Author: Eric Gilbert

Wednesday was a much improved day with 4.6 hours of sunshine and dry during daylight hours. However, the brisk wind, bringing Polar Maritime air on a brisk westerly breeze, meant the maximum of 7.4C was just below the average (-0.1C).

Rain arrived on the next weather front just after 01.45 Thursday morning, which turned to wet snow at 06.30 as the thermometer had dropped to 1.2C then 0.6C at 07.45. The wind had briefly veered into the north.

The snow continued until 09.00 when it began to peter out as the weather front eased away to the east. There was a light dusting of snow on soft surfaces but hard surfaces stayed clear.

The total precipitation for the past twenty-four hours amounted to 6.8mm bringing the February total to 122.2mm, which makes this the third wettest February since my records bean in 1984.

The Polar Maritime air brought on the westerly wind on Tuesday, gusting to 24mph, meant a cold day. In fact it was the coldest day since 28th January with a maximum of only 6.4C with wind chill making it feel more like 4C at times. This was 1.1C below the 35-year average, down over 4C on the Monday peak and only the third below average maximum this month.

There were a couple of brief showers amounting to 1.7mm bringing the monthly total to 115.4mm when the 35-year average is 64.9m.

The colder air and breaks in the cloud overnight gave us the coldest night in three weeks with the thermometer falling to 0.7C at 03.56 early on Wednesday morning, which was 0.6C below average and producing a ground frost.

Wednesday after dawn saw intermittent sunshine between broken cloud as the brisk wind veered a little, now from the west north west.

More rain, no sun and winds gusting to 30mph, the unsettled weather continues.

Another 4.3mm of rainfall fell in the past twenty-four hours bringing the monthly total to 113.7mm, which is 48mm above the 35-year average. It was another in the succession of very mild days although 2C down on the warm Sunday maximum the peak of 10.8C was 3.3C above the average. Likewise overnight cloud cover saw the thermometer fall no lower than 3.7C, which was 2.4C above the average.

After initial cloud on the eastern horizon had cleared om Tuesday morning the sun shone brightly, the first sunny morning in three weeks.

Update on Tuesday at 08.45: alas the cloud returned and the sun disappeared at 08.40. It was a lovely start to the day whilst it lasted!

Update on Tuesday at 18.50: Polar Maritime Air restricts temperature to 6.4C maximum making this the coldest day in February with brief sleet shower at 16.30.

Sunday did bring us 2.5 hours of sunshine when the UV level rose to its highest (1.9) since mid-October but soon after midday the cloud built up again.

Another 3.3mm of precipitation was recorded that brought the monthly total to 109.4mm, which is 54mm above the 35-year average. However, the two Februarys in 1990 and 2014 produced record totals of 151.0mm and 151.6mm so February 2020 is well below breaking any records in Marlborough at the moment – but there is still a week to go before the end of the month.

The mild weather continued with the equal warmest day in February with a maximum of 12.7C being 5.2C above the average. The minimum occurred at 01.10 Monday morning recording a low of 5.7C, which was 4.4C above the average.

Monday arrived with thick cloud cover ahead of another rain band approaching from the west with the thermometer reading 9.5C at 08.00, already 2C above the average maximum.

After a wet start to Saturday a little sunshine broke through late morning amounting to 2.3 hours.

The very mild weather continued with the thermometer rising to 11.7C at 12.47 in the sunshine, which was 4.2C above the 35-year average. The thermometer dipped away in the evening to a low of 7.5C being 6.2C above average but recovered in the early hours of Sunday to give a reading of 11.3C at 08.00 on Sunday morning making it the warmest day since 26th October.

Sunday dawned with the strong winds continuing and more rain. The past twenty-four hours brought another 7.0mm of rainfall raising the monthly total to 106.1mm being 163% of the long-term average.