Author: Eric Gilbert

On Monday we saw the temperature rise well above the 36-year average (+3.7C) with a maximum of 20.8C as the strong sunshine, totalling 11.15 hours, got to work. The UV continues in the Very High range.

The ground is now beginning to hold its warmth as the minimum of 10.5C (+3.5C) overnight was well above average to give a soil reading at a depth of 5cm of 16.2C at 08.00 on Tuesday. This was the warmest night since the 6th of October.

There was total cloud cover until just before 08.00 on Tuesday when brief breaks appeared allowing the sun to burst through. As a result the thermometer rose to 13.2C at 08.00.

We have now enjoyed 15 consecutive dry days with the monthly rainfall standing at just 7.5mm whereas evaporation from the ground and plant life is the equivalent loss of 67mm of rainfall during May so no wonder the gardens are very dry and hoping for some rain on Thursday – but not too heavy!

With a total of 14.4 hours of sunshine and the wind coming from the west, a warmer direction than of late, the thermometer crept above average with a maximum of 17.9C (+0.8C). The UV level was again in the ‘Very High’ category.

The warmth continued overnight with a minimum of 8.8C being 1.8C above average and the second warmest night this month.

Hazy sunshine greeted the arrival of Monday as the high pressure continues to exert its influence with another dry day ahead, which would make it the 15th consecutive dry day in May. This is a very similar pattern to April that came to a halt with a downpour on the 17th.

With only a month or so to go before mid-summer it is not surprising to find that during the 9.2 hours of sunshine on Saturday that the UV level rose to 7.2 being just into the ‘Very High’ category at 13.33. Whilst on the subject of sunshine it is interesting to note that no day in May so far has been sunless and that we have enjoyed 145 hours of strong sunshine during the first half of the month,

The wind on Saturday was predominantly from the north west, backing into the the west late afternoon. The air from this direction is a little warmer than the recent north easterlies and combined with the sunshine raised the temperature back above average, just, for the first time in a week with a maximum of 172C (+0.1C).

The thermometer fell away overnight under clear skies, to reach a minimum of 4.4C at 05.33 Sunday mooring.

There was broken sunshine shortly after dawn but by 08.00 it was was getting stronger lifting the temperature to 11.1C at that time.

Friday saw the wind come from the northwest as the day developed, which is a warmer direction that the persistent north easterlies we have endured recently. As a result the temperature began to recover during daylight hours to reach a peak of 17.6C, which was just 0.4C below average and the warmest day this week. Another 12 hours of strong sunshine was logged.

Thankfully, especially for gardeners, the thermometer stayed well above freezing overnight with a minimum of 6.4C at 03.24. During the evening the thermometer slowly fell away but in the early hours cloud began to encroach halting the slide.

Thick cloud greeted the dawn but by 08.00 the sky began to brighten with the temperature having risen to 8.7C.

The anticyclone has been slowly drifting down the eastern Atlantic thus the change in wind direction, today it is coming from the west, and locally the pressure is rising again.

After a sunny start the sun kept shining on Thursday to log 12.1 hours making it the sunniest day since 16th July 2019. However, in spite of the many hours of sunshine the northeasterly breeze meant another cool day as the thermometer struggled to reach 13.9C being 3.2C below the 36-year average.

It was not surprising to see the thermometer falling steadily in the evening and overnight under clear skies to reach a low of -0.8C at 04.29 on Friday. In fact the temperature was below zero for almost three hours in the early morning.

Friday saw another glorious start to the day with blue skies and strong sunshine as soon as the sun crossed the horizon lifting the thermometer to 8.7C at 08.00 dispelling the white covering after the air frost.

There is a subtle change in the air this morning as it does not feel as bitterly cold due to the wind backing from the northeast into the north or even nornorwest. This is the result of the anticyclone slipping a little further south in the eastern Atlantic