Mild and Rather Dry 

Temperatures

The average maximum temperature during January 2020 in Shoreham was 9.3 Celsius (49F), and that was over 1 Celsius (<2F) above normal for the time of year.  The average minimum temperature was 5.4 Celsius (42F), and that was nearly 2 Celsius (3.5 F)  above the January normal.    

The highest temperature recorded during the month was 11.9 Celsius (54F) on both the 12th and 14th,  but there were 10 other days when the maximum was above 10 Celsius (50F), including 4 days with highs above 11 Celsius (52F).  The first half of the month was mildest, with only 2 of these milder days occurring after the 16th; the 30th and 31st, with highs of 10.4 Celsius (50F) and 10.5 Celsius (52F) respectively.  There were no cold days during January, although 10 days had maxima below 8 Celsius (46F), including 8 consecutive days commencing on the 18th. The other 2  days were the 1st and 10th. Only 3 of these cooler days had highs below 7 Celsius (45F). They were the 21st, 22nd and 24th, with the lowest maximum, 6.7 Celsius (44F), occurring on the 22nd.

Several mild nights occurred, mainly early in the month, and on 2 occasions minimum temperatures were 10 Celsius (50F) or higher. On the 3rd, a low of 10.0 (50F) was recorded, with 10.2 Celsius (50F) measured on the 8th. A further 9 nights had minima above 7 Celsius (45F), including 5 out of 6 nights from the 12th to 17th, and 4 of the last 6 nights of the month. There were a few rather cold nights,  and on 7 mornings minima below 3 Celsius (37F) were measured. On the 4th a low of 2.2 Celsius (36F) occurred, with 1.5 Celsius (34F) logged on the 29th. The other 5 nights were consecutive, beginning on the 18th, and all of them had minima below 1 Celsius (34F). The lowest temperature was minus 1.1 Celsius (30F) on the 19th. 

The sea temperature was mainly 9 Celsius (48F),  but dropped to 8 Celsius (46F) for a while during the third week.

Frost

A total of 2 air frosts were recorded during January. The first was on the 19th, and the second was on the 21st, when minus 0.7 Celsius (31F) was recorded. There were 9 grass frosts during January. Most of them were slight, but grass frosts occurred on 5 consecutive nights, starting on the 18th, and on 4 of these nights grass temperatures were minus 4.4 Celsius (24F) or lower. The lowest temperature was minus 6.1 Celsius (22F) on the 19th.    

Rain

Rainfall in January amounted to 40.4 millimetres (1.6 ins.). This was about 20% below average. However, there were 21 days of measurable rain, and that was 4 days above average. Only 2 completely dry days occurred during the first 17 days of the new year.   Even so, daily amounts were generally small, with just 3 days, the 13th, 14th and 16th, having totals above 2 millimetres (0.08 ins.). The 13th and 16th each had 4.2 millimetres (0.16 ins.). whilst the 14th managed 6.2 millimetres (0.24 ins.) making it the wettest day of the month.  No rain fell between the 18th and 25th as pressure rose to a record high. In Shoreham,  a reading of 1049.2 millibars occurred on the 19th, with the only comparable value occurring at Bexhill in 1882 when 1049.3 millibars were measured. On the same day this year, the pressure exceeded 1050 millibars in parts of Wales, and southwest and central southern England.  The last week of January became unsettled again, and although much of the rain was light, the 26th had 5 millimetres (0.2 ins.) of rain, with 4.4 millimetres (0.18 ins.) falling on the 27th. 

Hail

Small hail was observed in Shoreham during squally rain on the afternoon of the 27th and again during a light rain and hail shower on the following afternoon.

Thunder

No thunder was heard in Shoreham in January.

Snow

There was no sleet or snow observed in Shoreham during January.   

Wind

The generally changeable and mild month led to a predominance of southwesterly winds again, these accounting for more than half the daily readings.  As in December, there were twice as many days with southwesterly winds as compared to those from a northwesterly direction Breezes from other directions were largely absent.  The first half of the month and the last week of January had the strongest winds, and at Shoreham Airport,  there was a gust of 33 knots (38 mph) from the southwest on the morning of the 12th. with 41 knots (46 mph) from a similar direction on the evening of the 13th. The 14th was windy all day,  with gusts peaking at 43 knots (49 mph) in the evening. The windy weather continued into the early hours of the 15th when 40 knots (46 mph) were recorded. A westerly wind gusted to 31 knots (35 mph) early in the afternoon of the 17th. After a break, brisk winds returned on the evening of the 27th when 35 knots (40 mph) occurred,  with 37 knots (42 mph) logged on the afternoon of the 28th.     

