Author: Eric Gilbert

Tuesday brought us another 9.2mm of rainfall that brought the monthly total to 103.3mm being almost 12mm above the 35-year average for November. This made it the fourth consecutive above average monthly rainfall and the fourth wettest autumn since records began at this station in 1984.

Due to the influence of ex-storm Sebastian the mild, tropical air raised the maximum on Tuesday to 12.4C being 2.1C above average. Cloud cover overnight meant another mild night with a minimum of 7.3C at 07.33 Wednesday morning, which was 4C above average.

Dawn on Wednesday saw the thick cloud easing away to the east leaving thinner cloud and a brighter start to the day that initially produced radiation fog in the River Og valley and some on the tops of the Marlborough Downs.

The centre of ex-storm Sebastian is currently over central England with a barometric pressure of 981.9mb at 8.00 and beginning to fill.

It was a pleasure to have a little brightness on Monday, around noon, 0.8 hours of sunshine, after so many dark, damp days. As a result, the temperature rose to a peak of 12.2C at 13.15, being the second warmest day in November and 2.1C above average.

Overnight, the warmer tropical air, brought to us from the first effects of Storm Sebastian, began to arrive with a minimum of 8.8C at 04.17, which was 5C above average.

The barometric pressure has been falling rapidly since 00.15, Tuesday morning, as Storm Sebastian edges closer to our shores with the wind beginning to pick up since 04.45. Drizzle and light rain also arrived at the same time.

Rainfall for the past twenty-four hours amounted to 4.5mm, bringing the monthly total to 94.1mm, which exceeds the 35-yea average of 91.6mm.

The current barometric pressure at 08.00 is 993.5mb, and still falling rapidly as the depresion over southern Ireland deepens further.

Under the influence of an air mass brought to us from the south and south east the thermometer rose to 10.1C in late evening, the warmest day in almost three weeks and but only just average for November.

Overnight there were very light showers and drizzle amounting to 0.7mm bringing the monthly total to 89.6mm being exactly 2mm below the 35-year average. The thermometer did not drop below 8.0C, being 4.2C above average.

Monday dawned gloomy with very low cloud obscuring the tops of the Marlborough Downs and Savernake Forest with light drizzle from yet anther weather system.

Saturday saw low, thick cloud cover all day that produced another gloomy day. No global sunshine was recorded at the rate of 100w/sq.m due to the density of the cloud. Another 5.1mm of rainfall was recorded that brought the monthly total to 88.9mm, which is just 3mmm below the 35-year average.

The maximum of 9.7C was below average, the eighteenth consecutive below average day, but that did not occur until mid-evening at 20.26 as the thermometer had slowly been rising all day.

Overnight the cloud and mist persisted into Sunday with a reading of 8.1C at 08.00 Sunday morning.

Friday was another day in the succession of wet, gloomy days that have been so frequent in November. The thermometer did rise a little higher than previous days with a maximum of 8.3C but that was still 1.8C below average.

After a wet morning the afternoon was a little drier but further rain fell in the early hours of Saturday although the daily total was only 2.8mm. This moved the rainfall total for autumn from fifth to fourth highest since this station started in 1984.

Saturday started with thick cloud and light rain but a little milder with a temperature at 08.00 of 8.1C being the warmest start to the day since 5th November. A depression centred over the Bay of Biscay is slowly rotating anticlockwise, as they do, throwing up much cloud and frequent showers.