Sunday 15th February
Saturday was a splendid day with many hours of welcome sunshine, however, the flow of Arctic maritime air depressed temperatures by day with the result that the maximum of 5.9C, logged at 14.58, was 2.4C below average, the first below average maximum since the 5th. By 12.00 the first signs of individual clouds could be seen drifting down from the north with thicker cloud noticeable by 14.00, blocking out the sun and with the resultant high shortly afterwards. The thermometer fell away to a minimum of 1.0C at 00.22 before the thicker cloud limited any further loss of warmth, in fact the thermometer then slowly climbed to reach 3.6C at 08.00 on Sunday. This significant change overnight was due to a warm front crossing the area and banishing the Arctic Maritime Air.
The arrival of Sunday revealed that we had returned to cloud and rain. The transitory ridge of high pressure had long departed to be replaced with an Atlantic low pressure system arriving from the southwest, the wind having done an about turn from north to south today, and for much of Sunday, until late afternoon.
The forecast charts indicate that we will see more depressions arriving from the Atlantic in the next few days, although by Wednesday the wind will have veered into the northwest then north with an element of a much cooler air stream originating from around Iceland. The depressions should move steadily across the UK, with much less rain than recently also brighter conditions, as there is no resident high pressure to the east blocking their progress that dominated our weather in January.
The westerly element to the air stream on Monday and Tuesday should mean a less moist air stream than of late resulting in less cloud and rain, thus allowing more sunshine.
It is time to move on from the images of snowdrops so a selection of individual and carpet coverage of crocus, will be attached for the next few days, perhaps add colour to the dull, cloudy day today! The image today, and some this week, will show large areas of crocus that were taken some thirty years ago using slides that have been digitally modified. As a result they do not have the superb quality as if taken by a modern digital camera.