Royston (Iceni) Weather Station

Daily Weather Observations - December 2011

(All Times GMT)

Date Max. Temp. (°C) 09/09h Min. Temp. (°C) 09/09h Grass Min. Temp. (°C) 21/09h Earth (30cms) Temp. (°C) 09h Sun (Hours) 00/00h R'fall (MM) 09/09h Wind Dir'n 09h Mean Wind Speed (MPH) 00/00h Max. Gust Speed (MPH) 00/00h Cloud Cover (Oktas) 09h Mean MSL Air Pressure (mB) 00/00h Mean Rel. Humd. (%) 00/00h Mean Temp. (°C) 00/00h Fog (vis. <1000m @ 09h) Fog (vis. <200m @ 09h) Snow or Rain and Snow 00/00h Snow Lying @ 09h (>50% cover) Hail 00/00h Thunder 00/00h Date
1 9.5 8.6 7.4 8.3 1.5 0.1 W 6.1 32 8 1006.0 84.1 8.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
2 10.5 2.3 -1.0 8.0 4.7 2.1 SW 8.3 34 0 1010.6 86.2 4.9 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
3 10.8 6.8 5.6 7.7 6.2 0.0 W 11.8 35 3 1001.6 80.9 8.8 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
4 8.1 6.0 4.2 7.5 0.4 0.7 SW 9.9 33 8 999.5 81.0 6.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
5 6.0 1.5 -0.9 6.8 3.6 0.0 SW 11.5 29 0 1004.1 81.0 3.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 5
6 8.0 2.1 0.2 6.0 4.3 1.7 W 11.0 26 1 1005.3 83.6 4.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6
7 8.6 4.0 2.5 6.0 5.0 0.1 W 14.8 40 0 1006.7 75.2 5.9 0 0 0 0 0 0 7
8 12.3 3.6 1.3 5.7 0.2 4.7 S 15.2 43 8 1007.9 83.2 7.7 0 0 0 0 0 0 8
9 6.8 2.5 0.7 6.2 5.3 0.2 SW 11.3 30 0 1008.8 77.7 3.7 0 0 0 0 0 0 9
10 5.5 0.5 -1.9 5.2 6.3 0.0 SW 8.3 19 1 1014.1 82.7 2.3 0 0 0 0 0 0 10
11 8.0 2.5 0.9 4.8 0.0 3.6 S 9.6 29 8 1005.9 89.0 5.8 0 0 0 0 0 0 11
12 11.4 2.0 0.2 5.5 6.0 10.0 SW 11.5 43 0 1000.3 87.7 5.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 12
13 6.5 4.2 2.1 6.0 3.9 1.8 SW 15.7 49 4 988.0 84.8 5.9 0 0 0 0 0 0 13
14 5.7 2.3 0.6 5.5 2.6 2.8 SW 12.1 31 3 992.6 83.7 3.8 0 0 0 0 0 0 14
15 6.9 1.5 -0.3 5.0 3.2 6.3 W 10.5 33 7 994.9 85.2 4.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 15
16 2.9 0.1 -0.2 5.0 0.1 3.1 NW 7.7 23 8 988.2 93.7 1.9 1 0 1 1 0 0 16
17 4.3 -0.4 -2.2 4.5 2.2 0.2 SW 8.4 21 7 1007.5 90.9 1.8 0 0 0 0 0 0 17
18 3.5 -1.7 -4.0 4.2 1.7 0.3 W 6.9 22 7 1015.4 90.8 0.3 0 0 1 0 0 0 18
19 6.5 -1.3 -4.2 3.8 0.0 3.8 SW 8.4 24 8 1012.8 93.4 3.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 19
20 8.1 4.0 1.5 4.2 3.0 4.3 W 9.1 23 0 1013.9 87.7 5.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 20
21 11.1 4.8 4.3 4.8 0.0 0.2 W 7.5 20 8 1016.8 96.1 8.6 1 0 0 0 0 0 21
22 11.0 8.2 6.1 6.0 6.6 0.0 SW 10.4 26 3 1023.1 89.8 9.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 22
23 11.1 9.8 8.1 6.4 0.8 6.6 SW 12.2 31 5 1015.8 87.4 8.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 23
24 9.7 1.6 -0.6 6.1 0.3 0.3 SW 10.2 26 6 1026.3 87.0 4.9 0 0 0 0 0 0 24
25 12.0 6.9 5.6 6.0 1.4 0.0 SW 14.4 34 5 1026.1 87.3 10.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 25
26 13.7 10.9 8.8 7.0 1.9 0.0 SW 11.8 32 7 1031.2 84.1 11.3 0 0 0 0 0 0 26
27 10.5 9.0 8.4 7.5 0.2 0.0 SW 7.3 30 6 1031.3 78.2 9.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 27
28 10.2 6.8 5.0 7.5 2.6 0.1 SW 13.1 31 7 1019.1 78.9 7.8 0 0 0 0 0 0 28
29 8.5 4.5 2.6 6.8 0.2 2.4 SW 14.1 35 8 1017.8 80.6 6.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 29
30 11.1 3.6 1.4 6.4 0.2 4.7 W 9.1 26 7 1015.1 89.0 5.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 30
31 12.4 7.7 7.6 6.8 0.7 0.3 SW 11.4 27 8 1008.0 92.6 11.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 31
Total/Mean 8.7 4.0 2.3 6.0 74.7 60.4 X 10.6 X 4.9 1010.2 85.6 6.0 2 0 2 1 0 0 Total/Mean
*Diff./% +1.7 +1.1     157% 120%                           *Diff./%
Date Max. Temp. (°C) 09/09h Min. Temp. (°C) 09/09h Grass Min. Temp. (°C) 21/09h Earth (30cms) Temp. (°C) 09h Sun (Hours) 00/00h R'fall (MM) 09/09h Wind Dir'n 09h Mean Wind Speed (MPH) 00/00h Max. Gust Speed (MPH) 00/00h Cloud Cover (Oktas) 09h Mean MSL Air Pressure (mB) 00/00h Mean Rel. Humd. (%) 00/00h Mean Temp. (°C) 00/00h Fog (vis. <1000m @ 09h) Fog (vis. <200m @ 09h) Snow or Rain and Snow 00/00h Snow Lying @ 09h (>50% cover) Hail 00/00h Thunder 00/00h Date

Differences from average:

Differences from average shown in red. Reference periods used are as follows: Temperature 30 Years 1976/2005; rainfall 30 Years 1971/2000; sunshine 30 Years 1971/2000.

