Thanks to the southerly breeze on Thursday, and also much being lighter than on Wednesday, the temperature rose to a peak of 16.1C being 2.0C above my long-term average. The day was dry with the maximum solar radiation moving into four figures for the first time this year with exactly 1,000W/m2 logged 13.25.
Initially overnight under clear skies the thermometer dropped steadily downwards reaching a minimum 4.2C at 02.23 early Friday but increasing cloud from the depression to the west of the UK saw the thermometer do an about turn and begin to rise reaching 9.4C at 08.00.
Friday gave us a very brief glimpse of brightness after dawn but cloud quickly thickened with spots of rain between 07.30 and 08.00. The rain radar shows an advancing band of fragmented rain heading our way for around midday.
The low pressure system, just off the tip of southwest Ireland, will linger around that area all day throwing cloud and rain northwards. We will once again be on the periphery of heavy, more consistent rain until later in the day and especially Saturday morning when we could have a more substantial fall of rain.