The weather was cold during the first days of 1997 and the ground was covered with snow until the 5th, due to the heavy fall on New Year's Eve. 20cm was recorded on New Year's Day. Temperatures in general remained low until the 11th, but by the 12th, any remaining snow had totally disappeared. There were also thick fogs, notably at night, during the first half of the month.
What followed was a short spell of mild and sunny weather and 59F was recorded in Aberdeen and a few other locations. 54F was recorded locally on the 14th. Good sunshine totals were recorded that day and on the 15th. The mild interlude ended on the 16th, and on the 17th a cold front brought cloudy and drizzly conditions until the 20th. The next few days were nondescript, being cold and dull, but dry.
The weather was sunny again between the 24th and the 27th, but with night frosts, under the influence of a strong anticyclone. On the 26th, the air pressure reached 1046 MB, the highest recording in January for five years, since 1992, which was also a very dry month after a mild and wet start.
The final three days of the month were dry but cold and cloudy.
Not only was January 1997 the driest January recorded of the 20th Century, it was the driest for 117 years, since 1880. It was also the coldest recorded since that of 1987.
To sum up, January 1997 was a quite cold, but an extremely dry and quiet month, with an average amount of sunshine.
Kevin Phillips - 4.50pm - Saturday 8th February 1997.
February opened with two dry, mild and sunny days but the 3rd saw this change, as the weather became very unsettled for the next two days, with spells of heavy rain and strong wind. However, the 5th to the 9th were sunny, dry and settled.
The 10th saw the unsettled weather return, and it remained so until the 13th. St Valentine's Day was the sunniest day of the month and dry and sunny weather reigned up to the 16th when unsettled conditions took over once more. Heavy rain fell on the 17th, 18th and 20th, with very strong winds on the 20th and 21st. The 22nd was overcast but dry, but the most disturbed conditions of the month were seen between the 24th and the 26th, with heavy rain, hail and gales. Thunder was heard at 2.30am GMT on the 26th.
The weather was quieter on the 27th and the 28th was a fine, mild, sunny day, if breezy.
Rainfall, not surprisingly, was well above average but despite the unsettled, and at times, disturbed conditions, temperatures were well above normal. There were hardly any snowfalls and the character of the month's weather was very similar to February 1995 or 1989.
Sunshine totals were above normal, and there were a few days with good sunshine records. It was the total opposite, weatherwise, to January 1997.
Kevin Phillips - 7.30pm - Sunday 9th March 1997.
The February's of 1945, 1961 and 1990 were amongst the mildest of the 20th Century. In each of those years, March was very mild and generally dry and sunny. In 1997, such weather was replicated.
The first five days were dry and mild. The 1st was quite windy and dense fog enveloped the evening of the 4th. Rain fell on the night of the 5th, but the 6th to the 11th saw dry, settled and warm weather with abundant sunshine. The 11th saw the earliest date in March for high temperatures for 20 years, since the 2nd March 1977. In North Wales, 69F was recorded on the 11th. However, dense fog led to car crashes and deaths on the mornings of the 10th and 11th in several locations, including one on the M42 near Bromsgrove that saw three people killed and over 60 injured.
After a sunny start, the 12th clouded over and the 13th was overcast and cooler. The weather remained dry however, and the 16th and 17th (The day the general election was called) were very mild and sunny. However, the 19th and the 20th were cooler and showery.
The first day of Spring, after a cold and frosty start, was a beautiful day with brilliant sunshine and blue skies. The next three days were mixed with cloud, bright spells and showers. After three dull and dry days, the remainder of the month was sunny and it turned out to be a fine Easter, the best, overall, for 13 years, since 1984.
At about 7pm, on the evening of the 24th March, the writer of this report saw the Hale-Bopp comet in the sky. Halley's comet, which is more famous, will return to the UK in 2061, by which time he will be 85 years old, if still alive.
March 1997 was the third warmest March of the 20th Century, after 1957 and 1938, and the driest March recorded for seven years, since 1990. It was in marked contrast to March 1996, which was very dull and very cold throughout.
Kevin Phillips - 10.20pm - Thursday 3rd April 1997.
