In the year of the 10-day General Strike in Britain which resulted in Martial Law being imposed for 7 months, Princess Elizabeth, the future Queen Elizabeth the Second, was born, and Olympic 400m freestyle Bronze Medallist Gertrude Ederle became the first woman to swim the 34km channel between France and England. Weather Notes:- 16th January - A brief cold snap was accompanied by heavy snow in Southern England. Over 25cm covered the ground in parts of Hampshire and Surrey. 12th-15th June - Only 50 minutes play in the Cricket Test Match at Trent Bridge (Nottingham) due to bad weather. 16th August - Severe thunderstorm in east Kent caused flooding, and extensive hail damage to fruit crops.
In London...
Temperature
10.5°C
Rainfall
603.8 mm
Warmest
29.6°C
Sunshine
1320 hrs
Coldest
-7.8°C
January - Rather mild with above average rainfall and below average sunshine.
Mean Temperature
4.8°C
Monthly Highest
11.7°C
Total Rain
59 mm
Monthly Lowest
-7.8°C
Total Sun
43 hrs
The opening fortnight of the new year was mostly mild and changeable. On the 7th nearly 11mm of rain was measured. Towards the end of the second week it turned much colder as bitter east winds developed and brought some snow. On the 15th, the temperature failed to rise above minus 1.3°C, and on the following night, over snow cover, the temperature almost touched minus 8°C. A thaw set in during the 17th and the rest of the month was generally mild.
February - Very mild, dull and wet.
Mean Temperature
7.5°C
Monthly Highest
13.9°C
Total Rain
58 mm
Monthly Lowest
-2.7°C
Total Sun
46 hrs
Southwesterly winds blew for much of the month keeping the weather very mild but often cloudy and damp with rain and drizzle at times. A drier, brighter but colder interlude occurred during the second week, and on the 10th the maximum temperature was only 2.5°C. A sharp overnight frost occurred after a sunny day on the 13th, but it then became milder. On the 17th over 16mm of rain fell and then the remainder of the month was mild and changeable.
March - Very dry and rather mild with below average sunshine.
Mean Temperature
7.0°C
Monthly Highest
15.4°C
Total Rain
5 mm
Monthly Lowest
-0.4°C
Total Sun
101 hrs
The first week of March was unsettled, but rain was light and there were lengthy spells of sunshine. It became very mild, and on the 6th the temperature rose above 15°C. No measurable rain fell between the 7th and the 26th, but it was often rather cloudy. Temperatures were close to, and sometimes a little below, normal, and on the 22nd the maximum temperature was only 4.4°C. During the last week of March the unsettled weather returned with occasional rain.
April - Very dull, wet and rather mild.
Mean Temperature
9.7°C
Monthly Highest
21.4°C
Total Rain
68 mm
Monthly Lowest
0.7°C
Total Sun
110 hrs
There was some warm and sunny weather during the early part of the month although a few chilly nights occurred with ground frost. On both the 2nd and 3rd the temperature rose above 20°C. Generally, though, the month was very showery with temperatures mostly close to, or a little above, the average. On the 25th, it rained for much of the day, and this produced a total of nearly 15mm of rain, and it was cool with the maximum temperature only rising to 9.4°C.
May - Cool and dull with slightly below average rainfall.
Mean Temperature
11.3°C
Monthly Highest
24.0°C
Total Rain
44 mm
Monthly Lowest
1.7°C
Total Sun
147 hrs
In this changeable month, the early part of May was often cool. On the 5th, the maximum temperature only reached 10.1°C. Rainfall was mostly light, but heavier falls occurred around mid month as the weather become very cyclonic for a while. On the 14th, over 21mm of rain was recorded. Towards the end of the month, although unsettled weather continued, there were some warmer days, and on the 26th the afternoon temperature managed to reach 24°C.
June - Very wet, cool and rather dull.
