13mm on the last 2 days of the year, and none in January so far. We could do with a long dry spell, but this is unlikely. The most we can expect is a few dry days giving chance for everywhere to drain a bit.

Rain every day, 62mm in all, but only 3.5mm on the 25th so it could have been worse. Also, fairly mild with no frost, but the wet weather is expected to last at least until the end of the year.

December 2012

203mm of rain on 25 days, 6 nights with below freezing temperatures between 7th and 12th and thennrain every day until the end of the month, and I can see no major change in the weather for the week ahead.

Review of 2012
With a total rainfall for the year of 1834mm (approx 73inches) this was by far the wettest year that we have had. Who would have thought that, at the end of March with talk of droughts, hosepipe bans and other restrictions, we would end up with some of the worst floods we have ever had, both nationally and locally.

This was not the result of a torrential downpour which happens occasionally and causes floodings. This was the result of almost continual rain with nowhere left for the water to go. Although there was a limited imrprovement after some drain and gully clearance, problems caused by the bad planning are more difficult to solve.

It has been an unusual year in many ways. No snow for a start (we had 1 snow shower in November, but blink, and you would have missed it) There was an unusually small number of frosty nights in January and February and again, in December, only 6 nights so far this winter.

In spite of the lack of very cold weather we had a very poor summer temperature-wise with much less sunshine and the wind often blowing from the North and East instead of the West which is more usual here.The longest wet spell was 19 days in December. The longest dry spell was March/April: 16 days. The most rain on one day was on the 23rd September with 81mm.

A week with some rain every day, varying from 3mm to 32mm - 84mm in all. I don't know where it all comes from! and of course, a lot of rain means it's continuously dark and gloomy. Which, according to a recent report, is bad for our health and causes depression, although, everyone I meet seems to be making the best of it, and I'm sure it WILL !! stop raining eventually.

Frosty and dry until Thursday then 19mm of rain, with the promise (by the forecasters) of showery weather with some sunshine.
My favourite day on Friday - the 21st - which is the shortest day. I always mark the day and hope for better things next year!

24.5mm of rain on 3 days. So, although there is still a lot of water about, the rainfall this week shouldn't have caused any problems unless you are one of the many farmers still unable to get machinery out on the waterlogged ground. Friday and Saturday were drier and colder with night frosts. Perhaps it will be drier next week.

Only 16.5mm of rain this week to finish off the wettest month we've had in the last 24 years (at least!) with a total of 257.5mm. We had rain on 16 days and snow on one (the 4th).

The month started normally as far as weather was concerned, usual amounts for November and it was fairly wet anyway after October's rain. Then 5 days of exceptionaly heavy and prolonged rain, falling onto already saturated ground gave the village the worst floods we've had for many years. The same properties which had already been damaged in September were flooded again. For some householders this is becoming an annual trial.

Once again our Council assures us they are investigating the problem, how many times have we heard that, and how many more years of research do they need before something concrete is done?

So, on to December.

Average over 10 years is 107mm and over 20 is 116mm, the driest was 2010 with 22mm on 3 days when we had below freezing temperatures on 20 days and the snow which fell on the 12th thawed and then froze, covering roads and paths with ice, making it treacherous to get about.

The wettest was 1993 with 210mm when it rained on 27days, with a break on the 25th. It then carried on raining until the 7th of January. I don't want a repeat of either of those years, something average would be fine, and it would be nice if we could have a dry week with sunshine to dry up the sodden, muddy ground.

165mm of rain in the last week and what a nightmare it's been for us in this part of Somerset. With flooded homes, impassable roads - not once, but on an almost daily basis, as one belt of rain was followed by another with a strong blustery wind from the South or SouthSouthWest, which is unusual here as our wind and rain usually comes from the West.

Here is a breakdown of the rainfall over the week;

18th   Dry
19th   6mm
20th  44mm
21st  32mm
22nd 32.5mm
23rd   Dry
24th   51mm

and there seems no liklehood of much change, at least until the middle of the coming week. Then it should get cooler and drier (with any luck).

Only 12.5mm of rain this week, so hopefully if this continues we will start to dry up a bit. I had begun to think parts of Nates Lane would be pemanently under water, but it has drained away at last.- though it wouldn't take a lot to flood again!

