Weather Reports

2022 SUMMER RAINFALL COMPARISON FOR NORFOLK, SUFFOLK & EAST ANGLIA

Written by Peter Lyle. Posted in Weather Reports

2022 SUMMER RAINFALL COM PARISON FOR NORFOLK, SUFFOLK & EAST ANGLIA

 

Group Member

Pauline Roberts

Roy Mellor

Graham Allison

David King

Terry Read

Peter George

Met. Office Averages

Site

Month

Wendling Norfolk

Norwich Norfolk

Thorpe St Andrew Norfolk

Brooke Norfolk

Sisland Norfolk

Pakenham Suffolk

East Anglia

May

29.5mm

50.0mm

52.0mm

44.5mm

42.0mm

25.0mm

34.9mm

June

26.0mm

33.0mm

23.0mm

37.5mm

32.0mm

25.9mm

33.1mm

July

9.0mm

12.0mm

4.0mm

9.5mm

5.8mm

5.8mm

5.4mm

August

41.5mm

13.5mm

6.0mm

31.5mm

24.4mm

15.2mm

32.0mm

May – August Total

106.0mm

108.5mm

85.0mm

123.0mm

104.2mm

71.9mm

105.4mm

Year to Date Total

224.5mm

260.0mm

201.0mm

269.7mm

220.5mm

205.7mm

222.8mm

In Britain, rightly, or wrongly, we have a reputation for being obsessed with the weather and this year we have had plenty to talk about. The series of storms and heavy rainfall in February, in an otherwise very dry first four months, lead us to an equally dry second four months with record breaking temperatures in July and the sunniest, shorts and t-shirt summer, for ages.

A look at the group rainfall figures (above) shows much reduced levels of precipitation, especially in July with only 10% of the expected average and the rainfall we have had has been a hit and miss lottery of heavy showers. At the same time the sunshine hours have been well above average apart from a rather dull and cloudy May.

We gardeners are having to give a lot of thought to the composition of our gardens as in the last few months many treasured plants have only been kept alive by using bath and washing up water. My own rainfall total for the year to date, 205.7mm, is only 54% of my average over the last twenty years. However I suspect that it is not going to be as simple as just growing more drought tolerant plants.  Rain deluges across the globe are becoming as frequent as drought induced wild fires.

Peter George

06/09/2022

2022 SPRING RAINFALL COMPARISON FOR NORFOLK, SUFFOLK & EAST ANGLIA

Written by Peter George. Posted in Weather Reports

2022 SPRING RAINFALL COMPARISON FOR NORFOLK, SUFFOLK & EAST ANGLIA 

Group Member

Pauline Roberts

Roy Mellor

Graham Allison

David King

Terry Read

Peter George

Met. Office  Averages

Site                

Month                                 

Wendling Norfolk

Norwich Norfolk

Thorpe St Andrew Norfolk

Brooke Norfolk

Sisland Norfolk

Pakenham Suffolk

East Anglia

January

20.0 mm

27.5 mm

   16.0 mm

27.5 mm

24.5 mm

23.9 mm

     16.4 mm

February

57.0 mm

88.0 mm

   68.0 mm

72.5 mm

 62.2 mm

73.1 mm

61.2 mm

March

35.5 mm

27.0 mm

 26.0 mm

33.0 mm

 22.4 mm

26.1 mm

27.7 mm

April

6.0 mm

9.0 mm

6.0 mm

   13.7 mm

 7.2 mm

10.7 mm

12.1 mm

YTD Total  Jan – April

118.5 mm

151.5 mm

116.0 mm

146.7 mm

116.3 mm

133.8 mm

117.4 mm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A four month period of weather condition contrasts. Although the rainfall figures across our group gave pretty consistent results they were by no means normal. January rainfall was only 31% of the expected norm resulting in the first absolute drought (15 or more days without rainfall) in January, for over sixty years. February made up for the January deficit with 142% of average rainfall but March was again dry with 70% and April even dryer with just 30% of expected precipitation. 

But rainfall only tells part of the story, the dry quite frosty and very sunny January was followed by wet, fairly mild but stormy February. In the middle of the month storms Dudley, Eunice and Fredrick wreaked havoc across the land. March turned out to be one of the sunniest in years even if it did snow on the 31st. That snow carried into a dry April of near average temperatures with only 4 to 5 frost days and more than average sunshine.

Peter George
08/05/2022

2020 AUTUMN RAINFALL COM PARISON FOR NORFOLK, SUFFOLK & EAST ANGLIA

Written by Peter George. Posted in Weather Reports

2020 AUTUMN RAINFALL COMPARISON FOR NORFOLK, SUFFOLK & EAST ANGLIA

Group Member

Pauline Roberts

Graham Allison

David King

Terry Read

Peter George

Met Office Averages

Site                       Month

Wendling Norfolk

Thorpe St Andrew Norfolk

Brooke Norfolk

Sisland Norfolk

Pakenham Suffolk

East   Anglia

September

122.0mm

128.0mm

112.2mm

99.4mm

46.7mm

53.1mm

October

103.0mm

112.0mm

137.3mm

112.8mm

103.4mm

111.2mm

November

49.5mm

44.0mm

56.5mm

43.6mm

38.9mm

35.8mm

December

123.5mm

150.0mm

138.5mm

117.0mm

122.2mm

105.0mm

Sept – Dec Totals

398.0mm

434.0mm

444.5mm

372.8mm

311.2mm

305.1mm

Jan – Aug Totals

409.0mm

427.0mm

402.4mm

373.1mm

406.4mm

363.0mm

Year Totals for 2020

807.0mm

861.0mm

846.9mm

745.9mm

717.6mm

668.1mm

Without doubt this has been a wet four month period. The similarity between the September to December total rainfall and that of the equivalent total for the first eight months of the year only emphasises this point. Although this holds for the north of the region (Norfolk) further south in Suffolk and for the region as a whole the figures are further apart.

