WEATHER REPORT FOR 2005

Click here to view annual statistics. Click here to view monthly statistics.
Click here to view report for previous years.

MONTH BY MONTH ASSESSMENT

January

Headline: Unsettled spells with high winds with a rare gale on the morning of the 8^th. Very mild and drier than normal.

With the exception of a drier and brighter interlude on the 2^nd and 3^rd, January started on a very unsettled theme. It was particularly windy with gusts on the 1^st reaching 39mph with resulting power cuts affecting 1000 people in the south-east of the county. Winds exceeded 30mph practically every day until the 12^th. The morning of the 8^th was especially windy with winds reaching gale force across the county. There was some structural damage and falling trees blocked roads and took out power cables to a 1000 homes in the Brackley area. In addition to the high winds, bands of rain swept through the county. Totals though were slight compared Cumbria and North Wales where the prolonged wet weather resulted in some severe flooding.

The wind, being predominantly south-westerly, did ensure a very mild period. There were no air frosts overnight and daytime temperatures were consistently between 10 and 12C, peaking at 13.5C on the 7^th.

High pressure built up from the south from the 13^th and this brought with it a much calmer spell of weather. Some days had some good sunny spells, although there were some cloudier days with spells of light rain at times. The price for the sunshine was paid in the form of overnight frosts though, particularly on the ground on the 14^th and 15^th. The wind, although light, was maintained from the south or south-west so that daytime temperatures, apart from on days following a sharp overnight frost, stayed fairly respectable at about 8 or 9C.

Atlantic weather systems made a return visit from the 17^th as high pressure retreated eastwards. A frontal system which worked through on the 18^th brought 5.6mm of rain turning to sleet later. The wind also picked up veering from the north-west reaching gusts of 46mph on the 18^th and 51mph on the 20^th.

High pressure became established to the west of Ireland from the 23^rd and became fairly stationary setting up a blocking situation which persisted until the end of the month and into the first few days of February. The high maintained a cold northerly flow across the county which brought with it brief spells of very light snow enough to cause some slight and patchy accumulation on the 24^th. As the month came to a close, milder air was drawn around the high from the south-west such that whilst the wind direction over the county remained north-westerly there were no night-time air frosts and daytime maxima by the 31^st had topped 10C.

Overall, this was the warmest January in Northampton since 1995 and the driest since 1987.

February

Headline: A mild first half, but turning significantly colder from the 18th with frequent snow showers.

February opened with high pressure dominating the scene to the west of Ireland. The first few days were dry and mild despite the mainly northerly breeze. A cold front worked in from the west on the 5th and 6th but produced very little rain by the time it had reached the county. Throughout the first week it remained generally rather cloudy with 2 hours sunshine at most recorded on the 6th.

A ridge of high pressure extended towards the UK from Scandinavia on the 7th and 8th and this introduced some decent sunshine on the 8th, although the county generally received half the amount of areas further east and south. Temperatures remained generally mild for the time of year thanks to the predominantly southerly breeze.

Some unsettled weather was introduced from the 9th onwards. The 10th turned out to be a very wet day with 12.7mm of rain falling over 15.5 hours. Further rain fell on the 11th and 12th, the latter associated with a passage of a cold front which was to introduce much colder air, temperatures never really recovering for the rest of the month. The transition to colder weather also saw the invasion of a strong northerly airflow. Gusts reached 58mph on the 12th and 50mph on the 13th. Some snow showers were also fed in on the front but with little accumulation.

High pressure built in from the south-west on the 15th encouraging some hard frosts overnight as winds fell very light. Temperatures started to fall even more significantly from the 18th as a cold front introduced a stream of Arctic air. Snow began to fall on the 21st with more substantial snow showers working in a north-easterly wind throughout the period until the 26th. On the 23rd heavy snowfall during the morning rush hour led to treacherous conditions on the roads and schools closing. 7cm of snow was recorded at Pitsford. Schools remained closed on the 24th as warnings of significant travel disruption were heeded. Some good spells of sunshine separated the snow showers, apart from the 24th which was moderate snowfall for much of the day.

Cold weather continued to the end of the month, although the county escaped the snow showers present in many eastern and central areas.  Air minima overnight on the 27th/28th fell to -4.0C with a hard ground frost down to -8.7C.

