Author: Eric Gilbert

The anticyclone made itself felt on Wednesday as it was a dry day, and thanks to a light southwesterly breeze with a maximum movement of 10mph, cannot call it a gust, combined with modest sunshine in the afternoon, saw the thermometer rise to a maximum of 22.2C at 17.22. This was the warmest day since 9th October and a significant 4.9C above my 40-year average, more in line with July than early May. The low of 7.6C that occurred at 05.55 on Thursday was just 0.6C above average.

The UV level rose to a peak of 6.3 being at the top end of ‘High’ and the strongest since 27th August.

Thursday brought us welcome sunshine shortly after sunrise that saw the thermometer rise to 14.0C by 08.00 with the absence of fog, just thin mist briefly after dawn.

The high pressure system covers a large area over the UK and stretches over the Continent with its centre currently just off the coast of Kent and is forecast to hang around for a few more days.

The anticyclone built over the UK on Tuesday and gave us a very warm and sunny day that saw the thermometer soar to 20.2C at 15.55. This was the warmest day since 13th October and 2.9C above my 40-year average. The UV level of 5.2 indicated that the level was ‘High’. The low overnight occurred early Wednesday at 00.06 with a minimum of 9,5C being 2.5C above average.

The start to Wednesday revealed a mostly cloudy sky with the sun occasionally breaking through before 08.00, which lifted the thermometer to 12.7C at 08.00.

The anticyclone is now centred over the UK with the barometric pressure at 08.00 reading 1029.4mb, close to the centre of 1030.0mb over Kent. We can look forward tp a few dry, warm and sunny days.

The loss of equivalent rainfall through evaporation from the ground and plant life exceeded 3mm per day on Tuesday, total for the day of 3.41mm, the first time since 11th August, thanks to the wet autumn and winter.

The damp day on Monday meant another dull day with the maximum again below my 40-year average at -1.1C with a peak of 16.2C at 14.50. There were intermittent showers of drizzle or light rain that amounted to 1.8mm, heavier at 15.00. Although the past night was the second warmest this month with a low of 9.6C at 02.36, fog formed in the early hours limiting visibility to 200m after dawn. However, by 06.45 there signs of the fog beginning to thin from the east that by 07.30 had lifted into misty conditions as the sun began to breakthrough.

By 08.00 on Tuesday the sun began to shine through the residual cloud and mist that had lifted the thermometer to 11.4C.

A significant high pressure system has been building in the Atlantic over the past day and is now beginning to influence our weather. The barometric pressure has risen 13mb over the twenty-four hours and is still rising steadily. It looks as if it will be dominating our weather for a few days so there are prospects of several very welcome dry and warm days ahead.

This welcome warmth has seen the soil temperature at a depth of 5cm stabilise at 11C and above for the past three days so it is time to get out on the garden and plant the vegetable seeds and tender summer bedding, at last!

A sunny morning on Sunday pushed the thermometer to 16.7C at 10.16 before cloud built up late morning limiting any further rise, this was 0.6C below average. Light rain was observed falling at 12.20 before more persistent light rain arrived mid-afternoon amounting 1.9mm. A low of 7.9C was 0.9C above my 40-year average due to the thick cloud minimising loss of warmth into the atmosphere.

In the early hours of Sunday the cloud base dropped and produced fog that limited visibility to around 300m shortly after dawn but by 07.00 this had lifted to reveal misty conditions over the higher ground. Shower activity was seen on the rain radar just to the east that is likely to arrive as the morning progresses, thanks to another low pressure system over northwest France that today will bring a northerly flow of air, so another cool day in prospect.

The maximum of 17.7C on Saturday that occurred at 14.20 was at last an above average maximum, just, at +0.4C. The breeze was light and from the southwest, a warmer direction. The opposite occurred overnight as it was a very cool night that saw the thermometer sink a minimum of 3.4C at 03.41 with the consequence of variable fog forming, not as dense as on Saturday, that had cleared by 07.30.

Sunday arrived with the sun breaking through the fog and mist that saw the thermometer rise rapidly to 10.4C at 08.00. Another weather front is approaching the south of England that will bring cloud later this morning and into the afternoon.