Author: Eric Gilbert

Wednesday 22nd, although the windiest this week with a peak gust of 26mph, still produced 12.61 hours of strong sunlight, a maximum 3C above the mean for April and the highest value for solar energy since July 2014.
The temperature at 0800, of 7.3C, is deceptive as the thermometer dropped overnight to a low of 2.8C around 4am before increasing cloud cover reversed the trend.

The persistent north-easterly winds continue to produce dry days with copious sunshine. Although the brisk winds, up to 20mph, take the edge of the temperature, the last two days have peaked at 5C above the average for April.
The rainfall total remains at 6.6mm but the total evaporation of moisture into the atmosphere from ground and water surfaces, also plant life, is now in excess of 50mm.
The total hours of strong sunshine for April is now 128 hours with the solar energy on the 20th being the highest value since the end of July 2014. Yesterday there were 13.74 hours of string sunshine. The UV levels this past week have been at the moderate level.

After a very cool day on the 19th with a maximum of only 10.6C, nearly 3C below the average, the air temperature dropped almost continuously overnight to a low of -1.4C at 0618, the coldest night since 25th March.
Another 3.25 hours of sunshine yesterday pushed the figure for the month through the 100 barrier to a total of 102.6 hours.

Saturday 18th produced 11.8 hours of strong sunshine and the highest daily total for solar energy since the end of July.
The strong easterly winds persist and with a low of 3.3C overnight produced an equivalent temperature, due to wind chill, of 0.4C.
April 2015 so far is proving similar to the first half of April 2011 with minimal rainfall during the first three days and many totally dry days that produced 5.4mm for the whole month. Currently for April 2015 the rainfall total is 6.6mm and fourteen dry days.

The humidity at 0800 today was the lowest since July 2014 with a reading of 75%. The minimal rainfall of 6.6mm this month, unusually warm sunshine and twelve totally dry days combined with drying easterly winds yesterday have resulted in 36mm of moisture evaporating into the atmsphere.