PITSFORD HALL WEATHER STATION NORTHAMPTON, UNITED KINGDOM MONTHLY WEATHER REPORT - OCTOBER 2004 Headline: Very wet with more than twice the normal rainfall for October. Occasionally very windy. October began on a very unsettled note. Rain fell on most days during the first week with quite substantial falls during the opening three days including 13.6mm over nearly 11 hours on the 3rd. It was also fairly windy at times, especially on the 3rd with peak gusts reaching 36mph (force 7). However, the county escaped the worst of the rain felt in areas further west. With high pressure becoming established across a large part of the UK the weather entered a quieter mode during the second week. There were some pleasant sunny spells and the period from the 9th to the 11th was the only time during the month when no rain at all was recorded. From the 12th onwards a second phase of unsettled weather began marked by a succession of several areas of low pressure. Rainfall was particularly heavy between the 12th and 15th, 12.2mm falling over 5.2 hours on the 12th and 14.2mm over 4.7 hours on the 13th. In fact the torrential rain on the 13th led to enforced speed restrictions on the M1 and overflowing storm drains in Towcester. The 17th and 18th saw a brief lull before a vigorous front delivered 17.6mm of rain in the space of 8.7 hours on the 19th. The weather until the end of the month remained generally cyclonic. A persistent low lay across the UK from the 20th onwards delivering further spells of rain. It also became very windy once again and gusts reached 42mph on the 21st and 44mph on the 22nd (force 8). Following 13.7mm of rain on the 23rd there were numerous reports of localized flooding across the county. Warnings of severe weather were released on the 27th as an intense area of low pressure developed to the south-west of the British Isles. Fortunately for the county, the worst affects of this low were confined to parts of Wales, Devon and Cornwall as it made very little ingress inland. In fact, the strong winds never materialized in Northampton with peak gusts generally below 20mph. October came to a close on a quiet note with high pressure building in from the west. Light winds and clear skies overnight led to some dense fog, especially on the 30th. In general, this was the wettest October recorded in Northampton since 2002 (117.8mm) and the second wettest October since 1987 (125.2mm). Some more rural sites in the county actually recorded the wettest October since 1960. Temperatures were above average. Air Temperatures The Highest Maximum: 16.9C on 5th The Lowest Maximum: 10.7C on 16th The Highest Minimum: 12.5C on 23rd The Lowest Minimum: 3.6C on 26th The Mean Maximum: 14.1C The Mean Minimum: 7.6C The Overall Mean: 10.9C Difference from the Monthly Mean: +0.6C Relative Humidity: Highest Relative Humidity (at obs): 100.0% on 14th, 20th & 30th Lowest Relative Humidity (at obs): 74.5% on 21st Mean Relative Humidity (at obs): 91.0% Dew Point: The Highest Dew Point (at obs): 12.3C on 20th The Lowest Dew Point (at obs): 6.2C on 21st The Mean Dew Point (at obs): 9.0C Rainfall: Total: 118.4mm Difference from the Monthly Mean: 214.9% Duration: 63.1hrs Highest 24 hour fall (obs to obs): 17.6mm on 19th Rain Days (>/=0.2mm): 18 Wet Days (>/=1.0mm): 15 Sunshine: Total Duration of Bright Sunshine: 86.9hrs Sunniest day: 8.4hrs on 21st Days without sunshine: 8 Cloud cover (mean at obs): 5.9oktas (73.8%) Pressure (reduced to sea level): The Highest Pressure: 1023.3mb on 31st The Lowest Pressure: 990.7mb on 20th Mean Pressure (recorded at obs): 1006.6mb Winds Run of wind (mean over 24 hrs): 134.1miles Mean daily wind speed: 7.3mph Highest daily wind speed: 20.5mph on 21st Run of wind (to date): 4156.6miles Highest Maximum Gust: 44mph on 22nd Highest wind strength (at obs): 25.4mph on 21st Mean wind strength (at obs): 8.9mph Winds from the Following Directions: N 4 NE 3 E 3 SE 2 S 10 SW 2 W 3 NW 2 Calm 2 Ground Temperatures: Lowest Grass Minimum: -1.3C on 26th Mean Grass Minimum: 4.1C Lowest Concrete Minimum: 2.1C on 19th & 26th Mean Concrete Minimum: 5.8C Lowest Bare Earth Minimum: 3.5C on 19th, 26th & 27th Mean Bare Earth Minimum: 7.0C Soil/Earth Temperatures: Surface mean: 10.1C 5cm mean: 10.1C 10cm mean: 10.4C 20cm mean: 11.2C 30cm mean: 11.8C 40cm mean: 11.6C 50cm mean: 12.3C 100cm mean: 12.8C Days with: Thunder: 0 Hail less than 0.5mm: 0 Hail greater than/equal to 0.5mm: 0 Snow or snow & rain: 0 Ground frost: 2 Air frost: 0 Fog 2 Evaporation (tank): Not recorded - tank flooded.