Author: Eric Gilbert

Wednesday was a cooler day again thanks to variable cloud cover that saw the thermometer rise to a maximum of 21.3C at 14.52. This high was again below my 40-year average at -1.4C as cloud began to thicken in the afternoon and the breeze began to pick up. A few rain spots were observed falling at 17.20 as a weather front crossed the area but it had been fragmenting as it approached our area. There were light drizzle showers overnight that amounted to 0.7mm. It was another very mild, humid night with the low of 14.9C some 3C above my average and occurring just after midnight. This was due to another weather front crossing our area bringing thicker cloud.

Thursday struggled to dawn as the cloud was low and thick with light drizzle. The humidity at 08.00, for the second consecutive day, was logged at 99%. The low cloud was draped over the Marlborough Downs and Savernake Forest, the local higher ground.

The very brief ridge of high pressure that gave a fine day on Wednesday has moved away and the depression to the northwest of Scotland is now taking charge with some precipitation today as the main rain band passes just to the south of our area.

Another mainly dull day again on Tuesday with bursts of late afternoon and evening sunshine that lifted the thermometer to a maximum of 23.5C late in the day at 18.53. This peak was 0.8C above my 40-year average. However, it was a dry day although the sunshine late in the day meant the UV level only peaked at High.

It was the coolest night for over a week that saw the thermometer drop to 10.6C at 05.53 being 1.6C below average. This lower temperature, combined with low cloud and still conditions, meant that fog formed after dawn that initially just masked the Marlborough Downs and Savernake Forest. However, just before 07.00 the fog slowly thickened limiting visibility to 200m by 07.10. After 07.30, as the sun began to strengthen, the fog very slowly began to disperse.

The brief ridge of high pressure will give us a fine day, so enjoy it, but will slowly edge away as the day progresses due to a depression over Iceland approaching the UK. Associated weather fronts will bring variable rain amounts tomorrow.

After a cloudy start to Monday the sun did come put to play and boosted the temperature to 24.4C at 17.26, which was above my 40-year average, only the fourth abject average this month, at +1.6C. The past night was very mild, thanks again once more to thick cloud cover as another weather front crossed from west to east. This band of cloud brought brief, light rain between 01.00 and 02.00 with a slightly heavier shower just after 03.00, drizzle also fell shortly after 07.30 for a few minutes but the total precipitation was only 0.5mm.

Tuesday revealed another cloudy start to a new day with little evidence that it will lift and thin until probably mid-afternoon. The last three days have seen a moist start to each day with humidity at 08.00 logged at 98%, 98% and 94% respectively.The breeze has veered a few degrees to come from the northwest rather than west as yesterday.

There are three low pressure systems surrounding the UK that currently dominate our weather with two anticyclones tantalisingly close, just to the south over Iberia and the Mediterranean. The barometric pressure has risen to 1016.0mb today, up 6mb over the last two days as a ridge of high pressure seems to be edging closer and is likely to give a much better day on Wednesday – but it won’t last!

A cloudy morning on Sunday was followed by the cloud breaking mid-afternoon and variable sunshine pushing the thermometer to a maximum of 22.1C late in the afternoon at 16.15, which was 0.7C below my 40-year average. During the night thick, low cloud again returned with drizzle arriving just before 06.00, observed on the radar, that ceased just before 08.00, amounting to 0.7mm. This was thanks to a cold front crossing the area.

Monday saw the cloud thinning after 08.00 and lifting but no sunshine. The thermometer had recovered from its minimum of 11.3C at 01.55 to reach 16.5C at 08.00.

The low-pressure system is slowly crossing the north of England into the North Sea so the hang back of cloud will ease during the day with, hopefully, some brightness or sunshine late afternoon. The breeze will increase in strength towards midday, veering from southwest to west.

Three days with above average temperatures then back below again on Saturday with a maximum of 21.1C, which was 1.6C below my 40-year average.The morning was overcast with bright spells but cloud built up during the afternoon with rain observed beginning to fall at 16.55 and sporadic light rain during the evening amounting to 1.1mm. This was due to a cold weather front crossing the area with a second overnight, as a result the wind veered from the south into the northwest by daybreak, but still light. The low of 14.9C, logged at 06.47 early Sunday, was 3C above average thanks to the thick cloud cover acting as a duvet minimising loss of warmth into the atmosphere.

After my comment yesterday on the two widely varying forecasts for Saturday, the Met Office was very accurate with light rain as against the BBC forecast from MeteoGroup that forecast thunderstorms.

Sunday struggled to break into life as the cloud was thick and low masking the Marlborough Downs and Savernake Forest as the second cold front passed our way. We are back to unsettled weather thanks to the number of low pressure systems heading in from the Atlantic.

The monthly rainfall total of 60.3mm now exceeds my 40-year average, just, by 0.6mm.