The lowest temperature was -1.4°C late on Saturday night after a lovely clear bright day. The weather is still very unsettled - we have the odd nice sunny day and then in comes the rain again.

Only 16mm of rain, which gives a rather false picture of the weather in the past week. Although we have only had a little rain, it was very cloudy and overcast a lot of the time. There was the odd really lovely fine day and then back to gloom and drizzle.

Snow on Mendip on the 4th, the earliest I can remember, but it was gone very quickly. We also had some frost during the week, but then almost immediately it warmed up again.

82.5mm of rain this week to finish off a miserable cold month. October was predominantly wet with above average rainfall - 156.5mm - not a record though, 2000 had more rain. This year had a record number of wet days with 24. It was also colder than usual, so all in all I expect everyone is glad its over.

So, onto November. First the average over 10 years: 131mm, and over 20 years: 239mm. The driest was 2001 with 65mm and the wettest was 2009 with 239mm on 27days. I hope we don't get a repeat this year. Although traditionally this is one of our more damp and cold months, sometimes it gives us a spell of frosty mornings as it did in 2010 and 2005. It can also be mild, so as usual we will have to wait and see.

31mm of rain this week with the weather much as before - until we approached the weekend when it got much colder. The temperature on both Saturday and Sunday morning was 0.9°C so a touch of frost. What a lovely day Saturday was though.

We've had so little sunshine lately, it was a real treat. Again a cold night on Saturday to start with, but by Sunday morning it was raining again.

Some rain on 5 days this week, the largest amount on Monday -17mm, making the total for the week 37mm. Still fairly mild, though I think most of us have turned on the heating or lit the fire by now. According to the longer range forecast it will be much colder by the end of the month.

Clocks change on Saturday night/ Sunday morning, back, so it will be a bit lighter in the morning for a while.

Only 23mm of rain, but we had some on 6 days out of the 7, varying from light drizzle to hailstones. Not a lot, but just enough to stop many farmers from planting next year's crops which, after this year's disastrous harvest, doesn't bode well for next year unless we get a dry spell soon.

31mm of rain this week, and so on it goes. Every time I think it's stopped for a few days, it starts raining again. The rainfall in September was 146mm with rain on 16 days - roughly twice the average for the month, but not quite as bad as 2000 which was an exceptionaly wet year. Although this year is well on the way to surpassing the 1500mm we had then unless there is a prolonged dry spell.

The average rainfall for October over 10 years is 122mm, and 119mm over 20 years, so not much difference there. The wettest October was in 2000 (again) with 191mm over 17 days. The driest was 1995 with 62mm when it rained on 7 days. October can be a month of extremes, we may have glorious sunny days with marvellous Autumn colour, or it can be dank, rainy and cold. This is the month when the clocks change from summer time to greenwich mean time. (but not until the 28th!)

112mm ! An exceptional amount of rain for our area - over the average for the entire month. This was largely due to 81mm which fell between 8:30 am on 23rd and 8:30 am on 24th, and most of that was between midnight and 8:30am.

There was a lot of flooding, some properties suffered very badly and at one point during the morning the only clear road into the village was Long lane. Once again, poor maintenance seems to have made things worse, blocked drains were all too common. The road from Butts Batch down to the bridge now floods every time if it rains for more than a few minutes, as all the road drains are blocked this side of Beam Bridge. The run off points dug on the verges on Wrington Hill were blocked, directing massive amounts of water into Ropers Lane. Half the road surface from the lower end of Bullhouse Lne ended up partially blocking the top of High street.

I do realise the amount of rain was exceptional, but some areas of the village seem to suffer again and again and perhaps we all need to be better prepared for when (not if) it happens again.

Only 8.5mm of rain this week - on Monday and Friday - otherwise dry with sunshine at times. Although not warm as the wind was very chilly, nice weather for walking and I'm hoping for some good Autumn colour soon.

15mm of rain spread through the week, but still plenty of sunshine in between. Not very warm though and much more Autumnal with temperatures at night dropping as low as 5°C. Taking a long time to warm up in the morning as well.

