Weather log December 2022
Key:
Some night frosts to start the month, particularly Wales, at least it was mostly dry:
Thu 1st Lwn min -2.7c.
Cold or very cold by second week with a prolonged wintry spell ensuing:
Wed 7th max 2.1c Lwn coldest day of the year to date and since Feb 2021...more widely max of 4 to 6c.
Thu 8th hard frost in places, minima Pershore -7.3c, CL -5.3c, Trawsgoed -4.2c, Coventry -2.8c, Lwn -2.6c, Shobdon -1.1c, Aberdaron 2.6c. Foggy some areas, here at Lwn thick fog lasted to midday...another cold day, maxima generally 3 to 6c (Pershore 2.3c, Lwn 2.5c, CC 2.9c, Hereford, Mumbles & Valley 6.0c). Wintry showers parts of WW (Whitchurch-by-Cardigan 10.2mm wettest in UK).
Fri 9th severe frost much of Wales & W Mids. Here at Llanwnnen -8.9c was the coldest night for 5 years (also -8.9c in Dec 2017); other min Trawsgoed -7.4c, Pershore -7.0c, Shawbury -6.3c, Pembrey Sands -6.0c, Aberporth -3.2c, Coventry & Valley -2.3c, Nottingham -1.9c, Mumbles -0.1c. Plentiful sunshine with a scattering of wintry showers giving light coverings for parts of Wales (mostly higher ground); cold for most again maxima Lwn +0.9c, CC 1.9c, Nottingham 3.3c, Hereford 4.1c, Coleshill & Pembrey Sands 4.3c, Aberdaron & MH 5.6c, Shobdon 6.1c. Nottingham had unbroken 6.9 hours sun (also Lwn est 6.5 hours, Shobdon 6.5c, Coventry 6.0 hrs, Aberporth 5.2 hrs, Valley 0.9 hrs).
Sat 10th hard frost widely, minima Pershore -7.7c, Shobdon -7.2c, Pembrey Sands -6.6c, Lwn -5.7c, Coventry -4.8c, Nottingham -0.9c, Aberdaron 3.2c. A covering of snow parts of Wales first thing (1cm here at Lwn). Persistent showers over N Wales since yesterday afternoon giving 50mm rainfall close to Llandudno coast according to the radar.
Sun 11th very cold day with widespread snowfall for much of the south and west Midlands, the Cotswolds hardest hit with almost a foot in places (Stroud being one such area). Fog cleared to afternoon sunshine here at Lwn. Maxima Tirabad, Powys 0.0c, Church Lawford & Coventry +0.2c, Lwn 0.8c, Nottingham 1.1c, Capel Curig 1.2c, Aberporth 2.6c, Aberdaron 4.3c.
Mon 12th min -10.7c at Llanwnnen, the coldest for over 6 years (-11.0c in Nov 2016); other min Tirabad -8.8c, CC -7.9c, Trawsgoed -7.5c, Shawbury -6.3c, Nottingham -3.2c, MH -2.7c, CL -2.0c, Pershore -1.7c, Mumbles -0.2c (note all locations fell below 0c with the temperature drop limited by cloud cover for much of the Midlands). Coldest day at Llanwnnen (max -0.7c) since the 'Beast from the East' of March 2018 and also the first 'ice day' (maximum below 0c) since then; other max Tirabad -3.2c, Shawbury -0.3c, Nottingham -0.8c, Pershore 0.0c, CL +0.3c, Aberporth 1.4c, Valley 4.1c.
Tue 13th another ice day much of the Midlands and inland of Wales, maxima Tirabad -1.4c, CC -0.9c, CL & Coventry -0.7c, Lwn -0.3c, Shawbury +0.3c, Aberporth 1.2c, Mumbles 4.0c.
Wed 14th severe frost in places again, minima Lwn -7.3c (this at a late 10am with no fog); other Shawbury & Trawsgoed -7.3c, CC -5.6c, Coventry -4.6c, CL -4.4c, Mumbles -0.3c. Some areas remained below freezing all day again, here at Lwn max -1.5c, the third successive sub zero day. Other max Tirabad -1.1c, Hereford -0.2c, Coventry +1.1c, Aberporth & Shobdon 2.2c, Valley 3.9c.
Thu 15th very severe frost for many places, min -12.7c here at Lwn the coldest night since Christmas Day 2010 (-17.7c still the lowest ever recorded here); A PWS near Shipston-on-Stour, S Warks recorded a low of -15.4c no doubt aided by several inches of snow cover in the area (note a reliable Davis weather station at nearby Tredington had -14.2c). Other minima (Met Office) Tirabad -12.1c, Swyddffynnon -11.8c, Pershore -11.3c, Shobdon -11.2c, Trawsgoed -9.7c, CL -9.0c, Pembrey Sands -8.4c, Coventry -6.7c, Nottingham -4.2c, Mumbles -1.5c. Very cold but sunny by day, again an ice day in some places. It was the fourth successive ice day here at Lwn (max -1.8c) and also the fourth on the trot (equalling the run in December 2010). Other maxima CL & Hereford +1.5c, Pembrey Sands 3.2c, Trawsgoed & Aberystwyth 3.5c, Valley a balmy 5.8c. Of note also today was the widespread unbroken sunshine, all locations having between 6 and 7 hours bright sunshine which is the most you can get this close to the Winter Solstice (Aberporth & Nottingham 6.9 hours, Lwn est 6.5 hours, Coventry & Valley 6.1 hours).
