Monthly retrospective for January 2016

It was very mild but very wet in places in the north & west but rather dull too esp in the south. The (Hadley) CET mean temperature was near 5.7C, about 1.9C above average. A number of daily maximum temperature records were broken on the 24th & 25th and the all time high minima January records too, in Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland.

January saw temperature anomalies range from about 2C above average in the far south to just below average in the far  northern Isles. The warmest place by day was St Mary on the Scilly Isles with a mean maximum temperature of 10.8C. The warmest daily maximum was at Achnagart in the NW Scottish Highlands where 16.5C was reached on the 24th. The coldest mean minimum by night was 1.8C at Lossiemouth in eastern Scotland. Pressure was 2mb below average in the far northern Isles but 10mb below at Valley on Anglesey attesting to the unsettled nature of the month in the main.

January was a wet month resulting in localised flooding again in places in the north west and Fylingdales (North Yorkshire) saw about 260% of its average rainfall and just about all parts saw above average rainfall this month; mostly amounts were between 125-175% of the average rainfall.

Generally, it was again rather duller than average right across the UK as a whole away from the far north, where Lerwick saw about 125% of its average sunshine. Leeming saw 41% and much of the south of the UK saw figures between 40-70% of average (incomplete data available).

Frost was again well below average everywhere and again some southern areas saw no frost at all this month: parts of the south coast never fell below freezing; however on snow cover parts of the Highlands especially were cold at times, with Kinbrace (Sutherland) only reaching -3.3C by day on the 16th and -12.4C by night on the 19th (in huge contrast to the 16.5C reached a few days later at the relatively close location of Achnagart). There was little snowfall on the whole, away from the Scottish Highlands. It was a windy month at times though only one storm was named by UKMO, using their storm naming system: Gertrude, of which details can be found below.

By the end of January sea temperature anomalies were about 1C above average around most UK coasts though nearer 2-3C degrees around the SE coast, so very mild here compared to average though just off southern Ireland they were below average. Soil temperatures were almost uniformly above average everywhere away from Highland Scotland and soil moisture was generally above average in most parts, with water tables still completely saturated in parts of the NW and north of England and west and north of Wales leading to a lot of standing water and localised flooding.

 

Now looking at January in more detail.

On the 3rd, low pressure, 969mb at 12Z was slow moving to the SW of Ireland and an occluded front moved eastwards across the south, it gave a lot of heavy rain in southern coastal counties for a time , over 30mm in places, with localised flooding. A squall with hail affected parts of the Dorset & Hants coastal area as the occluded front moved through there giving a gust to 63mph (unofficially) at Chichester Bar. It was also very windy in the far north as well.

The 4th saw low pressure 973mb over the SW'ern Irish Sea strong east winds and heavy rain affected NE & eastern Scotland, Inverbervie (Aberdeenshire) gusted to 63mph from the east with dozens of flood warnings in place across the country. Police in Aberdeen warned the River Dee at Riverside Drive and Garthdee was close to bursting its banks. More than a dozen roads in Perth and across Tayside were closed by the latest flooding & others only "passable with care".The A83, A984, A23, A93, A923 and A824 were among the major roads in Scotland affected. Some of the worst hit roads were around Blairgowrie, where a coastguard helicopter and specialist firefighters rescued an elderly couple from their home which was in danger of being flooded. Firefighters also rescued a woman who was trapped in her car by rising flood water in Inverurie. Several householders in nearby Port Elphinstone were forced to leave their homes after water started coming up through their floorboards. Police Scotland said Aberdeenshire Council has moved residents from Bonty Court in Aboyne as a precaution, with 37 residents taken to Aboyne Academy which has been opened as a rest centre. Allachburn Care Home was also evacuated. vAlso in Aberdeenshire, the historic Abergeldie Castle was on the brink of collapsing into a swollen River Dee. The castle's owners were forced to evacuate the 16th century A-listed tower house on Sunday, after the river swept away about 60ft (18m) of land behind the property, leaving it only a few feet from the water.

