Category: News & Leisure

                                         Extremely Wet and Very Mild

Temperatures

The average maximum temperature during October 2023 in Shoreham was 17.9 Celsius (64F), and that was nearly 2 degrees Celsius (3.5F) above normal for the time of year.  Only the Octobers of 1948 and 2022 had higher average maxima in local records dating back to 1880. The average minimum temperature was 11.4 Celsius (53F), which was over 1 degree Celsius (2F) above the October  average. Only 6 Octobers have had milder nights during the last 143 years.  

The highest temperature recorded during the month was 23.0 Celsius (73F) on the 1st, but 22.8 Celsius (73F) occurred on the 8th, with 22.4 Celsius (72F) on the following day. A further 5 days had maxima above 20 Celsius (68F),  with the last of these pleasantly warm days occurring on the 19th. Some cooler days occurred, but just 11 days had maxima below 17 Celsius (63F), with all of the cooler days after the 13th. Only 4 days had maxima below 15 Celsius (59F). The 16th, 27th and 29th had highs of 14.2 , 14.9 and 14.1 Celsius (58, 59 and 57F) respectively, but the coolest day of the month was the 15th with a high of 12.6 Celsius (55F). 

There were no record-breaking warm nights during October, but the temperature only fell to 17.4 Celsius (63F) on the 1st, and 3 consecutive nights, beginning on the 11th, had minima between 16.0 and 16.6 Celsius (61-62F). On many nights (12) the minimum temperature ranged from 10 to 13 Celsius (50-55F), but cooler nights occurred, more especially around the middle of the month. On 9 occasions the temperature fell below 10 Celsius (50F), but only 3 nights had lows under 7 Celsius (45F).  The temperature dipped to 6.7 Celsius (44F) on  the 22nd, with 5.1 Celsius (41F) measured on the 15th, but the coldest night of the month was the 15th with a low of 2.6 Celsius (37F).  

The sea temperature was around 18 or 19 Celsius (64-66F) during the first fortnight but slowly decreased to 16 Celsius (61F) by the end of the month.

 

Frost

 

There were no air or grass frosts during October. The lowest grass temperature was 0.6 Celsius (33F) on the 15th. 

 

Rain

 

Rainfall in October amounted to 241.4 millimetres (9.5 ins.),  which was well over double the monthly average. It was the second wettest October (behind October 2000) since local records began in 1880.  Measurable rain fell on 18 days, which was 1 day below the average, and  wet days (when 1 millimetre (0.04 ins.), or more, of rain falls) numbered 16, which was  3 days above the average. No measurable rain fell during the first 10 days of the month, although dew on both the 8th and 9th amounted to 0.6 millimetres (0.02 ins.)  and was added to the monthly total.  The first significant rain of the month commenced on the evening of the 11th and by the following morning 10.2 millimetres (0.4 ins.) had fallen. Further rain fell on the following evening and added another 17.2 millimetres (0.7 ins.) to the total by the morning of the 13th. Some of the rain was heavy during the 13th, and another 6 millimetres (0.25 ins.) fell after 0900 GMT, the end of the rainfall day. After 4 dry days, heavy rainfall began in earnest, with 29.8 millimetres  (1.2 ins.) falling on the 18th, another 20.2 millimetres (0.8 ins.) fell on the 19th, with 11.8 millimetres (0.45 ins.) on the 20th. The 22nd was dry, but the last 8 days of the month produced a total of 137.8 millimetres (5.4 ins.) of rain. This was made up of the following daily falls: 17.4 millimetres (0.7 ins.) on the 24th, 10.8 millimetres (0.4 ins.) on the 26th, 46 millimetres (1.8 ins.) on the 27th, 23.8 millimetres (0.95 ins.) on the 28th, 11 millimetres (0.4 ins.) on the 29th, and 16.8 millimetres (0.7 ins.) on the last day of the month.  

 

Hail

No hail was observed in this part of Shoreham.  

 

Thunder

No thunder was heard in this part of Shoreham.

 

Snow

 

There was no sleet or snow observed in this part of Shoreham.

