The sea-level pressure distribution over the Atlantic/Europe region was one of the most "normal" in recent years.  The Icelandic low had a central pressure of 1005mbar, half a millibar deeper than usual, and  was supplemented by a second centre of 1006 mbar in the north Norwegian Sea where the long-term mean pressure field shows just a trough. The Azores high was in its normal location and of near-normal intensity with a central pressure of 1022 mbar, though the ridge extending towards Biscay and France was slightly more prominent than usual.

The main anomaly centres were:

–2.0 mbar central Norwegian Sea
–1.8 mbar NW Finland
+1.7 mbar at 49N 21W (between the Azores & Ireland)

Over the British Isles, anomalies ranged from -0.9mbar in Shetland to +0.9 mbar at Valentia, resulting in a gently north-westerly anomalous flow.

The provisional CET (Central England Temperature was 10.52ºC [such precision is not justified by the data; it is, however, useful to enable us to rank the years] which is the seventh highest in the CET record, after 1990 (10.63), 1949 (10.62), 1999 (10.62), 2002 (10.60), 1995 (10.53), and 1997 (10.53), and just ahead of 2003 (10.51) and 1989 (10.50).

England and Wales Rainfall was 970.6mm (104% of 1971-2000)
Scotland Rainfall was 1109.6mm (116%)
Northern Ireland Rainfall was 869.7mm (96%)
At a more local level, percentages ranged from around 150 in the Scottish Borders to below 70 at a handful of sites along the English Channel coast.

England and Wales Sunshine was 1564.8 hours (102%)
Scotland Sunshine was 1193.2 hours (93%)
Northern Ireland Sunshine was 1374 hours (102%)
At a local level, percentages ranged from  around 90 at Kirkwall in Orkney and Prestwick in Ayrshire to 114 at Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire (allowing as best I can for the different sunshine sensors now in use).

© Philip Eden