Author: Eric Gilbert

After the extremely cold night Monday into Tuesday the thermometer struggled to get above freezing on Tuesday reaching a maximum of 1.2C at 13.54, which was 5.8C below the average. The thermometer fell back to zero at 16.10 and reached a minimum of -3.2C at 01.31 early Wednesday, which was 4.5C below the average.

Daylight on Wednesday morning revealed a very light covering of snow from large flakes that fell in the early hours amounting to 0.1mm. The cloud that brought the precipitation lifted the temperature to -1.2C by 08.00.

The soil temperature has continued to fall under the extreme cold with a reading at a 5cm depth of -0.7C at 08.00 that followed a temperature of 0.2C that time on Tuesday.

With a maximum of only 3.8C at 13.25 on Monday and a severe frost overnight with a minimum of -7.2C at 06.34 on Tuesday, winter returned with vengeance. The maximum was 3.2C below average and the minimum a significant 8.5C below the average. It was the coldest night since 17th December (-9.1C).

The wind from the northwest brought the very cold air and gusted to 24mph producing a wind chill outside where it felt at least 3C lower than that registered on the thermometer.

However, it was the first dry day for almost a month, the last dry day occurring on 17th December, just as there was then a similar dramatic change in the local weather.

The soil thermometer at a depth of 5cm has fallen from a peak of 9.7C on the 7th to almost freezing, 0.2C, at 08.00.

Tuesday arrived with variable, thin cloud and the thermometer having risen a degree to read -6.1C at 08.00. Five low pressure systems are circling the UK with the closest running across northern France that gave a pressure reading of 988.9mb at 08.00.

There was a distinct change in our weather on Sunday. It followed a cool night with the thermometer only rising to 6.9C, which was the first maximum below average this month (-0.1C). The wind was brisk and from the west initially bit late afternoon the wind began to back into the northwest.

Another 4.0mm of rainfall took the monthly total to 104.4mm being 117% of the 38-year average.

The overnight minimum was 2.4C, just above average (+1.1C) due to the complete cloud cover but the brisk northwesterly meant wind chill was a factor for the first time thus month. The thermometer read 2.6C at 08.00 but outside it felt more like 0C.

Monday began dull with the hang-back of cloud from the depression that ran along the English Channel overnight. The barometric pressure at 08.00 read 986.6mb, the lowest pressure since 23rd November.

After peaking at 11.7C on Saturday at 09.47, which was 4.7C above the average, the cold front passed through and the wind veered into the west and was brisk. After that the temperature began to fall back dropping to a minimum of 2.8C at 03.46 on Sunday. This low was still above average +1.5C.

Light showers produced another 2.5mm of rainfall starting just after 03.20 in the early hours of Sunday. That took the monthly total to 100.4mm being 113% of the 38-year average.

Sunday after first light saw variable cloud and a further shower just after 08.00. The barometric pressure remains low registering 999.5mb at 08.00 due to the proximity of depressions.

The temperature crept upwards during daylight hours before falling back in the early afternoon. However, another warm front approached and crossed the area in the evening that saw the temperature steadily rise after 17.30 to reach a maximum of 11.2C at 08.00 on Saturday. This maximum was 4.2C above the average.

The warm front brought much cloud and associated rainfall that triggered the automatic rain gauge at 01.30 that continued until after dawn with another 22.8mm of precipitation. That additional rainfall took the monthly total to 97.9mm being 8.7mm above the 38-year average. Gusts of wind associated with active weather fronts saw a peak speed of 33mph.

Saturday was dark and grim after dawn with steady rain. The barometric pressure has dropped again due to the closeness of the depression with a reading of 996.mb at 08.00. Approaching is a cold weather front that will change the wind direction from a southerly quadrant to west and as a result the temperature will fall later in the morning as the clearance arrives.