 

Wind

 

Although the first half of October was mostly anticyclonic with winds lighter than average for a mid-autumn month, the second half of  October was decidedly cyclonic, resulting in the average pressure for the month some 7mb below the average.  The net effect was to have  southwesterly winds dominant, accounting for around half of the daily readings, but with a mixture of winds after mid month as fronts, and occasionally depressions, tracked across southern Britain.  Overall, it was less windy than an average October.  At Shoreham Airport,   the first gusts above 30 knots (34 mph) did not occur until the morning of the 13th, when southwesterly winds increased and peaked at 39 knots (44 mph) in the late morning. Increasing east to southeasterly winds on the afternoon of the 18th gusted to 35 knots (40 mph) in the early evening, before veering southwesterly and gusting to 41 knots (47 mph) in the late evening.  Southwesterly gusts of 33 knots (38 mph) occurred on the morning of the 21st, and there then followed a windy end to the month. On the 28th, south to southwesterly gusts peaked at 35 knots (40 mph) in the late evening, followed by southwesterly gusts up to 39 knots (44 mph) on the following morning. A gust of 33 knots (38 mph)  in  the early hours of the 30th was the last significant gust of the month.

 

 

Fog

 

There was early fog at the airport on the morning of the 10th, and mist enveloped the hills on the morning of the 11th.

 

Statistics for October 2023

 

Reporting Site	Highest Temp	Lowest Temp	Rain Total (mm)	Wettest	Rain days
Shoreham A/P	22.0	2.3	*	*	15
Thorney Island	22.5	3.3			20
Gatwick A/P	25.3	-1.4			17
Herstmonceux	23.5	2.4			15
Bournemouth (Hurn)	23.1	0.0			18
Middle Wallop	23.6	-0.3			19
Dieppe	27.5	2.0	91	19	19

• Rainfall totals unreliable for all stations

                                                      Extremely Warm

Temperatures

The average maximum temperature during September 2023 in Shoreham was 23.6 Celsius (74F), and that was over 3 degrees Celsius (5.5F) above normal for the time of year.  The average minimum temperature was 14.9 Celsius (59F), which was around 3 degrees Celsius (5.5F) above the September  average. September 2023 was a truly remarkable month.  It was the warmest September in the area for at least 143 years, beating the previous warmest (2006) by over a degree Celsius (2F).   Although the mean maximum temperature was 0.1 Celsius (0.2F) lower than that of June, the mean minimum temperature was 1.1 Celsius (2F) higher, so overall it was warmer than June 2023, a month in itself that was the warmest since before 1880. September was warmer than both July and August this year by a margin of  1.5 Celsius (2.7F) in each month. It is not unprecedented for September to be the warmest month of the year, but it is an extremely rare occurrence.  

The highest temperature recorded during the month was 30.8 Celsius (87F) on the 9th, with 30.6 Celsius (87F) recorded on the 5th. Both days, along with the 29.7 Celsius (85F) that occurred on the 7th, were higher than the previous warmest day of the year,  was the 13th of June when 29.6 (85F) was measured.  In 143 years of records close to the West Sussex coast,  the previous record September high was 28.6 Celsius (83F) on the 15th in 2020. In 2023, this record was beaten on a total of 6 occasions.  The extreme heat was confined to the first 16 days of the month, where 9 days had highs above 25 Celsius (77F), and a further 3 days had maxima above 24 Celsius (75F). Although the last fortnight of September was less warm, there were nevertheless 10 days with maxima above 20 Celsius (68F), including each of the last 7 days of the month. Only 4 days had maxima below the monthly average of 20 Celsius (68F), with 3 of those days having highs under 19 Celsius (66F). All of the cooler days occurred between the 19th and 23rd, with maxima of 18.6 Celsius (65F) on the 19th and 18.8 Celsius (66F) on the 23rd, the coolest days of the month. 

There were no record-breaking warm nights during September, but the temperature only fell to 18.4 Celsius (65F) on the 7th, and to 18.1 Celsius (64F) on the 9th. A further 4 nights had minima between 17 and 18 Celsius (63-64F) with all of these warmer nights occurring between the 6th and 12th. Many nights (14) had lows between 14 and 17 Celsius (57-63F), but several cooler nights occurred, mainly after mid month.  The coolest nights during the first half of September were 12.5 Celsius (55F) on the 14th, and 10.8 Celsius (51F) on the 15th, but the second half of September had 4 nights with minima below 12 Celsius (54F), including  2 nights with lows under 10 Celsius (50F). On the 22nd, a minimum of 9.8 Celsius (50F) occurred, with 7.8 Celsius (46F) recorded on the 23rd.  

The sea temperature ranged between 18 and 21 Celsius (64-70F), with the highest  readings occurring at the beginning of the second week.

 

Frost

 

There were no air or grass frosts during September. The lowest grass temperature was 6.1 Celsius (43F) on the 23rd. 

