Annual Summary 2024
The weather at Durham in 2024
A warm, dull year with average rainfall
Despite some very cold days (although there were no ice days), January ended up with an above-average mean air temperature, given some very mild days towards the end of the month. The maximum absolute maximum of 13.1 °C on the 21st is the equal 40th warmest day on record for January since 1850 (n=5425). Days tended to be more above average than nights, although the mean maximum (7.0 °C) is only the equal 48th highest in 180 years. Both rainfall and sunshine were a little above average too. There was a gust of 91.7 kph on the 24th (Storm Jocelyn).
January was followed by the second warmest February at Durham since 1844, behind 1998 (7.6 °C), just a little warmer than February 2023. It was the 3rd highest mean maximum, behind 1998 (10.9 °C) and 2019 (10.6 °C) and the 2nd highest mean minimum, behind 1998 (4.3 °C). There were 16 days with maximum temperature of at least 10 °C, the equal third highest total behind 1943 (17) and 1998 (18). The last seven months at Durham have all been above average and only three months have been below average since the start of 2022, a remarkably warm spell. There was the 2nd equal lowest number of ground frosts behind 2014 (7), the same number as last year. Rainfall was above average; the last eight months have all been above average, this being reflected in the long-period totals. Sunshine was well below average, but it was not nearly as dull as many Februarys have been, ranking 59th dullest in 141 years.
For the winter as a whole, the mean air temperature was 5.8 °C, the second warmest winter at Durham behind 1989. The mean maximum was 8.6 °C, the equal 3rd highest (with 2016 and 2022) behind 2019 (8.8 °C) and 1989 (9.4 °C). There was also the 2nd highest mean minimum (3.0 °C) behind 1989 (3.2 °C). There were 32 days with a maximum of at least 10 °C, the 4th equal highest total since 1851; 1989 easily heads the list with a total of 44 days. There was just one ‘ice day’, on 2nd December. There were just 31 ground frosts, 18 below average, the second lowest total on record behind 2020 (30). The winter rainfall total was 234.6 mm, 147% of average, the 15th wettest winter on record since 1851. There were 55 rain days, just 3 above average, suggesting an increase in the daily totals and thus in rainfall intensity. The amount of sunshine was, as expected given the high rainfall, below average, 87% of the average amount.
Mean air temperature in March was above average for the 8th month in a row. Daytime temperatures were not exceptional: the mean maximum was only just above average and the total of 18 days above 10 °C was just two above the average. Nighttime temperatures were comparatively mild: the mean minimum (4.0 °C) is the sixth highest on record since 1844. Notwithstanding the caveats about daytime temperatures, March proved to be the 16th warmest on record since 1844. The mean grass minimum (2.5 °C) was the equal 4th highest for March (with 1990), exceeded only in 1938 (3.8 °C), 1957 (3.2 °C) and 1960 (2.6 °C). Rainfall was above average, 125% of the 1991-2020 monthly average. There were 23 rain days, so rainfall was frequent if never exceptionally high on any given day. For the second month in a row, hours of bright sunshine were below average.
Temperatures by day in April were just below average, but nights were warmer than average. Cooler days towards the end of the month made it look as if the mean air temperature would be below the 1991-2020 average, but in the end, it was 0.3 C above average. Despite the disappointing daytime temperatures, this is still the equal 23rd warmest April in 181 years, well into the upper quartile. There were 26 days above 10 °C, three more than average. With nights being warmer than usual, there was the equal 13th lowest number of ground frosts since 1874. For the 7th month in a row, the rainfall total was above average. The 12-month total for May 2023 to April 2024 inclusive is the 20th highest of any 12-month period on record (925.6 mm; n = 2081). This was the 19th wettest April on record since 1850. There were 23 rain days, the 4th equal highest total, exceeded only in 2001 (24), 2012 (24) and 1998 (25). As expected for a wet month, it was also a dull month, the 45th dullest April since 1882 (n = 141).
