Oxford Weather and Climate since 1767

Weather observations have been made at the Radcliffe Observatory in Oxford since 1772, and continue to this day, the longest meteorological record in the British Isles and one of the longest in the world. This new book by Stephen Burt and Tim Burt sees the first publication of this newly digitised record of English weather. Monthly and seasonal weather patterns and extremes across two centuries are brought to life by expert analysis with the help of local documentary sources and contemporary photographs, while detailed monthly and annual summary tables of rainfall (from 1767), temperature (from 1813) and sunshine (from 1880) are included up to 2018.

From the prolonged frosts of January 1776 to the sparkling summer of 2018, this book celebrates Oxford’s unique and priceless Georgian legacy by describing and explaining how the records were (and still are) made, delving into all the extremes and the quirks of British weather, in a volume which will appeal to interested readers and climate researchers alike.

The book is available from Oxford University Press bookshops and online, and from all good booksellers.

Oxford University Press, May 2019
Hardback, 544 Pages, 246 x 171 mm
ISBN: 9780198834632

Part 1 Oxford’s weather and climate

1. Oxford - Its regional, economic and climatic setting
2. Weather observations in Oxford
3. Oxford’s urban growth and its potential impact on the local climate
4. Oxford’s weather in its regional context
5. Long-period weather observations elsewhere in the British Isles and Europe

Part 2 Oxford weather through the year

6. The annual cycle
7. January
8. February
9. March
10. April
11. May
12. June
13. July
14. August
15. September
16. October
17. November
18. December
19. The calendar year

Part 3 Oxford weather through the seasons

20. Winter
21. Spring
22. Summer
23. Autumn

Part 4 Long-term climate change in Oxford

24. Climate change in Oxford

Part 5 Chronology of noteworthy weather events in and around Oxford

25. Chronology

Part 6 Oxford weather averages and extremes

26. Warmest, driest, sunniest, . . .
27. Earliest and latest dates
28. Droughts and wet spells
29. Oxford’s ‘top ten’ extremes
30. Notable heatwaves and cold spells, sunny and dull periods, in Oxford since 1815

Appendices

1. Metadata: Meteorological observations at the Radcliffe Observatory, Oxford, 1772 to date
2. The Radcliffe observers
3. Climatological averages and extremes for Oxford, 1981–2010
4. Climatological averages and extremes for Oxford, since records began
5. Monthly rainfall totals for Oxford, 1767–1814
6. Monthly and annual summaries of Oxford’s weather by year, 1813–2018

References and further reading

Index

Burt, Stephen and Burt, Tim, 2019. Oxford Weather and Climate since 1767. Oxford University Press, 544pp.

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