 

Rain

 

Rainfall in September amounted to 52.8 millimetres (2.1 ins.),  which was around 15% below the monthly average.  Measurable rain fell on 10 days, which was 2 days below the average, and  wet days (when 1 millimetre (0.04 ins.), or more, of rain falls) numbered 6, which was also 2 days below the average. The rain and drizzle early on the 1st fell before 10 am and, as such, was part of the August total. Otherwise, the first half of September was dry apart from 0.2 millimetres (0.01 ins.) of dew that tipped the gauge on the 13th.  The 17th was the start of a very unsettled spell of weather. Heavy bursts of rain on the 17th produced a total of 14.2 millimetres (0.56 ins.) with heavy showers on the following accumulating another 8.8 millimetres (0.35 ins.). Showers, or longer spells of rain, fell over the following 3 days, giving totals of 15.2 millimetres (0.6 ins.)  on the 20th and 9.8 millimetres (0.39 ins.) on the 21st. During the rest of the month, although rather unsettled with rain falling on 4 days, the total during this period was only 2.2 millimetres (0.09 ins.), with the wettest day, the 28th, having just 1.0 millimetres (0.04 ins. of rain.  

 

Hail

No hail was observed in this part of Shoreham.  

 

Thunder

Thunder occurred on  1 day during September. On the 17th, there were thunderstorms around lunchtime and briefly in the late evening.

 

Snow

 

There was no sleet or snow observed in this part of Shoreham.

 

Wind

 

Although southwesterly winds were dominant during September, accounting for over 30% of the month’s total, the winds were often light in the early part of the month, and frequently interspersed by winds from a northeasterly direction. During the third week, it was cyclonic and often windy, but thereafter, pressure rose and it generally became less windy. At Shoreham Airport,   the first gusts above 30 knots (34 mph) did not occur until late morning on the 18th, the west-southwesterly wind peaking at 37 knots (42 mph) in the early afternoon. The 19th was windy all day with southwesterlies gusting to 41 knots (47 mph) in the early afternoon. After a slight lull in the evening,  a gust of 39 knots (45 mph) occurred in the early hours of the 20th. The 20th stayed windy until late evening, but no further gusts above 30 knots (34 mph) occurred until late evening on the 27th when 33 knots (38 mph) was measured from the southwest, with a similar value gust occurring early on the 28th. No further significant gusts   occurred during the remainder of the month.   

 

Fog

 

There was no fog observed in this part of Shoreham.

 

Statistics for September 2023

 

Reporting Site	Highest Temp	Lowest Temp	Rain Total (mm)	Wettest	Rain days
Shoreham A/P	29.4	6.9	65	34	10
Thorney Island	29.0	7.7	71	30	10
Gatwick A/P	32.7	6.7	72	24	10
Herstmonceux	31.2	7.5	61	18	9
Bournemouth (Hurn)	29.5	4.9			13
Middle Wallop	30.7	11.4			16
Dieppe	32.3	9.7	58	17	14

• Rainfall totals unreliable for all stations

                                                     Rather Cool and Damp

Temperatures

The average maximum temperature during August 2023 in Shoreham was 21.6 Celsius (71F), and that was around 1 degree Celsius (<2F) below normal for the time of year.  The average minimum temperature was 14.1 Celsius (57F), which was close to the August average. 

The highest temperature recorded during the month was 25.4 Celsius (78F) on the 16th, with 25.3 Celsius (78F) recorded on the 17th. There were only 4 other days, the 10th, 18th, 23rd and 24th,   when the temperature rose above 23 Celsius (73F). On most days (21) the maximum temperature ranged between 20 and 23 Celsius (68-73F),  in fact, only 4 days had maxima below 20 Celsius (68F). Highs of 18.4 Celsius (65F), 18.7 Celsius (66F) and 18.4 Celsius (65F) occurred on the 2nd, 5th and 8th respectively. However, the coolest day of the month was the 31st,  when the temperature only reached 15.8 Celsius (60F). 

There were no especially warm nights during August, although the minimum was 17.9 Celsius (64F) on the 19th and 17.4 Celsius (63F) on the 18th. A further 9 nights had lows ranging from 15 to 17 Celsius (59-63F), but the majority of August nights had lows ranging from 11 to 15 Celsius (52-59F). There were 2 exceptions. On the 8th, a low of 10.7 Celsius (51F) occurred,  but the coolest night of the month was on the 27th when 10.2 Celsius (50F) was recorded.  

The sea temperature was around 19 Celsius (66F) throughout the month.

 

Frost

 

There were no air or grass frosts during August. The lowest grass temperature was 6.7 Celsius (44F) on the 27th. 

