WEATHER REPORT FOR 2002
Click here to view statistics, or here to view full register.
Click here to view report for 2001.
MONTH BY MONTH ASSESSMENT
January January opened with anticyclonic conditions dominating the scene. The first few days were mostly dry, cold and sunny with the snow having fallen at the end of December remaining on the ground until the 4th. The daytime maximum failed to get above 1.8C on the 2nd and overnight frosts were severe (-7.0C on the 4th). The 2nd dawned with freezing fog and the extensive deposition of rime produced a very wintry scene over much of the county. Between the 5th and the 8th milder weather prevailed, although high pressure was still influential bringing light winds. It was mostly cloudy through this period with little sunshine and fairly persistent morning fog. In fact, foggy mornings continued consistently right up until the 13th producing the longest record of fog on consecutive mornings ever recorded at Pitsford Hall. There was some rain, but it was mostly light and patchy. The arrival of a trough on the 9th and 10th brought more substantial rain across the county, but amounts remained modest. The anticyclonic period finally came to an end on the 13th as a series of Atlantic lows tracked across the county bringing outbreaks of rain. Cool at first, it did become progressively milder during the third week. Winds also picked up. There were some good sunny intervals in other areas, but it remained pretty cloudy across the county up until 19th. Further unsettled but mild weather continued only to be interupted by a brief chilly spell on the 24th as winds veered more northerly from a general south or south-westerly direction which had been the norm since the 12th. This cold incursion was a herald to very stormy conditions between the 25th and 28th. The 26th was particularly wet with 8.5mm recorded at Pitsford Hall. Winds reached gusts typically in excess of 35mph with 46mph recorded as a peak gust during a particularly windy day on the 28th. Despite the wind and rain, it remained unseasonably mild. This mild theme continued until the very end of January. Further vigorous fronts brought more rain and on the evening of the 31st winds quickly strengthened again gusting to 40mph. February The month opened with low pressure developing off the north- west coast of Scotland. The first week was particularly windy with peak gusts recorded at 50mph on the 1st and 47mph on the 4th. The police closed a section of the A14 due to the risk presented to high sided vehicles and part of the roof of a service station in Towcester was lost due to the high winds. With winds blowing from a generally south-westerly direction temperatures were mild with overnight minima holding up at around 10.4C on the 2nd and 8.0C on the 3rd. It was also wet, although the county escaped the heavier totals recorded elsewhere. Depressions continued to track between Scotland and Iceland until the 13th with their attendant fronts sweeping across the county bringing further outbreaks of rain. In between the rain it remained pretty cloudy with only occasional glimpses of sunshine. Again, heavy rain caused flooding in some parts of the UK whilst the county remained largely unaffected by this threat. Anticyclonic conditions developed from the 13th. Cloud and rain gave way to a dry, quiet and reasonably sunny period with some overnight frosts. As winds swung round to a more northerly direction on the 15th temperatures fell sharply with grass minima dropping to -4.8C. A weak weather front slipped through the county on the 18th giving just a spot or two of rain. Wild conditions returned on the 19th as some vigorous lows tracked across the UK. 12mm fell at Pitsford Hall in slightly over 9 hours. Over the course of the next few days low pressure deepened over Scandinavia bringing a run of strong winds with gusts again reaching gale force. By the 23rd the weather had turned decidely wintery with a sharp shower of snow pellets falling during the morning. On the 25th a small but very vigorous low tracked eastwards across Scotland bringing widespread disruption due to gale force winds across the country. In Northamptonshire power lines were brought down and there was structural damage to several properties. A peak gust of 59mph was recorded in the early morning at Pitsford Hall. The month came to a close as a trough migrated down from the north bringing hail on the 26th and further brief snow showers on the 27th and 28th. March An unsettled first week across much of the UK as a succession of weak frontal systems crossed the UK. In Northamptonshire, apart from a small amount of rain on the 2nd, it remained dry with some good sunny spells (7.4hrs on the 1st, 6.1hrs on the 5th). Although cold to begin with, with a particularly severe ground frost on the 2nd (-5.2C), temperatures generally rose becoming very mild by the 7th and 8th. A small intense area of low pressure tracked close-by to the north on the 9th. Severe