Mid month and it has been a very cold, very dry and sunny first half to December. Temperatures are averaging 3 to 5c below the averages - here at Lwn mean temperature -1.1c is on par with the coldest Winter spells we have had in the 21st century. Most places are below 10mm rainfall at the half-way point (Pershore just 2.0mm, Coventry 3.0mm and Llanwnnen 6.3mm for example). Sunshine-wise Llanwnnen is already nudging above the whole December average (37 hours) with all locations experiencing a sunny month to date.
Fri 16th hard frost for most places again, Llanwnnen down to -13.3c, while coldest PWS again were in the Shipston-on-Stour environs (as low as -14c). Other minima (MO) Tirabad -11.2c, Pershore & Shobdon -10.3c, Pembrey Sands -9.4c (by the coast), Trawsgoed -9.1c, CL -7.9c, Nottingham -5.0c, Aberporth -3.5c, Aberdaron +0.2c. Another cold/ very cold day with maxima generally between 1 and 4c (Hereford 0.9c, CL & Lwn 1.0c, MH 6.7c. Showers, mainly of rain or sleet started to affect WW by late afternoon.
Fri 16th snow cover note: Although here at Llanwnnen we managed just the single morning (Sat 10th) of snow cover this spell (defined as being over half the surrounding and visible land covered) this 1cm depth had diminished by the following morning to under the requisite 50% most of which remained being in the shade. However this just under 50% covering then lasted for the next week (and so this location just missed out on a more impressive week long snow cover). At nearby Lampeter the snow had been evidently rather thicker (2 or 3cm) and there a decent covering did last a week. Also driving to Aberaeron the ground was at least 75% covered across the fields and pavements from Cribyn (just 3 miles north of us) all the way to the higher outskirts of Aberaeron. The covering unusually being deepest in the Felinfach and Ciliau Aeron areas where the original covering may have been up to 5cm. When the snow showers started last weekend I did note that the precipitation was tending to die down as they hit the ridge of Temple Bar and so these observations tied in well with this although I had expected a greater degree of melting to have occurred, whereas in reality it presented a most wintry scene of hoar frosted trees and hedgerows along with an almost complete snow cover from Felinfach to past Llanerchaeron and nearing the coast. In Aberaeron itself there was still ice in the shade and shaded roofs down to sea level but not a being snow cover below 10 masl or so. Of note here though was the ice that had formed in the harbour and the sides of the river and on the weirs. Much of this becoming suspended some 6 inches above the surface as the river level dropped through the week:
Sat 17th showers or longer spells of rain or sleet (snow for some hills) affected Wales in particular these creating problems with glazed ice over frozen surfaces. Much of the Midlands remained dry but rather cloudy. The thaw began in many areas as temperatures rose somewhat to between 4 and 7c generally (MH 8.8c, Coleshill & Lwn 4.1c, CC 3.9c, Shobdon 3.3c. Porthmadog 38.4mm wettest place in the UK.
Sun 18th last of the frosty nights for a while, lows Shobdon -6.2c, Coventry -3.7c, Shawbury -1.5c, Lwn -1.4c, MH 4.9c. Much cloud with spells of rain or drizzle, preceded by some sleet or snow, particularly W Mids where some places had temporary coverings. Became much milder than of late with rapid thawing, by late afternoon a large temperature contrast from 2c at Nottingham to 12c in Pembrokeshire and by evening WW was between 11 and 13c (Lwn max 12.4c).
Mon 19th temperatures rose to between 12 and 14c widely during the night then staying at similar levels through the day. Windy though with spells of rain and drizzle. Maxima Shawbury 14.8c, Coleshill & Trawsgoed 14.1c, Coventry & Nottingham 13.6c, Hereford & Lwn 13.1c, Aberdaron 12.2c.
A rather mild and changeable run up to Christmas:
Christmas Eve (Sat 24th) mild, showers and isolated thunder WW.
Christmas Day (Sun 25th): mild with some showers about, max generally 10 to 12c.
Unsettled and often mild to end 2022:
Tue 27th spells of rain with over an inch for parts of Wales.
Wed 28th further spells of rain, an inch for some places in Wales (minor flooding encountered on the way to Carmarthen this morning at Alltwalis).
Nature notes
First week: still some flowers blooming from the mild Autumn inc Campions, Ox Eye Daisy, some of our potted flowers too. Pond below the church full again by end of November after it had completely emptied it's depth of c 1 metre in the Summer.
Mid month freeze: Redwings and Fieldfare came to the garden (not large numbers up to 10 in total) and gave close up views as they fed. Along with the Blackbirds and a few Song Thrushes they devoured all the Holly berries in a few days (luckily we picked a few sprigs just before the deep cold set in). Also they have been finishing off the Apples piled up at various points around the garden. The birds have been struggling to find water with their usual provisions froze solid, I have been putting new ones out and refilling daily after melting the ice but they don't seem to take to these. Thankfully the thaw started Sat 17th after a week long freeze up.
