Royston (Iceni) Weather Station

Daily Weather Observations - December 2003

(All Times GMT)

Date Max. Temp. (°C) 09/09h Min. Temp. (°C) 09/09h Grass Min. Temp. (°C) 21/09h Earth (30cms) Temp. (°C) 09h Sun (Hours) 00/00h R'fall (MM) 09/09h Wind Dir'n 09h Mean Wind Speed (MPH) 00/00h Max. Gust Speed (MPH) 00/00h Cloud Cover (Oktas) 09h Mean MSL Air Pressure (mB) 00/00h Mean Rel. Humd. (%) 00/00h Mean Temp. (°C) 00/00h Fog (vis. <1000m @ 09h) Fog (vis. <200m @ 09h) Snow or Rain and Snow 00/00h Snow Lying @ 09h (>50% cover) Hail 00/00h Thunder 00/00h Date
1 9.5 6.6 4.9 7.0 0.0 2.0 NE 0.9 18 8 1000.0 98.9 7.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
2 8.1 4.9 2.0 7.4 0.1 0.7 SE 0.0 12 7 1013.4 97.3 6.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
3 8.8 6.4 5.8 7.4 0.0 0.0 CALM 0.6 18 8 1024.4 97.7 6.9 1 1 0 0 0 0 3
4 8.0 7.4 6.9 7.8 0.0 0.0 NE 3.6 25 8 1030.1 88.8 7.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
5 9.6 6.8 6.4 7.9 3.3 TR NE 0.5 16 8 1030.8 88.7 6.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5
6 7.9 3.9 0.7 7.3 0.0 0.0 NE 2.1 23 8 1030.6 85.0 5.4 0 0 0 0 0 0 6
7 5.6 -0.1 -3.0 6.9 6.8 0.0 NE 0.2 16 0 1031.4 81.3 0.7 0 0 0 0 0 0 7
8 6.2 -4.1 -6.9 5.4 4.7 TR E 1.0 21 0 1022.2 93.8 0.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 8
9 8.0 5.5 4.0 4.9 6.6 0.2 SE 0.2 12 2 1018.5 93.6 5.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9
10 8.7 1.0 -1.5 5.1 4.1 4.6 CALM 1.8 21 8 1015.0 96.5 2.7 1 1 0 0 0 0 10
11 10.0 3.9 3.2 5.3 0.0 4.4 S 5.6 30 8 1009.6 97.5 7.3 0 0 0 0 0 0 11
12 14.0 1.5 -1.0 5.9 0.0 5.2 S 5.6 32 8 1016.7 97.6 6.3 0 0 0 0 0 0 12
13 13.4 12.1 11.2 6.9 0.0 3.5 SW 11.2 37 8 1006.2 92.5 11.8 0 0 0 0 0 0 13
14 8.5 4.8 2.6 7.4 3.0 0.2 W 8.1 44 0 1015.5 81.2 6.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14
15 4.6 0.3 -2.4 6.5 6.5 0.0 NW 2.4 23 0 1028.2 80.3 1.3 0 0 0 0 0 0 15
16 4.5 -0.4 -3.6 5.0 4.5 0.0 SW 2.2 18 4 1029.5 83.0 1.9 0 0 0 0 0 0 16
17 6.8 1.0 -1.0 4.4 6.5 0.0 S 2.2 18 0 1024.1 90.8 2.9 0 0 0 0 0 0 17
18 6.6 1.5 0.0 4.0 6.4 0.0 SE 3.7 18 0 1017.7 95.9 2.9 0 0 0 0 0 0 18
19 6.7 3.1 1.7 4.0 2.0 1.7 SW 0.8 14 3 1017.2 95.2 5.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 19
20 11.9 5.2 4.5 4.9 0.4 8.3 SE 8.5 46 8 1003.8 92.0 6.7 0 0 0 0 0 0 20
21 5.9 2.6 1.2 5.3 5.4 0.0 NW 8.0 46 2 1008.4 79.8 3.3 0 0 0 0 0 0 21
22 5.5 -1.1 -4.0 4.6 3.4 2.7 NW 2.0 23 1 1028.3 79.2 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 22
23 9.2 1.0 0.2 3.9 0.0 1.7 W 4.8 25 8 1023.8 96.1 5.8 0 0 0 0 0 0 23
24 9.5 8.0 5.6 4.9 0.0 0.0 SW 4.0 25 8 1025.5 91.1 8.3 0 0 0 0 0 0 24
25 10.6 8.0 6.3 5.9 0.0 0.3 SW 8.5 32 8 1019.0 87.2 9.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 25
26 10.3 8.6 8.0 6.5 0.0 2.2 SW 10.1 37 8 1001.1 93.1 8.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 26
27 7.4 2.6 1.1 6.5 3.7 0.5 SW 6.8 37 1 994.0 88.3 4.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 27
28 4.4 0.7 -1.3 5.9 5.1 0.0 NW 6.3 30 3 997.4 85.5 2.3 0 0 0 0 0 0 28
29 2.9 1.2 -0.4 4.9 0.0 5.7 SE 1.0 21 8 1007.7 93.2 1.4 0 0 1 0 0 0 29
30 2.9 1.1 0.4 4.5 0.0 5.5 CALM 0.0 5 8 1018.0 98.2 1.2 0 0 1 0 0 0 30
31 7.7 -1.8 -4.9 4.4 4.3 7.8 CALM 1.7 25 1 1025.7 98.7 0.3 0 0 0 0 0 0 31
Total/Mean 7.7 3.3 1.5 5.8 76.6 57.2 X 3.7 X 4.9 1017.2 90.9 4.7 2 2 2 0 0 0 Total/Mean
*Diff./% +0.5 +0.3     163% 108%                           *Diff./%