gales battered the county and winds gusted up to 60mph at Pitsford Hall. Toddlers escape serious injury as a pane of glass was blown from a second-floor shop window in Northampton. The strong winds also forced the postponement of the Saints' clash with Newcastle at Frankin's Gardens rugby ground and power lines in Hanslope were brought down causing delays for rail passengers between Rugby and Northampton. Strong winds persisted on the 10th with gusts up to 44mph recorded. The third week was generally unsettled with spells of heavy rain brought in on fronts tied into Atlantic lows. Chilly at first with north-easterly winds prevailing, it soon became milder as winds swung round from the south. Low pressure tracking eastwards through the county on the 18th brought a particularly wet day with 14.1mm falling in a little over 6 hours. Anticyclonic conditions held sway from the 21st until the end of the month. Some mild temperatures were recorded by day (up to 17.3C on the 30th), but clear skies and light winds overnight brought frost and fog more especially later as winds turned more easterly. Apart from some lightish showers on the 30th, the county embraced dry conditions until the end. April April opened on a warm note with daytime maxima climbing to 20.7C on the 3rd. Some very respectable sunshine totals were recorded also during the first week with 9 hours or more being noted on a daily basis between the 3rd and 7th. There was a little light rain in some parts of the United Kingdom, but the county began on a dry note, a theme which continued until the 17th. High pressure from the Azores region and Scandinavia merged across the UK from the 6th onwards helping to maintain the dry weather. Winds were fairly brisk at first from a generally north-easterly direction and this helped to peg the temperatures down to more normal figures. Clear skies overnight saw some light ground frosts on the 8th and 9th. The weather continued fairly quiet from the 11th onwards with high pressure giving way to a succession of weak weather fronts. However, any rain which these fronts produced fell before reaching the county and the dry conditions persisted. Winds remained very light with daily means typically around 5mph. Further night-time ground frosts were recorded, but daytime maxima were consistently near normal. The 17th saw the end of the prolonged dry spell that had continued since March 30th, although not for long as from the 20th conditions became settled again with no rain recorded until the 25th. Temperatures also began to climb and with daytime maxima generally around the 20C mark from the 21st to the 24th. Good daily sunshine totals were again recorded, mostly in excess of 9 hours from the 21st to the 24th. The final week in complete contrast with the rest of April was unsettled, wet and windy. Almost 85% of month's total rain fell between the 25th and 30th. Up until the 24th only 7.0mm of rain had been recorded which would have ranked the month alongside some of the driest on record, yet within a matter of a week the monthly average had closed in on near normal. The rainfall was occasionally very heavy (7.6mm in just under 2 hours on the 26th and 9.9mm in a little over 5 hours on the 27th). Moderate, occasionally strong, winds gusted up to 44mph on 26th and up to 42mph on the 29th. With temperatures falling back to near normal levels again, the strong wind made for some chilly days too. May The month opened with scattered showers and patchy light rain until the 8th. It was also cool with temperatures falling steadily. Overnight temperatures had fallen to 2.3C on the 5th and some parts of the county were recording ground frosts (-2.1C grass minimum at Byfield on the 2nd). Clear nights and a general north or north-easterly air flow as the county came under the influence of a developing anticyclone over Scandinavia were largely responsible for the cool conditions. The passage of an Atlantic low to the north-west of the county brought changed conditions on the 13th and 14th. Winds picked up from the south, later west, bringing rain. 6.6mm fell over a period of 5 hours at Pitsford Hall, but the gales experienced around western coasts were not felt in the county where rather modest gusts reached 29mph on the 14th. With the departure of the depression the county came under the influence of anticyclonic conditions centred on the continent. Temperatures climbed quite smartly, in fact it had become very warm by the 16th (23.7C). However, a change to unsettled weather quickly followed with 5.0mm of rain falling on the 17th as a vigorous Atlantic low deepened to the west. The unsettled spell, accompanied by a deterioration in temperatures and frequent outbreaks of rain and blustery showers, lasted practically until the last few days of May. The 21st was a particularly wet day with 15.5mm of rain falling in just under 7 hours. Winds were frequently moderate or fresh southerlies. Again, although gales were reported in coastal areas, gusts reached their highest of just 35mph (24th) here in Northamptonshire. Nevertheless, despite the rain some good sunshine managed to be recorded, frequently in excess of 10 hours a day between 22nd and 24th, and up to 11.7 hours on the 27th. As May ended low pressure finally gave way to a ridge of high pressure from Europe which had become firmly established across the county by the 31st. The ridge brought with it a change to drier and warmer weather. June June began dry and sunny. 