SOME fascinating weather readings in Tavistock during 2010 have been sent to the Times by amateur meteorologist David Thomas.

Mr Thomas has been taking weather readings since 1964 as a hobby and recording statistics on Tavistock since 2000, using accurate scientific instruments for his measurements in his garden.

He told the Times: 'December was most interesting with the cold, especially for this part of the country, quite exceptional. It was the coldest recorded December in the United Kingdom for more than 100 years.'

The rainfall for the year was 1,275 millimetres or 50.95 inches with the wettest single day recorded on Thursday, July 1 with 54mms or 2.15ins.

The driest month of the year with just 36mms or 1.53ins was in June. Remarkably, the wettest month was July with 172mms or 6.88ins.

According to Mr Thomas the hottest day recordings reflected 2010's general poor summer temperatures with Monday, May 24 and Saturday, June 26 being the highest at 26 Centigrade or 79 Fahrenheit.

The coldest night of 2010 was on Friday, January 8 with -10C or plus 14F.

The weatherman said December was a very special month with three really cold nights on December 7 (-9.5C, 15F), December 3 (-9C, 16F) and December 19 (-9C, 16F).

The average maximum temperature for the year was 3.5C or 38F while the minimum was -3C or 27F; the mean temperature for December was just 0.5C, 33F.

Despite two days (December 28 and 29) with a maximum 10C, 50F, there was snow on the ground a total of 13 days.