by Philip Eden

October maintained the trend towards wetter autumn months which has been one of the most striking features of our climate during the last two decades. Averaged over England and Wales, October rainfall for 1987-2004 was 112mm compared with 77mm for 1969-85. The figure for the last seven years stands at 132mm.

In spite of a largely dry week from the 5th to the 11th and a rain-free final weekend, last month was wetter than average in all regions and rainfall exceeded twice the normal amount in several places. The England and Wales figure of 143mm was 51 per cent above normal; this was marginally higher than we had in the Octobers of 2001 and 2002, but considerably less than 2000, 1998 and 1987. The equivalent figures for Scotland were 148mm and 43 per cent above, and for Northern Ireland 112mm and 14 per cent above. At a local level, monthly totals ranged from 48mm at Clacton in Essex up to 414mm at Capel Curig in Snowdonia. At Leuchars in Fife almost three times the normal amount of rain fell making it the wettest October in this particular district since rainfall recording began there in 1866.

Mean monthly temperature was, broadly speaking, below normal in Scotland and Northern Ireland and near normal over England and Wales, although Southeast England and East Anglia were slightly warmer than average. The Central England Temperature of 10.5C was 0.1 degC above the mean for the standard reference period 1971-2000, making it the warmest October for three years.

One notable feature of last month�s weather was the absence of warm days. The highest individual temperature was 19.0C recorded at Gravesend on the 24th; a higher reading has been reported in every October since 1974. Frosty nights were largely absent over England and Wales, and the month�s lowest temperature of all, on the morning of the 26th, was �3.9C at Altnaharra and Kinbrace, both in Sutherland.

Sunshine was plentiful between the 4th and 11th, and again during the last week, but the middle of the month was very gloomy; at Nottingham, for instance, the aggregate sunshine between the 12th and 23rd inclusive was only eleven hours. Much of Scotland and eastern England ended the month with a shortfall of 20 to 30 per cent, and the month�s total of just 32 hours at Aviemore was the lowest in October in that area since 1974. By contrast, many southern and western coastal districts enjoyed a reasonably sunny month, and the total of 144 hours at Falmouth in Cornwall was 32 per cent above the local average.

Copyright 2004 by Philip Eden