55mm with rain every day, not a good omen for the start of a new year. Very strong winds have made the situation worse for many people who have suffered very badly with damage flooding and no electricity, it cant have been fun to over Christmas to have a fridge stuffed with food and no way of getting it cooked or of keeping it fresh and freezers are usually full at this time of the year as well.

Review of 2013
The year started dry which we needed after 2012 but by the middle of the month we had snow which because of the temperature hung about for quite a while but as usual it was very much worse in the colder areas of the country. It continued cold and frosty through February and March and on into April we had the coldest Easter day for many years. Spring was very late because persistent cold winds and we were well into May before it began to warm up.

We did have some lovely warm weather in July and we even had very good weather in August for a change, September was fairly good and it was nt until October we had really wet weather which continued into November and December. The total rain was 1030mm the wettest month was October with 196-5 which was also the month with the longest continues spell of wet days 20 and the driest month was February 38 days but the longest fine spell was in July 19 days.

Even more rain this week than last, but the 24th and 25th were dry and the rain on the 26th was later in the day so we were able to get a couple of good walks over the holiday period.

Total rainfall for the week was 56-5mm and we are still getting some very strong winds but not nearly as bad around here as other parts of the country where major damage has been caused, and once again there has been awful floods, and for some no power
all over the Christmas period.

A change this week with rain on 6 days out of 7 giving us 50mm - more than we've had for quite a while - but it's still mild for December. No frost at all this week, but now the shortest day is passed and we head into January, I expect it to get colder - it often does.

At least it will gradually get lighter now, especially if the cloud cover breaks a bit. I can't remember the shortest days and heavy cloud cover coinciding quite so much before. It's certainly been gloomy - we've needed light on nearly all day.

The weather still remains very mild for December but it is still overcast a lot of the time. We have had 11mm of rain but no frost. In the latter part of the week the wind has been blowing from the south which is very unusual in winter here.

With Christmas looming the chances of it being wet is 50/50. Only occasionally have we had one of those lovely crisp winter days for a walk after lunch and no snow for us - at least not in the last 20 years.

Only 3.5 mm of rain in the last week, and the temperature dipped below zero twice - but only just on Sunday and Thursday morning, -0.3°C and -0.9°C; otherwise fairly mild for December. There is still a lot of cloud about, though, making it very dark and gloomy and where is all the rain gone !

Rain on only 13 days this month, giving us a total of 102.5mm all in the first couple of weeks the latter half of the month was dry.

There have been some early morning frosts but nothing exceptional. The lowest temperature was -2.4°C on the 26th. The brightest day this week was Monday, otherwise the weather has been much the same for the last couple of weeks a lot of cloud about but no rain here.

On to December now, the average rainfall for this month is 120mm over 10 years and 126mm over 20. The wettest December was in1993 with 210mm of rain on 27 days, and the driest was 2010 with 22mm over 3 days. However, we had frost on 27 nights and some snow on 12, so it seems to be one or the other - but we don't get to choose !

After drizzle on Sunday, the weather changed and we"ve had a really cold week,with North winds and night frosts and the daytime temperature hasn't been reaching double figures. Quite a change from the last few weeks its been lovely to have some sunshine again and it's nice not to need the lights on in the early afternoon.

Only just over 4 weeks until the shortest day which is something I always look forward to even though we usually have our worst weather from January onwards.

A fairly typical Autumn week - overcast, some drizzle, cold winds and two nights when the temperature went down to freezing by 6am, but we only had 14.5 mm of rain. I see that the long range forecast is for a spell of very cold weather lasting well into December, which will be unusual for us as we usually have our worst weather in January and February. So, we will see what happens.

With 81.5mm of rain I think we can say it was a wet week, although we did have some dry periods during Tuesday and Thursday daytime - but on both days it rained later on. I suppose we should be glad it's still fairly mild so we don't need a lot of heating yet. It's not often it stays mild into November, but I do expect it to get colder any night now.

