The anti-2023

[Summer8906]

On 03/01/2024 at 17:26, LetItSnow! said:

I'm having far too much fun doing these. Now for the year that followed, anti-1989.

January: Very cold; very dry in north-west Scotland, snowy elsewhere. A north-easterly regime prevailed for most of the month. With predominantly low pressure over southern England, fronts became unusually vigorous there, aiding frequent snowfall. It was a very cold month, especially so in southern England, where eastern parts had very high snowfall totals. Mean monthly temperatures were well below normal everywhere, ranging from just under 3°C below normal at some places in northern Scotland to over 6°C below normal in parts of southern England. London had its coldest January ever recorded. Edenbridge, Kent, had an anomaly of 7.2°C below normal, illustrating how exceptional the month was, and a degree colder than the previous record holder. The lowest temperature of the month was -25.1°C on the 11th at Cavendish, Suffolk, just shy of the all time England record. The highest was 10.5°C at Butser, Hampshire on the 19th. In western Scotland it was one of the driest Januarys on record: the persistence of dry north-easterlies created strong contrasts in snowfall from west to east. In Glen Shiel, western Scotland, there was only 9mm of precipitation all month. Cape Wrath, Highland Region recorded its driest ever January. Meanwhile, snowfall was off the scale across Kent and East Anglia. A vicious blizzard ravaged much of the south between the 11th and 14th, leaving parts of the southeast with excess of 50cm of snow cover. Most areas were dull, with many eastern locations recieving 50-70% of the average sunshine, though western Scotland had about 115-130% of the normal sunshine. After a severe December, the country was left in critical condition and a national emergency was declared.

February: Generally very cold and dull; Dry in the west but further snowy weather in the east at times, though drier than normal almost everywhere. In northern areas, particularly Scotland, further very dry conditions finished off an extremely dry winter, with western Scotland having one of the driest winters ever recorded. Though the month was less snowy than December and January, the extreme east was "wetter" than average due to further heavy snowfall. Kent finished its snowiest winter on record. The 25th saw one of the highest pressure readings ever recorded across southern England with pressure in excess of 1045mb. Monthly mean temperature anomalies were once again well below normal, but not quite to the same extent as January. Nevertheless, anomalies ranged from about 1°C below normal across the Highlands to about 4°C below normal from a line from Wiltshire to West Yorkshire. The lowest temperature of the month was -18.8°C at East Bergholt, Suffolk on the 6th - The highest was 12.6°C at Carnwath, Strathclyde Region on the 27th. Fort Augustus, Highlands saw no precipitation all month, meanwhile parts of Lincolnshire had about 150-175%. The peak of the winters wrath came on the 5th into the 6th. While most of Scotland saw a mostly quiet day, the south and southeast saw a vicious blizzard move northwards. As a result of two months of residual snowfall in places, this storm lead to one of the most severe weather events ever to occur in southern England. A further 20-40cm was dumped across a large swathe. The weight of the snow cover lead to avalanches, drifting snow that toppled trees, and even crushed the rooves of small houses and structures. Sunshine was generally below normal everywhere with eastern coastal locations barely exceeding half the normal, though western Scotland once again faired well. Overall, the winter was the second coldest ever recorded going back to 1659. The south of England faired its harshest winter ever known, meanwhile western Scotland saw bone dry, fine and frosty conditions and wondered what the fuss was about.

March: Cold and dry; sunny in the south but dull in the north. The extremely dry theme across western Scotland continued into March leading to serious concerns of drought; barely a drop had fallen since November. The difference this time is that dry conditions spread further south and only isolated pockets of the northeast saw above average precipitation. After a brief milder interlude on the 1st another spell of bitterly cold north-easterly winds arrived on the 6th and gave one of the coldest March days on record with many areas failing to record highs much above minus 1-2°C. Another cold spell arrived on the 26th and lasted until the end of the month. There was a low of -6.8°C at Elmstone, Kent on the 28th. With cold weather into late March, there was barely any sign of spring with most trees bare and no flowers. Surely spring will arrive at some point... Temperatures ranged from near normal in the north of Scotland to about 2.5°C below normal to the north of London.

April: Settled, warm and dry, though rather wet in Scotland - a sharp reversal to the pattern that prevailed over the winter. Nonetheless, the cold end to March lingered into the opening days of April and the 1st saw a widespread frost. It soon warmed up. Thunder occured widely in the first week, especially the 5th with some severe thunderstorms across the south giving localised flooding. Thunder also occured later in the month, however for most of England and Wales it was a dry month - Wyton, Cambridgeshire saw less than 25% of average. Meanwhile, the north of Scotland saw around 160-180% of average, much needed after an extremely dry winter and first half to spring. Sunshine was above average everywhere except for the south-west and parts of South Wales where it was slightly duller than average. The southeast enjoyed between 120-130% of the average April sunshine. The warmest temperature of the month was 22.6°C at Writtle, Essex on the 24th. The lowest was -5.7°C at Butser, Hampshire on the 1st.

May: Cold, extremely wet and very dull. April was a false promise... May was barely warmer than April. Temperatures ranged from just above normal in western Scotland to nearly 3°C below normal in the London area. Rainfall was exceptionally above average in all areas except eastern Scotland where it was close to average. London had its wettest May ever recorded with some stations recording between 300-400% of their average May rainfall. It was unusually rainy on the south coast. Folkstone and Herne Bay recorded rainfall every single day of the month. It's no surprise that sunshine was in short supply. Everywhere had a dull May, even further north where the worst was escaped (a theme running this year) it was slightly duller than average. From a line running from Devon to Norfolk, many areas in the south/south-east of England barely saw 50% of their average sunshine, even less in places. The closing days ushered in southerly winds and a change in the weather.

June: A hot start and end sandwiching a cool middle; overall near normal temperature; dull and wet in most places. The month started very hot with southerly winds dominating from the 1st to the 8th. The 2nd was a hot day with 31.3°C at Wittering, Cambridgeshire, then 32.8°C on the 3rd, the highest for the month. This opening to June was mostly dry with stable pressure so not much in the way of thunderstorms. It quickly broke down after this and the mid-month period was very unsettled, cool and wet with rain falling nearly every day across the southern half of the country. In contrast to the hot start, parts of East Anglia had highs of just 8-9°C on the 13th. The 20th saw the lowest temperature of the month with the temperature falling to 0.8°C at Drumnadrochit, Highlands. It became warmer at the end of the month. Temperatures were generally slightly above normal in Scotland and slightly below normal in the south.  A similar pattern occured with rainfall, Scotland was fairly dry but the south/south-east was quite wet. Exeter recorded 170% of its average June rainfall.

July: Mainly cold, wet and dull. After brief hot and humid spell during the first two days, the weather deteriorated fast. Nonetheless, in this cold July the temperature reached 33.5°C at Rothamstead, Hertfordshire on the 2nd. Rainfall was well above average almost everywhere, though some parts of the southeast of England as well as Lerwick were slightly drier than average. Meanwhile, Edinburgh suffered particularly badly, recording its wettest ever July and its coldest ever mean maximum for July. Many parts of the country saw rain every day from the 8th to the 29th. Many days in this same period failed to exceed 21°C. Temperatures were below normal everywhere, ranging from 0.3°C below normal in Shetland more than 3°C below normal in Plymouth, Devon. The 6th was a particularly cold day with many places around 5-10°C below normal, just four days after a heat spike sent temperatures up to 33°C. Unsurprisingly, it was dull almost everywhere. Armagh, NI had only around half the normal sunshine. Bude, Cornwall recorded its dullest ever July. Only the extreme Western Isles were sunnier than average and only slightly so. Though a poor summer month, the excess rainfall was welcome across Scotland after the winter drought.

August: Generally cool and very dull everywhere, though it was fine and dry in western Scotland and NI. Temperatures ranged from slightly above normal at Lerwick to nearly 2°C below normal at Gatwick, West Sussex. Rainfall followed a similar pattern. Drought returned to west Scotland. Tiree only saw 26% of its average August rainfall. This contrasted with some exceptionally high totals in the extreme southeast. Guernsey Airport saw 268% of the average rainfall. Dullness was a predominant theme for England and Wales with this being the third dullest August on record, meanwhile the drought stricken Tiree saw 141%. Despite the mostly cool weather there was a short-lived but intense heatwave in the closing days of the month with 33.8°C at Rothamstead, Hertforfshire on the 28th.

September: Generally changeable, cool and wet, but with a fine spell mid-month though with some unusually cold nights. Temperatures tended to be slightly above normal across Scotland but cool across England and Wales and notably cool in the southeast with anomalies of around 2°C below normal there. The reason for this was a fine spell mid-month with some unusually cold nights. The temperature fell to -1.2°C at Santon Downham, Norfolk on the 17th. Apart from the chilly but fine spell mid-month, it was often unsettled. Rainfall was generally well above average in most places, though some parts of the southwest were marginally dryer than average. Leeming, North Yorkshire saw 278% of its average September rainfall. Despite the unsettled weather it was fairly sunny in the south and west, but dull in the north and east.

October: Generally cold and dry, though parts of the Midlands and eastern coastal areas were rather wet. Temperature anomalies ranged from just above normal at Wick, Highlands to about 2°C below normal in the London area. There was a potent early season cold snap that sent temperatures tumbling. The 5th was a notably cold day for so early in the season. The temperature dropped to -8.2°C at Dundrennan, Dumfries and Galloway, the coldest temperature of the month. Even Faversham, Kent went down to -3.2°C. In contrast, the warmest day was the 15th with 19.4°C at Bournemouth, Dorset. The sunny/dull pattern followed the rainfall pattern, with most areas enjoying a lot of crisp sunshine, but parts of the Midlands and eastern coasts only recieving about 80% of the average October sunshine.

November: Very wet and very dull but with near normal temperatures. The settled weather of late October persisted for the first ten days of the month but towards mid-month it became unsettled. From the 15th onwards it became very wet and rained on most days afterwards. Edinburgh had an extremely wet November with 219% of the average November rainfall. Temperatures varied throughout the month. It was rather cold mid-month with the 12th seeing a severe frost and temperatures down to -12°C in across parts of Norfolk and Lincolnshire. In contrast, late November was exceptionally mild and the 25th saw the temperatures climb to 16-17°C across the southeast. It was extremely dull in the south with parts of Kent struggling to reach 50% of the average November sunshine.

December: A month that was very different depending on whether you were in the north or the south. Overall, rather cold in England and Wales but mild in the far north. Changable and mild for the first 11 days in most areas, then high pressure building in mid-month and turning it cold and frosty for most, but with the far north of Scotland remaining mild with weather fronts brushing over the high giving very wet weather there but drying out elsewhere. Temperatures ranged from 1.5°C above normal across the Highlands and about 2°C below normal in the southeast. The 14th was an interesting day; the temperature remained below freezing all day across much of southern England under freezing fog but in the Highlands the temperature climbed to 15-16°C due to the Foehn effect. Rainfall was similar, the south saw around 30-50% average rainfall, meanwhile Aberdeen saw 200%. Very sunny in the south with Birmingham recording over 160% of the average December sunshine, but dull in Scotland - Tiree saw barely half the normal sun.

-1.7°C  - -0.4°C  - 4.2°C -  9.4°C  - 9.5°C - 14.1°C - 14.8°C - 15.0°C - 12.6°C  - 8.7°C - 6.0°C - 4.0°C / 8.02°C

An interesting one. The winter would be absolutely brutal to the point of overkill. The summer isn't as bad as you'd imagine but still poor to the average person.

 

Very interesting, a Day After Tomorrow winter followed by a summer that to me sounds horrendous. Of the summer half year, only April was decent.

Wasn't 1879 something very like this, in actuality?

Shows how good most of the actual 1989 was...

[Summer8906]

16 hours ago, baddie said:

Anti-2013


Part 1 (January-June)

January - Northerly winds brought cold and dry first and last week, sandwiching a mild, wet and windy middle. There were some very cold nights at the start, with -12.7c in Norfolk on the 7th. The 16th/17th were exceptionally mild, with a high of 16.8c in London on the 16th, which is the highest since 2003. the 12th/13th were extremely windy, with gusts of over 80mph in localised spots. The end of the month was cold and snowy, with depths of over 6 inches in most parts on the 29th and 30th, however it instantly turned milder on the 31st. Due to the mild 2nd and 3rd week, the month was milder than average, with a CET of 5.2c. The month was wetter than average, with up to 150% of the average rainfall, with some places in London seeing double the average. Sunshine totals were above average, mostly due to the first 8 days, with 150% of average totals making it the 2nd sunniest on record

February - A mild month, but not exceptionally so (CET 6c). The first half was was anticyclonic and dry, the second half unsettled. The first few days were quite cold at night, especially in the South and East. It turned milder on the 5th, and then very mild and sunny on the 11th-13th, with maximum temperatures of 15c in many places. The 14th-19th was cold and wet, then milder, but unsettled from the 20th to the end. The highest temperature of the month was 16.6C in Heathrow on the 13th and the lowest -8.5c at Santon Downham on the 4th. Rainfall totals were slightly above average, but mostly during the second half. Sunshine totals were well above average in the South, but dull from York northwards

March - Extremely mild (CET 10c), and the mildest on record in most parts of the country, and the first March ever to record a CET of 10c. This beats 1957s record by almost 1c. Maximum temperatures were 5-6c above average in most parts. The month started wet and windy, with some strong winds on the 4th. The 5th was the only day to record a maximum temperature below 10c, which itself is the average of March. Southerlies brought in a week of warm and sunny conditions from the 6th, culminating at highs of 21.8c in Heathrow on the 11th. The 13th and 14th were briefly wetter, but still warm and bright. After a short break to near average temperatures, the warm and sunny Southerlies returned on the 20th, with record breaking maximas on the 22nd-25th, with 25c recorded somewhere each day, and 26.7c in Kent on the 25th. The warm sunshine remained on the 26th and 27th, with 20c still being reached. The last 4 days turned much more humid, but remained warm. The Easter weekend was very thundery, with some severe ones in the South on Easter Sunday (31st), and in the NE on Good Friday (29th). As a result of this being an extremely Southerly month, this was the sunniest March on record, with 190 hours of sunshine (Typical for July, not March!!!). rainfall was near average, due to the first and last few days. Wow, this month defeated March 2012

