1923 Cold and Rather Dull. Especially Dull Spring.
In the year that the Irish Civil War ended, the 29th President of the United States, Warren Harding, died whilst in Office, and the Japanese cities of Tokyo and Yokahama were flattened by an eathquake that killed nearly 150,000 people. Wembley Stadium hosted it's first FA Cup Final . Bolton beat West Ham 2-0 in a match estimated to have been watched by more than 200,000 people. Weather Notes:- 9th to 11th July - Severe thunderstorms, especially in Southeast England and the London area. Rainfall of 50mm was recorded in parts of London and 82mm at Seaford (East Sussex). 12th July - Hailstones weighing nearly 1kg reportedly killed 23 people in Rostov (Russia). 23rd September - Snow fell in Munich, the earliest known autumn fall. 25th December - Heavy snow fell in Scotland with 20cm reported from Glasgow and drifts of nearly 1m in the Grampians.
In London...
Temperature
9.9°C
Rainfall
638.3 mm
Warmest
32.3°C
Sunshine
1427 hrs
Coldest
-5.2°C
January - Dry and rather mild with sunshine slightly above normal.
Mean Temperature
5.2°C
Monthly Highest
12.3°C
Total Rain
33 mm
Monthly Lowest
-3.6°C
Total Sun
48 hrs
The early part of January was changeable and rather mild. On the 7th, nearly 8mm of rain fell. Around the middle of the month there was plenty of dry, but rather cold, weather. On the 17th, after an overnight minimum below minus 3°C., the temperature during the day failed to rise above 1.2°C. There was a little sleet and snow, but towards the end of the month mild and changeable weather returned. The maximum temperature on the 30th was above 12°C.
February - Mild, dull and wet.
Mean Temperature
6.4°C
Monthly Highest
12.8°C
Total Rain
71 mm
Monthly Lowest
-2.8°C
Total Sun
51 hrs
Changeable and windy weather prevailed through most of the month and there were only 5 days without measurable rain. Large variations in the day-to-day weather occurred early in the month, and after an overnight minimum near 11°C., the temperature on the 2nd almost reached 13°C. A sunny day on the 4th was followed by a frosty night, and on the 8th nearly 14mm of rain fell. The coldest weather occurred after mid month, and the high on the 20th was only 2.6°C.
March - Very dull and rather wet with above average temperatures.
Mean Temperature
7.2°C
Monthly Highest
19.9°C
Total Rain
53 mm
Monthly Lowest
-0.8°C
Total Sun
73 hrs
There was extensive cloud cover during the first 3 weeks of March, and it was mostly unsettled and mild but with rainfall generally light. Around mid month there was some heavy rain and it was colder for a while. On the 13th nearly 20mm was recorded, and on the 15th the maximum temperature was only 5.3°C. During the last week of March there was more in the way of sunshine and it became warmer. The maximum temperature on the 27th was close to 20°C.
April - Dull with below average temperatures and rainfall.
Mean Temperature
8.8°C
Monthly Highest
17.9°C
Total Rain
40 mm
Monthly Lowest
-0.1°C
Total Sun
119 hrs
There were some chilly days early in the month and on the 9th the highest temperature was 5.5°C., and on the following night, the only frost of the month occurred. Late in the second week it became much warmer, and the afternoon temperature on the 12th almost reached 18°C. The third week was cooler with plenty of dry, but rather cloudy, weaher. The last week of April became more changeable, and after a sunny day on the 24th, nearly 8mm of rain fell on the 26th.
May - Cool and rather dull with above average rainfall.
Mean Temperature
10.9°C
Monthly Highest
25.5°C
Total Rain
52 mm
Monthly Lowest
1.7°C
Total Sun
165 hrs
The first week of the month was mostly sunny and warm. After a sunny day on the 4th, the afternoon temperature on the 5th rose above 25°C. It then became much cooler with winds predominantly from a north or northwesterly direction. It was often rather cloudy, and there were showers, some of which were heavy. During the second week, these were wintry at times, and the maximum temperature on the 12th was only 9.6°C. On the 23rd, over 12mm of rain fell.
June - Very cool, dull and dry.
