Temperatures in Askam, January 2010

The first temperature update of 2010 and January was obviously an extremely cold month across the whole country. Perhaps unsurprisingly my datalogger recorded its lowest ever monthly mean and minimum temperatures for this month.

Mean temperature – 3.24 C

Maximum temperature – 10.77 C

Minimum temperature – -2.13 C

The minimum was recorded on the 7th of January at 9:13 AM. The mean temperature is a full 1.4 degrees below the temperature of December 2009, which was the coldest month on record.

Again these temperatures come with the caveat that the datalogger is located in a concrete yard and is exposed to the sun, which tends to record warmer temperatures than it would if situated in a rural location.

Temperatures in Askam, December 2009

An update on tempreatures in Askam over the last month. Unfortunately the datalogger battery ran out in November and therefore data held on the logger (October and some of November) was lost. However the logger is up and running again and data is complete for December. Firstly a reminder of the whole record:

Month	Year	Mean temperature	High	Low	Notes
March	2007	8.17	18.18	0.39	Incomplete
April	2007	12.69	25.33	2.95
May	2007	13.26	25.65	7.95
June	2007	16.51	28.47	10.44
July	2007	15.88	24.32	12.02	Incomplete
August	2007	16.91	31.7	11.5	Incomplete
September	2007	14.7	26.6	6.09
October	2007	12.48	22.21	5.65
November	2007	8.97	18.48	1.35
December	2007	6.12	12.47	-1.02
January	2008	6.76	10.41	1.47
February	2008	7.07	18.56	-0.76
March	2008	7.15	19.95	1.63
April	2008	9.54	23.16	1.59
May	2008	16.43	29.91	7.67
June	2008	15.01	24.07	9.94
July	2008	16.82	33.38	11.33
August	2008	16.24	24.43	12.56
September	2008	14.7	25.54	8.06
October	2008	10.79	20.86	3.58
November	2008	8.2	18.33	-0.63
December	2008	5.08	10.38	-1.46
January	2009	4.92	10.57	-1.99	6th January at 7:16 AM
February	2009	5.58	12.24	-0.41
March	2009	8.29	21.85	-0.07
April	2009	11.73	25.52	4.8
May	2009	12.83	32.33	7.1
June	2009	17.4	34.35	7.92	29th June at 1:30 PM
July	2009	17.28	33.06	11.53
August	2009	16.7	26.76	11.46
September	2009	14.88	28.31	9.02
October	2009				Missing
November	2009				Missing
December	2009	4.64	12.47	-1.59

December’s mean temperature of 4.64 C is the lowest monthly mean temperature recorded since the logger record started running. There were some very low temperatures from the middle of the month onwards, with -1.59 C the low. This December was 0.56 degrees colder than last December. On the whole, 2009 has recorded the coldest and hottest months in the (very short) record. Hopefully the datalogger will work reliably through 2010.

Temperatures in Askam, September 2009

A summary of temperature data in Askam-in-Furness over the last month, compared with September 2008.

Mean temperature – 14.88C (+0.18C)

Maximum temperature – 28.31C (+2.77C)

Minimum temperature – 9.02C (+0.96C)

Temperatures very slightly above those of last September (and indeed September 2007, which also had a mean temperature of 14.7 degrees). The monthly maximum temperature was well above last year’s temperature as was the monthly minimum.

Temperature data for Askam-in-Furness, August 2009

A quick update on the August temperature record from Askam in Furness. The figures in brackets after the numbers are a comparison with the respective figures for August 2008.

Monthly mean temperature – 16.70C (+0.46C)

Maximum temperature – 26.76C (+2.33C)

Minimum temperature – 11.46C (-1.1C)

Generally temperatures above average for August, but some chilly nights towards the end of the month, as well as a lot of rain.

Temperatures in Askam – July 2009

The average temperature recorded for July 2009 was 17.28C. This is warmer than the last two Julys (15.88C and  16.82C) and the second hottest month on record (the first being June this year). This is a result of the heatwave which carried on into the start of the month – temperatures for the rest of the month were about average on the whole.

