Category: Commentary

Wednesday was a thoroughly unpleasant day with total cloud cover and the northeasterly wind making it feel very cool. The thermometer struggled to reach 10.6C late in the afternoon, which was 3.5C below the average and the coldest day since 3rd April.

It was another dry day, the nineteenth this month, but due to thick cloud the UV level of 2.3 was in the ‘Low’ category, and the lowest since 30th March.

It was the coldest night since the 15th with a minimum of 3.3C being 0.4C below the average.

Thursday arrived with total cloud cover and a light breeze from the northeast, yet again. We have now endured eight consecutive days with the wind from the very cool northeast.

The anticyclone has moved further south and now over the UK with the highest barometric pressure since the beginning of the month with a reading of 1031.5mb at 08.00

The only small change in the weather pattern of late was that on Tuesday we had a little more sunshine and the breeze was a little lighter. A maximum of 15.9C was 1.8C above the average and overnight a low of 3.7C was exactly average.

Wednesday started with glorious sunshine, if a trifle muted by thin high cloud, but by 07.15 the rising sun in the sky lost its battle with a cloud bank edging in from the east. As a result the temperature at 08.00 had recovered to only 6.2C, the coolest start to a day at that time since the 11th.

April 2022 is turning out to be a very dry month with rainfall only 16.6mm (29% of average) and the loss of equivalent rainfall through evaporation now totalling 55mm.

The centre of the anticyclone is edging close and as a result the strength of the wind has been slowly dropping over recent days with peaks of 30mph, 24mph, 20mph and 17mph over the last four days. The pressure reading at 08.00 was 1027.7mb, the highest since the 16th.

Monday brought more sunshine again but the brisk wind from the northeast persisted that meant another cool day with the thermometer not rising above 15.1C, however this was 1C above the 38-year average.

It was not a totally dry day as a very, very small shower passed overhead at 16.15 that produced a few rain drops, the quantity being so small it was not measurable so recorded as a trace.

With a clearing overnight sky and the wind dropping out it was not surprising to find that the thermometer had dropped to 3.3C at 03.54 onTuesday, which was 0.4C new the average.

Tuesday broke gloriously with the sun shining strongly after it had risen above the horizon, th e temperature having recovered to 6.4C at 08.00.

The centre of the anticyclone is edging closer so the pressure is rising, which is likely to mean that the wind will reduce in strength. The pressure at 08.00 was 1022.2mb up almost 20mb since Saturday.

The weather is in a repetitive mood as the brisk northeasterly breeze continued on Sunday although the several hours of sunshine did raise the maximum a little higher than the previous three days with a peak of 17.6C being 3.5C above the average.

The loss of equivalent rainfall, so far his month 49mm, through evaporation from ground sources and plant life is fast approaching the average rainfall of 57.7mm. The April rainfall to date is just 16.6mm or just 29% of the 38-year average.

The past night was cool with a minimum of 5.5C but this was still 1.8C above the average.

Monday arrived with the usual cloudy sky from moisture picked up overnight as the northeasterly breeze travelled across the North Sea. A couple of very brief glimpses of the sun were observed just before 08.00. We hope for more today as the temperature at 08.00 was just 6.8C, the coldest start to the day at that time since the 19th.

The intense anticyclone to the north if the UK is edging a little closer with the barometric pressure rising 1015.9mb at 08.00 so hopefully as the centre closes further the wind will moderate.

The cool northeasterly wind picked up in strength during Saturday gusting to a peak of 30mph. However, with more broken sunshine the maximum of 16.8C was 2C up on Friday and 2.7C above the 38-year average.

The minimum of 7.2C was reached at 04.53 on Sunday being 3.5C above the average.

The brisk northeasterly wind continued, but a little less strong on Sunday, that arrived with total cloud cover. However, shorty after 08.00 there were glimpses of sunshine through breaks in the cloud. The high pressure over Greenland, with wind circulating clockwise and a depression to the south over Iberia circulating anti-clockwise, look set to continue the northeasterly airstream with cloud carried in having travelled over the North Sea picking up moisture.