2016 was a mild year, the mean 10.6C being +0.7deg above 30 year value.

Rainfall was 981.4mm, 128% of the 30 year value, statistically the 6^th wettest year.
However, monthly rainfall varied a lot, Jan, Mar, June and Nov were wet (Jun especially so, having 75mm on the wettest day on record 16/6/2016), while May, July, Oct and Dec were dry). All these wet months rank amongst the top 20% of the months in 61 years here, and three of the dry months amongst the bottom 20%.

Analysis of temperatures and rainfall from 1956-2016 indicates these trends:

an increase in mean temp of 1.92degrees from 8.67C to 10.59C.
the number of air frosts has dropped, especially in the last decade, 
and snow days are becoming far less frequent.
an increase in annual rainfall of 13% from 726.9mm to 821.5mm.

greater extremes of rainfall have occurred within the last 5 years. with 2011 being the lowest recorded, while the following two 2012 and 2014 ranked highest, and 2013 was 4^th highest.  2016 ranks 6^th in annual rainfall, with June enjoying most monthly rainfall in any month and the wettest day of any day during 61 years, on 16^th June.

 TEMPERATURE
14.6 mean max (C) , +0.7 diff from av (C)  9^th highest
 6.6 mean min (C) ,    +0.7 diff from av (C)  8^th= highest
10.6 mean (C),          +0.7 diff from av (C)  6^th= highest

HiMax  34.1C on 9/7/16   6^th Highest

RAINFALL 
981.4 rain total (mm), 128 % of av   6^th highest (not as high as 2012/13/14)
186 raindays (with 0.2mm or more)
133 wetdays (with 1mm or more)
 57 verywetdays (with 5mm or more)  15^th highest (not as high as 2008/12/13/14)

SNOWFALL
8 days with snow falling, 3 in Jan, 2 in Mar, 3 in Apr
1 days with 50% snow cover      1^st= lowest

PRESSURE
1015.0 mean pressure (mb) , +0.5 pressure anomaly (mb)
1045.1 max pressure at any time of day, on 27/12/16  New record high 
970.6 min pressure at any time of day, on 28/3/16    13^th = highest

FROSTS                     The last frost was 30/4/16 and the first frost 8/11/16

THUNDER                 9 days with thunder heard

HUMIDITY                    89.0% at 0900

CLOUD COVER            62.4% at 0900

Overall mean temperatures were 0.9deg above average (16^th highest in 61 years records here).  From 1^st-10^th means were about 2deg above normal, 11^th-21^st below normal, and 22^nd-31^st about 4deg above normal. The himax of 13.1C was the 8^th highest on record.
Air frost on only 5 days (10^th= fewest on record) but 18 days ground frost was normal.
Rainfall was 171% of normal, the 7^th wettest on record.  The 25 rain days and 11 very wet days were both 2^nd highest, while 18 wet days was 7^th= highest.
Just a dusting of snowfall 14^th-16^th, totally 0.5cm but not lying at obs time.
Mean pressure 1005.4mb was 4^th lowest for January.
Windiest days were 26^th then 29^th,  although very windy 25^th-27^th and 29^th-31^st.
Highest gusts estimated were 49mph on 26^th, 46mph on 9^th, 43mph on 29^{th .}

 7.8 mean max (C) 
 2.3 mean min (C)
 5.0 mean (C)  +0.9 diff from av (C)
13.1 high max (C) on 24, 31
 2.8 low max (C) on 16
 8.7 high min (C) on 25
-3.9 low min (C) on 20

113.6 rain total (mm)
171% of av
25 raindays (>=0.2mm)
18 wetdays (>=1mm)
11 very wet days (>=5mm)

February started mild and very wet. It was mild 20^th-21^st, but cooler spells in the middle of the month and the end from 23^rd.
Mean temp 4.8C was the 18^th highest on record here, with anomaly +0.6deg.
The low max temp was 4.6C, the 6^th highest.
21 days experienced a ground frost, equalling the 13^th highest.

