Author: Eric Gilbert

Sunday was the first day when the very cold air began to give way to slightly milder air arriving from the west. As a consequence the temperature rose to a high of 4.8C at 14.45, the highest since the 6th, however, this was still 2.3C below my long-term average. It was a dry day under the influence of the high pressure, centred overhead, but thick cloud meant no UV light triggered the UV sensor. Overnight the thermometer slowly fell away to reach a minimum of 0.9C at 02.44 before rising slightly to reach 1.7C at 08.00 on Monday.

Monday after dawn revealed a sky with much less cloud, which was higher and thinner, that should result in weak sunshine as the day progresses. The wind direction, such as it is, has veered a few degrees from south yesterday into the south-southwest.

I mentioned yesterday that the centre of the high pressure was migrating south to be in a position over Southern England for much of the day. The maximum barometric pressure of 1041.6mb was logged at 20.56 Sunday evening, the highest pressure since 5th February 2023 when a reading of 1048.1mb was recorded. The intense high pressure has brought us the very calm conditions for the past few days as there is little pressure gradient to originate much air movement. The maximum air movement on Sunday was one incidence of just 5mph and 8mph overnight, although for many hours the anemometer was virtually still.

The pool of cool air trapped under the high pressure is slowly giving way to warmer air inching in from the west but it will take a another day before temperatures return to near normal for mid-January.

Saturday was slightly less cold than the previous three very cold days as the thermometer slowly rose to a maximum of 4.1C at 13.16. There was no sunshine but the high pressure was slowly relocating and beginning to cut off the flow of very cold air and allow the slightly warmer air to edge in from the west with its associated cloud. Thick cloud cover overnight, acting as a duvet that minimised loss of warmth into the atmosphere, meant no air frost but with a minimum of 0.8C at 00.31 early Sunday that we did have a slight ground frost. The maximum was 3.0C below my 40-year average and likewise the minimum was below average, just, with -0.2C. Once again, under the centre of the high pressure, there were hours when the anemometer dod not turn with a maximum movement of just 5mph on one occasion.

Sunday after first light revealed the total cloud cover. The centre of the high pressure is slowly drifting south over Brittany that will produce a significant change in wind direction to come from the south all day, a much warmer direction, at the same time the warmer air to the west is slowly edging closer.

Being under the centre of the anticyclone means there is little variation in gradient between the high and low-pressure, hence the calm conditions with little or no air movement. The barometric pressure reading at 08.00 was 1039.7mb being the highest pressure since 11th January 2024.

In the shade there is still a coverage of frozen snow that will slowly melt away over the next day or two. Automatic rain gauges are great for live monitoring of precipitation, also rate of fall, but not accurate on timing when snow or sleet falls. After a snow event I bring in my Met Office type copper rain gauge at 08.00 and slowly melt the snow before measuring accurately. With near freezing weather during many hours, as we have experienced this week, any snow in an automatic rain gauge will only melt under the influence of sunshine or when the temperature recovers significantly thus it will only register the precipitation slowly many, many hours later or even days after the event.

Friday yet again was a very cold day under the very light easterly air stream although we enjoyed a few hours of welcome sunshine. The thermometer eventually reached a maximum of just 1.9C at 14.18 being 5.2C below my 40-year average. From that time the thermometer began to slowly fall away reaching freezing again, taken as -0.1C, at 18.06, even earlier than on Thursday. The minimum of -7.5C, due to the clear sky overnight with no cloud to provide a duvet to minimise any loss of warmth, was logged at 07.17 early Saturday being once again a significant below average temperature at -8.8C. Friday was dry with little air movement, sometimes calm for many hours, with my anemometer registering the strongest air movement of just 8mph on one occasion.

Saturday after first light revealed the sky was still clear with the temperature at 08.00 having recovered slightly to reach -6.9C.

Automatic rain gauges are great for live monitoring of precipitation but not accurate on timing when snow or sleet falls. After a snow event I bring in my Met Office type copper rain gauge at 08.00 and slowly melt the snow before measuring accurately. With near freezing weather during many hours, as we have experienced this week, any snow in an automatic rain gauge will only melt under the influence of sunshine or when the temperature recovers significantly thus it will only register the precipitation slowly many hours later or even days after the event.

The centre of the high pressure today will leave Scotland and emigrate to England and continue the calm conditions and dry weather, with sunshine. The warmer air has begun to spread over the West Country and will slowly move eastwards with Sunday in Marlborough being cool, but thankfully not so cold as the past week and on Monday closer to average.

