Dry end to a cold winter - which is third coldest in almost 40 years
IT was a cold and relatively dry February.
The average temperature for the month was 1.7C, the eighth coldest over the past fifty years and some 2.0C lower than the 1971-2000 mean of 3.7C. The average maximum of 4.4C included thirteen daily readings of over 5C, the warmest day being the 5th (6.8C) and the coolest the 17th (1.4C).
With air frost being recorded on sixteen occasions the average minimum showed minus 1.1C, with the coldest nights on the 1st and 3rd at minus 5.0C.
Precipitation fell on twenty-four days (see graph) the wettest being the 15th (14.1mms) followed by the 25th and 26th, giving a total of 80.0mms for the month, about 75 per cent of the expected.
Snow or sleet fell on eleven days in all with measurable amounts on the mornings of the 21st (4cms) and 24th (3cms) and hail was recorded on the afternoon of the 9th. Snow lay on the ground on eight days.
The highest pressure readings were in the first half of the month reaching 1027.8mbs on the 13th, but pressure was consistently low from the 16th (978.4mbs) to the end of the month, producing an average of 1001.5mbs (about 11mbs below the norm).
North easterly winds dominated the pattern, especially in the second week, but wind speeds rarely exceeded Force 2 on the Beaufort Scale, Force 3 (gentle breeze) occurring on only four mornings.
There were overcast or cloudy skies in 21 days giving an average of 78.5 per cent cloud cover for the month and there was fog on the morning of the 17th and mist on four other occasions. Not surprisingly relative humidity was high (with a mean of 89.7 per cent). There were 55 estimated hours of sunshine as against the average of 65 in recent years.
WINTER 2009-2010
IT has been the third coldest winter in a record going back to 1961 with an average temperature of 1.6C, some 2.2C lower than the norm, and only the winters of 1962-63 (minus 0.1C) and 1978-79 (0.8C) have been colder, though 1981-82 (1.8C) comes a close fourth. January was the coldest month at minus 1.7C.
There was about 70 per cent of the expected precipitation with 281.2mms in all, 117.2mms falling in December, but there were 69 "rain days" compared to the average of 63.
Altogether snow fell on 32 days, there being a measurable total of 44cms. Snow lay on the ground for thirty-five days.
The longest spells were from December 18th to 29th and January 2nd to 16th.
The 1971-2000 average shows 22 days of snow or sleet and a total depth of 18cms for the winter months.
There was an estimated 172 hours of sunshine with January being the sunniest month. Wind speeds were light and generally between Force 1 and 2 on the Beaufort scale, a force only exceeded on 14 occasions – hardly a recommendation for wind power as an answer to cold weather!
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Weather for Halifax
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Light snow
Temperature: -2 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 22 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 3 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: West
