Recent 3-hourly local weather observations
High Wycombe and Heathrow
Recent daily automatic weather station files
Wokingham, updated dailyReading University, updated minute-by-minute (not always available to everyone)
Maiden Erlegh School
Maidenhead (Berkshire, UK): Recent observations and the latest forecast from the author of these pages
Older news items can be found here.February snowfalls
Following a fall of 15.7mm of water-equivalent precipitation during the afternoon of the 4th into the morning of the 5th February 2012, a level snow depth of 10cm was measured in Maidenhead at 0900GMT on the 5th. This was the greatest February snow depth only since 2 February 2009 when 10cm also lay. Other recent February depths in Maidenhead have included 9cm on 8 Febnruary 2007 and also on 8 February 1991.
During the mid-1980s there were similar snow depths reported from nearby Hurley on 6 February 1986 (when 9cm lay, with snow continuing to lie until the 15th) and on 9 February 1985 (a depth of 10cm - then the snow also continued to lie until the 15th).
In 2012, the snow was slightly wet as the air temperature during the period of snowfall and on the 5th was slightly above 0C - making the snow ideal for snowballs and snowmen!
The cold snap of early February 2012 in Maidenhead
The minimum temperature recorded on the 4th was -7.5C, the lowest temperature since December 2010 when -9.9C was measured, and the lowest temperature for February since 7 February 1991 when -7.5C was also noted. In fact this was the equal coldest February night since before February 1989 in Maidenhead.
There have been colder February nights, however. In 1986 the 10th and 11th of the month were cold with the (now-closed) climatological station at Hurley reporting -11.6C and -10.3C respectively while in 1956 -10.6C was measured on the 2nd.
Nearby, Reading University reported -11.6C in February 1986, -9.4C in February 1956, while in February 1947 the University recorded -12.2C in what was part of a very cold winter season.
Some snippets about the weather of 2011 in Maidenhead
- Mean maximua temperature 16.3C, The equal warmest year during daytime on record with 2003
- Mean temperature 12.0C, The second warmest year on record, 0.2C cooler than in 2006
- Highest maximum temperature 29.6C, 30C was not reached for the first year since 2008
- Lowest minimum temperature, -3.7C (normal -7.0C), No particularly cold nights this year
- Total sunshine 1585.3h, Slightly sunnier than average - May, then April, were the sunniest months
- Total rainfall 601.0mm, Rainfall lower than average but not as dry as in 2010
- Number of days with
- Snow or sleet falling 4 (normal 12.2), The fewest snow days since 2002
- Thunder heard 4 (normal 13.0), The lowest number of thunder days since before 1936
- Fog at 0900GMT 3 (normal 9.4), These foggy mornings were all in November
- Air frost 25 (normal 40.0), The fewest air frosts since 2002
Note that the observations refer to the period 0900-0900GMT while the forecasts are for 0600-1800GMT maximum and 1800-0600GMT minimum temperatures.
In these two charts the red line shows the mean of several forecasts. The thin blue lines show the range of values predicted by the different NCEP (ensemble) forecasts, while the dark blue lines give an idea of the standard deviation. The rainfall total is the six-hour total ending at the time indicated (the dates along the bottom axis are written at 0000GMT).
The increase in spread of the forecast values in the previous two charts gives an ideas as to when the forecasts become to be unreliable.
Maidenhead's daily and monthly weather reports
Local climatology (updated January 2009)
These two sets of data have been compiled using observations made at my home weather station since June 1988. This is a suburban site and is slightly warmer than Hurley because of this. Also, the observations were made at a generally later date than those of Hurley, and the extra warmth is also an indicator of 'global warming'.
The following information has been extracted from the daily weather observations made at Hurley during 1953-1992. This is a rural site.