March

Headline: A cold and frosty start with some snow showers. Becoming noticeably mild around mid-month. Ending dull with persistent mist and fog.

March began on a wintry theme. It was cold with winds generally from the north or north-west and there were frequent snow showers. Accumulations across the county though were slight apart from on the morning of the 4th when significant falls of snow caused traffic chaos during the rush hour. Overnight frosts were particularly sharp, air minima falling to -3.0C on the 4th with a ground frost down to -8.5C.

From the 8th onwards it turned noticeably milder. Air minima held up above freezing and by the 10th daytime temperatures had at long last reached double figures (10.2C) ending a protracted cold period lasting from the 12th February (10.9C). The transition to milder conditions brought with it the inevitable damp south-westerly airstream off the Atlantic. Rainfall totals across the county were slight, however, although the 11th and 16th were fairly wet.

As high pressure built up over the county on the 17th and 18th it became sunny as well as appreciably mild and temperatures peaked at 17.2C on the 17th and 18.5C on the 18th, several degrees above the norm for mid-March. Anticyclonic conditions, however, tended to favour the development of overnight mist and fog; this being particularly noticeable on the morning of the 19th with mist persisting on most mornings until the 25th.

From the 21st onwards high pressure began to be replaced by more cyclonic conditions and an unsettled spell of weather. Temperatures held up due to a mainly south-westerly airflow until the 27th when the wind veered more northerly bringing daytime maxima down to more modest values. Rain and occasional showers were experienced on most days, although there were some notable windows of fair weather on the 25th and 28th with generally light winds. The 29th was particularly wet across the county with 11.3mm of rain falling over nearly 14 hours at Pitsford.

As the month drew to a close high pressure gained control once more and some dense fog patches developed clearing only very slowly during the day.

April

Headline: Typical weather for April; changeable with frequent showers and/or longer spells of rain. Becoming very mild in the last few days.

April began with high pressure in control. The first couple of days were dry, although mist and fog plagued much of the county in the mornings. As the mist burnt away, there were some decent spells of sunshine which led to some particularly warm days with highs exceeding 18C on both the 2nd and the 3rd. The ridge of high pressure weakened on the 3rd allowing some rain across the county.

The period through to the 6th was generally unsettled with weather fronts bringing showers and/or longer spells of rain. A cold front introduced colder air on the 4th with a fairly widespread ground frost on the morning of the 5th. A second cold front on the 7th introduced a fairly persistent north-westerly airflow which brought a brief return of wintry weather on the 8th with snow showers and temperatures dropped down to an air frost on the morning of the 9th (-2.5C) and a fairly sharp ground frost (-7.1C).

The 9th saw a change to a much more settled spell of weather as a ridge of high pressure extended across the county. It remained generally dry and temperatures recovered, although the county did not enjoy the warmth experienced elsewhere. Temperatures peaked at 15.4C on the 10th and then remained rather modest. There were some sunny intervals, but mostly there was a lot of cloud around.

Low pressure influenced the weather around mid-month. Showers and/or longer spells of rain were recorded throughout the period from the 12th to the 15th, some of these showers turning heavy.  Further frontal systems introduced more rain through to the 19th, particularly on the 17th which saw rain for much of the day following a reasonably bright start and overnight frost.

The period from the 20th to the 24th was mostly dry across the county as pressure recovered. Winds remained light and there were some good spells of sunshine (11.7hrs on the 21st). Temperatures rose to reach daytime maxima around the mid-teens. Clear days did lead to some sharp overnight temperatures and, although no air frosts were recorded at Pitsford, a ground frost of -3.0C was noted overnight on the 21st-22nd.

The weather became increasingly unsettled from the 25th onwards, really until the end of the month, as bands of rain worked northwards. 6.0mm fell in just under 3 hours on the 26th and a sharp hailstorm developed on the 27th. Despite the rain, there were some good sunny days and in the last few days it turned very mild with daytime maxima reaching 21.5C on the 30th.

May

Headline: A warm start but with the exception of a very warm day on the 27th cooler than average. Two distinctly cyclonic periods delivering a fair amount of rain, although below average.

May opened with a fairly complex area of low pressure dominating the scene. Initially placed to the west of Ireland this low tracked eastwards across the UK delivering a fair amount of rain across the county on the 3rd. The rain saw temperatures fall quite sharply from a high of 22.3C on the 1st. In fact temperatures throughout much of the month were to remain fairly modest, not recovering above 20C until the 25th.

