Author: Eric Gilbert

The strong wind on Sunday from the north east, gusting to 27mph, the strongest since the beginning of the month, saw temperatures depressed again. The thermometer only reached 14.4C, just above average but 2C down on the Saturday peak. There was also an element of windchill that meant outside it felt at least 1C colder than that indicated on the thermometer. However, out of the wind it was pleasant in the 10.2 hours of sunshine with the UV level again at the top end of ‘High”.

A very cool night followed with a minimum 1.2C at 05.56 on Monday.

The temperatures have been drifting downward over the last three days and nights. This can be seen in the soil temperatures at a depth of 5cm with 9.3C, 8.0C and 7.8C respectively at 08.00.

Monday did arrive with some brightness but a large area of cloud soon drifted in from the east and extended back to the North Sea.

We have now experienced 14 consecutive days without rain, the longest dry period since April 2020 when there were 19 consecutive dry days and a succession of winds from the north east just as this year.

Although the hours of sunshine (10.9) on Saturday were up again, the strong wind from the north east depressed daytime temperatures. The maximum of 16.9C at 14.41 was down a degree on the Friday peak but still 2.6C above the average.

Yet another dry day with the UV level rising further with a peak value of 5.8 that was at the top end of ‘High’.

The temperature drifted downwards after late afternoon to reach a low of 1.6C at 05.30 on Sunday morning.

We were greeted with sunshine after dawn on Sunday. However, just after 07.00 a bank of cloud was observed on the eastern horizon that by 07.15 had drifted across the sky and began to blot out the sunshine. As a result the recovery in temperature was halted so that the thermometer read 4.4C at 08.00 as against 7.8C on Saturday. The wind also picked up as the cloud arrived so that wind chill was a factor in depressing the temperature so it felt more like 3C outside at 08.00. By 08.10 the cloud was beginning to thin and sunny intervals to break through.

Friday brought another 10.6 hours of glorious sunshine for the greater part of the day in very clear blue skies. Later in the afternoon thin, high cloud drifted in. The wind from the east increased in speed with a maximum gust of 21mph. However, the thermometer climbed to a peak of 17.7C being 3.4C above average. The UV level was the highest since 8th September with a peak value of 5.2, which is firmly in the ‘High’ category.

No air frost was recorded overnight with a minimum of 2.3C being 1.8C below average but there was a short lived ground frost.

We have now had 14 consecutive days without rain with the rainfall total for April still standing at 7.4mm against the 37-year average of 58.5mm. Not only has April been very dry with little in the forecast, an equivalent rainfall of 50mm has been lost through evaporation from ground sources and plant life. Over the last two days we have lost the equivalent of 3.62mm and 3.79mm of rainfall respectively.

The temperature at 08.00 on Saturday morning was 7.8C due to a slightly less cold night and sunshine from dawn. This made it the warmest start to a day this month.

The sun just kept shining all day on Thursday totalling 10.9 hours. The wind from the east was a little lighter, maximum gust of 18mph, that combined with the sunshine saw the thermometer rise to 15.6C being 1.3C above the average. Also notable was the UV level that peaked at 5.0, which was just into the ‘High’ level.

Although no air frost occurred last night there was a sharp ground frost.

Friday dawned as Thursday with sunshine after dawn that saw the thermometer rise to 5.0C at 08.00 after a minimum of 1.9C in the early hours. The anticyclone is still very close, centred off the Essex coast having moved a little south, so the wind for much of Friday is likely to come from the east-southeast.

The soil temperature at a depth of 5cm has for the last three days risen a degree or two to read at least 7.0C, today was 7.9C, still rather cold for planting out much in the way of seeds. Tender plants will continue to need covering or indoors overnight as although the minimum temperature of the last two nights was just above freezing the cold wind will chill soft leaves.

The wind backed into the north east again on Wednesday and became much stronger with a maximum gust of 26mph, which was the windiest day since the 6th. Although sunshine of 8.12 hours was almost exactly the same as on Tuesday the cool, strong wind depressed the temperatures although a maximum of 15.0C was just above average.

The thermometer fell slowly downwards overnight to a minimum of 0.9C at 05.33 that was just short of an air frost but a hard ground frost set in.

Thursday arrived with strong sunshine after dawn with thin high cloud taking the edge off its strength.

The barometric pressure has increased again as the centre of the high pressure relocated to just off The Wash with the wind forecast to come from the east on Thursday and a little lighter.