There was a few breaks in the cloud during this afternoon and in the end, 12 minutes of sunshine was recorded for today at Edinburgh Gogarbank at the very time when I had expected today to be completely sunless.
Today's total is a very small one, but these very small totals can still add up quite substantially over time to a much larger total if they keep on happening during these relatively dull periods. This can be enough to result in the month as a whole being rather unexpectedly sunnier, and that is what happened during December.
Indeed, this also means that the possibly of this month being sunnier than average as a result, remains in place for that same reason especially since the days are now gradually lengthening which means that over time, it will become increasing difficult for any given day to end up being completely sunless.
Today has been mild as well with the return to double figure temperatures at Edinburgh Airport, albeit very briefly and so, today's maximum temperature was 9.4°C at Edinburgh Gogarbank, 10°C at Edinburgh Airport and 9.9°C at the botanic gardens in Edinburgh.
Meanwhile, the temperature at 5pm this afternoon was 8.0°C at Edinburgh Gogarbank, 8°C at Edinburgh Airport and 8.2°C at the botanic gardens in Edinburgh.
The north of Edinburgh, usually always missing out on snow events which occur not just within the rest of Scotland or the UK, but also within the rest of Edinburgh.