December CET

[Weather-history]

Coldest CET months on record

-3.1 Jan 1795

-3.0 Jan 1684

-2.9 Jan 1814

-2.8 Jan 1740

-2.1 Jan 1963

-1.9 Feb 1947

-1.8 Feb 1895

-1.7 Feb 1855

-1.6 Feb 1740

-1.6 Jan 1776

-1.5 Jan 1709

-1.5 Jan 1838

-1.5 Jan 1881

-1.4 Jan 1940

-1.1 Feb 1986

-1.0 Jan 1695

-1.0 Feb 1684

-0.9 Jan 1780

-0.8 Jan 1763

-0.8 Dec 1890

-0.7 Jan 1879

-0.7 Feb 1963

-0.7 Dec 2010

-0.6 Jan 1784

-0.5 Feb 1676

-0.4 Jan 1979

-0.3 Jan 1820

-0.3 Dec 1788

-0.3 Dec 1796

-0.3 Dec 1878

-0.2 Jan 1830

-0.2 Dec 1874

-0.2 Feb 1956

-0.1 Jan 1823

[Optimus Prime]

I knew we shouldn't have trusted Hadley. Cold rampers.

So Mean Min has dropped from the provisional figure of -2.5c to -3.8c! 1.3c drop.

Edited January 1, 2011 by Optimus Prime

[reef]

January and February need to record CETs of 1.8C each for this winter to make it into the top 10 coldest on record.

If they both averaged 4.0C that would see last winter equalled.

[Cymro]

January and February need to record CETs of 1.8C each for this winter to make it into the top 10 coldest on record.

If they both averaged 4.0C that would see last winter equalled.

And still mean that we have had 3 cold winters in a row which is exceptional and solidifyes the argument that cold winters come in groups.

Also would mean that we've actually had a relatively snowy decade in comparison to the nineties.

Big snowfalls every year, Some exceptionally early snow in the south on October the 30th. Some exceptionally late snow in may. Coldest december since 1890. Coldest month since the 80s. Sustained periods of lying snow most places above 40 days of lying snow for the whole year?.

If people complained of the last decade (last year in particular) then they really do have rotten teeth!>

Edited January 1, 2011 by adamjones416

[Weather-history]

The overall December CET figure is remarkable but this for me is the truely sensational figure

26th November-27th December CET: -1.5C

Colder than February 1986 and I make it the coldest CET period of that length since 1963.

When you think December 1890 had a CET of -0.8C, that period beats it by 0.7C

There hasn't been a colder period for that time of the year of that length for the CET since at least 1772

Edited January 1, 2011 by Mr_Data

[Optimus Prime]

Wow, that is extraordinary MrD!

http://metofficenews.wordpress.com/

According to early indications from the Metoffice Northern Ireland has had, by an inimaginable margin the coldest month since records began. Mean temperature of -1.5c is 6.1c below normal and beats the previous record set in February 1947 which registered -0.5c.

Edited January 1, 2011 by Optimus Prime

[Isolated Frost]

Coldest ever in NI!

Now THIS is amazing. We're so lucky to have lived in this month...

Edited January 1, 2011 by North Sea Snow Balloons

[The PIT]

Second coldest Dec on record here in hot sunny Sheffield. 0.4C Dec 81 still holds the crown. However amazing stats from elsewhere.

[damianslaw]

To achieve such a cold month does indeed seem very special and very unexpected. Had it started 5 days earlier it would have registered -1.5 degrees rivalling the likes of Feb 1947..

It will be a month we will be talking about for many a year to come and no doubt will feature in many people's top 10 best months I imagine.

One thing I will say whilst we got the severe cold with lakes and rivers freezing, we were very poorly placed for heavy snow. Relatively speaking I think the Lake District saw the lowest total amounts of snow depth, the most being 4-5 inches on the 4th.

I suspect January will make up for this though..

[Eugene]

Yes an incredible month i will never forget, it also goes to prove what many people have been saying for years about the whingers that they would moan even in a 1962/63 winter month as they were moaning loads even in an exceptionally cold month we might never see the likes of again in our lifetimes.

[Norrance]

We were -2.69c here, only a mile from the Tay Estuary on the North Sea.

I suspect that this is the coldest month, not just December, since they started reporting to the Met Office about 50 years ago at the nearby Crop Research Institute. I will check when they re-open this week.

[Weather-history]

Months below the 1971-2000 average since January 2001

Dec 2010: -0.7 (-5.8]

Nov 2010: 5.2 (-1.7)

Oct 2010: 10.3 (-0.1)

Aug 2010: 15.3 (-0.9)

May 2010: 10.7 (-0.6)

Mar 2010: 6.1 (-0.2)

Feb 2010: 2.8 (-1.4)

Jan 2010: 1.4 (-2.8]

Dec 2009: 3.1 (-2.0)

Jul 2009: 16.1 (-0.4)

Feb 2009: 4.1 [-0.1]

Jan 2009: 3.0 [-1.2]

Dec 2008: 3.5 (-1.6)

Oct 2008: 9.7 (-0.7)

Sep 2008: 13.5 (-0.2)

Jul 2008: 16.2 (-0.3)

Jun 2008: 13.9 (-0.2)

Apr 2008: 7.9 (-0.2)

Mar 2008: 6.1 (-0.2)

Dec 2007: 4.9 (-0.2)

Aug 2007: 15.4 (-0.8]

July 2007: 15.2 (-1.3)

Aug 2006: 16.1 (-0.1)

Mar 2006: 4.9 (-1.4)

Feb 2006: 3.7 (-0.5)

--------------------------decade halfway point

Dec 2005: 4.4 (-0.7)

Nov 2005: 6.2 (-0.7)

July 2004: 15.8 (-0.7)

Dec 2003: 4.8 (-0.3)

Oct 2003: 9.2 (-1.2)

Feb 2003: 3.9 (-0.3)

Oct 2002: 10.1 (-0.3)

Jul 2002: 16.0 (-0.5)

Dec 2001: 3.6 (-1.5)

Sep 2001: 13.4 (-0.3)

Apr 2001: 7.7 (-0.4)

Mar 2001: 5.2 (-1.1)

Jan 2001: 3.2 (-1.0)

Edited January 1, 2011 by Mr_Data

[paul tall]

Clearly 2001-2007 were following the global warming trend but 2008, 2009 and 2010 have shown a definite cooldown.

[❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️]

Crikey, 2nd coldest ever!

Only 2 people guessed under and 1 was correct, all the other guesses were over. That must be some sort of record?

[stewfox]

Crikey, 2nd coldest ever!

Only 2 people guessed under and 1 was correct, all the other guesses were over. That must be some sort of record?

Snowyowl and Trickdickey ? Cooling Climates revised guess after 4 days for me doesn't count.

Net weather had a bit colder then average so I guess would have been at 4.5c ??

[Beazle]

Clearly 2001-2007 were following the global warming trend but 2008, 2009 and 2010 have shown a definite cooldown.

Ah,...the great global warming trend....How amusing it all seems now.

[AderynCoch]

Wow, -0.7C is quite a drop! A December equal with January 1879 and February 1963 and just 0.1C short of equalling the CET record. The mean monthly temperature for Crosby was -0.5C, probably the coldest month in these parts since 1963 and very possibly the coldest December in the last 350 years (that will have to be researched).

What a truly remarkable month.

[paul tall]

Ah,...the great global warming trend....How amusing it all seems now.

I'm talking about UK temperatures in the last decade, and the last decade only. In that they followed the global warming trend for 7 years then cooled in the last 3 years. Against the trend apparantly. That is all.

Edited January 2, 2011 by paul tall

[Isolated Frost]

Ah,...the great global warming trend....How amusing it all seems now.

2010 was the warmest year globally ever, which puts even more emphasis on this month.

[drfeelgood]

Now Now Now... what will Eden come out with? Could this be controversial?

-0.7C from Hadley.

Coldest Months in the CET Zone (1772-2010)

1. January 1795: -3.1C

2. January 1814: -2.9C

3. January 1963: -2.1C

4. February 1947: -1.9C

5. February 1895: -1.8C

6. February 1855: -1.7C

7. January 1776: -1.6C

8. January 1838: -1.5C

= January 1881: -1.5C

9. January 1940: -1.4C

10. February 1986: -1.1C

11. January 1780: -0.8C

= December 1890: -0.8C

12. January 1879: -0.7C

= February 1963: -0.7C

= December 2010: -0.7C

Only 13 Months have ever been colder in 238 years.

The first of this millenium...

...and the coldest in 24 years.

As cold as February 63'...

...and 1C colder than December 81'.

Historic, Truly Historic. If we get another one in the next 30 years, we will be very, very lucky. Cherish this month...

These figures show what an extraordinary month we've all just lived through! Like many others, I feel really luck to have experienced it, especially as just 3 years ago, all this would have been unthinkable.

Final figure -0.7, second coldest on record and just missing the coldest.

Annual figure 8.83

....And a sub 9C month for the first time since the '80s!

[J10]

As mentioned above the figure for December is confirmed as -0.7c, which is truly remarkable. There was a poll issued in November and the majority decided to stay with the Hadley (Met Office) series to calculate the figures.

http://forum.netweather.tv/topic/64677-cet-competition-2010-2011/page__p__1877704__fromsearch__1#entry1877704

On this basis, the 2010-2011 competition will be run on those lines. Currently there is no limit on the lateness of entries, but I would think that the 7th is more than late enough for any entry. The Penalty points are also very severe and this would generally offset any gain for any considerably late entry.

The Top 4 were cooling climate who got it spot on, Snowyowl9 was 2nd, Polar Continental was 3rd with trickydicky in 4th.

But Due to Penalty Points due to late entries, Snowyowl9 leads from trickydicky (2nd), cooling climate (3rd) with PolarContinental (4th)

Dec 2010 CET.xls

Dec 2010 CET.pdf

[Optimus Prime]

Had Cooling Climate come in on time that would have been one hell of a strike. No doubt it probably would have been a higher prediction mind.

[trickydicky]

I knew my policy of ridiculously low guesses would reap reward one day....

Seriously though, I didnt actually think I would live through a sub zero CET month, I thought they had gone. In the past I often thought I wonder what those months were like, if it was enjoyble or a pain the backside, how nature would be effected etc. Well, now I have experienced one I have to say I enjoyed it thoroughly, although here in Lancashire it was predominantly frosty and snowless compared to the North East when we did get snow it was wonderfully picturesque. There's nothing quite so beautiful as a proper cold spell. Also, i've got to see a major lake, Basenthwaite, frozen end to end, which I never thought I would. I took a day off work (my last leave day til my new lot come in April!!) just so I could go out and take a load of pictures and I'm glad I did now!

[AderynCoch]

I'm just flabbergasted that I thought I was my guess was too adventurous yet ended up being 2.4C too high! The extreme cold which opened the month was always going to make average or above a real struggle to achieve, but it was the second cold spell which ensured that most of our guesses would be toast.

[Weather-history]

that most of our guesses would be toast.

You mean frozen out

The longest gap between sub-zero CET months is still Feb 1895 to Jan 1940

That's one record that will be safe until at least 2056