October started and ended wet with plenty of rain in-between. We had rain on 25 days, giving us a total for the month of 196.5mm., making this the wettest month this year so far - and the most rain in October in the last 20 years.
Because it's been so dry overall this year, I haven't heard of any flooding, unlike last year when it got so wet we had floods every time it rained.

November the average rain over 10 years is 132 mm and over 20 years, 126mm. The wettest November was, of course, last year's 259mm - will we ever forget it - or will it become something we will talk about whenever we have a lot of rain and say it's not as bad as November 2012 ? The driest November was 2001. This is usually one of our wet (!) months but in view of the amount we've had all ready, perhaps it will be a dry one.

We must remember that at this time of the year it's going to be either wet or frosty, and I expect our first frost during the next dry spell. Last year we had a snow shower on the 5th of November. It didn't last, and it rained for the rest of the month, so our first frost was not until the 7th of December.

51mm of rain, and another week with some every day - which adds up to 15 consecutive wet days. I know I said we needed a bit of rain but I think we"ve had enough for a while. At least it's still fairly mild for October - as soon as it stops raining it will turn much colder.

52mm with rain every day for the last 7 days - that hasn't happened for a long time. October is already the wettest month this year
and there is still another 12 days to go before the end of the month.

It has remained mild though, but, without the cold nights and sunny days, I don't think the Autumn will be as good this year as it sometimes is, but there is still time. It may be better as we go into November when the temperature drops. The clock goes back next weekend so for a while, it will be a bit lighter in the morning.

The early part of the week was nice and fairly mild. We had a bit of early fog, which soon disappeared, otherwise quite good. But on Wednesday I noticed as the day went it got noticeably colder, and by Thursday it was cold and windy.

The rest of the week was not very warm, although we havn't had much rain - only 9mm. But I think it's time to get coats, gloves and scarves ready just in case.

September ended dry and October started wet, so rainfall for the last week 39mm, most of which fell on the 3rd, but a nice dry weekend with temperatures up in the low 20s and plenty of sunshine.

September was a fairly good month weatherwise with no extremes; rain was in the main light and patchy and we had plenty of sunshine so only 64-5mm of rain - another below average month.

October could be very different - more rain and wind and possibly our first frost of the winter, or it could be calm and sunny with cold nights giving us really good Autumn colour .The average rainfall for this month is, over 10 years, 121mm and over 20, 123mm. The driest October was 1995 with rain on 7 days - 62mm - and the wettest was 2004 with rain on 23 days - 190mm. This is also the month when we seem to get high winds more often, but, as ever, the weather will do its own thing and probably surprise us in one way or another.

In spite of the large amount of cloud cover in the last week, we only had 7mm of rain. Not as much as we need in view of the dry time we've had this year - last year's rain won't last for ever, and I think we are due for a bit of a top up - but it is nice to wander round the garden without stopping to put a coat and boots on.

Rain on only 2 days this week so only 16mm in total, but it has been overcast rather often and we ve had some light drizzle, things did improve on Friday and we had some sunshine in the afternoon, but sadly on Saturday it was overcast again.

These weather conditions are quite usual for this month, and we may have to wait until October to get those nice crisp sunny days that we all enjoy.

It rained on 5 days out of 7 in the last week, giving us a total of 33mm. The wettest day was Friday with 21mm.
Getting much cooler now especially over night. It's quite cold in the early morning and it's taking quite a while to warm up, though we're still getting nice sunny spells between the showers; but we can't pretend any longer - Autumn is here.

The week started well, really warm with plenty of sunshine until Friday; in fact Wednesday was one of the hottest days we`ve had this year. On Friday we had a big change it was much cooler and we had our first shower for 11 days - only 2mm though - but I think Autumn is on its way.

With only 71mm of it was another below average month the seventh this year May being the exception but it was only a few millimeters so we should have some rain soon. What a treat August was this year really lovely warm weather and in the school holidays too.

The average rainfall for September over 10 years is 79mm and over 20 years 89mm, the driest September was in 2003 with 20mm and the wettest was in 2000 with 182mm which shows how variable September can be. I expect we will get some lovely Autumn days, but being British we'll remember the showers we get rather than the sunshine we usually do.

