Diary of Highlights

1st to 3rd
The 1st was rather cloudy with patchy rain or drizzle but it was mild with temperatures in Belfast reaching 11 °C. The 2nd was mainly dry and rather cloudy, with strong south-easterly winds. A cold and bright day on the 3rd, with temperatures only reaching around 3 °C. Sleet and snow showers developed on the east coast during the afternoon and extended well inland during the evening, pushed on by fresh easterly winds.

6th to 7th
The 6th was largely dry with plenty of sunshine around but cold during daylight hours. Outbreaks of heavy rain, sleet and snow spread east through the evening, most persistent in the south. Overnight rain, sleet and hill snow on the 7th cleared around dawn to leave sunny spells and scattered showers with snow on hills.

8th to 10th
A fairly cloudy day on the 8th with heavy rain at times in the afternoon. It was also windy with Ballykelly (Londonderry) reporting a gust of 77 m.p.h. Winds eased on the 9th to leave sunny intervals and blustery showers, with more general rain in the evening. The rain lasted into the morning of the 10th, with sunny spells developing and scattered heavy showers in the west.

11th to 13th
Mainly dry on the 11th with sunny spells, although the north saw a few showers during the evening. However, there was some frost too and some patchy fog in places. A bright and locally frosty start on the 12th, but with cloud and rain spreading from the south-west. Katesbridge (Down) recovered from an overnight low of -6 °C to reach a mild 9 °C in the evening. The morning of the 13th was cloudy and mild, with rain, heavy at times, especially in the east, but becoming drier through the afternoon.

14th to 16th
The 14th was mostly cloudy with outbreaks of rain. The 15th was rather cloudy with a band of occasionally heavy rain pushing north-east through the late morning and afternoon. The rain became persistent and slow moving across Antrim during the evening, with Ballypatrick Forest (Antrim) recording 39 mm of rain, while the rest of the country became mainly dry. A further 24 mm of rain fell at Ballypatrick Forest through the early hours of the 16th, but the rain became lighter and patchier as it moved back south through the morning, to leave the rest of the day with sunny or clear spells.

18th to 20th
Rain spread east on the 17th before clearing to showers. The 18th was mild with outbreaks of rain or showers, with temperatures widely reaching 13 °C. The 19th was mainly dry and bright although cloud and rain developed throughout the evening. The 20th was mostly cloudy with patchy rain during the morning, then drier during the afternoon before rain returned to the west later.

21st to 23rd
The 21st was cloudy with heavy rain at times - Ballypatrick Forest recorded 44 mm. The rain turned to snow on hills before clearing during the afternoon. A slight frost at first on the 22nd, but cloud and patchy light rain spread east in the morning which became more persistent and occasionally heavy during the afternoon. Mild again on the 23rd, with Ballykelly recording 13.6 °C. It was rather cloudy with outbreaks of rain before clearer, colder conditions with showers spread south-east throughout the evening.

24th to 29th
A much colder day on the 24th with sunshine and scattered showers - some wintry on higher ground. Back to very mild weather on the 25th, with 12 °C recorded at St Angelo (Fermanagh) and Helens Bay (Down), but windy with gales in the north. It was mainly dry on the 26th, 27th and 28th, although rain reached the west during the evening of the 28th. The rain, heavy at times, moved east during the morning of the 29th before clearing to sunny intervals and scattered showers in the afternoon.

30th to 31st
The 30th saw sunny or clear spells and scattered showers, with more persistent rain spreading south-east during the evening. Heavy overnight rain cleared by dawn to leave the 31st with sunny or clear spells and wintry showers. The west or south-westerly winds reached gale or severe gale force at times, with Ballykelly reporting a gust of 70 m.p.h.