Category: Commentary

The limited hours of strong sunshine on Saturday produced the highest level of UV light since 12th September with a value of 5.1 that is at the bottom of the ‘High’ category. Irrespective of the sunshine the northerly light breeze meant a below average maximum again with a peak of 13.6C (-0.5C). The temperature fell away quote rapidly in the early evening to a minimum of 5.5C , but that was above average (+1.8C).

Sunday arrived with low cloud and gloomy conditions. Although we are under a ridge of high pressure, a reading of 1016.6mb was logged at 08.00. A warm front is currently crossing the area bringing moist air, in fact there were a few spots of rain just after 07.30. The warmer air stream is brought on a southwesterly breeze as against the northerly yesterday.

The many hours of rain from Storm Noa, combined with a southeasterly breeze for much of the day meant a cold day, the coldest since 11th March. The thermometer struggled to reach 8.7C, which was a significant 5.4C below the 39-year average.

Another 5.2mm of rainfall took the monthly total 52.4mm, just 4mm short of the 39-year average for April.

Late in the afternoon the wind began to back slowly from southeast to north.

The last night was cool with a low of 3.6C at 06.41 on Saturday, just below the average.

Saturday brought us welcome sunshine to start the day but by 08.10 variable cloud had drifted across and began to obscure the sun. With the depression now over the Continent the barometric pressure has been rising to read 1017.2mb at 08.00, a rise of 15mb since this time yesterday that should give us a dry day if not hours of sunshine.

Thursday gave us many hours of strong sunshine between the modest sized, fast moving clouds on a westerly breeze gusting to 22mph at its peak. The maximum temperature was again below average with a maximum of 12.8C (-1.3C). However, it was a dry day until a shower arrived at 14.40 and drove me in from the garden. The UV strength was again at the top end of ‘Moderate’.

The clear overnight skies initially saw the thermometer drop away to 2.4C at 03.08, early Friday, then recovering to 5.9C at 08.00 as advancing cloud from the next weather front began to drift across the sky.

Friday dawned dull with light rain. The culprit is another unwanted, unloved low pressure system that is slowly edging along the English Channel throwing up a rain band over southern England. The wind for Friday morning will come from a very different direction than of late, from the southeast, before backing into the north later as the depression eases away over the continent. The past day has brought 0.6mm of precipitation taking the monthly rainfall total to 47.mm, being 83% of the 39-year average,

The centre of Storm Noa was over North Wales on Wednesday midday (barometric pressure of 977mb) that brought us the lowest barometric pressure of 988.2mb since 31st March. The storm also brought us more rainfall with hail at 15.15 accompanied by thunder and lightning. There were two further claps of thunder at 1517 and 1523. In fact the radar showed a rash of lightning strikes over the width of this particular shower line being about 20 miles in width. The daily precipitation was 8.4mm with the monthly rainfall total now standing at 46.6mm, exactly 10mm below the 39-year average with over half the month still to arrive.

During the brief hail shower there were gusty winds that saw the thermometer drop from 9C to 4.6C. The strongest gust was 46mph at 11.25.

During the morning on Wednesday the thermometer slowly rose to a maximum of 9.6C, which was 4.5C below the average whereas overnight the thermometer dropped only a few degrees to reach 4.8C at 06.25.

Thankfully, the effects of Storm Noa had passed by the time Thursday arrived with sunshine as soon as the sun rose above the horizon, which lifted the temperature to 6.9C at 08.00. With the depression over the North Sea the wind has veered into the west or north-northwest and light.

As the complex system of low pressure approached the UK on Tuesday it brought strong winds and eight hours of rain in the afternoon and evening. The rainfall for the past day amounted to 10.8mm making it the wettest day since 31st March and took the monthly rainfall total to 38.2mm being 67% of the 39-year average.

The wind gusted very strong in the afternoon with a peak gust of 36mph from the southwest. The limited sunshine meant Tuesday was the coolest day for a week with a maximum of only 12.2C being 1.9C below the average. The rain ceased just after 21.30 and the sky began to clear allowing the temperature to fall away to a low of 3.2C at 06.50, which was 0.5C below the average.

Wednesday initially brought weak sunshine then strong sunshine between the fast moving clouds, huh lifted the temperature to 5.5C at 08.00.

The complex low pressure system bearing down on the UK has six centres of low pressure, the lowest on the west coast of Scotland. It has been named Storm Noa by Meteo France. The local barometric pressure at 08.00 was 995.6mb, the lowest since 31st March.

Update at 17.45: maximum gust of 46mph recorded at 11.25