Fog

The 1st, 7th, 8th and 9th were very misty at times, as was the 30th, but on the morning of the 31st the mist thickened into fog for a while.

Statistics for January 2020

Mild and Rather Wet 

Temperatures

The average maximum temperature during December 2019 in Shoreham was 9.6 Celsius (50F), and that was over 1 Celsius (<2F) above normal for the time of year.  The average minimum temperature was 4.7 Celsius (41F), and that was under 1 Celsius above the December normal.    

The highest temperature recorded during the month was 12.4 Celsius (54F) on the 19th, but there were 12 other days when the maximum was above 10 Celsius (50F), including 4 days with highs above 11 Celsius (52F). There were a further 10 days when the temperature exceeded 9 Celsius, and cold days were few and far between. The first 4 days of the month had minimum temperatures below 8 Celsius (46F), but there was only 1 other day below this figure before the end of the year. On the 2nd a high of 6.3 Celsius (43F) occurred,  the only day of the month with a minimum below 7 Celsius (45F).

No especially mild nights were noted during December, but on 2 occasions the temperature stayed above 10 Celsius (50F).  On both the 6th and 19th the minimum temperature was 10.3 Celsius (50F). There were 2 more nights with minima above 9 Celsius (48F), and a further 4 with lows above 7 Celsius (45F). Night-time temperatures were variable throughout the month, although the lowest values were generally during the first fortnight of December. On 9 occasions the temperature fell below 3 Celsius (37F), but only 3 of these colder nights occurred after the 12th. The first 12 nights of December had 6 nights with minima below 1 Celsius (34F), but with only 1 of these nights having a low under minus 1 Celsius (30F). On the 5th,  minus 2.4 Celsius (28F) was measured, the coldest night of the month. 

The sea temperature slowly fell from 10 or 11  Celsius (50-52F) at the beginning of the month to 9 Celsius (48F) by the third week. where it remained for the rest of December.

Frost

A total of 3 air frosts were recorded during December. Apart from on the 5th, air temperatures dipped below freezing on both the 10th and 12th. However, frost was very slight with lows of minus 0.3 Celsius (32F) and 0.2 Celsius (32F) respectively. There were 13 grass frosts during the month, and although 6 of these occurred after mid month, they were slight,  with grass minima staying above minus 3 Celsius (27F). Grass lows were under minus 3 on 4 nights earlier in the month, with the lowest reading of minus 4.4 Celsius (24F) occurring on the 5th.    

Rain

A total of 97.8  millimetres (3.9 ins.) of rain fell during December and that was about 25% above the monthly average. There were 21 days of measurable rain, and that was around 5 days above normal for December. No measurable rain fell on the first 4 days of the month, but then the 9th was the sole dry day until the 27th. Initially rain was not particularly heavy, but over 6 millimetres (0.25ins.) fell on 7th with a further 8 millimetres (0.3 ins.) on the 12th. In the week before Christmas spells of rain falling on the totally saturated ground led to extensive flooding on the 21st. Although amounts were not remarkable, there were nearly 9 millimetres (0.35 ins.) on the 16th, over 8 millimetres (0.3 ins.) on the 18th, and 17.6 millimetres (0.7 ins.) on the 19th. This was topped up by nearly 7 millimetres (0.3 ins.) on the 19th and close on 9 millimetres (0.35 ins.) on the 21st. Thereafter, rain was lighter, although 7 millimetres (0.3 ins.) were recorded on the 26th.   The last 5 days of month were dry apart from 0.2 millimetres (0.01 ins) of dew on the last day of the month. 

Hail

Small hail was observed in Shoreham during a mid-afternoon shower on the 11th.

Thunder

No thunder was heard in Shoreham in December.

Snow

There was no sleet or snow observed in Shoreham during December.   

