2024 - Hyde Heath Weather Reports by Gary Beynon from his own garden records
January
Wet and mild to start then drier and colder followed by an increase in temperature over the last 10 days and more rain.
The maximum temperature was 12.2° with an average for the month of 6.88° but the range was from that high of 12.2 to a minimum of -4°.
The average minimum was 2.24° with noticeable frost on 13 days and 19 days when the temperature did not get above 5°.
Overall rainfall was 78 mm with 4 really wet days (22.4,15.0,10.7 and 14.3 mm). There was a brief snow shower on one day. We also had the “pleasure” of 2 named storms.
Compared with last year the temperatures and rainfall were remarkably similar.
Over the last 43 years the rainfall in January was virtually at the average of 79.6 mm but with a range from 190 to 12 mm. The trend is slightly increasing from 75 to 85 mm; significant ???
February
February
You do not need me to tell you that it was a wet month! Apparently it was the wettest February in over 200 years but actually that was not the case in Hyde Heath when our wettest was in 2014 with 144.5mm compared with ”only” 136.5 mm this year!
In fact we have seen 5 years with greater than 100 mm in the month since 1981.
2014 showed a similar pattern with most days having some rain and a few with a lot; this year there were 20 days with rain and 90 mm falling on 5 of the days.
It is little wonder that the ground could not drain away especially as January was wet also.
The linear trend is increasing from ~40 to 75 mm.
It was also a mild month with a maximum temperature of 16.0° and an average of 11.01° cf last year with 14.6 and 7.9. That difference in average temperatures is significant. There was frost evident on just 3 mornings.
In fact we have seen 5 years with greater than 100 mm in the month since 1981.
2014 showed a similar pattern with most days having some rain and a few with a lot; this year there were 20 days with rain and 90 mm falling on 5 of the days.
It is little wonder that the ground could not drain away especially as January was wet also.
The linear trend is increasing from ~40 to 75 mm.
It was also a mild month with a maximum temperature of 16.0° and an average of 11.01° cf last year with 14.6 and 7.9. That difference in average temperatures is significant. There was frost evident on just 3 mornings.
March
March was a wet month! The gardens are testimony to this as is the amount of water in the Misbourne.
Given that the 6 months rainfall from October last year to March this year was high—but not a record—would suggest that the chances of a hosepipe ban this summer should be minimal; BUT who knows!
We had 98 mm over 21 days with 3 of those days giving >12 mm (½ inch in old money). However March last year was even wetter with 119 mm over 27 days.
Over the last 44 years the average has been 56 mm so 2 very wet months but to put it into perspective, the trend over those years is virtually flat.
From a temperature point of view March was on average mild with a maximum of 17.5°, somewhat warmer overall than last year. We had just 2 days of frost compared with 2023 which also saw 2 days but 5 days with sleet or snow.
Given that the 6 months rainfall from October last year to March this year was high—but not a record—would suggest that the chances of a hosepipe ban this summer should be minimal; BUT who knows!
We had 98 mm over 21 days with 3 of those days giving >12 mm (½ inch in old money). However March last year was even wetter with 119 mm over 27 days.
Over the last 44 years the average has been 56 mm so 2 very wet months but to put it into perspective, the trend over those years is virtually flat.
From a temperature point of view March was on average mild with a maximum of 17.5°, somewhat warmer overall than last year. We had just 2 days of frost compared with 2023 which also saw 2 days but 5 days with sleet or snow.
April
I thought that April was going to be a much colder month than many we have had; other people said how wet it had been. The facts don’t support either view.
It probably shows just how much we are influenced by the very recent past rather than the whole picture.
April started mild (even warm) for the first 2 weeks with the temperature reaching 19.7° on one day. The next 2 weeks were a lot cooler and we only saw a recovery on the last 2 days of the month.
Compared with April last year,temperatures were not dissimilar. We used to associate April with showers but this year saw more prolonged periods of rain albeit generally not that heavy; Saturday 27th was quite the exception when 24mm fell (nearly an inch in old parlance).
There was 1 day with thunder and hail but we were free of frost. Looking at the last 44 years, rainfall was a little above average but the amounts have varied dramatically from a 139mm in 2000 down to just 2.6mm in 2007. Overall the trend over the years has been getting less rainfall.
May 2024
Not an unpleasant month with a number of sunny days one of which gave us a maximum temperature of 24.9° (so far higher than we have yet to see in June; now the 19th).
There were no frosts and there were 14 days of some rain with a total of 75.5mm.
This was above the 44 year average of 60.9mm but May has, historically, been a variable month with regard to rainfall; 23 of the last 44 years have been above average with a range from just 2mm in 1990 to 153.9mm in 2007.
However over that time the linear trend is virtually flat.
Compared with last year, it was very similar although wetter.
June 2024
It wasn’t a bad month but it really was not anything to write home about.
It is easy to remember the last week when it was rather pleasant with high temperatures and a lot of sun and to forget the rest which was pretty mediocre.
It was a dry month with rainfall at 30mm well below the average of 56mm but again a month that has seen vast differences over the years; 2012 saw 159mm but just 2.5mm in 2018.
The trend over the past 44 years has been down from 60 to 53mm. In comparison with June 2023, it was significantly less warm and about the same with the rainfall.
At the moment July has started on a rather cool and miserable note; let us hope it will improve.
July 2024
- July was really quite typical of that month with reasonable temperatures for the most part and although there was in total a lot of rain, it fell mainly at the start of the month.
- Temperature wise, July was very similar to June but significantly wetter. We will probably remember the hot temperatures in the last 4 or 5 days and conveniently forget the very heavy rain at the start of the month.
- Of the 85mm total rainfall, 4 days at the start saw 67 mm! Looking back over the last 44 years, July has been getting on average wetter with the trend up from 42 to 60 mm but this hides the big variation from one year to another with just 6 mm back in 2022 to 104 mm in 1991 (and everything in between!).
- Our weather is pretty reasonable compared with the extremes that are being reported from. Can we really ignore the trend and not recognise the very likely global warming occurring around the world?
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Gary's Weather Report August 2024
Observations in a Hyde Heath Garden
August 2024
August was an OK sort of month; some sunshine, cloud and showers on other days and overall not a great deal of rain.
The temperature exceeded 20° on 20 days and only dropped below 10° overnight on 1 occasion; remarkably similar to last year. We had a total of 28.6mm of rain spread over 15 days but this was mostly small amounts with just 1 day giving us 11.2 mm.
The maximum temperature reached 28.5° on the 12th but the sustained really hot weather some were forecasting never materialised.
August was very similar to July and to August in 2023.
Over the last 44 years rainfall has been very variable with a high of 149 mm in 1982 and a low of just 3 mm in 1995; the average being 62 mm and a slight upward trend. 11 of the years were above average.
