In January 2011 we enjoyed mild if overcast days when the maximum was four to five degrees above the average (12th and 16th) or in contrast as on the 29th when the maximum was only 0°C. Some nights were warm with a minimum of 10.4° and 9.5°C (14th and 13th respectively) when the average is 1.3°. A total of 16 nights of air frost was above the average of 11 over the last 27 years with the early morning of the 31st being extremely cold when I recorded a minimum of -8.5°C. The record stands at -13.3°C in January 2009. The mean temperature was 0.4°C below the long-term average. The frost that occurred in early January gave a coating of ice to everything but the air frost on the 27th went almost unnoticed due to the dry air prevailing and some air movement (82% humidity as opposed to 98% earlier in the month). There were 12 days without rainfall but on four occasions the daily total was in double figures (18.1mm, 17.4mm, 17.1mm and 14.9mm) with a monthly total of 107.8mm, which is 123% of the long-term average.
The weather station of Marlborough, Wiltshire