Wind

Southwesterly and northwesterly winds predominated during December with twice as many sou’westers as nor’westers. Early and late in the month pressure was relatively high and winds were mainly light or moderate, but the second and third weeks were very changeable and cyclonic with winds strong at times. At Shoreham Airport, gusts exceeded 30 knots (34 mph) during the 6th, peaking at 33 knots (38 mph), with 39 knots (44 mph) on the evening of the 8th,  with 41 knots (47 mph) occurring overnight into the 9th. A gust of 44 knots (50 mph) occurred on the passage of a cold front during the evening of the 10th, with blustery showers creating a gust of 37 knots (42 mph) around midday on the 11th. In a very breezy period, gusts between 34 and 39 knots (39-45 mph)  occurred on each of the following 4 days. Southwesterly gusts reached 34 knots (39 mph) early on the 21st. Apart from gusts of 33 knots (38 mph) on the afternoon of the 26th, there were no more gusts exceeding 30 knots (34 mph) during the remainder of the month.    

Fog

On the 30th there was fog until after mid morning. 

Statistics for November 2019

Dry and Rather Warm 

Temperatures

The average maximum temperature during May 2019 in Shoreham was 17.3 Celsius (63F), and that was around 2 degrees Celsius (3.5F) above normal for the time of year. The average minimum temperature was 8.2 Celsius (47F), and that was  around  1  degree Celsius (1.5F) below the May normal.    

The highest temperature recorded during the month was 21.8 Celsius (71F) on the 24th, but both the 21st and 25th had maxima above 20 Celsius (68F). There were a further 13 days with highs between 18 and 20 Celsius (64-68F), although only 2 of these warmer days occurred during the first half of the month. There were no particularly cold days during May, but on 5 occasions the temperature failed to rise above 15 Celsius (59F). One of these cooler days occurred as late as the 29th, and on the 17th the temperature only reached 12.8 Celsius (55F). However, there were 3 consecutive cool days beginning on the 4th, and in fact the 4th was the coolest day of the month with a high of 12.2 Celsius (54F).

There were no particularly warm nights during  May, but on 8 occasions, all during the second half of the month,  the temperature stayed above 10 Celsius (50F). On 3 of these nights the temperature stayed above 12 Celsius (54F). On the 25th, a minimum of 14.2 Celsius (58F) was recorded, with 13.6 Celsius (57F) and 13.7 Celsius (57F) measured on the 30th and 31st respectively. All the coldest nights of the month occurred during the early part of May with no minima below 7 Celsius (45F) after the 16th. Prior to that date, there were 13 nights with temperatures dipping below 7 Celsius (45F), including 6 nights with temperatures below 5 Celsius (41F). All these chilly nights occurred between the 4th and 13th, but there were only 2 occasions when the temperature fell below 4 Celsius (39F). On the 4th a low of 3.8 Celsius (39F) was measured, but on the following night the minimum was 2.1 Celsius (36F). 

The sea temperature gradually rose from 12 Celsius (54F) at the beginning of May to 15 Celsius (59F) by the end of the month.

Frost

There were no air frosts during  May and just 1 grass frost. on the night of the 4th/5th the grass temperature fell to minus 1.1 Celsius (30F).    

Rain

There were  19.4  millimetres (0.75 ins.) of rain during May and that was only around 40% of the monthly average. It was the driest May in the area for 8 years. There were 8 days  of measurable rain, and that was about 4 days below normal for May. The first day of the month was dry and rain on the 2nd was negligible. However, heavy showers on the evening of the 3rd gave over 4 millimetres (0.17 ins.) of rain, and further showers occurred on the 4th.  Heavy rain fell early on the 8th, although the 8.8 millimetres (0.35 ins.) that fell was logged for the 7th (rainfall day 0900-0900 UTC). Showers fell on both the 8th  and 11th but less than 1 millimetre (0.04 ins.) was recorded on each day. From the 12th, there were 14 consecutive dry days, and although this was followed by 4 damp days, amounts of rain were small with 2.4 millimetres (0.1 ins.) on the 29th the highest total. The last 2 days of the month were dry.

Hail

No hail was observed in Shoreham during May.

Thunder

No thunder was heard in Shoreham during May.

Snow

There was no sleet or snow observed in Shoreham during May.   

Wind

On balance, May was a ‘westerly’ month,  although almost a week of northeasterlies occurred around mid month, and the prevailing soputhwesterlies were matched in number (10) by winds from a northwesterly direction.  Winds were quite brisk during the first 9 days of the month, and again during the last week of May. However, overall winds were generally lighter than average. At Shoreham Airport  northwesterly gusts of 31 knots (35 mph) occurred on the afternoon of the 4th, and again on the morning of the 8th, but this time from a southwesterly direction. There were no further gusts above 30 knots (34 mph) during the remainder of the month.     