From the 5th onwards there were some chilly nights behind a cold front which had cleared the county the previous evening. With a brisk breeze mainly from the north or north-west, it didn’t feel particularly warm either by day and again there were some stiff showers, particularly on the 7th which saw 5.0mm falling in a little under an hour at Pitsford. By the 9th temperatures had fallen sufficiently to give rise to a ground frost. In fact, ground frosts were recorded at Pitsford on the next three nights as well.

Clear skies under accompanying anticyclonic conditions were the primary cause of the particularly chilly period from the 10th to the 15th. The wind also swung round to a chilly easterly direction and picked up on the 13th as pressure began to fall. The fall in pressure brought with it a cold front on the 16th which gave rise to dull and damp day across the county. Although a ridge of high pressure intervened on the 18th the weather remained cyclonic until the 23rd.

 Rain approached the county from the south-west on the 19th and the next few days remained generally unsettled with heavy showers and/or longer spells of rain. Some thunderstorms worked through the county during the 21st and 22nd delivering a fair amount of rain (5.2mm in just over an hour on the 22nd).

Temperatures from the 24th finally recovered. Although some weak frontal systems worked across the county they delivered very little rain and the south-westerly airstream saw temperatures finally exceed 20C on the 25th reaching a high of 28.3C on the 27th, the warmest day in May in Northampton since 1997 (29.8C). However, the warmth was short-lived as a weakening cold front worked in from the west overnight. The month thus ended on a dry night with temperatures approaching the average for late May.

June

Headline: A fairly typical June with very warm spells ending in a thundery breakdown and heavy showers, especially in the final week. A very hot spell around mid-month saw the warmest June day since 1976.

A rather unsettled start to the month. Frontal systems worked eastwards through the county producing a couple of particularly wet days on the 1st and 3rd and showers throughout the period until the 6th. Apart from the 4th sunshine totals were rather modest for the start of June with daytime maxima in the mid to high teens.

High pressure began to build from the 7th onwards bringing a spell of fine weather across the county. Daytime temperatures climbed to the low 20s, although some clear nights saw air minima fall fairly smartly to 3.1C on the 7th which also saw the only ground frost of June. There was some good sunshine. 11.9 hrs were recorded on both the 7th and the 8th and winds remained generally light. The high began to retreat westwards from the 10th and with a cool northerly airstream temperatures consequently tumbled.

Low pressure, centred over the North Sea on the 14th, introduced the second spell of unsettled weather. There was a fair amount of cloud and rain, although a switch to a south or south-easterly airstream kept it fairly mild by day and the cloud ensured that temperatures overnight remained in double figures.

Anticyclonic conditions returned on the 17th and the maintenance of the south-easterly breeze off the near continent gave rise to a very warm spell with temperatures rapidly climbing to 31.0C on the 19th, the warmest June day since the summer of 1976. The high then slipped away eastwards and as it did so thundery downpours were experienced across parts of Wales and northern England. However, the county escaped unscathed and continued to enjoy the warm weather as it held on in the south-east.

The Azores high pressure built in again from the 21st and temperatures once again climbed to a high of 29.2C on the 23rd. There was some good sunshine, 12.8 hrs on the 22nd and 13.0hrs on the 23rd.  However, pressure fell on the 24th and on this occasion the county caught the full force of the thundery downpours with 22.3mm of rain recorded in just under 3 hrs at Pitsford Hall. The switch from a south-westerly to a north or north-easterly airstream saw temperatures fall away quite smartly over the next couple of days.

As the month drew to a close a transient ridge of high pressure on the 26th and 27th gave way quite quickly to low pressure and some particularly unsettled weather. A warm day on the 28th broke down during the early evening giving rise to some spectacular thunderstorms tied into a front moving up from the south-west. 11.2mm fell in just under 3 hrs at Pitsford Hall. A particularty humid day on the 29th also saw further thunderstorms with light showers continuing on the 30th.

July

Headline: Mainly dry, warm and sunny. Unsettled at the start and end.

July opened on a fairly unsettled theme as areas of low pressure tracked eastwards across the county. The 5th was a particularly wet day with 6.4mm of rain falling over nearly 6 hours at Pitsford Hall.

