Windrush Weather

Author: Eric Gilbert

  • Sun, rain and fog – all in a day

    Saturday started well with 3 hours of strong sunshine before 9am but the clouds started to build as the temperature rose and the sun showed it’s face less frequently as total sun hours finally amounted 3.85. The peak temperature was reached at 14.08 with a maximum of 15.8C before the showers began in earnest.

    During the evening there were frequent heavy showers lasting until just after 9pm with a total rainfall of 5.4mm bringing the total for May to 67.3mm, 111% of the May average and the wettest month since January 2017.

    There were interesting cloud formations and colours as the last of the heavy showers passed over this station and the setting sun added a red tinge as in the image below.

    Overnight the thermometer reached its lowest point at 04.32 with a minimum of 7.2C. The lower temperature and rainfall late into the evening meant that fog rolled in before 6am with visibility down to 300m. This slowly thinned towards 8am.

    At 08.00 the thermometer had risen to 10.8C as the sun broke through the last of the fog but unsurprisingly the humidity level was 99%, the highest at this time of day since early February.

    N.B. New ‘Climate Change’ section under ‘Weather Records since 1984’ tab

  • Missed – by heavy showers

    On friday we enjoyed broken cloud with just 2.18 hours of strong sunshine that boosted the temperature to a maximum of 18.2C at 16.32, which is 1.5C above the average. There were a few large drops of rain at 13.30 but not enough to wet the surface or be measurable, hence the word ‘trace’ in the ‘Daily Statistics’ section.

    Heavy showers were seen to the west, north and east but none came nearer than ten miles. During the evening these died away but left impressive towering cumulonimbus clouds illuminated by the setting sun.

    This morning has dawned with strong sunshine boosting the minimum of 4.8C at 05.39 to 11.4C at the time readings were then at 08.00

    N.B. New Climate Change section under ‘Weather records since 1984’

  • Almost a dry day with UV level into ‘Very High’ category

    After the washout day on Wednesday it was a relief to have a dry morning with 3.37 hours of strong sunshine and the UV level at 8.3, which was into the ‘Very High’ category. A small low pressure area, centred over the eastern side of the UK, started to move northwards bringing the edge of the cloud to us giving a cloudy afternoon and just after 5pm a light shower amounting to 0.5mm. The warmest part of the day was at lunchtime, before the cloud increased, with a maximum of 16.6C (average for May) at 13.09.

    It was a warm, dry night as the cloud cover minimised the fall in temperature to a minimum of 8.8C (2C above the average for May) at 05.33.

    This morning the cloud is thick with the occasional breaks allowing just a brief glimpse of sunshine.

    Promise of rain

    N.B. New section on Climate Change under Weather Records since 1984 tab

  • Rain and more rain – wettest day for 6 months

    Yesterday appeared to be the start of the rainy season! Precipitation started falling just after 8am yesterday morning and continued for over 10 hours, ceasing shortly after 6pm, from the very wide and slow moving band of rain.

    The daily total was 21.1mm, making it the wettest day since 19th November 2016 and bringing the total for May to 61.4mm, which is 0.9mm above the average for the whole of May.

    It is not surprising that it was the third consecutive day without sunshine and UV level in the ‘Low’ category.

    Just after midday the wind began to veer from a southerly direction, which it had been from for six consecutive days, into the west and then northwest late afternoon.

    The thermometer slowly rose to its maximum of 15.4C at 11.01 and fell away for the rest of the day and night with a minimum of 7.9C at 06.13 this morning.

    Lowest UV level since 16th March
    Wettest day since 19th November
    Lowest solar energy since 3rd March.
    Breaks the pattern of five consecutive months with below average rainfall

    What a contrast a day makes. This morning the sun started to break through the mist and patchy fog after dawn and by the time readings were taken at 08.00 had pushed the thermometer to 10.8C and given us 1.3 hours of glorious strong sunshine.

  • Very mild, humid night, 7.3C above average

    There was minimal rainfall during the daytime yesterday but the daily total was boosted overnight to 5.1mm. Both day and night were very mild with a maximum of 18.8C (+2C) yesterday with the thermometer only falling to 14.1C (+7.3C) at 04.39 this morning. We have not enjoyed such a warm night since 16th September last year.

    Today has dawned grey and mild with little wind but more precipitation imminent from a wide rain band as opposed to showers last week.

    Update at 11.00. With continuous rain for the last three hours the total for May now exceeds 49mm, which beats the April figure of 8.2mm and before that March that produced 48.9mm.

    Town Mill, Marlborough, 2016