Weather expert warns more persistent rain and blustery winds are heading to Aylesbury Vale

Whilst fairly mild for this time of year, the last week of 2022 has been a wet and windy one. For example, over 15mm of rain fell across parts of the Vale on New Year’s Eve, although rain cleared in time for New Year celebrations. It was blustery at times too, with south-westerly winds frequently in excess of 30-40mph.

Temperatures have generally been above seasonal averages too, with daily maximums reaching double digits most days. The only exception to this was on Tuesday morning (27 December), when temperatures were around zero across the Vale.

Overall, 2022 has been an interesting year for the UK in terms of the weather. The most notable weather was this summer where temperatures exceeded 40C for the first time on record, with seven stations on 19 July reaching or exceeding 40C around central, and south-eastern England.

Southern England saw its driest July on record, with England also only seeing 50% of its usual rainfall throughout the summer. This lack of rainfall was felt across the Vale, with hosepipe bans that were only lifted in November and over 350 wildfires in July and August according to the fire service.

Last year, 2022, will (provisionally) see the highest annual average temperature across the UK since records began in 1659. Globally, the mean temperature in 2022 was around 1.15C above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial average, making 2022 the fifth or sixth warmest year.

Dozens of incidents were attended by the Bucks Fire and Rescue Service in just one day at the height of the chaotic temperatures.

So what’s in store for the first week of the year? Tomorrow (4 January), looks to be dry with bright spells, albeit breezy, but further through the week looks more unsettled as bands of persistent rain and blustery winds move in from the west, particularly looking forward to this weekend.

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