Differences from average:

Differences from average shown in red. Reference periods used are as follows: Temperature 30 Years 1973/2002; rainfall 30 Years 1971/2000; sunshine 30 Years 1961/1990.

(*The differences from average quoted during the course of the month relate to the cumulative daily averages up to the date of the last observation, not the averages for the month as a whole)

Additional Data:

Rainfall Duration  80.1 hours

Air Frost Duration  50.7 hours

Graphs and Charts:

Click on the following links to view this month's graphs and charts.....

1. Daily Maximum, Minimum & Grass Minimum Temperatures 

2. Daily Maximum & Minimum Temperatures (with 30 Year Comparative Means) 

3. Daily Earth (30 cms Depth) Temperature @ 0900 GMT  4.  Daily Rainfall  5.  Daily Sunshine

6. Daily Maximum Gust & Mean Wind Speed   7. Daily Wind Direction @ 0900 GMT  

8.  Daily Mean MSL Air Pressure  9.  Daily Mean Relative Humidity  10.  Thermograph 

11.  Barograph  12.   Hygrograph  13.  Anemograph   14. Wind Direction

15. Sunshine Duration  16.  Rainfall Intensity & Duration

December 2003 Weather Review:

......and click on the link below for a text report of the December 2003 weather in Royston

December 2003 Weather Review

December (since 1972) at Royston (Iceni) Weather Station:

Mean day maximum temperature (30 years 1973/2002) 7.2°C

Mean night minimum temperature (30 years 1973/2002) 3.0°C

Highest temperature 15.1°C (2nd December 1985); lowest temperature -9.8°C (29th December 1995)

Lowest grass minimum temperature -14.6°C (13th December 1981)

Warmest December 1974 (Mean temperature 7.8°C); coldest December 1981 (Mean temperature 0.4°C)

Average December rainfall (30 years 1971/2000) 52.8 mm

Wettest December 1989 (Rainfall 122.4 mm); driest December 1991 (Rainfall 10.3 mm)

Wettest Day 27th December 1979 (Rainfall 31.5 mm);

Highest number of "rain days" (0.2 mm or more) 22 (1978); lowest number of "rain days" 8 (1991)

Highest number of days with thunder 3 (1989)

Highest number of air frosts 20 (1981)

Highest number of ground frosts 25 (1981)

Highest number of days with snow falling 10 (1981)

Highest number of days with snow lying (ground with more than 50% snow cover @ 0900 GMT) 23 (1981)

Several aircraft contrails became illuminated during the course of this sunset which in the above picture was viewed from Therfield Heath, Royston at 1558 GMT on 9th December 2003. The day had been sunny with a total of 6.6 hours sunshine, the last bright sunshine of the day being recorded some 30 minutes earlier at 1525 GMT. This sunset did not take on any real reddish tinges which might have suggested fair weather to follow, but apart from a little light rain (0.2 millimetres) in the night it remained dry until 0540 GMT on 11th The following day, 10th, was fairly sunny with 4.1 hours sunshine. An annual event at the Cross in the centre of Royston is the display of a large Christmas tree complete with decorative lights (unfortunately not visible in this picture in broad daylight!). This was the scene at the Cross at 1242 GMT on 17th December 2003. There are further decorations in the vicinity of the Cross (which is the point where the ancient routes of the Icknield Way and Ermine Street intersect) and along the High Street to the south. A few metres to the right along Melbourn Street is the entrance to Royston Cave, an ancient bell shaped cavern in the chalk thought to date back to the time of the Knights Templar. The Priory Gardens in Royston are bathed in Winter sunshine in this picture taken shortly after the adjacent one at 1248 GMT on 17th December 2003. The houses in the background are those situated on the east side of Priory Lane (the A10 route through Royston), whilst in the further distance lies Priory Close and beyond that Stile Plantation. A southerly breeze of mean speed 3 knots, occasionally gusting to 10 knots, is drifting across the town. The temperature is 5.7°C, the time of the day's maximum temperature of 6.8°C having already passed. Sunshine for the day was logged as 6.5 hours.

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(This page last updated 13th January 2004 2044 GMT)