The Amsterdam Inn
Weather in Shoreham – April 2018
Mild and Wet
Temperatures
The average maximum temperature during April 2018 in Shoreham was 14.2 Celsius (58F), and that was around 2 degrees Celsius (3.5F) above normal for the time of year. The average minimum temperature was 7.9 Celsius (46F), and that was also about 2 degrees Celsius (3.5F) above the April normal.
The highest temperature recorded during the month was 22.6 Celsius (73F) on the 18th, and that was the warmest April day in the area for 7 years. The 18th was the first day of an unusually warm spell that lasted for 4 days. On each day the temperature rose above 21 Celsius (70F), and included a high of 22.3 Celsius (72F) on the 20th. There were no other days with maxima above 21 Celsius (70F), with the next highest temperature a mere 17.3 Celsius (63F) on the 10th. On most days (17) the temperature rose to between 12 and 16 Celsius (54-61F), but there were a few chilly days at either end of the month. The 1st, 2nd, 29th and 30th each had maxima below 10 Celsius (50F), but the 30th was the only day with a high below 9 Celsius (48F). On this miserable day the top temperature was only 8.2 Celsius (47F).
There were several mild nights during April, and on 4 occasions the temperature stayed above 10 Celsius (50F). Only 2 of these milder nights had lows above 11 Celsius (52F), with the highest being 12.1 Celsius (54F) on the 19th. On most nights (17) the temperature fell to between 7 and 10 Celsius (45-50F), but there were a few rather chilly nights. On 3 widely spaced occasions, the 1st, 14th and 30th, the minima were below 5 Celsius (41F), with the lowest temperature of 4.1 Celsius (39F) recorded on the 1st.
The sea temperature, around 7 Celsius (45F) at the beginning of the month, steadily rose to between 10 and 11 Celsius (50-52F) by the end of April.
Frost
There were neither air nor grass frosts during April. The lowest grass minimum temperature was 1.7 Celsius (35F) on the morning of the 1st.
Rain
There were 69.8 millimetres (2.7 ins.) of rain during April and that was almost 50% above the monthly average. Rain fell on 16 days, about 4 days above what one would expect at this time of year, and wet days ( rainfall of 1 millimetre (0.04 ins) or more) amounted to 12 days. The month began very wet, with the first 2 days accounting for almost 40% of the April total. The 1st was the wettest day of the month with 14.8 millimetres (0.6 ins.) of rain, followed by the 2nd with 12.8 millimetres (0.5 ins.). Although the 5th and 6th were dry days, the unsettled weather continued until the 10th, with daily rainfall totals including 6 millimetres (0.25 ins.) on the 9th and 4.6 millimetres (0.2 ins.) on the 10th. Between the 11th and 23rd it was mainly dry with the only 2 rain days* producing a meagre total of 1.4 millimetres (0.06 ins.). The last week of April became changeable again, with the 28th the only dry day. The 30th was a particularly wet day, but with the heaviest rain falling before 10 o`clock in the morning. most of the total was attributed to the 29th, so the figures were 11.8 millimetres (0.5 ins.) on the 29th and 4.6 millimetres (0.2 ins.) on the 30th.
*A rain day is from 0900-0900 UTC
Snow
No sleet or snow fell in Shoreham during April.
Hail
There was no hail observed in Shoreham during April.
Thunder
There was a thunderstorm late on the evening of the 21st . Although the lightning was quite spectacular for a while, the main activity was to the west and very little rain accompanied the storm.
Wind
The winds during April were variable with no particular direction dominant. If anything, the first 3 weeks of the month had winds generally from the southwest, southeast and occasionally the northeast, whereas the last 10 days of April often had breezes from the west or northwest. The strongest winds were mostly towards the end of the month, and at Shoreham Airport, southwesterly gusts of 33 knots (38 mph) occurred on the afternoon of the 26th, and 31 knots (35 mph) from the northwest on the afternoon of the 30th.
Fog
Patchy fog occurred for a while in central Shoreham on the morning of the 14th.
