1st to 3rd: Initially a ridge of high pressure affected the southern half of the UK with most parts having a dry spell. There was overnight fog and frost, with fog continuing to plague some southern and eastern coastal parts each day. There was plenty of sunshine and as a result it was warm. Later on the 3rd, as the ridge weakened, cloud increased across western parts with outbreaks of rain and drizzle reaching western fringes.
4th to 6th: A weather front pushed south-eastwards on the 4th introducing a more mobile westerly flow. That flow brought showers on the 5th, initially scattered but becoming more frequent across northern England and Wales and later the Midlands. A weather front and associated rain pushed eastwards overnight, finally clearing the east coast around mid-afternoon on the 6th. Showers developed in its wake, some heavy with hail and thunder but in the south, showers were isolated.
7th and 8th: A further weather front pushed
eastwards during the 7th introducing a colder north
to north-westerly flow as it cleared. This brought a
return of winter with outbreaks of rain, sleet and snow
pushing southwards. It was cold with Benson (Oxfordshire)
falling to -5.2 °C on the night of the 8th.
9th to 12th: A transition to more settled conditions occurred during the 9th as a ridge of high pressure extended eastwards across the southern half of the UK. Southern parts remained dry with clear or sunny periods. It was also warm with Gravesend (Kent) reaching 18.6 °C on the 11th. In the north and west it was cloudier with some coastal fog. During the 12th the ridge declined allowing a weak weather front and associated patchy light rain to push south-eastwards.
13th to 16th: The main influence through this period was a low pressure centre which developed and drifted slowly eastwards. The initial low centre cleared eastwards on the 15th but a further low developed across northern England on the 16th. The lows brought unsettled weather with showers or longer periods of rain, some locally heavy and thundery. It was particularly wet across northern England with Newcastle recording 29.6 mm on the 15th and 35.4 mm on the 16th. The rain also turned to snow across the hills as far south as the Derbyshire Peaks on the night of the 15th.
17th to 19th: A weak ridge of high pressure gave most parts a fine start on the 17th and it remained fine and fairly sunny across southern and eastern parts. However, weather fronts and associated rain spread slowly across western parts during the day and across other parts overnight. The rain cleared north-eastwards during the 18th with sunny weather following, but an arc of thundery showers pushed north-east across south Wales and southern England during the early hours of the 19th with thundery showers spreading across the rest of Wales, the Midlands and parts of East Anglia during the day. Later in the day a returning weather front brought cloud and patchy rain to the far north.
20th to 22nd: The weather front in the north pushed slowly south and east, finally fizzling out across Cornwall on the 21st. Drier sunny weather followed across most parts with temperatures warm inland. However, with an easterly wind developing it was rather cool on the east coast. Clear periods allowed local frost pockets to develop. Cloud and rain returned to the south-west later on the 22nd.
23rd to 27th: An unsettled spell for southern parts with showers and bands of rain edging slowly northwards. Exmouth (Devon) recorded 40.7 mm on the 23rd with Rothamsted (Hertfordshire) recording 25.2 mm during the night of the 24th. For northern parts this period was more settled with clear spells by night and bright or sunny periods by day. However, the rain in the south transferred north-east during the 26th. Heavy showers developed in its wake, some thundery, and a more organised band of rain swept eastwards during the night of the 27th.
28th to 30th: Lingering rain cleared most parts early on the 28th with sunny skies following, however, a trailing weather front kept the far south cloudy and damp. Sea fog kept parts of the English Channel coast dull through the 29th and 30th. Elsewhere it was generally fine, warm and sunny. However, showers developed across western parts overnight into the 30th and further heavy and thundery showers developed across central and eastern England during the night of the 30th. It was warm through this spell, with Central London recording 23.5 °C on the 30th.
