Royston (Iceni) Weather Station

Daily Weather Observations - May 2006

(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 14.8 7.2 6.5 12.5 3.5 0.3 SW 3.3 30 8 1001.1 81.0 9.7 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
2 17.1 5.0 2.0 12.0 7.6 0.0 S 2.7 28 2 1006.7 76.1 11.3 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
3 19.8 8.4 6.1 12.4 9.5 0.0 SW 1.7 18 1 1012.3 77.9 14.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
4 26.0 10.5 7.4 13.0 10.3 0.0 SE 0.8 23 1 1013.0 71.9 18.3 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
5 21.3 12.0 10.0 14.4 10.3 0.0 W 0.9 16 1 1018.1 68.4 16.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 5
6 17.4 8.6 5.0 14.9 0.1 9.2 W 0.1 14 7 1019.0 72.2 12.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 6
7 16.0 10.0 8.4 14.3 1.9 0.5 CALM 0.1 9 8 1015.4 93.0 12.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7
8 14.6 10.4 8.9 14.1 0.1 6.9 SE 0.1 16 8 1010.0 94.5 12.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 8
9 20.2 10.2 9.5 13.9 5.8 0.0 NW 0.2 14 8 1015.9 89.7 13.8 1 0 0 0 0 0 9
10 23.5 8.2 8.2 14.5 10.5 0.0 NE 0.5 14 4 1017.9 79.8 14.7 0 0 0 0 0 0 10
11 22.6 5.6 3.1 15.1 14.0 0.0 N 0.2 12 1 1017.3 69.5 14.3 0 0 0 0 0 0 11
12 24.0 7.7 4.5 15.6 12.4 0.7 NE 0.3 18 1 1013.7 63.7 16.3 0 0 0 0 0 1 12
13 18.2 11.1 8.5 16.1 1.2 0.1 W 0.7 14 8 1014.7 87.9 13.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 13
14 14.5 9.3 9.4 15.6 0.6 0.1 S 0.7 16 8 1020.4 87.2 10.9 0 0 0 0 0 0 14
15 18.1 9.0 8.1 15.0 1.8 0.4 SE 2.9 23 8 1011.4 87.6 13.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 15
16 16.5 10.1 8.5 14.7 1.0 0.3 W 2.4 21 8 1013.5 85.0 13.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 16
17 17.9 9.7 8.7 14.5 0.1 4.1 S 2.8 25 8 1012.2 92.5 13.3 0 0 0 0 0 0 17
18 19.3 11.6 7.2 14.6 8.7 1.1 SW 8.4 39 8 1003.4 77.3 14.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 18
19 17.7 10.7 10.0 15.0 3.8 5.3 SW 10.6 44 8 998.2 80.8 13.4 0 0 0 0 0 0 19
20 15.4 10.5 9.3 15.2 3.1 1.7 W 6.1 39 5 989.7 86.7 12.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 20
21 14.2 10.5 9.9 15.0 2.0 4.9 SW 2.6 39 8 994.7 91.9 11.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 21
22 14.9 9.0 7.5 14.4 0.3 6.2 S 5.3 35 8 989.8 93.8 10.8 0 0 0 0 0 0 22
23 15.4 6.0 5.0 14.1 10.1 TR SW 4.8 30 3 1011.0 75.2 9.9 0 0 0 0 0 0 23
24 14.4 8.4 5.5 14.5 2.9 8.0 SW 6.4 37 7 1012.3 84.1 10.2 0 0 0 0 0 1 24
25 17.1 8.2 7.9 14.5 7.8 7.4 NW 0.6 14 8 1014.3 76.0 12.4 0 0 0 0 0 0 25
26 19.5 11.2 9.1 15.2 2.2 TR SW 5.4 30 8 1014.6 88.3 14.8 0 0 0 0 0 0 26
27 16.1 13.0 11.7 15.1 1.2 4.3 SW 4.3 23 8 1017.0 93.0 14.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 27
28 18.3 9.5 7.5 14.9 4.9 0.2 W 2.8 23 7 1018.1 71.6 13.4 0 0 0 0 0 0 28
29 13.2 9.3 8.6 15.8 4.5 8.3 NW 1.1 32 7 1014.8 84.7 9.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 29
30 13.5 3.2 1.7 14.7 5.6 0.2 NW 2.1 23 7 1019.3 73.8 8.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 30
31 15.5 4.4 2.5 14.6 10.7 TR N 1.3 21 3 1024.2 70.7 9.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 31
Total/Mean 17.6 9.0 7.3 14.5 158.3 70.2 X 2.7 X 6.0 1011.4 81.5 12.7 1 0 0 0 1 2 Total/Mean
*Diff./% +0.6 +1.6     83% 149%                           *Diff./%