Statistics for April 2018
| Reporting Station | Highest Temp | Lowest Temp | Rain Total (mm) | Wettest | Rain days |
| Shoreham Airport | 21.4 | 2.1 | * | * | * |
| Thorney Island | 22.8 | 4.4 | 65 | 17 | 16 |
| Gatwick Airport | 27.6 | 2.8 | 81 | 19 | 16 |
| Herstmonceux | 25.2 | 1.8 | 77 | 35 | 16 |
| Bournemouth (Hurn) | 24.1 | 2.0 | 69 | 24 | 19 |
| Middle Wallop | 26.1 | 2.3 | 82 | 14 | 15 |
| Dieppe | 26.3 | 5.2 | 97 | 46 | 18 |
* data missing
Weather in Shoreham – March 2018
Cold and Wet
Temperatures
The average maximum temperature during March 2018 in Shoreham was 8.9 Celsius (48F), and that was around 1 degree Celsius (1.8F) below normal for the time of year. The average minimum temperature was 3.6 Celsius (39F), and that was also about 1 degree Celsius (3.5F) below the March normal.
The highest temperature recorded during the month was 14.2 Celsius (58F) on the 27th, but there was only 1 other day with a maximum above 13 Celsius (55F), and that was the 11th when 13.1 Celsius (55F) was measured. There was a total of 15 days when the temperature rose above 10 Celsius (50F), with a further 5 days when 9 Celsius (48F) was exceeded. There were 2 notable cold snaps during March. The first, was a continuation of the cold weather experienced at the end of February, and on the 1st a maximum of only 0.5 Celsius (33F) was recorded. This appears to be the coldest March day locally since 1986. The following day was only a shade less cold at 1.1 Celsius (34F), but on the 3rd it was much milder at 8.4 Celsius (47F). The onset of the second cold snap was unusually sudden. After a maximum of 12.5 Celsius (55F) on the 16th, the high was only 2.6 Celsius (37F) on the 17th, and even colder at 1.1 Celsius (34F) on the 18th. The chill continued into the 19th, when 1.6 Celsius (35F) was measured, but Spring sunshine on the 20th lifted the temperature to a more seasonable 9.4 Celsius (49F).
There were very few mild nights during March, with the highest temperatures generally occurring between the middle of the second week and mid month. On the night of the 9th/10th the temperature only dropped to 8.3 Celsius (47F), and between the 10th and 16th there were 3 other nights when the temperature stayed above 7 Celsius (45F). The only other night with a minimum above 7 Celsius (45F) was the 24th/25th. On most nights (16) the temperature fell to between 2 and 6 Celsius (36-43F), but the cold snaps unsurprisingly produced some much colder nights. On the first night of the month a minimum of minus 4.3 Celsius (24F) occurred, and on the 20th/21st a low of minus 1.7 Celsius (29F) was measured.
The sea temperature was around 6 Celsius (43F) for much of the month, rising to 7 Celsius (45F) at the end of March.
Frost
There were 6 air frosts in central Shoreham during March, about 4 above average. They were confined to 2 short spells, namely the first 2 nights of the month, and the 4 consecutive nights beginning on the 17th/18th. On 3 of the 6 nights the temperature only fell to between minus 1 and 0 Celsius (30-32F), but an often penetrating, low relative humidity, wind, added to the severity of the frosts. There were 12 grass frosts in March. The 6 that coincided with the air frosts were joined by 6 others scattered through the month. On 6 of the nights, the grass temperature fell below minus 2 Celsius (28F), but only 2 of these nights had grass minima below minus 3 Celsius (27F). The first night of the month had a low of minus 5.0 Celsius (23F), but the coldest night of the month was the 20th/21st with a grass temperature of minus 6.7 Celsius (20F).
Rain
There were 81.6 millimetres (3.2 ins.) of rain during March and that was almost double the monthly average. Rain fell on 25 days, about 9 days above what one would expect at this time of year, and wet days ( rainfall of 1 millimetre (0.04 ins) or more) amounted to 21 days. Measurable rain fell on the first 12 days of March, but daily totals were fairly small, with the highest being 4.0 millimetres (0.15 ins.) on the 3rd, and 4.8 millimetres (0.2 ins.) on the 12th. The 13th was dry, but the 14th was the wettest day of the month, with heavy rain in the evening and overnight amounting to 16.6 millimetres (0.65 ins.). There was no measurable precipitation between the 19th and 21st, but then the 25th was the only completely dry day during the remainder of the month. Some of the rain was heavy during the last week, with daily totals of 6.8 millimetres (0.3 ins.), 7.2 millimetres (0.3 ins.) and 5.2 millimetres (0.2 ins.) on the 28th, 29th and 30th respectively.
