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MOTTISFONT CLIMATE STATION
Review of 2012's weather
Mottisfont experienced its second wettest year on record in
2012 and the last 12 months were also much colder than average.
Figures reveal a staggering 1,115.4mm of rainfall or 44.616ins was logged in
2012.
This was some 185.4mm (7.416ins) above the 2001-2010 annual average for the
site and the highest amount in any year since 2002 when 1,204mm was recorded.
Rain in one form or another fell on no less than 196 days at Mottisfont and
surprisingly June was the wettest month of the year with 153.5mm.
June 11 was the wettest day with 31.7mm of rain and in total there were five
days with 25mm (1in) or more of rain in 2012.
Snowfall was in short supply in 2012 but the white stuff did make appearances
on four days in February. On February 4 snow lay to a depth of half-an-inch at
Mottisfont and again on the 9th another fall deposited one-and a half inches
and there were still traces of this on the ground on February 12.
Staying with cold things, 2012 produced 75 air and 142 ground frosts at
Mottisfont. This was many more than usual and the lowest air temperature
recorded at Mottisfont was –12.5C on February 4 and the same morning a reading
of –18.7C was logged on the grass.
The coldest day of the year was February 2 when the mercury rose to only 0.1C.
At the other end of the scale the hottest day was August 25 when the
thermometer hit 29.3C or 84.7F. And there were 14 days when the temperature
surpassed 25C or more.
January
A cold and drier than average month with only 56.3mm of rainfall (just over half
normal amount) at Mottisfont. However, early January started on a very wet and
windy note.. This weather pattern continued for several days before giving way
to largely dry conditions for the rest of the month. Snow fell on the 30th but
it didn’t settle.
February
An exceptionally dry month with less than a third of the average rainfall. Only
20.5mm was logged at Mottisfont, making it the driest February since 2005.
February was also much colder than average with the monthly mean temperature of
3.12C. Sleet and snow was recorded on two days.
March
This was a very frosty and colder than average month with a mean temperature of
7C. It was also the last month of the year when rainfall was below average. A
total of 34 mm fell compared with the 71mm average.
April
This month produced a staggering 140.4mm of rain at Mottisfont or put it
another way 82.8mm above average. All the wet weather resulted in below average
temperatures. There were also a high number of frosts and no less than three
thunderstorms. However, April was a snow-free month.
May
Another colder than average month with three air and four ground frosts. But on
the plus side the month’s rainfall total of 61mm was only a couple of
millimetres above normal.
June
A very unsettled four weeks with some substantial falls of rain at times
cumulating in three times the monthly average with a grand total of 153.5mm.
This pegged temperatures down and the monthly mean was only 13.3C or 2.8C below
average.
July
A thundery and wetter than average month with rainfall 63 per cent above
normal. Rain in one form or another fell on 19 days resulting in a total of
113.5mm. The highest temperature recorded in July was 29.3C (nearly 86F) on the
25th. However, the month’s mean temperature was only 15.4C or 2C below average
and on a couple of nights thermometers recorded both air and ground frosts.
August
Summer still hadn’t arrived with the monthly mean temperature only 15.9C or
1.4C below average. And the first ground frost of the autumn was logged on the
31st.
Like the previous two summer months, August was wetter than average with 58.2mm
of rain.
September
A month of low temperatures and plenty of rain.
The month’s highest maximum temperature was 26C on the 9th.
Rainfall was 44 per cent above average with 64.2mm logged at Mottisfont, making
it the wettest September since 2006.
October
Very cold and wet with five air and nine ground frosts.
Besides low night temperatures, the mercury failed to rise far on some days and
this resulted in a monthly mean of 9.1C or 2.5C below average.
It was the wettest October since 2004 with a total of 144mm of rain, which fell
on 22 days. Two thunderstorms were also logged and one of these produced 17.8mm
of rain.
November
Frequent autumn frosts made their mark on the month’s mean temperature, which
was 5.6C or 1.9C below average.
And the harshest air frost saw the thermometer’s spirit levels plummet to –6C on the thermometer. And the minimum grass temperature was –8C the same day.
Rainfall was slightly over the 30-year average with a total of 134.6mm.
December
A mild but wetter than average month. Despite the mildness, Mother Nature still managed to deliver an unusually high number of frosts. The monthly mean temperature was 4.4C or 0.5C above average. And the monthly rainfall total was 132.1mm or nearly 60mm above average.