Launching Noah's Ark...

It is all in the News, our weather...

"The French department of Finistere, in the west of the country, was placed on red alert as forecasters warned of huge waves and extensive flooding.
Ten other French departments were also on alert for rising water levels.
At least two people died and scores had to be airlifted to safety after floods hit south-eastern France earlier this month."
BBC News Channel 1/2/2014....

So what has it been like, this last January...
well....
WET!!


Warmer and wetter...
than 2013...
almost twice as wet as 2012!

January 2014

Temperature (°C):
Mean (min+max)   8.1 (Mean Minimum     4.1 / Mean Maximum     12.1)
Minimum          -0.9 day 14
Maximum          16.4 day 08
Highest Minimum  10.1 day 06
Lowest Maximum   6.2 day 20
Air frosts       2

Rainfall (mm):
Total for month  71.7 [2013 - 61.2mm]
Wettest day      9.6 day 02
High rain rate   9.0 day 04
Rain days        21... exactly the same as 2013

Wind (km/h):
Highest Gust     36.7 day 02
Average Speed    3.7
Wind Run         2725.2 km

Pressure (mb):
Maximum          1022.0 day 11
Minimum          984.8 day 29

January 2013

Temperature (°C):
Mean (min+max)   3.9 (Mean Minimum     0.4 / Mean Maximum     7.4)
Minimum          -7.5 day 16
Maximum          15.1 day 31
Highest Minimum  4.9 day 09
Lowest Maximum   0.0 day 06
Air frosts       10

Rainfall (mm):
Total for month  61.2 [2012 - 37.8mm]
Wettest day      10.2 day 09
High rain rate   99.0 day 18
Rain days        21

Wind (km/h):[see our comments in the first post in January!]
Highest Gust     33.1 day 21
Average Speed    0.5
Wind Run         285.3 km

Pressure (mb):
Maximum          1041.0 day 15
Minimum          0.0 day 06 [a bit vacuous this!!]

Other local bloggers have been "covering" the weather...

Colin and Elizabeth on The story of our life in and around Braye-sous-Faye ...
and today [February the Third]... The Paddy Fields of Richelieu.....
Amelia on In a French Garden...
Niall and Antoinette on Chez Charnizay...
it is affecting us all!

The Met Office has done a set of charts for this January's weather in the UK...
So...!
Just for comparison....
I thought I'd look back a century....
courtesy of the Met Office Archives

January 1914
MANY GALES AND HEAVY RAIN IN ENGLAND:
Dull in the East:
Bright in the North and West:
Unusually Large Range of Pressure.
Floods in the Thames region...

January 1913
STORMY AND WET.
Rainfall.
There was a deficiency of precipitation over a large part of northern Scotland, all other districts returning an excess.  
#The percentages for Scotland were low [18% Dunrobin, 32% Strathpeffer]...
but excessive everywhere else: 234% Woolacombe, 238% at Glasnevin, 246% Spurn Head, 252% Dublin...

So, not a lot of change really...
But, what might be to come?

Jan 1915
MANY GALES AND MUCH HEAVY RAIN IN ENGLAND:
Dull in the South and East.
Brighter in the North and West:
Floods in the Thames region...
[Almost a duplication of 1914!!]

Jan 1916
STORMY AND ABNORMALLY MILD
Rainy in North and North-West.
Dry in East South.

Jan 1917
COLD
Wintry, Much Snow in Many Places.

Jan 1918
STRANGE
First Part Wintry with Snow and Severe Frost : Second Part Spring-Like.
Sunshine. daily sunshine was above the normal in England.

#This is the same as reported yesterday for last month on Auntie Beeb!!

<<---------------ooo000OOO{}OOO000ooo--------------->>

Recent post on "Flint Bling" on Touraine Flint

La Météo... Wet with rare outbreaks of Sunshine

A Weather Review of 2013

A summary of 2013

2012 records are in [brackets and italics] in this table.

Temperature (°C):
Mean (min+max)   12.0 (Mean Minimum     6.1 / Mean Maximum     17.9)
Minimum          -7.5 on 16/01/2013 [-20.6 on 07/02/2012]
Maximum          38.7 on 21/07/2013 [26.7 on 15/03/2012]
Highest Minimum  23.8 on 27/08/2013 [21.1 on 18/06/2012]
Lowest Maximum   0.0 on 06/01/2013 [-6.0 on 07/02/2012]
Air frosts       59  [41]

Rainfall (mm):
Total for period 717.3 [777.0 for 2012]
Wettest day      33.9 on 14/09/2013 [371.4 on 16/03/2012]
High rain rate   99.0 day 18/01/2013 [165.6 day 08/08/2012]
Rain days        174 [79]

Wind (km/h):
Highest Gust     42.8 on 24/12/2013
Average Speed    1.1
Wind Run         7881.1 km

Pressure (mb):
Maximum          1041.0 on 15/01/2013
Minimum          995.5 on 10/02/2013

The Wind data are unreliable early on... 

a new windspeed sensor was only installed halfway through the year...

until then it only had two cones... not three...

in strong wind that meant that it often got stuck...

unable to turn with the wind. 