12.2 hours of bright sunshine were recorded on the 1st which turned out to be the sunniest day of the month. It also became very warm on the 2nd with maxima recorded in Pitsford of 25.0C. A cold front slipped through the region on the 3rd bringing much fresher conditions and some showers, although totals were slight. From the 5th onwards it became very unsettled. The county came under the influence of low pressure and it remained generally wet until the 12th. The 5th was the wettest day recorded with 7.8mm falling in just under 7 hours. However, the county escaped the worst of the wet weather which was confined to the south-east. Mornings were invariably damp and dreary with fog forming on the 5th and 6th. High pressure developed over continental Europe from the 12th , but the best of the fine weather was confined to the south-east. Showers persisted in the county between the 13th and 15th, but thereafter it became noticeably drier, brighter and warmer with daytime maxima consistently reaching the low 20's. Despite some slight rain on the 21st, the third week continued with dry and sunny weather as a ridge of high pressure extended across England and Wales from the Azores. Temperatures reached a peak of 23.9C on the 26th, although the highest temperatures were again confined to the south-east. As the month came to a close, the influence of a low over Scandinavia was increasingly felt with winds freshening from the north-west. However, with the exception of the 30th, the dry weather with occasional sunshine continued. The last day saw the arrival of frontal systems off the Atlantic conveying patchy rain. July Frontal systems which had arrived off the Atlantic at the end of June continued to influence the weather across the county for the first week and a half. Rain fell on most days with the 8th and 9th being particularly wet with 12.3mm and 20.4mm respectively being recorded. It was also relatively cool, although daytime maxima began to recover in the second week. Although thunder was reported frequently across England and Wales, none was noted at Pitsford Hall. A ridge of high pressure began to extend across the region during the third week. It was mainly dry with good spells of sunshine. Temperatures continued to improve and it became very warm with daytime maxima surpassing 25C on the 15th. During the fourth week a discrete area of low pressure tracked eastwards. This brought heavy showers to many parts of the Midlands; however, the county escaped with modest amounts, less than 2mm on the 19th. Apart from some cool nights on the 21st and 22nd, daytime temperatures remained mostly in the low 20's. Winds remained mostly light. The period from the 26th onwards saw a significant hike in temperatures peaking at 30.7C on the 29th. The heat triggered thunderstorms with some torrential downpours. 26.7mm fell in a just over 4 hours at Pitsford Hall, reaching at peak rate of 56.7mm per hour just before 1800hrs GMT. Flooding was reported in Wellingborough and tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage was caused to shops in Market Harborough when the river Welland burst its banks. Although rainfall totals in Northamptonshire were notable, many other areas caught more than a month's rainfall in the same period. Further heavy showers occurred on the 31st. Bicester, just across the county boundary, caught 52mm although a mere 1.1mm fell at Pitsford. August The first 10 days of August were generally unsettled. Low pressure dominated the scene and there were frequent outbreaks of rain, occasionally heavy. 9.6mm fell in the space of 1 hour on the 7th at Pitsford Hall during a thunderstorm. Similar storms in other parts of the Midlands on the same day produced localised flooding, but there were no reports of problems within the county. Further particularly wet days were recorded on the 8th (8.2mm) and the 10th. A fairly quiet period followed until the 18th. The low pressure system have finally moved away by the 12th and a ridge of high pressure began to extend across the region from the Azores. It remained dry and some reasonably sunny days were recorded (9.4hrs on the 14th and 10.7hrs on the 15th). It became noticeably warmer from the 14th onwards with daytime maxima typically in the high 20s, reaching 30.8C on 17th. The very warm spell triggered some thundery showers, but none were recorded at Pitsford Hall until the 19th when 4.7mm fell in 1 hour. An unsettled spell then followed with low pressure remaining