In spite of being overcast and cloudy at times the last full week of the school holidays was dry and warm with plenty of sunshine and no rain.

Its getting very dry in the garden so we still need to keep on watering pots and tubs if we want them to carry on looking good through September and on into October.

With September starting fine it is looking good for the month ahead.

Very little rain this week only 9mm; plenty of cloud though, mostly in the morning with the weather improving as the day went on - except on Friday when the day started with lovely sunshine, but the clouds thickened during the afternoon and we had rain during the evening - only 5mm - so on with watering.

Only 16mm of rain this week, but it was spread over 4 days and we had a lot of cloud even when it was dry . The best of the sunshine has mainly been in the late afternoon and early evening, and with the wind coming from the west it hasn't been too chilly, with temperature going up to the low 20s by early afternoon, but dropping to 9°C or 10°C by 6 am.

With 36mm of rain in the last week we shouldn't need to do much watering, but we have had some sunshine in between as well.

At least the weather is a lot better than last year when we were still waiting for dry weather and some sunshine though August following 4 months of excessive rain which led to flooding around the village. The same 4 months were dry this year but no one wanted to tempt fate by mentioning the D WORD.

Some rain on 5 days in the last week - mainly in the afternoon and evenings - 38mm in all, but still nice and warm. We had 61mm of rain in July well below the average for the month. Nearly all the rain fell in the last few days, so we've had plenty of warm, dry, sunny weather - what a shame that the weather and the schools broke up at about the same time.

The averages for August are: over 10 years 101mm, and over 20 years 94mm. The wettest August was in 1997 with 179 mm but it only rained on 8 days - 4 at the beginning and 4 at the end - giving us a long dry spell in the middle. The driest was in 1995 when we had only 9mm during the drought.

This month is not usually too bad; we can expect a reasonable amount of fine weather with warm evenings, although it's noticeably getting dark earlier. This is the time when we can enjoy our gardens instead of working in them.

Very hot on Sunday and Monday, followed by a violent thunderstorm early Tuesday morning starting about 02:30 and lasting until 05:00. At its height the lightning was almost continuous and seemed to be coming from all directions. One of the most spectacular storms I have seen for some years, but only 3mm of rain followed by a very humid day.

Slightly cooler for the rest of the week with steady rain on Saturday afternoon and evening, giving a total of 31mm for the week.

Another week of hot dry weather with temperatures climbing towards 30°C in the shade every day, with a slight variation depending on whether we have a breeze or not. Sometimes a bit of cloud develops late afternoon, but no sign of rain yet - so, on with the watering!

Dry and hot all week, temperatures nudging 30°C which is extraordinary in Britain, where if it climbs up to 25°C we think its a red letter day! This is producing very dry air as well. Humidity, in a shady part of our garden is now down to 12%.

The corn is ripening very quickly as well, whether that is because it is ready, or the lack of moisture is causing it to wilt and dry up, I'm not sure.

Anyway, we are promised a few more weeks of the same. 3 of our water tanks are empty already, so it's out with the hosepipe I'm afraid. Unless we get a thunderstorm - which is becoming more likely!!

July started with a fine sunny day, though still a bit breezy. Tuesday showery and overcast with 1.5mm of rain. Wednesday we had drizzle in the morning but fine later. It then continued warm and sunny for the rest of the week, culminating in a lovely afternoon on Saturday for the fete.

The total rainfall for June was 46mm- quite a dry month. The main complaint was the wind, which didn't disappear until well towards the end of the month, but on the whole a very pleasant month - especially compared to last year's floods.

Average rainfall for July is 124mm over 10 years and 94mm over 20 years . The big difference between the two figures can be blamed on 2007, 2009 and 2012 when we had over 200mm in the month - which I hope doesn't happen this year. The driest July was 1999 with 11mm on 3 days, and the wettest was 218mm in 2007 when it rained on 25 days.

