Category: Commentary

During the bursts of very strong sunshine on Wednesday the thermometer rose to its highest all month with a maximum of 23.2C at 15.04 being 2.6C above my long-term average. The day was dry and the UV peaked in the ‘High’ category again. The past night was mild that saw the thermometer not drop below 12.5C at 04.46, just before sunrise in Marlborough at 04.50, being 2.3C above average.

Thursday revealed a bright start to the new day with thin high cloud. Since just before 05.00, the track of cloud on the radar showed much thicker cloud just skirting to the west of our area but just after 07.30 much thicker cloud drifted in front the southeast as a fragmented rain band edged closer.

The high pressure has moved slowly away allowing low-pressure to the west begin to dominate our weather with the rain radar showing a large area of rain edging closer from the southeast. The wind, currently from the southeast, will veer into the south later today. The barometric pressure had fallen away to 1011.5mb at 08.00, down 11mb since its peak Monday

The last four dry days have seen the loss of equivalent rainfall through evaporation from the ground and plant life exceed 3mm daily. The rainfall this month, so far, totals 25.8mm against my 41-year average of 52.9mm whilst 33.8mm of equivalent rainfall has evaporated into the atmosphere.

Puffins: the next few days will show images of Puffins taken in July 2021 on Skomer Island, Pembrokeshire.

Although there was variable cloud on Tuesday limiting the solar activity to its lowest in four days the warmer air began arriving that saw the thermometer rise to a maximum of 22.6C late in the glorious afternoon sunshine at 17.05 being 2.1C above my long-term average. This was the warmest day since 31st May. The clearer skies overnight saw the temperature drop away to a low of 8.8C at 03.42 being 1.4C below average.

Wednesday began with glorious sunshine to start the new day, however, by 06.45 cloud began to drift in from the east obscuring the sun and limiting the further rise in temperature to reach 13.2C by 08.00.

The significant change in our weather today is the arrival of an airstream from the southeast, a much warmer pool of air. This is from a direction not seen for a month. The recent high pressure has relocated a little to be over the Netherlands and reaching north over Scandinavia, that has allowed the airstream to come around its southern flank originating from the Continent.

As the day progresses, and especially on Thursday, the arrival of the warm, moist air from the south meeting the recent cooler air will likely produce storms. This coincides with a low pressure system just to the west of the UK getting much closer. The warm, moist air, being lighter than the recent cooler, heavier air, will rise rapidly over it producing unstable conditions. As the warm moist air cools with altitude it will produce precipitation, quantities and strength uncertain at the present.

Strawberry Moon: The indigenous American tribes referred to the full moon as the Strawberry Moon as it marked the harvesting of the wild strawberries. The moon will rise at 22.46 this evening with the full phase at 08.44 tomorrow.

After a cloudy start to Monday the sun did break through during the afternoon that lifted the temperature to a maximum of 19.9C at 15.49. This was the second highest temperature this month, after the 20.5C a week previous, but still 0.5C below average. However, it was another dry day with the UV level peaking at the top end of ‘High”. The past night has been very mild due to the thick cloud cover that meant the minimum of 13.1C was 3.1C above my long-term average making it the warmest night since 30th May.

The start to Tuesday was dull with very misty conditions that will persist throughout the morning. This is due to a cold weather front traversing the UK from north to south that will likely clear mid-afternoon then allowing some brightness to follow.

The high pressure has retreated a little towards the Continent that is allowing the influence of the low pressure to the north temporarily dominate our weather today. Tomorrow the slight realignment will bring an air stream from a more southerly quadrant, originating near Spain, that will be warmer and possibly more moist.

Kennet and Avon Canal: The Kennet Horse Boat Company’s horse drawn canal cruises provide an environmental friendly and peaceful way to explore a section of the canal just east of Hungerford on the traditionally painted canal boat.

With the high pressure edging closer on Sunday the result was a dry day with a modest recovery in the temperatures as although the maximum of 17.2C at 15.10 was 3.4C below my long-term average it was an improvement on the previous cool day. Sunday was also dry with the UV level peaking in the ‘High’ category during the variable sunshine. The cloud overnight meant an average minimum temperature of 10.3C logged at 05.40 being 0.1C above the seasonal average.

The start to Monday revealed a cloudy beginning to the new day, however, shortly around 08.00 bursts of brief, weak sunshine appeared that had lifted the temperature to 14.6C by 08.00.

The improvement in the temperature by day, and especially last night, saw the ground temperature at a depth of 5cm read 15.0C at 08.00. This was the highest temperature since the 2nd.

The anticyclone in the Atlantic has spread its influence across to the Continent and will be the major factor in our weather over the next few days. As a result the barometric pressure has risen further with a reading of 1022.1mb at 08.00 being the highest this month. The slight relocation of the high pressure has seen the wind back a few degrees to come from the west-southwest or southwest today, a much warmer direction. This trend will continue for the next few days with the daytime maximum temperature likely getting above average on Tuesday, and then rising further. However, there is the likelihood mid-week of an airstream from the south bringing more humid but warmer air that could spark off some stormy conditions.

Th brisk westerly breeze and lack of sunshine on Saturday limited the rise in temperature to a maximum of only 15.9C being a significant 4.7C below my long-term average and the coolest day since the end of May. The main rain bands decided to travel to the north and south of our area but the several hours of light rain, that was heavy for a brief period around 16.30, amounted to 7.9mm, which also included light rain that triggered the automatic rain gauge at 04.54 early Sunday from a passing weather front. Before the rain band passed our way overnight, with its associated cloud, the thermometer dropped steadily to reach a minimum of 6.4C at 04.37, being 3.8C below average.

Early Sunday saw the cloud thinning and weak sunshine breaking through that had lifted the temperature to 11.4C by 08.00, after the very cool night. The cool air last night and today has begun its journey just south of Greenland, hence the cool temperatures.

This morning I counted five low-pressure systems surrounding the UK, however, they are losing their control of our weather as one fills and another slowly moves away that has allowed the anticyclone in the eastern Atlantic to begin to affect our weather. The barometric pressure has risen a significant 10 mb since yesterday with a reading of 1016.8mb at 08.00, that will mean a much drier and sunnier day. This pattern will build over the next couple of days so that by Tuesday temperatures by day with begin to rise above the normal for June as every day this month has seen a below average maximum.

Kennet and Avon Canal: In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the canal gradually fell into disuse after the opening of the Great Western Railway. In the latter half of the 20th century the canal was restored in stages, largely by volunteers.