Kilted Review of the Weather of 2012
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[center][size=5]A Kilted Review of the Year in Weather: 2012[/size][/center]
[center][img]http://cdn.theguardian.tv/brightcove/poster/2012/5/10/120510PrinceCharlesWeather_6163198.jpg[/img][/center]
The year started off with a bang as the country was battered in the early hours of the 3rd January thanks to a sting jet. There was widespread damage and distruption and at Blackford Hill, Edinburgh where there was a gust of 102mph - the storm was judged to have been the worst in 13 years.
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-16385049"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-16385049[/url]
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-16392381"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-16392381[/url]
[url="http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/interesting/2012_janwind"]http://www.metoffice...ng/2012_janwind[/url]
[img]http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/media/image/e/j/asxx_20120103_0600UTC_sm.gif[/img]
[img]http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02101/weather-glasgow_2101482i.jpg[/img]
Much of the first third of the month was unsettled with atlantic lows sweeping the country - as a result it was a mostly mild and wet period with some stormy weather. Dundrennon in Dumfries and Galloway on the 4th had a gust of 76mph and a peak gust of 65mph was recorded at Peterhead on the 6th.
There was a change to colder and settled conditions around mid-month with some fine sunny and frosty conditions and some fog. There was some low minimum values such as -10.5C recorded at Aboyne on the 16th and a maximum of -2.8C at Cassley on the same day.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120116.gif[/img]
There was a return to unsettled weather on the 17th but there was a snowfall that left a depth of 8cm at Aviemore on the 19th. There was a return to windy weather with a gust of 70mph at Loch Glascarnoch on the 21st as the weather remained changeable and on the mild side across the country.
The month ended on a cold, anticyclonic note with a southeasterly breeze developing and there were some snow showers at times in parts of the country. Loch Glascarnoch recorded a low of -6.9C on the 27th.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120130.gif[/img]
January was the mildest since 2008 in Scotland with a mean temperature of 3.2C. The mean maximum and minimum was 5.8C and 0.6C. Despite rainfall being above average at 183mm, it was the 5th sunniest January in Scotland with a total of 44.1hrs. Air frosts stood at a fairly low 10.4 days.
February started where January left off, as the cold and settled conditions persisted throughout the first third of the month. There were frosty nights, some fog patches and locally some snow flurries to begin with and there were some days of rainfall as fronts edged further east into Scotland. There was even some freezing rain in Dumfries and Galloway on the 9th. Temperatures on a few nights went down to -10C in the highlands.
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-16869164"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-16869164[/url]
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-16950627"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-16950627[/url]
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120203.gif[/img]
The settled conditions continued into the start of the middle third of February in eastern areas but it was mild for everyone with maximum temperatures of reaching 11C or 12C on a few days. There was some wet weather in north western areas during the period.
Following a very breif cold spell, the final third of the month was unsettled and very mild. It was very mild in the north east with highs of 15.7C at Aboyne on the 22nd, 15.9C on at Dyce on the 23rd and 17.2C at Dyce on the 28th which is just short of the Scottish record.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120228.gif[/img]
It was a very mild month overall, 8th mildest since records began and the mildest since 1998, with a mean temperature of 4.4C. Mean maximum and minimum was 7.1C and 1.7C. It was also a fairly dull month with 50.4 hours of sunshine and rainfall was closer to average at 108.3mm. It was a poor month for air frosts with only 9.1 days.
The winter 2011/2012 was the mildest winter in Scotland since 2007/2008 with a mean temperature of 3.56 (making it the 17th mildest winter on record) and mean maximum and minimum of 6.27C and 0.87C. The coldest and snowiest weather of the winter mostly took place in December 2011, whilst the first two months of 2012 saw some prolonged periods without any real winter weather but there were some cold and settled periods aswell. The mildest month of the winter was February. There was a total of 31.4 days with an air frost throughout the winter which was below average. A rainfall total of 555.7mm was 118% of the 1981-2010 average. 117.9hrs of sunshine is 91% of the average.
March began on a changeable note with some fronts, showers, spells of sunshine and a brief wintry spell which resulted in a snow depth of 3cm at Aviemore on the 8th.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120305.gif[/img]
The 10th-14th saw dry, mild but cloudy conditions with the best of sunshine in eastern areas. Some areas of rainfall affected southern and western areas whilst northern areas stayed sunny just after mid-month. There were some cold nights in the highlands with a low of -8.5C at Braemar on the 18th.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120312.gif[/img]
The final third of the month was very dry, sunny and most notably very mild and even warm. It reached 17.6C at Lossiemouth on the 21st. There was some mist and low cloud at times in eastern areas, but the period 24th-30th was exceptional for it's fine and warm weather: a number of days the temperature reached 20C in a good number of places - 22.8C recorded at Fyvie Castle on the 25th broke the Scottish March maximum record, then it peaked at 23.2C at Cromdale the following day and finally the record was set at Aboyne on the 27th with a high of 23.6C. It stayed dry to the end but temperatures began to drop and it became cloudier.
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-17506257"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...etland-17506257[/url]
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-17512701"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...etland-17512701[/url]
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-17511244"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-17511244[/url]
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120327.gif[/img]
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/United_Kingdom_26_March_2012.png/250px-United_Kingdom_26_March_2012.png[/img]
March was exceptional for it's very mild temperatures and dry and sunny conditions. It was the warmest March of record with a mean temperature of 7.1C and the mean maximum and minimum was 10.9C (another record) and 3.3C. It was the 4th sunniest March with a total of 126.8 hrs and it was the 11st driest with a rainfall total of just 58mm. It was the 3rd poorest March for air frosts with just 4.2 days.
