Weather log January 2023
Key:
Mild or very mild and unsettled early in the New Year:
Sun 1st (NYD) we were in Rugby and noted that Llanwnnen had very heavy showers mid morning giving 7mm in one hour (nearby NRW stations just 1mm Cellan and 2mm Rhos Ymryson) it was a narrow line of thundery downpours on the radar with lightning sferics between Lampeter and Tregaron from it (nearest to Llanwnnen being from Betws Bledwrs 5 miles NE). Thundery showers quite widespread today over Wales and W Mids. Mainly dry E Mids.
Mon 2nd local air frost early in the day (min -0.4c Lwn one of the lowest readings also Shawbury -0.4c), then clear and frosty more widely during the evening (down to -3c in places); overnight minima 2nd/ 3rd Shobdon -3.1c, Nottingham -2.0c, Trawsgoed -1.5c, Coventry -1.2c, Lwn -0.9c, Coleshill +0.1c, Mumbles 5.1c.
Tue 3rd became much milder, widely 11 to 13c during the evening. Wet for WW in particular (2 inches some hilly areas). Lwn max for the day 11.8c, Hereford 13.6c in the early early hours 4th.
Wed 4th very mild; overnight most places above 10c, minima Coventry 11.7c, Trawsgoed 11.4c, Lwn 10.7c, Aberdaron & Mumbles 10.3c, CC 9.1c. Maxima 14c in places; Pershore 13.9c, Coleshill 13.3c, Coventry 13.1c, Trawsgoed 12.9c, Nottingham 12.1c, Lwn 11.4c, CC & Mumbles 11.0c.
Very wet first week parts of Wales in particular, all areas off to a very mild and dull start.
Rainfall totals first week of January: CC 130.4mm, Lwn 86mm, Trawsgoed 52.6mm, MH 42.8mm, Aberdaron 32.6mm, Hereford & Shawbury 22.4mm, Coventry 19.2mm, CL 17.0mm, Coleshill 15.4mm.
Further wet and windy spells towards mid month, many days seeing an inch or 2 for hilly areas of Wales...Capel Curig wettest in the UK several days in the past week usually with over 50mm.
Thu 11th showers, heavy and prolonged in places, hail and thunder in places. Further general wet weather overnight giving another 2 inches or so to some areas (chiefly on higher ground).
Fri 12th 24 hour rainfall totals to 0600/ 0900: Llanwnnen 36.9mm, being the second wettest January day here (wettest 40.8mm in 2008). Other totals Tirabad, Powys 58.2mm, CC 25.0mm, Pershore 22.8mm, Trawsgoed 18.4mm, Coventry 12.6mm, CL 10.4mm, Nottingham 8.4mm, Valley 4.2mm. Quite a bit of flooding across Wales and W Midlands, not too severe though in most areas. Some places already attained the January average rainfall just 12 days in, here at Lwn 150mm to date is a touch above average (144mm).
So far this month many places averaging around 3c above normal (at around 10c for maxima with the average more like 7 or 8c). Many days have been in double figures, a fair few nights too. So a very mild and very wet first half to January.
Rather cold/ cold spell from 16th:
Mon 16th sunny spells (sunny parts of WW, Lwn est 6.5 hours), cold or rather cold; maxima Nottingham 3.0c, CC 3.1c, Lwn 3.3c, Coventry 3.5c, Pershore 5.9c, MH 6.5c.
Tue 17th hard frost quite widely, minima Pershore -7.9c, Lwn & Tirabad -7.6c, Hereford -7.1c, CL -6.2c, Coventry -5.8c, Trawsgoed -5.3c, Shawbury -2.7c, Aberdaron +0.7c; Cold with sunny spells and some wintry showers for Wales; appreciable snowfall affected parts of N Wales, with thick coverings close to the coast even such as around Llandudno. Rainfall equivalents totalled an inch or so in these more snowy areas. Maxima generally 3 to 5c (Lwn just 1.9c), Coleshill 2.9c, CC 3.6c, Pershore 4.5c, MH, Trawsgoed & Valley 4.9c, Mumbles 5.0c.
