Friday 6th November
Thursday was dominated all day by thick cloud that produced light drizzle mid-morning although the wind had abated significantly so it did not feel quite so cold as on previous days. The high of 8.1C was 2.2C below average whilst the overnight minimum of 6.9C was 2.8C above average due to the cloud cover and passing warm front. It was so dark and gloomy that no UV light triggered the UV sensor.
The drizzle and light rain mid-morning produced 0.2mm of precipitation that was added to as a warm front crossed the area in the early hours of Friday that produced light showers, starting just before 04.00, that gave a daily total of 2.4mm.
The arrival of Friday saw the continuation of cloud cover, but not quite so thick and low as recent days with some brightness trying to break through just after 08.00. The breeze will be very light and having veered a few degrees will come predominantly from the east.
The recent high pressure is still gradually receding, with a current barometric pressure reading of 1023.4mb, down 14mb since its peak on Monday. This has allowed the warm front to sneak through from the south this morning.
There are signs that next week will bring less dry conditions with possible showery days. However, at the moment it does appear that the wind will once again come from an easterly direction.
There have been headline comments recently about the polar vortex and predictions of how this might affect our weather. The attached article from the Met Office clarifies and explains this phenomenon. Part 2 tomorrow
What is the stratospheric polar vortex and how does it affect UK weather?
Author: Met Office
Thu, 05 Nov 2026
High above the Arctic, strong winds in the stratosphere can play an important role in shaping winter weather patterns across the Northern Hemisphere.
The stratospheric polar vortex, often shortened to SPV, is a large-scale circulation of very strong winds found high above the Arctic during the Northern Hemisphere winter. It sits in the stratosphere, around 10 to 50km above the surface, and circles a pool of very cold air over the North Pole. Although it forms far above the weather we experience day to day, changes in its strength and shape can influence the atmosphere below, including the position and behaviour of the jet stream.
During winter, the SPV is not fixed. It can strengthen, weaken, stretch, shift away from the pole or, in more dramatic cases, split apart.
These changes matter because the stratosphere and troposphere, the lower part of the atmosphere where our weather takes place, are connected. When the SPV is strong and stable, it tends to support a strong, relatively straight jet stream across the North Atlantic. For the UK, this often means weather systems are steered in from the west, bringing milder, wetter and windier conditions.
When the SPV weakens, the picture can become more disrupted. A weaker vortex can be associated with a weaker or more meandering jet stream, allowing large north-south bends to develop in the flow. This can increase the chance of colder air moving south out of the Arctic, or of high pressure becoming established in places that interrupt the usual westerly pattern. For the UK, that can raise the likelihood of colder, drier spells, particularly if winds turn easterly or northerly.