Author: Eric Gilbert

Tuesday was another cool day irrespective of the light southerly air stream. The thermometer stayed around 8C all, day rising overnight to a peak of 9.4C, which was 1.2C below the average.

The low f 6.4C was 4C above the 39-year average.

Further rain fell amounting to 3.4mm that took the month total to 112.1mm making it the third wettest March since my records began in 1984. The rainfall forecast on Wednesday is likely to change that to the second wettest.

Wednesday dawned with low cloud draping the Marlborough Downs and Savernake Forest. Between 07.00 and 08.00 the visibility improved only for it to fall significantly after 08.00 for a brief time as the thick cloud base dropped.

The high pressure of Monday is a distant memory as the deep depression in mid Atlantic closes in on the UK with three weather fronts ahead of it’s centre passing over the UK today.

I am very pleased that after a wait of several months the modified software is now allowing the considerable month/year graphs and associated data to be accessed.

The ridge of high pressure on Monday gave us a dry day with the wind very light in comparison to previous days. The air movement in the afternoon changed from a northerly quadrant to south.

Temperatures by day and night were above with maximum of 11.7C (+1.2C) and 4.1C (+1.7C).

Tuesday revealed a leaden sky with light winds from a southerly quadrant with a few spots of rain, not measurable, between 07.30 and 08.00. A deep depression approaching the UK from mid-Atlantic will bring more rain as the day progresses which will increase the monthly rainfall total from its current 185% of the 39-year average. By today 108.7mm has fallen in March making it the third wettest I have recorded since the station was set up in 1984.

By Sunday morning the wind had veered into the north and north-northeast, a cool Arctic air flow. As a result of the cool air and minimal sunshine the thermometer only reached 9.2C making it the coolest day since the 15th and 1.5C below the average.

It was dry after six successive wet days but the UV level was ‘Low’ due to the cloud cover.

It was a cool night with the minimum of 2.7C occurring at 07.40 on Monday being just 0.3C above the average.

There were very brief glimpses of sunshine on Monday morning but a predominantly cloudy start to the day. We are temporarily under a ridge of high pressure that saw a significant rise of 24mb in the past twenty-four hours, as a result it will be dry day with the light wind coming from the north east.

The past twenty-four hours produced another 14.9mm of precipitation making it the wettest day since 13th January (22.8mm). That additional rainfall fell from midnight to 08.00 and took the monthly rainfall total to 108.7mm being 185% of the 29-year average.

The wind on Saturday came predominantly from the west then northwest gusting to 27mph. This cooler airstream limited the warmth although during the morning the thermometer rose to 13.0C being 2.4C above the average.

The overnight low of 5.3C was 2.9C above the average.

The start to Sunday revealed a gloomy beginning to Summertime with low cloud and the back-edge of the very wide rain band with the rain reducing in intensity. The air movement has veered again and now very light and from the northeast.

Friday brought another wet and windy day with the southwesterly wind gusting to 29mph and hustling along showers from time to time. The thermometer reached 12.6C at 10.28 but then fell back, the lowest high for four days but still 2.0C above the average. The low of 6.6C occurred just after midnight being 4.2C above the average.

The showers produced another 4.2mm of precipitation that took the monthly total 93.8mm being 35mm above the 39-year average also the wettest March since 2018, which was the wettest on record with 130.9mm.

Saturday saw brief intermittent bursts of sunshine between the fast moving clouds. The depression that has lurked to the west of Ireland the past few days moved across the country yesterday and has now joined with a low pressure system over Scandinavia. This has resulted int the wind veering into the west today and by tomorrow is likely to veer further with the wind coming from a northerly quadrant on Sunday.