February - Wet and sunny with average temperatures, though the coldest February since 1996. There was an anticyclonic spell between the 13th and the 25th, in which only 0.03 inch of rain fell.
March - The coldest March recorded since 1996 and the first one since then with below average temperature. Sunshine was around normal and rainfall slightly below.
April - Slightly duller than average. A wet month and the coldest April since 1989.
May - Warm, dry and sunny.
June - Dry with average temperature and average sunshine totals. A cool first 11 days and a generally fine and sunny final seven days. The driest June since 1996.
July - Dry and warm with average sunshine totals. Fine start and end. Unsettled mid-month.
August - Warm with average sunshine totals. Unsettled first half, generally dry second half.
September - Very dull and cool with average rainfall. The dullest September since 1993 and the coldest since 1994.
October - Exceptionally mild - the warmest October on record. Warmer and Sunnier than September. Also wet and unsettled.
November - Very dry - the driest November since 1988. Quite mild with average sunshine totals. Very mild end to the month.
December - Very dry and sunny - the sunniest December on record. The driest since 1991 but quite cold - the coldest December recorded since 1996
The Lowest Day-time Temperature was 33F on 30th December.
The Highest Night-time Minima was 68F on 3rd July.
The Lowest Night-time minima was 23F on 3rd March.
The sunniest day of 2001 was 24th May when 14.5 hours of sunshine was recorded.
The sunniest spell in 2001 was between May 10th and May 13th with an average of 12.7 hours sunshine a day. The second sunniest spell was between July 1st and July 5th which gave an average of 9.7 hours a day. Between February 13th and February 18th there was a remarkably sunny spell in which, averaged out, which have gave 8 hours sunshine a day. The sunniest month of the year was May, with 228.2 hours of sunshine.
The cloudiest spell in 2001 was between March 20th and March 28th, when no sunshine at all was recorded. No sunshine was recorded between January 30th and February 5th, and only 3 hours of sunshine was recorded between November 16th and November 21st.
October 26th was the wettest day of 2001 with 0.67 inches of rain (17 millimetres). September 27th was the second wettest day with 0.62 inches of rain (15.7 millimetres). February 4th was the third wettest day of 2001 with 0.59 inches of rain (15 millimetres).
The driest month of 2001 was November, then December, May, July and June.
The wettest month of 2001 was October, then February (October and February had, apart from 0.1 millimetre, identical rainfall totals), then April.
No rain fell at all between April 30th and May 13th, a spell of 13 days, and between May 19th and June 1st, making both the joint driest spells of the year. No rain fell between June 17th and June 28th, a span of 11 days and between July 21st and August 1st, another span of 11 days. Despite being a wet month there was an anticyclonic spell during February, no rain fell between February 13th and February 22nd, and between December 8th and December 17th.
Snow fell on January 19th, January 21st, February 4th, February 23rd, February 25th, February 27th and February 28th, March 1st, March 2nd, March 18th, March 21st, November 8th, December 22nd, December 29th and December 30th. Sleet occurred on December 21st. Hail was recorded on April 18th and April 19th.
Fog occurred on January 14th, January 15th, January 16th, January 31st, February 5th, September 26th, September 28th, October 13th and October 14th.
The worst storm of the year was on October 1st. The second and third worst were on October 7th, and then December 28th. There were strong winds on July 11th. 2001 was much calmer year than 2000.
Thunder was heard on May 17th and August 19th. Thunderstorms occurred on June 14th, June 15th, August 15th, August 16th and October 20th.
The highest air pressure of 2001 was 1045MB on December 10th, November 16th and February 17th. 1041MB occurred on January 14th and 1037MB occurred on April 13th.
The lowest Air Pressure of 2001 was 980MB on January 2nd. 986MB was recorded on February 6th and 992MB was recorded on October 1st.
Sunshine totals for 2001 were 1583.8 hours, an increase of 40.8 hours against those for 2000 but down on 1999 totals.
Rainfall for 2001 was 631.5 millimetres. 2001 was the first drier than average year since 1997, after three consecutive wet years.
Kevin Phillips - 11.10am - Saturday 5th January 2002.
