Category: Commentary

The stronger northeasterly on Friday, under total cloud cover, meant a very cool day with the maximum of 14.2C almost exactly average, the coolest day since the 10th. Wind chill was a factor that meant outside during the strong gusts of wind, up to 28mph, it felt 1C lower than that indicated on the thermometer.

Another dry day. The rainfall for the month is just 29% of the 38-year average. Evaporation from ground sources and plant life now amounts to the equivalent loss of rainfall of 44mm. As I commented yesterday, the projected jet stream indicated that the wind from a northeasterly direction will continue for several days with little prospect of rainfall before the end of the month, the rare very light shower excepted.

Saturday dawned dull with total cloud cover. However, the minimum of 7.4C was 3.7C above the average and occurred just after midnight, 00.37. Since that time the temperature recovered to 9.3C at 08.00.

The wind persisted from the Northeast on Thursday but moderate in strength that in the sunshine allowed the thermometer to creep a little higher with a maximum of 19.1C being 5C above the 38-year average.

It was the thirteenth dry day with the UV level Moderate.

Cloud cover again meant an above average minimum of 6.4C (+2.7C).

With high pressure resident to the north and low pressure to the south, the cool northeasterly is set to continue. As a result at 08.00 on a cloudy Friday morning the temperature was 8.6C but wind chill meant it felt more like 7C.

The jet stream forecast indicates that the flow of a cool air from the northeast or east-northeast will be with us for a few days and likely to build in strength. As the wind from this direction often picks up moisture from the North Sea, sunshine is likely to be limited under cloudy skies.

Wednesday saw the thermometer climb to 17.8C just after 16.00, which was 3.7C above the average .

The dry weather continues with 12 dry days this month. The rainfall for April currently stands at only 16.6mm when the 38-year average is 57.7mm. With little rain in the forecast April is turning out to be a much drier than average month. Also taken into account is the equivalent loss of rainfall through evaporation from ground sources and plant life that amounts to 39mm so far.

After a mld night with a minimum of 5.4C the sun was up shining strongly after dawn on Thursday that lifted the temperature to 9.2C at 08.00.

The barometric pressure has been drifting downwards again so a change in the weather pattern is imminent as the current pressure at 08.00 of 1012.5mb is the lowest since the 12th.

The wind is slowly veering from the northeast to east-northeast and later today into the east.

The northerly breeze on Tuesday, gusting to 18mph, meant a cooler day and night. With sunshine restricted to the morning and a cloudy afternoon the thermometer only reached 14.5C, but that was still 0.4C above the average for April.

There were a couple of very light showers in the mid and late afternoon that only amounted to 0.4mm. That means that so far in April we have only received 29% of the long-term average rainfall.

The temperature dipped to 6.0C at 05.17 on Wednesday that arrived with very misty conditions. The light brightened a little after 08.15 but no sunshine due to thick cloud that had drifted in from the North Sea on the breeze that had veered further into the northeast and later will come from the east.

The breeze on Monday arrived from the west and later west-northwest, a cooler direction than of late. Consequently, the thermometer only reached 16.4C mid-afternoon, the coolest day for a week but still 2.3C above the average.

It was another dry day, the tenth this month. The rainfall still stands at 16.2mm when the average is 57.7mm. The loss of equivalent rainfall due to evaporation from ground sources and plant life is 2 to 3mm daily and this month totals 35mm.

The Uv level at 5.1 rose to ‘High’ again.

The past night was very cool with a minimum of 3.3C at 04.57 on Tuesday.

Tuesday brought variable weak sunshine through variable thin high cloud to start the day.