However, by the start of the second week high pressure had started to build. Although rather cloudy at first, some decent spells of sunshine finally broke through on the 10th and 11th with around 13 hours of sunshine recorded on both days. High pressure also saw an increase in the temperatures. Daytime maxima reached 27.0C on the 10th and remained in the mid to high twenties until at least the 15th.

High pressure remained in charge until the 17th giving rise to a prolonged spell of settled weather with good sunshine totals on most days, typically around 9 hours, and some pretty warm temperatures. The warmest day occurred on the 14th with maximum temperatures reaching 29.5C.

A cold front worked across England and Wales on the 18th and whilst thunderstorms were induced in some eastern areas, much of the county escaped dry. There followed a transition to a cooler spell of weather as winds swung round to the north or north-west. Daytime maxima fell to the low twenties.

An active depression worked across southern counties in the period of the 23rd to the 25th. This delivered a fair amount of rain to the county on the 24th; in fact over 23mm fell over 15 hours at Pitsford bringing to and end a protracted period of dry weather.  From then on until the end of the month it remained fairly unsettled. Low pressure dominated the picture and produced another particularly wet day on the 27th as 13.7mm of rain fell in just under a few hours triggering flash floods. Further hefty showers brought the month to a close on the 31st.

August

Headline: Rather unsettled with frequent showers. The failure of a cold front to reach the county saw a heatwave in the last few days.

Despite a very unsettled start to the month in many areas the county escaped any significant rainfall until the 4th. 5.3mm were recorded at Pitsford Hall over a period of 8.5 hours.  Prior to this there were some pleasantly warm days with decent spells of sunshine. Temperatures on the 2nd climbed to 24.3C with a good 9.6 hours of bright sunshine.

High pressure built over the region from the 7th. Whilst temperatures by day were again warm overnight temperatures fell quite sharply. Overnight on the 7th was particularly chilly for the time of year with lows of 7.6C (3.6C over grass). With high pressure came some good spells of sunshine: 12.6 hours on the 8th, 9.4 hours on the 9th. Only a very light shower on the 9th broke up a protracted spell of dry weather which ran until the 13th.

Unsettled conditions began to prevail across much of the UK from the 10th. As temperatures rose (rising to 25.5C at Pitsford Hall on the 11th), there were thundery downpours across many areas although the county escaped the heaviest of these. 6.9mm was delivered in 3.6 hours at Pitsford on the 13th which turned out to be a fairly cool and gloomy day for the time of year.

High pressure became re-established after the 13th and this led to a recovery in temperatures to the mid 20s. There were some occasions of mist, fog and poor visibility due to haze in the early mornings, but the strong sunshine soon burnt this away giving some respectable totals: 12.2 hours on the 17th and 11.8 hours on the 18th.

An active cold front worked through the county on the 18th.  A thunderstorm overnight on the 18th-19th delivered 13.1mm of rain in just under 3 hours at Pitsford. At one point the intensity of rainfall reached 78.7mm per hour. The 20th was a reasonably fine day before a further band of heavy rain delivered 11.3mm in just under 3 hours.

An unseasonably deep area of low pressure tracked to the north of the British Isles on the 24th. Parts of the north and west were affected by gale force winds and heavy rain, although the county escaped lightly essentially with just showers. Even the wind remained calm by comparison to more exposed regions with a high of just 26mph on the 24th.

As the low moved out of the way temperatures began to recover. A cold front failed to reach the county on the 29th and this allowed the heat to increase finally to 31.0C on the very last day on the month. This heat triggered a spectacular thunderstorm during the evening with 10.5mm of rain recorded in just 1.5 hours at Pitsford. Some homes in Northampton suffered isolated flooding.

September

Headline: Beginning generally warm, but turning distinctly autumnal towards the end. Rainfall totals were locally high due to some thundery downpours and active frontal systems.

The month opened as a weak cold front slipped away eastwards on the 1st. A ridge of high pressure developed across the region in its wake which brought a spell of warm and fine weather with daytime maxima climbing to 28.6C  on the 4th. Most days saw some good spells of sunshine with 11.2 hrs of bright sunshine recorded on the 3rd.

