkip nr Greenock 95mph (unofficial) Aberdaron (W Wales) 93mph, Portland (Dorset,south coast) 91mph. In the south on the cold front even well inland East Malling (Kent) reported a gust to 70mph. It was very wet in places esp the Highlands and Tyndrum reported 53mm in the 24 hours to 21Z. It was very mild though in the warm sector for a time with Santon Downham in Suffolk reaching 13.2C.
As a result there was extensive disruption in places and local damage. In the south a lorry driver was killed in Tunbridge Wells (Kent) when a tree fell onto his cabin. Part of the roof of the grandstand at Epsom racecourse in Surrey was been blown off and a bus driver in Witley, Surrey suffered serious injuries when a tree fell on to his vehicle. Parts of a village shop were reduced to rubble after high winds hit a shop in Chalgrove, Oxon at about 10:30 GMT. A mobile home was destroyed and several other properties damaged by strong winds in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. Southern Electric Power Distribution said the weather had caused fallen power lines throughout the south. Devon firefighters carried out several rescues from cars which had become stuck in floodwater and two Environment Agency employees waded into floodwater to help a driver whose car was swept away near a swollen ford in Chew Stoke, near Bristol.
December 2011 day by day
December 1st - A wet & windy start to winter especially in the far north. Cluanie Inn in the Highlands saw 39mm in the 24 hours to 21Z with gusts to as high as 86mph on the exposed Orkney island of Unst in mid morning but parts of the south east were wet too as a shallow wave with associated fronts moved slowly NE here during the afternoon. St Helier on Jersey was very wet and saw 53mm in fact and on the south coast Brighton saw about 15mm of rain in the period. December 2nd was a cold night, Kinbrace fell to -5.7C then later on wet and windy as a deepening low worked ENE north of NW Scotland. The Scalpay road bridge gusted to 90mph about 2300. Even on the south coast Hurst Castle (Hants) gusted to 65mph at 2350Z.
October 2011 day by day
October 1st: Cooler & cloudier in the north than yesterday & quite wet too, Murlough (Co Down) reporting 30mm in the 24 hours to 21Z. However most parts further south remained dry and very warm after early mist local fog burmed away again. By the mid afternon temperatures peaked in the south and Midlands at around 26-28C and locally highter, Gravesend (Kent) reported 29.9C. This was the highest October temperature ever recorded officially in the UK, beating one of 29.4C at March in Cambs.Charlwood near Gatwick, Surrey, also reached 29.4C. Wales also broke its all time October record of 26.4C at Ruthin, by reaching 28.4C at Hawarden (Flintshire).
November 2011 day by day
November 3rd : A wet start in places as some heavy pulses of rain moved up fro the SW. Thunderstorms developed across the Channel Isles. Another mild night though for many under cloud. A mild day as well with St James Pk & Heathrow up to 18.0C by mid afternon. Thundery showers or pulses of heavy rain worked up from the Channel into the south by day esp in the south & SE. For example, Brighton saw a thunderstorm with hail causing minor flooding in places by late afternoon with 20mm falling until 00Z .
September 2011 day by day
September 1st: So hello to Autumn. The nights are fast drawing in now as that season of mellow fruitfulnes approaches again. A lot of people have saying it feels though it has been autumn for a while anyway! However, the first few days looks quite summery in fact but its all downhill from about the 4th as wet and windy weather returms for most and it will geel very autumnal the, especially by week 2.
September 3rd: a couple of warm days started the month as high pressure dominated acros the UK. It reached as high as 27.0C at Heathrow (central London) on the 2nd and 26.7C at Manston (Kent) on the 3rd.









