Category: Commentary

Friday was a dry day, only the second this month. Although there were 3.9 hours of sunshine the thermometer only rose to 7.0C , 1C below average, due to the cool northwesterly air stream, light for most of the day.

The thermometer fell away in the evening to reach a minimum of 0.9C just after midnight, 1.3C below average, before rising to 3.0C at 08.00 on Saturday.

Saturday dawned with a mostly cloudy sky and calm wind conditions. The barometric pressure is at its highest this month with a reading at 08.00 of 1016.3mb.

After a sunny morning the cloud built up after midday on Thursday. Rain arrived just after 14.00, lasting until 20.10, amounting to 6.2mm. This brought the monthly total to 26.1mm when the 37-year average is 92.2mm.

The thermometer rose to 7.8C, almost average for December and dropped away to 2.9C overnight, just above average.

Friday after dawn saw a bank of cloud to the east and much blue sky to the west with the possibility of more sunshine to come.

The wind has veered into the northwest, is brisk, and producing a modest windchill so it feels much colder outside than indicated on the thermometer.

An unusual meteorological phenomenon was logged between Tuesday and Wednesday as the barometric pressure dropped dramatically, in excess of 24mb in twenty-four hours, such an occurrence is referred to as a ‘weather bomb’.

Both maximum and minimum have been below average during the past twenty-four hours with 7.2C (-0.8C) and 2.0C (-0.3C).

After three consecutive sunless day there was sufficient brighter light on Wednesday to trigger the sunshine recorder for almost an hour.

A minor passing shower at 18.45 on Wednesday produced just 0.3mm of rainfall

Thursday arrived with variable cloud and red sky in the east predicting rainfall later today. The thermometer by 08.00 had recovered to 2.4C. The barometric pressure has recovered 16mb since this time yesterday with a current reading at 08.00 of 1003.6mb.

The wind increased during Tuesday morning with a peak gust of 31mph and steady rain amounting to 5.9mm. That daily total meant that the monthly total of 19.6mm was more than the whole of November, but only 21% of the December average.

The maximum of 7.6C was just below average and the minimum of 4.3C was 2.1C above the average.

The weather front brought heavy rain just before 1400 following which there was a complete lull with the wind dropping out completely. There was a very sharply defined back edge to the weather front.

Wednesday began dry with thin high cloud and initially dry but rain showers not far away.

A meteorological event called a ‘weather bomb’ occurred at the centre of the depression as the barometric pressure dropped in excess of 24mb in 24 hours. The local fall in that period was 17mb from 1002.3mb to a low of 985.2mb

Monday brought a wet start start to the day with 2.7mm of rain in the morning but dried up after midday. The wind direction started from the south but veered into the west before noon. The thermometer rose to 8.0C at 13.56 being exactly average for December but during the evening, before cloud built up from advancing Storm Barra, the temperature dropped to 1.0C at 01.33 on Tuesday being 1.3C below they average.

Tuesday arrived with advance thick cloud from Storm Barra. The depression at 08.00 was just making landfall on the west coast of Ireland with a very low barometric pressure of 957mb.

Storm Barra began to have an effect locally as the wind slowly began to pick up from 04.30 and the barometric pressure to fall from 00.30. At 08.00 the barometric pressure was 1002.3mb and the temperature having risen to 4.6C.

Update at 13.00: maximum gust of 31mph at 11.41. Barometric pressure dropping rapidly with current pressure of 988.7mb