2022 SPRING RAINFALL COMPARISON FOR NORFOLK, SUFFOLK & EAST ANGLIA 

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 31^st. 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 COMPARISON FOR NORFOLK, SUFFOLK & EAST ANGLIA

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

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 26^th 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

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