Author: Eric Gilbert

We enjoyed 8.5 hours of sunshine on Wednesday, being the sunniest day since 25th April (10.21 hours). However, the brisk wind from the northwest for much of the day meant another below average maximum (-1.3C) with a peak of 16.0C. There was a light shower early afternoon that amounted to 0.8mm.

Initially the sky was clear overnight that allowed the warmth to dissipate into the atmosphere producing a minimum of 5.2C at 03.31 being 1.7C below the average. Thereafter the thermometer began to rise again as advance cloud from the next low-pressure system approached the UK.

The depression is currently off western Ireland with the rain radar showing precipitation is not far off at 08.00 at which time the thermometer had recovered to 8.4C. The barometric pressure is dropping rapidly as the depression approaches with the breeze already beginning to show signs of increasing in strength and currently having backed into the south.

We have yet to enjoy a day when the maximum temperature rises above the average. The nighttime minimum is a little better, but not much, with only eight nights giving an above average minimum.

Yet more rain during Tuesday and the early hours of Wednesday amounting to 7.6mm that brought the monthly to 67.4mm, which is 113% of the 37-year average.

The thermometer again did not rise above average with a maximum of only 15.5C (-1.8C).

Once again the cloud cover meant a relatively mild night with the thermometer not sinking below 8.0C, which was 1.1C above the average.

Wednesday dawned with thick cloud from the back edge of the weather front that had brought over two hours of rain, ceasing just before 06.00. By 08.00 the sun began to break through the cloud as the weather front drifted eastwards.

With another 1.5mm of rainfall on Monday it brought the monthly total to 59.8mm, just 0.2mm above the 37-year average.

The thermometer rose to it highest this month with a maximum of 16.8C, however, this was still 0.5C below the average. Overnight the temperature dropped away to a minimum of 6.1C at 02.33, which was 0.8C below the average.

Tuesday morning brought sporadic brightness and brief glimpses of sunshine between breaks in the cloud.

So far this month not one day has seen the maximum temperature rise above the average and only nine nights have been warmer than average. The mean temperature for May so far is a significant 2.3C below the 37-year average and very similar to the result for April.

Further showers on Sunday amounting to 10.1mm, brought the monthly total 58.3mm, just 1.3mm below the 37-year average. It was another very cool day with a peak temperature of only 13.8C being 3.5C below the monthly average.

However, due to th cloud clever and moist, warm air the thermometer did not fall below 9.0C overnight, which was 2C above average.

Monday brought complete cloud cover after dawn.

For some time we have been to the north of the Jet Stream, which contains the colder air. The projected Jet Stream path shows no change in the near future so changeable weather will continue.

The sunshine and showers continued on Saturday as the unstable atmosphere, brought by the stream of low pressure systems continues. As the temperatures rises the air warms and rises causing the moist air to form shower activity. The last twenty-four hours gave us 5.2 hours of sunshine and another 3.1mm of rainfall that brought the monthly total to 48.2mm, just 11mm below the 37-year average. The wind for the most part was from the southwest.

The thermometer reached a peak of 15.2C being 2.1C below the average with an overnight minimum of 6.4C at 06.34, which was 0.5C under the average.

Sunday saw some weak sunshine after dawn that began to slowly disappear as advance cloud and showers began to drift in from the southwest. This early morning sunshine raised the thermometer 4C to 10.2C at 08.00. Another depression is currently centred off the North Devon coast and will traverse the county during the day with a consequent shift in wind direction much later in the day from south-southwest to west an northwest. The barometric pressure has been falling again as the depression approaches with a current reading at 08.00 of 998.2mb