DATA
TABLE FOR RADSTOCK FOR WINTER 2013-2014 FINAL FIGURES (DEC 1ST-FEB
28TH)

 

 

LOWEST TEMPERATURE	-0.7C(31F) on the 12th Jan at 00:25
HIGHEST TEMPERATURE	12.8C (55F) on the 12th Dec at 13:54
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE	6.0C (43F)
HIGHEST HUMIDITY	100% Frequently
LOWEST HUMIDITY	58% on the 16th Feb at 15:04
WETTEST DAY	49.0mm (1.96inc) on the 23rd Dec
HIGHEST RAINFALL RATE	180.0mm/hr (7.20inc/hr) on the 18th Dec at 20:30
TOTAL RAINFALL	591.6mm (23.29inc)
DRY DAYS	9 Days
LONGEST DRY SPELL	2 Days from 10th Dec-11th Dec
HIGHEST PRESSURE	1035.7mbs on the 2nd Dec at 00:19
LOWEST PRESSURE	969.1mbs on the 14th Feb at 21:26
AVERAGE PRESSURE	1003.7mbs
PRESSURE RANGE	66.6mbs
HIGHEST WIND GUST	63mph on the 14th Feb at 20:44
WIND BETWEEN S & W	84%
WIND BETWEEN W & N	7%
WIND BETWEEN N & E	1%
WIND BETWEEN E & S	8%
SUNNIEST DAY	8 hrs and 12 mins on 16th Feb
TOTAL SUNSHINE HOURS	184 hrs and 18 mins
DAYS OF NO SUN	21 Days
BRIGHTEST DAY	115.4w/sqm on 16th Feb
DULLEST DAY	3.1w/sqm on 23rd Dec
DAYS WITH THUNDER	2 Days on 3rd &17th Jan
DAYS WITH HAIL	20 Days
HOURS WITH FROST	4hrs & 48mins
HOURS WITH FOG	10hrs & 0mins
DAYS WITH SNOW	1 Day on the 13th Feb between 09:00-10:00

 

 

REPORT 

 

February 2013 continued the trend of the first two months of the Winter with rainfall and wind strengths the most potent forces of the month. Temperatures overall were above the long term mean by just under 1 deg C with 6.0C the average for the three months Dec to Feb, this made up by exceptional mild nights for a Winter season which contained just under 5 hours only of air temperatures below freezing for the period. The warmest day was a balmy 12.8C on
December 12th. The sunniest day was the 16th February benefiting from the extending daylight hours with just under 9 hours of bright sunshine though despite the very turbulent nature of the weather sunshine over winter was around average if not slightly above totalling 184hrs and 18 minutes. However it was rainfall that was the biggest dominating factor of this Winter with an
incredible total of 592mm of rain falling over Radstock through the season, which accounts for some 60% of the annual average rainfall for the town in just three months. Some very wet days occurred with 49mm of rain occurring on the 23rd December. Needless to say the reports of flooding increased across the area
through the Winter with all three months clocking up well above average rainfall. In addition to this was the strength of the winds which powered up into gale force strength on numerous occasions through the Winter with no less than 8 separate occasions where the anenometer on my reporting station exceeded 50mph culminating in a very stormy evening on the 14th February when 63mph gusts
were recorded here, the highest of the season. Some local structural damage was reported but despite the wind strengths no major problems from this were reported. With such stormy weather it was no surprise that Barometric air pressure was very low and well below average overall. The lowest recorded pressure here was on the day of the strongest gust with 969.1mbs recorded on the
evening of February 14th. As a measure how low the pressure was sustained over the area through the season the average checked in at 1003.7mbs, some 12 mbs below the average for the area. With winds and weather systems moving West to East across the Atlantic and the UK throughout the Winter there was little chance of any Wintry weather to establish and a remarkably snowless Winter ended on the morning of the 13th February giving an hour of wet snow which although not settling in my garden did over the higher hills above me for an hour or two before melting away later that morning. There was no fog or freezing fog to report, hardly surprising due to the strength of the wind. So Winter 2014 will
be remembered for it's storminess with copious rain and wind but with little or no real wintry issues of ice, frost or snow. As a result an early Spring growing season is possible.

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That would appear to be it for winter here in the far south, unless we get a potent wintry blast in the spring ( which often happens after completely mild winters.



Final rainfall total for winter at my weather station was 658mm (26.32 inches!!)



If one adds in October and November as well the total is 872mm ( 34.88 inches)



The 1981-2010 average annual rainfall for Dorset is 924mm ( 36.96 inches)



So I have recorded almost a years worth of rain since October 1st 2013.

Just thought I'd stick this in here - it basically illustrates just how boring 2013-14 was in terms of temperatures, using my location as an example.

By comparison, even 2007-08, while mild, was far more varied in December and not too bad late in February either, though never much below average in the latter month.

 

It also reveals something interesting about the winters of 2009-10 and 2010-11 here; the January spell in 2009 was as impressive as the December spell of 2010 here in terms of 'peak performance', with 2010 only winning through duration.

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