*A rain day is from 0900-0900 UTC
Snow
Sleet or snow fell on 5 days during March, with lying snow observed on 5 mornings. There were 2 centimetres (<1 in.) of lying snow on the morning of the 1st and light snow or snow grains fell for much of the day. In the evening, there was sleet and freezing rain and this continued overnight and through much of the morning of the 2nd . This helped to reduce the snow depth to 1 centimetres (0.5 ins.). Snow late in the morning freshened up the snow cover, and although no further snow fell during this episode, there was still lying snow on the following morning. Sleet fell mid morning on the 17th, this soon turning to snow and then lasting for most of the day. Snow in the early hours of the 18th produced 4 centimetres (<2 ins.) of lying snow by mid morning, with further snow falling late afternoon and during the evening. Very light snow fell on the morning of the 19th, by which time the snow depth had decreased to 2 centimetres (<1 in.) . No more snow fell during the month, and by the morning of the 20th only a few patches remained, and these quickly thawed.
Hail
There was no hail observed in Shoreham during March.
Thunder
There was no thunder reported in Shoreham during March.
Wind
The winds during March were fairly evenly distributed, but with a slight bias towards the southeast. The cyclonic nature of the month was responsible for the variability, and generally breezes were only moderate in strength. However, there were exceptions, and at Shoreham Airport northeasterly gusts of over 30 knots (34 mph) occurred on the evening of the 1st and the morning of the 2nd. Southwesterly gusts exceeded 30 knots (34 mph) on the morning of the 8th, and a northeasterly gust of 33 knots (38 mph) was recorded on the evening of the 19th.
Fog
No fog was observed from central Shoreham during March.
Statistics for March 2018
| Reporting Station | Highest Temp | Lowest Temp | Rain Total (mm) | Wettest | Rain days |
| Shoreham Airport | 13.9 | -4.3 | * | * | * |
| Thorney Island | 13.5 | -4.1 | 90 | 12 | 23 |
| Gatwick Airport | 15.0 | -4.7 | 88 | 15 | 22 |
| Herstmonceux | 14.8 | -4.5 | 82 | 15 | 18 |
| Bournemouth (Hurn) | 14.3 | -4.7 | 142 | 18 | 25 |
| Middle Wallop | 13.2 | -5.6 | 93 | 14 | 21 |
| Dieppe | 17.5 | -5.2 | 59 | 7 | 20 |
* data missing
Weather in Shoreham – February 2018
Dry and cold
Temperatures
The average maximum temperature during February 2018 in Shoreham was 6.5 Celsius (44F), and that was over 1 degree Celsius (1.8F) below normal for the time of year. The average minimum temperature was 0.9 Celsius (34F), and that was more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.5F) below the February normal.
The highest temperature recorded during the month was 11.2 Celsius (52F) on the 19th, but there were only 2 other days with maxima above 10 Celsius (50F), the 15th and 18th, with highs of 10.4 and 10.1 Celsius (50F) respectively. On most days (17) the temperature rose to between 5 and 8 Celsius (41-46F), but there were several cold days. Prior to the 26th, the 6th, with a high of 4.5 Celsius (40F), was the only day when the temperature failed to reach 5 Celsius (41F). However, the last 3 days of the month became steadily colder. A high of 2.3 Celsius (36F) on the 26th was followed by minus 0.2 Celsius (32F) on the 27th. On the last day of the month a maximum of minus 0.7 Celsius (31F) was the lowest in February for 24 years, and the lowest so late in the Winter since 1986.
There were very few mild nights during February. In fact, there were only 3 nights when the temperature stayed above 5 Celsius (41F). The 15th and 19th had lows of 6.4 and 6.9 Celsius (44-45F) respectively, but the mildest night of the month was the 20th when the temperature only fell to 9.3 Celsius (49F). On the first 4 nights of February the temperature was 2 Celsius (36F) or higher, and after the 20th there were no minima above 2 Celsius (36F). In between, there was a mixture of cold and less cold nights. On 4 occasions minima were below minus 2 Celsius (28F), including minus 3.3 Celsius (26F) on the 8th, and minus 3.4 Celsius (26F) on the 27th. The last complete night of the month was the coldest with a dawn temperature of minus 5.4 Celsius (22F).
The sea temperature was around 8 Celsius (46F) at first, soon falling to 7 Celsius (45F) where it remained for most of the month. However, there was a further drop to 5 or 6 Celsius (41-43F) on the last few days of February.