 

Rain

 

Rainfall in August amounted to 69.8 millimetres (2.7 ins.),  which was very slightly above the monthly average.  Measurable rain fell on 18 days, which was 6 days above the average, and  wet days (when 1 millimetre (0.04 ins.), or more, of rain falls) numbered 12, which was 4 days above the average. The first rain of the month occurred on the evening of the 1st and lasted through most of the following day. A total of 15.2 millimetres (0.6 ins) of rain fell, evenly split between the 2 days (7.6 millimetres each). The 3rd was dry, but rain fell on the 4th, and a further 8.8 millimetres (0.35 ins.) were added to the monthly total on the 5th. Although only 4 completely dry days occurred between the 6th and 16th, amounts of rain were small with a total for this period of only 3 millimetres (0.12 ins.). Rain overnight on the 17th, and further rain on the 18th, produced 4.2 millimetres (0.17 ins.) and 6.8 millimetres (0.27 ins.) respectively on those 2 days. It was dry between the 19th and 22nd, but changeable weather soon followed, and on the24th there were 8.6 millimetres (0.34 ins.) of rain. The wettest day in  August was the last day of the month,  when rain and drizzle occurred through most of the day adding another 13.8 millimetres (0.54 ins.) to the monthly total.  

 

Hail

No hail was observed in this part of Shoreham.  

 

Thunder

Thunder occurred on  2 days during August. On the 24th, the first thunder was heard early in the afternoon, and further storms occurred through the rest of the afternoon and early evening with several ground strikes reported in, and around, Shoreham. A further short-lived storm occurred around midnight on the 25th.

 

Snow

 

There was no sleet or snow observed in this part of Shoreham.

 

Wind

 

August was another ‘westerly’ month with winds from between west and southwest dominant on 19 days, and easterlies largely absent apart from a brief spell just after mid month. On many days, especially early in the month, sea breeze enhancement of the southwesterlies, gave unpleasantly windy afternoons. At Shoreham Airport,   the 1st was breezy, but the 2nd was windier, with southwesterly gusts to 35 knots (40 mph) during the morning and early afternoon. The 5th was another windy day with southwesterly gusts peaking at 37 knots (42 mph) around midday. Although there were several breezy afternoons,  no further gusts above 30 knots (34 mph) occurred during the remainder of the month.   

 

Fog

 

There was fog for a while along the Adur valley on the morning of the 16th.

 

Statistics for August 2023

 

Reporting Site	Highest Temp	Lowest Temp	Rain Total (mm)	Wettest	Rain days
Shoreham A/P	25.4	9.0	76	15	14
Thorney Island	24.2	10.1			17
Gatwick A/P	27.5	8.2	57	19	14
Herstmonceux	25.9	9.6			15
Bournemouth (Hurn)	24.4	6.7			14
Middle Wallop	25.7	8.5			16
Dieppe	28.0	11.6	62	14	17

• Rainfall totals unreliable for all stations

                                                  Exceptionally Warm

Temperatures

The average maximum temperature during June 2023 in Shoreham was 23.7 Celsius (75F), and that was around 3 Celsius (5.5F) above normal for the time of year.  The average minimum temperature was 13.8 Celsius (57F), which was close to 1 Celsius (2F) above average for June. Overall, it was the warmest June since before 1880, surpassing the previous record, set in 1976, by more than 1 degree Celsius (2F) 

The highest temperature recorded during the month was 29.6 Celsius (85F) on the 13th, but there were 8 other days with maxima above 25 Celsius (77F), including highs of 29.0 Celsius (84F) on the 10th and 28.6 Celsius  (83F) on the 14th. Most of the very warm days occurred between the 9th and 17th. The only exception was on the 25th,  when a high of 26.6 Celsius (80F) was recorded. On most other days (19) the maximum temperature ranged from 20 to 25 Celsius (68-77F). However, there were 2 days when the temperature failed to reach 20 Celsius (68F).  The maximum on the 2nd was 19.2 Celsius (67F), and on the 30th it was 19.4 Celsius (67F). 

There were no especially warm nights during June, although on 11 nights the minimum temperature was above 15 Celsius (59F). The warmest night was the 28th with a low of 18.0 Celsius (64F), but 17.3 Celsius (63F) was recorded on the 18th, with 17.2 Celsius (63F) occurring on the 11th. A total of 11 nights had minima between 12 and 15 Celsius (54-59F) and there were 8 rather cool nights, these occurring on the first 8 nights of the month. On 5 of these nights the minimum was between 10 and 11 Celsius (50-52F), but on the 5th a low of 8.9 Celsius (48F) was recorded, with 9.2 Celsius (49F) and 9.7 Celsius (50F) on the 3rd and 6th respectively.  

The sea temperature was 15 Celsius (59F) at the beginning of June, rising to 19 Celsius (66F) by the fourth week, before decreasing slightly at the end of the month.

