Royston (Iceni) Weather Station

Daily Weather Observations - February 2001

Differences from average shown in red. Reference periods used: Temperature 25 Years 1973/1997; rainfall 30 Years 1971/2000; sunshine 30 Years 1961/1990.

Additional data: Rainfall duration 85.5 hours; air frost duration 47.9 hours.

Click on the links below to access this month's graphs and charts.....

1. Daily Maximum, Minimum, & Grass Minimum Temperatures - February 2001

2. Daily Maximum & Minimum Temperatures (with 25 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. Hyetograph

.....and for a text report of the February 2001 weather in Royston click on the link below

February 2001 Weather Review

February (since 1973) at Royston (Iceni) Weather Station:

Mean day maximum temperature (25 years 1973/1997) 6.8°C

Mean night minimum temperature (25 years 1973/1997) 1.4°C

Highest temperature 18.5°C (13th February 1998); lowest temperature -10.5°C (12th & 13th February 1985)

Lowest grass minimum temperature -14.5°C (10th February 1986)

Warmest February 1990 (Mean temperature 8.1°C); coldest February 1986 (Mean temperature -1.6°C)

Average February rainfall (30 years 1971/2000) 35.0 mm

Wettest February 1990 (Rainfall 72.5 mm); driest February 1998 (Rainfall 4.8 mm)

Wettest Day 3rd February 1990 (Rainfall 20.8 mm);

Highest number of "rain days" (0.2 mm or more) 21 (2000); lowest number of "rain days" 5 (1998)

Highest number of days with thunder 2 (1995)

Highest number of air frosts 24 (1986)

Highest number of ground frosts 25 (1986)

Highest number of days with snow falling 15 (1986)

Highest number of days with snow lying (ground with more than 50% snow cover @ 0900 GMT) 23 (1986)

This picture shows the far eastern end of the A505 Royston by-pass as it passes through the deep chalk cutting in Hyde Hill. In the foreground is the junction with the revised route of the old A505 Newmarket Road. When the by-pass opened in 1982 the original design of this junction proved to be dangerous and was modified shortly afterwards. The photograph, which shows the scene looking in a north-westerly direction towards the South Cambridgeshire plain, was taken at 0940 GMT on 24th February 2001. The temperature is 1.9°C (after a night minimum of -1.4°C) in a NE wind of mean speed 5 knots, gusting to 12 knots. The temperature later reached a maximum of 6.0°C, and a sunshine total of 8.60 hours was recorded for the day.	The town of Royston and surrounding area awoke to a light (3-4 cm) overnight snowfall on the morning of 25th February 2001. In the clear air behind the band of snow the temperature fell to -4.0°C, and at the time this photograph was taken at 0918 GMT it was rising rapidly in the sunshine and had reached -1.7°C. The wind is WNW, mean speed 5 knots, gusting to 12 knots. A maximum temperature of 4.9°C was achieved that day, but the most significant feature of the day's weather was the sunshine which totalled 9.65 hours, making it the sunniest day of the month to date. The view is of Bury Plantation (viewed southwards) on the eastern perimeter of the town. The original plantation of mainly large beech trees was supplemented with a further band of trees (on the left) in the early 1970's.	The exceptionally clear air and cloudless sky on the morning of 25th February 2001 resulted in aircraft contrails standing out very prominently, as can be seen in this picture taken at 1006 GMT looking SE towards Barley from Eagle Tavern some 1.5 km SE of Royston. The lower contrail has spread out considerably as it advanced against the surface air flow (WNW). The aeroplane which is leaving the upper contrail has just passed across the observer's view of the sun. As the aeroplane advanced to the horizon in the next few minutes it created the unusual phenomenon of a distinct black apparent continuation of the contrail ahead of it, which stretched right to the horizon. This was caused by the sun shining along the length of the contrail and on to the aeroplane itself, producing a long black shadow in front of the aircraft.

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(This page last updated 13th March 2001 2133 GMT)