Frost
There were 12 air frosts in central Shoreham during February, with 6 of them occurring between the 7th and 16th, and the other 6 on consecutive nights beginning on the 23rd. Most of the air frosts were slight, with 7 of the frosty nights having minimum temperatures between minus 2 and zero Celsius (28-32F) . There were 17 grass frosts during the month, with 4 of these occurring on consecutive days beginning on the 5th, and a further 7 confined to the last week of February. The 4 grass frosts during the first week had minim um temperatures above minus 3 Celsius (27F), but on the 8th a ground temperature of minus 7.8 Celsius (18F) was recorded. This temperature was matched on the 12th, and there were a further 5 nights when the grass minimum dipped below minus 5 Celsius (23F).
Rain
There were 35.4 millimetres (1.4 ins.) of rain during February and that was less than half the monthly average. Rain fell on 14 days, about 3 days below what one would expect at this time of year, and wet days ( rainfall of 1 millimetre (0.04 ins) or more) amounted to 7 days. Although the beginning of the month was unsettled, amounts of rain during the first week were generally small, with the highest total of 1.8 millimetres (0.08 ins.) falling on the 3rd. On the 8th, cloud thickened in the evening and overnight rain produced 6.6 millimetres (0.26 ins.). Another 3.4 millimetres (0.15 ins.) was attributed to the 10th, but it was the end of the second week that produced the wettest weather of the month. On the 13th a total of 4.6 millimetres (0.2 ins.) fell, but the following day was wetter. On the 14th, rain for much of the day helped to give a total of 13.2 millimetres (0.5 ins.). No more than 4 millimetres (0.15 ins.) fell during the rest of the month, and this included 5 consecutive dry days between the 21st and 25th. The wettest day during this period was the 18th when 1.6 millimetres (0.06 ins) were measured.
*A rain day is from 0900-0900 UTC
Snow
Sleet or snow fell on 6 days during February. A light sleet shower fell late in the morning of the 5th, with a light snow shower falling in the early hours of the 7th. The snow lay in small patches through the morning. On the 12th, there were showers during the evening, one of which fell as sleet. The snowiest weather occurred at the end of the month. Light snow showers fell late on the morning of the 26th, with moderate falls in the evening. Further snow showers fell on the 27th and 28th, and with the temperature falling below freezing at 1700 hours on the 26th and remaining sub-zero for the remainder of the month, it was inevitable that the snow settled. On the morning of the 27th there were 4 cm (<2 ins.) of snow lying, this decreased to 2 cm (<1 in.) on the 28th The reduction was mainly due to the powdery nature of the snow, and the dryness of the brisk easterly wind which was accompanied by relative humidity values below 40%.
Hail
There was a light shower of small hail late evening on the 12th.
Thunder
There was no thunder reported in Shoreham during February.
Wind
February broke the train of ‘westerly’ months. The first week had winds varying between northeast and northwest, followed by a week of breezes mainly from the northwest. A trend towards south or southeasterly winds in the third week was followed by increasingly cold winds from between east and northeast for the remainder of the month. The strongest winds mainly occurred during the second and fourth weeks of the month. At Shoreham Airport, a gust of 33 knots (38 mph) was recorded early on the 9th, with 32 knots (37 mph) on the evening of the 10th. A similar value was logged early in the afternoon on the 12th. On the morning of the 13th there were gusts of 36 and 38 knots (41-43 mph) and the final gusts of the month above 30 knots occurred on the afternoon and evening of the 28th, when 32 knots (37 mph) was measured.
Fog
No fog was observed from central Shoreham during February.
Statistics for February 2018
| Reporting Station | Highest Temp | Lowest Temp | Rain Total (mm) | Wettest | Rain days |
| Shoreham Airport | 11.4 | -6.4 | 23 | 8 | 13 |
| Thorney Island | 12.0 | -5.9 | 38 | 13 | 13 |
| Gatwick Airport | 11.0 | -9.9 | 44 | 11 | 17 |
| Herstmonceux | 10.9 | -6.9 | 50 | 10 | 19 |
| Bournemouth (Hurn) | 11.7 | -6.7 | 42 | 14 | 12 |
| Middle Wallop | 11.9 | -6.1 | 41 | 13 | 10 |
| Dieppe | 11.1 | -6.9 | 43 | 9 | 16 |
Low February temperature in Shoreham
The maximum temperature in Shoreham today (27th) was only minus 0.2 Celsius. This was the first time the temperature has failed to rise above freezing point in February for 24 years. The appropriately named ‘Beast from the East’ also brought a few centimetres of powdery snow to brighten the landscape.
