Diary of Highlights

1st to 3rd
The 1st saw blustery, occasionally heavy showers and sunny or clear spells, the showers most frequent in the north-west with an occasionally strong south-westerly wind. Cloud and outbreaks of rain spread east overnight before clearing south-eastwards towards midday on the 2nd with a brighter/clearer showery north-westerly airstream following. Sunny intervals and a scattering of showers on the 3rd but clouding over in the evening with patchy rain.

4th to 7th
Generally cloudy with patchy rain on the 4th but mild with a temperature of 14.9 °C at Ballykelly (Londonderry) and quite windy with gale force gusts. A brighter day on the 5th, but with blustery showers. The 6th was cloudy with rain or showers, with heavy rain affecting Fermanagh late in the day. A much brighter day on the 7th with sunny spells and blustery showers.

8th to 9th
The 8th started wet and cold, with some heavy rain and local flooding reported around Killowen (Down) where 45.8 mm of rain fell during the day. The rain persisted into the early afternoon before the weather turned brighter and more showery. The showery and cold weather persisted into the 9th and the north-westerly wind reached gale force on the north coast later in the day.

10th to 11th
The winds eased as the showers died out on the 10th, which turned out to be bright or sunny with patchy mist with ground frost developing during the evening. The 11th was dry, bright and cold at first although cloud increased later and it became milder.

12 to 17th
The 12th to the 14th were generally cloudy and mild with some patchy light rain and the best of any brightness was across the north-east. Dry with some bright or sunny intervals on the 15th. The 16th was mainly cloudy but dry. The cloud broke overnight to leave a local frost on the morning of the 17th and a largely sunny day although cloud did increase again during the evening.

18th to 23rd
From the 18th to the 21st it remained largely dry with variable amounts of cloud and some sunny spells, especially on the 20th and 21st, but morning fog patches on the 21st were slow to clear in a few places. On the 22nd, rain cleared during the morning leaving a day of sunny intervals and scattered showers. Dry and bright during daylight hours of the 23rd, but rain spread east during the evening.

24th to 25th
A few showers affected the north coast on the 24th but it was dry and bright elsewhere with frost and patchy fog developing during the evening. A dry Christmas morning with sunny spells and a widespread frost, minimum temperature -6.7 °C at Katesbridge (Down), but a band of rain moved east across all parts during late afternoon/early evening, followed by some showers.

26th to 29th
The 26th, 27th and 28th were mild, with temperatures up to 12 °C, and rather cloudy with showers or longer spells of occasionally heavy rain and strong winds at times. On the 29th, a band of heavy rain moved across all parts during the morning clearing to leave a scattering of showers in the afternoon.

30th to 31st
The 30th saw variable amounts of cloud and some clear or sunny spells but also some patchy drizzle. The year ended with a mild, cloudy and damp day on the 31st as a band of rain edged southeast across the country becoming slow moving across eastern and southern counties during the late afternoon and evening.