June 2022 weather at Durham – Warm and mainly dry

Temperature June was a very pleasant month, and very similar in nature to June 2021. The mean temperature was 15.4 degC, which is well above the 1991-2020 mean for June of 13.6. Sixteen days reached the 20 degC mark (last year had 21) and it got to 25 degC on 3 of them. The warmest day was the day after the solstice (22nd), when 26.9 degC was recorded. Rainfall There were only 8 rainy days in June 2022, and the month was dominated by a 15 day dry spell ending on the 23rd. Those eight days still managed to accrue …

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New Book – Durham Weather and Climate Since 1841

Description Product Description The British have always been obsessed by the weather. Astronomers at Durham Observatory began weather observations in 1841; weather records continue unbroken to this day, one of the longest continuous series of single-site weather records in Europe. Durham Weather and Climate since 1841 represents the first full publication of this newly digitised record of English weather, which will be of lasting appeal to interested readers and climate researchers alike. The book celebrates 180 years of weather in north-east England by describing how the records were (and are) made and the people who made them, examines monthly and seasonal …

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May 2022 Weather at Durham – On the warm side

Temperature The warmer than normal theme continued into May, with a mean of 12.8 degC being +1.8 degC above the long term 1991-2020 normal. May 2022 was a full 3.0 degC warmer than May last year. The peak of the temperature was a modest 22.5 degC reached in mid-month. The thermometer only passed 20 degC on four occasions (a little disappointing). Three of those were 17th-19th. Night time minima were very good, with an average low of 9.3 degC. No air frosts made it easier for gardeners. The absolute minimum temperature for the month was 5.2 degC on 8th.   …

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April 2022 Weather at Durham – Average Temperatures, Continuing Dry

Temperature April was a very unremarkable month, temperature-wise. The mean came in at 8.7 degC, which is only very slightly above the 1991-2020 average (8.3). After hitting 20 degC in March 2022, the top temp for April could only reach 18.9 degC on 17th. This is modest. Early in the month, so often the case for April, there was an air frost. The minimum was -0.6 degC on 2nd April. That was the only occurrence. In April 2021 there were 10 air frosts. Rainfall The dry start to the year continued with yet another dry month. The total of 27.7 …

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March 2022 Weather Summary – Continuing Mild and Dry

Temperature Once again, the temperature finishes above average. March 2022 came in at 7.3 degC, which is +1.1 degC up on the 1991-2020 average of 6.2 degC. Like February, there was a single air frost, under the influence of high pressure, on March 7th.  The minimum of -2.2 was unremarkable for March in Durham. The 20 degC mark was breached on March 25th. This got quite close to the warmest temperature ever recorded in March at Durham (21.8, 28/3/2012). The earliest date that 20 degC was reached in Durham remains 8th March 1929. The high was 20.4 degC The mean …

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Feb 2022 Weather Summary for Durham – Mainly Mild, Few Frosts

Temperaature In continuation from January, February 2022 was mainly mild. The mean temperature was 6.0 degC, which is 1.4 degC above the 1991-2020 climatic mean.  The month was still well behind the mildest ever February in Durham though, this being in 1998 (7.6). There was only one recorded air frost, on February 11th, when the thermometer dropped to -1.7 degC. This is unusual for February. The highest temperature was early in the month, 11.7 degC being recorded on the 2nd. This was nowhere near the record for February, which stands at 17.4 degC, recorded on 28th February 2012. The temperature topped …

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Mammatus Cloud in Durham on 6th February 2022

Mammatus Cloud in Durham

The following was observed just after the passage of a very potent shower on 6th February 2022. The ‘cows udder’ appearance of Mammatus Cloud is due to intense updraughts in the base of the cloud, effectively throwing precipitation back upwards, against gravity. They can be intensely turbulent, and aircraft are best advised to avoid them if they are on a flight path. The cold front that passed through Durham actually resulted in a sleet shower and snow was observed on the high ground in the County further south and west. Not really unusual for February, but we had so  little …

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January 2022 in Durham – Mild, mainly dry and very sunny

Storm damage from Storm Malik

The new climate means for 1991-2020 have just been published and that is what I will be comparing to going forward. January 2022 was a mild and very dry month in Durham. Temperature wise, the mean temperature came in at 4.7 degC, which is about 0.6 degC above the new normal for January. As can be seen by the graph, the mean slowly increased as the month wore on. The highest temperature of the month was on New Years Day 2022, which became the mildest 1st January ever recorded in most places, significantly beating the old mark. In fact Nationally, …

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Tonga volcanic eruption detected in Durham!

Tongan volcanic eruption shockwave in Durham Weather data

On 15th January a sub-marine volcano, Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai, just off the coast of Tonga, exploded with incredible force. The blast wave was visible from space and caused tsunami waves all around the perimeter of the Pacific Ocean. The eruption was some 10,000 miles away from the UK, on the other side of the World. For those that don’t know, Tonga is close to New Zealand, so a long way away. On the morning of the 16th, reports started coming in on Twitter from different parts of the globe, showing disturbances in atmospheric pressure. I looked on my weather station …

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