An unusually deserted Shoreham footbridge this morning.
Yes! The trains were running.
Buckingham Park – There was even a snowboarder!
Weather in Shoreham – January 2018
Very mild and rather dry
Temperatures
The average maximum temperature during January 2018 in Shoreham was 8.9 Celsius (48F), and that was over 1 degree Celsius (1.8F) above normal for the time of year. The average minimum temperature was 4.9 Celsius (41F), and that was approaching 2 degrees Celsius (3.5F) above the January normal.
The highest temperature recorded during the month was 11.8 Celsius (54F) on the 4th, but there were 9 other days with maxima above 10 Celsius (50F), including 2 days with highs above 11 Celsius (52F), namely the 22nd and 24th. There were no particularly cold days during January. In fact, only 3 days had maxima below 7 Celsius (45F). The 6th and 7th had highs of 6.1 Celsius and 6.2 Celsius (43F) respectively, but the 8th was the coldest day, with the temperature only rising to 4.8 Celsius (41F).
There were several mild nights during January and on 10 occasions the temperature stayed above 7 Celsius (45F). However, only 3 of these milder nights occurred before mid month, and the 5 nights with lows above 8 Celsius (46F) all occurred during the last 10 nights of January. Included in these were 2 nights with lows above 9 Celsius (48F). The night of the 28th/29th had a low of 9.1 Celsius (48F), but the mildest night was the 23rd/24th when a minimum of 9.6 Celsius (50F) was recorded. There were a few cold nights during January, with temperatures dipping below 2 Celsius (36F) on 5 nights. The lowest temperature was minus 0.2 Celsius (32F) on the night of the 18th/19th.
The sea temperature was around 9 Celsius (48F) at the turn of the year, but for most of January the temperature was nearer 8 Celsius (46F).
Frost
There was only 1 air frost in central Shoreham during January, and that was on the 19th. However, both the 27th and 30th almost had air frosts with night-time temperatures dipping to 0.1 Celsius (32F). There were 7 grass frosts during the month, but only 2 of these occurred before the 19th. Most of the grass frosts were slight, but on the 18th/19th a grass minimum of minus 5.0 Celsius (23F) occurred, and on the 26th/27th minus 4.4 Celsius (24F) was recorded.
Rain
There were 64.4 millimetres (2.5 ins.) of rain during January and that was over 20% below average. Rain fell on 22 days, about 6 days above what one would expect at this time of year, and wet days ( rainfall of 1 millimetre (0.04 ins) or more) amounted to 16 days. Although rainfall was below average, the impression was of a wet month. This was because rain was mostly light, even though it frequently fell. Rain fell on each of the first 5 days of the new year, including a total of 5.8 millimetres (0.2 ins.) on the 3rd. The 6th, 7th and 8th were dry, the only such spell of 3 consecutive dry days during the month. The 9th to 12th were often damp and drizzly, but with very little rain to measure. On the 14th over 5 millimetres (0.2 ins.) of rain fell, and on the 21st there were 6.8 millimetres (0.3 ins.). This was the wettest day of the month, and although the weather remained unsettled during the remainder of the month, amounts of rain stayed fairly small with no individual day exceeding 5 millimetres (0.2 ins.).
*A rain day is from 0900-0900 UTC
Snow
No snow fell in Shoreham during January.
Hail
There was a hail shower late morning on the 31st.
Thunder
There was no thunder reported in Shoreham during January.
Wind
January was a ‘westerly’ month, with winds from between southwest and northwest dominating on 24 days. There were a few days with easterly winds, with all of these occurring during the first half of the month. It was often breezy, especially during the first few days of January. At Shoreham Airport, a gust of 39 knots (44 mph) was recorded late on the 2nd, and 47 knots (54 mph) early on the 3rd. On the morning of the 15th gusts of 38 knots (41 mph) occurred, with 49 knots (56 mph) logged before dawn on the 18th. On several days during the rest of January there were gusts between 25 and 35 knots (29 and 40 mph).
Fog
No fog was observed from central Shoreham.
