Cold and often Wintry
Temperatures
The average maximum temperature during December 2021 in Horsholm was 3.6 Celsius, and that was more than 2 degrees below normal for the time of year. The average minimum temperature was minus 0.6 Celsius, and that was nearer 3 degrees below the monthly normal.
The highest temperature recorded during the month was 9.3 Celsius on the 15th, but a maximum of 9.0 Celsius was recorded on the 31st, and there were 3 other days with maxima above 8 Celsius, including a high of 8.6 Celsius on the 30th. There were only 4 other days with maxima above 5 Celsius, and on many days (12) the highest temperatures were between 1 and 3 Celsius. On 5 occasions the maximum temperature hovered around zero (between 0.2 and minus 0.2 Celsius). The lowest value of minus 0.2 Celsius occurred on 2 days, the 6th and 26th.
There were no mild nights during December, but the temperature only fell to 6.4 Celsius on the 31st. There were no other nights with minima above 5 Celsius, although a low of 4.7 Celsius occurred on the 15th, and minima between 3 and 4 Celsius were measured on 6 nights. Apart from the 31st, all of the less cold nights occurred between the 13th and 19th. Only 7 more nights had lows above freezing, and 4 of those nights had minimum temperatures between 0 and 1 Celsius. On 5 nights the temperature fell below minus 5 Celsius, and it was particularly cold over the festive period, with lows of minus 8.9, minus 9.1 and minus 7.2 Celsius, on the 24th, 25th and 26th respectively.
Frost
There were 16 air frosts during December, and that was 9 more than normal. They occurred in 2 spells. Between the 1st and 12th there were 9 air frosts, and on 2 of the frost-free nights (the 8th and 9th) minimum temperatures were below 1 Celsius. On the frosty nights, minima were mostly between zero and minus 3 Celsius, but the first 3 nights of the month were colder, although the only value below minus 4 Celsius was on the 1st, when minus 4.4 Celsius was recorded. The second spell of frosty nights occurred between the 20th and 27th with only 1 night, the 22nd, having a minimum temperature above zero, and on that night the low was 0.1 Celsius.
Rain
A total of 62.4 millimetres of rain was measured during December, which was about 25% above the monthly average. Measurable precipitation fell on 19 days, which was 2 days below average. Almost one third of the monthly total fell on the first day of December, with 20.2 millimetres measured. Another 8.8 millimetres occurred on the 3rd, but other 24-hour totals during the first 11 days of the month were all of 1 millimetre or less. On the 12th, there were 7.8 millimetres recorded, with a further 5.2 millimetres on the 14th. After mid-month, precipitation was less heavy, and although significant rain was recorded on 12 days, the only 2 daily readings above 2 millimetres, were the 2.6 millimetres on the 22nd, and the 9.4 millimetres that fell on the 31st.
Hail
No hail was observed in this part of Horsholm.
Thunder
There was no thunder in this part of Horsholm.
Snow
Sleet or snow fell on 11 days during December, and half cover, or more, of lying snow was observed on 11 mornings. Snow and sleet overnight on the 1st didn’t settle, but in the evening, more significant snow fell and continued until the early hours of the 2nd. By morning, there were 6 centimetres of snow lying. The depth had decreased to 5 centimetres by the following morning, and only large patches were left at 10 o’clock on the 3rd. A fairly similar event occurred on the 10th, with sleet early in the day, and snow in the evening and overnight. On the morning of the 11th, the snow depth was 4 centimetres, but that thawed by the end of the day. Light snow fell on the afternoon and evening of the 21st and continued for a while overnight. In the morning there were 2 centimetres of snow lying. The snow thawed quickly, and although snow fell on the 23rd, it didn’t accumulate until later in the day. On the morning of the 24th there were 3 centimetres of snow lying, and although it had decreased to 2 centimetres by the following morning, a full cover of snow remained until late morning on the 29th. Further snow or snow grains fell on both the 27th and 28th, but the precipitation was light and had little impact on the existing snow.
Wind
Winds were mainly from between southwest and southeast and accounted for around two thirds of the daily observations. The wind was generally lighter than normal, but the first 8 days were breezy at times, and with temperatures not far from zero, the easterly winds on the 5th and 8th were particularly unpleasant. The brisk northwesterly wind on the 19th was less harsh, but that could not be said about the bone-chilling southeasterlies that blew on both the 27th and 28th.
Fog
There was thick fog for most of the day on the 13th.