April - Warm (Despite the snow in the 4th week) and wet (CET 9.6c). Unusually this was colder than March, but April was still almost 1c warmer than average, despite the snow event on the. For the first 12 days, the southerly winds that made March so warm continued to dominate. There were some very warm days at the start of the month: the daytime maximum was 23.7c on the 2nd in London, and 24.1c on the 4th in Kent. However, the first few days was quite humid and changeable, with frequent showers. There were torrential thunderstorms between the 9th and 12th, with some areas seeing the amount of rainfall you would expect for the whole of April, in the first 12 days. The weather changed however on the 13th as winds turned to a more Northerly direction. The 14th-16th marked a return to average maximas and frosty nights. The second half turned much cooler by both day and night, but remained changeable. After brief mild and wet conditions on the 19th/20th, the northerlies eventually brought in late season snow on the 23rd-25th, as maximas were over 15c colder than the month previous. Heavy thundersnow on the 23rd, resulted in 5cm of lying snow in the Midlands and Eastern areas on the 24th. This replenished again into the 25th, with even more fresh snow. A low pressure front bringing rain took place on the 26th, and temperatures returned to average values to end the month. April ended up wetter than average, with some areas in the SE seeing twice the average rainfall, while it was mostly dry in the West. Sunshine totals were close to or slightly above average. By mid-month, nature was already a month ahead of where it should be 

May - Warm again (CET 12.8c), and the warmest since 2008. The 10 days was cool and changeable. The Bank Holiday was the coldest since 1978, with a maxima below 10c. The rest of the month was mainly Southerly dominated, with plenty of settled and bright weather. The 11th-16th were warm and sunny, but a surge of hot air moved through on the 17th, with highest temperatures at 25.8c in Norfolk, then 26.6c in London on the 18th. There were severe thunderstorms that evenings, and the warmth retreated by the 19th, but came back again on the 22nd. The highest temperature of the month was 27.6c in Leicestershire on the 24th. It turned instantly wetter on the 25th and 26th, but sunny again on the 27th. The last 4 days were mixed; Warm, sunny and dry on the 28th and 29th, then Cool and wet on the 30th and 31st. Rainfall totals ended up around or slightly above average overall, with Sunshine totals around average in most places

June - Very Wet, but not as wet as 2007 or 2012. It was warmer than average but not exceptionally so, with a CET of 15c. The first 10 days were quite SW dominated and was very mixed, with warm and sunny days, and persistant rain on some other days. The 11th-15th turned more settled at times. However, thunderstorms arrived on the 15th and 16th, and some downpours were very heavy, resulting in local flash flooding. The 17th-19th were much cooler, and rainfall arrived in the form on bands, as a result of W winds. High pressure briefly arrived on the 20th, and resulted in temperatures on the rise. The solistice was a clear, sunny day with maximum temperatures at 26c widely, and 28c in London. The next 3 days remained hot and sunny, with the highest temperatures of the month (and year) culminating at 30.8c at Heathrow on the 23rd. Thundery breakdowns occured late on the 24th, and many were severe, causing disruption and flash flooding. A return to cooler and wetter conditions was marked on the 25th, and this was a teaser for July. The rest of the month was changeble, barring a clear warm, sunny day on the 28th. It also turned increasingly windy by the 29th an 30th, with some gusts of up to 60mph in some localised spots in the NW. The 30th was a cool, wet and windy day, with the maximum temperature being just 14c. The month ended up wetter than average, with around 150% of average rainfall in the South, and twice the average rainfall in the East. The North and West reported close to or below average rainfall. Sunshine was around average, but brighter in the East compared to the West

Interesting - incidentally was Jan 31 2013 in reality cold? I'm sure I remember it being mild from the 26th until the very end, the next coldish day in reality being Sat 2 Feb (which was very sunny).

I await the July with a good deal of trepidation. On the other hand, I'm looking forward to October (particularly the 27th/28th) and the December (particularly from the 13th)....

Edited January 5 by Summer8906

[baddie]

11 hours ago, Summer8906 said:

Interesting - incidentally was Jan 31 2013 in reality cold? I'm sure I remember it being mild from the 26th until the very end, the next coldish day in reality being Sat 2 Feb (which was very sunny).

I await the July with a good deal of trepidation. On the other hand, I'm looking forward to October (particularly the 27th/28th) and the December (particularly from the 13th)....

I would say it was average temperatures

July and December would be fun to write about. But August, September, October and November, pretty boring months to flip

Someone should do an anti-1996 or anti-2020

Edited January 5 by baddie

[LetItSnow!]

On 03/01/2024 at 17:26, LetItSnow! said:

I'm having far too much fun doing these. Now for the year that followed, anti-1989.

Moving on to the anti-1990. Both very warm years but will anti-1990 be more or less tolerable? Let's find out.

January: Generally very cold and dry; extremely high pressure readings in the last week. Amazingly, this month was slightly colder than the preceding January due to the cold being more widely focused rather than last year where the south bore the brunt. Mean monthly temperature anomalies ranged from around 2°C below normal across the Highlands to as much as 6°C below normal across parts of Wiltshire. The month started quite snowy with widespread falls on the 3rd and 4th and snow showers were quite prevalent from the 9th. Generally though, this was a very dry January for most away from eastern coastal regions; for example, eastern coastal areas of Scotland came out with high snowfall totals which lead to a very "wet" month here. Overall it was a snowier month for Scotland that the previous January but less snowy overall since pressure was high most of the time so less extreme totals than last year. The EWP average was 68% of the normal. Sunshine was well below normal almost everywhere though parts of southern and western Scotland had between 150-160% of the norm. The lowest temperature of the month came on the 15th, -20.6°C at Santon Downham, Norfolk. The highest was 11.1°C at Kinbrace, Highland Region on the 27th.

February: Extremely cold and extremely dry. This was truly an exceptional month. Across Scotland, particularly the west, it was exceptionally dry, being the driest ever recorded in the Highlands Region, the previous driest being anti-1989. This on top of a bone dry winter the previous year and a dry year overall caused great fears of an extreme drought in Scotland. Many places in that region recorded barely any precipitation all month, some none at all. It wasn't just the north that was dry, however. Anomalies were extreme further south too. Overall this was the driest February ever recorded in the UK. However, there was dry, powdery snowfall at times across central and eastern regions of England with the 19th being a particularly snowy day. This day was also exceptionally cold with highs not much above -4/-5°C all day. The 23rd saw the temperature equal the lowest ever recorded with -27.2°C at March, Cambridgeshire on the 23rd, a remarkable figure so late in the season. That night saw the temperature widely fall below -15°C and lower across much of England and Wales. It was dull in the east but sunny across Scotland, NI, Wales and parts of the southwest.

March: Very cold; an extreme contrast in precipitation between Scotland and southern England. In Scotland, once again in particular the west, there was barely any precipitation all month. Fort Augustus saw its driest ever month. This amplified drought fears and an emergency was declared. Meanwhile, England, in particular the southeast, was extremely wet, though a lot of this was heavy snowfall along with sleet and rain. Parts of Kent had over 150-200mm of precipitation all month with rain, sleet or snow recorded on every day of the month. Anomalies here ranged to as much as 400% of the norm. Despite coming after a severe winter, it was the snowiest month of the winter here. Unsurprisingly, here it was dull with sunshine totals of 60-70%, but across Scotland it was sunny with around 110-130% of the norm. Temperature anomalies ranged from around 2°C below normal in Shetland to pockets of over 4°C below normal across parts of Yorkshire. The highest temperature of the month was 14.2°C at Thorney Island, West Sussex on the 2nd. The lowest was -16.7°C at Keele, Newcastle-upon-Lyme on the 18th.

April: Generally dull and wet in most places but with temperatures close to average overall. Temperatures ranged from about 1°C degree above average in Northern Ireland to about 1°C below average in East Anglia. The month started cold but quickly warmed up to give the first widespread spell of above normal temperatures since December. The highest temperature of the month was recorded in this spell, with 22.9°C at Grendon Underwood, Bucks on the 5th. In sharp contrast, the closing days of the month were abnormally chilly with low pressure and northeasterly winds. Unusually for April, the lowest temperature of the month was recorded on the 30th with -6.8°C at Bramham, West Yorkshire. Most areas were rather wet, especially east and northeastern areas. Tynemouth, Tyne and Wear had its wettest April since anti-1912. Conversely, western Scotland tended to be very dry, exacerbating severe drought. Fort Augustus, Highlands only saw about 25% average rainfall. Sunshine totals were below average almost everywhere, apart from a few locations in western Scotland and Northern Ireland. Writtle, Essex only saw about 40% of the average. Aberdeen had its dullest April ever.

May: Cold, wet and dull. Mean monthly temperatures were below normal everywhere and ranged from around 0.5°C below normal in north-west Scotland to 3°C below normal in parts of the Midlands. There was an exceptional cold spell in the first week of the month leftover from April. From April 29th to May 6th there was a low of -5°C or lower somewhere in the UK. This frosty spell caused havoc for gardeners. It was the coldest start to May of the century. The lowest temperature of the month was -8.6°C at Gringley-on-the-Hill, Notinghamshire on the 3rd. Despite much of the month being cold, it would have been colder if not for a short hot spell from the 26th to the 28th which saw the temperature climb to 29.1°C at Cirencester, Gloucestershire on the 26th, the months highest. It was exceptionally wet overall, though some pockets of the north-east were rather drier than average. Much of England and Wales had more than double the average rainfall and parts of the south Midlands and central and southern England had 300% or more. Benson, Oxfordshire had over 360% the normal May rainfall. Even drought stricken western Scotland didn't escape the rainfall with many parts having around 150-170% the average, somewhat a relief.

June: Settled; sunny, warm and dry in most areas. Mean monthly temperatures were above normal almost everywhere, the first time since April anti-1989. Only the far north of Scotland and some north-eastern coastal areas came out around 0.5°C below normal, meanwhile across Hampshire the anomalies were about 1.5°C above normal. The 1st was a cool day but then it remained mostly warm to hot until the 26th. The 6th was the hottest day of the month with 31.6°C at Yeovilton, Somerset. There was a notably humid spell on the 12th and 13th thanks to very warm south-westerly winds which produced some notably high minima with multiple stations across eastern England recording minima no lower than 20°C. Scotland missed out on most of the warmth in this spell. Most places were dry, especially eastern Scotland; Edinburgh had its driest June on record. The drought continutes... One place that escaped dry conditions was the south-east and East Anglia, which had a wet June due to weaker pressure to the south and thundery spells. Everywhere was sunnier than average apart from Tiree which had exactly 100% of the average. Reading, Berkshire had 149% of the average June sunshine. This was the first "good" summer month since July anti-1988.

July: Very dull, extremely wet and rather cool. The month started fine and warm but deteriorated quite quickly. Still, there was some hot weather until around the 5th, particularly in the north and west with temperatures up to 30°C, the months highest being 32.4°C in Grendon Underwood, Bucks on the 3rd. Then came a thundery breakdown on the 5th. The weather became cool by the 7th and from the 11th onwards any places away from the southeast struggled to get much above 21°C for the rest of the month. Temperature anomalies ranged from almost 2°C below normal in western Wales to slightly above normal in the extreme southeast. The 11th to the 21st was a notably cool period with a southerly tracking jet stream allowing multiple low pressure systems one after another to batter the UK. Often these lows would swing the winds to the north, allowing unusually cool temperatures by both day and night. The 15th was a notably cold day with low pressure anchored in the North Sea bringing outbreaks of heavy rain, thunderstorms in places and unusually cold temperatures. Even London only managed a high of 17°C. This was indicative of much of July after the 7th. The temperature fell to -1.1°C at Kinbrace, Highlands on the 21st under a slack low and northerly winds, the months lowest. Rainfall was above average everywhere apart from the far north-west of Scotland, though west Scotland did see above average rainfall to alleviate drought. Many areas saw significant rainfall every day from the 8th to the 26th and most in the southeast saw rain every day from the 7th for the rest of the month. The southeast was extremely wet. Eastbourne, East Sussex saw 320% average rainfall. Everywhere was dull but the south more than the north. Aldergrove, Co. Antrim saw a shocking 49% of its average July sunshine.

August. Cold; dull and wet in England and Wales, dry and rather sunny in NI and northern and western Scotland. Most areas saw well below normal monthly mean temperatures, but the anomaly was far greater in the south and east than in the north west. Parts around Cambridge were as much as 3.5°C below average. The month opened with an exceptionally cool airmass from the northeast under low pressure. The temperature fell to -4.9°C at Kieldler Castle, Northumberland on the 3rd, a remarkably cold temperature for peak summer. The following day saw a high of 7.9°C at Shap, Cumbria, breaking the record for lowest maximum temperature in August. Further cool spells dominated parts of mid and late August but temperatures recovered from record low levels. There was even a brief warm s For some stations across southern England, the 14th was the first completely dry day in 38 days. Nonetheless, much of southern England saw between 150-200% of the normal August rainfall. Dry weather returned to Scotland, where northern and western parts saw between 50-75% the normal rainfall. Bad news for the ongoing drought. Broom's Barn, Suffolk had its dullest August in over 40 years.

September: Generally near normal temperatures; fairly warm in the north but rather cool in the south and east. Similarly with rainfall it was very wet in the south-east but dry in the north-west. The Highlands region saw under 50% of its average September rainfall, intensifying the severe drought across much of Scotland, all while the southeast continues to become Atlantis from excess rainfall; Folkestone had 180% of its average September rainfall. It was particularly dull in the south-west and across Wales with totals around 60%; meanwhile much of Scotland and also East Anglia were sunny, with parts of Norfolk having totals around 120%. The month started cool with temperatures pegged back into the mid-teens across much of the south-east and some cold nights in both Scotland and England; Shap, Cambridgeshire fell to -2.2°C on the 2nd. In contrast, there was a short lived hot spell from the 26th to the 28th that boosted the monthly mean; 30.5°C at Marholm, Cambridge on the 26th. Compare that to -4.9°C on August 3rd.

October: Cold and dry; sunny away from the south-east and East Anglia. It was cold everywhere with anomalies ranging from 1-2°C below average, though the Western Isles saw only slightly below normal temperatures. Extremely dry in Edinburgh where it was the driest since anti-1954. The great Scottish drought goes on... It was slightly wetter than average in some southern and eastern areas. These areas suffered in the sunshine department with East Anglia seeing totals around 70%, though everywhere else was sunny and parts of Scotland saw totals of 130-140%. Very cold spell mid-month with northerly winds and wintry showers; -9.3°C at Edinburgh on the 12th. Even further south it was unusually cold for so early in the season, with a low of -6.7°C at Woburn, Bedfordshire.

November: Cool and wet; dull in the north and west, sunny in the south and east. Slightly milder than average in the north-west but cold further south with anomalies of around 1.5°C below average in the south-east. It was very wet almost everywhere except some extreme eastern coastal areas. Across western Scotland where rainfall was desperately needed it was an exceptionally wet month with many locations exceeding totals of 200%. Paisley saw its dullest November on record and Edinburgh saw its second dullest. Parts of west Cornwall struggled with sunshine totals of around 40%. The month started mild and on the 8th it reached 17.8°C in Larkhill, Wiltshire but then it turned very cold on the 11th as low pressure switched the winds from the southwest to the northeast and the 11th to the 18th overall was a very cold period with high pressure situated over Scandinavia and winds in from the east. The temperature fell to -10.0°C at Charterhall, Berwickshire on the 12th. The easterly winds relented and temperatures returned closer to average for the rest of the month and eventually ended mild with winds in from off the Atlantic and with outbreaks of rain.

