Diary of Highlights

1st to 15th
Bright on 1st with wintry showers towards east coast but rain and snow spread to the northwest during the evening. Outbreaks of rain, sleet and snow gave widespread icy conditions on 2nd.

The 3rd started bright and frosty but rain, sleet and snow pushed in from the west late in the day, bringing 16 cm of lying snow to Eskdalemuir (Dumfries and Galloway) overnight.

The rain, sleet and snow became confined to the northeast on 4th, with frost and fog patches developing during the evening. It was a wet day in the east on the 5th but elsewhere was mainly dry and bright.

The 6th brought mainly fine but frosty and, locally, very icy weather, although the northwest saw a few showers. The 7th started fine and frosty then heavy rain reached the north and northwest later.

The rain cleared southwards overnight leaving icy conditions in the north, and a day of sunshine and showers on 8th.

The 9th to 11th saw sunny or clear spells with overnight frosts and showers, the showers mainly in the north where they were wintry, although patchy rain and hill snow spread into the west later on 11th.

The 12th saw rain and hill snow become more persistent and heavier through the late morning and afternoon, accompanied by occasionally gale force southerly winds.

Rain and hill snow, heaviest in east, affected many places on 13th, although the west became drier. Rain and hill snow in the northeast died out during 14th to leave most places dry but showers affected the west coast.

The 15th started frosty and mainly dry. Parts of the southwest saw persistent fog, but rain reached the north and west later.

16th to 21st
A band of rain spread southeast on 16th bringing the mildest day for three weeks. The 17th saw sunshine and showers, but occasionally heavy rain reached the west later.

On 18th heavy rain cleared south followed by sunshine and blustery showers, turning wintry in the north. The 19th saw heavy rain in the west, with local flooding, and severe gales or storms in the north with Kirkwall (Orkney) reporting gusts of 86 m.p.h.

It was mainly dry and bright at first on 20th with winds easing, but rain returned north-eastwards during the afternoon and evening.

The rain cleared on morning of 21st followed by brighter weather with blustery showers, and severe gales affected the north. Lerwick (Shetland) reported a gust of 86 m.p.h.

22nd to 31st
From 22nd to 26th it was rather cloudy with some light rain, although the east remained largely dry and bright.

Thereafter it was a generally dry and cold end to the year, with some cloud at times in the south and east and light showers on 28th.

Frost became widespread inland, with temperatures dipping to -13 °C at Aviemore (Highland) early on 30th, and freezing fog persisted for 4 days around Inverness.