Weatherwise: An Average December

Mean Annual Temperature

Total Annual Rainfall

Total Annual Sunshine

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Armagh Observatory reports that December was sunnier and slightly milder and drier than average.

The recorded number of hours of sunshine was 56.7, which is about 40% above the most recent 30-year (1981-2010) average.

The mean monthly temperature was 5.0 degrees Celsius (41.0 degrees Fahrenheit), that is, a fraction milder than the most recent 30-year (1981-2010) average of 4.9 degrees C. The maximum air temperature was 13.1 degrees C on the 22nd, and the minimum air temperature was тАУ6.8 degrees C on 12th. There were 21 days with grass frost and 10 days with air frost. The total precipitation for the month was 71.1 mm (2.80 inches), that is, less than 10% below the most recent 30-year average for December.

Taking the year as a whole, the average temperature of 9.72 degrees Celsius was very nearly the same as the most recent 30-year average (9.71 C); the total number of hours of strong sunshine (1213.7 hours) was a little less than the corresponding 30-year average of 1247.4 hours; and there was slightly more precipitation (847.9 mm) than the corresponding 30-year average (813.0 mm). So far as rainfall is concerned, a dry start and end to the year at Armagh largely compensated for the relatively very wet late spring, summer and early autumn. Summer 2012 was the fifth wettest summer on record at Armagh.

These data refer to observations at Armagh Observatory, which has been recording the weather at Armagh since 1795.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: John McFarland at the Armagh Observatory, College Hill, Armagh, BT61 9DG. Tel.: 028-3752-2928; FAX: 028-3752-7174; jmfarm.ac.uk; URL: climate.arm.ac.uk.

Last Revised: 2013 January 2nd