The Whitworth Meteorological Observatory - December 2010 Temperatures
The UK Met Office have reported that December 2010 was the coldest December in the UK since records began in 1910 (Met Office news article). While the average temperature recorded at the Whitworth observatory of 1.47C was somewhat higher than the average for England of -0.5C, it was still significantly colder than in previous years. Data from the old Sackville Street met station gave the following monthly average temperatures for December:
| Year | December Mean Temperature |
| 2008 | 5.87C |
| 2007 | 7.29C |
| 2006 | 8.53C |
| 2005 | 7.20C |
| 2002 | 7.22C |
Thus the December 2010 mean temperature was 5.75C lower than the average of the above years, similar to the difference from normal of -5.2C reported by the Met Office for the December 2010 mean temperature for England.
The plots below show in detail how December 2010 temperatures compared with previous years in central Manchester. Data for December 2010 is from the new Whitworth Observatory, while data for earlier years is from the old met station on the Sackville Street Building approx 1Km north of the current site. Unfortunately there was no overlap period between the two stations so there may be systematic differences which have not been accounted for.
2010
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
