British Isles weather diary
Recent temperature, rainfall and sunshine extremes over the British Isles- Maximum temperature; 06-18 UTC
- Minimum temperature; 18-06 UTC
- Grass minimum temperature; 18-06 UTC
- Overnight rainfall; 18-06 UTC
- Daytime rainfall; 06-18 UTC
- Note that during cold weather many official sites on these maps under-report precipitation due to problems with icing and with solid snow blocking the tipping bucket raingauge.
- Sunshine; sunrise-sunset yesterday
Current significant weather maps
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Current temperature maps
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British Isles weather, December 2019
The 28th dawned after a mild night in many areas with the minimum temperature exceeding 10C in parts of Ireland, W Scotland and SW England. Pressure was high (close to1038 mb in E Kent at 1200 GMT) but it was a dull day everywhere. There was rain across Scotland overnight and across W Scotland, N and W Ireland during the day. Parts of Scotland and Ireland had a remarkably mild day. A new maximum temperature for December was set with 18.7C being reached at Achfary, in the Highlands; the previous record 18.3C was set in Achnashellach on 2 December 1948. (Achfary 18.7C, Fylingdales 6.9C, Writtle 1.7C minimum, Achnagart 36.2 mm, Morecambe 0.8 h.)
Into the 29th a long track of tropical maritime air led to a foehn effect in the NW Highlands with the temperature reaching 16.8C in northern Scotland overnight at Cassley. Ireland, N Wales and NE England were also unseasonably warm overnight. A mild SW'ly flow covered the British Isles at 0000 GMT (MSL pressure was about 1036 mb in E Kent at this time). There was some rain across Scotland and Ireland overnight, but the day was largely dry except in W and N Scotland. There was early mist and fog across Cent England around dawn - following a mild night across the British Isles. The day was generally dull - with sunshine largely confined to parts of E Scotland and some S parts of Wales and England; it was widely a very mild day, although temperatures were closer to normal by day in E parts of England. (Achnagart 13.4C (by day); Cassley 16.8C (overnight), Leek 6.3C maximum, Levens Hall 2.2C minimum, Harris Quidnish 15.2 mm, St Athan 5.2 h.)
Pressure remained generally high on the 30th but a cold front pushed slowly S across Scotland and Ireland, giving outbreaks of rain and showers here, and leading to cooler conditions after the rain. Under cloudy skies parts of Cent Scotland and W Ireland had minimum temperatures above 10C - while there was a touch of air frost in parts of Cent S England as skies cleared for a time overnight. By dawn much of S Ireland, Cent, E and S England had mist and fog by dawn. Much of England and Wales, away from the SW, had a sunny day ahead of the front, and mist and fog returned here in the evening. (Bude 12.6C, Loch Glascarnoch 5.8C maximum, Santon Downham -2.3C minimum, Resallach 17.8 mm, Shoeburyness 7.1 h.)
Pressure remained high on the 31st but a cold front straddled Cent areas of England, Wales and Ireland. Many parts of Scotland, N Ireland and N England had an overnight air frost - most other areas of England had widespread mist or fog by dawn. The cold front largely dissipated during the day, but managed to give some light drizzle in parts of Cent S England. Wales, S and Cent areas of England had a dull day, misty in places, but there were sunny spells further N. Some light rain affected SW England and the Channel Islands in the late afternoon and into the evening. (Valentia 10.8C, Kielder Castle 1.9C maximum, Shap -4.5C minimum, West Freugh 1.6 mm, Eskdalemuir 6.0 h.)
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Last updated 10 January 2020.
