Author: Eric Gilbert

The clear sky and air from a cool northwesterly direction meant that the thermometer tumbled overnight to a low of 6.5C at 04.55, which is 5C below the August mean. Limited sunshine yesterday gave a maximum of 19.5C, just below the average for early August of 20.5C. The sun rose strongly at dawn, in a clear sky, with the temperature recovering to 13.1C at 08.00.

Although the wind had veered into a more westerly/northwesterly direction yesterday it was still another warm day with a maximum 22.0C, which is 1.5C above average. The warmth was maintained overnight with a minimum of 12.4C. The drier air was evident this morning with the 08.00 reading of humidity just 75%, the lowest for three months, also the evaporation from plant life and ground sources has increased again to 3 and 4mm every day.

Summer returned yesterday thanks to the small ridge of high pressure with a maximum of 25.2C, 5C above the mean, and 12.7 hours of strong sunshine. Overnight the cloud that started to arrive in the evening meant a very warm night with a minimum of 18.2C, which is 7C above the mean.
This morning, as a cold front moved down from the northwest, light drizzle started to fall just before 07.30, but not measurable in quantity.

Due to the rise in barometric pressure, its highest this morning for a month at 1026.4mb, the amount of strong sunshine has increased with 4.7 hours yesterday. The maximum of 21.9C was 1C above average although with clearing skies overnight the thermometer dropped to 10.1C, a little below average. By dawn fog had formed with visibility down to 100m but cleared readily by 07.30 under the influence of strong sunshine.