Author: Eric Gilbert

The numerous hours of sunshine on Saturday pushed the thermometer to 16.6C, however, this was 2.3C below average. It was a dry day to catch up on the overdue gardening work before ex hurricane Nigel brings more rain.

Overnight the thermometer initially dropped to 11.0C but just after 22.00 the thermometer began to rise as the tropical air associated with ex hurricane Nigel arrived with a temperature at 08.00 on Sunday to 15.7C. The wind began to back into the south at 17.00.

Sunday revealed an overcast sky with light drizzle observed at 07.00 and the wind rising.

Another 5.1mm of rainfall was recorded in the past twenty-four hours that took the monthly total to 89.6mm being 28mm above the 39-year average. The warmth was limited by day and night with extremes of 17.3C and a very cold night with 6.3C being 2.6C and 3.0C below the average respectively.

Friday revealed radiation fog in the River Og and Kennet valleys was thick by daybreak and didn’t disperse unto shortly after 08.00 as the sun got to work. This fog forms as the air cools in the lower level of the valleys where the higher air moisture content condenses.The depression is easing away to the the north as a ridge of high pressure begins to arrive from the south.

Wednesday was another very wet and wind day thanks to ex hurricane Lee. The wind was strong all day with a maximum gust of 34mph at 10.52. The drizzle started at 07.50 but turned to rain just after 09.00 and continued all day and well into the evening amounting to 29.9mm. That brought the monthly total to 84.5mm being 137% of the 39-year average.

Even though the air was tropical the maximum of 17.1C was 1.8C below the average. As the cloud cleared late evening the thermometer began to drop steadily to reach a low of 7.6C at 07.14 on Thursday making it the coldest day since 3rd July.

We were greeted by brilliant sunshine an hour after sunrise on Thursday and the sun had risen above the bank of cloud in the east clearing from the rain band. The barometric pressure reached a minimum of 995.6mb early Thursday, which was the lowest pressure since 2nd August.

The first sign of the approaching storm was noted in the windiest day this month on Tuesday with a peak gust of 32mph. The mild Atlantic air pushed the thermometer to 18.9C, exactly average but that was in cloudy conditions. A low of 14.9C was a significant 5.9C above average as Storm Lee approaches with tropical air.

Wednesday dawned with cloudy conditions and the wind speed rising. The barometric pressure at 08.00 read 999.0mb, the lowest since 2nd August. The centre of the depression is just off the west coast of Scotland with an exceptionally low barometric pressure of 971.0mb.

There was more rain on Monday but a modest total of just 3.7mm that took the monthly total to 54.2mm, which is 88% of the 39-year average. Sunday into Monday was the wettest day since 3rd October 2020 when 49.9mm was recorded.

The day was relatively mild with the thermometer reaching 17.8C, however, it was 1.2C below the average due to the cloudy, wet conditions and the wind that became very strong in the afternoon gusting to 27mph. The past night was very mild that saw the thermometer only sink to 12.0C being 2.7C abject the long-term average.

The UV level of 3.5 was in the Moderate range.

Tuesday arrived with a totally cloudy sky and the southwesterly breeze quote strong, it is forecast to increase significantly during the morning.