Monthly Summary for October 2013

October could be simply described as mild, dull and wet. The month began well with maxima much above the average and a high of 19.1C on the 4th. It was the sixth warmest since my records began in 1984 with a mean 1.7C above the long-term average. There were no air frosts during the month, the seventh such occurrence since 1984 and all since the year 2000. The record for air frosts in October was maximum of 8 set in 1997.
It was the sixth wettest in the last 30 years with a total of 135.1mm, which is 155% of the long-term average or +48mm. There were 22 wet days (<=1mm), which is a record for October. I recorded the lowest sunshine total for four years with the 13th so overcast that it did not register. It follows that solar energy was much reduced being 85% of the average over recent years. We were fortunate that the much publicised storm during the morning of the 27th did not produce exceptional wind gusts. A maximum gust of 47mph was noted at 0542. This was not a record as a gust of 57mph was recorded on 18th January 2007. The strongest gust for October was 56mph that occurred on the 27th in 2002.