Rainfall in this normally driest month was 77.7mm, the 10^th highest on record here. Nearly half of this, 35mm, fell in one day the 6^th . Between 5^th and 9^th  54.2mm fell, while a further 15mm on 16-17^th, accounting for most of the month’s total.
Many days with good sunny spells, especially 14^th-16^th, 18^th-19^th and 22^nd-28^th.
Highest wind gust recorded on 8^th, estimated 53mph.

  8.2 mean max (C) 
  1.4 mean min (C) 
  4.8 mean (C)  +0.6 diff from av (C)
12.8 high max (C) on 21
  4.6 low max (C) on 13 
  8.0 high min (C) on 21 
 -3.9 low min (C) on 24

77.7 rain total (mm)
166 % of av 
12 raindays (days with >=0.2mm)
  9 wetdays (days with >=1mm)
  4 very wet days (days with >=5mm)

Ground frost on 21 days
Air frost on 9 days

Winter Stats

SEASONAL REPORT FOR WINTER  
Dec 2015, Jan 2016, Feb 2016

         this year  / normal /  anomaly

HiMax       14.0       17.2      17^th highest

MeanMax     9.3      6.8       +2.5 
(new record high in 61 years, prev highest 9.1 in 1975)

LoMax        2.8     -6.0      4^thhighest                                    
MEAN         6.4         4.0         +2.4 
(new record high, previous 6.3 in 1975)

HighMin    10.8      11.7     6^th = highest

MeanMin    3.5        1.3        +2.2
(equals 3.5 highest recorded in 1975 and 2007)

LoMin        -3.9       -14.5     7^th highest
(1^st was –0.9 in 2014,  =5^th was –3.7 in 2015, and =8^th was –4.3 in 2013)

RAINFALL   306.7     197.6     155.2%
(4^th= with 2013, the highest remains 430.6 in 2014)

Raindays    63        50.1     5^th = highest
(1^st is 71 in 2014)

Wet Days    48        35.8    4^th = highest
(1^st is 59 in 2014)

V Wet Days  25     14.3    2^nd = with 2013
(1^st is 39 in 2014)

Oktas             5.5          5.7
Bright Sun  161.5     161.0

March had statistically near normal temperatures, but was very wet.

Mean temperatures were 0.6deg below average, cooler from 3^rd to 10^th, 18^th, 21^st and 28^th to 30^th. Milder from 11^th to 17^th, 25^th to 27^th and 30^th to 31^st.

 Rainfall was the 5^th highest, only exceeded in 1979/80/81/82. Overnight periods 8^th/9^th and 27^th/28^th contributed 61mm of the month’s 101mm rainfall, ranking 47^th highest daily rainfall of 32mm and 78^th highest rainfall of 29mm respectively, in 22281 days (60 years).

More normal rain fell between 1^st and 5^th, and 25^th to 30^th. In fact, there were only 11 raindays, the 12^th lowest in 60 years, but days it was very heavy.

Sunniest days were at the end of the month, 20^th, 25^th, 27^th, 29^th to 31^st. Dullest days were 9^th, 10^th, 18^th, 19^th, 26^th.
Windiest days were 1^st, 2^nd., 26^th to 28^th.

 9.8 mean max (C) 
 1.9 mean min (C) 
 5.9 mean (C)  -0.6 diff from av (C)
14.9 high max (C) on 31
 4.9 low max (C) on 4
 6.2 high min (C) on 26 
-3.0 low min (C) on 8

April mean temperatures were 0.6deg below normal, but had 115% usual rainfall. Wet until 16^th, then a dry period until further rain from 24^th. 

Most notable was the changeability of 30^th, frosty, bright and sunny start, but sudden heavy showers of rain/snow during the afternoon, although not settling for long.