23rd-29th June

A dry week except Thursday with 10.5mm of rain, which will please gardeners as it's quite dry now. Our warmest day was Tuesday when temperatures were reading 26°C by lunchtime, but it dropped back in the afternoon; the evenings are still a bit chilly though, especially in the wind, which we still seem to have had our fair share of lately.

Only 14mm of rain, but a mixed week weather-wise. Reasonably warm until mid week as the wind dropped a bit, but colder on Friday and Saturday as the wind gained strength. With the longest day behind us we'll soon be into July and it would be nice to have a spell of warm settled weather before we get to Autumn.

21.5mm of rain spread over 6 days, also much colder right through the week. On Friday I wore a winter coat and on Saturday the roads flooded above my ankles after a very heavy storm in Cheddar. Between the rain storms we are still having some sunny spells. The lower temperatures are due to the cold wind which has been the problem since early Spring.

Well, what a lovely week of fine dry weather. No rain and lots of sunshine with temperatures in the low 20's. A bit of cloud sometimes and the occasional cool edge to the wind, but a really good week for a change, let's hope it continues!

With 36.5mm in the last week of May, the total rainfall for the month was 96.5mm which is slightly above average - welcome, as it has been fairly dry so far. At last we seem to be getting some summery weather with a really nice day on Saturday, when everyone enjoyed seeing so many beautiful gardens in the sunshine.

June is usually one of the drier months (if we don't count last year) the average over 10 years is 84mm and over 20 years 72mm. The wettest June was last year (2012) with 218mm and the driest was 1995 with 4mm on one day.

Hopefully now we will have some nice sunny weather with only a reasonable amount of rain (at night)

30.5mm of rain, mainly on Tuesday. The forecast was right and it was a cold wet day, but on Wednesday things started to improve and the second half of the week was much better with light winds and higher temperatures (at last).

Well, I really thought summer had started with such lovely weather on Sunday and Monday and the beginning of Tuesday. Then it went downhill and by Saturday we had returned to Winter! 18mm of rain and high winds by mid-week with temperatures struggling to make 10°C. However, the Bluebells are out on Wrington Hill so it can't be all bad!!

1mm of rain this week on Sunday, otherwise a dry week, getting warmer towards the weekend. The W/E wind has eased at last allowing the sun to warm things up.

April: only half the usual rain this year - 44.5mm in total and a cold wind most of the time. All the crops have been held back and some are not even planted yet. So we will be suffering shortages this Autumn and higher prices at the greengrocers.

May: average rain 88mm over 10 years and 82mm over 20. The driest May was 1998 with 37mm and the wettest was 2007 with 155.5, so once again no pattern. So far this has been an exceptionally cold spring and it will take a while for everything to catch up.

Again a relatively dry week, 10mm of rain, but very cold out of the sun. The wind keeps swinging back to the North, giving us cold dry weather instead of the mid damp weather we would get from the West, which would also be better for the garden.

It's hard to believe it's almost the end of April when I look at the very slow growth in the garden. When I went over Wrington hill this week, there was no sign of the bluebell flowers- not even buds.

A dry week, only 5.5mm of rain all week. Some sunshine and quite warm at times although the wind is still a problem. The temperature is still dipping towards freezing in the early morning, but at this time of the year it soon warms up.

28 mm of rain spread over 5 days, but at last the icy wind has gone; hopefully for good. The last night frost, -3.4°C, was on the 7th, now a change to much milder (and damper!) weather. So no more frosts at the moment, but we can't really rule them out for another month if the conditions are right.

Another cold, but dry week. Not very nice for the Easter holidays and a biting cold wind again with a frost every night. Mon 0

So on to April. The average rainfall over 10 years is 79mm and over 20 years it's 82mm. The wettest April was 2012 with 218.5mm and saw the start of our flood problems. The driest was 1997 with only 16mm over 3 days. This month is usually changeable and showery. At the moment it is carrying on from March with frosty nights and cold winds. Hopefully this will change as soon as the wind moves back to the West. Then we will probably have some rain.

