A Frostless January?

[reef]

Well, we're now at the 26th January and we're yet to record an air frost here. It has now dawned on me that this could be the first January on record without one. The January average min is currently a staggering 4.6C (+3.1C) and we've only had 2 frosts this season!

The most frost-free Januarys in Hull since 1984:

2008: 0

1989: 1

1990: 1

2007: 1

1988: 2

2000: 3

2005: 3

2006: 3

1995: 4

1996: 4

Is there anywhere else yet to record an air frost?

[I remember Atlantic 252]

even larger teapot no frosts never mind snow, but i have had 1 frost this month -0.4oC on the morning of 22nd, november best for frost, my lowest minimum this season -3.5oC on 23rd/24th november

[jy]

as a gardener i keep a work diary so far this winter there have been 27 frosts a few air but mainly ground frost.We dont get snow however 3 lots in 17 years so quite weird how we get dry cold but not cold enough to turn rain to snow.

[Stratos Ferric]

as a gardener i keep a work diary so far this winter there have been 27 frosts a few air but mainly ground frost.We dont get snow however 3 lots in 17 years so quite weird how we get dry cold but not cold enough to turn rain to snow.

There's a dandelion growing in a space on my north facing patio, here in the north of England, at 900', with a flower bud. The depth of winter and the weeds are in bud: worrying about a lack of frost of the least of it, but then again, there might just be a correlation between the two.

[Stockaree]

I hate to say it but i have been quite happy with the number of frosts here in Edinburgh. I am realistic that we don't get much snow so frost is my next best weather. Just before Xmas i was clearing the frost on my car in the morning and at 4pm . Very strange how there has been a north south divide with the weather

[Uncle_Barty]

No frosts in january here either, last frost was 20 December, only had three air frosts this winter so far.

No January has been frost-free here in my records going back to March 1996.

[Snowyowl9]

Last Jan had 4 air frosts with just 2 ground frosts.

So far this time even less air frosts yet at 2 but with more ground frosts at 7.

As for Jan 2006 had 5 air frosts and also 5 ground frosts.

[jy]

Well Stratos it was in a way what im saying im miles south of you and at 124 feet asl and on top of a hill we may be frost prone but i take your point on board.What is a bit more difficult to understand is that Jim is 30 miles South of me albeit near the coast,yet has no frost at all,some less maybe but not this margin of difference its rather confusing,

[ukmoose]

Well my only measuring device is my car thermometer so I'd have to guess. I can remember 3 slight ground frosts (or is it two??) here this month but I suspect the lowest temperature has been no lower than zero a tad above that.

I can't remember if this beats last January or not!

Moose

[Bottesford]

Well I've had a min temp of 0.4c this Jan so I'm thinking no air frost.

I saw a slight ground frost last week but only the once this month.

[shuggee]

Nine air frosts (0ºC or below) and seventeen nights of a minimum of 2ºC or below - just 200 miles further north, and still by the sea! That's a steep temperature gradient Reef:

[biffvernon]

Last negative number recorded here near the Lincolnshire coast was Christmas Eve, though there was a little ice forming briefly on my car windscreen a few nights ago.

[The PIT]

Five air frosts this Jan beating last years four. Had more sleet this Jan as well.

[Norrance]

Nine air frosts (0ºC or below) and seventeen nights of a minimum of 2ºC or below - just 200 miles further north, and still by the sea! That's a steep temperature gradient Reef:

Very similar here just up yhe road with 8 air frosts in January plus a few more under 2C. This followed 14 air frosts in December and another 4 nights under 1C. A very distict line so far this season possibly somewhere in Northern England between an average / cool Winter and the very mild weather further South.

[Thundery wintry showers]

I don't have my Cleadon weather records for January yet. However, South Shields Weather reported a slight air frost on one night, and that site normally reports overnight minima 0.5-1.5C higher than my recordings (probably because of urban heat island effect) so chances are Cleadon has had at least one frost.