The 5th was very wet in parts of the NE of England , Kielder Castle in Northumberland saw 48mm in the 24 hours to 21Z. The 7th was also very wet in the far north east and Fyvie Castle (Aberdeenshire) saw 54mm in the 24 hours to 21Z. On the 8th after a chilly night in the far north, Tyndrum in the Highlands fell to -4.0C, it was a wet day in the north west of Wales. Capel Curig (Conwy) saw 54mm of rain in the 24 hours to 21Z and the east & NE of Scotland, Aberdeen saw 43mm in the 24 hours to 21Z with homes in Aberdeenshire evacuated after the River Don burst its banks, amid the heavy rain across eastern Scotland. Residents were moved from properties in Inverurie as some water levels reached record highs. The rail line between Aberdeen and Dundee was closed due to flooding with services to and from central belt starting and terminating at Dundee. Services between Aberdeen and Inverness were also severely affected due to flooding at Inverurie. Aberdeen International Airport runway was closed for a time due to water damage on the runway. Some 38 properties in Port Elphinstone, near Inverurie, were evacuated overnight and 18 homes evacuated in Ellon as River Ythan threatened to overflow. Sepa said the River Don at Parkhill peaked at 5.537m - the previous high was 4.168m in November 2002. There were twenty-four roads closed in Aberdeenshire and about 13 in Tayside and more than 30 Aberdeenshire schools shut or partially closed due to the weather. The power was also off in some areas affected by severe weather.

The 9th was a cold day in parts of the north, esp the Highlands, Balmoral only rose to -0.7C after Braemar fell to -7.7C overnight. Showers affecting other parts esp southern & western coasts with hail in places. The 10th saw a showery night and day in parts of the south & west, with frequent showers of rain and hail affecting south coasts with some thunder.Squally gusts reached 77mph at Prawle Point in South Devon unofficially. Two people were recovering in hospital after lightning struck seven homes in Eastbourne. Emergency services were called initially to reports of fires in homes in Schofield Way, Langney Point, shortly before 3am but the properties had suffered burns from the lightning strike causing substantial damage outside and in their homes including chimneys demolished and roof tiles falling off roofs. Residents said they had been woken up by the heavy rain and then heard a loud explosion and realised their properties had been hit by lightning. A spokesperson at East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said “Four appliances from Eastbourne, Hailsham and Bexhill and one officer were mobilised to the scene at 2.45am,” By the end of the day Brighton (Sussex) had seen five storms with around 30mm in the 24 hours to 18Z on the South Downs near Shoreham. A cold night again though in the far north, at least initially.

The 13th was a chilly day in many parts with some wintry showers about, Tulloch Bridge (Highlands) fell to -4.8C by night. The 14th was a cold day in many parts in a polar maritime northerly or NW'ly flow as low pressue moved away eastwards in the North Sea with some wintry showers or more persistent sleet & snow about in the north & west and down east coasts too, Loftus (North Yorks) saw 21mm of precipitation in the 24 hours to 21Z. Aviemore (Highlands) fell to -7.2C overnight with -11C on the grass at Loch Glascarnoch (Highlands) . Redesdale (Northumberland) only rose to -0.3C by day. There was 16cm of snow reported at Spadeadam (Cumbria) at midday and 7cm at Redesdale.

The 15th was quite a cold day in places with some snow or snow showers about but the most significant falls were over high ground. Kinbrace (Sutherland) fell to -6.0C early on with -10C on the grass at Altnaharra (Highlands) and Carterhouse ( Northumberland) only rose to 0.7C by day. Spadeadam (Cumbria) reported 14cm of lying snow at 12Z and Lough Fea in Co Tyrone had 6cm. Sennybridge in Powys had 5cm. Much of it had melted by the day's end though, away from high ground. The 16th was a cold night in places esp Scotland. It was -9C at Loch Glascarnoch and the grass min (on a snow cover) fell to -14C at Tulloch Bridge. Kinbrace (Sutherland) only rose to -3.3C by day. There was 16cm of snow on the ground by 21Z at Spadeadam in Cumbria.

