Overall December was an uneventful and quiet month, seasonal at the beginning, then with a mix of milder and cooler interludes before a very mild conclusion to the month. Rainfall was frequent but generally patchy and light with a drier spell through mid month. Whilst the final total for the month was still a healthy one, it did finish much drier than average.

  In that cooler, more seasonal start to the month there was a little wintriness, but nothing of note and no day recoded 'lying snow' and whilst the number of frosts during the month finished on average, there were no really cold nights.

  For most of the month the mean temperature ran close to average, but a very mild few days 29th-31st ensured the month finished warmer than average. That mildness saw the minimum temperature on the 31st in double digits and both the 30th and 31st topping 12°c.

  MSLP of 1009.9 Mb was -2.2 MB below the local average for the month and overall a mean minimum of 1.70°c and a mean maximum of 7.30°c saw the temperature 0.54°c above the twelve year average for this site.

  It was the warmest December since 2019 and since 2009 when the record began, five have been warmer and seven have been colder - the highest maximum temperature recorded during the month being 12.4°c (31st), the lowest minimum -2.4°c (22nd).

  Rainfall of 94.4 mm (Maulds Meaburn North 90.4 mm -- Castlehowe Scar ??? mm) was 57.5% of average for 2007-20, making it the driest December since 2016. In a record that commenced in 2007, five have ben drier and nine have been wetter.

  During the month the following was recorded: snow fell on five days (but with no days of lying snow) and hail fell on one - the wind speed averaged 6.39 mph, with a maximum gust of 41 mph (1st, 7th and 31st).

  At the Met' Office site at Shap a mean minimum of 1.3°c and a mean maximum of 7.1°c saw the monthly mean temperature 1.45°c above the average and made it the warmest December since 2019. In a record back to 1992 (but with 1995 and 2002 missing), 18 have been colder and 9 have been warmer.

  Rainfall of 135.4 mm represents 62.8% of its average. It was the driest December since 2010 and in a record that commenced in 1989, five have been drier and twenty seven have been wetter.

  At Appleby in Westmorland rainfall of 65.0 mm represents 66.9% of its average (1856-2020) and made it the driest since 2016 - in a record that commenced in 1856, 42 have been drier and 123 have been wetter.

  Across the county it was broadly drier than average in the southeast and eastern part of the county, extending into parts of the LDNP, but wetter than average around the coastal fringes and parts of the north of the county. Discounting Maulds Meaburn (only 15yrs worth of data) Aisgill Moor with just 60% of its average had the lowest percentage fall and that percentage tended to slowly increase as we ventured west (60.5% at Warcop, 66.9% at Appleby, 76.2% at Kirkby Thore) and even as far west as Seathwaite (99.5%) the average was still below the norm’).

  Haresceugh Castle (Kirkoswald) (103.3%) marked the start of the northern portion becoming wetter than average and whilst in the south, Ambleside and Coniston also remained just below average, once we hit the costal fringe the average went into positive territory. Barrow with 128% of average was the wettest part of the county when expressed as a percentage and that was maintained at St. Bees (124.9%) and over at Geltsdale (Brampton) with 124%.

  Figures from the Environment Agency’s rainfall sites were, (figure in brackets being the monthly average for 1961-90)   ‘Data kindly provided by the Hydrometry and Telemetry team of the Environment Agency (Penrith)’:

  Kirkby Thore 54.6 mm (71.7 mm)

  Haresceugh Castle (Kirkoswald) 87.9 mm (85.1 mm)

  Brothers Water 222.27 mm (304 mm)

  Orton (Shallowford) 148.6 mm (195.1 mm [average for 1967-2020]) - making it the driest since 2018 and since the record commenced in 1967, 23 have been drier and 31 have been wetter.

  380.2 mm at Seathwaite Farm (Borrowdale - 391 mm [average for 1845-2020]) - making it the driest since 2018 and since the record commenced in 1845 we have parity, 88 have been drier and 88 have been wetter.

  General Synoptic Report for the Month

   Cool(ish) and wintry at the start of the month as Low pressure (LP) moved across the UK on the 1st towards Denmark and with a weak ridge of high pressure (HP) extending north from the west of Spain, a N'ly flow was introduced behind the LP. There was then a couple of night-time frosts, but nothing severe and with day-time maximums hovering either side of 5°c.

  Of the wintriness, a little hail fell on the 1st, a light cover of snow late evening on the 2nd and then on the 4th some sleet in a band of rain (11.7 mm) as an area of LP moved across the UK from the west.

  However, the LP didn't completely clear the UK to the east and with a 'nose' of HP once again from the south, the UK sat in cooler air. The 7-9th saw 'Storm Barra' arrive from the SW and bring a spell of unsettled weather. It was an event that had greater impacts elsewhere than in Cumbria and rainfall of 14.5 mm (7th) was the worst that it got.

  'Barra' filled and ceased to exist on the 9th and we now entered into a quieter period of weather. Initially it became mild from the 11th, but with cloudier skies as a new area of LP out on the western side of the Atlantic pushed fronts towards the UK. Day-time temperatures on the 11-12th attained 11°c and after a slight dip 13-14th were back above 10°c on the 15th.

  The UK had become the boundary between a large area of HP that was dominant over Europe and LP near Iceland that had brought a mild and moist SW'ly flow to the UK - but now that HP would move north and become dominant over the UK.

  And with it, it brought some beautiful weather - yes it was a bit colder with some frosts, but these were not severe, but apart from being dry it was also ... sunny. Maybe only winter sunshine, but the 17-19th were glorious and in that sunshine the 18th, after starting with a frost, even got up to 11.4°c (52.5f). On the 18th with the HP centred on the east coast, the pressure rose to 1043.2 MB.

  After this the HP elongated NW-SE and with a cold front to the east making slow progress west over the UK. The days became somewhat grey and overcast with no sunshine and cooler, the 21st only managing a high of 2.2°c.

  A large, deep and slow moving area of LP out in the Atlantic pushed fronts towards and across the UK and it briefly became a tadge milder on the 23rd, but amongst a run of grey days, this was the greyest. The next few days remained grey, albeit a little cooler. Fronts over the UK with LP to the west and HP Norway and northern Europe then saw the UK sat between the two and in the early hours of the 26th those fronts met the colder air within that HP to give a spell of snow - a little too late for a White Christmas!

  It would then turn milder and unsettled, through to the end of the year as the Atlantic LP systems would now gain control - over the previous few few days the monthly mean temperature had just slipped below the average (up to the 28th) and was still 'on average' on the morning of the 29th, but the mildness of those final three days would change all that.

  The 29th saw a maximum of 11.6°c and overnight into the 30th the temperature barely fell below 10°c. The 29th had been overcast with a spell of rain in the morning and the 30th also started overcast, but at least dry. However, fronts arrived in the afternoon and rain of 23.4 mm then fell, continuing into the early hours of the 31st, making the 30th the month's wettest day.

  Whilst the 30th attained 12.2°c, what was probably more notable was a minimum temperature of 10.0°c to start the 31st - the degree of mildness was certainly notable.

  However, the month's warmest day was the 31st with 12.4°c (54.3°f), but only 'technically so' - as this was the temperature at 0900Hrs on the 1st January 2022 which is 'thrown back' to the 31st.