1914

The warmest April of the century in Scotland, and the highest number of lightning deaths in a year (14) occurred in 1914. A thundery summer.

January. There were mild westerlies at the beginning and end, but there was a cold anticyclonic spell midmonth. 82 mm of rain in 12 hours at Fort William on the 25th. It was very dull in London. A dull month overall. Apart from being very wet in NW Scotland and the Borders, it was very dry elsewhere, with some places having just half the expected rainfall.

February. A very mild month (6.8C CET); it was wet and stormy in the west and dry in the east. The first half of the month was particularly mild, with a CET of 8.3C up to the 15th. Very mild and and sunny first week in the south. 60F was recorded at Hawarden and 57F at Nairn on the 2nd. 16C was recorded at Shawbury, near Shrewsbury, on the 3rd. There was a gust of wind of 85mph at Falmouth on the12th. London reached 59F on the 14th. It was more cloudy in the north. Places such as Hull saw only 19 mm of rain all month, but it was wet in the west and southwest. There was a storm in the SW and Wales on the 21st and gales on the 22nd.

March. A wet month. Flooding in East Anglia.

April. A very sunny, dry, warm month - the warmest of the century across Scotland. 24C recorded in a number of locations on the 21st.

May. This month holds the record for the lowest May minimum in the last 10 days of the month: -7.2 at Braemar on the 25th. The first half of the month was cold and unsettled as a series of depressions crossed the UK. Early on the morning of the 2nd it was -4C at Worksop. Generally dry and cloudy, but with violent thunderstorms in London on the 7th and 22nd. There was a drought at Haverfordwest between the 12th and 28th. Oundle (Northants.) recorded hail storms on the 8th and 22nd. There was a fine spell midmonth. Colder than average elsewhere apart from the east.

June. Generally bright and dry. It was cool between the 5th and 9th. There were violent thunderstorms in London on the 14th, leading to flooding, hail damage, and 7 people killed when a tree was struck by lightning on Wandsworth Common. 94mm of rain fell in 2.75 hours at Richmond Park. On the 18th a thunderstorm near Carrbridge in the Highlands led to flooding and the destruction of a railway bridge: five people died in a train accident that resulted from this. The second half was warmer, and hot at the end of the month, with 31.5 C (89F) recorded in London on the 30th. It was a dry month in the south, with under 8 mm of rain at Ventnor (IOW) all month, 0.28 inch of rain was recorded at Portland Bill, and only 0.37 inch at Southampton; but it was wet in NE England. It was sunny in East Anglia. 270 hours of sunshine were recorded in the Isle of Wight all month. 

July. Cloudy and warm. 32.2C was recorded in Surrey on the 1st. There were also some violent thunderstorms across the UK on the 1st; a man was killed by lightning in Rochdale. There was a cool spell between the 25th and 27th.

August. The first week was wet and unsettled. It then became warm, dry, and sunny, with some hot days. 30C (86F )was recorded in Brighton on the 13th, Holyhead on the 14th, and London on the 24th. On the 21st though a severe thunderstorm near Norwich injured five men sheltering under a tree struck by lightning; two were injured seriously. Margate saw only 0.25 inches of rain all month. It was a very sunny month in NW England and NW Scotland.

September. A fine, warm month, dry and sunny across the UK. Less than half an inch of rain fell in the Thames estuary area and in Newcastle all month. Over a very large area there was no rain before the 9th and none after the 18th. 29C (84F) was recorded at Woking on the 3rd.

October. Dry and mild.

November. Very wet and generally mild, but with a cold spell midmonth.

December. One of the wettest Decembers of the century; in many places, the wettest. On 28th December, there was a violent gale around London with falls of rain, hail and snow; the wind was 50 mph at the Royal Greenwich Observatory. One man was killed.