Author: Eric Gilbert

It was not surprising to find that as a result of the southerly breeze the thermometer rose above average with a maximum of 21.9C (+1.8C) on Monday. The was up 2C on the Sunday peak. Also expected was the ‘Very High’ UV level in the 13.3 hours of strong sunshine.

Also above average was the minimum overnight registering a low 11.4C (+1.4C). This was 4.4C up on the previous very cool night.

Tuesday arrived with strong sunshine after dawn that boosted the temperature to 17.5C at 08.00 ahead of what will be a hot day.

The centre of the high pressure has migrated to southern Scandinavia that is continuing to bring warm air from the Continent.

Update on Tuesday at 16.00: thermometer rose to a maximum of 26.3C at 16.44. This was the hottest day since 25th August that then reached 30.7C.

As the pressure began to rise on Sunday there was an increase in sunshine to almost 11 hours. However, the brisk westerly wind pegged back the temperature to a maximum of 19.8C, just below average.

The strong sunshine did however raise the UV level to 8.7, which was very high around midday.

It was a very cool night Sunday into Monday as under clear skies the temperature fell way down to 7.0C. This was 3C below average and the coolest night since 8th June.

We were greeted by strong sunshine after dawn that lifted the thermometer briskly t0 reach 14.0C at 08.00.

Te barometric pressure has been rising for the past twenty-four hours with a reading of 1024.6mb at 08.00 Monday, the highest for nearly a month.

After overnight rain the sun returned on Saturday with 6.3 hours that around midday raised the UV level to 8.8, not reached since 5th July 2019. As a result the temperature recovered to the average, after two cool days, with a peak of 20.2C.

Rain returned in the early hours of Sunday as a modest rain band crossed the area bringing another 4.5mm of rainfall that took the June total 71.0mm, being 132% of the 36-year average. The rain ceased just before 06.30 when the cloud cover began to thin and to break at 08.00 when observations were made.

The overnight minimum of 12.9C was 2.9C above the average and was boosted to 15.3C at 08.00 in the strong bursts of sunshine.

The rain eased away on Friday but still produced another 4.9mm of rainfall bringing the monthly total to 66.5mm being 13mm above the 36-year average. The convergence of two air streams on Thursday, from the cooler drier air mass from the east and warm, moist air mass from the south converged over southern England producing the exceptional rainfall.

With minimal sunshine, just 4.6 hours, but mostly cloudy, the temperature was depressed by day with a peak of 18.3C, which was 1.6C below the average.

Overnight was another mild night due to the cloud cover with the thermometer not sinking below 11.5C, which was 1.C above the average,

Saturday after dawn saw thick low cloud but by 08.00 bright periods were appearing as a temporary ridge of high pressure took effect. The barometric pressure has been rising for the past twenty-four hours.

The rain on Thursday began before 05.00 and stopped just after 18.30. However as the low pressure area slowly circled anticlockwise and moved ever so slowly westwards, the tail of the very wide rain band came back to the area in the early hours of Friday, light at first but more persistent and heavier rain from 06.00. The total rainfall for the twenty-four hours was 33.8mm. This was the wettest day since 18th September 2014 when 40.6mm fell in one day. The total rainfall for June has reached 61.6mm, which is 8mm above the 36-year average. At its peak the rain was falling at a rate of 90mm/hour.

Due to the slack area of low pressure winds were light for most of the period but as the depression circled the area the wind began the day from the southwest then veered into the North and eventually into the south late in the afternoon.

This was the first day without measurable sunshine since 28th April.

With all the cloud and rain the daytime temperature was depressed that meant a maximum of only 14.9C. This was the second coolest day in June and 5.2C below the 36-year average. Conversely, the thick, low cloud meant a mild night with a minimum of 12.4C being 2.4C above average.

As commented above, Friday morning saw the wet conditions continue with modest, continuous rain.