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| October 2001 monthly assessment issued 1 November
2001 |
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Monthly summaries available for: England
and Wales | Scotland | Northern
Ireland
Homogenous time series based upon selected station data:
CET | England and Wales
rainfall
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| Unsettled, wet and very warm.
Frequent spells of rain and showers. |
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Diary of highlights
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1st - 8th With low pressure close by
to the north or west, conditions were often unsettled. Blustery
thundery showers on the 1st became more scattered during
the 2nd - 4th, however there were good sunny periods. After
some rain in the west on the 5th, there were more blustery
showers on the 6th, some being heavy and thundery in south-east
England and East Anglia. In the Norfolk Broads a tornado
caused local destruction. On the 7th Mumbles reported a
67 knot gust as a deep low moved north-east from the south-west
approaches, bringing stormy conditions to much of the region.
There were copious amounts of rain and later frequent squally
thundery showers, many places received more than 50 mm
in 24 hours. More thundery showers occurred during the 8th
especially in the south.
9th - 13th With high pressure not far away, quieter
changeable weather prevailed. Apart from thundery showers
in the south on 9th and some occasional rain in the north-west
and west at first, it was mainly dry. There were long sunny
periods, and it became very warm with some morning mist
and fog patches. Temperatures brushed past 25 °C at
Herne Bay (Kent) and in London on the 13th, this is exceptionally
warm for so late in the year.
14th - 24th Complex low pressure was centred to the
west then south-west of the UK, this brought mostly warm
and unsettled weather with plenty of rain and showers on
most days apart from the 16th which was mainly dry. From
the 19th a number of active low centres and associated fronts
crossed the region, bringing more bands of rain and showers
often heavy with thunder. Overnight 19th/20th a swathe of
rain gave 50 mm in 4 hours at Hereford, with 26 mm
falling in one hour. Another disturbance hesitated over
East Anglia on the 21st depositing 90 mm at Cambridge
with severe local flooding in Cambridgeshire.
25th - 28th Unsettled at first as depressions passed
the UK to the north-west, a cold front moving erratically
eastwards gave the south-west andMidlands a very wet day
on the 26th. The 27th and 28th were mainly dry, sunny and
warm as high pressure began to assert itself.
29th - 31st A windy end to the month as a deepening
low off Scotland moved east to southern Scandinavia. The
30th was very warm everywhere, many places touched 20 °C
inland. A cold front moved south-east later bringing some
bursts of heavy rain overnight and introducing breezy, chilly
and fresher conditions for the 31st.
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| Statistical details (using best available
data/estimates): updated 2003 |
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England & Wales Mean Temperature Series (series
began in 1961).
The final value for the month was 13.0 °C, which
is 2.8 °C above the 1961-1990 average, which is
in the exceptionally above average category. Warmest
in the series, previous warmest 1995 with 12.6 °C.
England & Wales Rainfall Series (series began
in 1961).
The final total for the month was 131.6 mm, which is
152 % of the 1961-1990 average, which is in the well
above average category.
England & Wales Sunshine Series (series began
in 1961).
The final total for the month was 103.6 hours, which is
107 % of the 1961-1990 average, which is in the close
to average category.
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| Scotland |
| Record warmth in east. |
| Diary of Highlights |
Winds in October blew almost exclusively from between
west and south-east, with hardly any outbreaks of cold
air at all. As a result, it was very warm, with many
station records being broken in the east of the country.
The previous warmest October in many places occurred in
1969.
The wind flow in October may be roughly summarised as
follows.
First week south-westerly blowing around a
depression in mid-Atlantic.
Second week westerly with
the low north of Iceland.
Third week south-easterly
blowing around a depression to the south-west of
Ireland.
Fourth week Southwesterly with lows
travelling between Scotland and Iceland.
The first couple of days saw heavy showers in the west,
with Tyndrum and Cassley (Sutherland) recording 35 mm
and 41 mm of rain on the 1st and 2nd respectively. On
the 5th warm air spread north and the temperature at Durness
reached 20.3 °C.