The 53.1mm East Anglian average rainfall in September was normal. October was 172% of normal and December was nearly double at 194%, however November was only 59% of the expected norm. These figures illustrate how unpredictable our weather can be.

The sunshine readings for the September to December period, based on Met Office averages, show a bright September, a near normal November and December, but a dismal 55% of average sunshine in October.

2020 will be remembered for the Corona Virus pandemic. But our weather throughout the year has also had its highs and lows, swinging from glorious sunshine to rainfall deluges, calm tranquillity to blustering gales. Whatever 2021 has in store we’ve still got the weather.

Peter George
06/01/2021 

2020 SUMMER RAINFALL COM PARISON FOR NORFOLK, SUFFOLK & EAST ANGLIA

Written by Peter George. Posted in Weather Reports

2020 SUMMER RAINFALL COM PARISON FOR NORFOLK, SUFFOLK & EAST ANGLIA

 

Group Member

Dianna Perowne

Pauline Roberts

Graham Allison

David King

Terry Read

Peter George

Met. Office Averages

Site

Month

Hevingham Norfolk

Wendling Norfolk

Thorpe St Andrew Norfolk

Brooke Norfolk

Sisland Norfolk

Pakenham Suffolk

East Anglia

May

0.0mm

5.0mm

6.0mm

4.5mm

4.0mm

3.5mm

4.2mm

June

44.0mm

64.5mm

55.0mm

72.7mm

67.3mm

74.1mm

56.8mm

July

41.0mm

52.0mm

57.0mm

56.5mm

45.6mm

42.3mm

51.0mm

August

60.0mm

109.5mm

114.0mm

72.5mm

59.0mm

94.2mm

73.4mm

May – August Total

145.0mm

231.0mm

232.0mm

206.2mm

175.9mm

214.1mm

185.4mm

Year to Date Total

330.5mm

409.0mm

427.0mm

402.4mm

373.1mm

406.4mm

363.0mm

It has been another topsy-turvy period of weather with highs and lows of temperature and rainfall. The driest May for 100 years, and near record breaking temperature highs in July and August. However, it might be said that this ‘good summer’ was just what we needed during the Corona Virus lockdown.

The rainfall figures above seem fairly consistent across our region, the highs and lows dependent on catching an elusive rain cloud. The totals for the year to date are about average, yet deep down the soil is very dry. I received 31.0mm, in little more than an hour, on 26th August; this was very welcome and was absorbed very quickly with little or no run-off to the adjacent stream.  

I note that the high rainfall of August is not unusual, in fact, my personal records of the last 18 years show that our main holiday month is, on average, the wettest of them all.

Peter George

03/09/2020

2020 SPRING RAINFALL COMPARISON FOR NORFOLK, SUFFOLK & EAST ANGLIA

Written by Peter George. Posted in Weather Reports

2020 SPRING RAINFALL COMPARISON FOR NORFOLK, SUFFOLK & EAST ANGLIA

Group Member

Diana Perowne

Pauline Roberts

Graham Allison

David King

Terry Read

Peter George

Met. Office  Averages

Site               

Month                                                     

Hevingham Norfolk

Wendling Norfolk

Thorpe St Andrew Norfolk

Brooke Norfolk

Sisland Norfolk

Pakenham Suffolk

East Anglia

January

50.0 mm

62.5 mm

54.0 mm

65.7 mm

72.4mm

57.8 mm

50.9 mm

February

67.0 mm

76.5 mm

90.0mm

82.5 mm

76.0 mm

84.4 mm

76.1 mm

March

48.0 mm

18.0 mm

23.0 mm

22.0 mm

18.2 mm

21.9 mm

24.5 mm

April

20.5mm

21.0 mm

28.0 mm

26.0 mm

30.6 mm

28.2mm

26.1 mm

YTD Total  Jan - April

185.5mm

178.0 mm

195.0mm

196.2 mm

197.2 mm

192.3 mm

177.6 mm

The Winter/Spring of 2020 produced another fascinating period of weather in East Anglia, full of highs and lows. January gave about average rainfall, but February was a wet and stormy month. Do you recall storms Ciara, Dennis and Jorge? We didn’t have the flood and devastation experienced in more westerly and northern regions of the country, but our rainfall was almost double the long term average. As if to compensate for the February deluge rainfall in March and April was a bit over half the expected norm.

Mean temperatures over the four month period have been above average with about half the expected number of days with an air frost. Average sunshine hours improved steadily from 106% in January to 160% of the expected norm in April.

Peter George
05/05/2020