Diary of Highlights

1st to 3rd
A cold northerly flow covered Wales for the first few days of the month, with widespread frosts and icy conditions.

Sunshine and wintry showers on 1st and again on 3rd but a more general area of rain, sleet and hill snow moved south early on the 2nd. There were some very cold nights but temperatures were nearer normal in the south by day.

4th to 5th
An Atlantic low brought rain, sleet and hill snow. These turned into blustery showers which were heavy and thundery at times during 5th. It was windy in the west. After a cold start to 4th, temperatures recovered to near normal by day but with local frost and fog patches under lighter winds in the east.

6th to 11th
A ridge of high pressure moved east during 6th and 7th leading to a spell of mainly dry, clear or sunny weather with near-normal maximum temperatures.

However, there were sharp night frosts and freezing fog patches.

During 8th a band of rain moved erratically south into northern parts of Wales during the evening. A cold, showery northerly then set in bringing a return of sunny spells, wintry showers and night frosts.

12th to 15th
There was a change to less cold and more unsettled conditions as Atlantic lows moved in, becoming slow-moving to the north of Scotland and also over the continent.

An occluding front moved east early on 13th giving a period of very heavy rain for a time in many parts. St Clears (Carmarthenshire) recorded 35.3 mm late on 12th.

It was windy ahead of the rain band, with gusts 40 to 50 m.p.h. expereinced quite widely.

It turned drier and colder again on 14th and 15th although there were a few showers for a time and some lingering fog patches.

16th to 18th
There was a change to milder conditions as south-westerly winds moved in during 16th. Thereafter it was often windy with rain or drizzle. Some of the showers turned heavy on western upslopes, especially later on 18th but there were also drier brighter spells particularly in the east. Temperatures remained rather mild, generally 9 to 11°C by day and reaching 13 °C at Hawarden (Flintshire).

19th to 21st
On 19th, some light rain spread eastwards which remained rather persistent across west and south-west facing upslopes of north-west Wales (especially Snowdonia).

The 20th and 21st continued cloudy with drizzle at times over western coasts and hills but was dry elsewhere.

It was quite windy, especially on 19th and 20th across the north of Wales with gales over north-western coasts and hills. Temperatures were near normal to mild for the time of year.

22nd to 25th
It was cloudy for many with a moist westerly airflow bringing outbreaks of drizzle at times, especially over western coasts and hills.

There were a few breaks at times to the lee of high ground across eastern Wales where it was also mainly dry.

It was mild overnight with temperature minimums of 5 to 10 °C for most on the mornings of 22nd to 24th, and mild by day with a maximum 13.5 °C at Hawarden on 22nd. The maximum temperatures were nearer 9 or 10 °C on the 24th and 25th.

26th to 31st
The 26th saw a change to much colder and generally dry, clearer conditions as the cloud cleared away westwards.

It was largely sunny on 26th and 27th with sunny periods from 28th to 30th, though the south-west of Wales was cloudy on 29th.

It became rather cloudy and misty from the east on the 31st, though clear or sunny spells continued over western coasts.

Frost appeared overnight from the morning of 27th, with -6.6°C recorded at Hawarden on 27th. It felt especially cold in the wind on 26th.

Temperatures remained below freezing in places from 29th, with -2.9°C at Lake Vyrnwy (Powys) on 30th and -2.7°C at Hawarden on 31st.