(*The differences from average quoted during the course of the month relate to the cumulative daily averages up to the date of the last observation, not the averages for the month as a whole)

Additional Data:

Rainfall Duration  N/A

Air Frost Duration  16.6 hours

Graphs and Charts:

Click on the following links to view this month's graphs and charts.....

1. Daily Maximum, Minimum & Grass Minimum Temperatures

2. Daily Maximum & Minimum Temperatures (with 30 Year Comparative Means)

3. Daily Earth (30 cms Depth) Temperature @ 0900 GMT  4. Daily Rainfall  5.  Daily Sunshine

6. Daily Maximum Gust & Mean Wind Speed  7. Daily Wind Direction @ 0900 GMT

8. Daily Mean MSL Air Pressure  9.  Daily Mean Relative Humidity   10. Thermograph 

11.  Barograph  12.  Hygrograph  13.  Anemograph  14.  Wind Direction

15. Rainfall Intensity & Duration

December 2011 Weather Review:

......and click on the link below for a text report of the December 2011 weather in Royston

December 2011 Weather Review

December (since 1972) at Royston (Iceni) Weather Station:

Mean day maximum temperature (30 years 1981/2010) 7.0°C

Mean night minimum temperature (30 years 1981/2010) 2.9°C

Highest temperature 15.1°C (2nd December 1985); lowest temperature -11.0°C (20th December 2010)

Lowest grass minimum temperature -14.6°C (13th December 1981)

Warmest December 1974 (Mean temperature 7.8°C); coldest December 2010 (Mean temperature 0.2°C)

Average December rainfall (30 years 1981/2010) 50.2 mm

Wettest December 1989 (Rainfall 122.4 mm); driest December 1991 (Rainfall 10.3 mm)

Wettest Day 27th December 1979 (Rainfall 31.5 mm);

Highest number of "rain days" (0.2 mm or more) 22 (1978); lowest number of "rain days" 7 (2004)

Highest number of days with thunder 3 (1989)

Highest number of air frosts 22 (2010)

Highest number of ground frosts 25 (1981)

Highest number of days with snow falling 10 (1981, 2010)

Highest number of days with snow lying (ground with more than 50% snow cover @ 0900 GMT) 23 (1981)

Once again this year parts of downtown Royston have been bedecked with Christmas decorations and in this photograph (at 1632 GMT on 7th December 2011) can be seen the curtains of lights hanging above the High Street. At the Cross a few metres to the rear of the photographer further decorations are in place along with the customary large Christmas tree. An illuminated Christmas message and welcome to Royston on the Town Hall greets travellers passing northwards through the town on the A10 London to Kings Lynn road. The narrow High Street (by-passed in the 1960's for through traffic) is on the line of the old Roman road Ermine Street which passes through Royston on its route from London (Londinium) to Lincoln (Lindum Colonia) and York (Eboracum). The temperature when this photograph was taken was 6.1°C after a day time maximum of 7.7°C at 1330 GMT. It was a rather windy day and gusts of 40 mph were recorded at both 1155 GMT and 1345 GMT, but also quite sunny for a December day with a sunshine total of 5.0 hours. This picture is not at all typical of the generally mild December 2011weather in Royston but this was the scene on the Burloes estate to the east of the town on 16th (at 0924 GMT). A depression moving eastwards along the English Channel and into the Low Countries has brought a snowfall on its northern flank and given Royston a covering by mid-morning. The temperature at this time was 0.4°C in a WNW wind of mean speed 7 knots gusting to 11 knots. The maximum temperature on 16th reached only 2.9°C whilst sunshine was restricted to 2 minutes! Most of the snowfall had thawed by the end of the day although several large patches were still in evidence at Burloes the following day. The crop in this picture is sugar beet which looks in good health despite the dry conditions existing for much of the season, and now awaits lifting and transport to a processing plant to meet campaign deadlines. The northern boundary of Cow Plantation is to the right of the photograph and the Greenwich Meridian crosses the track around this position. Although it may not look like it this is the Royston to Cambridge railway line at Coombes Hole, Royston as pictured on 25th December 2011 at 0822 GMT. Some 10 hours earlier an engineering possession of the line came into force and the track lifted for excavation of the site and installation of an underpass between Coombes Hole and Burns Road. Within 24 hours a swathe across the railway had been cut in the chalk and the onsite pre-fabricated underpass had been moved into position and back filling of the site begun. A further 24 hours saw this process completed and the ballast and railway track reinstated. By the early morning of 27th trains were running normally past this point. The weather conditions for the whole operation which necessarily included night working could hardly have been better; it was dry, mild and frost free, and  with good visibility throughout. In fact, the maximum temperature of 13.7°C on 26th made it the mildest Boxing Day since at least 1972 in Royston, but the maximum temperature of 12.0°C on Christmas Day fell short of the record of 13.1°C set in 1974.

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(This page last updated 14th January 2012 2130 GMT)