Wed 18th widespread and prolonged wintry showers affected much of Wales and parts of the W Mids overnight, appreciable accumulations of several inches chiefly to land above 200 masl; here at Lwn the showers seem to have been largely of hail and deposited some 3cm coverings with no sign of snow evident at all nor any seen to fall (therefore cannot count as a day of snow lying in spite of everywhere being white over!). Up in the Forestry around 1000 feet up, a good covering of around 3 inches, comprising a layer of hail on top of snow. A little less cold for many, maxima Shawbury 4.1c, CC 4.4c, Lwn 4.3c, Nottingham 4.7c, Trawsgoed 5.0c, Coleshill & Coventry 5.3c, Pershore & MH 6.9c.
Fri 20th maxima generally 5 to 7c so only rather cold for many, plentiful sunshine (unbroken at many places); Aberdaron & Aberporth 7.7 hours, Nottingham & Valley 7.6 hrs, Lwn est 7.5 hrs, Coventry 5.7 hrs.
Sat 21st hard frost quite widely, minima Tirabad -8.5c, Lwn -7.1c, Pershore -7.0c, CL -5.6c, Pembrey Sands -5.3c, Coventry -3.3c, Aberdaron +2.1c. Sunny spells but freezing fog persisted much of the day parts of the west & south Mids (also affecting parts of E Wales) with ice days locally in these areas; maxima Pershore -0.6c, Hereford -0.2c, Tirabad +0.6c, Lwn 3.4c, CL & Coventry 4.6c, CC & Mumbles 4.7c, Nottingham 4.9c, MH 7.3c.
Sat 21st snow or hail coverings over half the ground in our village keeping its icy hail covering (since 18th), patchy coverage driving as far as Felinfach (around 50% in places), then green Ciliau Aeron to the coast.
Sun 22nd hard frost much of the Midlands, whereas cloud and a breeze prevented this for WW, minima Pershore -8.0c, Coventry -6.0c, Shobdon -2.7c, Lwn +0.7c (early in the evening) Aberporth & CL 2.3c, MH 5.7c. Much cloud WW, sunny to cloud Midlands. Less cold Lwn & much of WW (some places up to January average) with a thaw of the lying hail here at Lwn, Midlands a cold day, maxima CL, Coventry & Pershore 2.4c, Hereford 4.0c, CC 4.4c, Lwn 5.6c, Trawsgoed 6.6c, MH 8.5c.
Last morning of hail covering here at Llanwnnen making 5 days with 2 or 3cm white covering that had no snow in it! Don't think I have witnessed that ever before!
Mon 23rd generally less cold after a widespread frost Midlands; getting up to average (7 or 8c) in places by day, maxima MH 8.8c, Trawsgoed 8.4c, Pershore 7.2c, Lwn 7.0c, Aberporth 6.7c, Coventry 6.3c, CL 5.3c.
Tue 24th last widespread frost of the spell, although much milder for NW Wales: minima Pershore -7.2c, CL -5.8c, Coventry -4.7c, Lwn -4.0c, Trawsgoed -2.1c, Nottingham -1.4c, Valley +7.1c. Variable temperatures by day with some places up to average, many still rather cold, and a very cold day locally Midlands (where fog must have persisted once more); maxima Hereford +0.2c (coldest in UK), Shobdon 3.8c, Lwn 5.2c, CL 6.2c, Pembrey Sands 6.2c, Coventry, Mona & Nottingham 8.1c, Trawsgoed 8.8c, MH 8.9c. Note Aberdeen reached an exceptionally mild 15.8c today as very mild air infiltrated Scotland! Unbroken sun parts of the Midlands (Wellesbourne 8.0 hours the sunniest spot in the UK), other sun totals Coventry 7.4 hrs, Nottingham 5.0 hrs, Shobdon 2.8 hrs, Aberporth 0.2 hrs, Lwn & most of Wales 0 hrs.