Month	Year	Mean temperature	Difference from NW and Wales mean	High	Low	Notes
March	2007	8.17	2.94	18.18	0.39	incomplete
April	2007	12.69	5.66	25.33	2.95
May	2007	13.26	3.09	25.65	7.95
June	2007	16.51	3.85	28.47	10.44
July	2007	15.88	1.00	24.32	12.02	incomplete
August	2007	16.91	2.22	31.70	11.50	incomplete
September	2007	14.70	2.34	26.60	6.09
October	2007	12.48	3.10	22.21	5.65
November	2007	8.97	2.90	18.48	1.35
December	2007	6.12	1.75	12.47	-1.02
January	2008	6.76	3.23	10.41	1.47
February	2008	7.07	3.44	18.56	-0.76
March	2008	7.15	1.93	19.95	1.63
April	2008	9.54	2.51	23.16	1.59
May	2008	16.43	6.26	29.91	7.67
June	2008	15.01	2.34	24.07	9.94
July	2008	16.82	1.94	33.38	11.33
August	2008	16.24	1.56	24.43	12.56
September	2008	14.70	2.33	25.54	8.06
October	2008	10.79	1.41	20.86	3.58
November	2008	8.20	2.13	18.33	-0.63
December	2008	5.08	0.71	10.38	-1.46
January	2009	4.92	1.39	10.57	-1.99	6th January at 7:16 AM
February	2009	5.58	1.95	12.24	-0.41
March	2009	8.29	3.07	21.85	-0.07
April	2009	11.73	4.69	25.52	4.80
May	2009	12.83	2.66	32.33	7.10
June	2009	17.40	4.74	34.35	7.92	29th June at 1:30 PM
July	2009	17.28	2.40	33.06	11.53

Temperatures in Askam, June 2009

No photos for a while, but some record-breaking temperatures recorded by my datalogger last month following the heatwave this last week, which fortunately now seems to be declining. The all-time (well, since March 2007) highest temperature record was broken on the 29th, with a temperature of 34.35C. This appears to be a fairly reasonable temperature, only a  few degrees above the temperatures recorded by official stations in the region which is a function of the location of the datalogger. The mean monthly temperature for June was 17.4 C which is also a record (beating the 16.82 C recorded last July). The full record:

Month	Year	Mean temperature	Difference from NW and Wales mean	High	Low	Notes
March	2007	8.17	2.94	18.18	0.39	incomplete
April	2007	12.69	5.66	25.33	2.95
May	2007	13.26	3.09	25.65	7.95
June	2007	16.51	3.85	28.47	10.44
July	2007	15.88	1.00	24.32	12.02	incomplete
August	2007	16.91	2.22	31.70	11.50	incomplete
September	2007	14.70	2.34	26.60	6.09
October	2007	12.48	3.10	22.21	5.65
November	2007	8.97	2.90	18.48	1.35
December	2007	6.12	1.75	12.47	-1.02
January	2008	6.76	3.23	10.41	1.47
February	2008	7.07	3.44	18.56	-0.76
March	2008	7.15	1.93	19.95	1.63
April	2008	9.54	2.51	23.16	1.59
May	2008	16.43	6.26	29.91	7.67
June	2008	15.01	2.34	24.07	9.94
July	2008	16.82	1.94	33.38	11.33
August	2008	16.24	1.56	24.43	12.56
September	2008	14.70	2.33	25.54	8.06
October	2008	10.79	1.41	20.86	3.58
November	2008	8.20	2.13	18.33	-0.63
December	2008	5.08	0.71	10.38	-1.46
January	2009	4.92	1.39	10.57	-1.99	6th January at 7:16 AM
February	2009	5.58	1.95	12.24	-0.41
March	2009	8.29	3.07	21.85	-0.07
April	2009	11.73	4.69	25.52	4.80
May	2009	12.83	2.66	32.33	7.10
June	2009	17.40	4.74	34.35	7.92	29th June at 1:30 PM

There have been four months in the record which have seen temperatures recorded above 30 degrees – two have now occurred on the run. Is it going to be a hot summer?

Temperatures in Askam, May 2009

It’s been a strange last week’s weather across the country, with temperatures today barely rising above double figures in the north east after sweltering heat last weekend amd early this week. Indeed snow was observed today at the top of Hartside Pass between Penrith and Alston: it is amazing how fast the weather has changed in such a short space of time. Back at home the average temperature recorded by my datalogger in May 2009 was 12.83C. By comparison May 2008 saw a balmy average of 16.43C and the corresponding month in 2007 had an average temperature of 13.26C.

Month	Year	Mean temperature	Difference from NW and Wales mean	High	Low	Notes
March	2007	8.17	2.94	18.18	0.39	incomplete
April	2007	12.69	5.66	25.33	2.95
May	2007	13.26	3.09	25.65	7.95
June	2007	16.51	3.85	28.47	10.44
July	2007	15.88	1.00	24.32	12.02	incomplete
August	2007	16.91	2.22	31.70	11.50	incomplete
September	2007	14.70	2.34	26.60	6.09
October	2007	12.48	3.10	22.21	5.65
November	2007	8.97	2.90	18.48	1.35
December	2007	6.12	1.75	12.47	-1.02
January	2008	6.76	3.23	10.41	1.47
February	2008	7.07	3.44	18.56	-0.76
March	2008	7.15	1.93	19.95	1.63
April	2008	9.54	2.51	23.16	1.59
May	2008	16.43	6.26	29.91	7.67
June	2008	15.01	2.34	24.07	9.94
July	2008	16.82	1.94	33.38	11.33	27th July at 12:46 PM
August	2008	16.24	1.56	24.43	12.56
September	2008	14.70	2.33	25.54	8.06
October	2008	10.79	1.41	20.86	3.58
November	2008	8.20	2.13	18.33	-0.63
December	2008	5.08	0.71	10.38	-1.46
January	2009	4.92	1.39	10.57	-1.99	6th January at 7:16 AM
February	2009	5.58	1.95	12.24	-0.41
March	2009	8.29	3.07	21.85	-0.07
April	2009	11.73	4.69	25.52	4.80
May	2009	12.83	2.66	32.33	7.10