Statistics for January 2018
| Reporting Station | Highest Temp | Lowest Temp | Rain Total (mm) | Wettest | Rain days |
| Shoreham Airport | 11.4 | -3.1 | 71 | 10 | 22 |
| Thorney Island | 12.6 | -0.9 | 76 | 16 | 22 |
| Gatwick Airport | 13.0 | -2.8 | 69 | 12 | 23 |
| Herstmonceux | 11.9 | -1.1 | 93 | 11 | 23 |
| Bournemouth (Hurn) | 13.2 | -2.3 | 79 | 11 | 24 |
| Middle Wallop | 13.7 | -1.3 | 81 | 17 | 22 |
| Dieppe | 14.5 | 0.0 | 107 | 15 | 23 |
Weather in Shoreham – December 2017
Rather wet with a typical mix of winter weather
Temperatures
The average maximum temperature during December 2017 in Shoreham was 8.4 Celsius (47F), and that was very close to normal for the time of year. The average minimum temperature was 3.8 Celsius (39F), and that was also very close to the December normal.
The highest temperature recorded during the month was 12.6 Celsius (55F) on the 30th. There were no other days with maxima above 12 Celsius (54F), but there were 3 more days with highs above 11 Celsius (52F), and a further 6 days when the temperature exceeded 10 Celsius (50F). The mildest weather was generally during the first week and final fortnight of December, although there were no especially cold days during the remainder of the month. However, the temperature failed to rise above 5 Celsius (41F) on 3 days. The 9th had a high of 4.2 Celsius (40F) and the 11th had a maximum of 3.3 Celsius (38F). This was the coldest day of the month, but the windy 27th, with a high of 3.9 Celsius (39F), felt just as cold.
There were several mild nights during December and on 6 occasions the temperature stayed above 8 Celsius (46F). Only 1 of these mild nights occurred before the 20th, and that was on the 6th/7th when a minimum of 8.8 Celsius (48F) was recorded. Apart from the 30th/31st, when a low of 8.6 Celsius (48F) was measured, the remainder of the mild nights occurred between the 21st and 25th. This included 3 nights when the temperature kept above 9 Celsius (48F). The highest minimum was 9.3 Celsius (49F) on Christmas Eve night. There were many chilly nights during December, and on 16 occasions the minimum temperature was below 3 Celsius (37F). The coldest nights generally occurred during the second and third weeks of December, with 11 nights between the 8th and 19th having minima below 3 Celsius (37F). The lowest temperature recorded was minus 2.4 Celsius (28F) on the night of the 11th/12th.
The sea temperature was mostly between 9 and 10 Celsius (48-50F).
Frost
There were 6 air frosts in Shoreham during December, but all of these were slight. On the 8th/9th a temperature of minus 1.7 Celsius (29F) occurred, with minus 1.4 Celsius (30F) and minus 1.0 Celsius (30F) on the nights of 16th/17th and 18th/19th respectively. Consecutive air frosts were logged on the 27th/28th and 28th/29th but the temperatures fell no lower than minus 1.4 Celsius (30F). There were 12 grass frosts during December, with 9 of them occurring between the 9th and 19th. On 3 occasions during this frosty spell the grass temperature fell below minus 5 Celsius (23F), including a low of minus 6.1 Celsius (21F) on the 8th/9th. This grass temperature was matched on the night of the 28th/29th.
Rain
There were 103.2 millimetres (1.25 ins.) of rain during December and that was over 30% above average. Rain fell on 22 days, about 6 days above what one would expect at this time of year, and wet days ( rainfall of 1 millimetre (0.04 ins) or more) amounted to 15 days. High pressure was prominent during the first few days of the month, and although the weather was often cloudy and damp, amounts of rain during this period were mostly small. This changed on the 9th when rain in the evening became persistent and heavy overnight amounting to 22 millimetres (0.9 ins.) by morning. A further 8 millimetres (0.3 ins.) were measured on the 10th, with a further 15 millimetres accumulating over the following 5 days. Once again, pressure rose, and although occasional rain or drizzle occurred, the period between the 16th and 23rd only produced 4 millimetres (0.15 ins.) of rain. Showers, merging into longer spells of rain, occurred on Boxing Day afternoon, with the rain lasting overnight. A total of 21 millimetres (0.8 ins.) was measured on the 26th, with a further 25 millimetres (1 in.) of rain falling during the rest of the month. This included over 5 millimetres (0.2 ins.) on 3 consecutive days, the 28th, 29th and 30th.
*A rain day is from 0900-0900 UTC
Snow
Snow fell on 2 days during December. On the morning of the 11th rain turned to sleet and wet snow for a while in the morning and settled on some vegetation before quickly thawing. On the 27th, early rain turned to sleet, then wet snow, around mid morning. It settled for a while, but further rain brought about a steady thaw by late morning.