The fine weather soon broke down on the 4th as a trough followed on by a cold front worked through the county bringing some thundery showers totaling 4.3mm over just over 2hrs. Although it remained reasonably warm over the few days that followed, the county didn’t receive the warmth that other localities experienced particularly on the 6th and 7th when maxima recorded locally were a good few degrees below the highs reported elsewhere, notably in Kent where daytime temperatures reached 26.7C on the 7th compared with just 23.1C at Pitsford.

A weather front worked south-eastwards on the 8th bringing a good deal of cloud. Areas further south held on to some very warm temperatures, whereas in Northants temperatures struggled in the low 20s. Nevertheless, there was sufficient warmth here to trigger some thundery showers with 7.5mm delivered in the space of 2.4hrs on the 9th. Further showers broke out on the 10th, although there were no reports of excessive downpours in the county comparable with other places, e.g. Surrey and parts of Berkshire.

Trace amounts of rain were recorded on the 11th due mainly to a weak weather front, but otherwise a dry interlude followed as pressure built across the region. The 12th, 13th and 14th saw some good sunshine and temperatures recovered with a high of 24.5C recorded on the 13th.

Later on the 14th a weather front worked south-eastwards through the county  followed on by a further frontal system that delivered a significant amount of rain. In the 24 hours from 0900hrs GMT on the 15th  27.5mm of rain was recorded. This event reached a peak intensity of 159mm/hr at 1510 GMT with 6.9mm of rain delivered in the space of 10 minutes.

The rain cleared on the 16th to leave a cool north-westerly airflow in its wake. Temperatures dropped markedly from highs exceeding 20C on the 15th to the mid teens thereafter. Despite the cool temperatures it remained dry as high pressure began to develop across the region. Clear skies overnight associated with this high was responsible for the first ground frost of the autumn season on the morning of the 17th (grass minima at Pitsford -0.3C).  Thereafter daytime maxima were rather modest and, although weather fronts did work across the county they did so as weak features delivering negligible amounts of rain.

Another weak weather front worked across the county on the 23rd producing just trace amounts of rainfall. However, the cooler air which followed it resulted in another more significant ground frost with grass minima falling to -1.3C on the morning of the 24th. Air minima also fell markedly to 3.2C.

The month ended on a fairly typical autumnal theme. For much of the month wind speeds had been generally rather light, but 24 hour mean wind speeds topped 10 mph on the 26th, with gusts reaching 27mph on a good few days.  Temperatures were rather modest, occasionally in the high teens and there were some beefy showers, notably 14.0mm in just under 4 hours on the 28th.

October

Headline: A very mild month dominated for the most part by a southerly airflow. The county lay in the shadow of heavy rain in areas further west. 

The month opened as a weak cold front worked eastwards delivering a small amount of rain to many areas.  With pressure building on the 2nd any showers which followed behind the front were extinguished before reaching the county.  There were some fairly decent spells of sunshine on both the 1st and 2nd and relatively clear skies overnight saw temperatures fall quite smartly.

High pressure continued to build on the 3rd but then drifted eastwards introducing a more southerly airflow by the end of the first week and a good deal of cloud with very little sunshine. Winds remained very light. However, the cloud held temperatures up overnight and over the period overall temperatures gradually improved.

Rain worked through the county on the 8th and quite a chilly night followed with lows falling to 5.0C on the morning of the 9th (1.7C on the ground). However, temperatures recovered smartly on the 10th reaching a warm 22.0C during the afternoon. In fact daytime highs remained in the 20s until the 13th.  Weather fronts worked through from the west during this period introducing spells of rain, but amounts of slight compared to areas further west.

Anticyclonic conditions developed on the 14th. A dry spell of weather then followed, albeit rather cloudy. A band of rain worked up from the south-west on the 16th but again amounts were slight in Northampton. Pressure then remained high until at least the 17th. A band of heavier and more persistent rain worked up from the south on the 18th with nearly 10mm recorded over a period of 6 hrs.

The band of rain on the 18th introduced an unsettled spell of weather dominated by low pressure. There were showers and longer spells of rain on most days. The 23rd was particularly wet with 18.4mm of rain recorded at Pitsford Hall in the 24 hr period from 0900GMT. The wind also picked up becoming a fresh south-westerly.  A second deep depression worked in off the Atlantic on 26th and its associated warm sector introduced a milder spell with some good sunshine on the 27th.  The mild weather continued until the end of the month, in fact temperatures by night were unseasonably warm. Some showers were recorded, but amounts were slight.

