Author: Eric Gilbert

After considerable rainfall during the past two days another substantial fall occurred from 22.00 Sunday night, after showers earlier in the morning, that totalled 15.6mm. That additional precipitation took the monthly total to 85.5mm, which is still 4.2mm below the 38-year average.

The sun came out on sunday after the rain band had cleared that lifted the temperature to 17.7C being 3.1C above the average due to the continued flow of warm air, the wind having backed a few degrees into the southeast.

Once again we have enjoyed another mild night with a low of 11.1C at 07.45 Monday being 3.6C above the average.

Monday started dull from the hang-back of cloud from the latest weather front but shortly after 08.15 the sun began to beak through, if weakly, but there was a promise of stronger sunshine with the pressure beginning to build again. The lowest barometric pressure this month occurred just before midnight with a low of 993.0mb.

The centre of the low pressure is relocating, as a result the wind is veering into the southwest on Monday, still bringing warm air from around the Azores.

The autumnal images this month I took some three years ago in Westonbirt Arboretum. October will bring autumn colours from the beech trees in Savernake Forest.

The changeable weather continued on Saturday with brighter, drier weather by day but overnight, in the early hours of Sunday, another wide rain band passed over the area.

The thermometer once again rose above average during Saturday in the light southerly air stream to reach 16.7C, being 2.1C above the 39-year average. This was followed by another very mild night when the thermometer did not drop below 13.3C, which was a significant 6.0C above the average due to the thick cloud cover and southerly air stream.

Rain began again just before 03.00 and was very heavy at 07.35 producing another 11.9mm of precipitation. That addition brought the monthly total to 69.9mm, which is still 20mm short of the long-term average.

On Sunday thunder was heard at 06.45 and 07.10 as the extensive rain band moved northwards. Thus the start to the new day was dark and very wet but the rain had almost cleared by 08.10.

After light overnight rain on Friday the extensive weather front produced rain from 09.30 to just before 21.30, almost continuous, with minor short breaks. The deluge produced 31.1mm of precipitation that made it the wettest day since 3rd October 2020 (49.9mm) and took the monthly total 58.0mm, which is still 31.6mm below the 38-year average.

The southerly breeze, gusting to 31mph, was the windiest day this month and continued to feed warm air over the UK. Even though there was no sunshine the thermometer rose to 15.5C being 0.9C above the average followed by a mild night with a minimum of 10.8C, which was 3.6C above the average.

Saturday began with some brightness but no sunshine.

The deep depression off the west coast meant a low barometric pressure of 998.2mb on Friday but by Saturday morning the pressure had begun to rise with a reading of 1008.3mb at 08.00.

After a wet morning on Thursday when another 3.8mm of rain was added to the total, the afternoon was brighter with sunshine.

The rainfall total for October now stands at 26.9mm, which is just 30% of the 38-year average.

The highs and lows of the past twenty-four hours were a peak of 16.1C, being 1.5C above average and a low of 9.8C just after midnight, that was 2.6C above the average.

Friday arrived with some brightness but shower clouds are not far away with more rain during the day in this changeable weather. The depression has moved closer with the barometric pressure at 08.00 reading 999.8mb, the lowest since 8th April.

The low pressure system that currently fills most of the Atlantic to the west of the UK has brought cloud with rain in the early hours of Thursday.

Although the wind continued from the east on Wednesday, gusting ti 29mph, it was a warm day with the maximum 17.9C being 3.3C above the average.

Rain triggered the automatic rain gauge just after 06.00 on Thursday as a large area of rain arrived from the southwest with wind veering into that direction to start the new day. Just 1.3mm had fallen in the 5″copper Meteorological Office standard rain gauge by 08.00. All my rain data is from that accurate rain gauge, placed away from buildings and other items that would produce an inaccurate reading.

The temperature dropped away to 11.9C just after midnight but then began to rise as the cloud thickened from the weather front arriving.By 08.00 the thermometer read 14.1C.

The weather front is quite extensive and will produce rain for a few more hours, being forecast to last until after midday.