The weather was fairly mild and unsettled during the first four days of the month, as weather fronts and low pressure moved South-East across the UK. The 5th was brighter but an anti-cyclone from Scandinavia brought cold Easterly and North-Easterly winds along with mainly leaden skies. However, this also brought a dry spell as only 0.04 inch of rain fell between the 5th and the 12th. There were strong easterly winds on the 7th, the most notable case of such weather throught the month.

The 9th was very sunny and whilst temperatures were not very different from the previous few days, it felt more pleasant due to the bright sunshine. There was also further sunshine on the 11th, but the lowest day-time temperature of the month occurred on the 12th, as 35F was not exceeded at any time during that day.

The anticyclones hold was broken on the 13th and drizzle fell that morning. The 14th was a throughly miserable day as the skies were dark with rain falling throughout much of the day under a biting North-East wind. The 16th was also cold, wet and dull but the sunniest day of the month was recorded on the 18th in association with a brief anticyclone.

Conditions were dull and cold over the next two days, turning milder from the 21st onwards. Atlantic lows brought heavy rain for the 22nd and drizzle on the 23rd, but there wasn't to be a White Christmas, as the period between the 23rd to the 28th was mild. The daytime maximum reached or exceeded 50F every day during this spell. 54F was recorded on the 23rd, the highest maximum temperature of the month. If anything, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day had sunny spells, and the temperature didn't fall below 45F and 44F on either dates but Boxing Day was unsettled and heavy showers fell on the morning of the 27th.

As 2002 drew to a close, further heavy rain fell on the 29th, but there was to be no repeat of the snow that was seen during the final days of last year. In fact, no snow was recorded at all during the month and fog was almost absent along with strong winds, apart from the easterly gusts recorded on the 7th. The 30th and 31st were cold, dull and dry under North-East winds, identical to the weather seen between the 6th and the 8th.

Rainfall totals were above average, characterising the year, which has been the dullest and wettest recorded since that of 1998. However, it also was another very mild year. Rainfall totals however were boosted by the totals recorded on the 14th, 22nd and the 29th, which made up almost half of the months rainfall. Temperature wise the month was average.

Daytime temperatures were below normal but night-time temperatures were above, due to the extensive cloud cover recorded during the month, though the night-time temperature fell below freezing four times, the lowest being 28F on the 19th.

Kevin Phillips - 9.25pm - Thursday 2nd January 2003.