The Jet Stream is on course to arch to the north of the UK from Sunday thus leaving the UK on the warmer southern side thus cutting off the flow of cold air

Although there was welcome sunshine on Thursday the cold air, on a light northerly airstream, meant the thermometer struggled to reach a maximum of 3.2C being 3.8C below the average but at least it was a couple of degrees higher than on Wednesday. Under clear skies for much of the night the thermometer slowly fell reaching a minimum of -7.2C at 05.40 early Friday. It was the coldest night since 24th January 2023 (-8.0C) and a significant 8.5C below my long-term average. It became clear that it was going to be a colder night as the thermometer dropped to freezing (-0.1C) at 21.10 on Wednesday evening but at a much earlier time on Thursday at 18.44.

Cloud was seen encroaching after first light that allowed a slight recovery in the air temperature to read -5.7C at 08.00. The barometric pressure has been rising again having risen 12mb since Thursday as the anticyclone centre is currently between us and Iceland that will produce a calm day with a light easterly flow of air today as it produces a ridge down over the country.

The cold days and nights have meant the chill has been seeping into the ground. The temperature of the soil at a depth of 5cm at 08.00 has read 5.8C, 1.6C and 0.7C for the previous three days respectively but today read -1.1C at 08.00.

There are two warm weather fronts lurking off the cast of Cornwall but the high pressure is stopping them moving eastwards to bring warmer air. The Jet Stream is still to the south of the UK and won’t arch to the north, putting us one the warmer, south side until later on Sunday.

2024 Annual Survey

Maximum Day Temperature 30.7 19th July
Minimum Day Temperature 0.7 19th December

Maximum Night Temperature 18.1 2nd December
Minimum Night Temperature -6.3 19th January

Last Air Frost – Spring -0.7 25th April
First Air Frost – Autumn -0.4 11th October
Number Air Frosts 28

Total Precipitation 1126.8
Maximum Daily Rainfall 43.4 23rd September

No. Days with Snowfall 1
No. Days with Thunder 4
No. Days with Small Hail (<5mm) 5 No. Days with Large Hail (>5mm) 0
No. Days with fog at 08.00 25

Soil Temperature (av at depth at 5cm) 10.3
Max Soil temperature at 5cm depth 22.2 1st August
Min Soil temperature at 5cm depth -2.9 19th January

Wettest Month 221.4 September
Driest Month 25.0 June

Maximum Wind Gust 45 7th December

Maximum Barometric Pressure. 1040.0 11th January
Minimum Barometric Pressure 976.1 2nd January

Wind Directions
20 N
34 NE
22 E
29 SE
47 SE
87 SW
80 W
47 NW

N.B. Temp in C: Rainfall in mm: Wind Speed in mph: Barometric Pressure in mb

Temperatures continued to fall on Wednesday as the Arctic air was still in place along with total cloud cover that prevented any sunshine, however weak. The thermometer eventually struggled to a maximum of 0.8C at 14.56 and stayed there until late evening, this low being a significant 6.3C below my 40-year average. The two weather fronts that had been lurking off the coast of France and the English Channel decided to move northwards across Southern England in the afternoon, the cloud thickened with the first light drizzle and sleet observed at 16.00 that initially triggered the automatic rain gauge with 0.2mm but as the temperature dropped and more consistent snow began to arrive at 17.50 the moisture began to freeze.

The total melted precipitation amounted to 1.2mm.

First light on Thursday saw the remnants of the cloud from the two weather fronts disappearing over the eastern horizon that had kept the overnight low to around -0.5C, which then dropped to -1.5 by 07.00 and -2.9C at 08.00 under clear skies.

The wind direction has changed from an easterly to north-west today, and later west, that will continue to feed cold air over the UK being directed between a depression over Scandinavia with air circulating anticlockwise and an anticyclone in the Atlantic with air circulating clockwise. The thermometer eventually fell to -3.3C at 08.46 and any further drop arrested by the arrival of weak sunshine.

2024 Annual Survey

Maximum Day Temperature 30.7 19th July
Minimum Day Temperature 0.7 19th December

Maximum Night Temperature 18.1 2nd December
Minimum Night Temperature -6.3 19th January

Last Air Frost – Spring -0.7 25th April
First Air Frost – Autumn -0.4 11th October
Number Air Frosts 28

Total Precipitation 1126.8
Maximum Daily Rainfall 43.4 23rd September

No. Days with Snowfall 1
No. Days with Thunder 4
No. Days with Small Hail (<5mm) 5 No. Days with Large Hail (>5mm) 0
No. Days with fog at 08.00 25

Soil Temperature (av at depth at 5cm) 10.3
Max Soil temperature at 5cm depth 22.2 1st August
Min Soil temperature at 5cm depth -2.9 19th January

Wettest Month 221.4 September
Driest Month 25.0 June

Maximum Wind Gust 45 7th December

Maximum Barometric Pressure. 1040.0 11th January
Minimum Barometric Pressure 976.1 2nd January

Wind Directions
20 N
34 NE
22 E
29 SE
47 SE
87 SW
80 W
47 NW

N.B. Temp in C: Rainfall in mm: Wind Speed in mph: Barometric Pressure in mb