More cloud

 Note for Sunday 24th

There seems to be no let up in the dull cloudy days. It was a damp and drizzly day. The temperature remains stubbornly below average.

From 2010 Weather 1

Extremes on this day down the years:
Warmest 12.5°C [1918]
Coldest  -12.7°C [1963]
Data from the Met Office Hadley Centre
Note for Saturday 23rd
Cloudy again

Today marks the turning point. Average maximum temperatures increase by 1°C today. I hope the weather is aware of this information.

There are still signs of the snow about. These two pictures were taken of the local supermarket car park where the snow had been cleared into large mounds.

From 2010 Weather 1

Note for Friday 22nd

Wet

Trust me to mention it hadn’t rained for a few days. It poured down today to make up.

Note for Thursday 21st
Some sunshine

The sun broke through the clouds for a couple of hours around lunchtime to give us just a hint of a nice January day. It didn’t last and the clouds returned. Since I started keeping weather records in November 2009 the last few days have given us the longest spell of dry weather I’ve recorded. No sun but no rain either.

Note for Wednesday 20th
Stuck
We are stuck in a spell of dull, murky cold weather from the east.
Note for Tuesday 19th
Cold and Murky

The mild spell didn’t last and temperatures were back below normal again today. It was dull, misty, and murky all day. There’s a battle going on between warm in the west and cold in the east. For us the cold east is winning.

Note for Monday 18th
Milder

A dull but milder day. At lunchtime there was a hint that the cloud might break as we had a brief glimpse of pale wintry sun. It lasted for only a few minutes as the cloud won the battle.

Now the weather has become milder it’s a chance to find out how the winter vegetables have survived with or without protection.

From 2010 Weather 1

This Crown Prince squash was in perfect condition. It had been stored in an un-heated greenhouse throughout the cold spell. I suspect that greenhouse temperatures fell close to the minimum of -6.5°C recorded outside in December. I’m surprised that the squash hadn’t turned to mush!

Cloudy and dry

Note for Sunday 17th

I’m sure the forecast was for some sunshine along with the warmer temperatures. The sun didn’t happen but the weather was milder.

From 2010 Weather 1

Note for Saturday 16th
Temperatures recover

Temperatures returned to near normal today. Rain for most of the morning helped clear away the last of the remaining snow.

From 2010 Weather 1

Note for Friday 15th

Raining

Morning rain is clearing away the snow quickly now. Temperatures are also above freezing so the snow may have disappeared by tomorrow. A visit to the allotment this weekend will reveal which of our winter vegetables have survived the cold snap and are still edible.

From 2010 Weather 1

Note for Thursday 14th
A light sprinkling

Just a light covering of snow to re-new the whiteness. That’s what I get for complaining about grimy snow. Temperatures of 6°C forecast for the weekend seem almost tropical.

From 2010 Weather 1

Note for Wednesday 13th
No change

A very dreary day today. Remarkably the temperature varied by less than 1°C all day remaining just above zero. The slow thaw stopped. Black ice became the major hazard on the roads. We had a few more snow flurries in the evening.

Our garden still has plenty of snow.

From 2010 Weather 1

Note for Tuesday 12th
Messy

The slow thaw has set in. Everywhere is now dirty. The snow has lost its whiteness and is now a dirty off white and definitely not picturesque by any stretch of the imagination. The temperature remains almost constant through these dull and dreary days, just above zero. It’s time for the snow to go now. It’s outstayed its welcome.

Note for Monday 11th
Snow, sleet, rain

The weather couldn’t make its mind up today. It was dull and cloudy all day. Sometimes it snowed, then it sleeted and sometimes it just rained a bit. It wasn’t as cold as it has been but it was a pretty miserable winters day.

Slow thaw

A summary of all the weather data collected for November and December 2009 has been added to our web site. Click here to visit these web pages.
Note for Sunday 10th
Temperatures eased today to allow a slow thaw to start through part of the day. There were a few further light snow flurries throughout the day but no appreciable fall of snow. Temperatures remain below minimum values for the time of year.

From 2010 Weather 1

Note for Saturday 9th
Just positive
Temperatures were below zero most of the day. However, by 22:30 temperatures were on the increase and made positive values for the only time in the day. Some forecasts are for more snow tomorrow and Monday so it seems unlikely we will get rid of the snow anytime soon.
Note for Friday 8th
Sub zero – all day
This was the first day for us that the temperature remained below zero all day. Just a few more snow flurries late in the evening.
Note for Thursday 7th
Even colder
The average temperature only managed -2.7°C yesterday the coldest of this spell so far. The only positive hourly temperature reading was at 14:30 with a value of 0.4°C. I think this image of frozen Britain says everything.
Note for Wednesday 6th
Snow showers
Remained very cold. A few snow showers during the day and evening. If you want to compare winters past with this one I recommend a visit to Paul Hudson’s blog.

From 2010 Weather 1

Leaving supermarket car park in a typical snow flurry

Note for Tuesday 5th
The Great Snowfall
It started to snow before dusk and just continued to fall until the middle of the afternoon. It’s our biggest snowfall for many years.

Note for Monday 4th
No let up
There seems to be no end in sight of the cold spell. Our average temperature for the last 3 weeks should be 5°C. Our actual average temperature since the 18th December has been 0.6°C.

From 2010 Weather 1

Well below freezing

Note for Sunday 3rd
Last weeks snow had just about melted away but last nights flurry gave us another dusting of the white stuff.

From 2010 Weather 1

Another night with temperatures well below freezing (-4.8°C). The temperature didn’t manage to get above zero today so this became the coldest day of winter for us. The forecasts for the next 5 days don’t have any positive numbers in them either so this record might not last for long.

From 2010 Weather 1

Note for Saturday 2nd
Another light covering
Another cold day with a light snowfall in the early evening.
Note for Friday 1st January 2010
No change
The weather seems fixed in a pattern. Temperatures remain just above or below freezing day and night.
Note for Thursday 31st
Year ends on a cold spell
The year ends on a cold snap. The forecasts seem to suggest it will continue a while longer.
Note for Wednesday 30th
Cold and wet
The weather continued cold but I think we were lucky it rained rather than snowed. With temperatures just above 0°C it must have been touch and go between rain or snow.
The weather widget from the Met Office seems to be having a few problems at the moment. It can’t find data for Pontefract. Checking on their web site the widget can’t find data for any location. Trust it will be fixed shortly.
Note for Tuesday 29th
Cold spell continues
It’s now 19 days since the temperature managed 7°C the average daytime temperature for this time in December. For 9 of those days we didn’t even manage the daily minimum temperature and there seems to be no change in the weather on the way.
Note for Monday 28th
The slightly milder spell lasted just two days. It didn’t really feel any different when I ventured outside to replenish the bird table. The forecast for January is for the cold weather to continue with more snow possible. The Met Office has weather warnings in place for Yorkshire and Humberside. See below for details.