Author: Eric Gilbert

During the bursts of strong sunshine on Saturday the thermometer edged upwards again to peak at 25.0C being 3.9C above the average. As a matter of interest no day this month has produced a maximum below the 38-year average.

The breeze from the west for most of the day was again quite brisk with a peak gust of 19mph. It was the eighteenth dry this month with the UV level at the top end of High.

The overnight minimum of 13.0C was also above average (+1.3C). Unlike the above daily average maxima there have been 10 nights this month when the minimum was below the 38-year average.

Although there was minimal brightness first thing on Sunday well before 08.00 the cloud had thickened blotting out any possibility of sunshine.

The breeze on Friday was the strongest this month gusting to 24mph and from the west. This was from a cooler direction than on Friday (south) and meant a cooler day with the thermometer not rising above 22.7C, however, it was 1.6C above the average.

Another dry day and the UV level rated as High. he rainfall for August stands at 16.2mm when the average is 66.9mm.

An above average minimum overnight of 12.8C (+1.1C).

Saturday brought strong sunshine after dawn but by 09.00 variable cloud had drifted across and limited the sunshine.

Thursday saw the warmth return, after the colder day on Wednesday, with a peak of 24.3C being 3.2C above the average. The wind direction had changed ate evening and through Thursday to come from the south, a warm direction than northeast. No rain was recorded in the past 24-hour period with th eUv level rising to 6.4 being rated at the top end of High.

The past night has been even milder than f leat with the thermometer not sinking below 16.3, which was a signify 4.6C above the average.

Friday arrived bright but there was little sunshine before 08.00 due to a predominantly cloudy sky although the temperature at 0800 had risen a degree to read 17.3C. The wind direction has changed again and is to come from the west all day and brisk.

Thanks to a brisk northeasterly breeze on Wednesday and a predominantly cloudy sky, the thermometer only rose to 20.8C. This was the coolest day since 27th July (20.6) and the first below average maximum this month (-0.3C). It was the breeziest day in August with a peak gust of 20mph.

The dry weather returned with the UV level of 5.0 just in the High category.

The past night was mild due to the blanket of cloud providing a duvet to minimise heat loss into the atmosphere as a result a minimum of 15.8C was 4.1C above the average.

Thursday arrived with no sun in evidence but low cloud draping the Marlborough Downs and Savernake Forest limiting visibility to 400m initially, that by 08.00 had thinned a little.

It is interesting to analyse the diurnal range of temperatures this month with which the human frame has had to adjust, day by day. The temperature variation between day and night on the 10th was 21.2C (30.6C and 9.4C) whereas by contrast the past 24-hours produced a very small range of just 5.0C (20.8C and 15.8C).

The mostly cloudy day meant the maximum temperature of 22.8C was only just above average and some 10C below the peaks a few days earlier. It was also the coolest day this month equaling that on the 5th. There were a couple of very brief, light showers that were not measurable, as the spots of rain disappeared quickly in the very dry air.

A large area of shower activity arrived from the south producing heavy rain that started at 16.55 and lasted until 18.15. The total rainfall amounted to 15.9mm, which was the wettest day since 16th March (16.4mm) with a peak rainfall rate equivalent to 38mm/hr.

Not surprisingly, in the more humid conditions, the daily evaporation that was running at over 4mm dropped to 1.35mm.

The overnight minimum of 16.1C gave us the warmest night since the 3rd (18.1C) being 4.4C above the average.

Wednesday dawned with total cloud cover and humidity registering 98%, the highest this month. The barometric pressure has begun to recover as the depression eases away with a pressure reading of 1011.3mb at 08.00, up 9mb over the past two days.

It is interesting to analyse the diurnal range of temperatures this month with which the human frame has had to adjust, day by day. The temperature variation between day and night on the 10th was 21.2C (30.6C and 9.4C) whereas by contrast the past 24-hours produced a very small range of just 5.0C (20.8C and 15.8C).