Author: Eric Gilbert

The centre of Storm Noa was over North Wales on Wednesday midday (barometric pressure of 977mb) that brought us the lowest barometric pressure of 988.2mb since 31st March. The storm also brought us more rainfall with hail at 15.15 accompanied by thunder and lightning. There were two further claps of thunder at 1517 and 1523. In fact the radar showed a rash of lightning strikes over the width of this particular shower line being about 20 miles in width. The daily precipitation was 8.4mm with the monthly rainfall total now standing at 46.6mm, exactly 10mm below the 39-year average with over half the month still to arrive.

During the brief hail shower there were gusty winds that saw the thermometer drop from 9C to 4.6C. The strongest gust was 46mph at 11.25.

During the morning on Wednesday the thermometer slowly rose to a maximum of 9.6C, which was 4.5C below the average whereas overnight the thermometer dropped only a few degrees to reach 4.8C at 06.25.

Thankfully, the effects of Storm Noa had passed by the time Thursday arrived with sunshine as soon as the sun rose above the horizon, which lifted the temperature to 6.9C at 08.00. With the depression over the North Sea the wind has veered into the west or north-northwest and light.

As the complex system of low pressure approached the UK on Tuesday it brought strong winds and eight hours of rain in the afternoon and evening. The rainfall for the past day amounted to 10.8mm making it the wettest day since 31st March and took the monthly rainfall total to 38.2mm being 67% of the 39-year average.

The wind gusted very strong in the afternoon with a peak gust of 36mph from the southwest. The limited sunshine meant Tuesday was the coolest day for a week with a maximum of only 12.2C being 1.9C below the average. The rain ceased just after 21.30 and the sky began to clear allowing the temperature to fall away to a low of 3.2C at 06.50, which was 0.5C below the average.

Wednesday initially brought weak sunshine then strong sunshine between the fast moving clouds, huh lifted the temperature to 5.5C at 08.00.

The complex low pressure system bearing down on the UK has six centres of low pressure, the lowest on the west coast of Scotland. It has been named Storm Noa by Meteo France. The local barometric pressure at 08.00 was 995.6mb, the lowest since 31st March.

Update at 17.45: maximum gust of 46mph recorded at 11.25

Monday was a very breezy day with the wind often gusting above 30mph and a peak gust of 34mph. Another 5.9mm of precipitation fell that took the monthly total to 27.4mm when the 39-year average is 56.6mm.The thermometer just about reached the average by day with a maximum of 14.0C, just 0.1C below. Because the sky cleared in the evening the temperature fell away steadily to reach a minimum of 4.9C, which was 1.2C above the average.

Tuesday arrived with broken cloud that gave us intermittent sunshine, which lifted the temperature to 5.7C at 08.00. The humidity at 08.00 was 89%, the lowest at that time since the beginning of March.

Sunday brought us a misty morning with weak sunshine after 09.30 but clouded over in the afternoon ahead of the next weather front as thin, high cloud began to drift across the area. Rain triggered the automatic rainfall gauge at 00.45, early Monday, and amounted to 8.1mm by 08.00. That additional rainfall took the monthly total to 21.5m when the 39-year average is 56.6mm.

The southerly air stream for most of the day on Sunday raised the temperature to 15.3C being 1.2C above the average. Overnight the cloud meant a mild night with the temperature now lower that 9.1C, being 5.4C above average.

Monday arrived dark and very wet as the rain band continued its eastwards progress, but became lighter after 08.30.

The ridge of high pressure is no longer with is as a deep and large depression, covering most of the Atlantic between America and France, closes in on us with the wind veering into the southwest. The barometric pressure has dropped 15mb since yesterday as the depression approaches with a reading of 1009.5mb at 08.00, the lowest pressure since the 1st.

Under a very light southerly breeze the thermometer slowly rose to a maximum of 16.2C being 2.1C above the average and the warmest day for five months. A minimum of 3.3C was 0.4C below the average.

It was a dry day with the UV strength the highest since September with a value of 4.5, at the top end of ‘Moderate’.

Sunday dawned with misty conditions, quite dull with no air movement at 08.00 when the thermometer had risen to 4.9C.