Author: Eric Gilbert

On Saturday, despite the brisk wind principally from the northeast, the 8.4 hours of sunshine lifted the maximum temperature to 10.2C, which was close to the average, just 0.2C below. The wind, peaking at 32mph, again produced a wind chill that made it feel 2C lower.

It was another dry day, the fifth this month, with the UV level edging higher giving a maximum strength of 3.3, the highest since 4th October and now firmly in the ‘Moderate’ category.

Sunday initially saw broken and thin cloud partly obscuring the sun but by 08.00 it was shining strongly having lifted the minimum temperature of 1.6C set at 03.53, which was 0.7C below the average, to 4.3C. Evidence of the brief ground frost quickly disappeared as the sun got to work.

The high pressure, centred over southern Scandinavia, continues bring us dry and sunny conditions and in fact has strengthened a little again over the past five hours to read 1026.0mb ay 08.00 Sunday.

Although we enjoyed 3.6 hours of welcome sunshine on Friday the biting wind from the north east, peaking at 32mph, depressed temperatures. The maximum of 8.9C was 1.5C below average but wind chill meant if felt more like 6C.

It was a dry day, only the fourth this week, and the UV level in the strong bursts of sunshine rose to 3.2, which just edged into the ‘Moderate’ category.

A chilly night was to follow as the clear skies allowed the thermometer to drop to a minimum of 3.1C, just above average.

Saturday saw thin cloud drifting across on the brisk wind, veering from northeast to east allowing bursts of weak sunshine to break through.

The effect of a brisk wind from the north east on Thursday meant it was a cold day with the maximum of just 6.2C, which was 4.2C below the 36-year average. The strength of the wind, gusting to 23mph, produced significant wind chill that meant it felt more like 1C in the afternoon when the ambient temperature had dropped to only 4.2C.

There were many hours of drizzle during daylight hours that produced just 0.3mm of precipitation.

The cloud overnight precluded any air frost but the wind continuing to come from the northeast strengthened so that it continued to feel more like 1C or 2C if exposed to the wind.

On Friday there a couple of brief glimpses of the sun shortly after 08.00. The high pressure over northern Scandinavia has raised the barometric pressure further so that at 08.00 the barometer read 1028.0mb, which was the highest pressure since 6th February.

The mild air from the Azores, brought on a brisk southwesterly for the majority of the day, continued to influence our weather on Wednesday raising the temperature to a peak of 14.3C, which was 3.9C above the 36-year average.

We enjoyed 2.5 hours of intermittent sunshine before cloud built up from the next weather front ambling down from the north, to produce 2.1mm of precipitation.

The wind began to change direction just after 19.00 moving to the northwest and north overnight then north east on Thursday morning.

The minimum of 4.6C overnight was 2.3C above average. Thursday arrived under thick cloud shrouding the Marlborough Downs as the weather front lingered over the area.

Although we were under a ridge of high pressure on Tuesday, 1027.7mb was the highest this month, it was cloudy a day with just a very brief glimpse of the sun for 9 minutes.

However, it was a another very mild day and night with both maximum and minimum above average with 12.1C (+1.5C) and 9.7C (+7.4C). The warm air was brought to us from the Azores on a brisk wind from the south to southwest.

The past twenty-four hours have been dry, which makes two successive dry days that has not occurred since 4th to 6th February when we had three consecutive dry days.