To show the very hot nature of the end of May, the 32.33C maximum (remember the datalogger is in a concrete yard and exposed to the sun sometimes) recorded this month is only slightly below the maximum temperature ever recorded (33.38C in July last year). However, the overall temperature anomaly for the month of May (+2.66C) is nearly bang on the average monthly anomaly from March 2007 to present (+2.68C): therefore the month’s temperatures were not exceptional on the whole.

Temperatures in Askam, April 2009

An update on my temperature record for my back yard in Askam-in-Furness, Cumbria.

The average (mean) temperature recorded in April 2009 was 11.73C. This is considerably warmer than April 2008 (mean 9.54C) but not as warm as April 2007 (12.69C). The anomaly from the NW England and Wales mean is 4.69C – this is the third highest anomaly on record. It was a month with several warm days at the start and middle parts of the month – the month high of 25.52C was set on the 2nd. Towards the last week temperatures fell off a bit. The month low was 4.8C – the highest April low temperature recorded.

There is a summary and a few graphs here: april-2009-report1 . I do not know how to put graphs etc. into the normal blog page. All this data comes with the caveat that the station is not a strictly accurate record of temperatures, running a few degrees warmer than ‘proper’ weather stations due to its location in a concrete yard with some exposure to the direct sun, but the temperatures recorded are very good quality for the equipment used and show some interesting trends in the long run.

Temperature data monitoring in Askam

Taking a break from photography for a while, in March 2007 I purchased a used but excellent condition temperature datalogger from Ebay (paid about £20 for it I think). I decided to place it in the yard at the back of my house in Askam-in-Furness and leave it running, downloading the records periodically. I have collated the data and more recently have totted up the monthly averages and maximum and minimum temperatures recorded each month. The record is shown below, for anyone who is remotely interested.

The datalogger is probably not situated in the best place for a reliable record of temperature. It is two feet off the ground in a concrete yard near a house and it comes in line with the direct sun now and again, although it is protected from rain by a plastic box around it. For these reasons, some high temperatures will be slightly overstated, and nighttime lows are notably a few degrees above what they would be in a more remote location surrounded by grass. However the location of the station has not changed and the record is complete apart from some missing days now and again. I have compared my record with the NW England and Wales temperature series (1971-2000, available at http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/datasets/Tmean/date/England_NW_and_N_Wales.txt) and the average monthly anomaly of my record is 2.6C. This seems fairly reasonable and consistant with a) the position of the datalogger and its surroundings and b) the coastal location of Askam in Furness, which you would expect to be a little milder and warmer than the north west as a whole. Anyway, here is the record:

Month	Year	Mean temperature	Difference from NW and Wales mean	High	Low	Notes
March	2007	8.17	2.94	18.18	0.39	incomplete
April	2007	12.69	5.66	25.33	2.95
May	2007	13.26	3.09	25.65	7.95
June	2007	16.51	3.85	28.47	10.44
July	2007	15.88	1.00	24.32	12.02	incomplete
August	2007	16.91	2.22	31.70	11.50	incomplete
September	2007	14.70	2.34	26.60	6.09
October	2007	12.48	3.10	22.21	5.65
November	2007	8.97	2.90	18.48	1.35
December	2007	6.12	1.75	12.47	-1.02
January	2008	6.76	3.23	10.41	1.47
February	2008	7.07	3.44	18.56	-0.76
March	2008	7.15	1.93	19.95	1.63
April	2008	9.54	2.51	23.16	1.59
May	2008	16.43	6.26	29.91	7.67
June	2008	15.01	2.34	24.07	9.94
July	2008	16.82	1.94	33.38	11.33	27th July at 12:46 PM
August	2008	16.24	1.56	24.43	12.56
September	2008	14.70	2.33	25.54	8.06
October	2008	10.79	1.41	20.86	3.58
November	2008	8.20	2.13	18.33	-0.63
December	2008	5.08	0.71	10.38	-1.46
January	2009	4.92	1.39	10.57	-1.99	6th January at 7:16 AM
February	2009	5.58	1.95	12.24	-0.41
March	2009	8.29	3.07	21.85	-0.07

Note the chilliness of the most recent winter. I will continue to update subsequent months.