Cloudy and mild

Note for Wednesday 24th

Today was another cloudy and mild day. Only a few weeks ago it seemed like the temperature would never reach double figures again.

From 2010 Weather 1

Note for Tuesday 23rd

Cloudy again
It was cloudy for most of the day. We did have some sort spells of sunshine and with light winds it was quite pleasant. Like yesterday we had some light rain in the early evening.
Some of our later rhubarb is now ready to burst into growth.

From 2010 Weather 1

Note for Monday 22nd

Cloudy
The day started off with a little sunshine which didn’t last and by midmorning the cloud arrived. The afternoon was dull with bits of drizzly rain. In the early evening we had a couple of short sharp showers.

Last week was a warm week for March and it lifted the average temperature for the month by about 2°C from a rather cold 3.8°C on the 14th to 5.7°C by the 21st of the month.

From 2010 Weather 1

 

 

Back to sunny

Note for Sunday 21st

For the first day of spring it was a pleasant day with some long sunny periods.
Our potatoes in the cold greenhouse have survived the severe frosts of the beginning of March and are now starting to sprout.

From 2010 Weather 1

From 2010 Weather 1

Note for Saturday 20th

Rain
It rained for most of the day. This was our first really wet day of the month as we had not had any prolonged rain since the end of February. With the rain came a drop off in the above average temperatures of the past few days.

Note for Friday 19th

Pleasant then rain
We had another very pleasant morning with lots of sunshine. In the afternoon it clouded over again like yesterday but it remained mild. The rain arrived as forecast in the early evening.

Note for Thursday 18th

Sunny morning
A very pleasant sunny morning followed by a cloudy afternoon with spits and spots of rain. The temperature continued on its upward trend this week and very welcome it is too. It looks like it will be a warm week for March with the weeks average temperature above the expected. How quickly the weather can change.

From 2010 Weather 1

Note for Wednesday 17th

Mostly cloudy but mild
It remained cloudy for most of the day. There were a few fleeting glimpses of hazy sunshine and it was our mildest day since 19th November. It was excellent day for digging down on the plot as the soil is in good condition for digging, breaking up into a fine tilth ready for sowing and planting next month.

From 2010 Weather 1

Note for Tuesday 16th

Sunny periods
There were some decent sunny periods today, especially in the afternoon which lifted temperatures to their highest values of the year. It’s not just the flowers that are late developing this year. The pictures below are of the same root of rhubarb in the allotment. The top picture was taken on 1st March this year and the lower picture the same date last year.

From 2010 Weather 1

Note for Monday 15th

Cloud and wind

It was windy today which took the edge off the temperature. It’s a while since we had a windy day. It was cloudy all day but we missed any showers that were around. I’m hoping that we’ve seen the last of the severe frosts of last week. The daffodils are coming on in leaps and bounds now.

From 2010 Weather 1

 

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

Severe frost

Note for Sunday 7th

A severe overnight frost as the temperature fell to -5.1°C, the coldest I’ve recorded since a low of -6.5°C on the 22nd December 2009. Winter goes on for the gardener.
It was a beautiful sunny day but very cold. Having put our potatoes to chit in our cold but what I hoped was a frost free greenhouse last Friday my maximum/minimum thermometer recorded a low of -2.5°C.

From 2010 Weather 1

From 2010 Weather 1

Note for Saturday 6th
Dull and drizzly

The sun disappeared today and we had a dull and cloudy day with outbreaks of drizzle in the morning. It was brighter in the afternoon. It turned much colder as darkness fell.

Note for Friday 5th
More sun
Another cold and frosty start followed by a lovely sunny day. Still remaining on the cold side for the time of year.

From 2010 Weather 1

Note for Thursday 4th

Sunny
A cold and frosty start to the day. Still some snow remained from Monday's dusting.

From 2010 Weather 1

There was plenty of sunshine which brought out the flowers and whilst it was pleasant in the sunshine it remained cold all day all.

From 2010 Weather 1

Note for Wednesday 3rd

Remaining cold

The weather still remains cold, even more so when there is little sunshine like today. The forecasters seem to offer little change over the next couple of weeks. Some of the light dusting of snow which fell yesterday still remains on the garden.

From 2010 Weather 1

Note for Tuesday 2nd

Snow then sun

There had been a dusting of snow overnight.

From 2010 Weather 1

The sun soon came out and the day was lovely and sunny but cold. Even though it was only a light dusting of snow some remained all day despite the sunshine. Spring seemed tantalising close but not with us yet and certainly too cold to start sowing seeds.