April was followed the warmest May on record at Durham since records began in 1844, beating the previous record holder, 2004, by 0.2 °C. There were no days with a maximum above 25 °C, but this is not unusual: only 8 May days this century have been above 25 °C. Only 6 days exceeded 20 °C. But there were no cold days either, with the lowest maximum being 12.8 C on the 22nd. So, days may not have felt exceptionally warm, but it was nevertheless the equal 5th highest mean maximum for May. Night-time temperatures were exceptionally mild: there was highest mean minimum air temperature (9.8 °C) for May since 1844, surpassing last year’s record by an astonishing 1.4 °C, 3.3 °C above the 1991-2020 average. Nineteen nights had a minimum no lower than 10 °C, easily the lowest total on record; the previous record was 12 in 2004. It follows that there were no air frosts or ground frosts. May was also a wet month, although not exceptionally so: the 29th wettest
May on record, and less than half the wettest ever May in Durham, exactly 100 years ago in 1924 (154 mm). Being a wet month, it was likely to be a dull month too – in fact the 28th dullest May on record.
Spring was the equal third warmest on record at Durham (9.73 °C, with 2011), beaten only in 2017 (9.85 °C) and 2004 (9.86 °C). The average daytime maximum (13.3 °C) was the equal 13th highest on record but, not unexpectedly given night-time temperatures in May, the mean minimum temperature (6.2 °C) was easily the highest on record, 0.9 °C above the previous record holder, 2014. It was the 15th wettest spring on record (206 mm). There was the equal highest number of rain days (62, with 1932 and 1983) with the equal 5th highest number of wet days (40). The 12-month total ending in May 2024 (973.4 mm) is the equal 10th highest for any 12-month total in the entire Durham record; the highest 12-month total is for the period April 2012 to March 2013 (1129.9 mm). Not surprisingly, it was a very dull spring, the 21st lowest total since 1882.
Like May, June started cool but eventually the weather improved, and the mean air temperature ended up above average. After maximum temperatures just above 20 °C on the 2nd and 3rd, maximum temperatures did not again exceed 20 °C until the 20th. Overall, it was the coolest June since 2019, but still ranking the 30th warmest June since 1844, so nevertheless in the upper quartile. Maybe June felt disappointing since 13 Junes have been warmer since 1991, 7 of them since 2014. There was the 28th highest mean minimum since 1844 but only the equal 46th highest mean maximum. This was the driest month since February 2023. It was the 31st driest June since 1850 and the driest June since 2013. There were the same number of rain days as in June 2023, even though more than twice as much rain fell that month. Sunshine hours were above average for the first time since January. It was the 59th sunniest June since 1882 but the least sunny June since 2020.
July was the first month with a below-average mean air temperature this year and indeed the first time a month has been below average temperature since last July. It was the coolest first half of July (13.49 °C) at Durham since 2000 (12.96 °C). The coldest first half of July on record is 1888 (10.95 °C) with 1965 ranking next to bottom (11.67 °C). The maximum temperature only got above 20 °C for the first time on the 15th! It was nevertheless the 65th warmest July since 1844, demonstrating how much warming has happened in recent decades. The mean maximum ranks 82nd highest whereas the mean minimum ranks 40th, confirming disappointing daytime temperatures but relatively warmer nights. There were no days with a maximum above 25 °C; the July average is 2 with July 2006 having 17 days with a maximum above 25 °C.
Rainfall was very close to average whilst sunshine was below average, the 64th dullest July on record since 1882. Altogether a disappointing month: cool, quite wet and dull.
In terms of temperature, August felt a bit disappointing. There were some warmer days in the first half of the month, but the absolute maximum was only 24.4 °C, 0.9 °C below average, and so there were no days above 25 °C (The average is 2 days above 25 °C, with a maximum of 16 in 1975). None of the measures of temperature were much above average, yet it was nevertheless the 25th warmest August on record since 1843. August was the second-driest month so far this year; June was marginally drier (24.2 mm). The total of 24.8 mm made it the 15th lowest August total on record. It was a much wetter August last year (82.6 mm) but even drier in 2022 (13 mm, the 3rd driest August on record). The wettest day (22nd) received only 5.2 mm, the second lowest maximum for August behind 1995 (4.5 mm). The total hours of bright sunshine were just above average.
