In the year that the United Nations headquarters in New York was officially opened, Greece and Turkey joined NATO and Libya gained independence from Italy. In the music world, one of the most popular records of the year in the UK was the Jimmy Young version of Nat King Cole's hit 'Too Young'. Weather Notes:- 22nd July - Farnham {Surrey) had 77mm of rain. 6th September - Oxford had 85mm of rain. 4th November - In a very wet month, parts of central and eastern Scotland had 125mm of rain.
In London...
Temperature
10.3°C
Rainfall
766.3 mm
Warmest
26.9°C
Sunshine
1574 hrs
Coldest
-3.8°C
January - Wet and rather mild, with above average sunshine.
Mean Temperature
4.8°C
Monthly Highest
11.0°C
Total Rain
77 mm
Monthly Lowest
-3.8°C
Total Sun
51 hrs
The month began wet with over 22mm of rain falling on the 2nd. There were further spells of changeable weather during the first 3 weeks of January, and it was often windy. However, temperatures were mostly above normal, and on the 17th the maximum was 11°C. Towards the end of the fourth week, although sunny at times, it became colder. On the 29th, the temperature only reached 0.2°C., and on the following night it was frosty with a minimum value near minus 4°C.
February - Very wet with temperatures and sunshine slightly below normal.
Mean Temperature
4.3°C
Monthly Highest
9.4°C
Total Rain
126 mm
Monthly Lowest
-1.3°C
Total Sun
62 hrs
In this very changeable month there were only 6 days without measurable rain. The heaviest rain fell within the first 8 days, and on the 4th nearly 19mm fell. Temperatures were fairly uniform through the month, and although there were some slight frosts no particularly cold or mild days occurred. On the 12th, the temperature climbed above 9°C., but 2 days later the high was only 4.0°C. Despite the rain, there were lengthy sunny spells between wet weather.
March - Wet, dull and cold.
Mean Temperature
5.2°C
Monthly Highest
14.3°C
Total Rain
73 mm
Monthly Lowest
-1.9°C
Total Sun
91 hrs
Changeable weather prevailed throughout March as frontal systems frequently affected the country. Cloud and rain was often persistent, and there were wintry showers, but with sunny intervals, between the rain bands. The temperature on the 9th only reached 2.9°C., and on the 19th there was over 14mm of rain. There were no warm days, although the temperature exceeded 14°C. on the 22nd. A few slight frosts occurred, even right at the end of the month.
April - Cold, sunny and rather wet.
Mean Temperature
7.7°C
Monthly Highest
22.5°C
Total Rain
58 mm
Monthly Lowest
1.0°C
Total Sun
197 hrs
The first half of April was cold and changeable with rain alternating with sunshine and showers, these wintry at times during the second week. However, there were no air frosts. The maximum temperature on the 9th was only 7.1°C. and nearly 12mm of rain fell. After mid month, it was somewhat milder and drier, and during the last 10 days of April there were some warm and sunny day. On the 25th the afternoon temperature almost reached 23 Celsius.
May - Cool and dull with above average rainfall.
Mean Temperature
11.0°C
Monthly Highest
20.0°C
Total Rain
51 mm
Monthly Lowest
3.4°C
Total Sun
155 hrs
The first fortnight of May was mostly cool or very cool and showery. The maximum temperature on both the 7th and 8th was only 9.5°C. After mid month there were a few warmer days, and on the 24th the afternoon temperature reached 20°C. There were several dry and bright, if rather cloudy, days during May, but spells of changeable weather also occurred, with outbreaks of rain. On the 26th over 11mm of rain was measured, but the end of the month was sunny.
June - Dry, sunny and rather cool.
