DECEMBER 2011

THE MONTH WAS WET, WITH FRACTIONALLY BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES.

RAINFALL FOR THE MONTH WAS 133.1 ( 146% )--THE WETTEST DECEMBER SINCE 2006.

THE MEAN MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE WAS 5.3 (0.4 BELOW NORMAL), WHILE THE MEAN MINIMUM WAS -0.6 (0.3 BELOW NORMAL )

LAST DECEMBER'S TEMPERATURE STATISTICS WERE DRAMATIC IN COMPARISON,BEING CLOSE TO 6 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL.

THERE WERE 13 DAYS WITH SNOW LYING IN DEC. 2011, BUT THE MAXIMUM DEPTH AT THIS STATION ( 140ms ) WAS ONLY AROUND 9cms.

THERE WERE 21 AIR FROSTS & 28 GROUND FROSTS.

UNTIL THE 3rd WEEK OF THE MONTH, THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE STOOD AT 8.2, BUT A WELCOME MILD SPELL SAW 5 DAYS INTO DOUBLE FIGURES, SOME BEING REACHED DURING THE HOURS OF DARKNESS.
THE MONTH'S EXTREMES OF 13.5 & -5.8 WERE NOT RECORD BREAKERS.

THERE WERE ONE OR TWO STORMY DAYS TO ADD TO THE EQUATION, ONE OF THESE ON THE 8th, RESULTING IN A 33Hr. POWER CUT FOR PITLOCHRY & LONGER FOR BLAIR ATHOLL.

ALL IN ALL, PERHAPS THE MOST APT DESCRIPTION FOR DEC.2011 WOULD BE " NOT AS BAD AS LAST DECEMBER"