Saturday 11th July
It was thought that the peak temperature for the current heatwave would have been on Friday, however, the peak was on Thursday as the Friday high of 33.1C was 1.1C below the Thursday peak but still a significant 10.2C above average. The UV high of 5.7 was the lowest for a week but at the lower end of High. Thankfully, much heat did dissipate overnight leading to a minimum of 15.1C at 04.31 early Saturday, which was 3.1C above average.
Saturday arrived with the sun relentless shortly after sunrise as it rose above thin cloud on the eastern horizon, that had drifted in from the North Sea overnight, along the east coast. The slow relocation of the anticyclone will see the breeze continue from an easterly direction and be a little stronger, which is likely to slightly temper peak temperatures over the next few days, however, for another week they will still be in heatwave territory.
The ground is still absorbing, and holding onto the heat, with 24.5C, 24.7C and 25.1C recorded at 08.00 over the last three days, at a depth of 5cm.
Yesterday there were indications of a depression beginning to develop around the Bay of Biscay. The forecast charts indicate that this low pressure system will edge closer to the UK and begin to develop a weather front, however, although that will edge closer to the UK it is not thought at the moment that it will begin to affect our weather as the high pressure to the northwest is reluctant to give way. The barometric pressure continues to be high having risen 3mb since yesterday. The significant change will be that the breeze from an easterly direction will become quite brisk today, and over the next few days, due to a squeeze between the two weather systems producing an increase in the pressure gradient.
At the present time one forecast model suggests that light rain might be possible on Thursday and Friday if the depression edges closer.