It was the equal 16th warmest summer on record (15.2 °C) and the 22nd driest summer since 1850 (114.6 mm). There was rain regularly through the summer with 43 rain days, just three below average. Sunshine hours during the summer were almost exactly average (512 hours, 101%), ranking 92nd highest in 142 years. Using the Davis summer weather index, summer 2024 ranks as the 28th best summer at Durham since 1900, so just into the upper quartile.
September was only the second month with below-average temperature so far this year. Even so, it ranked equal 73rd highest since 1843 (n=182) so in the third quartile. It was the coldest September since 2015, but there were no days with a maximum below 10 °C. The mean minimum was the 38th highest whereas the mean maximum was only the 108th highest, showing it was daytime temperatures that proved disappointing. The relative warmth of nights is confirmed by the mean grass minimum temperature being the equal 13th highest on record. This was the 24th wettest September on record since 1850, although only half the record September rainfall (1976, 193.2 mm). Since 2015, five Septembers have had similar amounts of rainfall whereas the other five have had only about half the amount, showing September to be rather variable in this regard. Sunshine was just below average. The atmospheric circulation was notable in that there was a predominantly ‘north-easterly’ air flow. At 0900, 15 days indicated a wind direction between North and East, plus four from the north-west and one from east-south-east.
Mean air temperature for October was the 20th highest in 182 years. All four Octobers in the 2020s have been in the top 20% for October mean air temperature; the last below-average temperature in October was 2020. The highest maximum came very late in the month, on the 28th (18.3 °C), although this is nowhere near the highest maximum ever recorded in October at Durham (25.3 °C, 1st October 2011). Rainfall was a little above average, so too sunshine – the 31st sunniest since 1880. Storm Ashley produced a gust of 83.7 kph late on the 20th.
After some very mild days in the first half of the month, cold days in the second half of the month meant that the mean air temperature (MAT) in November was exactly average. It was still the equal 44th highest MAT for November since 1850, but the lowest since 2019. The mean maximum was the 33rd highest since 1850 while the mean minimum was the equal 56th highest; thus, in relation to the long Durham record, November was relatively mild if still rather disappointing compared to recent years. The absolute minimum was the equal 81st lowest since 1900 (n=3779). The number of ground frosts was equal to 2017 and highest number since 2016 (16); overall, this is the equal 74th highest total for November in 151 years. The number of air frosts was equal 121st highest in 173 years. This was the 9th driest November since 1850, the driest since 2004. Sunshine was just above average. Storm Bert produced a gust of 61.2 kph at 08:00 on the 25th.
Mean air temperature in Autumn was 10.1 °C, just 0.1 °C above average, a not-surprising result given a cool September and an average November. It was nevertheless still the 30th warmest autumn since 1843. The rainfall total (188.2 mm) was just below average (-5.7 mm), much drier than the previous two autumns. The number of hours of bright sunshine (302.2 hours) was also just about average (+3.3 hours), the 41st sunniest autumn on record since 1880.
There was the 5th highest mean air temperature for December on record (6.98 °C), the mildest December since the record holder, 2015 (7.91 °C). There was the 4th highest mean maximum and the 6th highest mean minimum. There was the equal 2nd lowest number of air frosts; only 1988 has a lower total (0). There was the 7th lowest total of ground frosts since 1874. Rainfall was a little below average, so too sunshine hours.
The calendar year 2024 was the third warmest year on record (10.29 °C), marginally cooler than 2022 (10.59 °C) and 2023 (10.35 °C); the 2020s is so far easily the warmest decade on record (10.25 °C), more than a degree warmer than the 1990s (9.05 °C). Nine months had above-average temperatures with only July and September being below average. The mean maximum (13.79 °C) for the year was the equal 9th highest on record whilst the mean minimum was the highest on record (6.78 °C), beating the previous record holder 2022. There was the 2nd lowest number of air frosts (29) behind 2020 (25) since 1900, and there was the 2nd lowest number of grounds frosts (62), beaten only last year (60), since 1878. The annual rainfall total was just 1 mm below average, the 107th wettest in 175 years. The total hours of bright sunshine (1345) was more than one hundred hours below average, the 66th dullest year in 140 years. Altogether, 2024 was a warm but dull year with average rainfall.