Fog

There was no fog observed in this part of Shoreham during May, 

Statistics for May 2019

Very Warm and Dry

Temperatures

The average maximum temperature during May 2018 in Shoreham was 20.1 Celsius (68F), and that was around 4 degrees Celsius (7F) above normal for the time of year. The average minimum temperature was 9,8 Celsius (50F), and that was  also about 0.5 degrees Celsius (<1F) above  the May normal. Overall, it appears to be the warmest May in  the area for 20 years.

The highest temperature recorded during the month was 27.6 Celsius (82F) on the 28th, but there were 3 other days when the temperature rose above 25 Celsius (77F), namely the 7th, 26th and 27th with highs of 26.9 Celsius (81F), 26.8 Celsius (81F) and 25.1 Celsius (77F) respectively. In  what was a truly summer month, the temperature exceeded 20 Celsius (68F) on a further 13 days. There were several cool days, but these occurred early in the month. Of the 8 days with maxima below 17 Celsius (63F), none were recorded after the 19th. There were just 2 days when the temperature failed to reach 15 Celsius (59F). On the 1st, a high of 13.3 Celsius (56F) was measured, with 13.6 Celsius (57F) logged on the 12th.

Many nights had clear skies and light winds, and this led to some quite chilly temperatures around dawn. However, there were several warm nights, especially during the last week of May. On the 27th a minimum of 16.9 Celsius (63F) occurred, followed by 15.1 Celsius (59F) on the 29th. Overall, there were 14 nights with minimum temperatures above 10 Celsius (50F), with 9 of these milder nights occurring after the 21st. The coolest nights were at the beginning of May, and again just after mid month. There were 8 nights when the temperature dipped below 7 Celsius (45F), but only 2 of these cooler nights had minima below 5 Celsius (41F). The first night of the month had a low of 2.9 Celsius (37F), and the 18th had a minimum of 4.6 Celsius (40F). 

The sea temperature,  around  11  Celsius (52F) at the beginning of the month, steadily rose to 13 Celsius (55F) by the beginning of the second week, with a slower rise to 15 or 16  Celsius (60F) by the end of the month.

Frost

There were no air frosts during May, but a ground frost occurred on the first morning of the month, with the grass temperature falling to minus 1.1 Celsius (30F).   

Rain

There were 30.2 millimetres (1.2 ins.) of rain during May and that was only slightly more than 50% of the monthly average. It was the driest May in the area for 7 years. Rain fell on 11 days, about 1 day below what one would expect at this time of year, and wet days ( rainfall of 1 millimetre (0.04 ins) or more)  amounted to 8 days.  Rain was measured on the first 2 days* of May, but only totalled 5 millimetres (0.2 ins.). A dry spell of weather then ensued until the 23rd,  interrupted only twice by measurable rainfall. On the 9th, less than 1 millimetre (0.04 ins.) of rain fell, and on the 12th  over 7 millimetres (0.3 ins.) of rain was recorded.  The last 9 days of May were more changeable, and during this period the 27th was the only dry day.  Most daily totals were small, but over 4 millimetres (0.15 ins.) were recorded on the 24th, and 8.4 millimetres (0.33 ins.) on the 30th,  the wettest day of the month.    

*A rain day is from 0900-0900 UTC

Snow

No sleet or snow fell in Shoreham during May.

Hail

There was no hail observed in this part of Shoreham during May.

Thunder

There were 3 days with thunderstorms during May.  Distant thunder was heard early in the evening on the 21st, with distant lightning and thunder,  both to the east and west,  on the evening of the 26th.  The final thunderstorms were closer,  and  rumbled away from early to mid afternoon.

Wind

The winds during May were mainly from between southwest and northwest during the first 3 weeks, followed by breezes from between northeast and southeast during the remainder of the month.  Winds were generally gentle or moderate by day, falling light on many nights. There were exceptions, and at Shoreham Airport southwesterly gusts reached 32 knots (37 mph) on the afternoon of the 2nd, and late morning on the 16th there was a gust of 30 knots (34 mph) from the north,    

Fog

Mist and hill fog occurred on both the 20th and 30th, and misty low cloud descended to give fog for a while on the evening of the 31st.

Statistics for May 2018