Monday 3rd August
The air stream, principally from the east on Sunday that pushed across the intense heat from the Continent, raised the maximum even higher with a peak of 27.9C at 16.15, which was a heatwave temperature also 3.1C above average. The past night gave us a slightly below average minimum (-0.4C) of 11.4C at 05.53, just after sunrise in Marlborough at 05.33. Due to the hot dry air from the Continent the humidity dropped to a minimum of 31.7% at 16.15.
The sun got to work on Monday as soon as it rose above the eastern horizon raising the temperature to 18.9C by 08.00. Today will bring us the hottest day of the week, well above the heatwave threshold, as the very hot Continental air continues to stream across from an easterly direction this morning. There will be a subtle change in wind direction this afternoon and evening as the breeze veers to arrive from a southwesterly direction heralding a significant change in our weather for later Tuesday onwards. This will be due to the depression relocating northeastwards. Sadly, any weather fronts associated with this low-pressure system that decide to visit our area are not likely to produce much precipitation, if any.
The depression that has been lurking to the west of Ireland has begun to move northeastwards, arriving over Scandinavia by Wednesday. The significant change will see the breeze then arrive mainly from the west resulting in lower temperatures by day and greater humidity, closer to normal for early August, after the very dry air of recent days. It will also result in less wall to wall sunshine and variable cloud arriving, thus also restricting the increase in heat.
As the depression leaves our shores it will also allow the Azores high to push back across the country once again, continuing the dry weather, but this time temperatures will be more subdued, probably just above the July average.