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17595024"]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17595024[/url]
April however was a different story. The temperature continued to drop during the first few days and there were some spells of rain. The turnaround was complete with a notable snowfall on the 3rd which left a snow depth of 22cm at Whitehillocks, Angus. The chilly conditions followed the snow with a dry couple of days followed by spells of rain and showers. The maximum at Carterhouse on the 3rd was only 0.3C and Braemar recorded a low of -8.2C on the 5th.
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-17578739"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-17578739[/url]
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-17595143"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-17595143[/url]
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-17597584"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-17597584[/url]
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-17601709"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-17601709[/url]
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120403.gif[/img]
[img]http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/59452000/jpg/_59452899_jex_1368520_de27-1.jpg[/img]
There was showery conditions before midmonth and there was some hail and thunder included in the showers. A spell of wetter weather arrived around midmonth and much of the final half of April was cool and showery. There some low minimum values of -7.2C at Tulloch Bridge on the 28th and -6.4C at the same location on the following day.
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-17852535"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-17852535[/url]
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120419.gif[/img]
It was an unusual scenario in which April was colder than March. The mean temperature was 4.9C making it the coldest April in Scotland since 1998. The mean maximum and minimum was 8.6C and 1.3C. It was wetter than normal across the eastern half of the country - the national rainfall total stood at 113.7mm. Sunshine was below average with a total of 121.1 hrs. There was 8.8 days with an air frost. Tiree was the sunniest place in the UK with 237 hrs.
The first three weeks of May was generally cool and unsettled with the odd fine day and occasionally strong winds. There was some spells of rain during the start although the second was a pleasant day with a high of 20.1C at Kinlochewe. This was followed by a spell of dry but cold weather with the maximum at Fair Isle on the 5th only 4.5C and a low of -6.2C at Saughall on the same day. There was also some snow showers aswell as the frosty nights.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120505.gif[/img]
The period 7th-18th May was changeable was some cool days, some heavy rainfalls with 101mm at Kinlochewe on the 13th. The 13th was also a stormy day with a gust of 67mph at Blackford Hill, Edinburgh. There were also some cool showery days with some brightness.
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-18022243"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...w-west-18022243[/url]
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120513.gif[/img]
The 19th-28th saw a marked change to much more settled, dry conditions with plentiful of sunshine and most notably an impressive Scottish heatwave during the 24th-28th with temperatures reaching the high to mid 20s. On the 23rd it reached 27.3C at Altnaharra, on the 24th it reached 27.3C at Bishopton, 28.1C at Kinlochewe on the 28th, a new Scottish record for May on the 25th with a high of 30.9C at Inverailort, 28.1C at Kinlochewe on the 26th, 29.0C at Cromdale on the 27th and 26.6C at Aberfeldy on the 28th. The final few days of the month saw a drop in temperatures and a return to rainfall.
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-18176494"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...slands-18176494[/url]
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-18189728"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-18189728[/url]
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-18210356"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...slands-18210356[/url]
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-18236851"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-18236851[/url]
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120525.gif[/img]
May equalled the 1971-2000 average with a mean temperature of 8.6C and a mean maximum and minimum of 13.3C and 4.2C. Sunshine was above normal with a total of 205.2hrs whilst rainfall varied across the country, it came out as 83.2mm. There was 4.1 days with an air frost which is the 6th highest on record. Tiree saw 273 hrs of sunshine making it the sunniest place in the UK in May.
Spring 2012 was very contrasting and interesting. Unusuall, April was the coldest month of the season with a mean temperature of 4.9C (just 0.5C warmer than February, and 2.2C lower than the record breaking warm March). There were notable periods of dry and warm weather, with new records being set in both late March and late May for maximum temperatures across Scotland. For most areas, the heat during late May was the warmest of the year. The snowfall in early April was for a number of areas the most significant of the 2011/2012 season. The mean temperature in Scotland was 6.9C with mean maximum and minimum for the Spring at 11C and 2.9C respectively making it a warmer than average Spring overall. Sunshine was also above average with a total of 453.1hrs (115% of the average) and 254.9mm of rainfall is 81% of the average. Air frosts only a little below average at 17.1 days, the very mild March being the major factor.
The first half of June saw generally cool temperatures and wet conditions with showery spells and some heavy bursts of rain and occasionally pretty windy. It was fairly dry and fine in the north west Highlands at times. A low of -3.5C at Loch Glascarnoch on the 5th. It reached 20.6C at Kinlochewe on the 6th.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120607.gif[/img]
Throughout the rest of the month, the cool, unseasonal conditions continued with further showers and frontal rainfall. There were a few pleasant and fine days at times and there were some thunderstorms aswell.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120622.gif[/img]
A month dominated by low pressure, it was the 9th wettest June on record in Scotland with 126.2mm of rainfall. The north west highlands and islands saw the best of the conditions in what was a very poor summer month for much of the country. It was a cool month too with a mean temperature of 10.4C, mean maximum and minimum of 14C and 7.1C. It was the 3rd dullest June on record with only 110.4 hrs of sunshine. It also had the 3rd highest number of air frost days with a total of 0.6. The sunniest place in the UK once again was Tiree with 167 hrs of sunshine.
The showery theme continued into the start of July and there were some thunderstorms and this followed by a spell of more persistent and heavy rainfall. It reached 24C at Lusa on the 6th.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120706.gif[/img]
The familiar story of unsettled, wet and generally cool conditions continued into the middle third of the month. There was further showers, some heavy frontal rainfall with just a few fine, dry and bright days.
