Author: Eric Gilbert

Tuesday saw the thermometer rise to 13.3C, well above average (3.3C) for November under the influence of Tropical Maritime air mass brought on the south to southwest air flow. the past twenty-four hours on Tuesday were dry, the first for a week.

The continuous cloud cover also produced a mild night with the thermometer not sinking below 11.4C, which was a significant 7.7C above average.

Wednesday dawned with the cloud cover again continuous and thickening during the morning with a rain band crossing the area just before 10.45.

There was a little brightness during Monday morning although the most notable feature was the run of southwesterly wind, which was due, and is on Tuesday, to a large area of high pressure centred over the continent bringing the Tropical Maritime air mass from the Atlantic off the North African coast. As a result the temperature varied very little over the past twenty-four hours with a maximum of 12.2C (+2.2C) logged at 22.25 and a minimum of 11.1C (+7.4C) both well above average.

There was a minor shower at 19.25 that amounted to 0.6mm.

Tuesday arrived with the cloud base higher and a little thinner allowing some brightness first thing and a burst of weak sunshine just before 08.30.

Sunday brought us 1.9 hours of welcome sunshine in the morning that lifted the thermometer to 11.2C being 1.2C above average. After midday the cloud built up as another weather front approached the area.

Another 2.7mm of rain fell in the past twenty-four hours giving a monthly total of 61.5mm when the average is 92.3mm.

Another mild night followed as the southwesterly winds prevailed with a maximum gust of 29mph. The thermometer fell away to 8.3C just before dawn on Monday being 4.6C above average under complete cloud cover but which was much higher. The barometric pressure has been rising for the past twenty-for hours so Monday will be an in between day as more depressions are lining up in the Atlantic to bring a repeat of the unsettled weather.

Saturday brought hours and hours of continuous rainfall. More showers occurred at 01.00 and heavy again at 05.00 on Sunday morning. The rainfall total for the day was 26.1mm making it the wettest day since the deluge on 3rd October(49.9mm). The monthly total has increased to 58.8mm with the 36-year average at 92.3mm.

The southerly air steam on Saturday brought another mild, above average day and night with a maximum of 13.4C (+3.4C) and 9.9C at 03.30 on Sunday (+6.4C).

The thick, low cloud during daylight hours want no sunshine but the solar sensor for the first time since this instrument was installed in 2009 registered no solo activity. The previous minimal solar energy was on 21st December 2010 when just 3 Langleys were logged.

Sunday arrived with further bands of rain, heavy just after 08.00, with the current temperature at 11.2C. By 09.10 the rain band had drifted eastwards and the cloud to thin that saw the thermometer drop 3C in one hour with a reading go 7.8C as the wind veered into the southwest.

Friday was dry with the temperature hovering around 11C for most of the day and sunny in the morning logging 3.4 hours. Overnight the thermometer dropped away to 6.7C in the early hours of Saturday but advancing rain and cloud, on a southerly air stream, saw the thermometer rise significantly to 12.9C at 08.00 on Saturday.

Light rain before 08.00 on Saturday amounted to 0.9mm bringing the monthly total 32.7mm when the average is 92.3mm. The radar chart indicates a wide rain band is approaching that will add significantly to this total. The wind has been increasing over the past two hours with a maximum gust of 27mph at 07.36.