A mild night occurred on New Year's Eve and reasonable sunshine amounts were recorded on the first day of 1999, which was also dry. However, the 2nd saw gusts and rain in the early hours, but good sunshine totals were recorded during the day time. The morning of the 3rd was wet but turned sunny in the afternoon. The next two days were wet and stormy, but also very mild, particularly the 5th when 56F was recorded, the highest temperature of the month. The weather remained unsettled but it turned colder on the 7th.

A weak ridge of high pressure brought good sunshine totals for the weekend of the 9th/10th. Night-time temperatures fell below freezing for the first time during the month. Atlantic fronts brought a snow flurry on the morning of the 11th, and then snow fell on the evening of the 12th, amounting to 3 inches. In turn, this didn't last long as winds turned to the West and South-West, bringing about a rapid thaw.

The weather was very unsettled between the 14th and the 19th. The 14th started out clear and dry but turned overcast and that afternoon from 3pm onwards saw very heavy rain fall. The winds also turned quite brisk. The heavy rain continued into the morning of the 15th. There was another mild spell between the 18th and the 20th when the weather quietened down. A brief anti-cyclone between the 20th and 22nd meant fine weather and good sunshine amounts were recorded on the 21st and 22nd, though the 23rd was overcast and drizzly. There were further, though small amounts of rain, on the 24th, 25th and the 26th.

High pressure asserted itself on the 28th and the sunniest day of month was recorded that day. The weather was fairly mild, dry and overcast with no wind for the final three days of the month.

Temperatures fluctuated but generally it was a very mild month and was the mildest January recorded nationwide since that of 1993. Both night and daytime temperatures were 3F above average. To sum up, it was very much like January 1998, in that the weather of the month was characterised by mild and unsettled weather up to around the 20th and then it calmed down. There was also an anti-cyclone at the end of the month but it arrived later this year.

Kevin Phillips - 6.30pm - Friday 5th February 1999.