Wed 25th generally rather mild day with some rain or drizzle.
Average to rather mild temperatures with only small amounts of rain to see out the month:
Nature notes Jan 2023
Early month various bulbs peeking above ground, much Celandine foliage up in the garden and some Bluebell spikes.
Mon 16th Carmarthen, Morrisons car park: Song Thrush singing quite well on a rather cold, sunny afternoon.
Sat 21st Aberaeron a few Daffs trying to come out (must be early varieties?). Weak Song Thrush heard. Great Tits calling 'teacher, teacher'.
Mon 23rd milder after a weeks of cold and icy weather, birds more active and audible, Tits calling, Doves cooing. Quite a few Daffs and Bluebell spikes up inc the Daffs on the hedge bank opposite.
Sat 28th Lampeter Song Thrush singing well Uni. First Snowdrop.
Mon 30th plenty of Snowdrops out roadside just past Ty Mawr on the way to the forestry.
January 2023 summary
Rather mild temperatures, Midlands rainfall generally around average with WW average to wet; average sun to quite sunny WW, Midlands generally a sunny month.
Second half mostly dry parts of the Midlands, e.g. just 1.8mm at CL after the 14th.
Rainfall totals Jan 2023
Mona, Anglesey 97.0mm
Aberdaron, Llyn Peninsular 93.2mm (112%)
Trawsgoed, Ceredigion c 170mm (wet)
Aberporth, near Llangrannog c 85mm (average)
Llanwnnen 203.8mm (142%)
Pembrey Sands, Carms 113.0mm (100%)
Milford Haven, Pembs c 105mm (average)
Mumbles, near Swansea c 100mm (average)
Nottingham c 75mm (rather wet)
Shawbury, Salop c 60mm (average)
Coleshill 35.8mm (56%)
Coventry, Bablake School 59.8mm (100%)
CL, Warks 51.4mm (92%)
Pershore, Worc 55.4mm (97%)
Hereford c 60mm (average)
National Resources Wales (NRW) rain gauges Jan 2023
Llyn Cefni, Ynys Mon 96.8mm (average)
Bethesda Quarry (Gwynedd) 203.6mm (ave)
Cwm Dyli (Snowdonia) 424.4mm (rather wet)
Corris (near Machynlleth) 357.0mm (wet)
Bow Street (near Aberystwyth) 107.4mm (rather wet)
Pontrhydfendigaid (near Tregaron, Ceredigion) 179.0mm (rather wet)
Penuwch (Ceredigion) 184.6mm (wet)
Rhos Ymryson (near Gorscoch and 5 miles NW of Lwn) 212.4mm (wet)
Cellan (2 miles NE of Lampeter) 174.4mm (rather wet)
Pencader (Carms) 229.8mm (rather wet)
Abergorllech (Brechfa Forest, Carms) 297.8mm (very wet)
Rhydargaeau (Carms) 230.2mm (rather wet)
Garnswllt (near Ammanford, Carms) 218.8mm (wet)
Felinfoel (near Llanelli, Carms) 142.2mm (ave)
Maenclochog (near Preselis, Pembs) 179.0mm (rather wet)
Tenby (Pembs) 130.0mm (rather wet)
Bolton Hill (near Haverfordwest, Pembs) 116.4mm (ave)
COL stations rainfall Jan 2023
Llansadwrn, Anglesey 137.9mm (133%)
Ludlow, Salop 80.7mm (107%)
Alvechurch, Worc 70.2mm (94%)
Warstock, Brum 71.7mm (101%)
Cosby, Leic 50.1mm (82%)
Hinckley 48.8mm
Towcester, Northants 60.5mm (94%)
Sunshine totals Jan 2023
Valley 63.5 hrs (136%)
Aberdaron 60.4 hrs (100%)
Llanwnnen estimated 53 hours (121%)
Coventry, Bablake School 88.7 hrs (139%)
COL stations sun:
Ludlow 72.0 hours
Alvechurch 73.5 hrs
Towcester 104.4 hrs