The 17th saw a corridor of snow move SSE across parts of the UK overnight through western Scotland, north-west England, the Midlands, and south-east England. Parts of rural Scotland dropped to -10C (14F) for a second night, Kinbrace (Sutherland) fell to -11.8C. The weather caused flight delays at Manchester and Gatwick airports, & police warned drivers to take care in the icy and snowy conditions. The band of snow 100 miles (160km) wide brought heavy falls on higher ground and up to an inch and a half (4cm) in some lower-lying areas, while other places just saw a light dusting. Much of it melted during the day in the south though. The 18th was still cold in the far north, Kinbrace again only got to -0.9C by day, by contrast milder & wet in the far SW though. The 19th saw a very cold night in Scotland esp NW Scotland where Kinbrace (Sutherland) fell to -12.4C, the lowest temperature of the winter so far. Aviemore ( Highlands) only rose to -0.9C by day. The 20th saw another very cold night again, esp in NW Scotland where Kinbrace (Sutherland) fell to -11.6C overnight. On the 21st after a cold start in places , Loch Glascarnoch (Highands)  fell to -8.2C , much milder weather worked in from the SW, ending the cold spell & bringing rain with it in to the SW and NW.

By the 24th a very mild but dull TM airmass covered the UK and Achnagart in NW Scotland saw the highest temp today, 16.5C was an all time record for the 24th January. In Northern Ireland Belfast Aldergrove airport recorded its highest ever January temperature with 14.1C. On the 25th too, with very mild TM air still covering the UK, it was the warmest ever 25th Jan on record with 15.6C recorded at Lossiemouth, and the night (24th-25th) saw the highest ever Jan min temps recorded in N Ireland, Wales & Scotland. On the 26th a deep low ran to the NW of Scotland bringing some strong winds in the west and heavy rain. Mild though in places with the rain, Murlough (Co Down) reached 14.8C. Capel Curig (Conwy) saw 68mm of rain in ther 24 hours toi 21Z and gusted to 83mph in the mid morning with a gust of 75mph at Aberdaron and 71mph at Loftus (N Yorks).Pupils and staff were rescued by boat after their primary school in Aberfoyle, near Stirling, was cut off by flooding, the strong winds blew over a number of lorries, including on the A1 northbound at Dunbar in East Lothian and on the Woodhead Pass, in the Peak District. The pass was closed as winds reached up to 100mph. Hundreds of homes across Wales were hit by power cuts esp in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Ammanford, Newcastle Emlyn & Llanelli, all in Carmarthenshire, In Edinburgh, a man was injured after a chimney was blown off a roof in high winds and smashed through a bus window. Hovertravel services between Southsea and Ryde on the Isle of Wight were suspended to due to high winds & ferry services between the mainland and the islands of Scotland were also disrupted. Some rail lines were affected by flooding, including in Cumbria and Ayrshire. Some schools closed in Keswick, Cumbria, one of the places worst hit by the storms last month and the Environment Agency was closely monitoring the situation in Appleby, Keswick, Cockermouth and Glenridding, as well as in Mytholmroyd, Hebden Bridge, Calderdale and York. The 27th was very wet in places in the NW, Threave (in SW Scotland) saw 40mm in the 24 hours to 21Z.

The 29th was a very unsettled day as UKMO named 'Storm Gertrude' passed to the NW of Scotland. Winds gusted to 105mph at Lerwick (Shetlands) and Baltasound in the Orkneys. Wet too, Kinlochewe in the western Highlands saw 71mm in the 24 hours to 21Z. In Edinburgh, a man was hospitalised after being struck by flying debris, and at least 1,800 homes were without power in Scotland and Northern Ireland. A number of schools were closed, and a number of people were injured on the A96 in Huntly, Aberdeenshire, when a lorry was blown over on to a car whilst flats were evacuated in Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, when scaffolding was blown through a roof. In N Ireland the high winds brought down power lines and trees. In Wales the M48 Severn Bridge was temporarily closed after a lorry overturned, In England, eight flood warnings were in place, with particularly high water levels expected at the River Ouse in North Yorkshire and the Severn at Shrewsbury. After snow showers through the night across parts of Highland and N Scotland by 06Z on the 30th there was 3cm of snow lying at Aviemore in the Highlands again. It remained windy in the far NW with a gust to 77mph at South Uist.

 

David Wiseman disclaimer – Issued as a non commercial  ‘Not for profit’ forecast. The user assumes the entire risk related to its use of this data. I am providing this data "as is" and disclaim any and all warranties, whether express or implied, including (without limitation) any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. In no event will I, David Wiseman, or any related contactors be liable to you or to any third party for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special or exemplary damages or lost profit resulting from any use or misuse of this data . Climate stats have been compiled with the partial use and help of UKMO news page data , with thanks. Other news data was compiled from many sources including UKww reports, news papers & some BBC local news reports.