December: Changeable; mild first half, cold second half. Average temperatures hid some regional variation. Around the Borders temperatures were around 1.5°C below average but in parts of the southwest they were around 0.5°C above. Precipitation was below average in the north, unfortunate for drought easing, but above average in the south and east. Some places on the south coast recorded just under double the December average. The 7th/8th was an unusually springlike day with light and mild south-westerly winds. The mildest day of the month came on the 12th with 13.8°C at Leadhills, Strathclyde Region. The weather abrubtly shifted from mild westerlies to cold east/north-easterlies in the second-half. The temperature fell to -16.5°C at Dundrennan, Dumfries and Galloway on the 22nd then -17.0°C at Brampton, Cumbria on the 26th, the coldest day of the month. There was a very snowy spell of weather in the southeast between the 20th and the 23rd that gave widespread falls of 15-25cm. Christmas Day itself was bitterly cold but dry with high pressure in control of the weather and temperatures hovering around freezing all day and below freezing where snow cover lay.

Anomalies against the 1961-1990 (the real one!):

-1.8°C (-5.6) -1.4°C (-5.2) 3.1°C (-2.6) 8.0°C (+0.1) 9.8°C (-1.4) 14.9°C (+0.8) 14.9°C (-1.2) 13.8°C (-2.0) 13.6°C (Avg) 8.1°C (-2.5) 5.6°C (-0.9) 4.1°C (-0.5) / 7.73°C (-1.47)

Would you think this was worse than the anti-1989? One thing interesting about this is that it shows the interesting divide in rainfall this year. No doubt this year would have seen an extreme amount of northern blocking and probably would have provided some interesting charts. It very much is reminiscent of a year in the 1690s.

 

Edited January 5 by LetItSnow!

[East Lancs Rain]

3 hours ago, baddie said:

I would say it was average temperatures

July and December would be fun to write about. But August, September, October and November, pretty boring months to flip

Someone should do an anti-1996 or anti-2020

I did an anti 2020 earlier in the thread (see below). An interesting year to flip.

On 03/12/2023 at 11:13, Summer8906 said:

I realise the year isn't over yet and prospects for this month are still up in the air, but it's possible I might be too busy to post something around the Christmas/New Year period - but a good way of judging how good or bad a year is, is to look at its opposite.

So based on Jan to Nov, here is the "anti-2023". Better, or worse, than the real thing?

 

I’d say the anti 2023’s summery weather occurred at a better time (July and August), when most people expect the best weather, and ideal for school/college kids. The real 2023 was quite cruel and ironic in that it was a poor July and a mediocre August, but then as soon as the schools and colleges went back, we got an extremely hot and sunny week. I’m sure the staff and pupils couldn’t believe how unlucky they were. However, the anti 2023 would have worked out worse for me as I was on holiday in the Cotswolds during the first week of September (it was 31°C on one day) and although I’m not the biggest fan of heat, I still would have preferred it to highs of 12-15°C and showery/wet northerlies, especially being on holiday, you want the weather to be good.

On 01/01/2024 at 20:31, East Lancs Rain said:

2020 is also an interesting one to flip around. Probably a good thing it didn’t turn out like this otherwise we would have had a horrendous spring in a very unusual and depressing time.

 

The dullest spring on record by some way, with almost 60 hours less than the next dullest, it was also very wet. A very dry summer, although it was wet in the southeast and far north of Scotland. There were three ntoable brief cool spells through the summer. There were two notable anticyclones in August. Overall 2020 was the third coldest in the CET series, and the fifth driest and the eighth dullest on record.

 

January. Very cold. Around 2 degrees below average. Cyclonic for the first week and again from the middle of the month until the 26th. The month saw an intense storm develop; London's lowest ever pressure of 949.6 mbars was recorded at Heathrow on the 19th, and then 950.5 mb was recorded at Mumbles, Swansea, on the 20th. There were more frosts than usual and a lot of snow in many places at the end of the month. Rainfall was 100% of average but it was drier in the west and wetter in the east. Sunshine was 106% of average, but particularly sunny in the NW. The highest temperature of the month was 15.5C at Achfary (Sutherland) on the 7th and the lowest -7.9C at Braemar on the 10th. On the 10-11th 138.0 mm of rain fell on Skye.

 

February. Extremely dry with three large high pressure systems. It was the driest February on record, with less than 50% of average overall, and under 40% in placs. It was slightly colder than usual, particularly in the south. Two high pressure systems (Ciara and Dennis) brought light winds and dry weather midmonth. There was widepsread drought, particularly in Yorkshire, parts of Wales, and the Severn valley and its tributaries. Sunshine was 96% of average: Sunny in the west but duller in the east. The highest temperature of the month was 16.0C at East Malling (Kent) on the 16th, and the lowest -10.2C at Braemar on the 13th. There was some snow, particularly on hills on the north.

 

March. A classic month of two halves. The dry autumn and winter continued into the first two weeks of the month. A low pressure of 951.2 mbars recorded at South Uist, Outer Hebrides, on the 29th, was a new March record. Overall slightly wetter than average (118%) and very dull, particularly in England and Wales (66%). The first week was mild but it then became cooler; the cyclonic second half saw some mild nights but cool days. Overall temperatures were close to average, with a high of 19.4 C at Rhyl on the 24th and a low of -7.6 C at Aboyne on the 16th. 107.2 mm rain fell in 24 hours 7-8th at Alltdearg House (Skye).

 

April. Mostly cyclonic with frequenty westerly winds. It was the dullest April on record (49% of average). Overall it was colder than average (fifth coldest since 1884) and very wet (over 200% of average rainfall). Most of the month was very wet except for the last few days of the month. Highest temperature of the month was just 16°C at Treknow (Cornwll) on the 10th, and the lowest -16.9C at Braemar on the 19th. 64.8 mm of rain fell at Portsea (Hampshire) on the 17-18th.

 

May. Mostly a very cyclonic month. It was a very dull month, the dullest May on record, with 57% of average sunshine, and was particularly dull in England and Wales. It was also a very wet month, overall with over 200% of average rainfall, but it was extremely wet in the southeast. It was slightly cooler than average, although there was some very mild nights early and midmonth. The highest temperature of the month was 28.3C at Cromdale (Morayshire) on the 29th, and the lowest -6.6C at Kinbrace (Sutherland) on the 3rd. It was a dry month in the far NW.

 

June. After the poor May, June soon become much more settled. There was a late cool spell: a high of just 13.6°C recorded at Heathrow on the 24th, and 13.4°C there on the 25th, followed by some dry weather. Overall it was slightly cooler than average, and it was much drier than a typical June, with 56% of average rainfall. Sunshine was close to average, although it was quite sunny in the west and central and eastern Scotland. 

 

The temperature fell beneath 5C at Gosport and Hastings on the south coast on the night of June 25th, a rare example of a cold summer night. The lowest temperature of the month was -1.9C at Tulloch Bridge on the 8th.

 

July. Settled until midmonth, then with low pressure midmonth, especially in the south, for a while. There was a very brief cool spell right at the end, with a maximum of just 13.8°C at Heathrow on the 31st. Overall warmer than average, dry (78%, and very dry in southern Scotland and NW England), and sunny (117%). SE England tended to be cooler, wetter and duller. 101.8 mm of rain fell at Heathrow on 30th to 31st. The lowest temperature of the month was 0.6 at Kinbrace on the 8th.

 

August. After a dry start, it became very cool, particularly in the southeast. There was a notable cool spell midmonth, with a maximum of 16.4°C recorded at Heathrow on Friday 7th. It was 10.1°C at Kew Gardens on the 6th, then 14.5°C at Herstmonceux on the 8th,  14°C there on the 9th, 15.5°C at Heathrow on the 10th, 15.7°C at Heathrow on the 11th, and 15.4°C at Heathrow on the 12th, giving seven consecutive days below 20°C. St James Park in London recorded six consecutive days below 14°C. The very cool spell, mostly localised to the SE, saw five ground frosts, with minima below 3°C. There was a minimum of 2.3°C on the 8th at Langdon Bay (Kent). It became more settled midmonth, and often dry and calm. Overall it was mostly much cooler than average, and slightly sunnier, with 112% of the expected sunshine. It was a dry month, with 65% of average rainfall. There were two notable anticyclones towards the end of the month, Ellen (19th to 21st) and Francis (25th). Wind speeds reached just 7.9 mph at Capel Curig, Conwy during anticyclone Ellen and 8.1 mph at Needles Old Battery (Isle of Wight) during anticyclone Francis.

 

September. Overall very slightly cooler than average, but maxima were below average in the SE. An easterly start to the month. Then was another short cool spell: after a cool start to the month, it was 9.6°C at Charlwood (Surrey) on the 14th, and then 11.3°C at Frittendn (near Tunbridge Wells, Kent) on the 15th. It wasn't cool everywhere: in East Scotland it was 18-19C, and in the west of Scotland it was 23.2°C at Baltasound (Shetland). 

 The next day it was much warmer, but still quite cool, with a high of 16.8°C at Hurn near Bournemouth on the 16th. There were some unusually warm nights late in the month. On average it most mosty wet (123% rainfall) and cloudy (83%). The temperature fell to -5.0C at Altnaharra on the 4th and Braemar on the 7th.

 

October. Very settled. It was a very dry (58% of average rainfall) and very sunny (128%) month. It was particularly dry in the east. It was the fifth driest and fifth sunniest on record. About average temperatures overall, although days were slightly warmer and nights slightly cooler than average. The 3rd has been declared the driest day on average across the UK, on record. The highest temperature of the month was 19.1C at Writtle (Essex) on the 8th and the lowest -3.3C at Tyndrum (Perthshire) on the 15th.

 

November. Overall quite a cold, wet but sunny month. It was a mixed month with some dry periods and a couple of milder interludes. The month had quite a lot of northerly winds. There was very little fog, especially at the end of the month. Both maxima and minima were below average. The CET was 5.7 (-1.4C). Rainfall was 116% of average and sunshine 107%[ it tended to be drier the further west you went. The highest temperature of the month was 18.4C on the 1st at Thornes Park (West Yorkshire) and Hawarden (Clwyd); the lowest temperatue of the month was -6.1C at Aboyne (Aberdeenshire) and Cromdale (Morayshire) on the 29th. 129.2 mm of rain fell at Skye Alltdearg House (Invernessshire) on the rain day ending on the 12th.

 

December. Overall December 2020 was slightly colder than average. Mild first week, then cold and calm, with a milder final week. Anticyclone Bella brought lighter winds, dry and mild weather on the 26th. It was a dry month, with 65% of average rainfall, and slightly sunnier than average (107%), and particularly so in the north. The highest temperature of the month was 14.9C at Prestatyn in Clwyd on the 18th, and the lowest -10.2C at Dalwhinnie on the 30th.

 

[baddie]

2 hours ago, LetItSnow! said:

Moving on to the anti-1990. Both very warm years but will anti-1990 be more or less tolerable? Let's find out.

January: Generally very cold and dry; extremely high pressure readings in the last week. Amazingly, this month was slightly colder than the preceding January due to the cold being more widely focused rather than last year where the south bore the brunt. Mean monthly temperature anomalies ranged from around 2°C below normal across the Highlands to as much as 6°C below normal across parts of Wiltshire. The month started quite snowy with widespread falls on the 3rd and 4th and snow showers were quite prevalent from the 9th. Generally though, this was a very dry January for most away from eastern coastal regions; for example, eastern coastal areas of Scotland came out with high snowfall totals which lead to a very "wet" month here. Overall it was a snowier month for Scotland that the previous January but less snowy overall since pressure was high most of the time so less extreme totals than last year. The EWP average was 68% of the normal. Sunshine was well below normal almost everywhere though parts of southern and western Scotland had between 150-160% of the norm. The lowest temperature of the month came on the 15th, -20.6°C at Santon Downham, Norfolk. The highest was 11.1°C at Kinbrace, Highland Region on the 27th.

February: Extremely cold and extremely dry. This was truly an exceptional month. Across Scotland, particularly the west, it was exceptionally dry, being the driest ever recorded in the Highlands Region, the previous driest being anti-1989. This on top of a bone dry winter the previous year and a dry year overall caused great fears of an extreme drought in Scotland. Many places in that region recorded barely any precipitation all month, some none at all. It wasn't just the north that was dry, however. Anomalies were extreme further south too. Overall this was the driest February ever recorded in the UK. However, there was dry, powdery snowfall at times across central and eastern regions of England with the 19th being a particularly snowy day. This day was also exceptionally cold with highs not much above -4/-5°C all day. The 23rd saw the temperature equal the lowest ever recorded with -27.2°C at March, Cambridgeshire on the 23rd, a remarkable figure so late in the season. That night saw the temperature widely fall below -15°C and lower across much of England and Wales. It was dull in the east but sunny across Scotland, NI, Wales and parts of the southwest.

March: Very cold; an extreme contrast in precipitation between Scotland and southern England. In Scotland, once again in particular the west, there was barely any precipitation all month. Fort Augustus saw its driest ever month. This amplified drought fears and an emergency was declared. Meanwhile, England, in particular the southeast, was extremely wet, though a lot of this was heavy snowfall along with sleet and rain. Parts of Kent had over 150-200mm of precipitation all month with rain, sleet or snow recorded on every day of the month. Anomalies here ranged to as much as 400% of the norm. Despite coming after a severe winter, it was the snowiest month of the winter here. Unsurprisingly, here it was dull with sunshine totals of 60-70%, but across Scotland it was sunny with around 110-130% of the norm. Temperature anomalies ranged from around 2°C below normal in Shetland to pockets of over 4°C below normal across parts of Yorkshire. The highest temperature of the month was 14.2°C at Thorney Island, West Sussex on the 2nd. The lowest was -16.7°C at Keele, Newcastle-upon-Lyme on the 18th.

April: Generally dull and wet in most places but with temperatures close to average overall. Temperatures ranged from about 1°C degree above average in Northern Ireland to about 1°C below average in East Anglia. The month started cold but quickly warmed up to give the first widespread spell of above normal temperatures since December. The highest temperature of the month was recorded in this spell, with 22.9°C at Grendon Underwood, Bucks on the 5th. In sharp contrast, the closing days of the month were abnormally chilly with low pressure and northeasterly winds. Unusually for April, the lowest temperature of the month was recorded on the 30th with -6.8°C at Bramham, West Yorkshire. Most areas were rather wet, especially east and northeastern areas. Tynemouth, Tyne and Wear had its wettest April since anti-1912. Conversely, western Scotland tended to be very dry, exacerbating severe drought. Fort Augustus, Highlands only saw about 25% average rainfall. Sunshine totals were below average almost everywhere, apart from a few locations in western Scotland and Northern Ireland. Writtle, Essex only saw about 40% of the average. Aberdeen had its dullest April ever.

