Statistical and reflective 2004 annual summary

Temperatures
Days above 80ºF. 1
Days above 70ºF. 17
Ice days. 0
Highest max. +27.1ºC (August 8th)
Lowest max. +1.6ºC (January 28th & December 25th)
Average max. +12.8ºC
Highest Min. +16.3ºC (August 9th & September 4th)
Lowest Min. -7.4ºC (February 29th)
Lowest grass min. -10.3ºC (March 1st)
Average min. +5.4ºC
Average temp. +9.1ºC
Anomaly +0.9ºC

Precipitation
Total 1007.4mm
Anomaly 112%
Highest 24hr 34.4mm (October 24th)
Peak intensity (10 min's) 38.4mm/hour (August 6th)
Days of 0.2mm or more 270 days
Days of 1.0mm or more 158 days
Days of 25.0mm or more 2 days
Longest period without 7 days (4th March - 11th March)

Sunshine
Total 1261.5hrs
Anomaly 100%
Highest 24hr 13.7hrs (June 25th)
Days with over 12hrs 9 days
Sunless days 86 days

Wind
Days with direction:
N 51
NE 36
E 4
SE 24
S 68
SW 99
W 65
NW 4
calm 15
Prevailing WSW
Days with Gales: 2
Highest 10 minute mean: 39mph (December 23rd)
Highest gust: 56mph (March 20th)
Windiest 24hr: 21mph (December 14th & 23rd)
mean wind speed: 7.4mph

Other notables
Air frosts: 55 days
Air frost duration: 508.4hrs
Ground frosts: 90 days
Snow falling: 20 days
Snow lying: 9 days
Greatest snow depth: 4cm (December 28th)
Total snow (fresh falls): 10cm
Thunder/lightning: 10 days
Fog @ 9am: 16 days
Mean Humidity 84.1%
Lowest humidity 27% (September 8th)
MSLP 1012.2mb
Highest SLP 1038.6mb (September 7th)
Lowest SLP 971.3mb (January 8th)


Very brief monthly summary
January - Mild, wintry end
February - Mild, cold & dry end
March - Fairly dry
April - Mild and breezy
May - Mild, wet start, then dry
June - Rather warm, wet end
July - Rather cool, warming up later
August - Warm & very wet, particularly 1st half
September - Warm start, Breezy midmonth
October - Wet
November - Very mild and rather dry
December - Mild, windy periods.

Exceptional dates (Top 5 by preference)
1) May 10th - Warm and sunny day quickly changing to severe thunderstorm
with spectacular cumulonimbus venting violent and very rapid rates of
lightning.
2) January 28th - Remarkable polar trough passage mid morning, leading to a
short lived blizzard with thunder and nose-diving temperatures.
3) August 5th/6th - Overnight, slow moving thunderstorm.
4) August 8th-12th - Warmest day of the year followed by 5 days of very wet
weather and local flooding (120mm)
5) March 19th - Heavy, unexpected snow early morning.

Additional comments
2004 has seen the least fresh snowfall on record, with an alarming mere 10cm
of fresh falls throughout.
Also the latest air frost (12th November) and equal latest snowfall (18th
December) on site records.
Both July and October were cooler than average, but only slightly.
Wettest August on record by far and very possibly the wettest in locally
recorded history (?) But despite this, and a preponderance for NE breezes,
it
was nonetheless also one of the warmest Augusts on record.
Annual thunderstorm incidence definitely seems to be rising in the central
lowlands (albeit from a very low starting point).- I'll let others explain
why or disagree.
On the whole, slightly warmer than last year but not as warm as 1997, 1999
or 2000.
A rather wet year, but not exceptionally so. And the least sunny since 1998.

Graphical representations and other titbits are as ever available in the
climate
section of my website, URL below.

A happy and peaceful 2005 to you all.
Alex.


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Alex Stephens Jr
Wishaw, North Lanarkshire, Scotland
N55º47'14", W3º55'15". 360ft/117m amsl
http://www.alex114.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/
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