-----ooo))0O0((ooo-----

January

Temperature (°C):
Mean (min+max)   3.9 (Mean Minimum     0.4 / Mean Maximum     7.4)
Minimum          -7.5 day 16
Maximum          15.1 day 31
Highest Minimum  4.9 day 09
Lowest Maximum   0.0 day 06
Air frosts       10

Rainfall (mm):
Total for month  61.2 [2012 - 37.8mm]
Wettest day      10.2 day 09
High rain rate   99.0 day 18
Rain days        21

Wind (km/h):
Highest Gust     33.1 day 21
Average Speed    0.5
Wind Run         285.3 km

Pressure (mb):
Maximum          1041.0 day 15
Minimum          0.0 day 06 [a bit vacuous this!!]

FebruaryThe pré is part of the floodplain of the Aigronne...

Temperature (°C):
Mean (min+max)   5.4 (Mean Minimum     0.5 / Mean Maximum     10.3)
Minimum          -4.2 day 20
Maximum          15.4 day 19
Highest Minimum  5.9 day 01
Lowest Maximum   5.5 day 12
Air frosts       9

Rainfall (mm):
Total for month  49.5 [2012 - 12.6mm]
Wettest day      20.4 day 01
High rain rate   18.0 day 09
Rain days        12

Wind (km/h):
Highest Gust     36.7 day 05
Average Speed    0.7
Wind Run         334.9 km

Pressure (mb):
Maximum          1031.5 day 03
Minimum          995.5 day 10

March...saw more Snakeshead fritillaries than in previous years!

Temperature (°C):
Mean (min+max)   7.4 (Mean Minimum     1.3 / Mean Maximum     13.5)
Minimum          -6.2 day 15
Maximum          21.2 day 07
Highest Minimum  10.3 day 08
Lowest Maximum   5.1 day 29
Air frosts       11

Rainfall (mm):
Total for month  43.2 [2012 - 395.1mm]
Wettest day      5.4 day 07
High rain rate   43.2 day 31
Rain days        16

Wind (km/h):
Highest Gust     29.5 day 08
Average Speed    0.2
Wind Run         148.0 km

Pressure (mb):
Maximum          1016.0 day 03
Minimum          981.8 day 11

AprilFortunately the pré is much lower than the house!!

Temperature (°C):
Mean (min+max)   10.8 (Mean Minimum     3.5 / Mean Maximum     18.2)
Minimum          -4.5 day 03
Maximum          29.9 day 24
Highest Minimum  12.3 day 17
Lowest Maximum   7.8 day 06
Air frosts       6

Rainfall (mm):
Total for month  59.4 [2012 - 9.9mm]
Wettest day      15.6 day 11
High rain rate   18.0 day 11
Rain days        9

Wind (km/h):
Highest Gust     31.7 day 09
Average Speed    0.1
Wind Run         35.6 km

Pressure (mb):
Maximum          1020.6 day 19
Minimum          989.8 day 09

May...and still it rained and rained!

Temperature (°C):
Mean (min+max)   12.9 (Mean Minimum     6.6 / Mean Maximum     19.1)
Minimum          1.3 day 24
Maximum          27.0 day 07
Highest Minimum  13.1 day 08
Lowest Maximum   12.4 day 20
Air frosts       0

Rainfall (mm):
Total for month  64.5 [2012 - 9.6mm]
Wettest day      10.8 day 21
High rain rate   16.2 day 08
Rain days        17

Wind (km/h):
Highest Gust     15.8 day 08
Average Speed    0.0
Wind Run         0.4 km

Pressure (mb):
Maximum          1014.4 day 13
Minimum          989.0 day 16

JuneThanks to the rain we discovered four more types of Orchid on our land.

Temperature (°C):
Mean (min+max)   17.7 (Mean Minimum     10.8 / Mean Maximum     24.7)
Minimum          5.3 day 26
Maximum          33.0 day 06
Highest Minimum  15.9 day 18
Lowest Maximum   18.8 day 13
Air frosts       0

Rainfall (mm):
Total for month  40.8 [2012 - 16.2mm]
Wettest day      12.3 day 13
High rain rate   14.4 day 13
Rain days        16

Wind (km/h):
Highest Gust     18.4 day 23
Average Speed    0.0
Wind Run         0.8 km

Pressure (mb):
Maximum          1021.6 day 26
Minimum          997.2 day 17

July

Temperature (°C):
Mean (min+max)   22.7 (Mean Minimum     14.1 / Mean Maximum     31.3)
Minimum          9.2 day 01
Maximum          38.7 day 21
Highest Minimum  18.1 day 19
Lowest Maximum   16.6 day 03
Air frosts       0

Rainfall (mm):
Total for month  9.3 [2012 - 15.0mm]
Wettest day      3.9 day 02
High rain rate   7.2 day 02
Rain days        8

Wind (km/h):
Highest Gust     20.9 day 29
Average Speed    0.2
Wind Run         286.1 km

Pressure (mb):
Maximum          1030.7 day 30
Minimum          1002.0 day 02

August...we tended to see the morning sun...

