Category: Commentary

The northwesterly wind increased in strength on Monday, gusting to 25mph, which was the strongest this month. As a result of the much cooler air stream the thermometer only reached 14.6C being 4.3C below the average, even though we had intermittent sunshine. Likewise overnight, the air originating near Iceland was cool as the thermometer dropped to 6.9C being 2.4C below the average.

Tuesday began with intermittent sunshine with the breeze continuing from the northwest or west-northwest, but lighter. A few spots off rain were observed just before 08.00 but did not completely wet the ground. The barometric pressure has been much lower for the past twenty-four hours due to an intense depression to the Northwest, thus the windier and cloudier conditions. The pressure at 08.00 read 1004.1mb.

Although there were several hours of sunshine on Sunday the brisk northerly breeze, gusting to 17mph, pegged back the maximum temperature to 16.4C being 2.5C below average. It was another dry day with Moderate UV level.

A cold front passed over the area in the early hours of Monday producing light rain at first briefly from 04.00 and a short heavier burst at 06.40 that amounted to 2.7mm.That addition took the monthly rainfall total to 46.3mm being 69% of the long-term average. The minimum of 10.2C at 23.00 on Sunday was the highest overnight minimum for ten days due to the coucloudld cover from the rain band.

Monday was cloudy to begin the day but as the cold front eased away to the southeast the back edge of the weather front could be clearly seen with clear skies approaching from the Northwest, from which the wind willow today.

Under the brisk motherly breeze on Saturday the maximum by day of 17.7C and minimum overnight of 5.6C were below average with -1.2C and -3.7C respectively. The breeze was the strongest for over a week with a peak gust of 20mph.

Sunday started with thin cloud but weak sunshine soon broke through after 07.15 under the temporary ridge of high pressure. The breeze still comes from the north but is forecast to back into the west during the afternoon.

The rainfall for September stands at 43.6mm but the equivalent loss of rainfall through evaporation is close to the rainfall total with 40mm currently.

The cooler air on Friday due to the wind coming from the north, also a little stronger than previous days, meant a below average maximum (-1.0C) of 17.9C.

It was the fifteenth dry day this month with the UV level of 3.9 in the middle of the Moderate range. Loss of equivalent rainfall due to evaporation is running at well over 1mm a day.

We have had another cool night, also below average (-0.9C) with a low of 8.4C at 07.03 on Saturday.

Saturday arrived with a golden globe rising above the horizon after dawn and shining brightly and consistently.

Thursday gave us another above average day (+1.2C), of which there have been fifteen this month so far, with a peak temperature of 20.1C.

It was another dry day, but during darkness a weather front approached and crossed the area. There were two light showers of rain starting just after 01.30 but a heavier burst just after 05.00 that produced 1.5mm of rainfall. That addition took the monthly total to 43.6mm being 65% of the 38-year average.

Before 04.00 Friday the wind came from the northwest but as the weather front cleared the wind swung into the north or north-northeast.

Friday arrived with total cloud cover, a hang-back of cloud from the weather front easing eastwards. The depression to the Northwest is closer, as a result the barometric pressure has dropped further to read 1016.0mb at 08.00 and has caused the change in wind direction.