Annual Mean Temperature
The Mean temperature for 2014 was 9.9°C, which is 1.1°C above the average from 1981-2010 and the warmest on record.
Total rainfall in 2014 was 1,297.1 mm, which is 12% above the average from 1981-2010 and the 4th wettest on record.
Total sunshine was 1,435 hours which is 5% above the average from 1981-2010
Mean Temperature Anomaly
Mean temperatures were at or above the 30 year average for all parts of the UK throughout 2014. The most notable aspect was the warm winter with the period from Dec 2013 – Feb 2014 being an average of 1.5°C above the 30 year average. Spring was 1.3°C warmer than the long-term average and 3.0°C warmer than Spring 2013. Summer temperatures averaged 14.8°C, which is 0.5°C higher than the average for 1981-2010. Autumn temperatures averaged 10.9°C, an increase of 1.4°C over the 30 year average.
Rainfall Anomaly
Winter was unusually stormy and wet and the total of 545 mm precipitation represents 165% of the 1981-2010 average. For England and Wales this was the wettest Winter since records began in 1766. Spring brought a return to near-normal amounts of rainfall across the UK, though with significant regional variations. Regional variation was also evident through the Summer where UK rainfall totalled 259 mm, or 108% of the 30 year average. Autumnal rainfall was 88% of the long-term average, but also with strong regional variations.
Sunshine Anomaly
Despite the wet weather, the UK totalled 160 hours of Winter sunshine, close to the long-term average, with large parts of England being sunnier than usual. Spring sunshine was also close to the 30 year average, with southeast England and East Anglia being rather sunnier than average. Summer sunshine totalled 588 hours which is 116% of the 30 year average and comparable to 2013. Western fringes of the UK tended to receive more Summer sunshine than usual, a pattern which continued into Autumn. Overall the UK’s Autumn was slightly duller than usual with 261 hours of sunshine.
