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A record of the local weather during 2000. JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2000: January was generally a dry and sunny month, starting with mild SW winds for the first 10 days, when the weather became colder and in the last week there were some severe night frosts with -6.0 degrees C (21.0 degrees F) on the 27th, and cold days to accompany them. Altogether there were 12 night frosts during the month but on the last two days day temperatures of 12.0 degrees C (53.6 degrees F) were recorded, but with a gale on the 30th. The mean temperature for the month was 3.8 degrees C (39.0 degrees F) as opposed to 4.7 degrees G (40.5 degrees F) in 1999. The rainfall totalled only 22.5mm (0.87in.) in great contrast with last year when it was 111.5mm (4.35in.). February was a mild month, although rather windy and very wet at times, with a gale on the night 10th/11th. The first fortnight in particular was mild with day temperatures averaging 10.0 degrees C (50.0 degrees F). The next 10 days were colder with seven night frosts, two of them -3.0 degrees F (26.6 degrees F). The mean temperature was 5.75 degrees C (42.3 degrees F), much the same as the last four years. The rainfall totalled 86.0 mm (3.35 in.) as opposed to 28.0mm (1.1in.) last year. | TOP | MARCH-JUNE 2000: Like March last year, the month was mild, and it was only in the last few days that a very cold wind and hail showers broke the trend. The mean temperature was 7.16 degrees C (45.0 degrees F), as opposed to 7.4 degrees C (45.3 degrees F) in 1999. It was also an exceptionally dry month, the rainfall being only 11.0mm (0.42in.), when last year it was 33.5mm (1.3in.). There were mild night frosts on eight nights and the weather was only moderately windy with no traditional equinoctial gales. By contrast with March, April was exceptionally wet with rain on 16 days - 33.5mm (1.3in.) on the 3rd - giving a total rainfall of 139.5mm (5.4in.), but not quite so wet as April 1998 when the rainfall was 148.5mm (5.79in.) causing extensive flooding in the Cherwell Valley. The month started cold with six night frosts on the first eight days but on only one other day during the month. The coldest day was the 5th with a maximum of 5.0 degrees C (41.0 degrees F) with sleet showers, and the warmest was the last day when 19.0 degrees C (66.0 degrees F) was recorded. The mean temperature was 7.7 degrees C (46.0 degrees F). Comparable figures for last year are not reliable, as the recorder was away for more than half the month; but in wet 1998 April they were 7.0 degrees C (44.6 degrees F). May was a month of contrasts with early summer-like heat followed by blustery, often wet weather in the last two weeks. Day temperatures on 13th, 14th and 15th averaged 24.0 degrees C (76.0 degrees F), yet on the 17th, it only reached 11.0 degrees C (52.0 degrees F). The mean temperature for the month was 12.8 degrees C (55.0 degrees F) as opposed to 14.3 degrees C (58.0 degrees F) last year. The rainfall totalled 72.0mm (2.8in.), slightly more than last year. Over much of the country June blew hot and cold, but with us it turned out to be the second warmest June in the last decade with a mean temperature of 16.2 degrees C (61.0 degrees F), beaten only by 1973 when it was 17.0 degrees C (62.0 degrees F). A cool start built up to day temperatures of 30.0 degrees C (86.0 degrees F) on the 18th and 19th, and with high humidity and unbroken sunshine, it was very uncomfortable. But cooler showery weather soon followed. The rainfall totalled 28.5mm (1.1in.), an inch less than last year. | TOP | JULY-AUGUST 2000: July was generally a dull and cool month, and occasionally breezy from a northerly direction. The second week, in particular, was very cool, with a maximum temperature on the 10th of only 15.0 degrees C (59.0 degrees F). But, as the month continued, temperatures rose, and on the 20th the maximum was 25.0 degrees C (77.0 degrees F), and on the last day the temperature reached 26.0 degrees C (79.0 degrees F) with cooler days in between. The mean temperature was 16.0 degrees C (60.8 degrees F) as opposed to 18.7 degrees C (65.8 degrees F) last year. The rainfall was 46.00mm (1.8in.), as opposed to 9.00mm (0.36in.) last year. Compared with 1999, August was fairly dry with only 63.00mm (2.5in.) against 109.50mm (4.2in.) last year. The month was also quite warm, particularly the first fortnight, with a maximum of 27.0 degrees C (80.6 degrees F) on the 12th. Then it gradually became cooler, albeit with some thunderstorms, to give a mean temperature for the month of 17.6 degrees C (63.5 degrees F) as opposed to 17.0 degrees C (62.6 degrees F) last year. | TOP | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2000: September 1999 was billed as the warmest for 50 years in the country as a whole. In Lower Heyford the mean temperature was 15.5 degrees C (60.0 degrees F), as opposed to 14.5 degrees C (58.0 degrees F) this year. September 2000 has broken another record as being the wettest for 19 years, again nationally. In Lower Heyford the rainfall was 97.5mm (3.8in.), although last year it was not far behind with 93.0mm (3.6in.). Not to be outdone by September 2000, October spectacularly broke records by being second wettest for 300 years, with rainfall averaging 181.0mm (7.15in.) over England and Wales, beaten by 218.0mm (8.50in.) in 1903. In Lower Heyford the rainfall was 116.0mm (4.5in.), 31.0mm (1.2in.) falling on the very stormy night of 29/30th. Despite all this rain, with low pressure systems controlling the weather for the greater part of the month (some of them containing the remnants of former tropical storms) sunshine compared with long time averages. The mean temperature was 10.0 degrees C (50.0 degrees F) as opposed to 10.4 degrees C (50.7 degrees F) last year. | TOP | NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2000: November was an exceptionally wet month with disastrous flooding in northern and extreme southern England, and rainfall, nationally, breaking a 200 year record. The rainfall in Lower Heyford was 109.0mm (4.25in.) as opposed to 49.0mm (1.9in.) last year. A series of depressions crossed the country and the unsettled nature of the weather left no time for the quiet, gloomy days usually associated with this month; indeed, we had very wet and often very windy weather. There was only one night frost, and the mean temperature for the month was 6.0 degrees C (43.0 degrees F) as opposed to 7.0 degrees C (45.0 degrees F) last year. Despite exceptionally low night temperatures shortly after Christmas and 4in. of snow on the night 27/28th, the relatively warm weather in the first fortnight of December, made the mean temperature for the month to be 4.0 degrees C (39.0 degrees F); exactly the same as last year. On the night of 28/29th, with lying snow and clear skies, the temperature fell to -11.0 degrees C (12.0 degrees F), the lowest night temperature since the recorder came here in 1985. Then we had two days when the freezing temperature persisted, ending with -8.0 degrees C (17.0 degrees F) on the night of the 30th and a rapid thaw starting on the 31st. The rainfall was exceptional with 115.0mm (4.35in.) as opposed to 49.0mm (1.9in.) last year. The annual rainfall in 2000 was 892mm (35.0in.), the highest figure in the last 15 years. The lowest was in 1990 when only 360mm (14.0in.) fell and we were told to expect drought years and hose-pipe bans to follow; but in 1992 the rainfall was 849mm (33.0in.) and has average 739mm (28.8in.) ever since. S.L. S.L. | TOP | |
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THE
WEATHER ARCHIVE