over the North Sea. Thundery showers broke out on the 24th and overall temperatures fell consistently. Mornings were plagued by mist and patchy fog as winds swung round to a north or north-westerly direction. The month ended with a ridge of high pressure from the Azores once again becoming established across the county. Despite a fairly cool start, temperatures soon recovered and it remained dry apart from a slight shower on the 30th as an area of low pressure tracked eastwards across northern England. September The first few days of September were dry with good spells of sunshine. In fact the sunniest day of September was the 1st with 11.0 hrs recorded. High pressure moved steadily eastwards and, by the 4th, the situation became inflenced by low pressure developing over the North Sea. It was also reasonably warm with daytime maxima in the low 20s. Mornings were affected by mist and fog, especially on the 4th which left recordable moisture. An unsettled spell characterised the second week. Low pressure moved southwards from Iceland and this brought with it spells of rain. A second more active low moved across the county from the south-west during the 9th depositing copious amounts of rain. In fact, rainfall on the 9th amounting to 25.9mm at Pitsford Hall was to account for a little over 75% of the total rainfall for September. This rainfall was torrential in places resulting in significant flooding elsewhere in the country, notably Swanage where 121mm fell in 24 hours. Fortunately, the county escaped relatively unscathed. Anticyclonic conditions developed over Scandinavia from the 10th onwards extending a ridge across the region. A settled spell of weather resulted. Temperatures were initially fairly respectable with maxima in the low 20s until the 14th, but thereafter they began to cool down significantly with winds taking a more northerly direction. Despite some showery rain on the 22nd and 25th, high pressure continued to dominate the scene right through until the end of the month. In the final week, night-time temperatures had started to fall quite significantly. On the 24th the grass minimum at Pitsford Hall registered 2.8C. The northerly flow of air was finally swung round from the south as high pressure retreated eastwards in the last few days. Although it remained chilly by night with early morning mists fairly prevalent, daytime maxima had risen a good few degrees above average for the time of year. October Apart from slight showers on the 1st and 2nd, October opened on a warm, dry and sunny theme. In fact, the warmest day of the month was the 1st with a maximum of 22.5C. Pressure remained reasonably high with a ridge extending from Scandinavia from the 5th onwards. The settled weather broke down on the 11th as a succession of lows and associated fronts began to cross the region. Rainfall amounts were significant with 10.1mm falling on the 11th and a further 12.5mm on the 13th. However, the intense low on the 15th produced a total of 49.9mm at Pitsford Hall, falling over a period of 11.5 hours. Together with winds gusting to 49mph, this forced the postponement of a ceremony to unveil new flood defences in Northampton. Statistically, this was the wettest day in Northampton since the Easter floods of 1998. A brief window in the weather then emerged between the 16th and the 19th as pressure rose consistently. Nevertheless, it felt distinctly autumnal with daytime maxima struggling to reach 12C. Clear night-time skies led to the first air frost of the season on the 19th (-0.2C) and minima on the 20th also dipped below freezing. The period from the 20th to the 24th saw a deep low moving across the region. Again, rainfall values were not modest: 9.5mm fell in just under 5 hours on the 20th. A hailstorm with brief thunder was also recorded on the 23rd. In fact, a succession of lows dominated the weather until the end of the month with rain being recorded every day. The significant event as the month came to a close were the devastating gales on the 27th. Gusts of up to 70mph were recorded at Pitsford Hall and up to 80mph elsewhere in the county. The weather caused widespread disruption including structural damage to property and infrastructure. Several villages in the county remained without power for several days afterwards. This was Northampton's wettest October since 1960 when 157.7mm were recorded and the windiest since 1987. November November opened on a wet and mild note as a succession of fronts tracked across the county. Rainfall on the 2nd was particularly heavy (9.7mm) lasting a good 6 hours. A brief window on the 3rd and 4th was followed by a further run of very wet and windy weather which lasted right through to the 14th. Atlantic lows dominated the picture and with the vigorous south or south-westerly wind it remained mild with overnight lows holding up fairly handsomely (10.1C on the 6th). Ground frosts were slight, just -0.2C on the 7th and -0.6C on 13th. As the wet and windy