   3.2 mean min (C) 
  8.1 mean (C)  -0.6 diff from av (C)
19.4 high max (C) on 13
  8.8 low max (C) on 15
  7.2 high min (C) on 14 
 -1.6 low min (C) on 28

   6 very wet days (>=5mm) 

A mild month, having the 4^th Highest daily mean 13.4C in 61 years here.
Warmest days were 8-9, coolest nights 1, 4 15.  

18.9 max (C) 
  8.0 min (C) 
13.4 mean(C)  +1.5 diff from av (C)
26.8 high max (C) on 8
12.1 low max (C) on 25 
12.4 high min (C) on 10
  2.2 low min (C) on 1

42.7 rain total (mm)
73.6 % of av 
14 raindays (days with >=0.2mm)
12 wetdays (days with >=1mm)
  3 very wet days (days with >=5mm)

Thunder heard on 1 day
Ground frost on 3 days
Air frost on 0 days

Spring Stats

SEASONAL REPORT FOR SPRING 
Mar 2016, Apr 2016, May 2016

         this year  / normal /  anomaly
HiMax               26.8        28.6

MeanMax         13.9        13.0      +0.9 
(14^th= highest in 61 years)

LoMax                4.9       -0.6                           MEAN                  9.1         8.6       +0.5 
(21st highest)

HighMin            12.4      14.6      

MeanMin          4.4          4.3        +0.1

LoMin               -3.0     -11.1                             

RAINFALL        216.2      172.3    125.5%
(12th highest)

Raindays            44           43.1                
 35^th highest so quite normal

Wet Days            41          32.5              
12^th highest

V Wet Days            15        11.4                     11^th highest

Oktas                     4.5        5.4

Bright Sun            430.0     421.1

 Spring has been 0.5degC milder than normal, 21^st highest in 61 years here.
Rainfall has been 125% of normal, 12^th highest. 
41 wet days (many more than the normal 32.5) and 15 very wet days (more than the normal11.4) , although there were 44 raindays (normally 43, about normal).

Rainfall 221.2mm this month was not only a record for June, but of any month here since 1956, beating the previous record 204.9mm in Sept 1976.
Highest daily rainfall was 75.0mm on 16^th, the wettest of any day since 1956, beating 74.9mm  on 19Aug1970.  Also 50.0mm fell on 14^th and 39.2mm on 8^th.
The aggregated rainfall this year for 6 months Jan to June is 628.7mm, 2^nd only to 642.8mm in 2014.

Mean Temperature for June was 16.4C, the 5^th mildest on record here, +1.6deg above normal.  Warmest days from 5^th to 10^th, coolest on 16^th.
Most bright sunshine was 6^th, then 3^rd, 5^th and 9^th. least 10-12, 15-19 and 28-30.

Thunder was heard on four days, 7,8,14 and 16.
Windiest days were 20, 29, then 27,26,  making the end of the month particularly windy.

21.1 max (C) 
11.7 min (C) 
16.4 mean(C)  +1.6 diff from av (C)

27.9 high max (C) on 6,7
14.3 low max (C) on 1 
14.8 high min (C) on 8
  6.9 low min (C) on 3

221.2 rain total (mm)
363.8 % of av 
20 raindays (days with >=0.2mm)
12 wetdays (days with >=1mm)
  8 very wet days (days with >=5mm)

Thunder heard on 4 days, 7,8,14,16
Ground frost on 0 days
Air frost on 0 days

July was a very dry month, having just 26.3mm rainfall, the 9^th lowest in 61 years.
Rainfall was confined to 1^st-2^nd , 7^th-13^th , 15^th-17^th and 26^th-29^th.

Mean temperature was 0.7deg above normal, warmest 16^th-24^th.  
Plenty of pleasant mostly sunny days, notably 2^nd-3^rd, 8^th and 17^th -23^rd, while dullest days were 7^th, 15^th, 16^th.