From 2010 Weather 1

I’ve updated the weather page on the web site click here.

I’ve added below the temperatures in my cold greenhouse for February along with the daytime temperatures for comparison.

Note for Monday 1st

Decent start
The weather made a decent start to March. We had some sunny periods and it felt like spring might be on the way. The sunshine brought our snowdrops into flower at last.

From 2010 Weather 1

Temperatures however still remain below average.

I’ve added the charts below to compare our weekly temperatures this year with those of last year and the coldest and warmest temperatures for this week. The figures are mean temperatures for each day.

Table produced using data from the Met Office Hadley Centre. The data covers the period 1772 to 2009

Dull again

Note for Sunday 28th

Much the same as yesterday as February came to an end. Not one day reached the expected average high for February. I hope that March is better.

From 2010 Weather 1

Note for Saturday 27th
Dull, damp and dreary
Another dull, cold and dreary February day. There is now just one day remaining this month for the temperature to reach the expected average maximum for the time of year. The last time this happened was the 27th January.
Note for Friday 26th
Rain
The wettest day of winter. I had thought that February might be below average for rainfall but that’s all changed now as 50% of the expected rainfall for February arrived in one day. I’m really glad it didn’t fall as snow.
Note for Thursday 25th
Milder
It was milder today but cloudy with rain or drizzle most of the day.
Note for Wednesday 24th

Out from the cold
Today started off cold with snow still on the ground.

From 2010 Weather 1

Throughout the day the temperature kept rising steadily and by mid-afternoon up to 6°C remaining around this mark for the rest of the day.
Note for Tuesday 23rd
Continuing cold
The snow which fell on Sunday morning is hanging around. Despite a thaw on Sunday a covering remains over the garden.

From 2010 Weather 1

There were some snow flurries early evening but not enough to cover the ground. With 1 week of winter temperatures remaining to be collected it looks like this winter will be the coldest for around 30 years. The coldest since the winters of 1981/82 or 1978/79.
Note for Monday 22nd

Last week of winter
I began last weeks blog with a picture of snowdrops which I expected to be in flower by now. I’m still waiting for the flowers. The garden is in freeze mode as we move from winter to spring.

From 2010 Weather 1

This week marks the end of winter meteorologically speaking as December, January and February make up the 3 winter months. It’s now time to start checking the record books to see how bad this winter has been.

I’ve added the charts below to compare our weekly temperatures this year with those of both cold and warm winters. The figures for 1980 represent an average week based on the period 1772-2009.  The figures are mean temperatures for each day.

Table produced using data from the Met Office Hadley Centre. The data covers the period 1772 to 2009

Snowy morning with afternoon thaw

Note for Sunday 21st

We had a reasonably amount of snow in the morning. Although it remained cold the snow thawed a little in the afternoon.

It was another cold day though with temperatures well below the expected for late February. For the first 3 weeks of February our average daily temperature has been 2.7°C rather than an expected value of 6.2°C. Sundays average was minus 0.1°C the lowest since the 9th January 2010.

From 2010 Weather 1

Note for Sunday 21st (Morning)
Snow
Snowing this morning. A good covering by 09:00 and its still snowing.

From 2010 Weather 1

From 2010 Weather 1

Note for Saturday 20th

More sunny spells
Another day with sunny spells after a cold and frosty start to the day. At the moment we seem to be in a cold spell within a cold spell.

Our pansies are in deep freeze.

From 2010 Weather 1

Note for Friday 19th

Sunny spells
After a cold frosty start we had some pleasant sunny spells especially in the morning. It was a case of de-icing our lightly frosted bird bath again.

From 2010 Weather 1

Note for Thursday 18th
No change
Cold, cloudy and wet. Throughout February so far, daily averages temperatures have struggled to reach the expected minimum value. There seems to be no improvement over the next few days. The forecast is for sunny cold days with overnight frosts.
Note for Wednesday 17th
Foggy and cold
A disappointing cold, foggy and cloudy day after Tuesday. The temperatures struggled to get to more than 2°C by the afternoon.
The local BBC weather forecaster last night used a similar picture to the one below of Horcum Dyke on the North Yorkshire Moors to show that the snow had not completely disappeared from the tops.

From 2010 Weather 1

Note for Monday 15th
A cloudy start

A cloudy and cold start to the week with some showers mid afternoon onwards. Our snowdrops at home are almost out.

