Diary of Highlights

1st to 6th
The month opened with some exceptionally wet weather, especially in eastern areas and parts of Belfast were flooded on the morning of the 1st when 20 to 30 mm of rain fell widely in just 6 hours.

At Castlereagh in east Belfast, the wettest area, 45 mm was recorded. The weather remained changeable but mostly mild during much of the first week with further rain at times.

7th to 26th
Some colder nights developed and frost was widespread on the morning of the 7th, but this cleared to leave another wet afternoon and evening with 15 to 20 mm in many areas and again up to 35 mm in parts of Co Down. This, however, proved to be the last significant rain for some time, and much of the month up until the Christmas period was quiet and often relatively mild.

Some sunny interludes occurred but a lot of cloud characterised the period and some night frosts returned again around the 17th and 18th. As high pressure developed for Christmas the weather turned cold and frosty with some persistent freezing fog patches in some areas on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Outside of foggy areas, some very fine weather occurred with plenty of mid-winter sunshine. Overnight temperatures though were the lowest of the month, with inland areas seeing values widely down to between -3 and -5 °C.

29th to 31st
The colder air departed for the end of the month, but not before a period of sleet and snow on the 29th with some lying snow temporarily in Fermanagh and Tyrone.

Rainfall totals for this day ranged from 15 to 25 mm in many areas and another exceptionally heavy fall occurred in the Mournes with 65 mm at the Silent Valley Reservoir.