An historical perspective on the climate statistics
for Coventry during September 2006


Temperature

What a truly remarkable year 2006 has become weather-wise!

At the start of the year, we experienced our coldest winter for 9
years, and the coldest spring for 5 years in our region.

More recently, Coventry enjoyed the hottest summer on record, including
the warmest June and July since at least 1892, with July now confirmed
as the hottest month at any time of year in the UK since before 1659.

Furthermore, September 2006 has now become the warmest September in
Coventry since at least 1892.

Not only this, but September 2006 has also been the warmest September
month in the Central England Temperature" series, complied by the
late Gordon Manley, since before 1659.

The warmest September on record locally prior to 2006 was 1949 with an
average monthly temperature of 16.3C. By comparison, September 2006 has
eclipsed that monthly mean with an astonishing average of 17.2C, almost
a whole degree above the previous record, and 3.3C higher than the
30-year climatological normal for the city (1971-2000).

Days of particular note include:

· 11th This was the hottest September day in our region (28.1C) since
1949 (28.9C). With records dating back to 1892, only 7 September days
have ever been hotter (in 1898, 1899, 1906, 1911, 1926, 1929, and
1949).

· 13th This was the warmest September night (16.5C) since 1961
(16.9C).

· 22nd The coolest day of the month still recorded a daily maximum
temperature of 17.4C - this is the highest such value since 1985
(17.8C).




Rainfall

Although warm, September 2006 was rather cloudy for a lot of the time,
with some heavy thundery outbreaks of rain.

With a monthly rainfall total of 91.2mm (55% above average), this has
become the wettest September for six years (2000=117.8mm). Only two
September months have been wetter in the past decade (1998 and 2000).

There were three days with thunder during the month, the highest
incidence of thunder at this time of year since 1995 (4 days - this
being the record for September held equally with 1935.

Sunshine

As mentioned previously, it was rather cloudy at times, though the
monthly sunshine total (149.8hr) did exceed the 30year September
average by 10%.

Even so, it was still the dullest September in Coventry since 2002
(141.3hr).

Steve Jackson
Bablake Weather Station
Coventry UK
www.bablakeweather.co.uk