May: Cold, wet and dull. Mean monthly temperatures were below normal everywhere and ranged from around 0.5°C below normal in north-west Scotland to 3°C below normal in parts of the Midlands. There was an exceptional cold spell in the first week of the month leftover from April. From April 29th to May 6th there was a low of -5°C or lower somewhere in the UK. This frosty spell caused havoc for gardeners. It was the coldest start to May of the century. The lowest temperature of the month was -8.6°C at Gringley-on-the-Hill, Notinghamshire on the 3rd. Despite much of the month being cold, it would have been colder if not for a short hot spell from the 26th to the 28th which saw the temperature climb to 29.1°C at Cirencester, Gloucestershire on the 26th, the months highest. It was exceptionally wet overall, though some pockets of the north-east were rather drier than average. Much of England and Wales had more than double the average rainfall and parts of the south Midlands and central and southern England had 300% or more. Benson, Oxfordshire had over 360% the normal May rainfall. Even drought stricken western Scotland didn't escape the rainfall with many parts having around 150-170% the average, somewhat a relief.

June: Settled; sunny, warm and dry in most areas. Mean monthly temperatures were above normal almost everywhere, the first time since April anti-1989. Only the far north of Scotland and some north-eastern coastal areas came out around 0.5°C below normal, meanwhile across Hampshire the anomalies were about 1.5°C above normal. The 1st was a cool day but then it remained mostly warm to hot until the 26th. The 6th was the hottest day of the month with 31.6°C at Yeovilton, Somerset. There was a notably humid spell on the 12th and 13th thanks to very warm south-westerly winds which produced some notably high minima with multiple stations across eastern England recording minima no lower than 20°C. Scotland missed out on most of the warmth in this spell. Most places were dry, especially eastern Scotland; Edinburgh had its driest June on record. The drought continutes... One place that escaped dry conditions was the south-east and East Anglia, which had a wet June due to weaker pressure to the south and thundery spells. Everywhere was sunnier than average apart from Tiree which had exactly 100% of the average. Reading, Berkshire had 149% of the average June sunshine. This was the first "good" summer month since July anti-1988.

July: Very dull, extremely wet and rather cool. The month started fine and warm but deteriorated quite quickly. Still, there was some hot weather until around the 5th, particularly in the north and west with temperatures up to 30°C, the months highest being 32.4°C in Grendon Underwood, Bucks on the 3rd. Then came a thundery breakdown on the 5th. The weather became cool by the 7th and from the 11th onwards any places away from the southeast struggled to get much above 21°C for the rest of the month. Temperature anomalies ranged from almost 2°C below normal in western Wales to slightly above normal in the extreme southeast. The 11th to the 21st was a notably cool period with a southerly tracking jet stream allowing multiple low pressure systems one after another to batter the UK. Often these lows would swing the winds to the north, allowing unusually cool temperatures by both day and night. The 15th was a notably cold day with low pressure anchored in the North Sea bringing outbreaks of heavy rain, thunderstorms in places and unusually cold temperatures. Even London only managed a high of 17°C. This was indicative of much of July after the 7th. The temperature fell to -1.1°C at Kinbrace, Highlands on the 21st under a slack low and northerly winds, the months lowest. Rainfall was above average everywhere apart from the far north-west of Scotland, though west Scotland did see above average rainfall to alleviate drought. Many areas saw significant rainfall every day from the 8th to the 26th and most in the southeast saw rain every day from the 7th for the rest of the month. The southeast was extremely wet. Eastbourne, East Sussex saw 320% average rainfall. Everywhere was dull but the south more than the north. Aldergrove, Co. Antrim saw a shocking 49% of its average July sunshine.

August. Cold; dull and wet in England and Wales, dry and rather sunny in NI and northern and western Scotland. Most areas saw well below normal monthly mean temperatures, but the anomaly was far greater in the south and east than in the north west. Parts around Cambridge were as much as 3.5°C below average. The month opened with an exceptionally cool airmass from the northeast under low pressure. The temperature fell to -4.9°C at Kieldler Castle, Northumberland on the 3rd, a remarkably cold temperature for peak summer. The following day saw a high of 7.9°C at Shap, Cumbria, breaking the record for lowest maximum temperature in August. Further cool spells dominated parts of mid and late August but temperatures recovered from record low levels. There was even a brief warm s For some stations across southern England, the 14th was the first completely dry day in 38 days. Nonetheless, much of southern England saw between 150-200% of the normal August rainfall. Dry weather returned to Scotland, where northern and western parts saw between 50-75% the normal rainfall. Bad news for the ongoing drought. Broom's Barn, Suffolk had its dullest August in over 40 years.

September: Generally near normal temperatures; fairly warm in the north but rather cool in the south and east. Similarly with rainfall it was very wet in the south-east but dry in the north-west. The Highlands region saw under 50% of its average September rainfall, intensifying the severe drought across much of Scotland, all while the southeast continues to become Atlantis from excess rainfall; Folkestone had 180% of its average September rainfall. It was particularly dull in the south-west and across Wales with totals around 60%; meanwhile much of Scotland and also East Anglia were sunny, with parts of Norfolk having totals around 120%. The month started cool with temperatures pegged back into the mid-teens across much of the south-east and some cold nights in both Scotland and England; Shap, Cambridgeshire fell to -2.2°C on the 2nd. In contrast, there was a short lived hot spell from the 26th to the 28th that boosted the monthly mean; 30.5°C at Marholm, Cambridge on the 26th. Compare that to -4.9°C on August 3rd.

October: Cold and dry; sunny away from the south-east and East Anglia. It was cold everywhere with anomalies ranging from 1-2°C below average, though the Western Isles saw only slightly below normal temperatures. Extremely dry in Edinburgh where it was the driest since anti-1954. The great Scottish drought goes on... It was slightly wetter than average in some southern and eastern areas. These areas suffered in the sunshine department with East Anglia seeing totals around 70%, though everywhere else was sunny and parts of Scotland saw totals of 130-140%. Very cold spell mid-month with northerly winds and wintry showers; -9.3°C at Edinburgh on the 12th. Even further south it was unusually cold for so early in the season, with a low of -6.7°C at Woburn, Bedfordshire.

November: Cool and wet; dull in the north and west, sunny in the south and east. Slightly milder than average in the north-west but cold further south with anomalies of around 1.5°C below average in the south-east. It was very wet almost everywhere except some extreme eastern coastal areas. Across western Scotland where rainfall was desperately needed it was an exceptionally wet month with many locations exceeding totals of 200%. Paisley saw its dullest November on record and Edinburgh saw its second dullest. Parts of west Cornwall struggled with sunshine totals of around 40%. The month started mild and on the 8th it reached 17.8°C in Larkhill, Wiltshire but then it turned very cold on the 11th as low pressure switched the winds from the southwest to the northeast and the 11th to the 18th overall was a very cold period with high pressure situated over Scandinavia and winds in from the east. The temperature fell to -10.0°C at Charterhall, Berwickshire on the 12th. The easterly winds relented and temperatures returned closer to average for the rest of the month and eventually ended mild with winds in from off the Atlantic and with outbreaks of rain.

December: Changeable; mild first half, cold second half. Average temperatures hid some regional variation. Around the Borders temperatures were around 1.5°C below average but in parts of the southwest they were around 0.5°C above. Precipitation was below average in the north, unfortunate for drought easing, but above average in the south and east. Some places on the south coast recorded just under double the December average. The 7th/8th was an unusually springlike day with light and mild south-westerly winds. The mildest day of the month came on the 12th with 13.8°C at Leadhills, Strathclyde Region. The weather abrubtly shifted from mild westerlies to cold east/north-easterlies in the second-half. The temperature fell to -16.5°C at Dundrennan, Dumfries and Galloway on the 22nd then -17.0°C at Brampton, Cumbria on the 26th, the coldest day of the month. There was a very snowy spell of weather in the southeast between the 20th and the 23rd that gave widespread falls of 15-25cm. Christmas Day itself was bitterly cold but dry with high pressure in control of the weather and temperatures hovering around freezing all day and below freezing where snow cover lay.

Anomalies against the 1961-1990 (the real one!):

-1.8°C (-5.6) -1.4°C (-5.2) 3.1°C (-2.6) 8.0°C (+0.1) 9.8°C (-1.4) 14.9°C (+0.8) 14.9°C (-1.2) 13.8°C (-2.0) 13.6°C (Avg) 8.1°C (-2.5) 5.6°C (-0.9) 4.1°C (-0.5) / 7.73°C (-1.47)

Would you think this was worse than the anti-1989? One thing interesting about this is that it shows the interesting divide in rainfall this year. No doubt this year would have seen an extreme amount of northern blocking and probably would have provided some interesting charts. It very much is reminiscent of a year in the 1690s.

 

Anti-1995 would look interesting, particularly the August

[Summer8906]

22 hours ago, baddie said:

I would say it was average temperatures

July and December would be fun to write about. But August, September, October and November, pretty boring months to flip

Someone should do an anti-1996 or anti-2020

Anti-2020 is an idea. Anti-1996 might be a bit boring, given that the real year had an interesting winter and summer.

16 hours ago, baddie said:

Anti-1995 would look interesting, particularly the August

Very, very grim apart from January, February, September and November though...

Edited January 6 by Summer8906

[SqueakheartLW]

On 01/01/2024 at 18:35, East Lancs Rain said:

July. Exceptionally cool at 13.1 CET making it even worse than July 1988. It was particularly cold in the South and East. The first half was cyclonic and was wet, cloudy, and cool everywhere. It was more settled in the second half, particularly in the north. There was a notable cool spell towards the end of the month. There was a high of just 13.3°C at Santon Downham (Suffolk) on the 23rd, and a minimum of -11C at London St James Park overnight on the 26-27, and a maximum of just 14.1°C at Gravesend on the 27th. The passing through of the cold front came with some severe flooding. 99 mm of rain was recorded at Belfast on the 28th. On average rainfall was 129%, but it was very wet in East Anglia. It was a dull month with just 63% of average (the sixth dullest July since 1929). Morecambe Bay in Cumbria recorded just 11.9 hours of sunshine from 1st to 7th July.

Are you sure of a minimum of -11C in July. That would seriously smash all records?

[baddie]

1 hour ago, Summer8906 said:

Anti-1996 might be a bit boring, given that the real year had an interesting winter and summer.

January, February, March and May will also be interesting ones to flip

[LetItSnow!]

49 minutes ago, SqueakheartLW said:

Are you sure of a minimum of -11C in July. That would seriously smash all records?

The minimum record for July is about minus 2 so it would be an astonishing feat and would probably only be doable in a nuclear winter/sun dimming experiment!

[SqueakheartLW]

On 04/01/2024 at 16:34, baddie said:

Anti-2013


Part 1 (January-June)

January - Northerly winds brought cold and dry first and last week, sandwiching a mild, wet and windy middle. There were some very cold nights at the start, with -12.7c in Norfolk on the 7th. The 16th/17th were exceptionally mild, with a high of 16.8c in London on the 16th, which is the highest since 2003. the 12th/13th were extremely windy, with gusts of over 80mph in localised spots. The end of the month was cold and snowy, with depths of over 6 inches in most parts on the 29th and 30th, however it instantly turned milder on the 31st. Due to the mild 2nd and 3rd week, the month was milder than average, with a CET of 5.2c. The month was wetter than average, with up to 150% of the average rainfall, with some places in London seeing double the average. Sunshine totals were above average, mostly due to the first 8 days, with 150% of average totals making it the 2nd sunniest on record

February - A mild month, but not exceptionally so (CET 6c). The first half was was anticyclonic and dry, the second half unsettled. The first few days were quite cold at night, especially in the South and East. It turned milder on the 5th, and then very mild and sunny on the 11th-13th, with maximum temperatures of 15c in many places. The 14th-19th was cold and wet, then milder, but unsettled from the 20th to the end. The highest temperature of the month was 16.6C in Heathrow on the 13th and the lowest -8.5c at Santon Downham on the 4th. Rainfall totals were slightly above average, but mostly during the second half. Sunshine totals were well above average in the South, but dull from York northwards

March - Extremely mild (CET 10c), and the mildest on record in most parts of the country, and the first March ever to record a CET of 10c. This beats 1957s record by almost 1c. Maximum temperatures were 5-6c above average in most parts. The month started wet and windy, with some strong winds on the 4th. The 5th was the only day to record a maximum temperature below 10c, which itself is the average of March. Southerlies brought in a week of warm and sunny conditions from the 6th, culminating at highs of 21.8c in Heathrow on the 11th. The 13th and 14th were briefly wetter, but still warm and bright. After a short break to near average temperatures, the warm and sunny Southerlies returned on the 20th, with record breaking maximas on the 22nd-25th, with 25c recorded somewhere each day, and 26.7c in Kent on the 25th. The warm sunshine remained on the 26th and 27th, with 20c still being reached. The last 4 days turned much more humid, but remained warm. The Easter weekend was very thundery, with some severe ones in the South on Easter Sunday (31st), and in the NE on Good Friday (29th). As a result of this being an extremely Southerly month, this was the sunniest March on record, with 190 hours of sunshine (Typical for July, not March!!!). rainfall was near average, due to the first and last few days. Wow, this month defeated March 2012

April - Warm (Despite the snow in the 4th week) and wet (CET 9.6c). Unusually this was colder than March, but April was still almost 1c warmer than average, despite the snow event on the. For the first 12 days, the southerly winds that made March so warm continued to dominate. There were some very warm days at the start of the month: the daytime maximum was 23.7c on the 2nd in London, and 24.1c on the 4th in Kent. However, the first few days was quite humid and changeable, with frequent showers. There were torrential thunderstorms between the 9th and 12th, with some areas seeing the amount of rainfall you would expect for the whole of April, in the first 12 days. The weather changed however on the 13th as winds turned to a more Northerly direction. The 14th-16th marked a return to average maximas and frosty nights. The second half turned much cooler by both day and night, but remained changeable. After brief mild and wet conditions on the 19th/20th, the northerlies eventually brought in late season snow on the 23rd-25th, as maximas were over 15c colder than the month previous. Heavy thundersnow on the 23rd, resulted in 5cm of lying snow in the Midlands and Eastern areas on the 24th. This replenished again into the 25th, with even more fresh snow. A low pressure front bringing rain took place on the 26th, and temperatures returned to average values to end the month. April ended up wetter than average, with some areas in the SE seeing twice the average rainfall, while it was mostly dry in the West. Sunshine totals were close to or slightly above average. By mid-month, nature was already a month ahead of where it should be 

