October 2022

[millerd]

October 2022 was certainly noteworthy from a weather point of view on my local patch, looking at the provisional stats from The Met Office for the weather station at Heathrow. Long-term averages mentioned are for the most recent 30-year period, 1991 - 2020.

Mean maximum temperature: 18.3 (L/T ave: 15.8 )
Mean minimum temperature: 10.4 (L/T ave: 8.8 )
Sunshine: 132.8 hrs (L/T ave: 115.2 hrs)
Rainfall: 81.4 mm (L/T ave: 65.1 mm)

Overall, that made it much warmer, a fair bit sunnier, and somewhat wetter than average. I think it was the warmth of the days that I noticed most, and the consistency of the temperature day to day. The lowest maximum all month was 16 degrees (on the 10th) and the highest was 22 degrees (on the 29th). There were no overnight frosts, and nothing lower than around 5 degrees. All this after what was a very warm summer...

Dave

[David M]

...Mean maximum temperature: 18.3 (L/T ave: 15.8 )

A quite astonishing statistic, Dave. This period of the year seems to me to be the one that is furthest removed from when I was growing up in the late 70s/early 80s. Back then, a single day of 18c was most unusual in October whereas now it's becoming the mean in certain places!!

As an aside, I note that the long range weather forecast doesn't predict night time temperatures to get anywhere near low enough for a ground frost prior to mid-November.

I wonder what the record is for the latest date upon which there has been frost in southern parts of the UK?

[David M]

Friday 28th - Six Red Admirals seen; four in the woodland clearing at Parkmill and two on the coast at Limeslade Bay:

[millerd]

...Mean maximum temperature: 18.3 (L/T ave: 15.8 )

A quite astonishing statistic, Dave. This period of the year seems to me to be the one that is furthest removed from when I was growing up in the late 70s/early 80s. Back then, a single day of 18c was most unusual in October whereas now it's becoming the mean in certain places!!

As an aside, I note that the long range weather forecast doesn't predict night time temperatures to get anywhere near low enough for a ground frost prior to mid-November.

I wonder what the record is for the latest date upon which there has been frost in southern parts of the UK?

Looking back, during the winter of 2002/2003, the first night when the temperature dropped below zero at Heathrow was 3rd January. Since then, there have been frosts in either November or December (or both). Even in 2015, when an exceptionally warm December was frost-free almost everywhere all month, there had been frosts in November.

Dave

[essexbuzzard]

One Clouded Yellow (helice) and two Painted Lady at Par, Cornwall, on the 31st, before the rain returned...