Author: Eric Gilbert

Thursday was a day best forgotten as it was dark and dreary all day with copious amongst of precipitation. As a result the thermometer struggled to reach a maximum of 17.2C late in the day at 18.29 being 1.9C below my 40-year average. The many hours of rain amounted to 26.8mm. Te diurnal range of temperatures, difference between night and day, was exceptionally low, just 1.6C, due to a low of 16.6C at 06.40 that meant a mild night being 6.9C above the average. The wind from the northeast was strong gusting to 22mph.

Friday dawned slowly as we were still under the rain band and thick cloud that continued to deposit bursts of heavy rain with the humidity at 100%. The depression is still over the continent with the barometric pressure reading 1011.1mb at 08.00. The wind has backed into the southwest.

Wednesday was a very pleasant, dry and warm day that saw the thermometer rise to a maximum of 18.6C at 15.36, increasing cloud stopped any further rise. This peak was 0.5C below my 40-year average and almost identical to that on Tuesday. The UV level of 4.5 was at the top end of ‘Moderate’. A very light shower, logged at 05.30 on Wednesday, produced just 0.1mm of precipitation. The thermometer dropped away to a low of 11.2C at 02.18 early Wednesday before increasing cloud stopped any further decline. This low was 2.5C above my average.

Thursday arrived with a blustery wind from the north northeast, veering into the northeast later today. The first drops of rain from the large area of cloud and heavy rain began to fall minutes before 08.00. This is thanks to a large depression over the continent that will continue to throw cloud and probably heavy rain over our area for perhaps in excess of twenty-four hours, amounts uncertain as currently on northern edge of main rain band.

Tuesday was another mainly cloudy day with the thermometer reaching 18.7C at 13.16. The afternoon was mainly cloudy with moisture in the air on occasions but not measurable. Overnight saw the thermometer drop away to 9.2C at 03.11. The maximum was 0.4C below average but the minimum was 0.5C above my 40-year average. The change in wind direction brought cooler air after the humid air of recent days.

The new day on Wednesday revealed cloudy skies and misty conditions as another weather front crossed our area, later the cloud should lift and bring brighter conditions. The wind has veered into the north so for a time the cooler air is in command.

The overcast and murky conditions on Monday morning lifted during the afternoon that with the very moist and warm air lifted the temperature to a maximum of 22.2C at 14.57 being 3.1C above my 40-year average. The moisture in the past twenty-four hours amounted to 0.2mm. We have had another very mild night with a low of 16.5C logged at 02.53 early Tuesday, which was a significant 7.8C above average.

Tuesday dawned very slowly under leaden skies with moisture in the air from very light, intermittent drizzle. This was due to a couple of weather fronts crossing our area that as they move eastwards should give some brightening in the late afternoon.

The very warm days and nights have allowed the ground to hold much warmth. At 08.00 the temperature of the soil at a depth of 5cm read 18.2C, the warmest for almost a month.

Very warm and humid air pushed across our area during Sunday that saw the temperature rose to a maximum of 25.5C at 14.39 being 6.4C above my 40-year average. The past night was exceptionally mild that saw the thermometer not sink below 18.1C, which was a significant 9.4C above average.

Monday revealed a murky, misty start to the new day with low cloud masking the Marlborough Downs and light precipitation, not measurable. This is thanks to a small area of low-pressure moving slowly eastwards into the North Sea. After three days of brisk winds from the northeast there is a significant change as today we will see a lighter breeze from the southwest.