Category: Commentary

The thermometer only reached 23.4C on Thursday, which was only 0.7C above the 38-year average. The wind had veered further as the day progressed to come from the north, but light.

It has been a chilly night with the thermometer dropping to 6.7C, being 5.2C below the average, before recovering to 16.8C at 08.00 on Friday under the influence of strong sunshine after dawn.

The equivalent rainfall of over 4mm is now being lost daily to evaporation from the ground and plant life. So far this month 48mm has been lost with just 4.3mm of rainfall on the 2nd, the only wet day this month.

The barometric pressure is beginning to rise as the anticyclone centres over or near the UK. The current pressure at 08.00 was 1025.9mb, the highest since the 10th.

Wednesday, under a light northwesterly breeze, was cooler than Tuesday with a peak of 26.2C, which was still 3.5C above the average. The past night was also cooler with a low of 11.1C being just below the average.

Thursday arrived with strong sunshine after dawn that lifted the temperature at 08.00 to 17.4C. The wind has veered a few degrees and is predominantly from the north. The humidity of just 63% at 08.00 is the lowest since 16th June (62%) and indicates just how dry the atmosphere had become. The ground temperature at a depth of 5cm read 21.8C at 08.00.

As the last three days has seen brought consecutive days with the maximum temperature at 27C or above, Marlborough as experienced a technical heatwave.

Tuesday saw a peak of 29.3C being 6.6C above the average and 1.2C down on Monday’s peak. The temperature was moderated by smoke from the fires on Salisbury Plain for much of the morning that limited the sunshine and solar strength. The haze also meant a lower UV level of 6.1 rated as High. The calm conditions did not disperse the haze until after 13.00 when a light breeze picked up, maximum gust of 14mph, and from the Northwest.

It has been a very warm night with the temperature not dropping below 18.1C logged at 05.35. This was 6.2C above the average and the warmest night since 13th August 2020 ((19.4C)

Wednesday arrived with cloud in the eastern sky that limited sunshine until after 08.00. The thermometer read 20.2C at 08.00 and the ground temperature at a depth of 5cm read 23.9C

Monday saw the thermometer reach a maximum of 30.5C, which was 7.8C above the average and the hottest day since 17th June (31.3C). The breeze was light, just 11mph peak at head height, with the UV level of 7.4 in the Very High category again.

It has been a very mild night, the second highest this month with a low of 14.3C being 2.4C above the average.

Tuesday brought a change to the start of the day with almost total cloud cover although after 08.15 there were brief glimpses of weak sunshine. The thermometer had recovered to 18.4C at 08.00.

With very hot and dry conditions the soil has continued to warm up as a result a temperature of 22.C was recorded at a depth of 5cm at 08.00.

The thermometer soared to 28.9C on Sunday, which was 6.2C above the 38-year average and the hotted day since 17th June (31.3C).

The wind was very light with the maximum gust just 11mph and from the west being calm overnight.

Monday brought strong sunshine after dawn that lifted the thermometer from a minimum of 9.6C, being 2.3C below average, to 21.1C at 08.00 making it the warmest start to a day at that time since 21st July (21.3C).

The equivalent rainfall of over 4mm is being lost daily through evaporation from ground sources and plant life. The humidity at 08.00 of 69% was the lowest since 14th June 2021 (64%).

The centre of the high pressure is relocating eastwards to the southern North Sea so the wind will continue light but probably from the southwest when there is any breeze to detect.