February 2025 Weather in Durham – Anticyclonic gloom until 20th

Fire and Ice Festival, Durham 2025

The month began with a blocking high giving cold easterly winds, but as easterlies aren’t what they used to be, it wasn’t exceptionally cold. The high started moving away on the 19th, allowing frontal systems to bring some snow to the north, but then mobile westerlies meant the rest of the month was changeable and mild. Maxima in Durham went …

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January 2025 Weather in Durham – Cold first half, with snow

A little late this month, but here are the numbers for January 2025 in Durham. It was the coldest January since January 2021 in Durham. Mean temperature was about 1.5 degC below the long term average. The spell from Jan 2nd-12th averaged just 0.1 degC. The 10th-11th was the coldest night nationally for 15 years, with -18.9 degC at Altnaharra …

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December 2024 Weather in Durham – Mild but very windy at times

Damage from Storm Darragh December 2024. Fallen tree with exposed roots has damaged a brick wall. Two men assess the damage

A very mixed and mild month. Storm Darragh battered Britain, mainly in the west facing the Irish Sea. Mobile phone warnings accompanied a Red Met Office warning. There was then an anticyclonic spell mid-month. Christmas was very mild. It was also very wet in Scotland, but not in Durham. Most of the monthly rainfall total fell in the first week. …

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February 2024 Weather at Durham – Very mild and wet

February 2024 was very mild but generally wet. On the Central England Temperature (CET) scale (since 1658), at 7.8 ºC, it was the second mildest on record, beaten only by 1779 (7.9), and was warmer than the long-term March average.  On the UK wide scale it was the second warmest February since 1884 (6.3) C, after 1998 (6.8C). On Thursday 15th …

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January 2024 Weather at Durham – An eventful month

January 2024. An eventful month. The month opened as a wild one, with Storm Henk on 2nd January bringing damaging winds. There was a cold northerly outbreak mid-month. There were frequent snow showers, particularly across northern and northeastern Scotland, but they also affected the south. The lowest temperture of the spell was -14.0 at Dalwhinnie on the morning of the …

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December 2023 Weather at Durham – Overall very mild

December 2023. Overall very mild. The cold spell in November 2023 persisted into the first week. The lowest temperature of the month, -12.5, was observed at Altnaharra on the 3rd; even Cornwall saw some sharp frosts (-4.7 ay Culdrose on the 2nd). There was heavy snow on the 3rd affecting the Lake District, particulaly the Ambleside region., East Midlands, and …

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February 2023 Weather in Durham – Mainly mild, little sign of ‘Winter’

February banner : valentines heart and a kiss

Durham Weather in February 2023 There was a very mild and dry start to February 2023. It was in fact the 2nd warmest February in Durham since 1844, surpassed only by February 1998. There was little rain before mid-month. The gale of the 16th/17th caused vibrations in the rain gauge due to the fencing it was attached to moving in …

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December 2022 Weather in Durham – Colder than average (the only one in 2022)

December banner : wooly hat and mittens

The Weather at Gilesgate, Durham December 2022 2022 was the warmest year on record at Durham since 1844 (10.59 °C), easily beating the previous record from 2014 (10.21 °C). This was despite December 2022 being below average. As is so often said, December was a ‘month of two halves. The first half of the month was dominated by cold. It …

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Tales of The Riverbank in Durham (and more)

Christmas Tree and Architecture in Durham Cathedral

We managed to haul ourselves out of the house today – 12th December 2022. It was pretty bleak, about -1 degC and there had been another dusting of snow overnight. Starting in the town at Framwelgate Bridge, we headed south, passing the Fulling Mill on the opposite side of the river and the Wear, and then over Prebends Bridge to …

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Feb 2022 Weather in Durham – Mainly Mild, Few Frosts

Durham Cathedral Sunset

Temperature 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. …

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