Hail
There was no hail reported in Shoreham during December.
Thunder
There was no thunder reported in Shoreham during December.
Wind
December was another ‘north-westerly’ month with winds from that direction dominating on a remarkably high 19 days. On most other days the wind blew from between southeast and southwest. It was frequently windy, especially during the second and last weeks of the month. At Shoreham Airport, a gust of 38 knots (43 mph) was recorded on the 7th, 53 knots (60 mph) on the 10th, 35 knots (40 mph) on the 14th, 42 knots (48 mph) on the 25th, 35 knots (40 mph) on the 26th, 40 knots (46 mph) on the 27th, 42 knots (48 mph) on the 29th, and 43 knots (49 mph) on the 31st.
Fog
Fog over the Downs, descended to lower levels at times during the mornings of the 20th and 21st.
Statistics for December 2017
| Reporting Station | Highest Temp | Lowest Temp | Rain Total (mm) | Wettest | Rain days |
| Shoreham Airport | 12.7 | -4.3 | 87 | 18 | 18 |
| Thorney Island | 12.6 | -3.2 | 98 | 20 | 19 |
| Gatwick Airport | 13.4 | -4.5 | 109 | 25 | 21 |
| Herstmonceux | 12.3 | -3.5 | 129 | 24 | 21 |
| Bournemouth (Hurn) | 13.6 | -6.9 | 103 | 22 | 19 |
| Middle Wallop | 13.3 | -3.9 | 103 | 21 | 19 |
| Dieppe | 14.5 | 0.0 | 117 | 27 | 23 |
50th Anniversary of the South Coast Blizzard
Today (8th December) marks the 50th anniversary of the amazing blizzard that affected the south coast of Sussex in December 1967.
In an otherwise unremarkable winter, December began with mild misty weather with temperatures rising to between 10 and 12 Celsius. the 4th was a shade cooler but it was sunny all day. The 6th became colder in the afternoon after a mild morning, and in the evening there was a sleet shower. The 7th was a crisp winter’s day with plenty of sunshine but the temperature only rose to 3 Celsius. A sharp frost occurred after sunset as the wind died down, and the evening weather forecast mentioned the risk of a little snow for southern England.
The next morning dawned bright and frosty, but clouds quickly thickened and the frost melted as the temperature rose above freezing. Around 9 o’clock a few drops of rain fell, but as the intensity increased the rain turned to heavy snow. The snow then fell for the rest of the day before finally petering out around 6’o clock. The snow was accompanied by a biting easterly wind and the heavy snow was whipped into huge drifts. There was even a rumble of thunder in the middle of the day. By the end of the storm, the snow was lying to a depth of 20 to 35 centimetres across Shoreham, with drifts of 1 to 2 metres.
Skies cleared overnight and temperatures plummeted to minus 8. Not surprisingly, there was total chaos. London trains terminated at Haywards Heath with virtually no transport running south of the Downs from Worthing to Brighton with the coastal road east of Brighton also badly affected. It took several days for normality to resume, with rain on the 12th helping to quicken the thaw.
The cause of the snow was a Polar Low , an area of intense convection that can form in very cold arctic air-streams. It was noticed north of Scotland on the previous day, but it weakened as it headed south across the cold land overnight, evidenced by places north of Steyning only having 2 to 5 centimetres of snow. However, as the vortex hit the relatively warm English Channel it exploded into life, deepening rapidly and slowing down, The result was the worst blizzard for a generation, but now largely forgotten.
Another Polar Low crossed into the Channel west of Sussex a little over a week later, but since then this phenomenon has been very rare indeed. However, it is a feature that can occur in very cold north or northwesterly air-flows, and since the latter part of this Autumn there have been more northwesterly winds than normal. We await with interest!
Weather in Shoreham – November 2017
Dry and rather cold
Temperatures
The average maximum temperature during November 2017 in Shoreham was 10.9 Celsius (52F), and that was close to normal for the time of year. The average minimum temperature was 4.8 Celsius (41F), and that was more than 1 Celsius (1.8F) below the normal November value.
