WEATHER REPORT FOR 1969

         JANUARY
         
         A very mild and wet month, temperature and rainfall above the
         normal average with only a few slight air and ground frosts. Only 7 days
         were recorded without precipitation at Upton Lodge and 8 at Moulton and
         Raunds.
         
         Although no falls of snow were recorded, snow was still lying on the
         1st and 2nd from a moderate fall on the night of 24/25 December, 1968.
         This was washed away with rain during the night of 2/3. Fog was wide-
         spread on 3, 4, 9, 11, 22 and 23, persisting most of the day on the llth;
         freezing fog on the 9th.
         
         FEBRUARY
         
         A consistently cold month with predominant N.E. winds. A par-
         ticularly cold spell from 6 to 21 with night air and ground frosts. The
         night of 7/8 was the coldest. Snow was recorded on 17 days with falls of
         approximately 3.00" on the night 8/9 and 5.00" on 19/20, snow lying from the
         7th to the 23rd. Fog recorded on 22 and 23. It was slightly warmer from
         22 to 25, rain during the night of 23/24 clearing the snow. The N.E.
         winds returned on the 25th with night air and ground frosts which
         continued to the end of the month. The beginning of the month was sunny
         but from the 19th onwards, only one day 22nd, had sunshine.
         
         MARCH
         
         Very cold and wet with mainly N.E. winds. The first 9 days were cold
         and dry with night air and grollnd frosts, the following 9 days were slightly
         warmer with no frost, but wet. Approximately 1.50" snow fell on the night
         of 11/12, which was washed away on the night of 12/13 with continuous
         rain extending into the greater part of the 13th. Fog was widespread on
         17 and 19, also recorded locally on 13, 15 and 18. The 21st began a cold
         dry spell and the 29th saw the return of more rain.
         
         APRIL
         
         Sunny, cool and dry. The sunniest April recorded since 1948 at
         Raunds with 11 hours on 4, 5 and 6. The warmest day was on the 9th.
         Night air frosts were recorded on the night of 18/19, whilst ground frost
         occurred regularly until the night of 28/29. The wettest period was from
         the 19th to 28th but amounts were small.
         
         MAY
         
         A month of mixed unsettled weather, wet, dull and thundery.
         There were great variations in the maximum day temperature from day
         today and no frosts. The hottest day was on the 13th. Thunderstorms
         were recorded on 9, 12, 16, 17, 24, 27, 30 and 31. On the 18th snow and
         sleet were recorded at Welford and Upton Lodge, and hail at Raunds.
         It was generally the wettest day on the 5th with most stations recording
         over 1.00" rainfall. A local thunderstorm on the 30th with heavy rain in the
         Upton Lodge and Bugbrooke areas produced 0.98" and 1.02" rainfall
         respectively.                 
         
         JUNE
         
         Generally dry, sunny nnd warm. The firrt three days were cool with
         rain, followed by a fine and warm spell. The hottest days were 14 and 15.
         The 15th began another unsettled period with local thunderstorms on
         15, 18 and 21. The fine and warm weather returned on the 25th until the
         end of the month. The sunniest month since 1960.
         
         JULY
         
         A very warm and sunny month and mainly dry except for two
         periods from 6 to 13 and 28/29, the latter being the wettest day of the
         month. The hottest day was on the 16th. Scattered thunderstorms were
         recorded at Raunds and Sudborough.
         
         AUGUST
         
         Generally unsettled but dry and warm. On the night 2/3, as a result
         of a local storm with heavy rain, Bugbrooke recorded 2.24" rainfall,
         Upton Lodge 1.08" and Welford 0.93". It was unsettled and warm for
         the first 12 days and the hottest days were 10 and 11. Local thunder-
         storms were recorded on 9, 11 and 12. The warm weather continued
         on 13th with 5 fine days to be followed by another unsettled spell and
         cooler on the 19th. The fine weather returned on the 28th.
         
         SEPTEMBER
         
         A generally dry montil apart from an exceptionally drizzly period
         from 10 to 16. Sunshine was below the normal average but it was generally
         warm with particularly high minimum night air temp.; on the night of
         10/11, 57 was recorded at Upton Lodge. The hottest days were from
         3 to 11. (Reported that corn  not harvested was sprouting again during this
         period). There was a sharp drop in temperatures on the night of 28/29
         and 29/30 with air and ground frosts.
          
         OCTOBER
         
         Extremely dry, warm and foggy the driest since 1947. The average
         temperature was higher than normal due mainly to the high minimum
         night, air temperature. There were no air or ground frosts and the warmeat
         day was on the 9th. @og was record@d OII 10, 11, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22 and
         27. persisting on the 17th for rno@t of the day.
         
         NOVEMBER
         
         Cool and unsettled with two cold spells, 13 to 18 and 24 to 30, both
         with air and ground frosts, the latter being the coldest. Snow fell on the
         night of 28/29 with snow lying on 29 and 30. There were no fogs
         recorded and sunshine was slightly higher than average. Thunder and
         lightning were recorded over a wide area on the 12th. Rainfnll on the
         3rd waH the highest recorded since September 12.
         
         DECEMBER
         
         The cold weather continued with an occasional air and ground frost
         and scattered snow showers. There was a milder spell from 20 to 25 and
         maximum day temperatures reached the lower 50's. It was an extremely
         dull month.