From 2010 Weather 1

Note for Tuesday 16th
Sunny spells

We made a visit to the North Yorkshire Moors, with visits to Whitby for lunch and Goathland in the afternoon. It was cold and misty on the tops of the moors with the remnants of snow still visible.

From 2010 Weather 1

There was some pleasant sunshine at Whitby.

From 2010 Weather 1

I’ve added the charts below to compare our weekly temperatures this year with those of both cold and warm winters. The figures for 1972 represent an average week based on the period 1772-2009.  The figures are mean temperatures for each day.

Table produced using data from the Met Office Hadley Centre. The data covers the period 1772 to 2009

A little bit of sun

Note for Sunday 14th
A mostly cloudy day to end another cold February week.

From 2010 Weather 1

Note for Saturday 13th

Cloudy
It was back to cloudy today after a couple of brighter sunnier days. It still doesn’t get any warmer. Not a single February day has yet reached the average maximum temperature for the time of year. Perhaps next week, although it appears unlikely from the forecasts.

Note for Friday 12th
Sun, showers and cloud
All sorts today. A few sunny spells, some bits and bobs of rain and plenty of cloud. Not enough in the showers to trouble the rain gauge. Milder but temperatures still below average for the time of year.
Note for Thursday 11th

Sunny and cold
A lovely day of almost unbroken sunshine. Still cold but in the sunshine not too bad. Visited the plot to harvest some vegetables. One sign that spring is on its way; our first snowdrops are almost out on the plot.

From 2010 Weather 1

Note for Wednesday 10th

Sunny again
A repeat of yesterday but colder. Sunny periods with a few flurries of snow but not enough to leave a covering.

From 2010 Weather 1

Note for Tuesday 9th
Sunny
For the first time in a week the sun shone and everything seemed much less gloomy. The sun did little to improve the temperatures.

Note for Monday 8th
Dull and cloudy again

No change from yesterday except that the temperature fell a little lower.

Our Crown Prince squashes stored in the greenhouse are now showing signs of the prolonged cold spell. May need to try a different place to store them next year.

From 2010 Weather 1

Mean Weekly Temperature Tables

I’ve added the charts below to compare our weekly temperatures this year with those of both cold and warm winters. The figures for 1965 represent an average week based on the period 1772-2009.  The figures are mean temperatures for each day.

Table produced using data from the Met Office Hadley Centre. The data covers the period 1772 to 2009

No change

Note for Sunday 7th
Dull, cloudy and cold again today. The forecast for next week is the possibility of more snow showers and colder. The glacier in the supermarket car park has now melted completely.

From 2010 Weather 1

Note for Saturday 6th

Dull again
No rain today but dull and cloudy all day. Temperatures remain low even for February. Since the middle of December temperatures have been below normal. It’s just the degrees of coldness that have varied.

Note for Friday 5th

Wet and Dull
Rain in the morning followed by a dull and cloudy afternoon. We are back in another spell of gloomy winter weather.

Note for Thursday 4th

Dull and Misty
It was dull and misty all day to day. It was cold too for most of the day although temperatures did start to lift in the middle of the afternoon.

Wednesday’s snow still remained in the morning but gradually thawed through the day.

From 2010 Weather 1

From 2010 Weather 1

Note for Wednesday 3rd
Snow flurries

Yesterdays snow flurries left us with a dusting of snow this morning.

From 2010 Weather 1

The glacier in the supermarket car park has still not melted completely. The latest dusting of snow didn’t do much to brighten up this black heap of snow.

From 2010 Weather 1

More snow flurries late afternoon gave us another dusting of snow as darkness fell.
Note for Tuesday 2nd
Dull and drizzly

A milder day after another overnight frost. It drizzled on and off for most of the day. We had a few snow flurries late afternoon.

I’ve placed a maximum minimum thermometer in my cold greenhouse to have better all round coverage of the conditions my plants have to cope with through the year.

From 2010 Weather 1

A summary of all the weather data collected from November 2009 to January 2010  has been added to our web site. Click here to visit these web pages.

Note for Monday 1st

Sunny

After an overnight frost some pleasant sunny spells again today but continuing cold.

Mean Weekly Temperature Tables

I’ve added the charts below to compare our weekly temperatures this year with those of both cold and warm winters. The figures are mean temperatures for each day.

Table produced using data from the Met Office Hadley Centre. The data covers the period 1772 to 2009