1915

1915 saw the coldest November. The four months from November 1914 to February 1915 were very wet. With 423 mm, 1914-1915  was the wettest winter on record. No wonder the trenches were so muddy.

January. Mild and very unsettled for the first three weeks, with heavy rain and gales, but then colder with snow. Up to 30 cm of snow was lying for a while at Croydon on the 22nd.

February. On average, 534 mm of rain fell in England and Wales in the four months ending with February - one of the wettest spells of the century.

March. Quite dry but with a notable snowfall over Scotland and the north and east of England on the 18th and 19th. 18C was then recorded in eastern Scotland on the 24th before it turned colder again.

April. Unsettled at first; a dry month in the south and east.

May. An easterly or northeasterly, and windy month. There were some particularly strong winds and some heavy rain for the SE. 75 mm of rain fell in a thunderstorm near Kings Cross on the 6th. A cool month with some sharp frosts midmonth.

June. Fine and warm: 32C was recorded at Cromer on the 10th.

July. A cool, wet month across England and Wales, with many thunderstorms. There were two notably severe hailstorms on the 4th, one tracking across north Devon, the other from Somerset to Bucks. The second of these was particularly severe. 50 mm hailstones were accompanied by driving winds, destroying trees and smashing glass. The Chew Valley was particularly badly affected.

August. Frequent thunderstorms early in the month were followed by a spell of fair and dry, but rather cool weather.

September. Warm and fine for the first three weeks, but with a wet and stormy end. 96 mm of rain fell at Nairn on the 26th.

October. Quiet and dry.

November. The coldest of the twentieth century (2.8C) in the CET series, and the second coldest in Scotland. It was the coldest month of the winter. Mainly quiet and northerly, but with a snowy spell midmonth. Pressure reached 1044 mbar over southern England on the 21st. The 27th was a cold day, with a maximum of only -2C in Leamington.

December. Very wet.