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-18890247"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...t-fife-18890247[/url]
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120714.gif[/img]
It was more of the same into the first part of the final third of the month but the 24th-26th were better days with more sunshine and temperatures into the low 20s but the changeable conditions returned to see out the month.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120725.gif[/img]
It was the coolest July since 1998 with a mean temperature of 12.2C, mean maximum and minimum of 15.5C and 9C. It was the 10th dullest July with only 100.5 hrs of sunshine and a wet month with 127.7 mm of rainfall.
The showers became less frequent and more scattered during the first couple of days of August and there was a spell of pleasant weather with maximum temperature of 22.8C at Achnagart on the 3rd. But it was brief as thunderstorms developed and there was a return to changeable conditions with thundery showers. There were some funnel clouds spotted during the stormy weather.
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-19162914"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-19162914[/url]
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120805.gif[/img]
From the 8th-11th there was a spell of fine, settled, sunny conditions and warm temperatures up into the mid twenties for many as Eskdalemuir
recorded a high of 25.9C on the 10th.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120810.gif[/img]
This fine spell was followed by another changeable period of weather which lasted for around 10 days. There were some fine days and temperatures into low twenties for many and into the mid twenties in Moray on the 18th but there were further spells of rain and showers and even some thunder.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120818.gif[/img]
There was a mixture of fine days, showers, + bands of rain in what was a changeable and an unseasonal end to August. There was strong winds for the north west on the 27th with a gust of 64mph recorded at South Uist. The month ended on a cold note with a cold and frosty final night of summer with a low of -2.4C at Braemar.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120831.gif[/img]
It was the warmest August since 2004 with a mean temperature of 13.5C. Mean maximum and minimum was 17.3C and 9.7C. Sunshine was above normal aswell with a total of 144 hrs. Rainfall was above average with a total of 133.9mm. With 0.2 days days with an air frost is the third highest total for August.
Summer 2012 continued the run of below par summers in Scotland since the stunning summer of 2006. The mean temperature was 0.5C below average at 12.1C with mean maximum and minimum of 15.6C and 8.6C. August was the warmest month of the year. Sunshine was below average with a total of 348.3hrs (82% of the average) and rainfall was 27% above average with a total of 387.5mm. However in north western areas, it was a dry summer with some problems with drought conditions.
The first couple of days of autumn started wet - especially in the western isles - but away from the north west, the remainder of the country was then generally dry with sunny spells and it reached 25.2C at Dyce on the 3rd.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120903.gif[/img]
Changeable conditions returned from the 7th. There was a mixture of weather: bands of rain; cloudy and dry days; bright and sunny days; showery and breezy days; drizzle. There was a gust of 56mph at Altnaharra on the 13th as the country experienced changeable and autumnal conditions.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120909.gif[/img]
The autumnal conditions continued with showers, some heavy rain and brighter/dry days. It turned pretty chilly too around two thirds of the way through September, with a cold night on the 22nd/23rd as Braemar recorded a low of -4.1C
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120923.gif[/img]
Unsettled and very autumnal conditons saw the month out. However the worst September storm in around 30 years hit Scotland around the 23rd-26th. This brought strong winds, low temperatures, heavy and prolonged rainfall and even some thunder. Inverbervie recorded a gust of 72mph on the 25th. Final days of the month was unsettled with a mixture of sunshine, showers and frontal rainfall.
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-19713761"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-19713761[/url]
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120925.gif[/img]
It was the coolest September since 1994 with a mean temperature of 10.3C. The mean maximum and minimum was 13.4C and 7.2C. It was quite a sunny September with a total of 113.2 hrs. And it was also a wet September with a total of 148.7mm. The total number of days with an air frost was 0.7 days which is the 9th highest.
The first 5 or so days of October started with a mix of sunshine and showers and a little bit of thunder. There was a settled period from 5th to 10th with fine, sunny spells, showers in the far north. There were some cold frosty nights too with a minimum of -5.3C at Tulloch Bridge on the 10th.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120121007.gif[/img]
The following days up to the 19th brought periods of persistent heavy rainfall, overcast skies and some spells of sunshine, showers. There was some cold temperatures too: A maximum of 3.2C at Aviemore on the 16th and and a low of -7.8C at Braemar on the 17th and there was some snow to low levels in parts of the highlands for a time of the 17th.
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-19935712"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-19935712[/url]
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120121017.gif[/img]
The 20th to 25th saw another settled spell with sunshine at the start and end of the spell and fog and some drizzle inbetween.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120121023.gif[/img]
The 26th was a cold day with frequent wintry showers and a spell of significant snow in the north east. A maximum of 2.3C at Loch Glascarnoch on the 26th. However the end of the month was changeable with temperatures on the chilly side and spells of rainfall.
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-20106383"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-20106383[/url]
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120121026.gif[/img]
It was the 6th coldest October on record with a mean temperature of 6.1C and the coldest since 1993. Mean maximum and minimum was 9.5C and 2.7C. Sunshine was above average with a total of 85.2 hrs and rainfall was close to average with a total of 154mm. It was the third highest October in terms of days with air frost with a total of 6 days.
The first 4 days of November chilly and showery conditions with typically autumnal weather. These showers were quite heavy and there were cold nights with a low of -5.7C at Loch Glascarnoch on 1st. There were also some decent spells of sunshine.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120121103.gif[/img]
It was much milder and wetter from the 6th-20th with bands of rain, at times strong winds and a few sunny and showery days in what was changeable period. It was also much milder with some very mild days: a high of 14.1C at Tain Ridge on the 7th and 16.3C at Kinloss on the 13th.
