If you felt the umbrella had become an extension of your hand last month, it's because it was the wettest January in 85 years, with 246.6mm of rainfall.

January 5 was the wettest day of the month when 61.6 mm was measured, according to the Meteorological Office. However, the fine drizzle on January 13 was particularly unusual because for half an hour it reduced visibility to just one kilometre.

The office said the average temperature last month was 13.2°C, slightly warmer than the mean for the past 30 years. January 24 was the warmest day with 18.3°C. Meanwhile, the coolest nights were recorded on January 17 and 30 with 7.3°C.

Thunder rumbled overhead on January 4 and 5, while a blanket of fog hung overhead on January 9 and 10. Hail pummelled the island on January 5, 27 and 28. The mean wind speed was 8.4 knots, but the strongest was 43 knots on January 25. January was also grey and less sunny than the average, with only a mean of four hours and 34 minutes of bright sunshine.