Mean Temperature
13.2°C
Monthly Highest
24.1°C
Total Rain
6 mm
Monthly Lowest
3.0°C
Total Sun
118 hrs
Pressure was fairly high during June, but winds were persistently from between northwest and northeast bringing many cloudy and cool days, especially during the first 3 weeks. Grass frost occurred early on the 3rd, and the maximum temperature on the 4th was only 11.0°C. Rain fell on 7 days during June, but it was light, with the wettest day, the 15th, having under 3mm. The weather improved during the last week, and on the 29th the temperature exceeded 24°C.
July - Warm, rather wet and sunny.
Mean Temperature
19.3°C
Monthly Highest
32.3°C
Total Rain
83 mm
Monthly Lowest
9.3°C
Total Sun
232 hrs
There was a cool start to July and rhe maximum temperature on both the 1st and 3rd was only 18.5°C. The rest of the month was much warmer, and the second week was hot and humid . There were vivid displays of lightning during thunderstorms on the night of the 9th/10th, and on the following night storms gave nearly 30mm of rain. The temperature exceeded 32°C. on the 12th, and after an overnight low of 20.0°C., the following day was only very slightly cooler.
August - Sunny and rather dry with temperatures slightly below average.
Mean Temperature
16.7°C
Monthly Highest
29.4°C
Total Rain
40 mm
Monthly Lowest
5.9°C
Total Sun
247 hrs
The first half of August was mostly dry, warm and sunny. There were several hot and humid days during the second week, and the maximum temperature on the 9th was in excess of 29°C. Although there were further dry, bright and fairly warm days after mid month it was generally cloudier and much cooler. The end of the month was more changeable. The 29th was a poor late summer day with over 9mm of rain recorded and a maximum temperature of only 15.6°C.
September - Rather cool, dry and sunny.
Mean Temperature
13.5°C
Monthly Highest
22.9°C
Total Rain
35 mm
Monthly Lowest
5.1°C
Total Sun
173 hrs
There were some chilly nights in this month, and even as early as the morning of the 9th the temperature fell to 5.1°C. Plenty of dry and sunny weather occurred through September, although weak fronts produced occasional light rain. Daytime temperatures were not far from average, but on the 20th the maximum was only 14.2°C. On the following day, nearly 6mm of rain fell, but on the last day of the month the temperature almost reached 23°C.
October - Very wet with slightly below average temperatures and sunshine.
Mean Temperature
10.6°C
Monthly Highest
18.1°C
Total Rain
135 mm
Monthly Lowest
0.6°C
Total Sun
93 hrs
A wet start to October produced 50mm of rain during the first week, including nearly 24mm on the 3rd. It was cold at times, and on the 5th the maximum temperature was only 10.1°C. The second week became much milder, and the temperature on the 9th exceeded 18°C. Measurable rain fell on all but 7 days during October, but following a grass frost early on the 15th, the day remained dry and sunny. Unsettled weather then returned for the rest of the month.
November -Very cold, sunny and dry.
Mean Temperature
3.7°C
Monthly Highest
14.3°C
Total Rain
37 mm
Monthly Lowest
-5.2°C
Total Sun
73 hrs
There was a mild and damp beginning to November. The temperature on the 3rd exceeded 14°C., but this was soon followed by much colder weather, with snow falling as early as the 8th after an overnight minimum below minus 5°C. The snow turned to rain giving a total of 7mm, and although it became milde and changeable for a while, there was a return of low temperatures during the last week. The maximum value on the 26th was only minus 0.9°C.
December - Cold and rather dull with near normal rainfall.
Mean Temperature
3.9°C
Monthly Highest
10.4°C
Total Rain
52 mm
Monthly Lowest
-3.7°C
Total Sun
35 hrs
In this unsettled month there was some sleet, snow and several frosty nights, but there was no prolonged spell of cold weather. The coldest day was the 21st with a maximum temperature of 2.1°C., but on the following day it became considerably milder with a maximum temperature above 10°C. The last 10 days of December were changeable, although the 23rd was a sunny day. Rainfall was generally light but on Christmas Day over 10mm was measured.
