EVER wondered how much rain falls in Frome in a month or which day was the hottest? Well wonder no more, as a local meteorologist will be bringing all the news about the weather in Frome to the Frome Times every month direct from his own personal weather station.
For 30 years local man Michael Cooper has reported on the weather in Frome, sending his statistics to the Environment Department, Met Office and the BBC. “The study of weather has always been a hobby for me,” explained Michael.
“I have always been interested in extreme weather since I was a young child. I remember the cold winter of 1962/1963 when the sea froze along the Kent coast six miles out to sea and I remember the hot summer of 1976.”
In his professional career, Michael was a welding specialist for the Ministry of Defence for 40 years, but still found time to become a professional member of the Royal Meteorological Society and obtain a qualification in meteorology from Reading University.
To assist Michael with his studies, he had an extension built on his house to create a small weather station, which is a sight to behold. “The outside of my house looks like a Russian cruise ship strewn with antennas,” joked Michael.
Married for 49 years, there has been no escape for his wife, chairman for the Frome and District Embroiderers’ Guild, Pam Cooper, from Michael’s passion. “In 1968 when my wife and I got married, I took Pam on honeymoon to Southern Ireland to visit a weather station. I didn’t tell her until we got there the reason why we were there.”
But despite the collection of over 50 barometers and all the equipment needed to measure the weather, Pam has her own work space in the extension for her embroidery work.
With a particular interest in the study of wind, Michael has an ambition to experience first hand one of the most extreme types of weather. “I would love to go tornado chasing in the United States with my friend Richard Angwin, who used to be the Points West meteorologist.”
But for now, Michael will continue to study the weather in Frome and share his findings with the readers of Frome Times.
Weather statistics for Frome June 2017.
Rainfall:
Rainfall for June = 56mm. 10.5mm less than 2016 and 6.5mm less than the 15 year average of 65.5 mm which includes the very wet Junes of 2012 and 2011.
All rainfall readings were recorded from a Met/Check Cu rain gauge i.a.w Air Ministry form 1122.
Temperature:
Highest D.T.T = Wednesday 21st June at 3pm = 32 Degrees C. 2016 highest = 23 Degrees C.
Lowest D.T.T. = Monday 5th June at 3pm = 12 Degrees C.
Lowest N.T.T. = Night of Saturday 3rd June and Monday 5th June = 10 Degrees C.
Highest N.T.T. = Night of Monday 26th June = 18 Degrees C.
It is interesting to note that 32 Degrees C was the highest June temperature I have recorded in Frome for thirty years.
2015 average June temperature = 17.7 Degrees C, 2016 = 17.5 and this Year 2017 = 19.4 Degrees C.
All temperatures were recorded from within a S.S. from two different thermometers .
The Met Office reported that Wednesday 21st June was the hottest June day since 1976, 34 Degrees C; although this statistic was recorded at Heathrow Airport, where the automatic temperature recorded was alongside the runway and also exposed to the jet engines’ exhausts every three minutes. This is called temperature contamination.
Air pressure:
Lowest Atmospheric Air Pressure = 1003mb. recorded Tuesday 29th June.
Highest Atmospheric Air Pressure = 1024mb recorded Friday 16th June.
Wind speed:
Highest Wind Speed = 44 m.p.h. Vector Direction = N.W. recorded Tuesday 6th June.