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-20405763"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-20405763[/url]
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120121113.gif[/img]
This was followed by a period of further unsettled conditions and more heavy rainfall but temperatures were generally on the chilly side. It was a cold and wintry end to the month with frosty nights and sunny days with some showers and spells of rain in places at times. There were some very cold temperatures: Braemar saw a maximum of 0.3C and a minimum of -7.3C on the 29th.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120121128.gif[/img]
It was another below average month with a mean temperature of 4.6C and a mean maximum and minimum of 7.3C and 1.8C. Overall, it was the 10th sunniest November in Scotland with a total of 55.1hrs. Rainfall was quite close to the average with a total of 154.1mm. A decent month for air frosts with a total of 7.4 days.
Autumn 2012 was notable cold with a mean temperature of 7.0C (1.0C below the 1981-2010 average) and mean maximum and minimum of 10.1C and 3.9C. November was the coldest month with a mean temperature of 4.6C (just 0.2C higher than February) whilst October was one of the coldest on record - a very different story compared to 2011. Sunshine was 12% above average with a toatl of 253.5hrs and rainfall was 4% below average with a total of 456.8mm. Air frosts also above average with a total of 14.1 days. There was some problems with flooding at times, but with an unusual blocked scenario at times it was pretty dry. And an early start to the snowfall of the 2012/2013 season in late October.
The cold, crisp and wintry conditions continued into the first part of December. Overall there was plenty of sunny spells, ice, frost, some fog and snow with temperatures widely struggling to reach 5C during the day. There was a widespread frontal snow late on the 2nd into the 3rd which left much of the country under a blanket of snow that would stay for several days. At Loch Glascarnoch on the 2nd it reached a high of just -2.2C and a low of -8.2C. Aviemore and Tulloch Bridge recorded a snow depth of 6cm on the 5th and Fettercairn had a snow depth of 20cm on the 6th. A low of -12.9C was recorded at Braemar on the 6th. The cold conditions continued with some snow showers before briefly turning less cold with loss of snow cover between the 6th-9th.
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-20575339"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-20575339[/url]
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120121203.gif[/img]
There was another cold and settled spell between the 10th and 13th with dry, bright days and very cold temperatures both at day and at night. A number of locations had an ice day and lows in the highlands dropped below -10C: Braemar reached a high of just -3.8C on 11th and on the 13th it recorded a low of -12.5C. There was some snow showers and patches of fog at times in some locations.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120121212.gif[/img]
From the 14th onwards saw a very unsettled, wet and wild second half to December with less cold conditions. Frequent frontal activity meant that drier and clearer spells were brief and there were showery spells at times. For much of the period it was dull and damp, but most notably it was very wet with significant problems with flooding in the run-up to Christmas. 89.4mm was recorded at Tyndrum on the 20th. It was also windy and wild at times: severe gales early on the 15th caused extensive damage in places; a gust of 72mph was recorded at Stornoway on the 28th. The year ended on quite a showery note and there was some snow showers in places during the final days.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120121220.gif[/img]
A month of contrasts but overall it was colder than average with a mean temperature of 2.3C (0.5C below the 1981-2010 average) and a mean maximum and minimum of 4.9C and -0.2C. Sunshine totals overall were a little above average with a total of 31.3 hours. Rainfall was above average, mostly due to the wet second half, with a total 212.7mm. A decent month for air frosts with a total of 13.9 days.
2012 was a very unusual year with a variety of weather with notably warm, cold, dry, wet, quiet and stormy periods. December 2012 was the coldest month of the year with a mean temperature of 2.3C contributing to a below average winter. The warmest month was August, but for many the warmest weather occured in late May with the warmest temperature of 2012 being 30.9C at Inverailort, Highland on the 25th. -12.9C recorded at Braemar on the 6th December was the coldest temperature of 2012 and Braemar was the site of the coldest maximum temperature with a high of just -3.8C on the 11th December. The month with the least amount of sunshine was December with 31.3hrs and the sunniest month was May with 205.2hrs. The wettest month was December with a rainfall total of 212.7mm and with 20.8 days with >1mm of rainfall. The driest month was March with a total of 58mm and just 9.1 days with >1mm of rainfall. December had 13.9 days with an air frost which was the highest total of 2012. The highest snow depth was 22cm at Whitehillocks, Angus on the 3rd April. The strongest gust of wind was 102mph recorded at Blackford Hill. The overall mean temperature for 2012 was 0.1C below average at 7.3C and mean maximum and minimum at 10.6C and 4.0C. Sunshine was bang on the average with a total of 1187.6hrs. Rainfall was 2% above average at 1602.6mm. There were 65.3 days with an air frost which was just short of the average.
[size=3][color=rgb(255,0,0)]Warmest Temperature: 27C (24 May), [/color][color=rgb(0,0,255)]Coldest Temperature: -8 (11 Dec), Coldest Max: 0C, [/color][color=rgb(255,0,0)]Warmest Min: 15C , +20C days: 32 (26 Mar-21 Aug), +15C (24 Mar-21 Oct) [/color][color=rgb(0,0,205)]<0C max: 1,[/color][color=rgb(255,0,0)] [/color][/size][size=3][color=rgb(0,0,255)]<5C max: 29 (11 Feb, 24 Nov),[/color][color=rgb(255,0,0)] [/color][color=rgb(0,0,255)]<10C max (18 May, 16 Oct), [/color][color=rgb(255,0,0)]15C+min: 6 days (4 Jul-1 Sept), [/color][color=rgb(0,0,255)]<5Cmin (18 Jun, 31 Jul), [/color][color=rgb(0,0,205)]Air Frosts: 73 (20 May, 22 Sep), <-5Cmin: 10 (5 Apr, 29 Nov)[/color][/size]
[size=3][color=rgb(238,130,238)]Snowfall: 20 (6 May, 26 Oct Torrance) 10 (3 April, 2 Dec, Glasgow Airport), Lying snow 8 days (2 Dec), max depth 5cm (3 Dec)[/color][/size]
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The year started off with a bang as the country was battered in the early hours of the 3rd January thanks to a sting jet. There was widespread damage and distruption and at Blackford Hill, Edinburgh where there was a gust of 102mph - the storm was judged to have been the worst in 13 years.
