January 2005
January 2005
Temperatures
(all temperatures in degrees Celsius; all averages 1961 – 1990)
Mean daily maximum: 8.3
Difference from average: +2.5
Mean daily minimum: 2.7
Difference from average: +2.5
Mean air temperature: 5.5
Difference from average: +2.5
Absolute maximum: 13 (10th)
Absolute minimum: -2.2 (22nd)
Mean grass minimum: 1.5
Absolute grass minimum: -6.3 (22nd)
Number of ground frosts: 8
Number of air frosts: 6
Mean soil temperature at 30cm depth: 5.1
Mean soil temperature at 100cm depth: 7.1
Rainfall
(all totals in millimetres; all averages 1961 – 1990)
Total for the month: 34.2
Difference from average: -24.8
Percentage of the average: 58%
Wettest day: 6.6 (8th)
Number of rain days (>0.25mm): 11
Number of wet days (=> 1mm): 9
3-month total rainfall to 31st January: 56.8
Difference from average: -121.5
6-month rainfall total to 31st January: 353.6
Difference from average: 0.2
12-month rainfall total to 31st January: 675.8
Difference from average: 26.9
Humidity
(Averages for 09:00 hours GMT)
Relative Humidity: 81%
Sunshine
(all averages 1961 – 1990)
Total for the month: 56.7 hours
Difference from average: +2.9
Percentage of the average: 105%
Mean daily sunshine: 1.8 hours
Difference from average: +0.1
Sunniest day: 4.6 hours (30th)
Number of days with no recorded sunshine: 5
Wind
The mean wind speed: 20.7km/h [11kt]
Difference from average: +6.0km/hr
The highest gust: 137km/h [56.7kt] from 211° at 06:47 GMT on 8th
ISSN1350-483
Comments on January 2005
January was a mild month with all measures of temperature well above average. Mean air temperature for January was 9th highest since 1850, the warmest since 1989. It was a dry month, with rainfall total well below average, continuing the pattern of the previous two months – the 3-month total is well below average therefore. Perhaps most notable was the wind – it was generally a very windy month, with mean speeds well above average. Extremely high gusts on the morning of the 8th caused havoc on the A1; the maximum gust of 137 km/h (86 mph) is, I believe, the highest recorded since we installed the new anemometer in 1999.
Professor Tim Burt
Department of Geography
Durham University