Author: Eric Gilbert

After a mild day on Thursday when the thermometer rose to 10.6C, being 2.5C above average, the rains returned overnight producing another 12.1mm of precipitation. That additional rainfall took the monthly total to 71.3mm, still 20mm below the long-term average.

The minimum of 7.4C overnight was thanks to dense cloud cover minimising loss of warmth to the atmosphere, being 4.9C above the average.

Friday arrived dark, wet and gloomy as the next weather front slowly passed, coming on a light southwesterly breeze. The barometric pressure reading at 08.00 was 998.8mb and falling. This was the lowest pressure since 23rd November and due to a deep depression just to the west of Ireland that is producing the sequence of weather fronts and mild, moist air.

Wednesday brought bright intervals that saw the thermometer rise to 10.0C, mild for the time of year and 1.9C above the average.

The past night was deceptive as the temperature remained relatively stable until the late evening and then dropped away to reach a minimum of 1.4C at 04.34, 1.0C below average, before rising again as a weather front approached.

Rain triggered the automatic rain gage at 06.40 bringing 0.9mm by 08.00.

Thursday began very dark with low, thick cloud masking the Marlborough Downs and Savernake Forest limiting visibility to around 600m at its worst. For the first time in several years the humidity at 08.00 read 100%. The arrival of the cloud associated with a weather front meant that the temperature recovered after 04.34 to reach 6.3C at 08.00.

The Atlantic synoptic chart shows a range of weather fronts approaching the UK, so more rain and mist ahead.

Both the maximum of 9.4C and minimum of 4.0C were above average with +1.3C and +1.5C respectively as the mild Atlantic airmass continues to move across the UK on a southwesterly wind.

We are still under the influence of low pressure systems close by with a reading of 1006.9mb at 08.00 on Wednesday, similar to the last three days.

Wednesday morning revealed another cloudy start to the day. Shower activity is passing just to the north of our area on a brisk southwesterly with just 0.2mm of rainfall recently. The soil temperature at a depth of 5cm has been above freezing for the past three days with a reading today of 5.1C.

The last twenty-four hours saw the thermometer rise steadily to reach 12.9C at 21.12 last night being 4.8C above the long-term average and the warmest day since 14th November. We have also endured another deluge with almost continuous precipitation during the past twenty-four hours amounting to 29.8mm, which took the monthly rainfall total to 58.1mm.

The thermometer began to fall after 04.00 as the extensive weather front began to ease away.

At first light on Tuesday the hang-back of cloud from the weather front could be seen on the eastern horizon leaving thin patchy cloud and a very slim crescent moon. The temperature has continued to fall since 04.00 to read 6.8C at 08.00. The barometric pressure fell for much of yesterday to reach its lowest this morning with a reading of 1001.1mb at 04.12.

The warmer Atlantic air from the southeast on Sunday morning lifted the temperature steadily throughout the day and last night as the cold seeped out of the ground. The last twenty-four hours has seen a rise of 14C.

The maximum of 12.1C at 06.24 on Monday was the highest since 26th November and 4.0C above the long-term average.

Sleet began to fall at 09.00 on Sunday that began to form a very slippery surface. However, as the temperature began to rise the sleet turned to steady rain that was heavy in the afternoon and continued with brief breaks throughout the night and early Monday morning. The total precipitation was 28.1mm making it the wettest day since 21st October (31.1mm).

I cannot say Monday dawned as it arrived with more rain from heavy, low, thick cloud making it very dark also strong winds from the southeast. There was a maximum gust of 31mph at 06.06. The wind is forecast to veer into the southwest during the morning. It is the warmest start to a day at 08.00 (12.0C) since 7th November. The meteorological right-angled soil thermometer at a depth of 5cm has seen a rose in temperature from -3.8C on Friday to 5.4C today.