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-16385049"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-16385049[/url]
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-16392381"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-16392381[/url]
[url="http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/interesting/2012_janwind"]http://www.metoffice...ng/2012_janwind[/url]
[img]http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/media/image/e/j/asxx_20120103_0600UTC_sm.gif[/img]
[img]http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02101/weather-glasgow_2101482i.jpg[/img]
Much of the first third of the month was unsettled with atlantic lows sweeping the country - as a result it was a mostly mild and wet period with some stormy weather. Dundrennon in Dumfries and Galloway on the 4th had a gust of 76mph and a peak gust of 65mph was recorded at Peterhead on the 6th.
There was a change to colder and settled conditions around mid-month with some fine sunny and frosty conditions and some fog. There was some low minimum values such as -10.5C recorded at Aboyne on the 16th and a maximum of -2.8C at Cassley on the same day.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120116.gif[/img]
There was a return to unsettled weather on the 17th but there was a snowfall that left a depth of 8cm at Aviemore on the 19th. There was a return to windy weather with a gust of 70mph at Loch Glascarnoch on the 21st as the weather remained changeable and on the mild side across the country.
The month ended on a cold, anticyclonic note with a southeasterly breeze developing and there were some snow showers at times in parts of the country. Loch Glascarnoch recorded a low of -6.9C on the 27th.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120130.gif[/img]
January was the mildest since 2008 in Scotland with a mean temperature of 3.2C. The mean maximum and minimum was 5.8C and 0.6C. Despite rainfall being above average at 183mm, it was the 5th sunniest January in Scotland with a total of 44.1hrs. Air frosts stood at a fairly low 10.4 days.
February started where January left off, as the cold and settled conditions persisted throughout the first third of the month. There were frosty nights, some fog patches and locally some snow flurries to begin with and there were some days of rainfall as fronts edged further east into Scotland. There was even some freezing rain in Dumfries and Galloway on the 9th. Temperatures on a few nights went down to -10C in the highlands.
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-16869164"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-16869164[/url]
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-16950627"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-16950627[/url]
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120203.gif[/img]
The settled conditions continued into the start of the middle third of February in eastern areas but it was mild for everyone with maximum temperatures of reaching 11C or 12C on a few days. There was some wet weather in north western areas during the period.
Following a very breif cold spell, the final third of the month was unsettled and very mild. It was very mild in the north east with highs of 15.7C at Aboyne on the 22nd, 15.9C on at Dyce on the 23rd and 17.2C at Dyce on the 28th which is just short of the Scottish record.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120228.gif[/img]
It was a very mild month overall, 8th mildest since records began and the mildest since 1998, with a mean temperature of 4.4C. Mean maximum and minimum was 7.1C and 1.7C. It was also a fairly dull month with 50.4 hours of sunshine and rainfall was closer to average at 108.3mm. It was a poor month for air frosts with only 9.1 days.
The winter 2011/2012 was the mildest winter in Scotland since 2007/2008 with a mean temperature of 3.56 (making it the 17th mildest winter on record) and mean maximum and minimum of 6.27C and 0.87C. The coldest and snowiest weather of the winter mostly took place in December 2011, whilst the first two months of 2012 saw some prolonged periods without any real winter weather but there were some cold and settled periods aswell. The mildest month of the winter was February. There was a total of 31.4 days with an air frost throughout the winter which was below average. A rainfall total of 555.7mm was 118% of the 1981-2010 average. 117.9hrs of sunshine is 91% of the average.
March began on a changeable note with some fronts, showers, spells of sunshine and a brief wintry spell which resulted in a snow depth of 3cm at Aviemore on the 8th.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120305.gif[/img]
The 10th-14th saw dry, mild but cloudy conditions with the best of sunshine in eastern areas. Some areas of rainfall affected southern and western areas whilst northern areas stayed sunny just after mid-month. There were some cold nights in the highlands with a low of -8.5C at Braemar on the 18th.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120312.gif[/img]
The final third of the month was very dry, sunny and most notably very mild and even warm. It reached 17.6C at Lossiemouth on the 21st. There was some mist and low cloud at times in eastern areas, but the period 24th-30th was exceptional for it's fine and warm weather: a number of days the temperature reached 20C in a good number of places - 22.8C recorded at Fyvie Castle on the 25th broke the Scottish March maximum record, then it peaked at 23.2C at Cromdale the following day and finally the record was set at Aboyne on the 27th with a high of 23.6C. It stayed dry to the end but temperatures began to drop and it became cloudier.
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-17506257"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...etland-17506257[/url]
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-17512701"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...etland-17512701[/url]
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-17511244"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-17511244[/url]
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120327.gif[/img]
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/United_Kingdom_26_March_2012.png/250px-United_Kingdom_26_March_2012.png[/img]
March was exceptional for it's very mild temperatures and dry and sunny conditions. It was the warmest March of record with a mean temperature of 7.1C and the mean maximum and minimum was 10.9C (another record) and 3.3C. It was the 4th sunniest March with a total of 126.8 hrs and it was the 11st driest with a rainfall total of just 58mm. It was the 3rd poorest March for air frosts with just 4.2 days.