As schools started their new term the weather dramatically improved, giving us warm sunshine and a whole week without rain. This often seems to happen, but it's not supposed to last past the weekend, so I hope everyone enjoyed it!

Total rainfall in the last week was 47mm making it one of the wettest Augusts we have ever had - a total of 177.5mm - with rain on 20 days and low temperatures for the time of year as well.

We have already had over 1000mm of rain and with 4 months still to go it looks like being a record year.

The average for September is 67mm over 10 years and 86mm over 20. The wettest was 2000 with 182mm and the driest was 2003 with only 20.5mm on 4 days. I like a good September and October as it makes the winter feel shorter and as I'm not a fan of dark nights I'm already looking forward to spring!!

34mm of rain spread over 5 days. Only 1 more week of August and still no settled dry warm weather. I don't think there will be much improvement next week, not until September when we might have a spell of dry weather, but we may have to wait until October.

Small amounts of thunder a couple of times this week, but nothing like the storms we sometimes get after a spell of very warm weather.

Rain on 4 days this week giving a total of 35mm for the week. The temperature has increased as the week progressed ending with a really warm Saturday and the promise of even higher temperatures on Sunday (in some places).

We are now over the rainfall averages for 10 and 20 years so another wet month.

Only 20.5mm of rain, so a fairly dry week for a change. Still plenty of clouds about though, so we must be missing the showers.
It's noticeable now how the days are getting shorter, its much later in the morning before it is fully light.

29th July - 4th August

A very unsettled week with some rain every day giving a total of 77mm.

July's total was 212mm, so 2007 still holds the record for the highest with 218mm. I see after looking at rainfall in 2007 that after a very wet July we had a nice dry August, so we might be lucky this year. The averages for August are 85mm over 10 years, and over 20 years, 94mm.The wettest was 1997 with 179mm wwhen it surprisingly only rained on 8 days. The driest was 2003 with 15mm but it took 6 deys to produce that.

A lovely week of sunny , dry, hot weather - until Saturday night. It was a real treat to get up every morning to sunshine and it just got warmer and warmer. In our garden in the shade it reached 29.6°C and humidity on Saturday morning was down to 28%. It soon went back up again after the 25mm of rain we had on Saturday night. Oh well it was nice while it lasted. The week ahead looks very unsettled.

15th - 21st July

Rain on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday but only 15.5mm, and then the weather improved and its been getting better ever since. For once timed just right for the start of school holidays

Another 38mm to add to the month's total of 144mm already - and the month is barely half over. Still it's not new. As recently as 2000 we had 8 months out of the twelve with over 100mm. The problem this year is the timing. Instead of Autumn, winter and spring we're getting it in what should be, Summer!

Weatherwise, more of the same for the start of July with 96mm of rain (a month's usual amount) in the first week and it hasn't stopped yet. We have had some sunshine, but still no settled fine weather - nor likely to be in the near future according to the long range forecast.

Total rainfall for this week 24mm - with rain on 5 days, so again, not very summery. This brings to an end a miserable month on the whole with rainfall 55mm higher than the previous highest for June, giving a total of 218mm with rain on 22 days, and as we go into July there seems no likelihood of much improvement.

July's average is 115mm over 10 years and 88mm over 20. The wettest was in 2007 with 218mm and the driest was 1999 when it rained on 3 days totalling 11mm. I am hopeful that after such a wet June we will have a dry July, but there are no guarantees with the weather.

At least we're not in America, after terrible storms and temperatures reaching the low 40's°C, power failures mean they have no air conditioning - not very healthy if you're in a high rise flat where you can't even open a window !

Only 3 days with rain this week - but that does include the 32mm we had on the 23rd ! - a total of 69mm altogether. The gathering at Stonehenge must have got a bit wet. I don't know how much they had, but we got 19mm on the longest day. This month looks like being the wettest June we've had, following an exceptionaly wet April. We've certainly had plenty of rain since hosepipe bans were threatened and I don't think we'll have a shortage for a while unless the rest of the year is dry.

