PEOPLE in Dorchester and Weymouth shivered through December, according to town weathermen.

It was the coldest December since 1995 in Dorchester with frost on many mornings during the month.

Meteorologist John Oliver, of Weatherbury Way, Dorchester, said: “New Year’s Eve never reached higher than -0.2C and was the coldest day in Dorchester since January 1997.”

In Weymouth it was also very cold although there was little rain in December.

Half of the month’s rainfall was on one night – Friday December 12 – resulting in flooding in Southill and Upwey.

Meteorologist Bob Poots, who records weather for the Weymouth area from a station in Wyke, said: “Twice as much sunshine, half as much rain and very cold – that sums up the month.

“December saw little rain, nearly all of it in the first fortnight. Half of the month’s rainfall was over night on Friday the 12th.”

“Sunshine was plentiful and on the 11th exceeded the 30 year average for the whole of December.”

He added: “Sunshine was plentiful in the first 19 days but let us down with six sunless days at the end of the month.”

Temperatures fell below zero 20 times in December in Weymouth. The lowest point was -5.7 C on the 12th.

Year when weather made a splash

SUNNY Weymouth lived up to its name in 2008 while Dorchester suffered a damp summer, according to weathermen.

Meteorologists John Oliver and Bob Poots have outlined the fortunes of the towns over the past 12 months.

Mr Oliver said that Dorchester had a chilly December to round off a year with one of the wettest summers for half a century.

“Last year was the coolest overall since 2001 and followed two record warm years.

“Even so, the mean temperature of 10.5C was still 0.2C above the 1971 to 2000 average.”

The year produced a mixed bag of highs and lows on the weather front including rain on 189 days – more than average – and adding up to more rainfall than usual. July 8 took the honour of being the wettest day of the year when 41.3mm fell on Dorchester. The summer was the third wettest of the last 50 years – only 2007 and 1960 were worse.

Mr Poots said that the average annual sunshine hours is 1768 hours 24 minutes but that Weymouth ‘once again excelled itself’.

He said the town ‘greatly exceeded’ the annual average by recording 2009 hours and 54 minutes.

Mr Poots added: “Sunshine totalling over 2000 hours is not a common occurrence.

“Weymouth has achieved this twelve times since 1895, five of which have been in the last 10 years.”

The sunniest day was June 7 with 14 hours and 42 minutes.

There was 782.6 mm of rainfall during the year – above the town’s average annual rainfall of 751.7 millimetres. The wettest day was July 8th with 23.1 mm.

The hottest day of 2008 in Weymouth in 2008 was June 28 with a temperature of 24.4 C.Hail fell five times as light showers in March and April.

Mr Poots added: “Snow, a rare phenomenon in Weymouth was noticeable by its absence again.

“Slight flurries occurred in March and April, the precipitation was so light no measurement could be made.