January 1916: Mildest on record for the CET

[Weather-history]

January 1916 is the mildest January on record with a CET of 7.5. There was little frost and snow during the month with maxima often in double figures, 17.2C was recorded at Rhyl on the 6th.

The weather was unsettled especially in the north as Atlantic lows regularly pushed through maintaining the mild martime airflow across the UK throughout the month.

January 1916

CET: 7.5 (+4.0)

CET mean max: 10.3

CET mean min: 4.7

First half: 7.6

Second half: 7.4

Warmest CET maximum day: 13.2

Coldest CET minimum night: -0.5

Scotland: 5.2

Northern Ireland: 6.2

January 1989 was milder than January 1916 for Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Across England and Wales, it was a pretty dry month with an England and Wales rainfall average of 56.6mm

A nice little quirk

June 1916 was very cool, the joint 2nd coldest June on record with a CET of 11.8 (-2.3)

The CET maximum for the 4th of January: 13.2

The CET maximum for the 4th of June: 12.6

The 4th of January had higher maxima than the 4th of June for the CET.

This didn't happen with June 1975 for the CET

[Lettucing Gutted]

Strange. 1916 was an overall slightly cool year with a C.E.T of 9.18c but with a very warm January. That January was almost as warm as the 1960-1991 Aprils which had a C.E.T of 8.0c. :o

Also despite all of our recent record hot years... we in Britain haven't had a January that was overall warmer than January 1916!

Edited January 1, 2007 by Craig Evans

[Weather-history]

Camden Square data for January 1916

Mean Temp: 7.6C (+4.0)

Mean Max: 10.4C (+4.1)

Mean Min: 4.8C (+3.6)

Highest Max: 14C on the 1st

Lowest Max: 6.7C on the 31st

Highest Min: 10.1C on the 22nd

Lowest Min: -1.0C on the 23d

Rainfall total: 33.0mm (-17.8mm)

Sunshine: 33.4hrs

[acbrixton]

Also despite all of our recent record hot years... we in Britain haven't had a January that was overall warmer than January 1916!

Indeed nor have we experienced a January as warm as January 1921 at 7.3.

Whilst January 1916 is by some way the mildest on record it is far from being the most anomalously mild compared to the then applicable CET: January 1796 at 7.3 was 5.1c above the 1761-1790 mean of 2.2...

I imagine that barring some unforeseen calamity it is almost impossible for us to record a January CET as anomalously mild as that of 1796: 'even larger teapot' and warm SSTs notwithstanding a January CET of 9.3 would imply average maxima of about 12c and average minima of 6.5c. To equal the relative anomaly of 1916 (+4.0) would require 8.2...difficult but not entirely beyond the bounds of possibility.

regards

ACB

[North-Easterly Blast]

Very interestingly, the exceptionally mild January of 1916 was followed by much colder weather from mid February until mid March. After the very mild Bartlettized south-westerly January of 1916 had passed things gradually improved and a Scandy High built in mid-February and easterlies developed by the 20th and ushered in a prolonged cold spell with winds from the north and east and snowfalls until mid March, and March 1916 was 4.2*C colder than January. Jan / Feb / Mar 1916 did have very much a big similarity with 1983; in 1983 after the very mild January the cold lasted throughout February whereas in 1916 a very similar pattern developed two weeks later.

In actual fact it is relatively rare for the rest of the winter to be anything other than average to mild after a very mild January but there have been a few exceptions during the last century. In 1983 the weather turned much colder and a very cold February occurred after the very mild January. In 1916 after the very mild January much colder weather devloped from mid Feb to mid March. 1969 is another example where a mild January (albeit less so than 1916, 1983) was followed by a very cold February. 1975 does have some similarity to a lesser degree as colder weather with a good deal of snow about occurred in late March / early April. In 1994 again a relatively mild January was followed by a considerably colder February.