Warm wet December smashes weather records

Record breaking rainfall during December meant 2015 was among the top ten wettest years on records going back to 1910.

December was record breaking both for its warmth and rainfall, according to provisional statistics from the Met Office.

The UK mean temperature (1-29 December) was a record breaking 8°C – which is some 4.1°C above the long-term average. The previous record was 6.9°C in 1934.

See also: Met Office forecasts ‘wetter than normal’ winter

A temperature of  4.1°C above the long term average is the highest such anomaly for any calendar month since 1910 – beating the previous record of 3.3°C above average in April 2011.

Temperatures during the month were closer to those normally experienced during April or May.

Along with the remarkable warmth, and virtual complete lack of frost, there was also a marked contrast in the amount rainfall across the UK.

It was the wettest December on record for Scotland (333.1mm), and for Wales (321mm) and Northern Ireland is currently ranked 4th wettest with 208.1mm.

North-west England saw record breaking rainfall, but central and southern England saw rainfall that was much closer to average.

That said, for the UK as a whole it was the second wettest December on record.

The Met Office said Storm Desmond played a significant part in making December a record-breaking month, bringing record-breaking totals over the Lake District.

A humid south-westerly airflow continued the cloudy and overcast conditions seen in November, with little sunshine for most areas.

This ensured several days of near-record-breaking (for the time of year) warmth, many individual stations having set new December temperature records.

In total, there was enough rainfall to make 2015 one of the top 10 wettest years since 1910.

According to Met Office records, the wettest year was 2000 with 1337mm. Most of the other years in the top 10 have occurred since 1998.

See our weather channel for more weather and flooding news.