Weather much as before; cold but dry all week with regular night frosts. Temp for the last week of March: Mon -0.4°C, Tues -2.4°C, Wed -0.8°C, Thurs -2.7°C, Fri -3.1°C, Sat -1.9°C and Sunday, the last day of March, -3.7°C. The worst feature of the weather is the continual cold wind which seems to be worse in the day that at night meaning that if the temperature rises during the occasional spell of sunshine we don't get much benefit from it.

The weather this week is much the same as last,.even the amount of rain - 26mm this time spread over 4 days instead of 2.
Still very cold, lowest night time temperature -1.9°C And not much warmer during the day, on Sunday the mid-day temperature was 1.5°C. It looks like being a cold Easter!

26mm of rain, mainly on the 25th, otherwise a fairly cold bleak week with just one nice sunny day.

Night frosts ranging from -0.4°C down to -5.9°C early on Thursday morning, and sometimes the day temperature didn't feel much warmer thanks to a very sharp N.E wind. According to Met Office predictions the weather is not expected to improve much next month either.

15.5mm of rain this week. Very cold on Sunday morning, temperature down to -4.2°C overnight, but Monday was much better - it was quite warm by the end of the day.

It was much milder throughout the week, hence the rain rather than snow. Cooler towards the end of the week with the threat of worse next week!

Another dry week, giving us a February rain total of 38mm, but not the driest - in 1998 the total was only 11mm. February often seems to be one of the driest months. The lowest temperature was -1.8°C on Saturday morning.

So, on to March with an average of 69mm of rain over 10 years and 20 years. The wettest was 2008 with 154mm and the driest was 1997 with 25mm.

The memorable thing that seems to frequent this month, is the cold and brisk North or East wind. Which, so far shows no sign of changing.

A dry week for a change. Sunday and Monday were bright and cold with sunshine. The rest of the week was also cold without the sunshine, so not much warmer by day or night. Lowest night time temperature was -1.8°C, only struggling up to 2°C or 3°C during the day. Not many white frosts because the humidity is low at the moment.

A very mixed week, starting with drizzle on Sunday, then cold and damp, 2° or 3°C until Thursday, when the temperatures turned milder and it became wetter with showers and wind from the West. Ending the week dry and cold with some sunshine.

Total rainfall 20.5mm, lowest night temperature -1.5°C. There are signs of some better weather, but probably colder as well.

Very strong winds on Monday and Tuesday but dry. Wednesday we lost the wind and had our coldest night of the week -2.3°C.

Some light rain on Thursday and Friday but brighter in the afternoons. Saturday was a really miserable day with drizzle all day and on into the night.

At least we didn't get any snow - not cold enough. Total rain this week 14.5mm.

47mm of rain during the last week, it rained for 6 days, but we still managed a couple of night frosts: -1.7°C and -1.9°C, and a very cold strong wind.

We had a total of 101.5mm of rain in January, slightly below the average of 10 years -104mm and 20 years - 117mm, but there was snow on the ground for a week which has contributed to local water levels.

The wettest January was 1995 when we had 207mm but the worst for wet days was '95 when it rained on 27 days (followed by a really good summer). The driest was '97 with 12mm (also followed by a good summer). So if you are looking for logic - don't follow the weather, because it isn't logical !

Snow was still causing problems until Thursday, especially on Tuesday, when snow during the early evening disrupted travel on the A38 for some time, but that was the last proper snow that fell here.

It was followed by a mix of snow and rain that ended as rain giving 39mm for the week. We had a lovely sunny day on Thursday which also gave us our coldest night -2.3°C. Saturday was fine too, but ended with heavy rain during the night.

Frost every night this week until Friday, the lowest was -2.6°C, so not too bad. On Friday morning we had snow, but the temperature barely got down to zero and the same on Saturday.

The snow caused everyone maximum inconvenience and the morning rush hour became a nightmare for anyone trying to get to work and the journey home was no better. At least the children enjoyed it, they were all out on Saturday morning with sledges etc. making the most of what is, in our part of the country, a rare treat.

26.5mm of rain spread over 4 days, mild to start with, getting colder as the week progressed. With the promise of frosts, and even snow in the week ahead!

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.

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.