RAINFALL certainly has had its ups-and-downs this year. April was very wet with two dry months on either side. September was bone dry and sandwiched between two extremely soggy months - one of the wettest Augusts on record, and now October, able to boast a similar feat.

Generally across the region, rainfall was around twice the expected quota, with accumulations not quite as great as those experienced in October 2000. Here at Carlton-in-Cleveland, near Stokesley, we marginally exceeded the 129mm (5.1ins) in 2000.

Then, I'm sure many will remember, the rain was concentrated at the end of the month and was followed by an equally abominable start to November. This included well over 25mm (1.0ins) on the 29th of October and more than 50mm (2.0ins) falling widely on the 2nd of November. Both events, especially the latter, resulted in serious, widespread flooding.

Rainfall was more evenly distributed throughout the month this year, as indicated at Carlton by the number of days with measurable rain - 23, the most in any October. Nevertheless, well over half the month's total fell in the ten days from the 13th. There was approaching 25mm (1.0ins) across our area on both the 16th and 22nd, with some local flooding as a consequence.

It is already my third wettest year with a shade over 800mm (31.5ins) of rain, not far behind 1993 with 812mm (32.0ins), but some way off, as yet, 2000, with 910mm (35.8ins). Another feature of the month was the frequency of thunder in some spots. October has been relatively quiet in this respect in recent years. Previously at Carlton, I have recorded it just once on more than one day in any October. That was last year when I heard it on two. This time I observed it on no less than four and it takes the total number of days with thunder for the year to 23, beating my former largest annual figure of 20 days in 2001.

Temperatures ended up about average but it was the warmest for three years - slightly surprising in these days of 'global warming.' In this regard, October has been the odd month out in both the last two years, being the only one significantly colder than normal.

Half way through this October, it looked as though we were going to have a repeat performance as the period between the 8th and 15th was rather chilly, but then mercury levels held up well for the rest of the month. Also, there was no air frost, apart from in those hollows prone to it. The recent cool Octobers don't suggest that the month is going against the warming trend, as you have to go back just to 2001 to find the warmest October of any in my data.

Depressions ruled the roost throughout October. To begin with, they rushed north-east across the Atlantic every couple of days, as throughout most of September, but the lows were now much closer to Scotland and their accompanying frontal systems more active.

The cold front that crossed the region early on Monday the 4th, as a developing wave depression ran north-east over England, was particularly lively. It gave some bursts of torrential rain with a strong, gusty wind and, within minutes, a sharp drop in temperature from over 15 to 10C (about 60 to 50F) and a jump in pressure of 4mb (over 0.1ins). The low itself became the main centre as it headed into Scandinavia. In the North-East, the showers it generated were few and far between, until becoming more frequent towards the coast later in the week when the breeze veered in to the north. This marked the start of that cooler interlude.

As the depression moved away, the only area of high pressure to appear over Britain this month, transferred east and settled near to northern Scotland for three or four days around the second week-end. Winds turned easterly, still with a few showers coming in off the sea. These produced no more than a damping, maintaining the comparatively dry weather.

Later on Tuesday the 12th, a small low trundled north from France, signalling the start of the ten-day soaking already mentioned. Behind this, another depression swung east across the country, becoming a complex area of low pressure milling around over the North Sea and giving us north to north-easterlies until the start of the following week.

The next depression became very deep but this time hung about to the west of Ireland for a week or so. The clash of the contrasting airstreams drawn into its circulation - very warm, tropical air from far south in the Atlantic and cold, polar air - produced some vigorous fronts.

A prime example passed by early on Wednesday the 20th. At Carlton, the temperature during the previous evening hovered around 8C (46F), climbing quickly after midnight to no less than 14C (57F), almost the highest of the month, and this at 3am. It then dropped backed to 8C (46F) by 7am. Not many were aware of the heat-wave in the night, just the huge puddles in the morning resulting from the accompanying downpours. The last major depression arrived on the 24th and took up position off the South-West Approaches. Although this battered the Cornish Peninsula, we faired better, and, as October drew to a close, with the low filling and withdrawing south-east into the continent, the improvement continued.

October temperatures and rainfall, Carlton-in-Cleveland

Mean Maximum: 12.9 C, 55F, (-0.3C, -0.5F).

Mean Minimum: 6.9C, 44.5F, (+0.0C, +0.0F).

Highest Maximum: 5.9C, 60.5F, 24th.

Lowest Minimum: 1.9C, 35.5F, 15th.

Total Rainfall: 134mm, 5.3ins, (+72mm, +2.8ins).

Wettest Day: 26mm,1.0ins, 22nd

No. of Rain Days, with 0.2mm (0.01ins) or more: 23 (+7)

Figures in brackets show the difference from the 21-year mean, 1983-2003.