Local Forecasts, History & Records
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 …
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. …
The first two weeks of November 2024 were marked by a large stationary anticyclone, giving “anticyclonic gloom”, with many areas particularly in the south being very dull, although dry (only 6% of the expected rainfall had fallen by the 16th). There was a notable northerly outbreak in the third week bringing snow to some areas and some sharp frost. The …
Ah, October in the UK—a month where the weather often feels like it’s playing a game of “guess what’s next.” In 2024, October didn’t disappoint, serving up a mix of sunshine, showers, and a few surprises. A Tale of Two Halves The month kicked off with a blend of wet and dry spells. Early October saw rain sweeping across the …
Well, what can I tell you? The summer hasn’t exactly been brilliant has it? After a stuttering start in June, and a mixed July, August was a little disappointing. Don’t get me wrong, of the three summer months, August was steadier than the previous two. But it never really reached the pinnacle of ‘high summer’. The absolute maximum temperature was …
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 …
November 2023 overall saw about average temperatures. The first two weeks were mild and unsettled. It then became rather more settled; it was still mild in the south, but the final ten days were much colder as winds turned to the north, introducing Arctic air. The start of the month continued October’s wet and windy theme with Storm Ciaran bringing …
Rainfall October 2020 opened very wet. A total of 32.7mm of rain was recorded at Gilesgate, Durham on 3rd resulted in a rapid rise in the River Wear, overtopping the banks in places, and reaching 2.76m at 8:15am on the 4th. The river level fell back rapidly and had dropped a metre by mid afternoon. It was the wettest day …
Storm Ciara batters the UK After spending a fair bit of time concentrating on the wind speeds, we sort of forgot about the rain that Storm Ciara was going to deliver. Thankfully we missed some of the squall lines that hit further south. My total for rainfall was only 22.9mm, but obviously far more fell on the catchment areas on …