Author: Eric Gilbert

Monday was the fourth day in October when the sunshine recorder was not triggered as cloud in the morning steadily built up with rain arriving at 13.15. Another 3.1mm of rainfall brought the monthly total to 124.1mm, which is 38.5mm above the 36-year average.

With rain and no sun it was not surprising to see the thermometer struggle to reach a peak of just 12.1C being 2.5C below average. Likewise the overnight minimum of 4.4C was 2.6C below average.

Tuesday arrived with a mainly cloudy sky, the odd glimpse of brightness was observed around 08.00. It was a very still morning with the anemometers barely moving at 08.00. The barometric pressure has been falling for the past thirty-six hours with a current reading at 08.00 f 1010.3mb, so we are now in a more changeable weather pattern. The centre of the low has been migrating from the Midlands to northern France as a result the wind has been veering from the south west to the west and later this morning expected to return to the northwest.

The air from near the Arctic on Sunday, referred to as Polar Maritime Air having travelled over a large sea area, was very cool. The cool air and limited sunshine, just 3.8 hours, limited the temperature rise to a maximum of 12.8C, which was almost 2C below average. However, it was another dry day in this changeable weather pattern.

A night with minimum cloud meant a cool night with the thermometer dropping to 5.7C being 1.4C below average.

The high pressure to the west has been losing its influence over the past twenty-four hours as thin cloud ahead of a warm front was evident at dawn on Monday blocking out any chance of sunshine. The wind has backed from the northwest on Sunday to southwest today.

Saturday was memorable as it was the first dry day since 28th September due to a transient ridge of high pressure easing in from the west. However, although there was a slight increase in sunshine to 4.3 hours, the brisk wind, initially from the west and then veering a little into the west-northwest later in the day, meant another cool day. The thermometer struggled to reach 13.4C, which was 1.2C below average and almost exactly the peak reached on Friday.

The overnight minimum of 8.1C at 07.06 on Sunday was 1C above average.

Dawn on Sunday saw the sun hidden behind a bank of cloud on the eastern horizon. However, just before 08.00 it began to show itself and by 08.05 was shining strongly giving a glorious start to the day.

The barometric pressure on Sunday is currently at its highest for almost a month with a reading at 08.00 of 1025.4mb. The wind has veered a little more and although lighter than on Saturday is now coming from the north west. This wind direction is due to a depression to the east of the UK with air circulating anticlockwise and a significant high pressure to the west, with a clockwise circulation, bringing down the Arctic air over the UK.

The showers arrived again on Friday making this the tenth successive day with rain, although recently much more in the form of showers than incessant rain. The total rainfall on Friday amounted to 1.8mm

The westerly wind meant a cooler day with the thermometer not exceeding 13.3C, which was 1.3C below average as the cooler air from the Arctic began to make itself felt. Overnight, with mainly clear skies, the thermometer again dropped well below average (-3.2C) with a low of 3.9C.

Saturday saw brightness after dawn and stronger sunshine just after 08.00. The wind is currently from the west but will slowly veer into the northwest as the day progresses heralding a cool weekend with air coming from Iceland.

The light rain and drizzle on Thursday morning amounted to another 2mm bringing the monthly total to 119.2mm, which is 33.6m above the 36-year average and the wettest October since the record deluge in 2006 with 139mm.

The cloud cleared late morning and a little sunshine appeared, just 1.9 hours, bt welcome that lifted the thermometer to a maximum of 16.3C, the warmest day this month being 1.8C above average.

A dry but very cool not followed with the thermometer sinking to a low 2.9C at 05.48 being 4.2C below average and the coolest night this month.

Friday saw the sun soon after sunrise skirt cloud on the eastern horizon and begin to shine strongly by 08.00 lifting the thermomter to 6.3C at that time.