Category: Commentary

The very strong southwesterly wind on Monday, gusting to 28mph at its peak, was a cooler day with the maximum of 21.9C being 1.0C below the July average. It was the windiest day since 20th April (33mph).

A light shower just after midday was followed by a much heavier and longer period of rain starting at 22.30 that in total amounted to 9.3mm.

Tuesday was initially cloudy and dull but by 08.00 bright intervals were appearing that lifted the mild night minimum of 13.8C to 15.4C at 08.00

A low-pressure system is now in charge of our weather that will see a pattern of sunshine and showers for a couple of days. The barometric pressure dropped 10mb over the past twenty-four hours with a reading of 1010.6mb at 08.00. The wind will continue to blow from the southwest

The Sunday maximum temperature was identical to that recorded on Saturday with a peak of 23.3C (+0.4C). The overnight minimum of 11.5C was just 0.4C below the average and 0.2C below the Saturday minimum. It was dry day with the UV level rising in the sunshine to Very High. The southerly breeze was modest with a maximum gust of just 20mph.

Monday early revealed low cloud draping the Marlborough Downs and obscuring the trees in Savernake Forest. By 07.00 the cloud base had begun to lift with brightness breaking through just before 08.00. The breeze today is forecast to veer a few degrees and come from south-southwest or later southwest and be moderate in strength. The barometric pressure observation at 08.00 was 1020.3mb, the highest this month.

There were sporadic light, brief showers throughout Saturday but minimal amount. The rain radar showed first an angry batch of thunder showers moving north to the east of our area then another selection to the west. However, a shower cell did pass over Marlborough starting at 19.30 for 50 minutes, that was heavier. The daily rainfall total was 7.5mm that took the monthly total to 26.1mm when the average is 58.2mm. The southerly wind was light all day with a maximum gust of 18mph and from the south principally.

The thermometer did just beat the maximum average with a peak of 23.3C (+0.4C) although the minimum of 11.7C was 0.2C below average.

Sunday dawned dull with total cloud cover. A bank of fog was observed before 07.00 to the north of Marlborough on the top of the Downs, that quickly disappeared. Light rain began to fall just before 08.00.

The maximum of 27.9C on Friday was 5.0C above the 39-year average and the hottest day since 25th June. The warmth lingered overnight under mainly cloudy skies so that the thermometer did not drop below 16.6C. recorded at 05.30 Saturday. This low was 4.7C above the average and the warmest night since August 24th 2022 (17.6C).

The wind mainly from the southeast was lighter than of late with a maximum gust of 17mph. It was a dry day with the UV level again peaking into the Very High category.

The thermometer had risen again by 08.00 with a reading of 20.7C at 08.00.

Saturday dawned with sunshine although by 07.00 variable cloud was beginning to obscure the sun from time to time ahead of the next weather front. A cold weather front is moving up from the south and likely to bring rain later in the morning. An area of intense rain is to the south and its track is indicating that it might hit the Marlborough area. However, it could slide to the east of Marlborough as I have seen it do on many occasions. I don’t know whether the hills affect a storm trajectory but I have observed on occasions, using the rain radar, a storm cloud thins and parts as it approaches from the south and west. Weather fronts bringing rain associated with depressions just roll across the area.

With a maximum of 21.1C on Thursday this was the second warmest day in July after the 1st with 21.3C. However, a warmer airstream on Friday will see that beaten. The UV level was still Very High.

The overnight minimum of 9.7C was still below average -2.2C.

Friday revealed a sunny start to the day with continuous sunshine that lifted the thermometer to 17.4C at 08.00, This was the warmest start to day at that time since 26th June. The wind has backed into the southeast and will feed in the much warmer air all day from the near continent fed between two depressions in the eastern Atlantic and a high pressure over Russia.