Category: Commentary

The depression that has been lurking in the western approaches is slowly moving along the English Channel on Saturday. This will continue to throw cloud over our area with the possibility of the odd shower and minimal sunshine. This relocation will see the wind backing from southwest, as yesterday, into the south and southeast. This will bring a lower maximum than yesterday (12.1C) but not a cold direction. The minimum overnight of 6.4C at 03.53 early Saturday was 4.7C above my 40-year average.

An additional 4.5mm of rainfall took the monthly total to 57.7mm when my 40-year average is 65.7mm.
so the possibility of a few brighter periods late morning or early afternoon.

Saturday revealed a cloud base a little higher than of late and the cloud not quite so dense. The wind will be lighter than yesterday when a gust of 22mph was logged during a breezy period.

On Wednesday a cold front moved down from the north and on Thursday the reverse happened as a warm front arrived mid-morning that saw the thermometer rise from around 4C to 11C by 11.00. There was a short lived brighter period between 11.45 and 12.45 but otherwise another cloudy day. The maximum of 11.9C occurred at 12.49 at the end of the bright period. The past night was mild with the thermometer not dropping below 9.6C at 05.22 on Friday.

Intermittent drizzle and light rain was observed from 15.15 with more consistent rain late afternoon and the main rain band ceasing at 22.00, although there were intermittent short light showers during the night. The daily rainfall amounted to 23.9mm, which was the wettest day since 4th January (29.3mm) that took the monthly total 53.2mm. That total is 81% of my 40-year average within the first week of February.

Friday dawned dull under low, thick cloud that draped the Marlborough Downs and Savernake Forest.

We are currently under the influence of a deep depression, currently centred off the west coast of Ireland, with a centre pressure of just 963mb and deepening. The barometric pressure here at 08.00 was 975.7mb, the lowest pressure since 2nd November. The depression will continue to throw cloud across our area for most of the day on a moist, warm southwesterly breeze, initially brisk, but dying down during the afternoon.

Wednesday was a thoroughly unpleasant day with thick cloud all day and cold. The thermometer did not get above 5.5C, which was 2.6C below my 40-year average and the coldest day since 19th January. This peak was a significant drop of 7C from the previous day’s warmth. A low of 4.1C was logged at 05.53 Thursday.

Another weather front began to assault us at 02.56 Thursday that had deposited 9.1mm by 08.00 Thursday taking the monthly total to 29.3mm when my 40-year average is 65.7mm.

Another weather front is crossing the area on Thursday with a wide rain band thanks to a deepening depression centred just off the west cast of Ireland. The barometric pressure reading at 08.00 was 993.0mb, the lowest since 17th January.

The warm, moist Atlantic air persisted for much of the daylight hours on Tuesday with the thermometer rising to a peak of 12.8C at 13.26 some 4.7C above my 40-year average. The temperature then slowly drifted downwards to around 10C until late evening when the cold front arrived. By 22.30 the temperature had dropped to 8C and at 23.00 6C. The minimum of 3.8C was logged at 02.01 early Wednesday before lifting title and dropping back to 3.8C just before sunrise.

The wind direction, having been mainly from the southwest all day, suddenly veered into the north and northeast just after 23.00 as the cold front passed our way.

Intermittent rain was observed at 14.40 and then from 17.35. However, the main rain band arrived just before 21.00 and continued for several hours amounting to 19.5mm making it the wettest day since 4th January (29.3mm).

Wednesday dawned cloudy and cool under the influence of the light northeasterly air stream. We are now under the influence of two low pressure systems to the west of the UK. As a result the barometric pressure has dropped further with a reading of 1006.1mb at 08.00, the lowest pressure since 17th January.

The recent warm days have now been replaced by a much cooler air stream.

On Monday we were still in the warm, moist air from the Atlantic that pushed the thermometer to 10.9C being 2.8C above my 40-year average. Likewise overnight with a low of 8.3C, some 6.7C above my 40-year average. A little rain triggered the automatic rain gauge at 05.30 and 07.00 that amounted to 0.5mm in the Met Office 5″ copper rain gauge.

There were glimpses of weak sunshine first thing on Tuesday, in a brief break of the cloud to the east of our area, but soon lost in a totally cloudy sky. The warm, moist Atlantic air will maintain the above average temperature during daylight hours. The anticyclone that has dominated our weather for the past week has been slipping away and we are now under the influence of low pressure to the north with a reading of 1011.4mb at 08.00, down 23mb since the start of the month.

A cold front is slowly moving down the country today and will cross our area late afternoon when heavy rain will arrive for a few hours. As the cold front leaves the south of England just before midnight, the cold air behind it will bring a major drop in the temperature as the wind backs from the west, where it will have been for most of the day, into the north, heralding a significant change from our recent weather pattern.