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A WRITTEN NARRATIVE OF THE WEATHER OF OCTOBER 2001
The deepening low on the evening of the 30th September continued to make its presence felt early on the 1st October as the greenhouse in my garden had a couple of windows smashed. Along with this was heavy rain, along with strong winds. However, that day was very mild and sunny, with 65F being recorded. The next two days were also mild, as well as dry. The 3rd was a sunny day. The 5th saw rain in the morning but the cloud broke and the afternoon was fine and warm. The nights were very mild, especially during the first half of month and the temperature didn't fall below 50F until the 16th. No frost was recorded whatsoever at any time during the month.
Whilst the 6th was sunny, it had showers as well. Another vigorous depression tracked North-Eastwards across the UK bringing widespread heavy rain and gales on the night of the 7th and morning of the 8th. There were further showers on the 9th, but the 10th was a quiet, non-descript day.
A strong rise of pressure over the continent on the 11th introduced sunny and warm weather. Very high temperatures for the time of year were recorded. 68F was logged on the 11th and 73F on the 12th. That day was continually sunny with cloudless skies and was the warmest October day since 1st October 1985, beating 72F which was recorded in October four years ago, in 1997.
Fog was recorded however on the 13th and 14th, both of which were cooler days, but the night of the 13th/14th was notably mild as the temperature didn't fall below 59F at any point, the highest minimum night-temperature of the month. The afternoon of the 17th was fine but the 19th was dull and a severe thunderstorm broke out between 7.20am and 7.50am on the 20th. Deposited was nearly half an inch of rain.
The 21st was cooler as the wind changed the North-West. A complex depression brought an unsettled week, with rain on the 22nd and 23rd. Whilst the 24th was fine and sunny, the 26th was a miserable day with very falls of rain in the morning, which lasted well into the afternoon.
A developing ridge of high pressure took hold on the 27th and held for the rest of the month, giving a dry and rather mild end to the month, with hardly any rain. 64F was recorded on the 30th. The 31st was sunny but cooler with north-west winds.
October 2001 achieved, for the first time since 1807, the distinction of being warmer than September. The daytime temperatures were over 3C warmer than average and this was the warmest October on record. It was also sunnier than September. The maxima only fell below average twice. Night-time temperatures were also 3C above average. The lowest temperature was 43F. Sunshine was well above average, but it was also an unsettled month, with higher than average rainfall - even though no rain at all was recorded between the 10th and the 17th.
Kevin Phillips – 2.35pm – Sunday 4th November 2001.
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