Fri 16th Aberaeron: again Redwings driven into town by the freeze, seen along the river at close quarters, also a Goosander on the river and various waders on the beach (not very good at identifying these). In spite of the cold still a few blooms such as a few Roses and some Vetch along the river, also the nettles, brambles and ferns are relatively unscathed in the town suggesting no severe (sub -5c) frosts here. Inland of course all the above have been frost zapped since a week ago.
Sat 17th Fieldfare was chivvying off the Blackbirds on the lawn this afternoon with the Blackbirds doing the same to each other as they finished the remaining Apples.
Amazing that the Cuckoo Pint foliage under the shed seems unaffected by the harsh frosts, nor do the Buddleia shoots. On the other hand Bluebell spikes that were showing have been zapped.
Year end: signs of life back again after the hard frosts of mid month, new budding and for some shrubs fresh leafage started inc Buddleia. Hazel catkins.
December 2022 summary
Rather cold and quite sunny; rainfall around average, some places rather dry others quite wet
First half very cold, very dry and very sunny; second half mild and wet.
Rainfall totals Dec 2022
Valley c 90mm (average)
Capel Curig, Snowdonia 323.2mm (93%)
Aberdaron, Llyn Peninsular 114.2mm (116%)
Trawsgoed, Ceredigion c 120mm (near average)
Aberporth, near Llangrannog c 85mm (near average)
Llanwnnen 135.7mm (95%)
Pembrey Sands, Carms c 105mm (near average)
Milford Haven, Pembs c 100mm (rather dry)
Nottingham c 55mm (average)
Shawbury, Salop c 65mm (average)
Coleshill 46.6mm (72%)
Coventry, Bablake School 62.0mm (100%)
CL, Warks 45.2mm (86%)
Pershore, Worc 50.2mm (85%)
Shobdon, Herefordshire c 60mm (average)
Hereford 61.8mm (85%)
National Resources Wales (NRW) rain gauges
Llyn Cefni, Ynys Mon 170.2mm (rather wet)
Bethesda Quarry (Gwynedd) 295.8mm (wet)
Cwm Dyli (Snowdonia) 449.4mm (rather wet)
Corris (near Machynlleth) 292.0mm (average)
Bow Street (near Aberystwyth) 100.6mm (average)
Pontrhydfendigaid (near Tregaron) 123.0mm (dry)
Penuwch (Ceredigion) 116.0mm (rather dry)
Rhos Ymryson (near Gorscoch and 5 miles NW of Lwn) 152.6mm (average)
Cellan (2 miles NE of Lampeter) 119.2mm (rather dry)
Pencader (Carms) 187.0mm (average)
Abergorllech (Brechfa Forest, Carms) 173.8mm (average)
Rhydargaeau (Carms) 166.2mm (rather dry)
Garnswllt (near Ammanford, Carms) 180.0mm (average)
Felinfoel (near Llanelli, Carms) 116.8mm (rather dry)
Maenclochog (near Preselis, Pembs) 184.2mm (average)
Tenby (Pembs) 125.0mm (average)
Bolton Hill (near Haverfordwest, Pembs) 127.4mm (rather dry)
COL stations rainfall
Llansadwrn 168.4mm (124%)
Ludlow, Salop 65.0mm (78%)
Alvechurch, Worc 60.9mm (74%)
Warstock, Brum 60.7mm (79%)
Cosby, Leic 44.6mm (71%)
Hinckley 65.0mm
Towcester, Northants 60.7mm (88%)
Sunshine totals Dec 2022
Aberdaron 56.1 hours (130%)
Aberporth 61.0 hrs (120%)
Llanwnnen estimated 57 hours (154%)
Coventry, Bablake School 66.9 hrs (109%)
COL stations sun:
Ludlow 57.0 hours
Alvechurch 61.1 hrs
Cosby, Leic 59.5 hrs
Towcester 74.7 hrs
2022 annual summary
Mild and rather dry; generally quite sunny
Mildest year on record for the UK as a whole (began 1880's) inc the CET region (central England).
Here at Llanwnnen it was the mildest year since 2014 (also 10.2c) while for Coventry it was indeed the warmest in the 130 years record (beating 11.2c in 2014).
2022 rainfall totals
Llanwnnen total rainfall 1261.2mm this being 96% of the historical Lampeter average and 91% of the 2006 – 2022 average here. Driest year since 2016 (1144.7mm) which was the last appreciably drier than average year. Thunder days 12 = most in a year since 2020 (12) and equal second highest incidence (13 days 2014).
Coventry 613.8mm (86%) the driest year since 2011 (460.2mm)
Church Lawford, Warks 582.6mm (86%).
2022 sunshine
Llanwnnen estimated 1368 hours (101%) = sunniest year since 2018 (est 1422 hrs)
Coventry, Bablake School 1751.8 hrs (113%) = sunniest year since 2003 (1753.3 hrs)
