Local Forecasts, History & Records
August 2022 According to Tim Burt at the Durham University Observatory, August 2022 was the 2nd hottest August in Durham since 1843 (when the record began). It was beaten only by August 1975, a month I remember vividly too. There were 23 days over 20 degC. The average for the month was 17.5 degC at my station in Gilesgate, whilst …
Into the furnace we went! The start of July 2022 was relatively cool and mainly cloudy, with short periods of rainfall being typical in the first week, although quantities were small. The 6th was a windy day for July. Temperatures then began to rise after the first week, with some forecasts indicating a spell of very hot weather around 17th. …
Temperature June was a very pleasant month in Durham, 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 …
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 …
Temperature The warmer than normal theme in 2022 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 …
Temperature April 2022 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 …
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 …
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. …
A beautiful sunny February day saw us visit the Durham Botanical Gardens for the first time this year. There were a few losses because of Storm Arwen in November last year, but the trees largely survived intact. Here’s some highlights from the walk. Latest Durham Photos Posts
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 …
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, …
Weather and weather forecasting is now big business. Since 1976, i’ve continued to measure local weather, although several house moves around the North East (Ferryhill, Kirk Merrington, Langley Park) and a trip to college in Newcastle had made the weather measurements a little sporadic in the 90’s. However, they are more stable as I’m a stay-at-home retired creature now. I …