Author: Eric Gilbert

After a frosty start yesterday we received 3.7 hours of welcome strong sunshine that boosted the temperature to a maximum of 8.8C just after midday, just above average. The thermometer fell steadily to a low of 3.9C at 05.08 this morning but has since recovered to 6.9C at 08.00. The barometric pressure, after peaking around midday yesterday, has been falling rapidly signalling the approaching storm Barbara, which is well to the north of us.
The light showers yesterday evening amounted to 1.5mm, which brings the total for December to 19.2mm when the mean over 32 years is 91.5mm. After a calm night the wind speed is beginning to pick up over the past three hours.
Latest: Friday 24th at 15.00. Winds increasing over last five hours with a gust of 41mph at 14.53 as barometric pressure falls rapidly.

19.00. Cold front now cleared, which brought 1.2mm of rainfall. Barometric pressure rising rapidly with the thermometer dropping from high of 11.1C to currently 9.1C and wind quickly falling light whilst veering into the west.

Although we did not have any strong sunshine yesterday it was mild with the thermometer rising to a maximum of 9.8C, which is 2C above the mean for December. With clearing skies the temperature dropped from early afternoon to a minimum of -1.0C at 07.37. We have now had seven consecutive days without any measurable UV light.
This morning is dawning with patchy cloud and still wind conditions. A little fog formed in the River Og valley in the early hours as the temperature dropped.

Yesterday brought 1.5 hours of strong sunshine after five sunless days. The thermometer dropped to its lowest just after 6pm with a minimum 2.8C after rising to 8.7C during daylight hours. A weather front transited the country during the evening and early hours and at dawn the cloud cover and rain has moved eastwards.
The thermometer has recovered to 8.7C at 08.00 after the lowest barometric pressure this month of 1015.9mb just after 4am. The wind direction has also changed, due to the weather front, having veered from the south east into the south. The rainfall that fell before 6am totalled 2.4mm.
There is thinner cloud and weak sunshine to celebrate the solstice that occurs today at 10.44.

Yesterday was the last of the dreary, overcast days that have been dominated by heavy cloud meaning five consecutive days without sunshine and no measurable UV light. The maximum was down for the seventh consecutive day with a high of 6.2C. Thinning cloud during the early hours of today meant a low of 3.2C at 08.00.
This morning the cloud is broken with some blue sky evident. The wind has backed into the east and freshened with a gust of 13 mph before dawn.
We have had eleven totally dry days this month and those with rain have brought minimal quantities other than that on the eleventh (8.5mm or about half the total). As a result the total for December to date is 15.3mm or 17% of the 33-year average.

Yesterday gave us another overcast and dreary day with little wind. Again there were periods with still conditions giving a maximum gust of just 7mph as the air was still, trapped under the intense area of high pressure. The maximum temperature reached was again lower at 6.4C, the first day below the mean, 1C, since 5th December. It was also a much cooler night with a minimum of 2.2C, just above the mean for December.
This morning there is some valley fog that formed around dawn and fog from low cloud over the Marlborough Downs and Savernake Forest. As on previous days there is currently no wind although this is due to change as a weather front, bringing rain, moves in from the east later this morning.