Another mild month, the 7^th mildest in 61 years records here.
Mean temperature exceeded 25C on 6^th, 15^th-18^th, 23^rd-24^th, 30^th
Rainfall was just below normal, rain on 1^st but then a dry first half  turning wetter than usual in the second half 19^th-20^th and 24^th-25th
Windiest days were 20^th, 7^th-8th.

22.6 mmax (C) 
12.8 mmin (C) 
17.7 mean(C)  +1.2 diff from av (C)
29.7 high max (C) on 23^rd
18.0 low max (C) on 19^th  
16.9 high min (C) on 7^th
  8.9 low min (C) on 9^th

62.1 rain total (mm)
93.7 % of av 
13 raindays (days with >=0.2mm)
 9 wetdays (days with >=1mm)
 5 very wet days (days with >=5mm)

Thunder heard on 27th
No Ground or Air frost 
59% cloud cover percent
87% mean RH 

Summer Stats

SEASONAL REPORT FOR SUMMER 
Jun 2016, Jul 2016, Aug 2016

               this year    normal    anomaly
HiMax              34.1      34.9
MeanMax        22.1       20.5       +1.6 
LoMax             14.3         9.2                     
MEAN              17.2       15.7       +1.5 
HighMin            21.1      21.5                            
MeanMin          12.4       10.8       +1.6
LoMin                 6.1       -1.1    
RAINFALL      309.6    197.1     157.1%
Raindays            45      40.6        +4.4
Wet Days            31      30.5       +0.5
V Wet Days        14      12.5        +1.5

Oktas                 5.3        5.4

September was a warm month, with higher temperatures 1^st-19^th then normal 20^th-30^th . The mean temperature 16.3C was the 2^nd highest on record here, beaten only by 17.4C in 2006. Mean max ranked 3^rd highest, and mean min was a new record high ( equalling that of 2006). Max temperatures exceeded 23C on 6^th-7^th, and 12^th-15^th, and min temperatures exceeded 15C 7^th-8^th and 13^th-14^th.

Many bright sunny days, 9 having at least 6.5hrs bright sunshine, with 1^st, 6^th, 11^th and 14^th the best. Dullest were 3^rd, 10^th,19^th and 26^th each of which had rain.

Rainfall 79.7mm (125%) was high, but not exceptionally so, ranking 20^th in 61 years. Wettest days were 21^st (26mm), 24^th (14mm), 3^rd (11.5mm), 28^th(6mm) and 9^th (5.5mm).

Thunder on 13^th from 1520 and again from 1645. Windiest days 9^th, 24^th, 16^th, 29^th.

20.3 mmax (C) 
12.2 mmin (C) 
16.3 mean(C)  +2.4 diff from av (C)
26.7 high max (C) on 14^th 
14.5 low max (C) on 26^th   
17.1 high min (C) on 7^th
  8.3 low min (C) on 23^rd

79.7 rain total (mm)
125.5 % of av 
16 raindays (days with >=0.2mm)
13 wetdays (days with >=1mm)
  5 very wet days (days with >=5mm)

Thunder heard on 13^th at 1520 and 1645
No Ground frost 
No Air frost
65% cloud cover percent
93% mean RH 

October was a mild month ranking 21^st in 61 years here, but less mild than 2011and 2013-2015. This follows Aug and Sept which together were the mildest in the last 13 years.

Rainfall was low, the 8^th driest in 61 years, the lowest since 2007 and six years back in the 1960s and 70s. Over half the rainfall was on the 1^st, the only other significant rain being 15^th and 17^th.

Cumulatively, 2016 would rank 17^th wettest year if NO more rain fell during Nov and Dec, so it is likely that it will be around 8^th highest in 61 years.

Sunniest days were 2^nd-6^th, 9^th-10^th, 12^th, 15^th-19^th.

It was windy 16^th-19^th, and dull 1^st, 7^th, 23^rd, 25^th and 28^th-30^th.

Visibility at observation hour was poor 11^th, 22^nd, 29^th-31^st, the end of the month being humid and misty.