 

Frost

 

There were no air or grass frosts during June. The lowest grass temperature was 7.2 Celsius (45F) on both  the 5th and 6th. 

 

Rain

 

Rainfall in June amounted to 39.4 millimetres (1.55 ins.),  which was around 20% below  the monthly average.  Measurable rain fell on only 6 days, which was 5 days below the average, and  wet days (when 1 millimetre (0.04 ins.), or more, of rain falls) numbered 4, which was 4 days below the average. The first rain of the month occurred on the 11th, and in the afternoon  there was just enough to be measured. The 0.2 millimetres (0.01 ins.) that fell was the first significant rain since 12th May, a total of 30 days. No more measurable rain fell until the 17th resulting in less than 1 millimetre (0.04 ins.)  of rain  between the 8th May and 17th June, a total of 40 days. The rain on the 17th mostly occurred in the evening and overnight, and amounted to 3.4 millimetres (0.13 ins.). Rain  on the afternoon of the 18th added another 5.6 millimetres  (0.22 ins.)  to the total, but the following night produced the heaviest rain of the month.  After dawn on the 20th,  torrential rain produced 27.2 millimetres (1.07 ins.), with  26.8 millimetres (1.05 ins.) falling  in  one hour. That hour, between 0600 and 0700 , had a peak rainfall rate of 43 millimetres (1.7 ins.) per hour. The heavy rain was followed by 7 dry days, but the month ended with a little rain,  giving totals of 2.4 millimetres (0.09 ins.)  and 0.6 millimetres (0.02 ins.) on the 28th and 30th respectively.  

 

Hail

No hail was observed in this part of Shoreham.  

 

Thunder

There were 3 days with thunder during June. On the 10th there was lightning to the south in the evening, but no thunder was heard. Thunderstorms, albeit quite distant, occurred late in the evening on the 17th, with one rumble of thunder in the early hours of the 18th. The last thunder of the month preceded, and was in association with, the heavy rain early in the morning on the 20th.

 

Snow

 

There was no sleet or snow observed in this part of Shoreham.

 

Wind

 

Brisk winds from between northeast and northwest occurred on each day until the 9th, with night-time winds falling light. Winds were generally light and variable during the following 2 weeks, with gentle southeast or southwest sea breezes on several afternoons. The last week of the month was characterized by more typical early summer weather with southwesterly winds dominant, with these occasionally moderate or fresh in the afternoons. At Shoreham Airport, although gusts exceeded 20 knots (23 mph) on  many afternoons early and late in the month, the only gusts above 30 knots (34 mph) occurred on the last day of June. In the afternoon of the 30th, southwesterly gusts peaked at 32 knots (37 mph).      

 

Fog

 

It was often  misty following the thunderstorms during the third week of June, and on the morning of the 19th there was sea fog.

 

Statistics for June 2023

 

Reporting Site	Highest Temp	Lowest Temp	Rain Total (mm)	Wettest	Rain days
Shoreham A/P	28.4	8.2	37	21	5
Thorney Island	27.5	9.0	25	12	5
Gatwick A/P	31.6	7.4	82	29	8
Herstmonceux	31.4	8.9	52	30	7
Bournemouth (Hurn)	30.1	7.4	38	26	6
Middle Wallop	30.1	7.6	49	32	8
Dieppe	31.5	10.8	*	*	10

• *Data missing

                                           Wet at first, then Very Dry

Temperatures

The average maximum temperature during May 2023 in Shoreham was 18.6 Celsius (66F), and that was very slightly above normal for the time of year.  The average minimum temperature was 9.2 Celsius (49F), which was close to average for May.

The highest temperature recorded during the month was 22.8 Celsius (73F) on the 28th, but maxima exceeded 20 Celsius (68F) on 5 other days, with all of these warmer days occurring after the 19th. Highs included 21.5 Celsius (71F) on the 22nd, and 22.1 Celsius (72F) on the 27th. On most days (19) the top temperature was in the range 17 to 20 Celsius (63-68F), but there were some cooler days before mid-month. On 6 days the temperature failed to rise above 17 Celsius (63F), but only 2 of the days had maxima below 15 Celsius (59F). On the 8th, a high of 14.7 Celsius (59F) occurred, but the coolest day of the month was the 6th,  when the high was only 13.1 Celsius (56F).

There were no especially mild nights during May, although minima were above 10 Celsius (50F) on 8 nights. A total  of 6 of these milder nights occurred before mid-month, with 5 of these having minima above 11 Celsius (52F).  A low of 11.4 Celsius (53F) occurred on the 15th, but the mildest night of the month was the 9th with a low of 12.2 Celsius (54F). Other nights had lows ranging from 7 to 10 Celsius (45-50F), but there were 2 exceptions. On the 16th, a minimum of 6.2 Celsius (43F) occurred, but the 3rd was the coolest night of the month with a minimum of 6.0 Celsius (43F). 

