Graham Easterling wrote:
On Jan 7, 5:34 pm, "Ian Bingham"
wrote:
My average temperature graph for January (1990-2010) shows low
temperatures at the beginning and end of the month and relatively
high temperatures at mid-month. This appears to be due to the fact
that every year in January we seem to get a few days of more or less
strong SWlies which of course raises the temperature appreciably.
This has occurred at various times of the month, so the average puts
it in the middle, I suppose. For example I have as 21-year means:
Jan 1st 2.1C
Jan 15th 4.4C
Jan 31st 2.3C
Ian Bingham,
Inchmarlo, Aberdeenshire.
A very similar pattern here over the 20 years of my records. In fact
the 15th is the mildest day of the month with a mean temperature of
8.2C.
There are marked colder spells each side, the low points being:-
8th 6.7C
26th 6.2C - The coldest day of the winter over 20 years.
OK, so examples from two very different areas, can we
extrapolate from these two points that this is a countrywide
phenomenon

I've heard of the 'mid-December mildening' but not January.
--
Col
Bolton, Lancashire
160m asl