Differences from average:

Differences from average shown in red. Reference periods used are as follows: Temperature 30 Years 1976/2005; rainfall 30 Years 1971/2000; sunshine 30 Years 1971/2000.

(*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  67.1 hours

Air Frost Duration  NIL 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

May 2006 Weather Review:

......and click on the link below for a text report of the May 2006 weather in Royston

May 2006 Weather Review

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

Mean daily maximum temperature (30 years 1976/2005) 17.0°C

Mean daily minimum temperature (30 years 1976/2005) 7.4°C

Highest temperature 30.3°C (27th May 2005); lowest temperature -1.0°C (16th May1996)

Lowest grass minimum temperature -5.2°C (16th May 1996)

Warmest May 1992 (Mean temperature 14.5°C); coldest May 1984, 1996 (Mean temperature 9.7°C)

Average May rainfall (30 years 1971/2000) 47.0 mm

Wettest May 1983 (Rainfall 125.2 mm); driest May 1990 (Rainfall 3.7 mm)

Wettest Day 5th May 1978 (Rainfall 52.5 mm);

Highest number of "rain days" (0.2 mm or more) 22 (1983); lowest number of "rain days" 3 (1990)

Highest number of days with thunder 8 (1983)

Highest number of air frosts 4 (1996)

Highest number of ground frosts 14 (1996)

Highest number of days with snow falling 2 (1997)

Highest number of days with snow lying (ground with more than 50% snow cover @ 0900 GMT) 0 

What a difference a month makes! After the cold dry winter and early Spring this crop of oil seed rape (sown the previous Autumn) as seen to the east of Royston on 5th May 2006 at 0752 GMT had shown little real development by the end of March. Then, in the month of April, it suddenly sprouted to a height of 1 metre and had burst into flower by the end of the month. The effect seen here lasted to just after mid-May when the carpet of yellow quickly disappeared. A sunny day appears in prospect and 10.3 hours sunshine had been logged by the end of the day (after 10.3 hours sunshine the previous day). The maximum temperature that day was 21.3°C (6.2°C above the 30 Year average!) after an  overnight minimum of 12.0°C.

 The Azalea Garden at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (67 km SSW of Royston) can be relied on for a blaze of colour each May, this year being no exception as shown by the above photograph (taken at 1053 GMT on 12th May 2006). The garden has two concentric circles of beds displaying a rich array of varying shades of orange, gold, yellow, red, pink and white, arranging the plants in date order leading up to the latest varieties from eastern North America and Holland. In the Azalea Walk leading into the garden species belonging to a deciduous group of azaleas from North America and Japan have been planted. This was an unusually warm day for the time of year as the maximum temperature at Royston of 24.0°C was no less than 7.7°C above the 30 Year (1976/2005) average. This scene depicts what the Royston area is renowned for, the rolling acres of barley as per this example at Lowerfield some 2 km east of Royston as seen at 0819 GMT on 19th May 2006. A strong breeze of mean speed 11 knots gusting to 24 knots is being drawn across the landscape by a low pressure area centred near the Shetland Isles and is bending the barley towards the NE. Some of the barley grown around Royston finds its way to the Scottish distilleries for malt whisky production. The development of this crop has undoubtedly been aided by the wetter than normal May weather, after the dry conditions of Winter and March/April. The temperature is 14.5°C, later rising to a maximum of 17.7°C for the day. The day's sunshine was a below average 3.8 hours.

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(This page last updated 13th June 2006 1922 GMT)