The warmest year on record in the CET, until 2014, with a mean of 10.87C, beating the previous record of 1990. Winter 2005-06 was exceptionally sunny - particularly the first two months. It was also the coldest winter for nine years in the south, although it was not particularly cold. Winter 2005-06 and spring were marked by an absence of very mild days. It was the fifth hottest summer on record (after 1976, 1826, 1995, and 2003, and beating 1911, 1947, 1959, and 1983 - in spite of a distinctly average August). The period May to September is the warmest "extended summer" on record (with a mean of 16.16C, beating the previous record of 1947). 30C was exceeded somewhere on 17 days. The reduction of 3.6C between July and August has never been exceeded, and equalled only in 1737, although in 1802 August was 3.7C warmer than July. Then the mean of September and October was the highest on record (easily beating 2005!). It was also the warmest autumn on record - 12.6C easily beat 1730 and 1731. It was however the wettest autumn in Scotland for over 20 years.

January. High pressure ruled the month, and it was very dry, particularly in the south. The England and Wales average total was just 30.5 mm, 33% of the long-term average. Only 1964, 1987 and 1997 have been drier in the last hundred years. Average temperatures overall, meaning after a mild run it was the coldest for five years: there were cold spells early and late in the month, but a mild spell midmonth cancelled these out. The first half was extremely dull, the second half very sunny, but with persistent freezing fog in places. Most of the rain that there was fell in the second week. There were some mild nights in Scotland in the second week, and cold ones in the final week, with -11.7C at Aviemore on the morning of the 30th.

February. Average temperatures overall, with a cold beginning and end but mild middle. Quite dry and the dullest since 1993, and very dull in the east. However, there were no very warm days - the highest temperature of the month was 13.2 in County Tyrone, the lowest February maximum since 1986. A dry beginning. In the first few days there were some "frost days" for the first time in a while. The lowest temperature of the month was -11.5C at Braemar on the 1st; the maximum at Dunkeswell (Devon) was -2.9C on the 3rd. Parts of north London (e.g. Northolt) had no rain for 22 days ending on the 7th. The anticyclonic gloom was followed by a short northerly spell. After an unsettled spell starting on the 10th, with rain, a cold NE wind persisted from the 20th until the end of the month. There was some snow on the 23rd and 24th and more on the 27th, particularly in the north and east.

March. Cold and wet. Northerly winds in the first week, prolonged easterlies in the middle, but a mild end with southerly winds in the final week brought the average temperature. A cold start with snow showers in the east. The minimum at Altnaharra on the 2nd was -16.4C. Several places remained beneath freezing for more than 24 hours in the first four days and midmonth. The maximum at Fylingdales (North Yorks.) on the 4th was only -1.3C. There was more heavy snow in central Scotland on the 11th and 12th, standing many motorists in the Glasgow area. The winds turned more SW and it became more mild from the 24th. The highest temperature of the month was 17.8C on the 25th. Indeed, this was the first time 15C was exceeded this year - the latest date this has happened since 1980. The final week was particularly wet: 240 mm of rain fell at Capel Curig in the final week of the month alone. It was quite dull in the north. The CET was the coldest since 1996.

April. It was the most westerly April since 1977, yet it was very dry, particularly in the east and south, but quite wet in the north and west. There was a cold snap at the start, with snow in the south on the night of Sunday-Monday 9-10th. The Premiership game at Sunderland was snowed off on the afternoon of Saturday 8th. There was 15 cm of wet snow at Tunbridge Wells on the morning of the 10th as heavy rain fell out of cold air. It became milder towards the end of the month; the temperature reached 19.7C at Herstmonceux (Sussex) on the 21st - the latest date 18C was exceeded somewhere in the UK since 1986. Overall temperatures were about average, although there were no very warm days. It was quite a sunny month.

May. Overall the warmest May for five years. Another month of contrasting halves. The first half was dry, warm, and sunny - indeed the sunniest first half since May 1945. The second half was very wet - the wettest second half of May since 1979. It took until the 3rd for the temperature to reach 20C somewhere in Britain for the first time in the year - the latest since 1983. On the 4th it reached 27.7 at Northolt (London), the earliest 80F has been exceeded since 1995, and the highest temperature of the month. The mini heatwave was accompanied by some spectacular thunderstorms, particularly in western and central Scotland on the 4th. The temperature fell to -5.9C at Kinbrace (Sutherland) on the night of the 13-14th. Overall it was very wet, with 115 mm, 85% above average in England and Wales. It was particularly wet in west Wales and relatively dry in the far north. It was quite dull in the east and south.

June. Very warm - about the same as 2003, and one of the warmest since 1976. High pressure for the first half month, more changeable in the second half. Since 1976 only the Junes of 1995 and 1988 have been more anticyclonic. A warm, dry start, peaking at almost 31C at Weybourne (Norfolk) on the 11th, and then 31.4C at Heathrow 32.4C (just over 90F) in central London on the 12th. A heatwave builds again at the end of the month. There were some severe thunderstorms in Devon and Cornwall on the 26th, with flooding in Penzance following 82.1 mm of rain in 2 hours, most of it falling in the evening. The 9-9 total of 78.9 mm at Penzance was the second highest daily total since records began there in 1991. It was a very dry month, with virtually no rain in the first half of the month: an average of 27 mm (40% of average) made it the driest since 1995. It was the sunniest June since 1975 (averaging 259 hours, 32% more than average), and particularly sunny on the south coast.