Mean Temperature
15.0°C
Monthly Highest
22.9°C
Total Rain
24 mm
Monthly Lowest
6.7°C
Total Sun
258 hrs
There were many sunny days during June, but with winds frequently blowing from between northwest and northeast, there were cool nights, and a lack of warm days. On the 21st, the temperature almost reached 23°C., but on the following day over 8mm of rain fell. This was 1 of only 8 days during the month when measurable rain fell. There was some cool weather during the last week of the month, and on the 26th the maximum temperature was only 13.9°C.
July - Dry and rather sunny with above normal temperatures.
Mean Temperature
17.9°C
Monthly Highest
26.9°C
Total Rain
25 mm
Monthly Lowest
9.2°C
Total Sun
223 hrs
There were several chilly nights during July, but also some warm days. Rain was mostly light, and only fell on 9 days, but on the 12th, nearly 9mm was measured. The warmest weather occurred late in the third week, and the maximum temperature on the 19th was close to 27°C. There were some cooler days during the fourth week, and after thunderstorms on the 22nd, the highest temperature on the 23rd was only 16.2°C. Sunny and rather warm days then returned.
August - Cool and wet with average sunshine amounts.
Mean Temperature
16.0°C
Monthly Highest
23.6°C
Total Rain
85 mm
Monthly Lowest
9.9°C
Total Sun
188 hrs
There was some warm sunshine on the first few days of the month, and on the 1st the temperature almost reached 24°C. Any warmth was rare during the rest of the month, and there were some heavy , thundery downpours. On the 11th the maximum temperature was only 16.2°C.,and there were further cool and rather cloudy days, especially around the middle of the month. The heaviest rain occurred during the last week, and on the 26th nearly 21mm fell.
September - Rather dull with rainfall and temperature slightly above normal.
Mean Temperature
15.0°C
Monthly Highest
23.1°C
Total Rain
53 mm
Monthly Lowest
6.6°C
Total Sun
120 hrs
There was some fairly warm and humid weather during the first week, and on the 6th the maximum temperature was above 23°C. Generally, though, temperatures remained close to normal, and although there were plenty of dry days, cloud cover was more persistent than usual. The coolest weather occurred during the third week, and the maximum temperature on the 18th was only 15.1°C. Rainfall was mostly light, but on the 27th over 18mm of rain was measured.
October - Dry and rather cold with above average sunshine.
Mean Temperature
10.3°C
Monthly Highest
18.4°C
Total Rain
21 mm
Monthly Lowest
-1.2°C
Total Sun
104 hrs
The early part of the month was mainly dry, fairly mild, but often rather cloudy. On the 3rd the temperature exceeded 18°C. There were mild days until after mid month, but at the end of the third week, temperature levels fell, and on the 22nd the maximum value was only 7.9°C. After a sunny day on the 23rd, the first frost of the autumn occurred on the following night. There were further dry days during the last week, but on the 31st, over 11mm of rain fell.
November - Very wet, sunny and mild.
Mean Temperature
9.1°C
Monthly Highest
14.8°C
Total Rain
134 mm
Monthly Lowest
0.4°C
Total Sun
71 hrs
In this very cyclonic month there were only 8 days without measurable rain. Winds were mainly between southeast and southwest and most days were mild. On the 7th, the temperature almost reached 15°C. After a dry and sunny start to November, the second and third weeks were occasionally very wet. On the 17th, over 28mm of rain fell. The month was free of air frosts, but during the last week it was colder at times. The maximum temperature on the 26th was only 6.9°C.
December - Sunny, rather mild and dry.
Mean Temperature
6.3°C
Monthly Highest
11.8°C
Total Rain
37 mm
Monthly Lowest
-3.5°C
Total Sun
54 hrs
Although the month was changeable, rainfall was mostly light, and there was plenty of sunshine. Temperatures were mainly mild, but it was colder for a while during the second week with some frosty nights. On the 11th, the highest temperature was only 2.9° C. After mid month it was milder again, but the mildest, and wettest, weather occurred during the last week. Over 6mm of rain fell on the 28th, and the temperature almost reached 12°C. on the 30th.
