The first 21 days of January 2006 have failed to produce one single air
frost 5 miles West of Leeds in Farsley. We have had 6 ground frosts! The
monthly mean is 2.0 C above average. Rainfall is well down at only 9mm for
the month. As is sunshine at only 24 hours.
This must be unprecedented. I would like to hear if any others have a long
record of when this may have happened before in January.

ROBERT BROOKS wrote:
..
This must be unprecedented. I would like to hear if any others have a long
record of when this may have happened before in January.

Hi Rob

A frost free January in Coventry would certainly be unprecedented down
here, though we have had just 1 here so far in 2006.

Looking at our records, there were just 2 air frosts in January 1916
and 1983; these are the lowest in our records.

With the forecast for the week ahead, it would seem that neither of us
will escape an air frost this week, but we will see.

It would help if I looked at the right column in our records!

There have in fact been 6 January months in Coventry with just 1 air
frost - 1922 1924 1954 1977 1988 1989.

But still none without any at all!

Apologies for the slip!

ROBERT BROOKS wrote:
The first 21 days of January 2006 have failed to produce one single air
frost 5 miles West of Leeds in Farsley. We have had 6 ground frosts! The
monthly mean is 2.0 C above average. Rainfall is well down at only 9mm for
the month. As is sunshine at only 24 hours.
This must be unprecedented. I would like to hear if any others have a long
record of when this may have happened before in January.

Hi, Rob,

Taken from my monthly summary for January 1989 at my old Met O site in
Low Etherley, 10 miles NE of Copley, 155metres asl.

"Warmest and driest January on record. A run of 63 consecutive days
without air frost ended on 25th. Not one flake of snow was observed for
the first time in January.
Mean max 8.8C (+3.8C) High 13.7C Low 3.6C
Mean min 2.9C (+3.3C) Low -1.9C High 8.5C
Air frost 2 (25th&26th)
Rainfall 10.8mm(15%) "

Ah, the good old days, when winters really were winters!!

Best wishes,

Ken Cook, Copley 253metres asl, nr Barnard Castle, County Durham.
http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/copley

Exactly 100 years ago, January 1906 passed without a single air frost
being recorded at the Met Office station at King's College in Aberdeen.
The monthly summary of the daily weather report gives the lowest
minimum as 32.1F (i.e. 0.1C) on the 7th and 8th. Highest was
56.3F(13.5C) on the 26th. Sleet/snow fell on only 1 day.

January 1916 may also have passed without air frost. I have readings
only to the nearest degree Fahrenheit and the lowest was 32F. Not one
day that month reported sleet/snow falling. The same was true of
January 1898 and the Januaries of 1989 and 1990 (at Dyce). January 1930
had no days with snow/sleet at Craibstone but two days were logged at
the offical site at King's College.

The lowest monthly minimum I have for Dyce in January (since 1946) is
-1.8C in 1989. My own minimum for this month has been -1.7C but Dyce
tends to record lower temperatures and I think it has been near to -3C
there.

Richard Slessor,
Hazlehead, Aberdeen.