January 2025
SUMMARY OF THE METEOROLOGICAL READINGS AT DURHAM UNIVERSITY OBSERVATORY
January 2025
Temperatures (all temperatures in degrees Celsuis; all averages 1991-2020)
Mean daily maximum: 6.1 Difference from average: -0.8
Mean daily minimum: -0.3 Difference from average: -1.6
Mean air temperature: 2.9 Difference from average: -1.2
Absolute maximum: 13.3 (14th)
Absolute minimum: -5.3 (11th)
Mean grass minimum: -2.0 Difference from average: -1.6
Absolute grass minimum: -8.4 (11th)
Mean concrete minimum: -1.5
Absolute concrete minimum: -6.2 (11th)
Number of ground frosts: 22 Difference from average: +5
Number of air frosts: 15 Difference from average: +4
Mean soil temperature at 300 mm depth: 4.0
Mean soil temperature at 1000 mm depth: 6.4
Rainfall (all totals in millimetres; all averages 1991-2020)
Total for the month: 61.0 Difference from average: +7.6
Percentage of the average: 144.2%
Wettest day: 33.4 (5th)
Number of rain days (>0.1 mm): 15 Difference from average: -4
Number of wet days (=>1.0 mm): 7
3-month total rainfall to 31st January 2025: 131.8 Difference from average: -57.2
6-month total rainfall to 31st January2025: 327.4 Difference from average: +18.0
12-month total rainfall to 31st January 2025: 676.0 Difference from average: -5.0
Sunshine (all totals in hours; all averages 1991-2020)
Total for the month: 90.1 Difference from average: +28.2
Percentage of the average: 146%
Mean daily sunshine: 2.0 Difference from average: +0.9
Sunniest day: 7.9 (16th)
Number of days with no recorded sunshine: 0
Note that the monthly sunshine total is now calculated from the UKMO E&NE regional total. Daily sunshine totals quoted here and in the data summary are uncorrected.
Wind (kph; all data from the West Building roof, Lower Mountjoy campus)
Average wind speed: 1.2
Maximum gust: 27.7 (24th, 12:15, SW)
Comments on January 2025
January was a cool month. The mean air temperature was the equal 73rd lowest since 1844. The mean maximum was the equal 94th lowest while the mean minimum was the equal 46th lowest. All three January temperature means were the lowest since 2021. There were no ice days but only 3 days with a mean maximum of 10 °C or above (2 below average).
January 5th was the wettest January day on record (33.4 mm), beating the previous record which had stood since 12th January 1921 (32.8 mm). A low-pressure system centred to the south-west of the UK pushed mild, moist Atlantic air into a cold air mass further north. The Met Office reported that the system brought very wet weather to much of Wales, southern, central and eastern England, including to Durham in the north-east.
It was the 4th sunniest January since 1881 but beaten by both 2023 (98.6 hours) and 2022 (111.6 hours).
Durham seems to have avoided the worst of recent storms with a maximum gust of only 27.7 kph on the 24th.
Emeritus Professor Tim Burt
Department of Geography
Durham University