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Wick experiences a wet December – but not quite the wettest





Weather Watch by Keith Banks

Stratocumulus stratiformis perlucidus clouds, sunset, Wick, December 24 2024. Picture: Keith Banks
Stratocumulus stratiformis perlucidus clouds, sunset, Wick, December 24 2024. Picture: Keith Banks

There is a continuous process of exchange of water between the atmosphere, sea and land, known as the water cycle.

Clouds, rain, snow and fog develop when, as a consequence of cooling, the water vapour in the air undergoes changes in state to become liquid or solid. Water vapour, in terms of amount, is only a small component of the atmosphere, however, it is the most important in relation to the weather.

Water vapour enters the atmosphere by the process of evaporation, mainly from the oceans, rivers and other large bodies of water. However, small amounts of water vapour are admitted to the air by the phenomenon known as sublimation.

Vegetation also transfers huge quantities of water vapour to the atmosphere. The physical process that is responsible for this phenomenon is known as transpiration.

Water vapour is a gas. Because the atmosphere gets colder with increasing altitude, the water vapour present eventually cools to the frost or dew point, returning to the solid or liquid phase state.

The frozen or condensed water forms clouds, and falls back to Earth as snow or rain.

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When this precipitation hits the ground, it can be absorbed by the soil, or can become run-off. The run-off process is the movement of water, over the land surface after a spell of precipitation.

The run-off can join streams and rivers and contribute to collected bodies of water such as lochs, estuaries, seas and eventually the oceans. At this stage the water cycle begins over again.

Perusal of Wick's historic record for mean air temperature for December showed that December 2024 was the mildest since that of 2016. Closer examination of the archive confirmed that it is currently the 8th most mild in a series stretching back to 1910.

In terms of precipitation, December 2024 was the wettest since that of 2023, and is presently the 6th most wet in a series commencing from 1910.

December 2023 remains Wick's wettest December. The amount recorded for that month was a prodigious 171mm (6.73 inches).

Wick's mean air temperature for December 2024 was 5.97C (42.75F). The long-term average, in terms of the averaging period 1991-2020, is 4.27C (39.69F).

The burgh's average daily maximum air temperature for December 2024 was 8.36C (47.05F), 1.57C higher than the current long-term average.

Highest maximum was 14.3C (57.7F), recorded on December 24. Lowest daily maximum was 4.6C (40.3F), witnessed on December 2.

The town's average daily minimum air temperature for December 2024 was 3.57C (38.4F). The long-term average, in terms of the current 30-year averaging period, is 1.74C (35.13F).

Highest daily minimum was 10.5C (50.9F), noted on December 1. The lowest minimum was minus 1.0C (30.2F), observed on December 10.

The temperature fell to 0C (32.0F), or lower at 5cm over the grass on two dates. The lowest temperature recorded at 5cm over the grass was minus 2.2C (28.0F), on December 10.

Precipitation was measurable on 29 dates. The total for the month was 124.6mm (4.95 inches), or 176.1% of the current long-term average quantity for December.

Wettest day was December 30. The total for the 24 hours commencing 9am (GMT) was 27.0mm (1.06 inches).

“Days of gale” were experienced on December 21 and 22.

The strongest wind velocity was observed during the hour ending 8pm (GMT) on December 21 when a gale force 8 westerly wind gusted up to 75.9mph/66.0knots, hurricane force 12 on the Beaufort scale.

However, wind velocities in the town reached or surpassed gale force 8, (39.0mph/33.9knots), on eight other dates during the month.


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