Still only one completely dry day, but less rain overall - 35mm all together - but it is much colder than it should be for June. Next week the longest day falls on the 21st (although some diaries quote the 20th). With Midsummer day on Sunday the 24th. Perhaps it will be warmer by then.
                                                   [Ever the optimist - Ed]

61mm of rain with only 1 dry day, temperatures have been low as well. Quite a number of people have admitted turning heating on or lighting fires. I haven't heard of any damage from the gale on Thursday except for the old chestnut tree opposite us which lost a large branch and was badly damaged.

The weather was still good - lovely and warm last Sunday and right through the week until we approached the weekend. It broke on Saturday ending with 19.5mm of rain, so not looking good for Sunday.

May was another month with below average rainfall, only a few millimetres, but it adds up. The month started wet but the rain petered out by mid-month, although it remained cold. It only started warming up towards the end of the month.

The rainfall average for June over 10 years is 69mm, and over 20 years 64mm. The driest year was 1995 with a paltry 4mm and the wettest was in '98 when it rained on 18 days producing 163mm.

0nly 3 weeks 'til midsummer day, so hopefuly we'll get some warm settled weather leading up to it - unless this is one of those years when summer misses us all together !!

Sunday and Monday very much as the previous week - chilly but from Tuesday it got steadily warmer and by the weekend was positively tropical! Temperatures nudging 30°C by Friday and even with a strong wind on Saturday it was really warm. - a real change.

Definitely getting drier again - only 7.5mm of rain this week. I just wish it would get a bit warmer, it's far too cold for May. The wind is again blowing from the North and East, bringing an arctic blast. At least we are getting some sunshine now with the promise of a warmer week to come.

Again rain on 5 days out of 7, but a lot less - only 38.5mm. The ground is still very wet though, and it will take more than a few dry days to change that.The weather improved as the week progressed, giving a dry weekend with plenty of sunshine. Which meant the Pageant and other outdoor activities were able to go ahead as planned, very successfully.

A wet week with rain on 5 days, 72mm in all. There were floods on Sunday at Beam bridge with the road impassable for a while except for large vehicles.This is the first time the river has overtopped its banks for more than a year which shows what a dry time we've had, as it usually happens two or three times a year.

With a total of 218.5mm this was the wettest April in at least the last 23 years (since we started recording). It rained on 23 days and the monthly total was only surpassed by November 2009 with 239mm. It was also the coldest April for a long time with the wind coming from the North and East for the entire month - it has never really warmed up!

So, on to May. Average rainfall 90mm over 10 years and 81mm over 20. The driest was in 2001 only 36mm and the wettest was 2006 with 156.5mm. We should have said goodbye to night frosts, but it is difficult to predict anything this year. The prevailing wind needs to go back to the West and then, perhaps, things will settle back into our usual pattern.

62mm with rain every day, this is a very wet drought we're having! May starting in a couple of days and still no sign of any warmer, more settled weather.

The temperatures remain in single figures and if there is any sunshine, the warmth is soon dissipated by the very cold N/E winds.

More, much needed rain 6 days out of 7 this week - 41.5mm. The winds continue to be very cold, which spoils the warmth from the sunshine, unless you can find a really sheltered spot.

Perhaps the best place to view the spring flower display is from behind glass ! I see from the long range forecast, there is no sign of warm settled weather for quite a while.

65.5mm of rain made this the wettest week for quite a while - with rain every day. April has already passed the monthly average over 10 and 20 years.

With the lower temperatures, demand for water should be slowing down, but what we really need is a couple of wet winters to catch up.

The only rain in the last week, was 6mm on the 4th. Otherwise a dry week in spite of more being forecast. The coming week is supposed to be wet right through to next weekend - we shall see!

More frosts on Sunday 8th -1.6°C and Easter Monday -2.2°C. A slight frost on several other mornings in the past week. It was a beautiful day on Good Friday once the frost had gone we had a lovely sunny day. I can remember some terrible weather on previous Good Fridays. On one occasion we had heavy rain until lunchtime, leaving us all soaked. In fact cold wind and showers are almost the norm for Good Friday mornings, so nice to have a change.

Well, yet another dry week, but farmers and gardeners could really do with some rain. Only 50.5 mm - well below average for the month. I am expecting this dry weather to affect food prices and supplies this summer, and even into next winter's crops if we don't get some rain soon.