The highest temperature recorded during the month was 15.7 Celsius (60F) on the 1st. There were 3 other very mild days, the 4th and 22nd, both with highs of 14.7 Celsius (59F), and the 10th with a maximum of 14.1 Celsius (57F). A further 6 days had highs above 13 Celsius (55F). There was a general lowering of temperatures during the month with only 2 of the 10 mildest days occurring after mid month. There were no particularly cold days during November, but on 11 days the maxima remained below 10 Celsius (50F). Only 3 of these colder days occurred before mid month, whilst 6 were logged during the final week of the month. In fact, the 5 coldest days of the month occurred between the 25th and 30th. On 3 of these days the maximum temperature was just above 7 Celsius (45F), but on the 29th the maximum was only 5.6 Celsius (42F). However, the 30th was the coldest day of the month with a high of just 4.2 Celsius (40F).
There were several mild nights during November, but perhaps surprisingly, the mildest nights were in the second half of the month. On 5 occasions the temperature stayed above 10 Celsius (50F). The 4th, 7th and 23rd each had minima above 10 Celsius (50F), but only the 21st and 22nd night-time had temperatures above 11 Celsius (52F). The lowest value on the 21st was 11.7 Celsius (53F), but on the following night the minimum was 12.8 Celsius (55F). There were many chilly nights, and on 17 occasions the temperature dipped below 5 Celsius (41F), including 9 nights when the temperature fell below 2 Celsius (36F). However, only 1 of these colder nights occurred before mid month. On the 9th, a minimum of 1.7 Celsius (35F) was recorded. There were chilly nights between the 17th and 20th, but the coldest nights were confined to the last week of November. On the 25th there was a minimum of minus 0.9 Celsius (30F), but the following night was a fraction colder at minus 1.0 Celsius (30F).
The sea temperature fell steadily from 14 or 15 Celsius (57-59F) at the beginning of November to 11 Celsius (52F) at the end of the month.
Frost
There were 3 air frosts in Shoreham during November. The 25th, 26th and also the 30th, when a minimum of minus 0.1 Celsius (32F) was recorded. There were 9 grass frosts, but only 2 of these occurred before the 18th. The 6th and 9th had grass minima of minus 2.2 Celsius (28F) and minus 1.7 Celsius (29F) respectively. Three consecutive nights, the 18th, 19th and 20th, had grass frost, and on the 18th and 19th there were grass minima of minus 3.3 Celsius (26F). Another minimum of minus 3.3 Celsius (26F) occurred on the 25th. On the following night the ground temperature plunged to minus 5 Celsius (23F), with grass frost also recorded on the 28th and the last night of the month.
Rain
There were 31.8 millimetres (1.25 ins.) of rain during November, and that was less than 40% of the average. Rain fell on 13 days, about 3 days below what one would expect at this time of year, and wet days ( rainfall of 1 millimetre (0.04 ins) or more) amounted to 10 days. The month was unsettled with the end of November producing the only spell of 3 completely dry days. However, amounts of rain were mostly small with only 4 days recording more than 2 millimetres (0.08 ins.). On the 7th, a total of 6.2 millimetres (0.2 ins.) was measured, and this proved to be the wettest day of the month. The 10th and 11th both recorded over 5 millimetres (0.2 ins.) of rain, and another 5.4 millimetres were logged on the 22nd. Small amounts of measurable rain then fell on 3 days during the remainder of the month.
*A rain day is from 0900-0900 UTC
Hail
There was no hail reported in Shoreham during November.
Thunder
There was no thunder reported in Shoreham during November.
Wind
November was an unusual ‘north-westerly’ month with winds from that direction dominating on 18 days. It was quite breezy at times, especially in the latter half of the month, and although there were no exceptional gusts, there were readings above 25 knots (29 mph) at Shoreham Airport on 9 days. The highest gust recorded was 42 knots (48 mph), from the southwest, late in the evening on the 22nd and in the early hours of the 23rd.
Fog
There was no fog observed in this part of Shoreham during November.
Statistics for November 2017
| Reporting Station | Highest Temp | Lowest Temp | Rain Total (mm) | Wettest | Rain days |
| Shoreham Airport | 15.3 | -2.3 | 35 | 6 | 15 |
| Thorney Island | 15.4 | -2.7 | 39 | 11 | 14 |
| Gatwick Airport | 15.4 | -4.2 | 44 | 9 | 17 |
| Herstmonceux | 15.1 | -1.9 | 41 | 10 | 16 |
| Bournemouth (Hurn) | 15.5 | -3.6 | 83 | 37 | 19 |
| Middle Wallop | 15.7 | -2.0 | 73 | 22 | 21 |
| Dieppe | 16.0 | 1.7 | 126 | 17 | 18 |