Not sure if there's been any frost in Norwich though, I certainly haven't noticed any.

January 2007 came closest to having no air frosts in Cleadon with two nights of -0.3C being the lowest. However, I think many places saw out January 1989 without coming close to getting an air frost.

[reef]

Nine air frosts (0ºC or below) and seventeen nights of a minimum of 2ºC or below - just 200 miles further north, and still by the sea! That's a steep temperature gradient Reef:

Its a remarkable difference considering the distance. So far our lowest temperature of the month is 0.3C on the 3rd January. We've only managed 3 days with temperatures below 2C!

Theres been a massive difference between the north and south. January here is running at 6.7C (+2.5C), which is just below last year's 6.8C. The next mildest in the last 24 years is 1990 at 6.1C, so its looking like 1st and 2nd warmest Januarys here in 2 consecutive years. Id be interested to see the Metoffice anomoly graphs at the end of the month, I imagine there will be a sharp temperature gradient.

Winter as a whole is running at 6.0C (+1.5C), only 1988/89 (6.2C) , 1989/90 (6.1C), 1997/98 (6.2C) and 2006/07 (6.5C) have been milder.

[acbrixton]

No frosts here in inner London so far this month (but probably half a dozen in mid December).

I have become so used to bizarrely mild nights (no data but a fair few night time minima will have exceeded the daytime maxima [7.5c+] that at first glance I imagined Shuggee's graph showed minima only and not minima/maxima...

regards

ACB

[scott_anthony_glasgow]

Its actually been quite bizarre the Scotland/ rest of uk split this winter, This January for me ( in Glasgow ) has been a cold one! Whilst down in the south been almost tropical!!madness.Cheers

Scott

[Tucco]

Its actually been quite bizarre the Scotland/ rest of uk split this winter, This January for me ( in Glasgow ) has been a cold one! Whilst down in the south been almost tropical!!madness.Cheers

Scott

Copley Co Durham

10 air frosts

11 days snowfall

5 days snow lying

Mild month still in this part of N England about 1C above average, you would expect this part of N England to colder/snowier than Yorskshire etc but we have not had it quiet as mild as those 50/100 miles further south.

Mark

Middleton in Teesdale,Co Durham

[damianslaw]

The lack of frost in southern areas this month has largely been a result in the lack of polar air reaching such parts whereas scotland, northern ireland and parts of northern england have had polar air so the chances of air frost here have been greatly enhanced.

The synoptics have been terrible for southern areas this month in terms of chances of air frost we have had virtually no pressure heights influencing the south. What a pathetic wintry month for south!

[Thundery wintry showers]

Cleadon stats just in: 4 air frosts, but the coldest night was just -1.4C. The mean temperature is running at 5.6C, which would make it the third warmest January since my weather records started, behind 2005 and 2007.

So a mild month even in Tyne & Wear by the looks of it, but not as mild as down south.

[osmposm]

The excellent Epping Weather site (www.eppingweather.co.uk) - Epping is not far from outer North East London, but the station is close to open countryside - has not recorded an air frost yet this month, though the 3rd came close at +0.3. Nine air frosts were recorded in December (the last on Dec 23rd); there were four in January 2007.

The site's records go back to 1979. A frost-free January there, should it happen, would be only the second one recorded in 30 years: January 1990's lowest minimum was +0.5 (and its CET was 6.5).

[damianslaw]

Can't recall too many incidences of frost this month here in Newcastle, i think the coldest night so far (31st is looking to possibly beat it) was on the morning of the 12th?

Compared to December, January has been a very poor show for frost, however, i expect February to bring a much better show of frost everywhere

[Optimus Prime]

Had two nights at or below freezing and one close to freezing (0.1c)

However it's been a terrible month for frost. December had quite a large number of frosts. There were 3 night above 10.0c, amazingly on consequtive nights (19th, 20th and 21st)

[Cakie]

Last two nights we have had frosts, this morning took a while to clear but not a usual January frost wise