Overall this was the warmest October in Northampton since 2001 (13.5C), the second warmest since 1986 (14.7C – the warmest October on record) and the third warmest since 1969 (13.4C).

November

Headline: First half very mild and unsettled. Becoming increasingly wintry and bitterly cold later.

The first half of November was generally unsettled as a succession of Atlantic lows passed across northern Britain bringing associated frontal rain and windy conditions to the county. In addition to being wet and windy, the south-westerly airstream maintained temperatures above average for the time of year. The 1st and 2nd saw over 11mm of rain delivered in the 48 hour period from 0900hrs on the 1st with 4mm on the 2nd falling in a little over an hour. A cold front working southwards on the 6th brought a further 10.2mm on just under 3 hours. The 3rd was particularly windy across the whole of the UK with a maximum gust of 40mph recorded at Pitsford. Temperature-wise, it was very mild indeed to begin with. Highs reached 17.8C on the 2^nd making this the warmest November day in Northampton since 1969.  Overnight frosts were absent apart from a ground frost on the 5th. Despite the unsettled conditions, some reasonable sunshine totals were clocked up on a few days (6.7hrs on the 1st, 4.9hrs on the 9th).

High pressure became dominant across the region from the 13th. The weather became more settled. There were some good spells of sunshine, although generally the sunshine at Pitsford was rather hazy and well broken at times. Overnight frosts became a common occurrence aided by clear skies and very light winds. Temperatures on the morning of the 20th fell to -4.0C at Pitsford (the coldest November minimum since 1996) and by day maxima remained fairly modest typically around 6 or 7C.  Fog wasn’t so much a problem at Pitsford as it was reported elsewhere, although the 23rd saw some pretty dense and widespread fog which persisted for a good part of the day.

The final week saw a marked change in the weather. Low pressure developed over the North Sea becoming rather persistent and drove two cold fronts southwards introducing a blast of cold Arctic air. The 25th struggled to reach 4.0C by day as temperatures the previous night dropped to -3.1C.  The front arriving on the 24th produced a squall with gusts reaching 50mph at Pitsford with accompanying hail/ice pellets. Snow showers were anticipated, but only a few light flurries were recorded late on the 28th and no serious problems were created on the roads.

As the month came to a close on the 30th a warm front worked in from the west. Warnings were released of black ice on roads during the morning rush hour, although temperatures had risen above freezing before the rain made any impact on the county.

Overall this was the coldest November in Northampton since 1999 (5.0C) and the second coldest since 1998 (2.3C).

December

Headline: Generally mild and unsettled at first. A brief cold snap mid-month heralded snow showers in the days after Christmas.

The month opened with low pressure dominating the weather across a large part of the UK. Across the county it was generally mild with temperatures close to normal for the time of year and bands of frontal rain swept eastwards bringing 8.7mm on the 1st and 7.8mm on the 2nd (in the 24 hour period measured from 0900hrs). Winds were generally from the south and fresh at times, gusting to around 30mph on the 1st and 2nd. Apart from the 4th, it was quite dull with little extended sunshine.

The low began to fill on the 5th and by the 7th a weak ridge of high pressure developed. However, this ridge didn’t stop a band of rain working in from the west delivering 3.6mm in just over 4 hours. Nevertheless, this ridge did introduce some very light winds indeed calm conditions by 0900hrs on the 9th resulting in fairly extensive fog. Visibility at Pitsford was reduced to 200m. Temperatures by day remained generally mild for the time of year, although they fell below or close to freezing overnight. As high pressure developed further over the next few days some good spells of sunshine were recorded.

High pressure established to the south from the 11th introduced a generally west or north-westerly wind across the county. There was some fog around on the 11th, but unlike many other places it lifted to allow temperatures to climb to around 8.9C in over 4 hours of bright sunshine. By contrast parts of Oxfordshire only reached 2.5C. A cold front then worked southwards resulting in slightly depressed maxima over the next couple of days before temperatures once again recovered with a westerly flow prevailing to a high of 10.4C on the 15th.

