JANUARY proved a mild month, with temperatures well above average, according to meteorological readings taken at Durham University Observatory.
The average air temperatures for January, 5.5C, was the ninth highest since 1850, and the warmest since 1989. The average is three-degrees.
It was also a dry month, with 34.2mm of rainfall, 24.8mm less than average.
But it was also very blustery, with the average wind speed 6kmh higher than the norm, peaking with a gust of 137kmh on Saturday, January 8.
While there were five days with no recorded sunshine during the month, the sunniest day was January 30, when there were 4.6 hours recorded.
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