January 2023: Snowdrops

Snowdrops are among the first plants to flower in the new year.

Delicate yet incredibly hardy - they can even force their way through several inches of snow, but what weather did they face this January?

It was a bright month. England had its second sunniest January on record in a series which goes back to 1919.

Berwick was one of a number of places to see record levels of January sunshine, more than 50% more sunshine hours than the average for the month.

Temperatures were only slightly milder than average.

Despite a brief cold spell in the middle of the month, temperatures soon returned nearer to average.

The north of the UK seeing the highest temperatures in the month.  

January 2023 also saw near average rainfall for the UK, about 3% more than average.  

Although for much of the Tyne Tees region it was dry. Rain moving in from the west had often fragmented and eased by the time it reached the east coast. With some parts of our region only seeing about half the expected rainfall.