Wind weary battered by storms
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RESIDENTS of Wick and district endured a cold and wetter-than-normal December. However, it was for its strong winds the month was particularly memorable – it will certainly remain notorious for its frequent bouts of sustained, violent and damaging winds.
Notably, the month hosted Wick’s highest wind velocity since January 2005. These features betrayed the fundamentally “cyclonic westerly” personality of the month. In spite of it being predominately cold, Wick witnessed its warmest Christmas Day ever and the air temperature on Boxing Day was the royal burgh’s highest since records began in 1914.
Wick’s mean air temperature for December was 3.59C (38.46F), down 0.91C on the long-term number. Nevertheless, this value was decidedly balmy in comparison to the corresponding mean temperature for December 2010 of just 0.57C (33.03F), the lowest on record.
The average maximum daytime temperature for December was 5.56C (42.01F) while the seasonal norm is 7C (44.6F). The temperature reached or exceeded a mild 10C (50F) on four days.
On both December 25 and 26 mainly force-seven south-westerly winds (but with gusts up to 67 mph
Christmas Day saw the temperature peak at 13.1C (55.6F) during the early part of the afternoon. This easily trounced the previous highest maximum of 11.1C (52.0F) held jointly by 1943 and 1988. The highest air temperature for Wick on Christmas Day 2010 was 0.2C (32.4F).
On Boxing Day the mercury soared to a record-breaking Mediterranean-like 14C (57.2F) by 2.20pm. The previous record for warmth was 13.9C (57F) on December 24, 1931. The previous highest temperature for Boxing Day was 12.2C (54F) in 1943.
In order to put those readings into appropriate perspective, such values would be considered respectable daytime maxima in Lisbon, Rome and Athens at this time of year.
Daytime maxima were below the seasonal norm on no fewer than 22 dates. Wick’s lowest daytime maximum temperature occurred on the 5th when the thermometer peaked at a bitterly cold 0.4C (32.7F).
Overnight minima averaged at 1.62C (34.92F), down 0.38C on the established long-term value. Highest overnight air temperature was a very mild 7.6C (45.7F) recorded on the 22nd. There were nine air frosts. The lowest air temperature was minus 3.1C (26.4F) on the 19th. Ground frosts featured on 19 dates. The lowest temperature at 5cm over the grass was minus 7C (19.4F) also recorded on the 19th.
Precipitation was logged on 27 days. The total recorded added up to 96.1mm or 117.2 per cent of the long-term average. The wettest day of the month was the 8th when the rainfall total was 14mm (0.55 of an inch). Snow was visible over the grass on eight dates.
DECEMBER 2011 gained the dubious distinction of becoming the second most stormy month so far this century.
Last December was eclipsed only by January 2000 for the relentless violence and brutality of its gales. Winds reached or surpassed gale-force eight (39 mph
Wick’s windiest day was the 8th when vengeful winds of hurricane-force 12 (74 mph
The wind veered south-westerly during the early part of the afternoon and gradually decreased to a gentle force three (eight to 12 mph) by 5pm. The benign conditions that prevailed perhaps lulled locals into believing the storm had past.
However, this was not the case as the Far North was soon to experience the full wrath of this awesome “weather behemoth”.
By 7pm the centre of the low was moving north-eastwards across the North Sea. Winds rapidly increased in velocity, veering firmly into the north-west and unleashing a period of vicious gusts across the region, particularly between 8pm and 11pm as the low hastened towards Norway. In Wick the north-west wind bellowed up to a steady severe gale-force nine to storm-force 10 (47 mph to 63 mph) by 7.20pm punctuated with frequent gusts in excess of 74 mph
Much colder Arctic air flooded across Scotland during the small hours of the 9th on an increasingly boisterous force-seven-to-eight north-westerly wind that continued to gust up to storm-force 10 in the frequent heavy and wintry showers of hail and snow that swept across the town.
Wind chill was a compelling feature of Wick’s weather on the 9th with the chill factor typically in the range minus 12C (+10.4F) to minus 14C (+6.8F) during the daylight hours in the bracing force-six-to-seven north-west winds with the actual air temperature hovering at little more than 2C (35.6F) during daylight hours.
