The Dec-Jan temp. stats here Iin *C) are mind-boggling (anomalies in brackets as usual):
Mean Max 10.96 (+3.61)
Mean Min 6.35 (+4.75)
Mean 24h 8.66 (+4.19)
...albeit not as much as the Dec stats alone (anomalies of +5.29, +7.73 and 6.51 for the max, min and 24h respectively!).
Funnily enough it was the min temps that were the least above the LTA in Jan and this has muted the extremity of Dec's value somewhat. Still the 3rd highest Jan mean min going back to 2000 though, while the max was the second highest, indeed only the second Jan to exceed 9*C (and the sixth of any winter month).
It feels like the changing global climate has decided to focus its efforts on one UK winter after years of faffing about. El Nino doesn't explain much of the anomaly so far this winter at all. An unusually cold stratospheric vortex is probably a significant player, this actually being a consequence of increased greenhouse gas concentrations in the lower levels.
Climate change doesn't explain it all though, with the unusual North Atlantic SST profile (huge area of colder than normal SSTs in the central to northern regions) a significant factor as well.
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https://twitter.com/peacockreports 2021's Homeland Extremes:
T-Max: 30.4°C 21st Jul | T-Min: -6.8°C New Years Day! | Wettest Day: 34.1mm 2nd Oct | Ice Days: 2 (27th Jan & 8th Feb)
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