The sea temperature was 12 Celsius (54F) at the beginning of May, rising to 14 or 15 Celsius (57-59F) at the end of the month.

 

Frost

 

There were no air or grass frosts during May. The lowest grass temperature was 2.2 Celsius (36F) on the 3rd. 

 

Rain

 

Rainfall in May amounted to 35.0 millimetres (1.4 ins.),  which was around 10% below  the monthly average.  Measurable rain fell on only 6 days, which was 5 days below the average, and  wet days (when 1 millimetre (0.04 ins.), or more, of rain falls) numbered 4, which was 4 days below the average. Showers on the 1st produced 0.8 millimetres (0.03 ins.), but the following 2 days were dry. The 7th was also dry, but the period between the 4th and 8th gave the only spell of unsettled weather during the month. During these 5 days there were 33.6 millimetres (1.3 ins.) of rain,  with the vast bulk  (86%) occurring on just 2 days. On the 6th, 13.6 millimetres  (0.5 ins.) of rain was measured, with 16.6 millimetres (0.65 ins.) occurring on the 8th. During the remainder of the month there was only 1 more day with measurable rain. That day was the 12th, when 0.6 millimetres (0.02 ins.) was recorded.  

 

Hail

No hail was observed in this part of Shoreham.  

 

Thunder

No thunder was heard in this part of Shoreham.

 

Snow

 

There was no sleet or snow observed in this part of Shoreham.

 

Wind

 

Pressure during May was higher than average, with the centre of the anticyclones mostly positioned over, or to the west, of the UK. As a result, the usual pattern of southwesterly winds was largely reversed.  Winds from the southwesterly quadrant occurred on only 4 days, whereas winds from between northwest and northeast were observed on 14 days, with the second half of May having winds from between north and east dominating. These latter winds were often quite brisk through both the day and the night, otherwise, there were no particularly strong winds during the month. At Shoreham Airport, the only gust above 30 knots (34 mph) during May occurred during the last hour of the month. Later in the evening of the 31st a northeasterly gust of 32 knots (36 mph) was recorded.      

 

Fog

 

There was sea fog for a while early in the evening on the 14th.

 

Statistics for May 2023

 

Reporting Site	Highest Temp	Lowest Temp	Rain Total (mm)	Wettest	Rain days
Shoreham A/P	21.7	4.1	39	21	7
Thorney Island	22.5	6.4	37	16	6
Gatwick A/P	21.7	3.4	49	24	6
Herstmonceux	21.8	3.9	26	12	5
Bournemouth (Hurn)	24.1	2.9	62	16	9
Middle Wallop	22.5	4.1	45	13	8
Dieppe	23.2	4.9	13	11	5

 

                                                     Rather Cool and Extremely Wet

Temperatures

The average maximum temperature during April 2023 in Shoreham was 13.9 Celsius (57F), and that was around 1 Celsius (<2F) below normal for the time of year.  The average minimum temperature was 6.2 Celsius (43F), which was close to average for April.

The highest temperature recorded during the month was 17.8 Celsius (64F) on the 19th, but only 4 other days, the 15th, 20th, 28th and 30th, had maxima above 16 Celsius (61F). The mildest of these days was the 28th, with a high of 16.8 Celsius (62F). On most days (21) the maximum temperature was in the range 12 to 16 Celsius (54-61F), but there were 4 cooler days, the 4th, 9th and 12th had maxima between 11 and 12 Celsius (52-54F), but the temperature on the 14th only reached 9.4 celsius (49F).

There were no especially mild nights during April, although a minimum of 11.2 Celsius (52F) occurred on the 28th, and 4 nights, the 1st, 10th, 17th and 23rd,  each had minima between 9 and 10 Celsius (48-50F). A further 5 nights had minima between 7 and 9 Celsius (45-48F). On many nights (15) the minimum temperature was in the range 4 to 7 Celsius (39-45F), but there were several colder nights. On 5 occasions the temperature fell below 4 Celsius (39F). The 25th, with a low of 2.6 Celsius (37F), was the only colder night after the 8th, but 3 nights during the first week of April  had minima below 2 Celsius (36F). They were the 3 consecutive nights beginning on the 3rd. The only one of these nights to have a minimum temperature below 1 Celsius (34F) was the 5th,  when 0.7 Celsius (33F) was recorded. 

The sea temperature was around 9 Celsius (48F) at first, slowly rising to 12 Celsius (54F) by the end of the month.

