<p>The benchmark Central England Temperature plunged to an average of -0.6 degrees Celsius over the month, making it the second harshest December since records began in 1659, Daily Mail reported Saturday.<br /><br />It was beaten only by the -0.8c (30.5f) average for December 1890, weather historian Philip Eden said Friday. <br /><br />It was also the chilliest individual calendar month since February 1986.<br />As snow, ice and frost brought chaos to roads, airports and homes, there were 10 nights in December 2010 when the temperature fell below -18 degrees Celsius somewhere in Britain.<br />Altnaharra in Sutherland, Scotland, experienced the coldest conditions, with the mercury plummeting to -21.1 degrees Celsius early Dec 1.<br /><br />This bitter end to this year was the result of an unusually large area of high pressure squatting over Greenland - combined with low pressure over Britain. <br /><br />Normally, westerly winds from the Atlantic keep the British Isles mild during the winter. <br />But the zone of high pressure in the North Atlantic blocked these winds, allowing a slab of cold Arctic air to flow south over Britain, according to the Mail.<br /><br />December was, however, drier and sunnier than usual. Rainfall averaged 39.5 mm over England and Wales - less than half the normal amount and the lowest total for December since 1971. <br /><br />Northern Ireland enjoyed 80 hours of sunshine over the month - more than twice the expected amount. Scotland had 78 percent more sunshine than usual, and England and Wales were 17 percent above the norm.<br /><br />Despite the milder weather of late, winter is far from over, with weathermen warning of further icy blasts until mid-March.</p>
<p>The benchmark Central England Temperature plunged to an average of -0.6 degrees Celsius over the month, making it the second harshest December since records began in 1659, Daily Mail reported Saturday.<br /><br />It was beaten only by the -0.8c (30.5f) average for December 1890, weather historian Philip Eden said Friday. <br /><br />It was also the chilliest individual calendar month since February 1986.<br />As snow, ice and frost brought chaos to roads, airports and homes, there were 10 nights in December 2010 when the temperature fell below -18 degrees Celsius somewhere in Britain.<br />Altnaharra in Sutherland, Scotland, experienced the coldest conditions, with the mercury plummeting to -21.1 degrees Celsius early Dec 1.<br /><br />This bitter end to this year was the result of an unusually large area of high pressure squatting over Greenland - combined with low pressure over Britain. <br /><br />Normally, westerly winds from the Atlantic keep the British Isles mild during the winter. <br />But the zone of high pressure in the North Atlantic blocked these winds, allowing a slab of cold Arctic air to flow south over Britain, according to the Mail.<br /><br />December was, however, drier and sunnier than usual. Rainfall averaged 39.5 mm over England and Wales - less than half the normal amount and the lowest total for December since 1971. <br /><br />Northern Ireland enjoyed 80 hours of sunshine over the month - more than twice the expected amount. Scotland had 78 percent more sunshine than usual, and England and Wales were 17 percent above the norm.<br /><br />Despite the milder weather of late, winter is far from over, with weathermen warning of further icy blasts until mid-March.</p>