May - Warm again (CET 12.8c), and the warmest since 2008. The 10 days was cool and changeable. The Bank Holiday was the coldest since 1978, with a maxima below 10c. The rest of the month was mainly Southerly dominated, with plenty of settled and bright weather. The 11th-16th were warm and sunny, but a surge of hot air moved through on the 17th, with highest temperatures at 25.8c in Norfolk, then 26.6c in London on the 18th. There were severe thunderstorms that evenings, and the warmth retreated by the 19th, but came back again on the 22nd. The highest temperature of the month was 27.6c in Leicestershire on the 24th. It turned instantly wetter on the 25th and 26th, but sunny again on the 27th. The last 4 days were mixed; Warm, sunny and dry on the 28th and 29th, then Cool and wet on the 30th and 31st. Rainfall totals ended up around or slightly above average overall, with Sunshine totals around average in most places

June - Very Wet, but not as wet as 2007 or 2012. It was warmer than average but not exceptionally so, with a CET of 15c. The first 10 days were quite SW dominated and was very mixed, with warm and sunny days, and persistant rain on some other days. The 11th-15th turned more settled at times. However, thunderstorms arrived on the 15th and 16th, and some downpours were very heavy, resulting in local flash flooding. The 17th-19th were much cooler, and rainfall arrived in the form on bands, as a result of W winds. High pressure briefly arrived on the 20th, and resulted in temperatures on the rise. The solistice was a clear, sunny day with maximum temperatures at 26c widely, and 28c in London. The next 3 days remained hot and sunny, with the highest temperatures of the month (and year) culminating at 30.8c at Heathrow on the 23rd. Thundery breakdowns occured late on the 24th, and many were severe, causing disruption and flash flooding. A return to cooler and wetter conditions was marked on the 25th, and this was a teaser for July. The rest of the month was changeble, barring a clear warm, sunny day on the 28th. It also turned increasingly windy by the 29th an 30th, with some gusts of up to 60mph in some localised spots in the NW. The 30th was a cool, wet and windy day, with the maximum temperature being just 14c. The month ended up wetter than average, with around 150% of average rainfall in the South, and twice the average rainfall in the East. The North and West reported close to or below average rainfall. Sunshine was around average, but brighter in the East compared to the West

Just thought I'd add this one to your anti 2013. Anti 2013 was most famous for it's Sudden Stratospheric COOLING event

After the biggest Canadian Warming on record in Anti Autumn 2012 that destroyed the polar vortex before it had got fully up to speed leaving record breaking warm temps in the stratosphere during Anti late November 2012 and through Anti December 2012 it was looking odds on for a 1962/63 winter repeat with the record breaking 60N 10hpa zonal easterlies for this time period but like the usual bad luck we get in the UK we saw a substantial record breaking Sudden Stratospheric COOLING event get going at the end of Anti December 2012, peaking early Anti January 2013 so what looked like a promising cold winter for the coldies all went to pieces during Anti January 2013 and the rest of the period from Mid Anti January 2013 to early Anti April 2013 was noting short of a mild bore fest with the mildest of the weather occurring during Anti March 2013 with some record breaking warmth in the last 10 days of the month especially.

[East Lancs Rain]

3 hours ago, SqueakheartLW said:

Are you sure of a minimum of -11C in July. That would seriously smash all records?

Perhaps a tad cold for July, yes…

 

 

Now, here’s the anti 2011! A very interesting year to flip around.

 

 

After the exceptionally mild December of anti 2010, the mild winter continued until the middle of January, but then things turned much colder. Winter 2010-11 was very sunny in the South East and very dull in the NW, particularly Northern Ireland, where it was the dullest winter on record. March and April together were the wettest since anti 1938. Overfall spring was the coldest on record (6.8). The cold spring was followed by a warm and pleasant summer, the only warm part of the year: with an average of 16.4°C, you have to go back to anti 1985 for a better summer, and to anti 1993 for a better high summer. What's more, all months were above average temperature, despite the year being cold overall. It was a very cold autumn, with an average of just 8.3, the coldest autumn for a really long time. There was a notable late September cold snap, with new record lows for late September, December was a very easterly month with several severe cold snaps, and a very cold Christmas and New Year's Eve. Overall it was an exceptionally cold year (at 8.8°C), with an unusually cold spring and autumn, but with a decent summer.

 

 

January. Mild and settled with no snow until the 16th, then mostly cyclonic. It was cold in the south from the 12th-16th, but generally mild, meaning that overall the month was slightly milder than average. Temperatures ranged from -14.5C at Pershore (Worcs.) on the 13th to 15C at Altnaharra on the 7-8th. The lowest maximum was -3.9C at Strathallan (Perthshire) on the 17th. It was slightly wetter than average, with 112% of the England and Wales average. It was quite a wet month in Northern Ireland, ranging from 25 mm at Inveruglas (Dunbartonshire) to 150 mm at Dishforth (North Yorkshire). Sunshine was about average, although sunshine was well below average in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Cornwall was the cloudiest place to be.

 

February. Generally cold but sunny. It was the coldest February for nearly 10 years. The highest maximum was 15.5C at Writtle (Essex) on the 5th, the lowest minimum -16.5C at Altnaharra on the morning of the 1st. It was drier than average, with 68% of average across England and Wales. It was very dry in Scotland (17%). It was drier in the west and wetter in the southeast. Average England and Wales sunshine was 135% of the mean; it was duller in the north, sunnier in the southeast.

 

March. Very wet, quite cloudy. Mostly cyclonic, warm beginning, settled end. The third week was quite cold; the temperature was just 5.6°C at Chivenor (Devon) on the 25th. Some chilly days but relatively mild nights, as is common with cyclonic months. Overall a little colder than average, but it was colder than average in the east and southeast, but warmer than average elsewhere. The lowest temperature of the month was -7.5C at Braemar on the morning of the 18th. At Dalwhinnie the maximum on the 18th was just -0.5C. Sunshine in E&W was just 66% of the average, Weymouth saw just 59 hours. It was the wetness however that was most noteworthy, with an average of 165% of the 1971-2000 average, making it the 10th wettest of the last century, and the wettest since anti 1990. Cambridge was the wettest place of all, with 200 mm of rain; it had rained there every day for 31 days, ending on March 21st.

 

April. The coldest April on record. Colder than March and as cold as a typical January with a CET of just 4.1C! The month was also very wet and dull. The average England and Wales rainfall was 179% of average, making the wettest since anti 2007 and the 6th wettest in the last 100 years) and there was much more frost and snow than usual. It was much wetter than average in most places apart from parts of Cumbria and West Scotland; Moulton Park (Northants) recorded over 100 mm of rain. Amazingly, the temperature was even colder than the exceptionally bad April of anti 2007. It was particularly cold in the southeast, with many days there failing to reach 10°C, with lots of cloud and rain most days, but significantly warmer at times on parts of the east coasts of England and Scotland. The England and Wales average sunshine was just 50% of the 70-00 mean), making it the dullest April again since anti 2007, with only three duller Aprils in the last 100 years. Chichester saw just 27 hours of sunshine all month. After a mild first few days, the weather became very cold and dull in the south and east. Daytime temperatures below 5C were widespread on Wednesday 6th, with a high of just 3.9C at Santon Downham (Suffolk), 3.7C at the Olympic Site and 3.6C recorded at St James Park, London. There was a mix of cold rain, sleet and snow in many places. Many hills had snow on them nearly all month. Nearly as low temperatures continued for a few days. The next week was quite chilly too, with highs in single digits in most places, it was just 2.8C at Aboyne on the 11th. Continuing cold, with a very cold third week, particularly in the south and east. There were snow flurries in London on the 21st. The coldest Easter (it was late, Easter falling on 24 April) on record. There was a low of -17.8°C at Wisley on the 23rd, the coldest April night since 1949 and the lowest temperature of the month. The temperature rose a bit on Easter Sunday, the 24th, with a thaw and some cold rain in many places. The highest temperature of the month was just 15.4°C at Heathrow on the 26th; and there a minimum of -14.8C at Wych Cross, Sussex on the 27th. I think I would now make this month my most interesting April on record, for all the wrong reasons.

 

May. Another poor month, although much warmer than April (CET 10.6). Dry in the north and west and very wet in the southeast. The fourth most northeasterly month in well over a hundred years of records. The highest temperature of the month was only 20.4C at Weybourne on the 17th, the lowest -16.3C at Altnaharra on the 14th. Rainfall averaged over England and Wales was 120% of the 71-00 average. It was very dry in Scotland (just 18 mm). Cluanie in Wester Ross had 4.6 mm, while Manston (Kent) had 400 mm, with some flooding. It was slightly duller than average (93%); Manston only saw 73 hours. There was a very nice day on Monday 23 May. There was a brief ridge of high pressure that saw temperatures rise into the high teens in the south.

 

 

June. Although there were spells of cool and wet weather right at the beginning and end of the month, overall June was quite warm and settled, with an average just a little above the long-term - although this made it the warmest June since anti 1991 (although anti 1999 and anti 2008 were close). There was a lot of rain and cool temperatures at the start of the month. There was a lot of rain in the SE at the end of the month. 29.9 mm was recorded in St James's Park, London, on Sunday 26th, and 33.3 mm at the East London Olympic Site closely followed by 33.1 mm at Gravesend on the 27th. Temperatures were only in the mid teens at best. The lowest minimum was -1.9C at Altnaharra on the morning of the 30th. There was an usually late air frost at Benson (Oxfordshire) on the 26th - the overnight temperature fell to -0.1C. It was quite dry, with an England and Wales rainfall average of 78%, although it was drier in the west and still quite wet in parts of the east. Scotland and Wales were also drier than average. It was slightly duller than average in the south, around  90%. Sussex was the dullest place and SW Scotland the most sunny.

 

July. A warm month, with frequent S and SW winds; the warmest on average since anti 2007, and locally in the south since anti 1988. There was a wet, cool beginning and then very settled with some sunshine and warm weather. After a wet week, there was a high of 32°C at London on the 4th and 31°C on the 9th. The 5th and 6th were particularly hot in east Scotland. The 18th was a hot day, with maxima of around 32°C in the West, Wales, and in Lancashire and Cheshire. It was a cool end to the month in the south and east. The highest temperature of the month was 33.5C at Olympic Park (London) on the 5th; the highest temperature of the summer, the lowest was 0.8C at Kinbrace (Sutherland) on the 23rd. It was very slightly drier than average, 94% of England and Wales average, although there was wide regional variation, Colwyn Bay in North Wales had just 18 mm all month, while Orkney had 193 mm. Sunshine was very close to average, although it was duller than average in Northern Ireland. Bournemouth saw the most sunshine, with 258 hours, and Dublin the least (with just 64 hours).

 

August. After a cool and wet start the month was warm and settled, with the overall result that the month was slightly warmer than average. It was particularly warm in Scotland. It was slightly drier than average (82%),and much drier in Scotland (21%), and it was particularly dry in east Scotland. It was a very sunny month (England and Wales average of 126% of the average, the sunniest since the sunny month of anti August 2008). There was a very wet day in the southeast at the start of the month. There was 30.3 mm at Swanscombe (Kent) on the 3rd, and máxima were below 20°C everywhere. There was some hot weather midmonth. There was a high of 30°C at Bournemouth on the 18th, leading to wildfires in the area. At Stratfied Mortimer in Berkshire a high of 31°C was recorded. The 28th was also a hot day; the maximum at Luton was 33.3C, the highest in the area in August since anti 1978; at Whipsnade the maximum was 32.3°C.

 

September. A cool, changeable, very northeasterly month. Overall about 1.5C below the long-term CET average. The lowest temperature came right at the end; the lowest was -10.4C at Tyndrum on the 30th. Quite wet in England and Wales, with 131% of the long-term average, although it was slightly drier than average in Scotland and Northern Ireland. It was slightly duller than average (92%). On the 12th anticyclone Katia brought some calm and sunny weather to the north. There was a remarkable cold snap at the end month, giving some of the lowest daytime temperatures in September for a very long time. It was just 8.8°C at Lerwick on the 29th, and 9.2°C at Glasgow and in Aberdeen on the 30th. There was a lot of cloud and rain too.

 

October. Overall a very cool and changeable month. It was the seventh coldest October on record. Most notably, the cold snap at the end of September continues, it is just 9.9C at Manchester on the 1st. On the same day there is 28.2 mm of rain at Hawarden (Flint). The lowest temperature of the month was -13.3C at Lynford (Norfolk) early on the 2nd. Rainfall overall was a little higher than average, with an England and Wales average of (106%), although there was wide regional variations. It was drier in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Glasgow saw just 13 mm all month. There was some very dry weather in the final week. Casement (Northern Ireland) recorded just 8.6 mm all month. It was slightly duller than average (91%).

 

November. The second coldest November on record, beaten only by anti 1994. A month with winds mostly from a northerly direction. It was coldest on the north coast, with a maximum of -2.1°C at John O’ Groats on the 13th, and a minimum of -16.9C at Carleton, Skipton (North Yorks.) on the 17th. It was a wet month in England and Wales, with 153 mm of rain (also 153% of the average), although it was closer to average in Scotland and Northern Ireland. It was unusually snowy too. It was very wet in eastern England, with 111 mm at Bridlington, and very dry in the Glasgow region. Sunshine was almost exactly average, but still the highest for seven years, although it was dull in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Kinloss (Morayshire) had just 29 hours, while Plymouth had 129 hours.

 

December. A very easterly month with frequent snow (the second most easterly December on record). The winds were very light. Overall it was colder than average, making it the coldest December since anti 2006, although it was coldest in southern England and mildest in Northern Ireland. The highest temperature of the month was 15.5C at Fyvie (Aberdeenshire) on the 6th, and the lowest -9.4C in rural Hertfordshire early on the 8th. There was a high of 13.0C at Aviemore on the 16th, while on the same day, London did not get above freezing. It was slightly drier than average in England and Wales, with 85%, much of this was snow. Although it was duller than the long-term average, it was the sunniest December for some years. A phenomenal snow event causes widespread disruption on Thursday 8th, especially to central and southern England. Major roads shut. There is 16.5 cm of snow recorded on Cairngorm. It's a cold white Christmas, with a high of just -5.1C recorded at Aberdeen. Northern Ireland had its coldest Christmas Day on record: a low of -14.3C at Murlough, County Down, while Dyce in Scotland had a low of -15.1 ºC, with daytime temperatures well below freezing. It's also a very snowy day, especially across the north, with 101 cm of snow at Sella Ness in Shetland and heavy snowfall in Orkney and Shetland. There was another severely cold day in central Scotland on the 28th. The month saw the coldest New Year's Eve (31st) of recent times, with a low of -14.8C, at Braemar (until anti 2022).

 

 

 

CET:

 

Jan: 4.6°C (+0.4)

Feb: 1.9°C (-2.3)

Mar: 5.6°C (-0.6)

Apr: 4.1°C (-3.9)

May: 10.6°C (-0.8°C)

Jun: 14.7°C (+0.5)

Jul: 17.7°C (+1.2)

Aug: 16.9°C (+0.7)

Sep: 12.3°C (-1.4)

Oct: 8.5°C (-2.0)

Nov: 4.3°C (-2.6)

Dec: 4.1°C (-0.9)

 

Note - Averages are based on the 1981-2010 average (I think!)

