Tuesday 16 March 2010

Continuing milder

Note for Sunday 14th
Today’s temperature was about normal for the time of year. The temperatures have risen steadily through the week. The forecast is for this to continue as we move into the second part of March. It might tempt me into sowing some broad beans in pots in the greenhouse for transplanting into the allotment next month.
From 2010 Weather 1
From 2010 Weather 1
Note for Saturday 13th
Double digits
Today was the warmest day of the year with the temperature reaching 11.1°C. Perhaps at last we are out of the cold spell which started in the middle of December and has persisted ever since.
Note for Friday 12th
Dull
The sun disappeared today and we had a dull cloudy day with light showers or periods of drizzle. Not enough rainfall to record on the rain gauge. The day’s average temperature was the highest of the year 6.5°C. It was early December when we last achieved this temperature.
Note for Thursday 11th
More sunshine
It was another pleasant day with long sunny periods after another overnight frost. The sunny weather brings out the flowers to brighten the garden up.
From 2010 Weather 1
Note for Wednesday 10th
Sunny spells
Some pleasant sunny spells throughout the day. The last couple of days have been the mildest since the 10th December when the mercury hit 9.1°C.
We went to the allotment and dug over a bed ready for some shallots. The ground had dried out well from the heavy rain at the end of February. Our allotment thermometer recorded a low of -6.5°C relating to the frost of Sunday and Monday.
From 2010 Weather 1
Note for Tuesday 9th
Milder night
A much milder night although we did still have a frost. A lovely sunny morning followed by a cloudy afternoon.
I checked through the data from the Met Office Hadley Centre to compare just how cold last week was in comparison with the same 7 days in previous years. It ranks 48th out of 239 years as the coldest first 7 days of March. Does the mind play strange tricks? The figures show that the same 7 days were colder in 2006, 2005 and 2001. Perhaps it because this year the cold spell started in the middle of December and hasn’t really let up since!
Note for Monday 8th
Severe frost again
Another severe frost overnight with the temperature falling to -5.1°C again. We visited the new winter garden created by the National Trust at Dunham Massey in Cheshire. We crossed the Pennines via Woodhead one way and Saddleworth Moor on the return journey. There’s still some snow about over the tops. It was a beautiful sunny day with sunshine over the tops a bonus.
From 2010 Weather 1

6 comments:

  1. We didn't have it quite as frosty last night recording -2.4 whereas the previous two nights it had been -7 or there abouts. There are been frost in the ground all week in areas of the garden shaded from the sun.

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  2. Not too bad here Monday night / Tuesday morning. Down to just below zero after 2 nights of -5. I think I'll keep my seeds in their packets a bit longer.

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  3. I think that what you say is right, There has been no rest from the cold this winter whereas I can remember in winters past its been quite mild with the occasional times of spring like weather, any cold spells have been limited to just a couple of weeks or so whereas this year there's been no break in the cold. Even this week although warm in the sun its still been quite cool out of it. Of course the cold air can encourage some vigorous digging to keep warm which is good for the allotment!

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  4. There’s plenty of digging to be done on the plot. Our clay soil gets well compacted over winter and benefits from a spring dig. So no problem keeping warm. Think I spotted your lovely iris on last nights Gardeners World ‘Katharine Hodgkin’. Saw some on flower at Dunham Massey this week. The good news is spring must be here at last as F1 is back on TV this week end.

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  5. It seems you beat me too it with naming the Iris. I just put a post on my blog about it and when you can buy them. Anyway you're right about it being called ‘Katharine Hodgkin’. I'm beginning to think the Gardeners World people read my blog as several times now I've written about something only for them to do a feature about the same thing not long afterwards LOL!

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  6. Hi Bob
    Sorry about naming the iris. I didn’t mean to steal your thunder. It was our flower of the week last week. It was in flower at Dunham Massey and we thought it looked good there. I next saw your blog and thought it looked familiar only for it to crop up on Gardener’s World. So I reckon it was a real good choice on your blog and you were in there before the BBC.

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