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17595024"]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17595024[/url]
April however was a different story. The temperature continued to drop during the first few days and there were some spells of rain. The turnaround was complete with a notable snowfall on the 3rd which left a snow depth of 22cm at Whitehillocks, Angus. The chilly conditions followed the snow with a dry couple of days followed by spells of rain and showers. The maximum at Carterhouse on the 3rd was only 0.3C and Braemar recorded a low of -8.2C on the 5th.
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-17578739"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-17578739[/url]
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-17595143"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-17595143[/url]
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-17597584"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-17597584[/url]
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-17601709"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-17601709[/url]
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120403.gif[/img]
[img]http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/59452000/jpg/_59452899_jex_1368520_de27-1.jpg[/img]
There was showery conditions before midmonth and there was some hail and thunder included in the showers. A spell of wetter weather arrived around midmonth and much of the final half of April was cool and showery. There some low minimum values of -7.2C at Tulloch Bridge on the 28th and -6.4C at the same location on the following day.
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-17852535"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-17852535[/url]
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120419.gif[/img]
It was an unusual scenario in which April was colder than March. The mean temperature was 4.9C making it the coldest April in Scotland since 1998. The mean maximum and minimum was 8.6C and 1.3C. It was wetter than normal across the eastern half of the country - the national rainfall total stood at 113.7mm. Sunshine was below average with a total of 121.1 hrs. There was 8.8 days with an air frost. Tiree was the sunniest place in the UK with 237 hrs.
The first three weeks of May was generally cool and unsettled with the odd fine day and occasionally strong winds. There was some spells of rain during the start although the second was a pleasant day with a high of 20.1C at Kinlochewe. This was followed by a spell of dry but cold weather with the maximum at Fair Isle on the 5th only 4.5C and a low of -6.2C at Saughall on the same day. There was also some snow showers aswell as the frosty nights.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120505.gif[/img]
The period 7th-18th May was changeable was some cool days, some heavy rainfalls with 101mm at Kinlochewe on the 13th. The 13th was also a stormy day with a gust of 67mph at Blackford Hill, Edinburgh. There were also some cool showery days with some brightness.
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-18022243"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...w-west-18022243[/url]
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120513.gif[/img]
The 19th-28th saw a marked change to much more settled, dry conditions with plentiful of sunshine and most notably an impressive Scottish heatwave during the 24th-28th with temperatures reaching the high to mid 20s. On the 23rd it reached 27.3C at Altnaharra, on the 24th it reached 27.3C at Bishopton, 28.1C at Kinlochewe on the 28th, a new Scottish record for May on the 25th with a high of 30.9C at Inverailort, 28.1C at Kinlochewe on the 26th, 29.0C at Cromdale on the 27th and 26.6C at Aberfeldy on the 28th. The final few days of the month saw a drop in temperatures and a return to rainfall.
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-18176494"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...slands-18176494[/url]
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-18189728"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-18189728[/url]
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-18210356"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...slands-18210356[/url]
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-18236851"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-18236851[/url]
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120525.gif[/img]
May equalled the 1971-2000 average with a mean temperature of 8.6C and a mean maximum and minimum of 13.3C and 4.2C. Sunshine was above normal with a total of 205.2hrs whilst rainfall varied across the country, it came out as 83.2mm. There was 4.1 days with an air frost which is the 6th highest on record. Tiree saw 273 hrs of sunshine making it the sunniest place in the UK in May.
Spring 2012 was very contrasting and interesting. Unusuall, April was the coldest month of the season with a mean temperature of 4.9C (just 0.5C warmer than February, and 2.2C lower than the record breaking warm March). There were notable periods of dry and warm weather, with new records being set in both late March and late May for maximum temperatures across Scotland. For most areas, the heat during late May was the warmest of the year. The snowfall in early April was for a number of areas the most significant of the 2011/2012 season. The mean temperature in Scotland was 6.9C with mean maximum and minimum for the Spring at 11C and 2.9C respectively making it a warmer than average Spring overall. Sunshine was also above average with a total of 453.1hrs (115% of the average) and 254.9mm of rainfall is 81% of the average. Air frosts only a little below average at 17.1 days, the very mild March being the major factor.
The first half of June saw generally cool temperatures and wet conditions with showery spells and some heavy bursts of rain and occasionally pretty windy. It was fairly dry and fine in the north west Highlands at times. A low of -3.5C at Loch Glascarnoch on the 5th. It reached 20.6C at Kinlochewe on the 6th.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120607.gif[/img]
Throughout the rest of the month, the cool, unseasonal conditions continued with further showers and frontal rainfall. There were a few pleasant and fine days at times and there were some thunderstorms aswell.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120622.gif[/img]
A month dominated by low pressure, it was the 9th wettest June on record in Scotland with 126.2mm of rainfall. The north west highlands and islands saw the best of the conditions in what was a very poor summer month for much of the country. It was a cool month too with a mean temperature of 10.4C, mean maximum and minimum of 14C and 7.1C. It was the 3rd dullest June on record with only 110.4 hrs of sunshine. It also had the 3rd highest number of air frost days with a total of 0.6. The sunniest place in the UK once again was Tiree with 167 hrs of sunshine.
The showery theme continued into the start of July and there were some thunderstorms and this followed by a spell of more persistent and heavy rainfall. It reached 24C at Lusa on the 6th.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120706.gif[/img]
The familiar story of unsettled, wet and generally cool conditions continued into the middle third of the month. There was further showers, some heavy frontal rainfall with just a few fine, dry and bright days.
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-18890247"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...t-fife-18890247[/url]
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120714.gif[/img]
It was more of the same into the first part of the final third of the month but the 24th-26th were better days with more sunshine and temperatures into the low 20s but the changeable conditions returned to see out the month.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120725.gif[/img]
It was the coolest July since 1998 with a mean temperature of 12.2C, mean maximum and minimum of 15.5C and 9C. It was the 10th dullest July with only 100.5 hrs of sunshine and a wet month with 127.7 mm of rainfall.
