December 2010 was the coldest December for 120 years and the coldest individual calendar month since February 1986. Snow fell widely and heavily on several days, causing disruption to road, rail and air transport. There were, however, significant milder interludes between the 10th and 16th, and from the 28th onwards.
Mean maximum temperature for December ranged from 7.6°C at St Mary's, Isles of Scilly, to minus 0.4°C at Dalwhinnie and Aviemore (both Inverness-shire), while mean minimum temperature varied between 4.9°C at St Mary's and minus 8.4°C at Tyndrum (Stirlingshire). Average monthly temperatures were between 3.5degC and 6.0degC below normal in all regions. The Central England Temperature (CET) of minus 0.5°C (31.1F) was 5.6degC below the long-term mean, and the lowest for December since 1890. The last calendar month with a sub-zero CET was February 1986. The CET for the coldest 30-day period, from November 27 to December 26 inclusive, was minus 1.6°C - unprecedented for any 30-day spell so early in the season.
The highest maximum at a standard site in the UK was 11.5°C at St Mary's (Isles of Scilly) on the 28th, while the lowest minimum was minus 21.1°C at Altnaharra (Sutherland) early on the 1st. The were ten individual nights during the month when the temperature dropped below minus 18°C (zero F) somewhere in the UK and nine new date-records were established for the UK. The lowest daytime maximum was minus 15.8°C on the 22nd also at Altnaharra, and the warmest night was that of the 27th/28th with a minimum of 10.5°C at St Mary's.
Rainfall averaged over England and Wales was 39.4mm which is 39 per cent of the average for the standard reference period 1971-2000, and the lowest for December since 1971; in the last 100 years only five Decembers were drier. The equivalent figures for Scotland were 48mm and 47 per cent of the normal amount, and for Northern Ireland 59mm and 60 per cent. Monthly totals at routinely-available sites ranged from 117mm at Guernsey airport to just 7mm at Shap in Cumbria.
Sunshine averaged over England and Wales during December was 55 hours which is 116 per cent of the 1971-2000 mean. The equivalent figures for Scotland were 58 hours and 176 per cent, and for Northern Ireland 79 hours and 225 per cent. The largest total was 91 hours at Auchincruive (Ayrshire), and the smallest was just 9.5 hours at Charlwood (Surrey).
© Philip Eden
Source: http://feeds.weatheronline.co.uk/~r/weatheronline/~3/rw4QwWfcsa0/reports
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