Author: Eric Gilbert

There was such a contrast between the very wet Saturday and the dry and sunny Sunday. As a result of the lighter wind, a maximum gust of just 12mph, and sunshine the temperature lifted to 19.0C being 1.9C above the average. Overnight was cooler although still above average (+1.3C) with a low of 8.1C. The UV level peaked at the top end of ‘High’.

Monday first thing revealed a little weak sunshine through a small break in the cloud but shortly afterwards the cloud began to thicken as another weather front approached our area with the first spots of rain being observed at 07.45. The temperature had recovered to 10.9C by 08.00 due to the thickening cloud cover. The wind will be light and from the southwest after backing from the west on Sunday.

The Coronation Day on Saturday was an appalling day with persistent rain for 11 hours amounting to 13.2mm as a depression, with associated weather fronts, travelled along the English Channel and Southern England. That took the monthly total to 23.1mm, after just six days, when the average is 60.5mm. Not only that, the thick, low cloud and lack of sunshine meant a very cool day with the thermometer not rising above 13.9C, which was 3.2C below the average. The UV level of 2.1 was in the ‘Low’ category and the lowest since 29th March.

The overnight minimum was 10.5C at 01.10 early Sunday. This was 4.7C above average thanks to the blanket of cloud retaining any warmth from the previous day.

Sunday dawned dull and gloomy with fog limiting visibility to 400m at 07.00, easing considerably by 08.00, but mist still draping the tops of the Marlborough Downs and the trees in Savernake Forest. Not surprisingly, the humidity was 99% at 08.00, the most humid start to a day since 29th March.

Friday brought brief interludes of sunshine between a rash of showers, that covered the south of England, bringing 3.0mm of precipitation. As a result of the reduced sunshine the thermometer only reached a peak of 17.8C but this was still 0.6C above the average. The wind had moved into the south and was much lighter than the previous day with a peak gust of only 19mph.

The past night was almost identical to the previous night with total cloud cover and a minimum of 11.2C being 4.5C above the 39-year average.

Saturday dawned gloomy under a thick veil of cloud as a depression began to travel up the English Channel with associated weather fronts that produced the first spots of rain at 06.50 but more continuous rain just before 08.00. The temperature at 08.00 was 11.9C making it the warmest start a day at that time since 11th November.

The easterly wind on Thursday was quite strong with a maximum gust of 29mph, logged at 10.21. But the intermittent sunshine boosted the temperature to 19.1C at 16.40 when the wind had fallen light. This high was 2.0C above average and made it the warmest day since 29th October.

There were brief showers early evening but a cell of heavier rain began just after 21.30 that in total produced 6.9mm of precipitation.

The warmer air brought in as the wind veered into the south late evening meant a very mild night with a low of 11.2C, which was 4.4C above the average.

Initially Friday began dry but at 07.45 more rain arrived on a south-southwest light breeze. Another unsettled period of weather has arrived as rain bands swept across the country. The depression just to the west of the UK will mean a couple of days of heavy showers intermingled, we hope, with some sunshine. Due to the warmth yesterday and overnight the soil temperature at a depth of 5cm has risen to 12.8C, the highest since 28th October.

The breeze from the east on Wednesday was stronger, gusting to 23mph, and although we had 12 hours of global sunshine, the cool breeze pegged back the temperature. The thermometer eventually rose to 16.7C at 15.29 being 0.4C below the 39-year average. The overnight minimum of 6.6C that was logged at 02.49 early Thursday was also below average (-0.2C).

It was another dry day with the UV level rated as ‘High’.

The barometric pressure has been falling away as the ridge of high pressure declined and we come under the influence of a low pressure system in the Atlantic. The weather pattern of late is about to change. As a result the cool easterly breeze will continue until mid-afternoon but is forecast then to slowly veer into the southeast then south. The barometric pressure at 08.00 read 1015.8mb, a significant drop of 12mb over the past twenty-four hours.