Temperature (°C):
Mean (min+max)   17.0 (Mean Minimum     12.7 / Mean Maximum     21.2)
Minimum          0.0 day 11
Maximum          37.9 day 01
Highest Minimum  23.8 day 27
Lowest Maximum   0.0 day 11
Air frosts       0

Rainfall (mm):
Total for month  41.7 [2012 - 30.3]
Wettest day      8.7 day 06
High rain rate   7.2 day 07
Rain days        10

Wind (km/h):
Highest Gust     19.4 day 02
Average Speed    1.6
Wind Run         349.0 km

Pressure (mb):
Maximum          1032.7 day 10
Minimum          0.0 day 11 [Not really!]

September

Temperature (°C):
Mean (min+max)   17.5 (Mean Minimum     10.5 / Mean Maximum     24.5)
Minimum          4.7 day 10
Maximum          31.5 day 24
Highest Minimum  16.0 day 28
Lowest Maximum   17.9 day 17
Air frosts       0

Rainfall (mm):
Total for month  61.2 [2012 - 7.8mm]
Wettest day      33.9 day 14
High rain rate   21.6 day 28
Rain days        12

Wind (km/h):
Highest Gust     30.6 day 17
Average Speed    2.1
Wind Run         1045.1 km

Pressure (mb):
Maximum          1027.2 day 22
Minimum          1000.9 day 29

October

Temperature (°C):
Mean (min+max)   15.0 (Mean Minimum     10.3 / Mean Maximum     19.8)
Minimum          0.0 day 28
Maximum          26.8 day 03
Highest Minimum  16.2 day 04
Lowest Maximum   11.0 day 29
Air frosts       0

Rainfall (mm):
Total for month  170.1 [2012 - 84.6mm]
Wettest day      30.6 day 28
High rain rate   39.6 day 14
Rain days        23

Wind (km/h):
Highest Gust     22.0 day 23
Average Speed    1.9
Wind Run         1110.7 km

Pressure (mb):
Maximum          1026.0 day 06
Minimum          0.0 day 28 [Not really!]

NovemberPrivé - the walnuts were scarce this year!

Temperature (°C):
Mean (min+max)   7.1 (Mean Minimum     3.1 / Mean Maximum     11.2)
Minimum          -4.3 day 28
Maximum          19.0 day 07
Highest Minimum  14.3 day 07
Lowest Maximum   5.9 day 18
Air frosts       5

Rainfall (mm):
Total for month  69.6 [2012 - 87.6mm]
Wettest day      20.1 day 05
High rain rate   82.8 day 05
Rain days        15

Wind (km/h):
Highest Gust     39.2 day 10
Average Speed    3.4
Wind Run         2100.3 km

Pressure (mb):
Maximum          1034.4 day 26
Minimum          993.3 day 05

December

Temperature (°C):
Mean (min+max)   5.9 (Mean Minimum     -0.1 / Mean Maximum     11.9)
Minimum          -6.7 day 10
Maximum          17.9 day 16
Highest Minimum  9.3 day 24
Lowest Maximum   7.5 day 14
Air frosts       18

Rainfall (mm):
Total for month  46.8 [2012 - 75.8mm]
Wettest day      15.3 day 28
High rain rate   9.0 day 28
Rain days        15

Wind (km/h):
Highest Gust     42.8 day 24
Average Speed    2.9
Wind Run         2184.9 km

Pressure (mb):
Maximum          1033.0 day 14
Minimum          987.0 day 24

Walt's graphs for 2013 can be found here.
Susan's 2013 commentary, from her field notes, can be found here.

The full 2012 Summary is available here.
 

The odd zero pressure readings are probably due to a transmission breakdown...
we have seen odd "flat spots" on the graphs...
and the batteries were renewed during the year!!

Wishing everyone a Happy, Health and Prosperous 2014...
and here's a prayer for more clement weather.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There is a new entry for the blog about the meadow here on Art en Saule.

Can spring be far behind?

At last we have had some weather that permits us to sit outside with a cup of tea in the afternoon, to hang out some washing, to do some tree work in the meadow.

After lunch yesterday* we were doing the first of these when an unmistakable braying was heard.
Cranes!#      

The moon provided a good backdrop to the last pictures.

A small flight was coming along the ridge opposite our house, between the Aigronne and Claise valleys. Tim "rushed" into the house to get his camera, as fast as he could go while wearing "the wrong trousers" - chainsaw protection - while I kept an eye on the flock, which was heading into the wind and not progressing terribly fast.

A bit blurry... I had the camera on Manual focus and forgot!

 
Tim fired off as many pictures as he could as the flock swirled around to follow the Aigronne, and I looked at them down the wrong end of Tim's binos (dammit - I'll get used to them one day).
Tim reckons he can count 52 birds in the group - much easier with digital cameras!

Better this shot... but still not the best I've taken! But you can count them...

 
Now to report the sighting to the LPO Champagne-Ardennes group which is coordinating records of crane migration in Europe and parts south and east.


For another rarely seen, large, migratory bird please follow this link to Niall & Antoinette's "Chez Charnizay" "erm? Non- Grue" post... and they saw grues yesterday, too! And got some smashing pix!!

# Crane (Grus grus) Grue cendrée

* Wednesday 20th