[Summer8906]

Time for another one, and one of the years people often moan about is 2002. So here's the flipped version; was the real year as bad as made out or maybe not as bad as all that?

January: the year starts in the same vein as the previous very mild, wet, and near-record-dull December of anti-2001 with blowtorch SWlies, waving fronts, persistent rain and drizzle, and flatlining mild temps (around 13C by day and 11C by night). This however only lasts for the first 3 days and following a cold front on the 4th, much brighter NWlies with coastal showers and average temps set in.

The next week is somewhat cyclonic with a flabby low generally north or east of the UK with winds generally veering from NW to NE. Consequently it's very bright, with coastal showers, increasingly wintry, though due to a long sea track it's not spectacularly cold, but temps do steadily fall from near average to around 2C below during this week.

From the weekend of the 12th/13th the low sinks southeastwards and a powerful Scandi-Greenland high slides down from the north. Strong and very cold easterlies take over producing daytime temps not much above zero along with prolonged sunshine in most areas. Such weather persists until the end of the month; occasional east-west moving disturbances produce, in addition, some longer spells of snow in eastern and southern areas so that there is an extensive snow cover by month's end.

Overall a very cold, sunny and rather dry month.

February: the first few days continue the theme of most of January, with strong easterlies, becoming very anticyclonic over the first weekend with much sunshine and spectacularly low night time temps over snow cover, down to -20C in some areas of central England. However after the first week or so a change of sorts does occur with a somewhat less cold and rather dull ESE-ly; as a result there is a gradual and slow thaw. Approaching mid-month pressure falls and a series of active Atlantic lows on a WNW-ESE track produce the first actual rain (as opposed to snow) for more than a month. The lows are deep and pass straight across central England so sunshine is rather limited, but equally the frequent winds from a northwesterly quarter mean it's not mild: nights are a little warmer than average but days are average.

After midmonth the low track moves further south into France and dry, sunny easterlies take over once again. It's cold but less so than in January.

Overall drier than average, and colder with (IIRC) average sunshine.

March: yet another cold month dominated by easterlies. Up to the spring equinox, mostly anticyclonic easterlies are the main weather type, interrupted by occasional temporary disturbances producing cold rain or wintry showers. Shortly after the equinox a fall of pressure occurs and the remainder of the month is dominated by Atlantic lows moving again on a WNW-ESE track, mostly over the south of the country. Consequently, like the similar spell in February it's wet, dull, but also on the cold side particularly by day.

The first three weeks were drier and sunnier than normal, but the last week was phenomenally wet and dull so in the south, the month ends up marginally duller and wetter than normal. Another cold month.

April: a pattern change this month. Gone are the easterlies and the first three weeks or so are dominated by an unseasonable procession of Atlantic lows. At the start of the month and in the third week these mostly move WNW-ESE and consequently it's cold, while in the second week they move more on a SW-NE track producing mild nights and average days. It's unseasonably dull and very wet with some unseasonably strong winds too. The mid-spring month is this year not at all spring-like and the year so far is very notable for lacking any weather which is both warm and sunny; indeed the media are labelling it as the "year without a spring".

Around the start of the fourth week winds switch to northerly and the fourth week is very cold with an Arctic blast, "kitchen sink" showers of hail, sleet, snow and thunder, and some organised late snow from polar lows. In the last few days of the month an Atlantic anticyclone finally moves in and the weather becomes dry, sunny, warm by day (maxing out in the high teens - the highest all year so far) with some frosty nights.

Overall hardly surprising that this is a very dull and wet month. Temps are below average, particularly by day, the fourth consecutive such month.

May: the month begins as April left off, anticyclonic, fairly sunny and rather warm. Around the May Day weekend however, Atlantic westerlies take over and for around a week a series of active frontal systems produce some organised rain, though there are distinct ridges between the systems and as a result sunshine is reasonable. The last low in the sequence takes a more southerly track with Sun 12th a dull wet day with easterlies, but from then on the anticyclonic weather is back and the remainder of the month is dry, warm by day but cold by night, and sunny with anticyclonic easterlies. There is just one interruption, a brief potent northerly around the 16th-17th, while on the 31st pressure falls bringing wet weather into the SW.

Overall the month is drier and sunnier than average. Temps a little below average due to many cold nights, so as a result all months so far this year are below average.

June: another year with a Jubilee-related deferred holiday and the 1st, a Saturday, sees May's fine spell abruptly end with an Atlantic low crossing the country producing a very wet, cold and dull day. However this is a one off and easterly anticyclonic weather returns on the 2nd, the remainder of the holiday being sunny, warm though with low pressure over France there are some isolated showers. Post-weekend the anticyclone strengthens and the next 3 or 4 days are spectacularly sunny, with barely a cloud to be seen. Similar weather continues until the 14th though there is more in the way of fair-weather cloud around. During this period it is moderately warm with temps in the low-to-mid-20s.

On the 15th the high retrogresses and that weekend, a northerly plunge produces cool weather, sunny starts but afternoons of extensive thundery hail showers. The anticyclone then moves north and allows a series of active Atlantic lows to move in from the SW producing predominantly wet weather until the 29th, though ridges do produce occasional sunnier periods. It's not especially cool, though. A notable exception is the strong ridge on the 21st producing a very sunny day. At last on the 30th the last Atlantic low clears and the Azores high builds in to produce a warm and sunny end to the month.

Very much a month of two halves; it comes out at around average overall, perhaps a shade drier and sunnier than normal with very average temps.

July: like June, this is a month of two halves. The first 12 days are anticyclonic, very sunny, and hot with temps in the 26-32C range, maxing at 34C in the London area. However on Sat 13th, Atlantic low pressure moves in (following a spectacular thundery breakdown overnight 12th/13th) and until the 18th a series of Atlantic lows produce dull, wet and cool weather. From the 19th to the 21st a small anticyclone produces a sunnier interlude with average temps though a potent northerly then takes hold for a few days producing sunny starts but afternoons of isolated slow-moving thundery showers with hail. Temps are not far from average by day but with cold nights. From around the 26th the northerly strengthens and showers become more widespread with sunshine limited to early morning and late evening. It becomes cool with temps failing to reach 20C anywhere, and exposed places are restricted to the mid-teens. The last two days of the month see pressure rise from the west and it becomes drier with variable cloud but still on the cool side. Of note are the very cool nights of the final 10 days or so.

Overall a dry month though some areas are wet due to the showery nature of most of the rainfall, while others which miss the showers are very dry. It also ends up sunnier than average due to the very sunny first 12 days, though much of the sunshine after that is in the morning and evening with generally cloudy afternoons due to convection. Slightly warmer than average, despite frequent cool weather particularly at night late in the month, due to the hot first 12 days.

August: the first week or so produces a rather weak and slack anticyclone with very variable winds, mostly from the northerly half of the compass. It's mostly rather cool, notably at night and it's sunny at times though there are cloudier periods and a few showers.  On the 7th a stronger anticyclone moves from north of Scotland to the North Sea producing a brief hot and sunny spell with temps climbing to 32 or 33C in places. Following this the anticyclone retrogresses into the Atlantic and a breezy northeasterly takes hold, dull towards the southeast and sunnier towards the northwest. Pressure then falls further around the 13th and a rather cyclonic northerly takes over, not for the first time this summer, and as a result there are yet more days with sunny starts and afternoon thundery showers. Days and particularly nights are cool Around the weekend of the 17th/18th Atlantic high pressure moves back in and for about a week an ill-defined and weakly cyclonic type produces further cool weather with variable cloud and some showers about.

Following this the final week is dominated by Atlantic southwesterlies producing frequent heavy rain and rather cool temperatures. The last low becomes static over the country on the 31st, a day of heavy downpours and rather large cloud amounts though lighter winds lift temps up to or a little over the seasonal average.

Due to extensive showers and more general rain in the second half of the month, this is a wet month, very wet in areas which catch the showers but close to average in spots which miss them. It's also cool though sunshine is not far from average, due (like much of the summer) to sunny mornings and evenings; afternoons being generally cloudy and often showery.

September: the first three days continue late August's cyclonic SW-ly type with more heavy rain and dull skies together with cool temps. However around the 4th the Azores high builds for a few days, and a sunny and warm interlude with temps rising to the mid-20s follows. The spell peaks on the 9th with a plume from North Africa and sunny, hot weather with 30C reached in places. However, a severe thundery breakdown occurs on the 10th and the remainder of the month sees the cyclonic SW-ly type return. As a result, the month is very wet and very dull overall, one of the wettest and dullest on record. Late in the month there is a veer to a more WNW-ly direction and temps drop more definitely below average while remaining thoroughly wet.

Overall, no surprise that this is a wet, dull and cool month.

October: the first 10 days keep late September's cool, dull and wet theme going with a continuing series of Atlantic lows. However on the 11th there is an abrupt change as the Azores high builds and intensifies and as a result much of the rest of the month is sunny, dry and warm by day, particularly around mind-month. The final week sees a strengthening E-ly or NE-ly wind in the south with low pressure over France and as a result some showers develop though it remains predominantly sunny. Overall somewhat on the warm side as well as dry and sunny, the Indian summer compensating for a rather poor summer-autumn transition period.

November: an extremely anticyclonic month. High pressure is static throughout the month and winds are easterly. Night-time frosts are severe and the month is one of the most notable on record for a combination of cold, dry and sunny. Some areas in the southwest see no precipitation whatsoever all month.

December: the first week continues as November left off. However for around two weeks mild, dull, wet and stormy Atlantic conditions take over (though a ridge produces fine weather during the middle weekend) before a further change to renewed dry and cold easterlies around the 20th. Dry, cold and sunny easterlies then persist until almost the end of the year though the final day sees mild SWlies, though it remains dry. In the closing hours of the year a cold front reintroduces colder N-lies by midnight over many areas.

Overall the dry, cold and sunny weather outweighs the mild, dull and wet mid-month period and as a consequence it's another dry, sunny and cold month.

So overall, was anti-2002 a great year? I'd say rather mixed. Some months, notably Jan, Feb, and Nov were distinctly interesting. However the spring had a tendency to cold and wet, April and September were terrible, and the summer was best described as mixed though on the sunny side. So perhaps the real 2002 wasn't as bad as all that...

Edited January 7 by Summer8906

[baddie]

Wouldnt an anti-2003 be interesting?? It would certainly be a terrible year

Anti-2005 an interesting one too, especially the March

Edited January 9 by baddie

[SqueakheartLW]

21 hours ago, baddie said:

Wouldnt an anti-2003 be interesting?? It would certainly be a terrible year

Anti-2005 an interesting one too, especially the March

Anti 2003 from memory would lead to the following

Anti January 2003 = Still very much average as the cold and mild spells/snaps cancelled each other out anyway

Anti February 2003 = Would flip from colder and drier to milder and wetter

Anti March 2003 = Don't particularly remember this month

Anti April 2003 = We would lose that nice warm spell I remember

Anti May 2003 = I think this month would improve in it's anti form

Anti June 2003 = Flip from warm and wet to cool and dry

Anti July 2003 = Flip from warm and mixed to cool and mixed

Anti August 2003 = Flip from very warm and dry to cool and wet

Anti September 2003 = Would flip from warm start and chilly end to cool start and very warm end. Would also become wetter overall

Anti October 2003 = Don't remember this month much

Anti November 2003 = Don't remember this month much

Anti December 2003 = Generally would flip from mild and wet to cold and dry

 

Anti 2005

Anti January 2005 - Flips to cold first half and milder second half

Anti February 2005 - Flips to cold first half and milder second half

Anti March 2005 - Flips to warm first half and cold second half

Anti April 2005 - Generally average but has late cold snap instead of an early one

Anti May 2005 - Becomes cooler and more unsettled but with late warm snap and a cold early snap

Anti June 2005 - Flips to cool and unsettled with a warm dry final week

Anti July 2005 - Flips to hot start and end with a cooler unsettled period in the middle

Anti August 2005 - Generally remains close to average

Anti September 2005 - Flips to chilly start with a hotter spell later on

Anti October 2005 - Flips to hot start with a general cooling trend as the month goes on. Arctic blast at the end of the month

Anti November 2005 - Flips to Arctic northerlies dominate first half. Mild second half

Anti December 2005 - Flips to cold and snowy until around Christmas. Very mild final week.

[B87]

On 06/01/2024 at 20:11, LetItSnow! said:

The minimum record for July is about minus 2 so it would be an astonishing feat and would probably only be doable in a nuclear winter/sun dimming experiment!

St James's Park does not have a record low of -2c in July. I'd be surprised if it was below 7 or 8c. Infact, I don't think St James's Park has even seen -11c before, let alone in a summer month.

[LetItSnow!]

5 minutes ago, B87 said:

St James's Park does not have a record low of -2c in July. I'd be surprised if it was below 7 or 8c. Infact, I don't think St James's Park has even seen -11c before, let alone in a summer month.

For the UK. I wasn't reffering to St. James's Park.

[Summer8906]

On 10/01/2024 at 21:10, SqueakheartLW said:

Anti 2003 from memory would lead to the following

Anti January 2003 = Still very much average as the cold and mild spells/snaps cancelled each other out anyway

Anti February 2003 = Would flip from colder and drier to milder and wetter

Anti March 2003 = Don't particularly remember this month

Anti April 2003 = We would lose that nice warm spell I remember

Anti May 2003 = I think this month would improve in it's anti form

Anti June 2003 = Flip from warm and wet to cool and dry

Anti July 2003 = Flip from warm and mixed to cool and mixed

Anti August 2003 = Flip from very warm and dry to cool and wet

Anti September 2003 = Would flip from warm start and chilly end to cool start and very warm end. Would also become wetter overall

Anti October 2003 = Don't remember this month much

Anti November 2003 = Don't remember this month much

Anti December 2003 = Generally would flip from mild and wet to cold and dry

 

 

Anti-2003 would certainly be mostly horrendous, with a decent May, OK November and average December.

January anti-2003: very dull, mild and wet from the 3rd-11th. Then mostly on the cold side until the 27th with variable rainfall and occasional brighter days. Arctic northerly plunge around the 25th-27th producing heavy snow even in the south followed on the 28th by the sudden arrival of blowtorch SWlies and an extremely rapid thaw. Month ends extremely mild, dull and drizzly. Record dull month, also rather wet, with average temps

February: Mixed temp-wise but dull and wet

March: Dull, wet and cold. Perhaps some widespread snowfalls might give some interest though. Perhaps rather like March 2018

April: Very Atlantic-dominated for first three weeks, very dull with temps close to average but mostly rather cool. Final part of the month dry, sunny and rather warm

May: predominantly dry and sunny until around the 23rd then dull, cold and wet.