The showers became less frequent and more scattered during the first couple of days of August and there was a spell of pleasant weather with maximum temperature of 22.8C at Achnagart on the 3rd. But it was brief as thunderstorms developed and there was a return to changeable conditions with thundery showers. There were some funnel clouds spotted during the stormy weather.
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-19162914"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-19162914[/url]
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120805.gif[/img]
From the 8th-11th there was a spell of fine, settled, sunny conditions and warm temperatures up into the mid twenties for many as Eskdalemuir
recorded a high of 25.9C on the 10th.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120810.gif[/img]
This fine spell was followed by another changeable period of weather which lasted for around 10 days. There were some fine days and temperatures into low twenties for many and into the mid twenties in Moray on the 18th but there were further spells of rain and showers and even some thunder.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120818.gif[/img]
There was a mixture of fine days, showers, + bands of rain in what was a changeable and an unseasonal end to August. There was strong winds for the north west on the 27th with a gust of 64mph recorded at South Uist. The month ended on a cold note with a cold and frosty final night of summer with a low of -2.4C at Braemar.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120831.gif[/img]
It was the warmest August since 2004 with a mean temperature of 13.5C. Mean maximum and minimum was 17.3C and 9.7C. Sunshine was above normal aswell with a total of 144 hrs. Rainfall was above average with a total of 133.9mm. With 0.2 days days with an air frost is the third highest total for August.
Summer 2012 continued the run of below par summers in Scotland since the stunning summer of 2006. The mean temperature was 0.5C below average at 12.1C with mean maximum and minimum of 15.6C and 8.6C. August was the warmest month of the year. Sunshine was below average with a total of 348.3hrs (82% of the average) and rainfall was 27% above average with a total of 387.5mm. However in north western areas, it was a dry summer with some problems with drought conditions.
The first couple of days of autumn started wet - especially in the western isles - but away from the north west, the remainder of the country was then generally dry with sunny spells and it reached 25.2C at Dyce on the 3rd.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120903.gif[/img]
Changeable conditions returned from the 7th. There was a mixture of weather: bands of rain; cloudy and dry days; bright and sunny days; showery and breezy days; drizzle. There was a gust of 56mph at Altnaharra on the 13th as the country experienced changeable and autumnal conditions.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120909.gif[/img]
The autumnal conditions continued with showers, some heavy rain and brighter/dry days. It turned pretty chilly too around two thirds of the way through September, with a cold night on the 22nd/23rd as Braemar recorded a low of -4.1C
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120923.gif[/img]
Unsettled and very autumnal conditons saw the month out. However the worst September storm in around 30 years hit Scotland around the 23rd-26th. This brought strong winds, low temperatures, heavy and prolonged rainfall and even some thunder. Inverbervie recorded a gust of 72mph on the 25th. Final days of the month was unsettled with a mixture of sunshine, showers and frontal rainfall.
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-19713761"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-19713761[/url]
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120925.gif[/img]
It was the coolest September since 1994 with a mean temperature of 10.3C. The mean maximum and minimum was 13.4C and 7.2C. It was quite a sunny September with a total of 113.2 hrs. And it was also a wet September with a total of 148.7mm. The total number of days with an air frost was 0.7 days which is the 9th highest.
The first 5 or so days of October started with a mix of sunshine and showers and a little bit of thunder. There was a settled period from 5th to 10th with fine, sunny spells, showers in the far north. There were some cold frosty nights too with a minimum of -5.3C at Tulloch Bridge on the 10th.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120121007.gif[/img]
The following days up to the 19th brought periods of persistent heavy rainfall, overcast skies and some spells of sunshine, showers. There was some cold temperatures too: A maximum of 3.2C at Aviemore on the 16th and and a low of -7.8C at Braemar on the 17th and there was some snow to low levels in parts of the highlands for a time of the 17th.
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-19935712"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-19935712[/url]
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120121017.gif[/img]
The 20th to 25th saw another settled spell with sunshine at the start and end of the spell and fog and some drizzle inbetween.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120121023.gif[/img]
The 26th was a cold day with frequent wintry showers and a spell of significant snow in the north east. A maximum of 2.3C at Loch Glascarnoch on the 26th. However the end of the month was changeable with temperatures on the chilly side and spells of rainfall.
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-20106383"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-20106383[/url]
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120121026.gif[/img]
It was the 6th coldest October on record with a mean temperature of 6.1C and the coldest since 1993. Mean maximum and minimum was 9.5C and 2.7C. Sunshine was above average with a total of 85.2 hrs and rainfall was close to average with a total of 154mm. It was the third highest October in terms of days with air frost with a total of 6 days.
The first 4 days of November chilly and showery conditions with typically autumnal weather. These showers were quite heavy and there were cold nights with a low of -5.7C at Loch Glascarnoch on 1st. There were also some decent spells of sunshine.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120121103.gif[/img]
It was much milder and wetter from the 6th-20th with bands of rain, at times strong winds and a few sunny and showery days in what was changeable period. It was also much milder with some very mild days: a high of 14.1C at Tain Ridge on the 7th and 16.3C at Kinloss on the 13th.
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-20405763"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-20405763[/url]
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120121113.gif[/img]
This was followed by a period of further unsettled conditions and more heavy rainfall but temperatures were generally on the chilly side. It was a cold and wintry end to the month with frosty nights and sunny days with some showers and spells of rain in places at times. There were some very cold temperatures: Braemar saw a maximum of 0.3C and a minimum of -7.3C on the 29th.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120121128.gif[/img]
It was another below average month with a mean temperature of 4.6C and a mean maximum and minimum of 7.3C and 1.8C. Overall, it was the 10th sunniest November in Scotland with a total of 55.1hrs. Rainfall was quite close to the average with a total of 154.1mm. A decent month for air frosts with a total of 7.4 days.
