January was fifth driest since 1923

The first month of the new year saw plenty of sunshine, but was the fifth driest January since 1923.

A total amount of 15 mm of precipitation was recorded by the Meterolgical Office in January, falling “heavily short of the rainfall quota of the month”, which stands at 92.9 mm.

The wettest day of the month was the 12 January, with 5.8 mm of rain being measured.

No thunderstorms were reported.

The sea also recorded above average temperatures at 16.6 ˚C, rather than the expected 15.8 ˚C.

The first month of the decade clocked 179.8 hours of sunshine, exceeding the monthly norm by 17 hours.

The twenty third day of the month was the bleakest, with just 0.2 hours of sunshine.

The average temperature for January was 0.5˚C higher than the norm, with the lowest recorded temperature being 5.1˚C, and a maximum of 18.8˚C.

The maximum wind speed for January was clocked at 35 knots.