June: a cool or cold month with dull wet weather but several short interludes of dry and sunny. Dull overall

July: Cool but sunshine and rainfall not far from average. Very cool, dull and wet from around the 7th-16th otherwise dry and rather cool with occasional warm days. With average sunshine the sequence of dull months breaks

August: Exceptionally cool, dull and wet first two weeks with nowhere even reaching 20C. The 10th sees nowhere in the UK even exceed 15C, the coldest early August day for a long time, Second half more normal but still rather wet. Brief heat spike at end of month. Dull.

September: Another cool, dull and wet month with brief warm sunny spell around the first weekend.

October: Dull and wet, very Atlantic-dominated, last week much drier and sunnier

November: a mixed and somewhat cold month

December: average, varying synoptics

Edited January 13 by Summer8906

[Summer8906]

I know it's been a while, but here's another one of these.

My favourites to invert are those years which in real life were rather dull and wet with mild winters and cool summers. A particularly prominent example of such a year is 1998, which was basically constantly unsettled aside from Feb, May, Aug and Oct.

So what of the anti-1998?

January

The year starts with a sunny and cold day with hard frost early and late under a huge anticyclone. Such a setup remains in place for the first 9 days or so, an intense anticyclone over the country with mostly very light winds, from the east. Consequently there is a very notable freezing fog episode, peaking between around the 4th-8th. As a result of the fog temps remain below freezing by day in some areas.

Around the 9th northeasterly winds freshen, clearing the fog and an intensely cold NE-ly develops until around the 12th. A deep low passes NE-SW over the near continent, and fronts from this low produce heavy snow throughout the southeastern half of the country. It's also distinctly dull and daytime temps struggle to reach freezing.

From around the 13th-16th a dry easterly takes hold, though it's slightly less cold with daytime temps around 3C or so. There is a slight thaw but most places retain a snow cover.

From the 18th there is a big change, as a large Atlantic low moves in. On that day there is a snow-to-rain event as a frontal system moves in from the west and the remainder of the month features a zonal westerly type with frequent Atlantic lows. Winds are generally from due west or WNW though, so temps are only slightly above average.

There is frequent rain in the final two weeks but the first half of the month is extremely dry apart from the snow. Consequently the month ends up somewhat drier than average, cold (if not spectacularly so) and rather dull due to frequent fog in the settled period and Atlantic systems in the latter period.

February

A historic month in many ways. The month begins mild and dull with an Atlantic frontal system producing much rain but the jetstream then moves south and a persistent easterly type develops for the rest of the month. Lows typically track along the Channel and consequently the south in particular receives many separate dumpings of snow but produces multiple severe flooding episodes. Blizzards are common with great snow depths, however there are also some interludes at times where the lows get far enough to produce heavy rain instead, which temporarily clears the snow. Consequently nowhere in the south achieves 7 consecutive days of snow cover, though most stations achieve around 14 in total. A phenomenal blizzard in the south mid-month. The north is just dry and extremely cold. At the end of the month, a dull and drizzly cyclonic southerly produces a mild interlude with a rapid thaw causing big flooding problems. Overall a very cold, exceptionally snowy and very dull month with precipitation well above average in the south though dry in the north.

March

The cyclonic southerly at the end of February then becomes a rather anticyclonic ESE-ly with the wind backing, so for around a week or so it's dull but dry and calm with temperatures close to or a little below average. The dry weather helps to abate the flooding at the end of Feb. Around mid-month however the Atlantic re-invigorates to produce around 10 days of a NW-ly type with active lows producing rain with snow in some areas, with N-ly or NW-ly plunges behind each low producing sunny weather with wintry showers of hail, sleet and snow. Despite the lows it's rather sunny in the middle period of the month due to the clear polar or arctic air. Finally from the spring equinox onwards the weather settles down again to produce a cold but dry and sunny easterly type, occasionally veering northerly such as on the 27th. Day temps are chilly but night-time frosts are severe and the very dry air abates the saturated ground following February.

Overall, rather dry, cold, and sunny though as seen above, some varying synoptic types.

April

Another historic month, but in a different way to February. The anticyclonic easterly at the end of March becomes simple anticyclonic, with a large high-pressure area over the country producing sunny weather with temps close to average by day but with cold and frosty nights for the first week or so.

Around the 8th a brisk SSE-ly starts setting in. Air remains very dry and some areas which avoided the high levels of precipitation in Feb start encounter wildfires. With wind now from a very warm direction and dry ground in most places by now, temperatures start soaring and the 26C on Easter Day (12th) is the warmest on record for so early in the year. The first two weeks of April produce nil rain and are amongst the sunniest on record.

Around the 15th a more westerly type sets in for a few days which turns it mild and drizzly in the north though the south remains dry, warm and sunny. However the 19th restores a general anticyclonic type and it's sunny everywhere. For the remainder of the month a mostly sunny easterly type remains in charge with temps close to average, interrupted with a brief cold northerly plunge for a couple of days.

Overall an extremely dry month, one of the driest Aprils on record, as well as being very sunny and rather warm particularly by day. In this respect it's the first warm month of the anti-1998.

May

The first week or so sees rather variable conditions with westerlies setting in for the first 3 days producing rather changeable weather, the most unsettled since mid-March. Rain amounts are not great however. The rest of the week sees easterlies restored and it becomes bright though with some heavy and thundery showers around.

On the 8th though weather markedly deteriorates. A low takes up residence in the North Sea or near Continent with slow-moving fronts frequently affecting the east in particular. As a result most places become cold, wet and dull, with temperatures in many areas struggling to get much above 10C, the most inclement May weather since anti-1992 six years earlier. Rain is heavy in places and exclusively non thundery in nature, a dramatic come-down after the phenomenally fine April. From the 16th the cyclonic N-ly becomes a cyclonic W-ly and slightly less cold, but still cool, breezy weather from the Atlantic maintains the inclement conditions until around the 20th. Then for a couple of days the final Atlantic low gradually slackens over the country with some heavy, slow-moving thundery showers.

The final week is somewhat more settled with ill-defined conditions producing a mix of sunnier and wetter days and temperatures close to, or on some days, a little above average. On the last day of the month a rather cloudy northeasterly sets in with high pressure building in the Atlantic.

Overall, little surprise that this is a distinctly cool, dull and wet month.

June

If May sounded an aberration from the normal, then so was June, but in a rather different way.

The Atlantic anticyclone at the end of May quickly moves in producing dry, sunny and warm weather throughout the first week. A brief N-ly plunge produces cooler conditions and the odd shower over the weekend of the 6th-7th, but behind this, a new anticyclone produces renewed dry, sunny and warm weather. This is maintained through the month with daytime temps in the low-to-mid 20s but night temps relatively cool for June. A further and more potent northerly produces a cool, showery day on the 19th and a rather cool weekend but yet another anticyclone builds in by the 22nd. Finally at the very end of the month pressure starts falling over Biscay with a southerly developing, and it becomes rather more humid with 30C achieved in places. Isolated thundery showers and thunderstorms develop under generally sunny conditions - particularly inland towards the west - producing a taste of the typical weather conditions of July.

Overall, another very dry month, very sunny, with a mix of distinctly warm days and cool nights.

July-Dec to follow later.

Edited January 27 by Summer8906

[Summer8906]

OK, anti-1998 part two:

July

A very hot and extremely thundery month. The month begins with pressure falling and a slack southerly across the country. As a result the month begins with around 10 days of hot and very humid weather with hazy skies and max temps around 30-32C each day. Most places are sunny but inland, scattered severe thunderstorms develop every day and as a result some places stay dry but other areas experience torrential and prolonged rainfall (as the storms are slow-moving). Golf-ball size hail is reported and even some minor tornadoes. The focus of the storms is inland so some areas such as the Thames Valley achieve double the normal July rainfall by the 10th while coastal areas are completely dry. South Hampshire is totally dry but spectacular Cb clouds are visible inland each day.

From around the 11th the wind shifts easterly with lowest pressure mostly over France and Biscay. As a result there are a mix of hot and dry days with no thundery activity and lower humidity, and further hot, humid and thundery days. Around the 19th a more organised low pressure area moves north from France and as a result there is prolonged heavy and thundery rain which affects even those areas which missed the storms. It briefly turns cool with cyclonic NE-lies as this low moves into the North Sea before warm or hot weather is re-established. Later in the month sunny, dry and hot with two or three further organised fronts from the south producing further bouts of prolonged thundery rain is the predominant pattern.

As a result this month, as well as being sunny and hot, is actually wet across the southern half of the country and extremely wet for those areas which repeatedly catch the storms. Northern areas, though, are dry or even very dry. There are also zero days with Atlantic influence, with wind direction varying from southerly to NE-ly.

August

After a dry and warm June and a hot and thundery July, sadly the fine summer theme cannot continue. After a further warm day on the 1st (the warmest of the month with an absolute max of 27C), a sharp trough from the Atlantic moves in and produces prolonged heavy, thundery rainfall on the 2nd and it then turns very much cooler. The 3rd sees a transitory ridge but max temps are around 22C. From the 4th, a series of deep Atlantic lows move in from the NW and as a result, the next week or so, up to around the 11th, is very cool, dull, wet and unseasonably windy. Temps are just a little below normal at first but from the 6th to the 11th nowhere in the country achieves 20C in a thoroughly unseasonable spell of weather, with many places struggling to top 15C. Large hail makes a return, but this time in association with deep cold uppers in an unstable cyclonic NW-ly.

From the 12th-14th the lows keep coming but take a more southerly track over France, with the result that a cool and showery NE-ly covers the country though there is some sunshine in places. From the 15th-20th the lows revert to crossing the country but on a more W-E track meaning it isn't as anomalously cool as the earlier period. Nonetheless only London and the SE manage 21c. Northern areas are north of the lows and are a good deal drier.

The 21st-25th sees the lows move over France again and a ridge extends from the north resulting in a drier interlude, with temps slightly exceeding average though cloud amounts are variable. Finally the Atlantic lows are renewed resulting in a further rather cool, dull and wet period though again the south is the most anomalously wet. On the last day of the month pressure rises strongly over the Atlantic producing a cold northerly plunge and widespread temps of around 15C, though it turns drier.

Overall, a notably cool, dull and wet month in the south though it's somewhat dry in the north due to the southerly tracks of the lows. In fact, in northern areas, this is one of the driest summers on record.

September

After the cool, dull and wet August the start of September provides a marked improvement, as is often the case. A strong Atlantic high moves in and temperatures, initially rather cool, gradually rise. The first two weeks or so are very dry and sunny and around the weekend of the 12th/13th it becomes distinctly warm. Around the 16th though pressure falls and for around 8 days it becomes very cool, dull and wet as a series of Atlantic lows move NW-SE accompanied by strong winds. Finally from the 25th pressure builds from the west again and the last few days are sunny and dry with temperatures close to average. Overall, a sunny and dry month though somewhat cooler than normal due to frequent cold nights, a cool start, and a notably cool period just after mid month.

October

The month starts with a rather warm westerly type with variable cloud and occasional rainfall from weak fronts. After a few days the high pressure over France drifts north and winds become easterly, it's generally quite sunny but in the south there is a keen wind, it's rather cool and there are occasional periods of light rain. By mid month however, settled anticyclonic weather has become general and this persists for the remainder of the month. Winds are generally between NE and SE, and days are rather warm for the time of year but as time goes on there are increasingly frequent frosty nights. Around the 17th-18th a notably warm S-ly lifts temps to around 22-23C in places. Overall a dry and sunny month, continuing the (so far) dry and sunny autumn, with a mix of warm days but cold nights producing temps close to average.

November

The first 10 days or so produce a fine and sunny anticyclonic type, and with winds more northerly than in Oct, it's now rather cold by day and very cold at night with severe frosts. However before mid month a further change produces a prolonged spell of mild, dull and wet weather, which persists all month in many areas though far western areas see brighter polar air at times. Overall a wet month, the only wet month of the autumn, dull overall (despite the sunny start) and temps not too far from average.

December

The month starts with further dull, wet and very mild weather but before too long an anticyclone builds and the predominant theme of the month is frosty and dry anticyclonic weather. A few frontal interludes and small lows produce short wetter periods at times but they are short lived. The month is notable for the Boxing Day Anticyclone which produces flat calm and extensive freezing fog with 1050mb achieved in Scotland. The month ends with further anticyclonic weather with sunny and somewhat cold days and severe night frosts.

Overall the theme of the month is cold, dry and sunny.

 

 

Edited January 31 by Summer8906

[CryoraptorA303]

How about an anti-2015?

Background: ENSO-neutral to very weak La Nina conditions have persisted over much of 2014, and ENSO-neutral conditions are expected to continue throughout the year.

January:

The first half of the month is dominated by cold northerlies and the 9th is one of the coldest January days in recent memory. Snow cover is present over much of the country until a more westerly flow begins a thaw and brings milder conditions to the country. In the third week the cold conditions return although not as potently as last time and the impact is limited to a few frosty mornings. The westerlies return in the last week. Overall somewhat drier and colder than average, although Lincolnshire and eastern Yorkshire show a distinct wet anomaly.

February:

A very dull, boring and uneventful month with persistent low cloud in most areas and mildness that refuses to die. Warmer and somewhat wetter than average.

A new long-range forecast is now suggesting a more significant La Nina event will materialise later in the year.

March:

Off to a colder start with temperatures rivalling the coldest seen in February. Some snow further north until around mid-month a warmup commences and the first spring temperatures of the year are seen. Things turn cooler again towards the end of the month. Overall a mild March with a NW/SE split between dry and wet respectively.

April:

One of the coldest of the 21st century with a persistent NWly flow. Mid-month London sees temperatures drop as low as -5°C overnight, and the North of England and Scotland experience snowstorms not seen in April for decades. The coldest April nights of the century that even 2011 didn't match despite being colder overall. Cold, wet and dull, April 2015 is rated as one of the worst Aprils in known history.

May:

Off to a cooler start again following on from April, temperatures begin recovering and sit slightly above seasonal averages by mid-month. Overall much drier than the previous April and the driest month of 2015 so far.

The NOAA have confirmed that a weak La Nina event is underway, and is likely to significantly strengthen over the year.

June:

Overall a very unsettled month, with frequent swinging between overcast, damp and warm. In the last week, a significant mild spell develops with the south struggling to surpass 15°C on the 30th. Wetter than average, dull and warmer than average mostly thanks to the mildness keeping northern locations mild overnight.

The La Nina event continues to strengthen, reaching moderate strength with a -1.0°C anomaly in Nino region 3.4. This is tied with 1999 as the strongest AMJ La Nina since at least 1950.

July:

July starts with a whimper, as the country records one of its coldest summer days on record with southwest Wales reaching only 11-12°C and London barely reaching 10°C. The rest of the country fails to reach 10°C and even lowland Scotland largely failed to reach 5°C. Only a small handful of summer days in known climatic history were colder. Parts of Scotland fall below 0°C overnight and the all-time low of -2.5°C is threatened. Much of England and NI fall below 5°C overnight. Temperatures quickly rise closer to seasonal averages but remain below average for the next week or so. Strangely enough, July ends on a much more settled, warmer note, with some markedly warm temperatures and the only day above 30°C seen across the south over the last week. Overall dry and actually a little warmer and sunnier than average thanks to the warmer spell towards the end.

