Hi, All,

Total bright sunshine with one day to go is 39.1hr (15 days with
0.1hr) Normal for October here in Copley is 102hr.

Since 2000, of ALL months, only December 2002 with 35.4hr has been
duller. The next lowest is November 2002 with 55.0hr.

Is there a fault with my recorder, or is this a dismal record?

We are usually favoured here for sunshine in our rain shadow, but seem
to have had endless days of foggy southerlies and south-easterlies
recently.

Best wishes,

Ken Cook, Copley, 253metres asl, Barnard Castle, County Durham
http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/copley

Ken

Just about the same here, quick rough calculation is 38hrs so far - was
sunny this afternoon for a couple of hours so may make the 40hr mark
--

_______________________________
Paul Crabtree
Brampton, Cumbria
117m A.S.L
www.bramptonweather.co.uk
"

"Paul Crabtree" wrote in message
...
Ken

Just about the same here, quick rough calculation is 38hrs so far - was
sunny this afternoon for a couple of hours so may make the 40hr mark
--


Now that the cloud has rolled in here for the evening. The total sunshine
recorded here will be 52.5 hours. Slightly more than Paul and Ken I suspect,
but certainly the lowest value I've recorded here in the few years I've been
keeping sunshine totals.
The Octobers of 1979, 1975 and 1965 also seem to have been rather dull in
this area, with this years total likely to be similar or indeed slightly
more cloudy still.
Alex
Wishaw
Central lowlands

It's been very dull here too, especially since the 15th. I don't know
the exact total, because I don't have a recorder, but would guess at
around 65-70 hours (average 97 hours). I used to keep daily sunshine
totals from the newspapers but now the Guardian no longer publishes a
Saturday summary and seems to publish Thursday's figures on Saturday
instead of Friday's.

1960 was the dullest October in Aberdeen. Dyce recorded only 30 hours
sunshine for the month with just 29 hours recorded at Craibstone. Other
dull ones were 1885 with 47 hours, 1982 with 55 hours, 1940 with 61
hours and 1946 with 65 hours.

I suspect that the combined total for Octobers 2004 (72 hours) and 2005
(?) will be lucky to exceed that of October 2003 (138 hours) and will
certainly be less than the 157 hours recorded in October 1986.

December 2002 had only 16 hours of sunshine at Dyce with 23 completely
sunless days. It was the most awful month I can remember. There was
rain on 26 days, no snow at all and only a few frosts in the middle of
the month.

Richard Slessor,
Aberdeen.

Richard Slessor wrote:
It's been very dull here too, especially since the 15th. I don't know
the exact total, because I don't have a recorder, but would guess at
around 65-70 hours (average 97 hours). I used to keep daily sunshine
totals from the newspapers but now the Guardian no longer publishes a
Saturday summary and seems to publish Thursday's figures on Saturday
instead of Friday's.

1960 was the dullest October in Aberdeen. Dyce recorded only 30 hours
sunshine for the month with just 29 hours recorded at Craibstone. Other
dull ones were 1885 with 47 hours, 1982 with 55 hours, 1940 with 61
hours and 1946 with 65 hours.

I suspect that the combined total for Octobers 2004 (72 hours) and 2005
(?) will be lucky to exceed that of October 2003 (138 hours) and will
certainly be less than the 157 hours recorded in October 1986.

December 2002 had only 16 hours of sunshine at Dyce with 23 completely
sunless days. It was the most awful month I can remember. There was
rain on 26 days, no snow at all and only a few frosts in the middle of
the month.

The worst weather month I can recall was definitely mid-November to
mid-December 2002 in Newcastle, where I was at the time. Almost no sun,
no frost, snow (despite that latter being constantly forecast from
about 4 December on) or even mild sunny days; just low grey cloud with
rain and drizzle.
January and March of 1996 here in Shrewsbury were not much better
sun-wise, but each month at least produced some cold and snow, and when
the skies finally cleared in the last week of March there was that
Comet Hyakutake to enjoy. October 2004 in Shrewsbury was pretty grim as
well, as was October 1987 in South Wales (no hurricane force winds
BTW).

Edmund

Richard Slessor wrote:
I used to keep daily sunshine
totals from the newspapers but now the Guardian no longer publishes a
Saturday summary and seems to publish Thursday's figures on Saturday
instead of Friday's.


I do hope you were not taking those reports too literally, anyway. I
know of one place that bases certain parts of their report on the
coastguard station several miles away, another where a building to the
west cuts out over an hour of sunshine in the summer, and most others
where the siting of the thermometers leaves a lot to be desired. There
is also the question of more general sunshine totals. At least one
station bases their sunshine total on the number of hours between
sunrise and sunset (I kid you not) on a day where they have had
virtually no cloud.