Amateur meteorologist's 66 years of daily weather

An amateur meteorologist who has made recordings of the weather every day for the past 66 years has said he only took up the hobby because his mum wanted to lessen the chances of him "being killed from warfare".

Jim Lawson, who lives in Preston, Lancashire, has written up his daily weather readings since he was 14.

The 80-year-old said a "very bad storm" on 6 July 1957 in Rutland, East Midlands, where he grew up, first piqued his interest in weather and his mother Izabelle then encouraged him to keep him safe.

He said as she lived through World War Two, she knew if there was another war and he "trained as a meteorologist, I would probably go into the Royal Air Force and have an office job".

The retired town planner uses his own weather station, which includes a rain gauge, a barometer and a thermometer, in his garden to take readings and documents his recordings in notebooks.

He said coming from the East Midlands, "you think of the North West and think it's all rain".

"True there is a bit more rain but it is nowhere near as dire as I thought it was," he said.

He said there was one weather event that stuck in his mind, "the coldest night for 68 years".

During the winter of 1962 and 1963, which became known as the Big Freeze and was one of the coldest winters ever recorded in the UK, temperatures plummeted to -22C in some parts, with Mr Lawson recording -17C where he lived in Rutland.

He said while there had never been "anything as severe as that" since, he would never rule out it happening again.

"Mother Nature has always got a few tricks up her sleeve," he said.

He said he was grateful to his mother for encouraging the hobby that had kept him busy through the years and understood why she had done so.

"It was only 13 years after World War Two finished and [Mum] knew if I got called up and I was a trained as a meteorologist I would probably go into the Royal Air Force and have an office job," he said.

"[That would mean that] probably, my chances of being killed from warfare would be much less."

His wife Margaret said she had got used to his hobby over the years but had never felt the need to join in.

"I love him very much, but the weather readings are never something I've taken up," she said.

"It doesn't bother me because it is interesting.

"Jim will look at the clouds and say what formation they are.

"I think it is good for Jim, it gets him up and out into the garden."

Mr Lawson said he agreed, adding: "The age that I am, it keeps the old grey matter turning."

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