December 2012 Summary

In Brief:
Record-breakingly mild and wet.  A short dry and colder spell in the second week.

Temperature: [Minimum]:
Night-time temperatures ranged from 3.1 degs C on the night of the 5th/6th, to 13.3 degs C on the night of the 22nd/23rd. This led to an average of 8.74 degs C, the highest of the last ten Decembers, and easily beating 7.52 in 2011 into second place. 
Previously the warmest December night was 12.6 degs C on the 12th/13th in 2003.
The temperature only fell below 5 degs C on two nights, the fewest number of times this has happened in December.*  There have been 7 Decembers of the last ten where the temperature did not fall below zero.

Temperature: [Maximum]:
Daytime temperatures ranged from 7.7 degs C on the 11th and 12th, to 16.3 degs C on the 19th.  This is the highest ever December temperature at this location*, beating the previous highest of 15.2 set on the 4th in 2007. The average daytime temperature for December 2012 was 12.48 degs C, which was also the highest ever at this location.*  2007 now becomes the second warmest December, with an average of 12.4.

Rainfall:
December 2012 was the wettest month ever at this location** with a total of 288.9 mm of rain, easily beating November 2009's total of 223.9 mm into second place.  November 2012 was the third wettest ever month* with 217.8 mm, meaning that 506.7 mm of rain fell in the last two months of 2012 alone.  This is more than half the amount of rain that fell in the whole of 2010 or 2011.
The wettest day itself was the 22nd, with 38.2 mm, and more than 30 mm fell on 4 days of the month.
There were 3 totally dry 24 hour periods in the month [2200-2200]. The driest spell was the 8th to the 13th, with 0.4 mm of measurable rain, whereas a total of 118.8 mm fell between the 19th and the 22nd.
December 2011 saw 188 mm.

*Since 2003.
**Since April 2008.