The average rain for April is 59mm over 10 years and 73mkm over 20 years. The wettest was 2000 with 83mm and the driest was 2011 with only 15mm.

I hear the forecasters are talking about rain and even snow later next week - it woudn't be the fist tine. The last time we had snow and ice in April was 13th-14th April, 1999. and we are still having frosts in the early morning this week, the price for clear nights.

After 7mm of rain on Sunday and some fog in the early morning, the weather has been getting better and better day by day. Towards the weekend the temperature was higher than last July! Beautiful cloudless skies and clear nights - did you see Venus, Jupiter and the new moon from Thursday evening in the West ? They have been very clear and appeared next to each other, though in reality millions of miles separate them. I hope everyone remembered to change their clocks on Saturday night, we're now in summer time!!

16mm of rain and a slight frost on both Tuesday and Thursday mornings -1.8°C and -0.2°C. Some fog first thing towards the end of the week. So not looking a lot like the springlike weather we were promised on weather forecasts. Hopefully next week will be better!

Only 9mm of rain - with 8mm falling on the 3rd - so another dry week until Saturday night. Mild to start with and some nice sunshine but getting much colder towards the weekend.

The total in February was only 34mm, well below average, but with plenty of frosts particularly early in the month. There was the odd frost during the rest of the month following clear nights but soon gone giving some lovely sunny mornings, the clouds thickening in the afternoon.

March The average over 10 years is 70mm and also over 20 years. 2008 was the wettest with 154mm and the driest was 1997 with 25mm on 6 days.

As we've only had 11mm of rain, it looks like being another very dry month which makes things difficult for gardeners and farmers who need to get started on planting. Still some frost, but usually just before dawn, and it soon disappears as it gets light:

Sunday 19th -2.7°C
Monday 20th  -.5°C.

We have had some lovely weather over the last couple of weekends and long may it last! If we're not going to get any rain we may as well have some nice sunshine. Days of unending cloud and gloom are what I really dislike.

A bit mixed this week with some frost at the weekend, some rain and some strong winds. The lowest temperature was -5.2°C and we had only 9mm of rain; occasional sunshine - but not too often. Mainly cloudy and overcast, we need some sunshine now to cheer us all up!

4mm of rain and some more hard frosts this week, not quite as cold as last week ,but still quite chilly,

Sunday am  - 1.0°C
Monday        -1.2°C
Wednesday -5.0°C
Thursday      -1.8°C
Saturday      - 5.2°C

In spite of the cold weather the snowdrops are coming out well, and the Hellebores are showing colour (much too early of course) so I hope it warms up soon.

Well, this last week has been the coldest this winter, with a frost every morning-

Monday        -1.2°C
Tuesday       -2.4°C
Wednesday -2.3°C
Thursday      -3.6°C
Friday           -8.6°C
Saturday       -8.2°C

-and it looks set to continue with more of the same for the next week or so while the wind carries on coming from the N/E.

January was a relatively mild month until the last few days. We had 89mm of rain so fairly dry as well . We did have some strong winds which weren't too bad here, but much worse in other parts of the country, causing damage and blocking roads with fallen trees, so once again we escaped lightly.

The average rainfall for the month is 86mm over both 10 and 20 years, so not much change there. The driest year was 1998 with only 11mm confined to one day, and the wettest was in 2007 with 155.5mm spread over 21 days.

Another dry Sunday followed by 4 days with some rain: 22mm. Once again getting colder and drier towards the weekend with a frost on Saturday night -2.6°C. On the upside it is nice to have slightly lighter mornings. After the shortest day it seems ages before there is a noticeable difference in daylight.

Pleasant weather to start the week, a bit windy and 2mm of rain. Temperatures going down towards the weekend, with a frost on Saturday morning -2°C so it looks like we're heading for a spell of colder weather.

Well, the new year certainly started wet - 51mm in the first 4 days, and strong winds , but still fairly mild. We could do with a few good frosts to get rid of some of the pests still lurking on the odd plant in sheltered places.

(The strong winds haven't knocked the crab apples off!)

Review of 2011.