Author: Eric Gilbert

Most of the statistics for Thursday were almost identical to Wednesday with a maximum of 16.7C (16.8C) and a minimum of 3.1C at 05.38 Friday (3.0C).

The major difference was in the strength of the UV light that peaked at 5.6, which is classified as ‘High’ the first time this year. It was also another dry day.

Friday dawned with fog that limited visibility to 200m but this had evaporated by 07.30 under the influence of strong sunshine.

The ridge off high pressure has been building for the past four days and at 08.00 on Friday had risen to 1026.6mb with the promise of more fine dry weather.

Thanks to the modest breeze from the southwest on Wednesday. the thermometer rose to 16.8C being 2.7C above average. but due to clearer skies overnight a minimum 3.0C occurred early on Thursday at 05.30, being 0.7C below average.

It was another dry day, the sixth this month with rainfall just 16.2mm. By contrast, we have lost the equivalent of 22mm of rainfall due to evaporation from ground sources and plant life.

Thursday dawned quite murky with mist and cloud allowing only the briefest of bright intervals after dawn.

The ridge of high pressure has been building with the current pressure at 0800 of 1022.1mb, so another dry day is in prospect.

After several gloriously sunny days Tuesday was disappointing as the cloud and moisture from the depression over the Atlantic meant a wet start to the day and light rain in mid-afternoon amounting to 1.3mm. There was some weak sunshine in the early evening. As a result of the cloud the thermometer only rose to 14.3C, but this was still marginally above average although 4C down on the Monday peak.

The cloud overnight meant a very mild night with the thermometer not sinking below 9.6C, which was 5.9C above the average and the warmest night since 31st December.

Wednesday brought bright intervals to start the day that, after the mildest night this month that gave us the warmest start to the day ay 08.00 with a temperature of 11.2C.

A ridge of high pressure has been slowly building with the reading at 08.00 of 1013.9mb, up 10mb at this time on Tuesday.

Thanks to the much warmer air flow from the south the thermometer rose to 18.3C being 4.2C above the average and the warmest day since 7th October. The UV level edged higher again to register 4.7, the highest since 17th September. However, the southeasterly wind was very gusty with a peak of 27mph.

The overnight minimum of 5.7C was also above average (+2.0C) due to the increase in cloud. Light rain showers occurred around dawn and again just before 07.30 but only amounting to 0.3mm.

Tuesday arrived with low cloud and the threat of more rain imminent, the wind having subsided.

The thermometer rose to its highest on Sunday in five days with a maximum of 12.7C but it was still 1.4C below the average after a very cold night. The UV level edged higher during the many hours of sunshine to 4.5, which was at the top end of the “Moderate” category.

Overnight the breeze did not fall out completely and backed from the south into the southeast. It was also an above average minimum of 4.2C (+0.5C).

Monday saw broken and thin high cloud after dawn but by 08.00 the sunshine had become stronger and more continuous.

The rainfall this month totals 14.6mm but the loss of equivalent rainfall from evaporation from ground sources and plant life now exceeds the rainfall with 16.5mm lost to the atmosphere.

The barometric pressure has dropped to 1009.8mb at 08.00 due to a depression lurking in the eastern Atlantic and about to affect our weather with more cloud and showers.