December 2025 saw a return to very mild temperatures after the average autumn and there was a chance of the warmest year on record before a cooler spell in the final third put pay to that prospect. The month came in at the 7th warmest on record. Rainfall came in just above average and probably not as much as people expected. The month featured one named Storm Bram which had no impact on the region.
The month began with temperatures mostly above normal the mild weather lasting until the 23rd so for once we skipped a month of two halves. Even after the 23rd temperatures were close to average so no real wintry weather. There were two days which were on the cold side the 3rd and the 4th when 6.5C and 6.6C were the highs. Temperatures were in double figure 6th until the 11th with the warmest day being the 9th with 13.8C being the high. The 1st was saw temperatures above 12C when 12.4C was reached and same for 7th when 12.9C was the max. Temperatures remained on the mild side until the 23rd when they returned to average. Night time temperatures were also well above average with a complete lack of air frosts. The warmest nights again were in the period from the 7th until the 12th. The 10th saw a low of just 9C after a fairly mild night the day before when 8.7C was reached. The coldest night was on the 17th with rather unimpressive 1.6C being the low. The final seven days were either cold to rather cold or average despite the NE winds. This was due to a lack of cold air over the continent. Fairly cloudy conditions also prevented any major low night time temperatures right up until the months end. This allowed the month to end as the 7th warmest on record. For us it also meant it wouldn't be the warmest year on record however it settled comfortably in 2nd place. The mild nights were the main driver of the month being above average being +2C above normal.
December was a wet month with above average rainfall but didn't make the top twenty wettest Decembers on record mainly due to the dry final third of the month. There weren't any particularly large falls of rain not a single day reached double figures but it rained on most days. The wettest day was on the 21st when 12.5mm fell while the 2nd wettest day was on the 8th with 9.9mm of rain. The 8th was due to storm Bram which had little impact here. Rainfall after the 21st tapered off and there was very little addition to the final total as the month ended dry and rather cold with just over a 1mm added. If the month hadn't ended dry we could well have hit 100mm.
December continued the decline in windy weather and was another was quiet month with winds only hitting the 40+ mark on one day. This was 41mph on the 9th. Considering it was a fairly active Atlantic during the first 2/3 of the month this was a bit of a surprise.
There wasn't any Snow or even sleet in December even in the colder end to the month. Frosts were rare but we didn't manage three air frosts through the month
January with some very cold weather and the first real taste of winter proper. As a blocking high pressure relocates to the mid Atlantic allowing a cold N air flow across the country. This allows a blast of colder Arctic air to push into the country with a chance of the first widespread Snow of the winter on the 1st for Scotland and the first Snow showers down the E coast and NE moors. There's also a chance of some Snow for S England on the 2nd. The 5th sees more widespread rain. sleet and Snow as a low tracks across England. The Snow mostly in the N of England and S Scotland. The cold spell short lived as milder Atlantic air arrives from the 7th and we presume the normal Atlantic driven weather with sunny spells, showers or longer spells of rain although Scottish hills will still see some Snow due to brief cooler outbreaks. Stormy at times as well. Indications that another cold spell will develop around mid month although this may struggle to reach the S of the UK. This could mean some significant Snow on boundary around Yorkshire into the N midlands. By the 2nd third of the month mild weather returns with sunny spells, showers or longer spells of rain the heaviest rain in the N and windy again at times. Overall January will be a close to average temperature wise as mild spells offset the cold and average to above average rainfall. A brief window of significant Snow for the region but this will depend on where the battle line between cold and warm air finally takes place.
| December's Averages, Highs and Lows | ||
|---|---|---|
| Average Temp 4.8C | Last Months Average 6.3C | Difference from average 1.5C |
| Average Max Temp 7.4C | Last Months Average 8.4C | Difference from average 1.0C |
| Average Min Temp 2.2C | Last Months Average 4.2C | Difference From Average 2.0C |
| High Max 13.8C on the 9th | Low Max 4.9C on the 26th | Highest Daily Range 9.1C on the 1st |
| High Min 9.0C on the 10th | Low Min -0.9C on the 31st | Lowest Daily Range 0.3C on the 23rd |
| Number of Air Frosts 2 | Days of Thunder 0 | Days of Snow 0 |
| Days of Measurable Rain 20 Days | Days of Rain with trace 4 Days | Days with Gusts ≥ 50 mph 0 day |
| Average Rainfall 87.5mm | This Months Average 96.4mm | Percentage of Average Rainfall 110.2% |