These recordings are taken in Westend.  A quick summary of each month is given below – do you recognize the picture as your experience?

January : A month of extremes, starting warm-ish then dropping to freezing nights mid-month, including a few days where daytime temperatures were around or below zero. Rain, early and late in the month, was above average.

February: Very dry for a winter month. Daytime temperatures were fairly normal but with the dry conditions came quite a few freezing nights.

March and April : both months varied just below averages for day and night temperatures but rain remained below expected levels. You will have found the ground on public footpaths firmer than usual for early spring.

May: Early May was very warm indeed, albeit mixed with rain showers, mainly at night, when it remained warm. The warm days will have benefited bee pollination of the Apple and Pear blossoms. Whilst temperatures dipped below average later in the month, night time temperatures kept well above frost levels, again benefiting our fruit crops and growth of arable crops too.

June : June also started warm and also dry enough for farmers to take a silage crop or even a hay crop if timing was good. After about the 10th, warmth fell well below average, rain came in quite often and it didn’t really feel like summer after all.   

July has maybe helped restore nature’s balance?

                                                                                                   

Data supplied by Mark Campbell