An historical perspective of the climate statistics

for Coventry during May 2013

Temperature

With a mean monthly temperature of 10.9ºC, May 2013 has become the coldest May in Coventry since 1996 (9.6 ºC). May 1996 was the only May month colder than 2013 in the past 26 years.

The first five months of 2013 have recorded the lowest average temperature (5.4ºC) for the period January to May in Coventry since 1979 (4.8ºC).

Over the past 14 months, only two months have recorded higher than average temperatures in Coventry, though both May and December’s positive anomaly was only 0.1ºC higher than the city’s 30-year climatological normal (1981-2010).

Over the past 12 months, from June 2012 to May 2013, the average temperature has been just 9.0ºC, making this the coldest such period since 1978 (8.8ºC).
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• 1st There was an air frost on the coldest night of the month with a minimum temperature of -0.5ºC, making this the coldest May night in Coventry since 1984 (-1.0ºC).

• 7th The warmest day of the month recorded a maximum temperature of 21.6ºC – this is the lowest May monthly maximum temperature in Coventry since 1994 (21.0ºC).


Rainfall

Although not an especially wet month with just 10 ‘wet days’, the monthly rainfall total of 76.6mm is 38% above average, though 77% of the month’s total fell on just 4 days.

This has been the wettest May in Coventry since 2008 (89.4mm). Only 9 May months have been wetter than 2013 in the past 44 years., though 4 of these have been since the Millennium.

• 14th The wettest day of the month recorded 28.1mm of rain – the wettest May day in Coventry since 1967 (30.5mm). Only six May months have included wetter days than this since 1892.

Sunshine

May 2013 has been the dullest May (181.4hri) n Coventry since 2007 (148.7hr), with 5% less sunshine than the 30-year city average.

The first five months of 2013 have recorded 578.6 hours of sunshine, making this the dullest first five months of the year in Coventry since 2006 (540..3hr).

• 26th The sunniest day of the month recorded 14.7 hours of sunshine, making this the sunniest May day in the city since 1997 (15.2hr).

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