The mild weather of March carried on into April. It was dull between the 3rd and the 7th. The 5th was very windy. The dry weather continued, and the 8th to the 10th, 12th, 14th and 15th were notably warm under cloudless blue skies and over 10 hours of sunshine. The warm spell came to an end on the 16th and the weather turned overcast and cool.
On the afternoon of the 21st April, the first rain of the month fell. The next seven days were cool and unsettled. The 25th and 26th in particular, were both wet and quite cold. However, after a dry 29th, the 30th brought an anticyclone, and with it, brilliant sunshine. So despite the unsettled, cool, and at times, wet spell between the 21st and the 28th, the month's temperatures were milder than normal. It was the warmest April for 10 years. Rainfall amounts were below average. Sunshine was above average for the third consecutive month.
Kevin Phillips - 1.35pm - Monday 5th May 1997.
The first day of the month saw a general election held and perfect weather, with warm and brilliant sunshine, and cloudless skies. Labour won by a landslide majority of 178 seats, and Tony Blair became the first Labour Prime Minister since May 1979, and the youngest PM of the 20th Century.
Weatherwise, the 2nd was even better, but the 3rd clouded over after a promising start. The 4th, though, was unsettled with sunny spells and heavy showers.
What followed was a switch from Summer to Winter, as the Bank Holiday Monday saw the worst weather recorded since the early May Day holiday started in 1978. It was very wet and cold, with sleet mingled in with the rain. The weather generally remained unsettled until the 20th. A sleet shower occurred on the morning of the 7th. The 8th was cold, but dry and bright. The afternoon of the 9th turned warm and sunny but the 10th and 11th were both unsettled with wet, cold and windy weather.
Summer made a return between the 14th and the 16th but an unsettled weekend occurred after that. From the 21st May, an high pressure system took hold, and the weather became warm after the 26th, and in the final days of the month, abundant sunshine was recorded with temperatures up to 82F. Like the previous three months, May ended as it began. The month's temperatures were below normal in Scotland and parts of Northern England but above elsewhere. Above average rainfall amounts were recorded but so were well above average sunshine totals, and overall, it was a very sunny month.
Kevin Phillips - 8.10pm - Thursday 5th June 1997.
The month began with warm, dry and sunny conditions. Fifteen hours of sunshine was recorded widely in England on the 1st and 2nd, but from the 3rd onward it became humid, and thunderstorms and tornadoes were observed around the UK. The weather changed, and it became cool and wet from the 10th. The 14th was dull and dry but two very wet days followed, and after a welcome interlude on the 17th, wh onwardsich was a dry, sunny and pleasant day, the weather was mostly dull, cold and wet for the rest of the month, with the exception of the 24th, which was dry with sunny spells.
The 26th was particularly grim with heavy, driving rain and a strong wind. The maximum temperature didn't exceed 52F all day.
June 1997 was the wettest June of the 20th Century, marginally beating June 1982 for rainfall totals. Sunshine amounts were well below normal, and it was in fact, cloudier than March was. Temperatures were below average everywhere despite the warm start, but night-time values were near normal, due to the cloud cover of the month.
Kevin Phillips - 3.40pm - Monday 7th July 1997.
July opened rather like how June left off, cool and unsettled. The 2nd started off bright and sunny but a heavy downpour fell that afternoon and further sharp downpours were recorded on the 3rd and the 4th. An improvement in the weather began on the 5th and the first summery weather since early June was recorded, but like the weather then, it triggered off thunderstorms, such as the one on the 9th at about 4pm GMT, when a fierce storm broke and heavy rain fell rapidly. The next day was cooler but from the 12th, the weather improved and was fine and settled for the next 10 days. Warm conditions prevailed with hardly any rain.
The drought came to an end on the evening of the 23rd when light rain fell. The 24th was very wet, with 0.43 inches of rain falling. A transitory ridge of high pressure brought fair conditions for the 25th, but unsettled conditions turned up for the 26th which was overcast and rainy. The next few days were warm but humid. The month ended as it began, unsettled.
A striking feature of the last few weeks has been the tendency of Thursday's to be wet and miserable (June 12th, 19th, 26th, July 3rd, 24th and 31st).
The highest temperature recorded all month was 82F on the 29th. Rainfall totals were above average, but so were sunshine amounts and temperatures.
Kevin Phillips - 9.25pm - Wednesday 6th August 1997.