November was a cold month, although milder 13^th-16^th, ground frosts recorded on 17 mornings, and air frosts on 5 mornings. Many days were dry, the above average months rain falling on 8-9^th, 12^th and especially 20th,21st,22^nd (77mm fell on these very dull three days alone, including 43mm on the 21st). I feared my solar radiation sensor had failed on 21^st, as it never exceeded 30W/m2 that day!

Nevertheless some good sunny days at the beginning and the end of the month.

The mean temperature 5.3C ranks 8^th lowest in 61 years here, and it is the 8^th wettest November (but not as wet as 2008, 2009, 2012 or 2014).

Total rainfall from Jan-Nov is 951mm, and this ranks 7^th highest against all Jan-Dec rainfall totals, so if we get an average rainfall during December, we are likely going to have the 4^th wettest year in 6 decades. The three wettest so far are 2014, 2012 and 1960, so we are clearly seeing a pattern to more extreme rainfall of late.

 8.2 mean max (C) 
 2.5 mean min (C) 
 5.3 mean(C)  -1.5 diff from av (C)

14.3 high max (C) on 15
  4.4 low max (C) on 20
  9.9 high min (C) on 15
 -4.6 low min (C) on 30

120.4 rain total (mm)
164.3% of av 
 18 raindays (days with >=0.2mm)
 11 wetdays (days with >=1mm)
   5 very wet days (days with >=5mm)

59% cloud cover percent
93% mean RH 

Autumn Stats

SEASONAL REPORT FOR SUMMER 
Sep 2016, Oct 2016, Nov 2016

Statistically the 3 months of Autumn have been a little milder than usual, and a bit wetter than usual, but this hides variation between the months.

HiMax temperature was 6^th highest since 1956. 
HiMin was joint highest (shares the record with 2011)
Mean temperature was the 13^th= highest.

However temperatures varied from 2.4deg above normal in a very warm Sept, 0.5deg above normal in Oct and 1.5deg below normal in a cool Nov,

Rainfall anomaly was 125% in Sept, only 41% in a dry Oct, then 164% in a wet Nov.

So the variations between the three months have been quite significant, the swings from wet to dry do appear to be getting greater, and this will be analysed in greater depth for this location over the last 61 years.

                   this year    normal     anomaly

HiMax              26.7       28.4
MeanMax      14.3       13.8          +0.5 
LoMax              4.4        -2.0                             

MEAN             10.8       10.2          +0.6 

HighMin            17.1       17.1                            
MeanMin         7.3        6.6           +0.7
LoMin               -4.6       -8.1                             

RAINFALL      233.9     211.1       110.8%

Raindays          43        45.7           -2.7
Wet Days          27        33.5           -6.5
V Wet Days       12       13.9           -1.9

A mild and dry December.
Temperatures were significantly above normal between 6^th  and 26^th , with 5 airfrosts at the beginning of the month and 2 at the end. The mean temp anomaly was +1.5deg ranking 9^th  mildest (in 61 records here). The LowMax was 5^th highest and MeanMax 7^th highest on record.

Rainfall ranked 8^th lowest for December, wettest day was 10.2mm on 10^th, but no other days exceeded 3.7mm., keeping the months total to 30.4mm.

Windiest days were 23^rd to 25^th and 7^th to 9^th , and many days enjoyed winds from the southerly direction.

Many days were bright, especially sunny on 1^st, 4^th, 14^th, 22^nd, and 26^th to 30^th. Dullest days were 6^th,12-13^th,19^th, 23^rd and 31^st. 

The predominantly anticyclonic month kept pressures higher than usual (apart from 1^st, 4-5^th and 27^th ) so unsurprisingly the highest mean pressure and highest minimum pressure were recorded in 61 years.

 8.6 mean max (C) 
 3.1 mean min (C) 
 5.8 mean (C)  +1.5 diff from av (C)
13.4 high max (C) on 8
 4.8 low max (C) on 27 
 9.6 high min (C) on 10 
-4.1 low min (C) on 1