2023 has began with a January of marked contrasts, which has resulted in total near-average figures for lots of the UK’s climate statistics.
In keeping with provisional Met Workplace figures, the one comparatively constant customer was sunshine with England having its second sunniest January on document in a collection which matches again to 1919. England had a mean of 77.6 hours of sunshine, failing to prime the document breaking 80.7 hours seen in January 2022.
The UK additionally had its third sunniest January on document, with a mean of 63.1 hours of sunshine.
Contrasting temperatures
The month’s temperature figures had been marginally hotter than common, with a interval of delicate climate in the beginning of the month adopted by a chilly spell. Later within the month, temperatures returned nearer to common, albeit with the north of the UK seeing the best temperatures within the month.
Dyce, in Aberdeenshire, had January 2023’s highest temperature with 15.8°C on 24 January, although partly due to the Foehn impact, it’s not unusual for Scotland to see the best temperature recorded in a winter month.
Drumnadrochit, Inverness-shire, posted the bottom each day minimal temperature of the month, with –10.4°C the bottom temperatures bought in January.
These contrasts helped to convey the UK imply temperature for January to 4.4°C, simply 0.4°C above common.
The Nationwide Local weather Data Centre Supervisor Dr Mark McCarthy stated: “After a record-breaking 2022 for warmth within the UK, January has began this 12 months with a near-average month for temperature, which masks a interval of chilly climate in the midst of the month, in addition to some delicate climate on the begin of the 12 months.
“The month’s climate has largely been flipping from westerlies with milder air and rain to influxes of northerly air with chilly and dry climate, which isn’t uncommon for a UK winter. What this ends in is pretty typical January temperature and rainfall statistics when averaged throughout the entire month.”
Fluctuating rainfall
Equally to the temperature figures, January 2023 noticed close to common rainfall for the UK with 125.7mm falling, 3% greater than common.
Rain in January usually coincided with the delicate air and a dominant westerly regime early in January.
Wales has seen 25% extra rain than common, with 194.7mm falling within the month and England 9% greater than common with 90.5mm.
Northern Eire and Scotland each noticed much less rainfall than common, with 95.2mm (83% of common) and 171.5mm (96% of common) respectively.
Solar shines for January
January sunshine was in good provide, although not sufficient to hassle 2022’s document January sunshine figures for England.
The UK had its third sunniest January on document in a collection which dates again to 1919, although a lot of the UK skilled a sunnier than common month.
Western and northern areas of Scotland bought the least in the way in which of sunshine, with the Western Isles, a location not liable to January sunshine, having a reasonably boring month, although not record-breaking.
In distinction, Berwickshire was one in every of numerous counties to see document ranges of January sunshine, with many seeing greater than 50% extra sunshine hours than their averages for the month.
Dr Mark McCarthy continued: “One notable characteristic of January’s climate was the sunshine, with loads of clear spells of climate, although not sufficient to hassle any nationwide information.
“The far northwest may really feel a bit short-changed with sunshine period, in addition to western areas of Northern Eire due to some extra persistent cloud and rain shifting in off the Atlantic in January.”
| Provisional January 2023 | Imply temp (°C) | Sunshine (hours) | Rainfall (mm) | |||
| Precise | Diff from avg (°C) | Precise | % of avg | Precise | % of avg | |
| UK | 4.4 | 0.4 | 63.1 | 133 | 125.2 | 103 |
| England | 4.9 | 0.5 | 77.6 | 140 | 90.5 | 109 |
| Wales | 5.0 | 0.6 | 55.7 | 118 | 194.7 | 125 |
| Scotland | 3.2 | 0.3 | 42.9 | 122 | 171.5 | 96 |
| N Eire | 4.9 | 0.4 | 51.1 | 120 | 95.2 | 83 |
A typical winter to this point
Two months into meteorological winter, the statistics are remarkably close to common for rainfall and sunshine to this point.
At this level within the season, you’d count on 68% of winter’s common rainfall and sunshine. On the conclusion of January, each of those are at 69%, although there have been apparent fluctuations, as is regular in a UK winter.
Thus far, there was 236.7mm of rain for the UK in winter, although areas within the south of the UK have usually seen extra rain in comparison with their averages.
Throughout winter, rainfall and temperature will be intently linked, with moist climate usually linked to delicate temperatures when Atlantic climate programs convey milder extra unsettled circumstances, and dry climate is related to colder circumstances when the UK is below the affect of air from the north or east.
Through the interval between 18th December and fifteenth January, the UK acquired over 162.6% of common Jan rainfall. Throughout this time Wales acquired 212.6%. This was actually a notably moist winter interval, however not document breaking, and never as moist as equal spells in February 2020 or Jan 2016.
Winter to this point has been barely cooler than common for the UK with the imply temperature from December and January sitting at 3.6°C, which is 0.5°C cooler than common.
