SUNNIEST OCTOBER AT ARMAGH FOR ELEVEN YEARS, COOLEST FOR SEVEN YEARS, DRIER THAN AVERAGE

Armagh Observatory, 23rd November 2019: Armagh Observatory reports that October 2019 was sunnier, drier and cooler than average.

This was the sunniest October at Armagh for eleven years and the coolest for seven years. The mean temperature was 9.40 degrees Celsius (48.9 Fahrenheit), slightly less than the longterm (1796–2010) average October temperature at Armagh (9.43 C) and approximately 0.7 C cooler than the most recent (1981–2010) 30-year October average (10.1 C). This was the coolest October at Armagh for seven years, that is, since the much colder October 2012.

The warmest day (highest maximum air temperature) was 17.7 C (63.9 F), which occurred on the 6th, followed by 16.9 C on the 7th. The coldest day (lowest maximum air temperature) was 5.8 C on the 25th. This was the coldest October day at Armagh for eleven years, that is, since the highest temperature of 5.3 C recorded on 29th October 2008.

The warmest night (highest minimum air temperature) was 11.4 C on the 5th, and the coldest night (lowest minimum air temperature) was -1.2 C on the 28th. There were 15 ground frosts (grass minimum temperature less than or equal to zero Celsius), the sharpest of which were -7.6 C and -7.1 C on the 28th and 25th respectively. There was just one night (the 28th) with air frost, that is, an air temperature less than or equal to zero Celsius. This value (-1.2 C) occurred at approximately 07:52 on the morning of that day’s measurements.

Total precipitation was 66.25 mm (2.61 inches), including 5 trace values (i.e. 66.00 mm if trace values are ignored). This is drier than average, approximately 83% of the long-term (1838–2010) average October precipitation at Armagh and 77% of the most recent (1981–2010) 30-year October average. It continues a recent trend of October rainfall at Armagh in which each of the last five Octobers have been drier than average. The wettest day was the 5th with 19.2 mm (0.76 inches) of rainfall. The strong wind and rain recorded on the 3rd were associated with the named storm Lorenzo, and hail was recorded during a heavy shower on the afternoon of the 18th.

It is interesting to note that fieldfares were seen on the 15th and seagulls on the 20th. With a total of 113.3 hours of strong sunshine, October 2019 was sunnier than average and much sunnier than recent Octobers at Armagh. There was approximately 20% more sunshine than the long-term (1881–2010) average number of hours of strong October sunshine at Armagh and nearly 26% more than the most recent (1981–2010) 30-year average. This was the sunniest October at Armagh for eleven years, that is, since October 2008. The sunniest day, with 9.2 hours of strong sunshine, was the 16th, followed by 8.9 hours on the 20th.


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