Author: Eric Gilbert

The intense anticyclone eased away westwards a little on Tuesday so the wind was a little lighter, still gusting to 23mph and from the North East. The lighter wind and 8.4 hours of sunshine meant a slightly warmer day than the previous four days, but only just, with a maximum of 9.9C, which was 0.5C below the 36-year average.

It was another dry day, the fourteenth in March, with the UV level of 3.9 the highest of the month and at the top end of the ‘Moderate’ category.

Clear skies overnight meant the thermometer fell away steadily t a minimum of 2.8C being 1.2C below the average.

Wednesday saw brilliant sunshine for a short period after dawn but encroaching cloud, from a slow moving weather front edging down from the north, soon brought the bright start to an end as the cloud thickened.

Monday brought a slightly calmer day with the wind speed maximum much lower but still strong with gusts to 23mph. For a time in the morning the wind backed into the north before reverting to northeast.

As a result of the reduction in the average and maximum speed the temperature recovered slightly with a maximum of 9.2C, which was up 1.2C on the Sunday maximum but still 1.2C below the 36-year average.

There were a couple of very light showers at 15.35 and 16.25 that barely dampened the ground and not measurable. However, a slightly longer, but still brief, shower occurred Tuesday morning at 03.55 amounting to just 0.1mm.

The temperature overnight was just above the average with a minimum of 2.8C.

Tuesday saw broken cloud after dawn but by 07.30 the sun was shining strongly. As the anticyclone eased westwards in the Atlantic the wind continues to lose some of its strength but still brisk.

The intense high pressure over the North Atlantic, and covering much of that area, intensified on Sunday bringing another dry and sunny day. However, the very strong winds, gusting to a peak of 43mph at 09.24, meant a very cool day with the thermometer not rising above 8.1C, which was 2.3C below average. The strong and sustained winds produced a significant wind chill that during daylight hours meant it felt up to 3C below the thermometer reading.

The centre of the anticyclone had a peak reading of 1055mb being the highest in the past 100 years with the peak in Marlborough of 1040.0mb.

Another 8.9 hours of strong sunshine was logged.

Sunday was the tenth successive dry day, such a dry period has not occurred since July 2019.

The breeze moderated significantly during the early evening and dropped away to 5 – 8 mph overnight

Monday arrived with a mainly cloudy sky allowing the occasional very short burst of sunshine after 08.00. The northeasterly wind, having persisted for four days, this morning has backed into the north.

The strong northeasterly and on Saturday, gusting to 40mph at 17.26 an often well over 30mph, meant a cold day. The thermometer struggled to reach 9.1C being 1.3C below average. However, the very strong wind meant that outside in the wind it often felt at least 3C below that registered on the thermometer.

We have now experoebecd nine consecutive dry days. The monthly rainfall total remains at 58.5mm but evaporation from ground sources and plant life has produced evaporation that is the equal of 43mm of rainfall.

A cold night was to follow but thankfully the wind eased downwards a little. The movement of air meant no frost occurred alight the air temperature dropped to 1.9C being 0.4C below the 36-year average.

Sunday initially saw cloud on the horizon blanking out sunshine but by 08.00 the sun began to shine strongly through broken cloud.

The sunny and dry weather is thanks to a high pressure over the North Atlantic that is continuing to intensify with a current reading of 1037.2mb

Although we had another 9 hours of glorious sunshine on Friday the maximum temperature slipped again with a maximum of 12.1C still 1.5C above the average. However, the strong wind from the northeast, gusting to 24mph, induced significant wind chill that meant it felt a couple degrees cooler than indicated on the thermometer.

Another dry day, the eighth in succession.

Although there were clear skies overnight the persistent north-easterly wind meant there was no frost as the air was continuously being stirred up thus a minimum of 2.8C was just above average.

Saturday saw weak sunken after dawn through thin cloud on the eastern horizon but just before 07.30 it began to strengthen as it rose in the sky. At 08.00 the ambient temperature was 5.1C but wind chill meant it felt more like 2C.