Category: Commentary

Another gloomy, dull day on Tuesday with both the maximum of 3.9C (-3.1C) and minimum of 0.8C (-0.5C) below the average.

It was the fourth consecutive sunless day due to the relentless cloud trapped under the high pressure system It was also the fourteenth consecutive dry day.

The temperature eased upwards from late evening from 0.9 C to 3.6C at 08.00 on Wednesday.

Wednesday at first light saw a repeat of previous days with thick cloud cover, if a little higher.

The ground temperature at a depth of 5cm has recovered from freezing with a low of -1.8C on the 21st to 2.8C today.

Yet another dull, dark and gloomy day on Monday with yet again no sunshine. The air was stagnant for many hours with the anemometer only very occasionally slowly turning with the strongest movement logged at 7mph and from the SE.

It was another cold day with the thermometer not moving all day with a maximum of 3.3C being 3.7C below average. Just after 16.00 the temperature began to ease downwards to produce a minimum of 0.7C, which was 0.6C below the average.

Tuesday began just as the previous three day with heavy, dark low cloud and no air movement to disturb the cloud.

The centre of the anticyclone is now just north of the Canary Islands so any air movement will come from the west or west-northwest.

We have now experienced thirteen consecutive dry days.

Sunday was cold and dull with the thick, low cloud persistent all day trapped under the high pressure system. The temperature by day rose to just 4.0C, being 3C below average and overnight a minimum of 2.9C being 1.6C above the average.

The monthly rainfall total is just 28.1mm. This is only 31% of the 37-year average or 62.7mm below. With little rain forecast before the end of the month, January 2022 is gong to be one of the driest. However, there were three drier Januarys since records began 1984 with just 9.4mm on 1997.

The gloomy conditions persisted into Monday with thick, low could and very little wind. The breeze has backed a little further and now coming from the east or south south-east. Pressure remans high with a reading of 1033.6mb at 08.00.

The diurnal temperature range over the past twenty-four hours has been unusually limited with a difference of just 2.4C.

Saturday was another in the run of overcast and gloomy days with no sunshine. The thermometer eventually struggled to a maximum of 5.2C. The overnight minimum of 3.1C was 1.8C above the average.

Sunday was a repeat of Saturday morning with low cloud to greet the day.

We have no had eleven consecutive dry days with the monthly rainfall of just 28.1mm when the average is 90.8mm.

After the severe frost on Friday the thermometer eventually struggled above freezing at 10.55 and reached the maximum of 3.8C. This was 3.2C below the average and the coldest day since February 15th 2012 (0.6C). The sunny start was spoilt just aft 0900 as a blanket of cloud drifted in from the north west.

The thermometer was very steady during the afternoon and overnight at around 3.3C but dropped to 1.6C just after 06.50 on Saturday.

Saturday dawned with a totally cloudy sky trapped under the high pressure.

We have now experienced ten consecutive dry days under the almost continuous anticyclone. The monthly rainfall average stands at 28.1mm, well below the 37-year average of 90.8mm.