The village was the administrative centre for the Eastern Forestry Commission for many years, following the planting of tens of thousands of trees in the Breckland to form the Thetford Forest. The District office and staff were housed in a 1960s office building close to the site of the now-demolished Downham Hall. The Hall garden formed the base for the nursery department of the district. The Forestry Commission repair depot was built close by in an award-winning building, next to which stood the Forestry Commission fire station. A Bedford 'Green Goddess' fire tender and a water tanker were kept in the fire station due to the high fire risk in the area.
The highest temperature since records began in 1959 was 39.0°C (102.2°F) on 19 July 2022 and the lowest was −18.9°C (−2.0°F) on 23 January 1963.[5]
Santon Downham is a known frost hollow and holds the record for the coldest temperature ever recorded in the UK in June, a low of −5.6°C (21.9°F) on 1 and 3 June 1962, a record it also shares with Dalwhinnie in the highlands of Scotland. Temperatures also dipped to −5.6°C (21.9°F) on 30 September 1969, which is one of the coldest September nights recorded in the UK.[6] The temperature can go below freezing at any time of the year.
Climate data for Santon Downham (6m or 20ft asl, averages 1991–2020, extremes 1959-present)
