Author: Eric Gilbert

After a very dull start to Saturday the cloud thinned and broke after midday that allowed strong sunshine to brake through and lift the temperature to a maximum of 23.0C being 0.3C above the average. It was dry day, only the sixth this month, with the UV level in the afternoon reaching inti the High category.

The past night was mild again thanks to the cloud cover, with a minimum of 14.6C being 2.8C above the average.

Sunday arrived with occasional bursts of sunshine but by 08.00 the cloud had thickened obscuring any further rays of sunshine. The barometric pressure has been rising, thanks to the centre of Storm Betty moving away northwestwards and a high pressure, centred over the Bay of Biscay, beginning to influence our weather.

Yet another in the sequence of very wet days on Friday that produced another 7.5mm of precipitation. The monthly total now stands at 61.0mm, just 4.6mm below the 39-year average for August. The southeasterly wind was brisk, gusting to 22mph, but not cold. The thermometer rose to 22.3C being just 0.3C below the average with a very mild night that saw the thermometer not drop below 16.2C, which was 4.4C above the average thanks to thick cloud cover overnight.

The wet and windy weather, not as bad as further west, was thanks to Storm Betty, named by Met Eireann. They suffered most as the centre of the depression moved across Ireland and now off the west cast of Scotland. The storm centre deepened rapidly to reach a minimum pressure of 987mb over Ireland, whereas today the pressure here at 08.00 was 1010.6mb.

Saturday saw the hang back of cloud from the weather front, that passed our way in the early hours, in the east slowly easing away that allowed the some brightness at first and strong, longer spells of sunshine just before 08.00.

The high pressure began to weaken on Thursday;though it was dry day with the thermometer edging upwards to 23.6C, being 1.0C above the average. However, advance cloud from the next weather system saw increasing cloud in the afternoon. It has been a very mild night with a minimum of 16.7C, which was 4.8C above the average.

Rain arrived at 06.15 on Friday, light at first, but heavier by 06.55 amounting to 2.7mm. The barometric pressure has fallen significantly as a depression arrives to the west of Ireland,

The strong, continuous sunshine during the Wednesday morning lifted the thermometer to 24.4C, which was 1.7C abject the 39-year average, but around noon variable cloud began to arrive on the northeasterly breeze that limited the afternoon sunshine. The overnight minimum of 13.8C was exactly 2C abject the average.

The night was relatively clear until just before 03.00 when cloud began to drift in from the east that saw the temperature begin to rise again and raised the humidity to 97%.

Thursday revealed the misty conditions that the easterly breeze had brought, which obscured any sunshine or even brightness by 08.30.

A brief return of summer on Tuesday saw the temperature climb to 23.8C being 1.2C above the average. It felt very warm in the strong sunshine between the cloudier periods especially with very light winds, a maximum gust of 13mph was very low. The past night was very cool as it saw the thermometer drop steadily away, under clear skies, to a minimum of 9.3C, which was 2.5C below the average. This was only the fourth dry day in August.

The ridge of high pressure has built further over the past twenty-four hours with a reading of 1021.7mb at 08.00 and climbing.

Tuesday dawned with sunshine after it got up that lifted the temperature to 17.0C at 08.00. As the high pressure relocated the wind has veered from the west yesterday to northeast today.