July. The hottest and sunniest month on record (19.7C CET), in both England and Scotland. It was particularly warm across the east and noth (in fact July 1983 was hotter along the south coast and in the west country). Scotland also had its hottest month on record. Shanklin and Eastbourne saw 343 hours of sunshine. On average there as more than 50% sunshine than average (263 hours in England and Wales). There was a heatwave at the start; some violent thunderstorms, particularly in the NW, on the 2nd, as it reaches 32C in London (Heathrow). There was severe flooding in west Yorkshire following the storms. 82 mm of rain fell in a storm at Yare (Glocs.) on the 5-6th. After a cooler spell, the sunshine and heat returned, with a new high temperature of the year, 32.7C, at London Heathrow on the 17th. This didn't last long: on the 19th a new July record maximum is set, beating the previous record of 1911, with 36.5 at Wisley (Surrey) and 36.3C near Gatwick Airport in Sussex. It even reaches 30.5C at Prestwick in Scotland, and 34.2 (Penhow, Newport) was a new Welsh July record. 30C was reached somewhere in the country on every day from the 16th to the 27th apart from the 23rd. After cooling down slightly, the heat returned, with 34C being recorded at Charlwood (Surrey) on the 25th. There were thunderstorms after the 19th. There were some humid and thundery spells throughout the month.

August. An average month, but what a contrast with June and July. About average temperatures. A very northwesterly month. It was the coolest since 1999. The highest temperature of the month was 28.9C at Church Lawford (Warks.) on the 6th, the first time 30C has not been reached in August since 1993. Cloudier and slightly wetter than average; the dullest since 1986. It was particularly wet in the east.

September. There are now two CET series, using different means of computing the averages. According to the Met Office series, September, at 16.8C, was the warmest on record. According to the more conservative series maintained by Philip Eden, at 16.6C it was the equal warmest on record (with 1729) - and warmer than August this year. A very southerly month. Very dry, sunny, and warm until the 21st, particularly in the south and east until the 21st, more unsettled after that. After an unsettled first week and it became drier and warmer. It reached 28C at Margate on the 6th - the highest temperature anywhere in the UK since 6 August. As the heat continued to build, it reached 30.2C at Heathrow on the 11th, and a reported 30.5 at Kew Gardens on the same day. The heat triggered a few violent storms in the south and Midlands. Some severe weather around on the 14th, with thunderstorms and several small tornadoes in northern Britain. It reached 29.0C at Sutton Bonington (East Midlads) on the 21st, the latest temperature so late in the year since 1985. Overall quite sunny and dry, but the last ten days stopped it from being exceptionally so.

October. Warm and wet: the third warmest on record (equal with 1969, and beaten only by 2001 and 2005). It was particularly wet in the north, and especially in Orkney. Sunshine was slightly beneath average, with more sun in the first half. The highest temperature of the month was 23.0C at St. Peter Port, and 22C central London, on the 9th. Wednesday and Thursday 25-26th were very wet, followed by a gale as the winds swing to the east. There was flooding over large areas of north-east Scotland. A boat and four lives were tragically lost at sea. 25 mm over a wide area, and 118 mm at Rackwick in Orkney, with serious flooding in Kirkwall.

November. The sunniest November on record. It was exceptionally sunny in the south and east, totalling 103 hours, beating the 2005 record. Shanklin had 135 hours, and Bognor Regis 136 hours. It was an unusually thundery November, particularly around the 24th. The first ten days had virtually unbroken sunshine along the south coast. It was quite dry in the east but very wet in the west and north. Inveruglas, west Scotland, had 610 mm of rain. It was the wettest November in Glasgow on record (with 300 mm of rain). Overall temperatures were slightly above average, although the first week was relatively cold.

December. Overall warmer than average - in England and Wales the mildest since 1988, with frequent SW winds (the most so since 1974). It was very wet and unsettled in the first half of the month, but very dry and anticyclonic second half. It was extremely wet in the west in the first half of the month. It was relatively dry in the east. A tornado caused devastation in the Kendal Rise area of NW London on the morning of 7 December, injuring six and damaging 150 houses. There was flooding in Scotland midmonth, particularly around the Tay. As the anticyclone grew, there was dense fog in the south before Christmas, causing travel disruption. It became very cold in the NE, with -9.4C at Aberdeen on the 25th; Fyvie had 94 hours of frost. The thick rime at least looked like a White Christmas in many parts. Although some places had dense fog in this period, others had a great deal of sunshine; Aberdeen had 12 days of sunshine. It was exceptionally sunny in parts of the NE; it was the sunniest December on record for Aberdeen (88 hours, beating the previous December record of 67 hours in 1951.) The month ended wet and stormy in the north, cancelling many Hogmanay celebrations. There were gales, thunderstorms, and tornadoes in Northern Ireland.