 

Frost

 

There were no air frosts during April. Grass frost occurred on 5 nights , which was 2 nights below the average. The only grass frost after the 8th was on the 25th,  when minus 0.6 Celsius (31F) was recorded. A similar minimum occurred on the 8th, with the other 3 grass frosts occurring between the 3rd and 5th. The lowest temperature on these nights was minus 2.8 Celsius (27F),  recorded on both the 4th and 5th. 

 

Rain

 

Rainfall in April amounted to 111.6 millimetres (4.4 ins.),  which was around 4 times the monthly average. It was the wettest April since 2012, but in records going back to 1880, April 2023 is ranked as the second wettest. So far this year there have been 3 months with rainfall exceeding 100 millimetres (4 ins.). Measurable rain fell on 15 days, which was 8 days above the average, and  wet days (when 1 millimetre (0.04 ins.), or more, of rain falls) numbered 10, which was 5 days above the average. Only 7.2 millimetres (0.3 ins.) of rain fell during the first 8 days of April,  with 6.8 millimetres (0.27 ins.) of that falling on the night of the 5th/6th. Very wet weather followed, this commencing overnight on the 9th. Over 53 millimetres (2.1 ins.) fell during the following 6 days, including 11 millimetres (0.4 ins.) on the 9th, and 18 millimetres (0.75 ins.) on both the 11th and 14th.  Only 1 millimetre (0.04 ins.) of rain fell between the 15th and 21st, but in a fairly changeable end to the month 25 millimetres (1 in.) of rain fell on the 22nd and another 20 millimetres (0.8 ins.) were recorded on the 27th.  

 

Hail

No hail was observed in this part of Shoreham.  

 

Thunder

No thunder was heard in this part of Shoreham.

 

Snow

 

There was no sleet or snow observed in this part of Shoreham.

 

Wind

 

Pressure during April was very close to average overall, but day to day pressure changes were quite marked and, unusually, southwesterly winds were in the minority. There were 14 days when the wind blew from the northeasterly quadrant, but there were only 2 days with southwesterlies blowing. The wind direction during the rest of the month was equally divided between the other two quadrants (SE and NW). Winds were mostly gentle or moderate, but occasionally fresh or strong during the second and third weeks. At Shoreham Airport, there was a southwesterly gust of 33knots (39 mph) during the afternoon of the 10th, with 38 knots (43 mph), again from the southwest, occurring in the evening of the 11th. The strong wind continued throughout the 12th with southwesterly gusts in the afternoon peaking at 50 knots (57 mph) in the afternoon before veering westerly during the evening.  During the rest of the month the wind mainly blew from a northeasterly quadrant, and although breezy at times, there were no further gusts above 30 knots (34 mph).      

 

Fog

 

No fog was observed during the month in this part of Shoreham.

 

Statistics for April 2023

 

Reporting Site	Highest Temp	Lowest Temp	Rain Total (mm)	Wettest	Rain days
Shoreham A/P	17.2	-0.6	*	25	16
Thorney Island	18.9	-0.3	*	25	16
Gatwick A/P	18.8	-3.4	*	40	19
Herstmonceux	17.2	0.0	*	20	15
Bournemouth (Hurn)	18.1	-2.9	*	40	14
Middle Wallop	18.6	-1.1	*	34	15
Dieppe	18.2	-0.5	71	18	15

* Totals unreliable

 

Not many tables in this restaurant, but it is well worth a visit at lunchtime for the battered cod and chips served by smiling staff at an affordable price.

                                                     Very Wet with Chilly Days

Temperatures

The average maximum temperature during March 2023 in Shoreham was 10.4 Celsius (50F), and that was around 1 Celsius (<2F) below normal for the time of year.  The average minimum temperature was 5.9 Celsius (43F), and that was around 1 Celsius (<2F) above average for March.

The highest temperature recorded during the month was only 13.6 Celsius (56F) on the 25th, and this was 0.2 Celsius (<0.5F) lower than the highest temperature recorded during February. However, there were a further 5 days when the temperature reached, or exceeded, 13.0 Celsius (55F), and on 5 more days the maximum was between 12 and 13 Celsius (54-55F). All of these milder days occurred after the 12th. The coldest days were during the first half of March, and with the exception of the 20th, which had a high of 9.8 Celsius (50F), all of the 12 days that had maxima below 10 Celsius (50F) occurred before mid-month.  Only 4 days had maxima below 7 Celsius (45F), with all of these coldest days occurring between the 5th and 10th. On the 10th a high of 5.6 Celsius (42F) was recorded, but the coldest day of the month was the 7th with a top temperature of 5.4 Celsius (41F).

