Category: Commentary

Under the influence of the brisk northerly wind on Thursday the thermometer struggled to reach 6.4C, the coldest day since 6th March being 3.7C below the 37-year average.

It was another dry day but a significant change in wind direction occurred just after 16.30 when the wind backed from the north into the west and then southwest.

The minimum temperature of 0.5C occurred at 21.05, following which the thermometer slowly rose to 6.3C at 08.00 on Friday

Friday dawned with thick cloud cover and the first spots of rain observed at 07.10 but an insignificant amount and not measurable.

A cold front is approaching and due to reach this area around noon so the wind will then veer back into the north and give us a much colder couple of days.

The very cold air from the northwest combined with no sunshine, the fifth this month, meant a very cool day on Wednesday. The thermometer did not rise above 6.6C, which was 3.5C below average and the coldest day since 7th March. It was also the seventeenth dry day in November.

Overnight the temperature dropped away to a minimum of 1.6C just before dawn on Thursday, that arrived with blue sky and sunshine after sunrise. The wind continues from the north.

Tuesday was the eleventh consecutive dry day this month when November is one of the wettest months in the year. The rainfall to date stands at just 8.9mm when the 37-year average is 91.7mm. The record for this station was set in 1990 with 27.8mm and we are far below that low total with only a week to go. The equivalent rainfall of 9.9mm has been lost through evaporation from ground sources and plant life exceeding the monthly rainfall.

Tuesday was another calm day with misty conditions and light winds after the frost had cleared, a peak gust of just 13mph was recorded.

Cloud cover meant the past night did not produce a frost as the thermometer did not drop below 5.8C being 2C above average.

The diurnal temperature range was exceptionally low with a variation of just 2C between maximum day and minimum night.

Wednesday after dawn revealed another cloudy start to the day with the anemometers stationary again for several hours. The barometric pressure has been slowly falling as the centre of the anticyclone eases westwards over the Atlantic, this will change the air movement today and be more likely to have a more westerly component than recent days.

The wind on Monday veered further from the north to the Northeast, a cool direction, that saw the thermometer slowly rise to 7.9C, being 2.1C below average, only the third this month.

The barometric pressure intensified further peaking at 1035.2mb, the highest pressure since 6th March. The centre of the anticyclone is now over the south-western tip of Ireland and will see the wind direction back into the north on Tuesday.

Tuesday early morning registered a minimum of -1.7c, being 5.6C below the 37-year average, producing not only a ground frost but a sharp air frost. Much of the sky was blue first thing with a bank of cloud to the east. However, just before 08.00, an expanse of mist, not thick enough to be classed as fog, drifted in from the north obscuring any possibility of sunshine for some while.

The full effect of the passage of the cold front was felt on Sunday as the thermometer did not use above 7.1C. This was 3C below the 37-year agree, the coldest day in November and the first below average maximum since the 5th. The brisk wind from the north produced a wind chill so that the air temperature of 6.1C mid-morning felt more like 4C.

It was a dry day, the ninth consecutive dry day. The evaporation from ground sources and plant life now is the equivalent rainfall of 9.3mm whilst the monthly rainfall total is 8.9mm

Overnight the thermometer steadily fell away to reach a minimum of 0.2C just before dawn, which was 3.6C below average. This low temperature saw a ground frost form.

Monday arrived with clear blue skies and sunshine as soon as the sun rose above the horizon with the ground sparkling from a ground frost but not quite an air frost.

The centre of the anticyclone is just to the west of Ireland. Due to its closeness the barometric pressure has been rising for the past day with a current reading at 08.00 of 1031.7mb. As a result of the high-pressure relocating the wind has now veered into the northeast but much lighter.