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

Temperature

To repeat what we said in our September monthly climate review for
Coventry, "What a truly remarkable year 2006 has become
weather-wise!"

To remind you of some of these remarkable climatic facts about 2006 -
"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 became the warmest September in Coventry
since at least 1892, and also the warmest September month in the
Central England Temperature" series, complied by the late Gordon
Manley, since before 1659.

***So what of October? Well, it looks as if Octobers are becoming
warmer, cloudier and wetter in our region!***

Although cooler than either October 2001 (13.7C) or 2005 (13.2C), it
has been another exceptional month. With a monthly average temperature
of 13.0C in Coventry, only these two months have been warmer than
October 2006 since temperature records were first kept in the city in
1892.

This is further compelling evidence for climate change in our region,
as shown by the climate statistics shown below:

Thirty-year temperature averages October in Coventry:

1901-1930 9.9C 1941-1970 10.1C
1911-1940 9.7C 1951-1980 10.1C
1921-1950 9.8C 1961-1990 10.4C
1931-1960 9.8C 1971-2000 10.3C
thus far incomplete 30-year period 1981-2006 10.9C

**This suggests a one degree Celsius increase in average temperatures
during October locally in just over 100 years.**

This has also been a frost-free October -this has only happened twice
before, in the Octobers of 2001 and 2005. As a comparison, there were
25 ground frosts during October 1919, and 12 as recently as 1997, so
perhaps October frost is not necessarily a thing of the past!

Rainfall

Although wetter than October 2005 (75.7mm), this year's October
rainfall total (92.2mm) is still short of the 2004 total of 104.0mm of
rain.

Interestingly however, only October 2003 has been drier than the
30-year Coventry rainfall average for this month, so perhaps there is
also a trend towards wetter October months in our region.

There was the highest incidence of thunder (3 days) during October 2006
than for any month at this time of year since 1892.

Sunshine

Although we recorded more sunshine during October 2006 (83.8 hours), it
was one of the dullest Octobers in recent years.

Although sunnier than in 2005 (75.7hr), it was otherwise our dullest
October since 2000 (77.7hr), with 19% less sunshine than is usual at
this time of year. Six out of the past seven October months have
recorded below average sunshine.

So are Octobers becoming more cloudy than in the historic past?

Fog

With three mornings with fog persisting past 0900hr GMT, this has been
the foggiest October in Coventry since 1978 (4).