There were many cloudy nights during March and this significantly helped to keep temperatures from falling. This led to several mild nights. On 3 of these, the 13th, 30th and 31st, the temperature failed to fall below 10 Celsius (50F). The mildest of these nights was the 30th with a low of 10.4 Celsius (50F). A further 8 nights had minima between 8 and 10 Celsius (46-50F) with all of these milder nights occurring after mid-month and including 5 consecutive nights commencing on the 21st. Some quite cold nights occurred, and on 14 occasions the temperature fell below 5 Celsius (41F). Apart from 27th, when a minimum of 4.7 Celsius (40F) was recorded, all of these colder nights occurred before mid-month. On 6 nights the temperature fell below 2 Celsius (36F), but only 2 of the nights had minima under 1 Celsius (34F).  The 2nd had a low of 0.2 Celsius (32F), but the coldest night of the month was the 11th when the temperature fell to minus 1.5 Celsius (30F). 

The sea temperature was around 8 Celsius (46F) at first, but for most of the month it was nearer 9 Celsius (48F).

 

Frost

 

There was air frost on 1 night during March,   around 1 night below average. It occurred on the 11th when the temperature fell to minus 1 Celsius (30F). Grass frost occurred on 6 nights, which  was 5 nights above average. The first 3 nights of the month each had grass frost with a low of minus 3.3 Celsius (26F) recorded on the 2nd. A similar value was recorded on the 15th. The other 2 grass frosts occurred on the 6th and 11th with ground minima of minus 1.7 Celsius (29F) and minus 6.7 Celsius (20F) respectively. 

 

Rain

 

Rainfall in March amounted to 135.2 millimetres (5.3 ins.) which was almost 3 times the monthly average. It was the wettest March in the area since 1981, when 155 millimetres (6.1 ins.) were recorded.  Measurable rain fell on 22 days, which was 7 days above the average, and  wet days (when 1 millimetre (0.04 ins.), or more, of rain falls) numbered 20, which was 10 days above the average. No measurable rain fell during the first 5 days  of the month, but after that there was no completely dry day, although on 4 days there was just a trace of rain. The first rain of the month,  on the 6th,  amounted to just 2.6 millimetres (0.1 ins.), but on each of the following 3 days precipitation exceeded 10 millimetres (0.4 ins.). The wettest of these days was the 9th when 23.6 millimetres (0.92 ins.) were recorded. Fairly heavy falls of rain then often occurred during the rest of the month. On the 12th, 16th, 17th, 23rd and 31st the daily total ranged between 5 and 10 millimetres (0.2 and 0.4 ins.), with totals of 12.2 millimetres (0.48 ins.)  on the 25th,  and 14.0 millimetres (0.55 ins.) on the 30th.  

 

Hail

No hail was observed in this part of Shoreham.  

 

Thunder

No thunder was heard in this part of Shoreham.

 

Snow

 

There were a few large wet snowflakes in the rain around mid morning on the 7th, and in the early hours of the 8th the temperature fell to 1.3 Celsius (34F) and the rain turned to sleet for almost 2 hours.

 

Wind

 

In marked contrast to February, the month of March was cyclonic and, at times, quite windy. On most occasions (18) the wind blew from between south and west, but there were northerlies at the beginning of the month,  and on some days the wind was cyclonic variable. At Shoreham Airport, there was a southwesterly gust of 30 knots (34 mph) late in the afternoon of the 6th, and a rapid rise of pressure on the morning of the 10th was accompanied by gusty northwesterly winds with the highest gust 35 knots (40 mph). The 13th was a breezy day with the southwesterly winds peaking at 36 knots (41 mph) around dawn. Late on the 22nd southwesterly gusts peaked at 32 knots (36 mph). and during the 24th and 25th southwesterly gusts of 32 and 33 knots (36-37 knots) were recorded. The last day of the month was the windiest with southwesterly gusts reaching 43 knots (49 mph) during the afternoon.       

 

Fog

 

It was often misty and drizzly with hill fog,  but on the morning of the 29th the hill fog lowered into the town for a while.

 

Statistics for March 2023

 

Reporting Site	Highest Temp	Lowest Temp	Rain Total (mm)	Wettest	Rain days
Shoreham A/P	13.5	-2.0	*	21	24
Thorney Island	13.8	-0.9	*	23	24
Gatwick A/P	15.1	-4.1	*	31	25
Herstmonceux	14.9	-2.0	*	29	24
Bournemouth (Hurn)	14.7	-2.9	*	35	25
Middle Wallop	14.9	-2.8	*	24	25
Dieppe	20.5	1.4	86	17	20

* Totals unreliable