Author: Eric Gilbert

After some cloud around midday yesterday, the afternoon brought cloudless blue skies with the UV level returning to the Very High category. The peak temperature was 22.4C, which is average for July, and 9.87 hours of strong sunshine. This was followed by a cool night with the thermometer dropping to 8.6C.

Following four days without strong sunshine, yesterday brought 3.15 hours with the level of UV still at High. There was a very brief light shower mid-afternoon but not sufficient to measure.

Yesterday was such a contrast to previous days. The damp overcast conditions prevailed all day, which reduced the maximum temperature to 18.9C, the lowest this month. The UV level dropped to moderate and there was no strong sunshine, which meant that the daily solar energy total was very much reduced, the lowest since 14th May.

After days with many hours of sunshine and above average temperatures, yesterday brought 3.3mm of rainfall, the total for the month now 39.2mm (average is 60mm). The cloudy day meant that the UV level was at the lowest this month, still in the high category, and only a glimpse of strong sunshine just after dawn. The overcast night meant that the thermometer did not drop far from its peak of 19.8C to 15.3C just before dawn.

Thursday brought 10.76 hours of strong sunshine, very high levels of UV with light breezes. However, the winds having veered into a cooler northwesterly direction meant that the maximum temperature was just below the average for July at 21.9C and dipped overnight to 8.9C.