Mean Temperature
14.4°C
Monthly Highest
23.7°C
Total Rain
86 mm
Monthly Lowest
5.9°C
Total Sun
188 hrs
The month began with some heavy rain at times and low temperatures. On the 2nd the maximum temperature was only 11.6°C. and nearly 28mm of rain fell. There were several more downpours during June, although a few pleasantly warm sunny days also occurred, more especially towards the end of the month. However, there were no periods of sustained warmth, and the temperature on the 21st, the warmest day of the month, failed to reach 24°C.
July - Rather dry and dull with temperatures slightly above average.
Mean Temperature
17.7°C
Monthly Highest
29.6°C
Total Rain
44 mm
Monthly Lowest
10.5°C
Total Sun
167 hrs
Although the month was fairly unsettled, rainfall was mostly light, and there were several sunny and warm days. The best weather occurred around the end of the second week although it became increasingly humid. On the 14th, after a muggy night, the temperature during the day rose close to 30°C. Some unseasonably cool weather occurred late in July, and on the 26th the maximum temperature was only 14.7°C with nearly 9mm of rain recorded.
August - Very dry with above average temperatures and sunshine.
Mean Temperature
17.5°C
Monthly Highest
27.9°C
Total Rain
15 mm
Monthly Lowest
8.0°C
Total Sun
207 hrs
The month was fairly changeable but Atlantic fronts were weak and rainfall was invariably light. There were several mostly sunny days during August, but early in the month it was often rather chilly. On the 6th,7th and 11th the highest afternoon temperatures were just 19.2°C. On the 17th, nearly 3mm of rain fell, making it the wettest day of the month. The warmest weather occurred at the end of August, and on the 30th the highest temperature was close to 28°C.
September - Rather dry and warm with below average sunshine.
Mean Temperature
15.7°C
Monthly Highest
28.7°C
Total Rain
37 mm
Monthly Lowest
4.1°C
Total Sun
130 hrs
The first week was unsettled but fairly warm. On the 2nd, nearly 12mm of rain was recorded. No measurable rain fell between the 9th and the 23rd, and durig this period there were several warm or very warm and sunny days. On the 19th, the maximum temperature was close to 29°C. The last week of the month became decidedly autumnal with some strong winds, outbreaks of rain and much lower temperatures. On the 26th the maximum was only 11.4°C.
October - Cold with below average rainfall and sunshine.
Mean Temperature
8.8°C
Monthly Highest
20.5°C
Total Rain
52 mm
Monthly Lowest
-2.1°C
Total Sun
88 hrs
The month started with several warm days, and on both the 5th and 6th the maximum temperature rose above 20°C. However, it was cooler on the 7th, and a further lowering of temperatures occurred after mid month as it became more unsettled and often windy. On the 15th, over 12mm of rain was recorded. After a milder interlude at the beginning of the last week, there was a little sleet and wet snow on the 28th with a maximum temperature foe the day of just 6.7°C.
November - Very wet, rather dull with temperatures close to normal.
Mean Temperature
7.3°C
Monthly Highest
13.1°C
Total Rain
130 mm
Monthly Lowest
-1.7°C
Total Sun
41 hrs
The first day of November dawned frosty, but there were very few clear nights in this changeable and windy month. The early part of November saw the mildest period with maximum temperatures above 13°C. on both the 5th and the 11th, There were also many wet days. After a sunny Sunday on the 7th, the following day was wet with nearly 24mm of rain falling. Colder days occurred after mid month, and the highest temperature recorded on the 25th was only 4.2°C.
December - Very dry, sunny and rather cold.
Mean Temperature
4.4°C
Monthly Highest
10.2°C
Total Rain
6 mm
Monthly Lowest
-1.6°C
Total Sun
53 hrs
Measurable rain fell on only 5 days during December, with much of the total falling during the first week. On the 6th, nearly 3mm of rain was measured. Temperatures were mostly near, or rather below normal and there were several sunny days during the month but with not too much overnight fog. The coldest weather occurred around Christmas, and highs on both the 23rd and 27th were 2.8°C, but the end of the year was mild with a high above 10°C on the 31st.