Autumn 2012 was notable cold with a mean temperature of 7.0C (1.0C below the 1981-2010 average) and mean maximum and minimum of 10.1C and 3.9C. November was the coldest month with a mean temperature of 4.6C (just 0.2C higher than February) whilst October was one of the coldest on record - a very different story compared to 2011. Sunshine was 12% above average with a toatl of 253.5hrs and rainfall was 4% below average with a total of 456.8mm. Air frosts also above average with a total of 14.1 days. There was some problems with flooding at times, but with an unusual blocked scenario at times it was pretty dry. And an early start to the snowfall of the 2012/2013 season in late October.
The cold, crisp and wintry conditions continued into the first part of December. Overall there was plenty of sunny spells, ice, frost, some fog and snow with temperatures widely struggling to reach 5C during the day. There was a widespread frontal snow late on the 2nd into the 3rd which left much of the country under a blanket of snow that would stay for several days. At Loch Glascarnoch on the 2nd it reached a high of just -2.2C and a low of -8.2C. Aviemore and Tulloch Bridge recorded a snow depth of 6cm on the 5th and Fettercairn had a snow depth of 20cm on the 6th. A low of -12.9C was recorded at Braemar on the 6th. The cold conditions continued with some snow showers before briefly turning less cold with loss of snow cover between the 6th-9th.
[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-20575339"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-20575339[/url]
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120121203.gif[/img]
There was another cold and settled spell between the 10th and 13th with dry, bright days and very cold temperatures both at day and at night. A number of locations had an ice day and lows in the highlands dropped below -10C: Braemar reached a high of just -3.8C on 11th and on the 13th it recorded a low of -12.5C. There was some snow showers and patches of fog at times in some locations.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120121212.gif[/img]
From the 14th onwards saw a very unsettled, wet and wild second half to December with less cold conditions. Frequent frontal activity meant that drier and clearer spells were brief and there were showery spells at times. For much of the period it was dull and damp, but most notably it was very wet with significant problems with flooding in the run-up to Christmas. 89.4mm was recorded at Tyndrum on the 20th. It was also windy and wild at times: severe gales early on the 15th caused extensive damage in places; a gust of 72mph was recorded at Stornoway on the 28th. The year ended on quite a showery note and there was some snow showers in places during the final days.
[img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120121220.gif[/img]
A month of contrasts but overall it was colder than average with a mean temperature of 2.3C (0.5C below the 1981-2010 average) and a mean maximum and minimum of 4.9C and -0.2C. Sunshine totals overall were a little above average with a total of 31.3 hours. Rainfall was above average, mostly due to the wet second half, with a total 212.7mm. A decent month for air frosts with a total of 13.9 days.
2012 was a very unusual year with a variety of weather with notably warm, cold, dry, wet, quiet and stormy periods. December 2012 was the coldest month of the year with a mean temperature of 2.3C contributing to a below average winter. The warmest month was August, but for many the warmest weather occured in late May with the warmest temperature of 2012 being 30.9C at Inverailort, Highland on the 25th. -12.9C recorded at Braemar on the 6th December was the coldest temperature of 2012 and Braemar was the site of the coldest maximum temperature with a high of just -3.8C on the 11th December. The month with the least amount of sunshine was December with 31.3hrs and the sunniest month was May with 205.2hrs. The wettest month was December with a rainfall total of 212.7mm and with 20.8 days with >1mm of rainfall. The driest month was March with a total of 58mm and just 9.1 days with >1mm of rainfall. December had 13.9 days with an air frost which was the highest total of 2012. The highest snow depth was 22cm at Whitehillocks, Angus on the 3rd April. The strongest gust of wind was 102mph recorded at Blackford Hill. The overall mean temperature for 2012 was 0.1C below average at 7.3C and mean maximum and minimum at 10.6C and 4.0C. Sunshine was bang on the average with a total of 1187.6hrs. Rainfall was 2% above average at 1602.6mm. There were 65.3 days with an air frost which was just short of the average.
[size=3][color=rgb(255,0,0)]Warmest Temperature: 27C (24 May), [/color][color=rgb(0,0,255)]Coldest Temperature: -8 (11 Dec), Coldest Max: 0C, [/color][color=rgb(255,0,0)]Warmest Min: 15C , +20C days: 32 (26 Mar-21 Aug), +15C (24 Mar-21 Oct) [/color][color=rgb(0,0,205)]<0C max: 1,[/color][color=rgb(255,0,0)] [/color][/size][size=3][color=rgb(0,0,255)]<5C max: 29 (11 Feb, 24 Nov),[/color][color=rgb(255,0,0)] [/color][color=rgb(0,0,255)]<10C max (18 May, 16 Oct), [/color][color=rgb(255,0,0)]15C+min: 6 days (4 Jul-1 Sept), [/color][color=rgb(0,0,255)]<5Cmin (18 Jun, 31 Jul), [/color][color=rgb(0,0,205)]Air Frosts: 73 (20 May, 22 Sep), <-5Cmin: 10 (5 Apr, 29 Nov)[/color][/size]
[size=3][color=rgb(238,130,238)]Snowfall: 20 (6 May, 26 Oct Torrance) 10 (3 April, 2 Dec, Glasgow Airport), Lying snow 8 days (2 Dec), max depth 5cm (3 Dec)[/color][/size]
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