December Weather

In 2010 we experienced the coldest December in more than a century, with heavy snowfalls and prolonged sub-zero temperatures. This year was a totally different story, with conditions being normal for the time of year.

Last year the UK was under a blanket of snow and ice, whereas this year only areas of high ground in Scotland, the Lake District and the Pennines saw any traces of snow.

The main reason for the difference in 2010 was a high pressure system that was sitting over the UK, blocking the normal westerly flow from the Atlantic and allowing easterly winds to bring in cold air from the continent.

This year, the mild westerly has been unimpeded - allowing milder Atlantic air and changeable, often stormy, conditions to take charge.


What a difference a year makes!

December 2010 was the coldest on record for the UK, with temperatures 5°C below the long term average, with -21.3°C being recorded in Altnaharra in Scotland on 2 December. There were also 23 days of frost, 13 more than the average.

Temperatures during December 2011 were notable only for being so average. UK mean temperatures for the first half of the month were spot on the long term average of 6.9°C. The lowest temperature recorded this year was -9.4°C, recorded at Loch Glascarnoch in Scotland on 18 December.

However, the challenge of forecasting the variable British weather is something that the Met Office is able to deal with and explains why they are regularly ranked in the top two national weather services in the world.