The 8th was a wet day as a depression crossed Scotland,
but later in the second week there was some fine weather
in the east, with the temperature reaching 20.2 °C
at Peebles on the 11th.
The south-easterly spell of weather lasted from the 14th
to the 23rd and comprised a fairly dry spell (16th to
19th) sandwiched between wetter episodes. Bridge of Cally
(Perthshire) recorded 41 mm of rain on the 14th and the
lowest temperature of the month (1.5 °C) occurred
at Cassley on the morning of the 16th.
The 24th to the 28th saw mostly showery weather, although
a band of rain crossed the country on the 25th. On the
29th and 30th a band of warm and humid air ahead of a
slow moving cold front brought heavy rain to the north-west
Highlands. At Lochcarron nearly 200 mm of rain fell
in 60 hours, and a landslide blocked the nearby road and
railway.
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Statistical details (using
best available data/estimates): updated 2003
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Scotland Mean Temperature Series (series
began in 1961).
The final value for the month was 10.7 °C, which
is 2.7 °C above the 1961-1990 average, which is
in the exceptionally above average category. Warmest
in the series, previous warmest 1969 with 10.6 °C.
Scotland Rainfall Series (series began in 1961).
The final total for the month was 239.2 mm, which is
150 % of the 1961-1990 average, which is in the well
above average category. 2nd wettest in the series, wettest
being 1983 with 241.2 mm.
Scotland Sunshine Series (series began in 1961).
The final total for the month was 62.8 hours, which is 85 %
of the 1961-1990 average, which is in the below average
category. Dullest since 1991, when 62.5 hours was recorded.
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| Northern
Ireland |
| Warm and dry. |
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Diary of Highlights
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1st to 6th Warm, bright and showery. Sunny on
2nd but dull on 5th.
7th to 8th Conditions
much more unsettled and wet. Warm and bright on 7th but
cool and dull on 8th.
9th to 13th Warm with
only occasional showers and good spells of
brightness.
14th to 18th Warm but unsettled
with more frequent and heavy showers. Very warm and wet
on 17th but drier and brighter on 18th.
19th to
21st Cool and dull with lowest minimum temperatures
of the month being recorded on the morning of
21st.
22nd to 25th Warm and brighter with
showery conditions.
26th to 31st Cooler and
largely dry for period 27th to 29th. Very dull on 29th
and 30th but bright again on 31st. Lowest maximum
temperatures of the month were recorded on 31st giving a
cool, bright and largely dry day to end the
month.
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Statistical details (using
best available data/estimates): updated 2003
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Northern Ireland Mean Temperature Series (series
began in 1961).
The final value for the month was 11.7 °C, which
is 2.2 °C above the 1961-1990 average, which is
in the exceptionally above average category. 2nd warmest
in the series, warmest being 1969 with 11.9 °C.
Northern Ireland Rainfall Series (series began in
1961).
The final total for the month was 112.7 mm, which is
98 % of the 1961-1990 average, which is in the close
to average category.
Northern Ireland Sunshine Series (series began in
1961).
The final total for the month was 73.2 hours, which is 89 %
of the 1961-1990 average, which is in the below average
category. Dullest since 1991, when 73.0 hours was recorded.
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Homogeneous series based upon selected station data: updated
2003 |
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Central England Temperature (series begins in 1659).
The mean value for the month was 13.3 °C which is 2.7 °C
above the 1961-90 normal of 10.6 °C and is in the exceptionally
above average category.
Others:- 2000/10.3, 1999/10.7, 1998/10.6, 1995/12.9, 1969/13.0 °C.
England and Wales Rainfall (series begins in 1766).
The total for the month was 135.4 mm, which is 156 %
of the 1961-90 average and is in the well above average
category.
Others:- 2000/188.0, 1999/86.5, 1998/152.1 mm.
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| Note: Diary values are provisional based
on data available at the time. |
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