Temperatures fell sharply after the 16th as a cold front introduced a colder northerly flow. Many areas outside the county reported showers, even as hail or snow in areas further east, although it remained dry at Pitsford. Temperatures on the 17th climbed to only 3.7C compared to 9.4C the day before.

The cold snap was short-lived, however, as a warm front worked in from the west to be felt across the county on the 18th. A small amount of rain accompanied the front. Some warm and sunny conditions followed the front although with high pressure in charge to the south a fairly penetrating frost followed. Temperatures on the morning of the 18th fell to -4.5C (-9.9C over grass) and again to -3.3C on the 19th.

From the 21st onwards the weather became rather dull but mild. Daytime temperatures typically reached 9 or 10C and it was equally mild overnight.

The month ended as much milder conditions worked in from the west on the 30th. This brought a fair amount of rain, but not the snow on its leading edge as had been forecast. New Year’s Eve saw a high by day of 8.5C with temperatures held above freezing overnight at 3.5C.

Climatological Statistics for 2005 recorded at Pitsford Hall:

 
Air Temperatures:  
The Highest Maximum:   31.0C on 19th June and 31st August
The Lowest Maximum:   0.5C on 28th December
The Highest Minimum:   17.2C on 20th June and 15th July
The Lowest Minimum:   -4.5C on 18th December
The Mean Maximum:   14.6C 
The Mean Minimum:   6.4C 
The Overall Mean:   10.5C
  
Difference from the 1971-2000 mean: +0.1C 
  
Relative Humidity:  
Highest Relative Humidity (at 0900): 100% on 14th & 22nd January; 7th, 11th, 23rd & 28th February; 29th, 30th & 31st March; 25th & 29th December
Lowest Relative Humidity (at 0900): 54.6C on 18th May
Mean Relative Humidity (at 0900): 85.3% 
  
Dew Point:  
The Highest Dew Point (at 0900): 20.0C on 18th June
The Lowest Dew Point (at 0900): -4.6C on 18th December
The Mean Dew Point (at 0900):  8.0C 
  

Rainfall:  
Total:     531.1mm 
Duration:    390.7hrs
Highest 24 hour fall (from 0900): 27.5mm on 15th
Rain Days (>/=0.2mm):   155
Wet Days (>/=1.0mm):   100

Difference from the 1971-2000 mean: 81.4% 
  
Sunshine:  
Total Duration of Bright Sunshine: 1385.3hrs 
Sunniest day:    13.5hrs on 11th July
Sunless days:    60 
Cloud cover (mean at 0900):  5.9 oktas (73.8%)
  
Pressure (reduced to sea level at 0900):  
The Highest Pressure:   1041.2mb on 13th December 
The Lowest Pressure:   980.5mb on 2nd December
Mean Pressure:    1017.3mb 
  
Winds  
Run of wind (mean over 24 hrs): 119.7 miles
Mean daily wind speed:   6.5 mph 
Run of wind:    43664 miles 
Highest Maximum Gust:   58mph on 12th February 
Other Gusts >/= 50mph:  57mph on 7th January, 51mph on 20th January, 50mph on 13th February 
    
Highest wind strength (at 0900): 26.5mph on 12th February
Mean wind strength (at 0900):  7.9mph 

Winds from the Following Directions:  
N 54 NE 22 E 14 SE 22 S 83 SW 45 W 29 NW 79 Calm 13

Ground Temperatures:  
Lowest Grass Minimum:  -9.9C on 18th February
Mean Grass Minimum:  2.7C 
Lowest Concrete Minimum: -5.4C on 28th February & 2nd March
Mean Concrete Minimum: 5.7C 
Lowest Bare Earth Minimum: -3.7C on 25th November
Mean Bare Earth Minimum: 6.2C 
  
Soil/Earth Temperatures:  
Surface mean:   10.7C 
5cm mean:   10.0C 
10cm mean:   10.3C 
20cm mean:   10.7C 
30cm mean:   11.1C 
40cm mean:   11.0C 
50cm mean:   11.3C 
100cm mean:   10.9C 
   
Days with:  
Thunder:    10 
Hail less than 0.5mm:   5
Hail greater than/equal to 0.5mm: 0 
Snow or snow & rain:   19 
Snow lying:    11 
Fog     23 
Air Frost:    48 
Duration of Air Frost:   245hrs 
Ground Frost:    122
Gales:     1

To view the full annual register for 2005, click here.