weather drew to a close on the 14th, pressure fell markedly with the accompanying strengthening wind gusting to 44 mph. The pressure at Pitsford Hall had fallen to 965.8mb by 0900hrs on the 14th, one of the lowest recorded values since observations commenced at the site in 1998. The period from the 15th to the 18th saw the first significant downturn in temperatures with daytime maxima remaining in single figures. The recovery in pressure saw winds slackening off markedly and mist and fog became commonplace in the mornings. Sunshine totals, already low due to the cloud and rain earlier in the month, continued to be fairly modest. An unsettled spell commenced again on the 19th as low pressure deepening west of Ireland flung a succession of frontal systems across the region. Some days were particularly wet, but totals remained low compared to those recorded during the first two weeks. Outside the region, flooding had by this time become a serious problem in the south-west which had been bearing the brunt of the wet weather. Apart from a mostly dry but largely dull interlude on the 24th and 25th, unsettled weather continued until the end of the month. December December opened with a changeable few days. Although it was mild low pressure with associated frontal systems brought rain and showers across the county with winds mainly coming in from the south-west. From the 5th onwards high pressure began to build over Scandinavia and this brought a run of cold east or north-easterly winds which brought temperatures tumbling to a chill day at Pitsford on the 11th which recorded the lowest daytime maximum and minimum (1.4C and -1.5C respectively) as well as snow by evening. Temperatures then recovered and a wet period followed until the 17th associated with fronts tied into low pressure moving steadily north-eastwards from Biscay. Sunshine put in a brief appearance on the 11th and 14th, but most days until the 18th were very dull. The few days between the 17th and 19th saw the weather being influenced by high pressure which migrated south-eastwards from Scotland. Clear skies made for a good 6.3hrs of recorded sunshine on the 18th. The period from the 20th onwards saw an amelioration in the weather. In fact it became unseasonably mild as a succession of Atlantic lows brought in warm moist air from the south or south-west. The 21st was particularly wet with 21.4mm falling in 13 hours on the 21st. Thereafter there wasn't a single day in the remainder of December when no rain was recorded. The ground throughout much of the county quickly became saturated foreshadowing the flood warnings which were later to be issued by the Environment Agency in early January. Daytime maxima by the 24th had climbed to 13.0C with a particularly balmy night to follow with lows of 8.6C, far in excess of the norms expected at this time of year. Christmas 2002 was thus noted as one of the mildest for at least a decade. The copious snowfall which had been falling in the north-east United States a fortnight earlier failed to herald the white Christmas here that many wished for. As December came to a close there was no sign of the mild wet weather abating. Low pressure stalled over England and Wales in the final few days giving particularly wet days on the 28th (9.4mm) and 29th (10.6mm) with yet more rain waiting in the wings for the 31st (7.7mm) and the New Year period. The Environment Agency issues a floodwatch warning for the River Nene.
Climatological Statistics - 2002 Air Temperatures Mean maximum: 14.7C Mean minimum: 6.7C Overall mean: 10.7C Difference from the average (1971-2000): +0.6C Highest maximum: 30.8C on 17th August Lowest maximum: 1.4C on 11th December Highest minimum: 17.6C on 30th July Lowest minimum: -7.0C on 4th January Lowest grass minimum: -9.9C on 4th January Lowest concrete minimum: -9.1C on 4th January Lowest bare earth minimum: -5.7C on 4th January Rainfall Total: 720.5mm Difference from the average (1971-2000): 116.3% Raindays: 182 Wetdays: 134 Most in a day: 49.9mm on 14th October Duration of rainfall: 502.4 hours Lowest pH: 4.86 on 6th June Relative Humidity Mean relative humidity (at 0900hrs): 85.6% Sunshine Total: 1385.9 hours Most in a day: 12.2 hours on 1st June & 13th July Sunless days: 66 Mean cloud cover: 76.4% Wind Number of days with wind from: N 39, NE 34, E 22, SE 33, S 110, SW 27, W 17, NW 63, Calm 20 Mean wind speed: 6.6mph Highest Maximum Gust: 70mph on 27th October Barometric Pressure Mean SL pressure (at 0900hrs): 1013.6mb Highest SL pressure: 1037.9mb on 1st January Lowest SL pressure: 965.8mb on 14th November Soil Temperatures Surface mean: 11.3C 5cm mean: 10.1C 10cm mean: 10.5C 20cm mean: 10.8C 30cm mean: 11.1C 40cm mean: 11.0C 50cm mean: 11.3C 100cm mean: 11.0C Days with Air frost: 21 Duration of air frost: 138.2 hours Ground frost: 66 Sleet/snow falling: 4 Snow lying at 0900hrs: 4 Thunder heard: 7 Hail <0.5cm: 6 Hail>=0.5cm: 0 Fog at 0900hrs: 33
Click here to view the annual register for 2002.
