Early 2015 outlook and yet another new record

OUTLOOK EARLY 2015

With a jet stream of around 170 knots blasting across the UK today, it’s likely to be an extremely windy but also very mild start to the year – in fact one of the mildest New Year’s Days on record.

And a powerful jet stream looks set to feature strongly during the first half of January with a broad westerly weather pattern expected.

This means that heavy rain and gales are expected at times, especially in the west and north, but short colder spells, as the wind temporarily veers to the northwest, will bring wintry showers to some hills.

And there is absolutely no sign of any blocking weather pattern which would bring winter proper to the UK.

NEW WEATHER RECORD

The Met Office has confirmed that 2014 was a record-breaking year – becoming the warmest yet recorded on the CET (Central England Temperature) data set which dates back to 1659.

Strikingly, all three of the warmest years on record have come in the last eight years: 2006, 2011 and 2014.

It’s also been a very wet year.

Based on the modern UK data set, which dates back to 1910, 2014 is in the top five wettest years on record.

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