Spring Weather

Spring Weather in Durham UK

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.   …

Read the full post

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 …

Read the full post

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 …

Read the full post

May 2021 Weather Summary – Disappointingly cold

Hefty showers in the first week of May 2021

May 2021 was notably cold in the first week. Night time temperatures were only a few degrees above freezing and the maxima were very disappointing. Along with this, rainfall was on the high side, resulting in the cold start to Spring continuing. The cold nights continued until the last 5 days of the month, when ‘normal’ weather returned. The maximum temperature was a very modest 22.2 degC on the 29th. The 6th was the coldest minima, coming within a whisker of an air frost, something we haven’t become familiar with in May. Overall, the month averaged 9.8 degC which was …

Read the full post

The last 5 Mays in the UK according to Trevor Harley

2016 After an unsettled start the rest of the month was largely anticyclonic, with winds generally from the easterly direction, making it particularly warm and sunny in the west, and cooler and cloudier in the east. There was a more unsettled spell midmonth. It was warmer than average, with near average rainfall (92%). Overall sunshine was 115% of average. The highest temperature of the month was 27.7C at Plockton (Ross and Cromarty) on the 9th, and the lowest -5.7C at Tulloch Bridge (Invernessshire) on the 14th. 2017 The first ten days were anticyclonic with easterly winds, and the widespread drought …

Read the full post

April 2021 Weather at Durham – Cold but Dry

Wow, what an extraordinary month! April 2021 has been a remarkable month in the long history of weather records. The month was notable for a) It’s frostiness and b) the lack of real rain. April 2021 Temperature in Durham April 2021 was actually colder than March 2021 at Durham by a significant sum. The mean for the month came in at 6.1 degC, a full 1.0 degC lower. In April last year, the mean was 9.6 degC. Snow on 11th April 2021. The mean minimum for April 2021 was 1.6 degC (mean is 3.7) and there were 9 days with …

Read the full post

The last 5 Aprils in the UK according to Trevor Harley

2016 The first ten days or so were unsettled; the rest of the month was cold and quite sunny. There was a notable heavy snowfall in the north on the 29-30th. The month was 0.9C beneath the CET average; it was also wetter on average (112%), particularly in the east. It was slightly sunnier than average. The highest temperature of the month was 20.3C at Porthmadog in Gwent on the 21st, and the lowest -5.6C at Kinbrace in Sutherland on the 28th. The greatest snow depth was 9 cm at Crombie Country Park in good old Angus on the 29th. …

Read the full post

March 2021 Weather Summary – Dry and Warming

#durhamwx #march2021 After what seemed to be a long winter, the weather in March 2021 eventually eased us away from the bleakness of February. The first week was still cold, as high pressure persisted, but things became more mobile for a short period after the 10th, with more cyclonic conditions bringing a rise in temperature and the month’s only ‘wet spell’. The two warmest days were the last two. Beautiful conditions let the thermometer peak at just shy of 20 degC. Sunshine was abundant and it was true shirt sleeve weather. It felt like Spring was truly here at last …

Read the full post

Spring delayed for 2 weeks in 2021

Here’s the thing. The winter of 2020-2021 was much colder than the previous one. We had a proper cold January this year, averaging just 2.3 degC, with 13 days of frost and some good snow events. This then continued into the first half of February. When winter is cold, it affects when things really start to grow. If the temperature stays below freezing, plants will just think, Nah! (Just like humans) But is there a way of measuring this? Can we say that on a particular day at the start of the year, our growing things will, well, start to …

Read the full post

The last 5 Marches in the UK according to Trevor Harley

2016 Low pressure at the start and end of the month sandwiching a ten-day anticyclonic spell from the 13th to the 23rd. The named Storm Katie brought strong winds to the south on the 28th. Overall temperatures were close to average, although it was colder in the south and more mild in the north. Rainfall was close to average (91%), although it was wetter in the east and drier in the north. It was sunnier than average, with 115% of the long-term average, particularly in the west. The highest temperature of the month was 18.7C at Braemar on the 17th, …

Read the full post