The La Nina continues to strengthen at an alarming rate, reaching a -1.2°C anomaly in Nino region 3.4 by MJJ. This is the strongest MJJ La Nina since 1988.

August:

Much like June, very unsettled with swinging between warm and mild. Daily minima often below average. Another very mild day strikes on the 22nd as the SE struggles to reach 15°C. Overall despite this, August is actually slightly warmer, sunnier and drier than average, although weather enthusiasts agree that it was an overall bland, disappointing month.

The developing La Nina has strengthened all the way to -1.5°C in Nino region 3.4. This is the strongest JJA La Nina since at least 1950. The NOAA warn that this La Nina is well on the way to being the strongest ever recorded in modern record-keeping.

September:

Very warm, one of the warmest of the century and also wet outside of the SE which was dry. The 6th reached 31.3°C at Faversham, the warmest day of the year and one of only two days of the entire year to reach 30°C. Persistently warm and humid all month and duller than average. Weather enthusiasts agree that despite the warmth it was a very dull, humid and uncomfortable month overall and not much better than the mild summer before it.

A strong La Nina event is declared as a -1.9°C anomaly is reached in Nino region 3.4. This is now the second-strongest La Nina event ever recorded behind the 1974-1976 triple La Nina.

October:

Overall average despite a warm spell mid-month. A potent northerly delivers the first freezing night of the season on the 27th. Wetter than average with the south quite sunny and the north dull.

The first ever "super La Nina" event is declared as a -2.2°C anomaly is reached in Nino region 3.4. This is the highest negative anomaly ever recorded. The NOAA predicts that exceptionally severe weather events are likely to be seen over the next six months.

Some Netweather users become excited as the latest long-term forecasts are provisionally suggesting very strong high-latitude blocking going into early winter. Others are more cautiously optimistic. Some dismiss it as wishcasting.

November:

Very cold, the second coldest of the century and only 2011 and 1994 were colder in recent memory. A strong Greenlandic high materialised early in the month and the winds turned NEly. The SE recorded its highest November snow accumulation on record as some areas receive more than 60cm, in particular east Kent and the eastern Lowlands. A rapid thaw occurs on the 21st, however this is short-lived and the persistent NEly wind returns. Regular sleet, cold rain and the vicious blizzards on the east coast made this a November for the history books. Average to slightly wet on the south coast and in the eastern Lowlands, and very dry in the NW quadrant of the nation, making November dry overall. It was also very sunny for most.

The super La Nina event has reached an anomaly of -2.4°C in Nino region 3.4. Mid-term forecasts suggests this super Nina could even reach -3.0°C, the effects on global weather being profound.

December:

The coldest on record and one of the coldest months ever recorded, beating the previous coldest December 1936. It is suggested to be perhaps the coldest December since the so-called "Mediaeval cold period", and perhaps even colder. The Greenlandic high persisted into the month and such a persistent, insistent NEly has seldom been observed in our history. The east coast is battered with repeated snowstorms and blizzards, and snow fell in some places for over a week at a time. Public transport and infrastructure is heavily disrupted. The west coast is extremely dry and frosty with some stations in west Wales, the North West and western Scotland recording no measurable precipitation all month, and overall this December is also the driest on record. The coldest daytime temperatures were often held by the east where the NEly wind was the strongest, while the west more often took home the lowest minima as they were in exposed, windstill conditions under extremely cold air. Even Heathrow airport failed to rise above freezing on more than four days all month. December 2015 will likely remain as one of the most exceptional months in the public memory for years to come. Netweather users rate this as one of the greatest months ever. Overall this was also a very sunny December, although no records were broken on this front.

The super La Nina event has reached an anomaly of -2.6°C in Nino Region 3.4 and has been described as likely being the strongest in hundreds of years. It is probable that it will heavily decrease global temperatures and contribute to the human-caused global cooling that we have observed since the industrial revolution due to the excess release of aerosols into the atmosphere. The super La Nina has been blamed as likely interfering with global weather in a way that led to the extreme events of November and December 2015.

[Summer8906]

 CryoraptorA303 Interesting, though to me, the anti-August 2015 would be considerably better than your description. Real August 2015 was dull, cool and wet so the anti-August would probably be notably warm, dry and sunny.

Also the anti-May 2015 would be notable for its easterliness.  Think you've maybe overdone the cold in July, I doubt lowland Scotland would struggle to reach 5C in summer!

[CryoraptorA303]

 Summer8906

15 minutes ago, Summer8906 said:

Interesting, though to me, the anti-August 2015 would be considerably better than your description. Real August 2015 was dull, cool and wet so the anti-August would probably be notably warm, dry and sunny.

Maybe, but the way I saw it was the opposite of unsettled, frequent swinging between warm and mild is... unsettled and frequent swinging, just with each spell being the opposite of the real spell.

17 minutes ago, Summer8906 said:

Also the anti-May 2015 would be notable for its easterliness

Indeed it would, I imagine it'd be quite similar to May 2023.

17 minutes ago, Summer8906 said:

Think you've maybe overdone the cold in July, I doubt lowland Scotland would struggle to reach 5C in summer!

On reflection I think I have, this would be the second coldest summer day on record with the current record being 5.1°C on June 2nd 1975, actually set in East Lothian of all places. I assume a lot of the eligible highland stations would stay just a bit warmer at 7-8°C due to ocean proximity, and the lowest high recorded in the lowlands would be maybe 5.4-5.5°C. As July 1st 2015 was the joint-third hottest day on record at the time, it would've been more appropriate for July 1st anti-2015 to have a lowest maximum of 8.9°C, joint with the third-coldest summer day on record, assuming there aren't any other colder June days than 7.5°C or colder July days than 8.9°C as I don't have access to that data.

[Summer of 95]

 

Anti-1994. This year was most notable for its memorably cold November and December. A mild February was followed by a cold March. There was also a stark contrast between a very poor June and July sandwiched between a good May, August and September. 

January. Very dry and settled but dull. Rather cool in the south. A local heavy band of snow to the S and E of London on the 6-7th.

February. Mild, drier than average, with a notably warm spell midmonth. Cold and frosty first few days, then warm southwest winds set in. The 14th was particularly mild, over 15C across much of Britain in a balmy southwest wind with plenty of sunshine. The very warm spell ended around the 23rd. Very dry in NE Scotland. (This is so like February 1998!!!!)

March. Cold. A very easterly month, wet and dull in the east (the dullest on record in Aberdeen), dry and sunny in the west (just 1mm all month at Fort William). Snowy across England, Wales and eastern Scotland; 15-20cm widespread across central and southern parts midmonth, 30cm recorded in parts of NE England and E Scotland. 

April. Dry, close to average temperatures. There was an unusually high pressure reading of 1041.2mb at Cardiff on the 1st, as the Scandinavian high responsible for the cold March shifted west across Britain.

May. Warm and dry in the south, somewhat cooler and wetter in the north. Warmer than average overall. 26C at Heathrow on the 20th.

June. Cold, wet and dull. Violent thunderstorms in the northwest on the 24th, as a cold front unusually moved westwards. 27mm in 11 minutes at Workington.

July. Very cold (13.7C), wet, and dull. It reached only 11C in Norfolk and London on the 12th. Parts of the southeast had their coldest July night of the century at the end, with minima around 2C. 

August. In sharp contrast to June and July, August was a dry, sunny and rather warm month. Cool start, then warm and settled. Just 8mm of rain at London, all falling in a thunderstorm on the 12th. On the 14th the minimum at Kielder Castle was 24C, the warmest August night of the century in England.

September. Dry, warm and sunny. Particularly warm across the Midlands on the 14-15th; 33.4C at Wittering near Peterborough, with 30C over a wide area.

October. Slightly warmer than average. Rather cool and wet first half, warmer and drier in the second half. 121mm fell at Bognor Regis between the 3rd and 18th, there was then no rain there for the rest of the month with temperatures reaching 22C on the 23rd.

November. The coldest ever recorded (1.1C), by some way. Cold across the country all month; a remarkable -9.1C at Heathrow on the 3rd, and -19.1C at Braemar on the 30th.  Very wet (and hence snowy) in the second half- 20cm of snow recorded widely, with maxima below freezing on several days.

December. Very cold (-0.5C). Almost as cold as anti-December 1934, but snowier. It snowed for around 48 hours across the southern half of Britain on the 9-10th; many places were cut off. Following the snowfall, on the 11th a record low maximum temperature for England: -17.7C at Penkridge (Staffs). After a brief milder spell between the 20-23rd (temperatures reached 8-9C in places, but the snow cover largely remained as it was so deep), a vigorous cold front swept across the country on the 24-25th, bringing more snow. Probably the most widespread White Christmas on record; every major UK city recorded snow falling and lying. Bookmakers were ruined! The cold stayed until the end of the year.

Anti-1995. The anti-1994/95 winter was extremely cold, even more so because it had set in back in November. A rotten summer despite some warm spells in late May and early June, a splendid September perhaps the highlight. Record warmth in Scotland in December.

January. After the cold anti-December, A mild few days to start, then it turned colder. Mostly settled and quite dry from the 4th-20th, but cold. Some snow but not the epic amounts of December. The final week saw some amazing turnarounds. A brief mild interlude saw the temperature reach 16.2C at Leeds on the 25th, a southwesterly wind warming up as it crossed the Pennines. But a remarkable cold front was approaching from the northwest: Late on the 26th, 45cm of snow fell in 3 hours at Manchester, and on the morning of the 27th the temperature fell around 12C in ten minutes across the Midlands, with rain suddenly turning to heavy snow, stranding many drivers. The CET was 1.4C, cold but not exceptionally so thanks to the two mild spells.

February. Very cold (-1.2C), mostly dry but with widespread snow showers across the country. Consistently cold, no record breaking minima (lowest was -15.8C at Eskdalemuir on the 5th), but low maxima: 20 days failed to rise above freezing in central parts. 

March. Very dull. Yet following the bitter winter, it reached 15C across large parts of the country on the 3rd as a warm sector arrived. It was then mostly mild and dry, and another pulse of warm air saw it reach 19.8C at Altnaharra on the 28th. However the month ended with cold NElies, with the snow and cold returning. Only 27.7 hours of sunshine at Southend.

April. Cold first half with frequent snow showers, as a northerly flow predominated. From the 18th the weather turned much warmer, with 21C recorded widely in the third week.

May. An exceptionally cold first week, with air frosts in the south every day from 4-7th. -6C in East Yorkshire on the 3rd, -2.8C in the Channel Islands (St Peter Port) on the 6th and Portsmouth on the 5th. Temperatures were then several degrees higher for the VE day holiday on the 8th. The remainder of the month was sunny, warm with a few thunderstorms. The 17th was a very warm day, with 30C recorded at Shawbury and Durham. Thunderstorm in Sheffield on the 24th caused a major power outage. 

June. Warm and sunny first half, particularly in the east. Very dull and cool second half. The lowest June temperature on record in Belfast; -2.9C on the 29th.

July. Cold (14.6), wet and dull. Widespread maxima below 15C particularly from the 20th on, only 12.6 at Heathrow on the 31st. 

August. A truly awful summer month, surely surpassing even anti-August 1911. Coldest on record (12.1C), wettest and dullest as well. Many parts of the southeast had rain every day. For a week from the 15th the temperature failed to reach 18C anywhere in the country. 85mm of rain at Swansea on the 3rd, and 81mm at Minehead, with temperatures only reaching 14C. Oddly for such a wet summer month, no thunder was reported anywhere in the country all month. 

September. Warmer than average and dry. No rain in Aberdeen all month. The England and Wales average was just 12.3mm. It was very sunny, particularly in the east. Highest temperature was 30.8C at Chiveley (Berkshire) on the 10th. The fourth consecutive warm, sunny and dry September. 

October. Very cold and very dull. The CET average of 6.1C was the second coldest on record, helped by an extremely low average maximum. A very cold spell towards the end of the month, widespread maxima less than 5C on the 28th and 29th, maximum of 2.5C at Bala on the 28th. 

November. Cold, dull and dry except in the northwest. A maximum of -1.8C was recorded at Falmouth on the 13th, then it was widely over 17C across the north of Scotland on the 19th. 

December. Mild. A very southwesterly month. A remarkable warm spell across Scotland at the end of the month. From the 18th, high pressure centred just to the southeast of Britain fed very mild southwesterlies around its western edge. On Christmas Day the temperature reached 15C in Shetland. There were four consecutive days from the 27th reaching 17C somewhere in Scotland; Altnaharra managed it on all four days. 19.7C was recorded there on the 30th, a UK December record. The wind turned more westerly during the day reducing the fohn effect, otherwise it is possible that 20C might have been reached. At Fyvie Castle (Aberdeenshire) the minimum on the 29th was 15.9C, also a UK December record. While it was generally mild further south, it wasn't exceptionally so. The highest maximum at Elmdon (Birmingham) for example was 11.1C on the 29th. There was even a twist: Incredibly on the 30th as temperature records were being smashed in Scotland, forecasters were caught out as the high moved northwest (which caused the change in wind direction at Altnaharra), suddenly letting cold air from the east into the far south. Rain had been forecast to move in as the high retreated, but instead snow fell there. 10cm in London, with 20cm in places along the M4 corridor. Overall the CET was 6.8C, the warmest since the exceptional anti-1981.

 

 

[Summer8906]

As a relief from the dull, wet gloom of 2024, how about starting the anti-2024 with the first two months?

January: the first week continued the sunny and very cold theme of December anti-2023. However around the 6th the Atlantic moved in and for two weeks it was dull, wet and mild, though not exceptionally so. A further change occurred on the 20th and the final 12 days of the month had mostly NW winds, it was cold and sunny though not completely dry as frontal systems occasionally passed through. The final 12 days were sunny. Overall, a somewhat cold and somewhat dry month, and slightly on the dull side due to the very dull middle period despite the sunny start and end.

February: The first day was dull and rather cold with a transient frontal system before strong and extremely cold easterlies developed on the 2nd. These persisted until the 6th and with low pressure over France, southern England encountered repeated heavy snowfalls, to continue a very snowy winter following December's events. The north was dry and extremely cold with temps down to -25 in sheltered parts of Scotland at night. It was also a very sunny period. From the 7th it became more generally anticyclonic, the snow died out but exceedingly cold night-time temps continued to occur over lying snow. Around the 17th and 18th a further continental low produced yet more heavy snow in the south and dry, cold conditions in the north. The final week of the month has not happened yet but is forecast to be extremely dry, sunny and strongly anticyclonic with daytime temps returning to near average but still cold or very cold nights. The month is overall forecast to be very cold, very dry and very sunny.

A lot more interesting than the real 2024!

Edited February 22 by Summer8906