Category: Commentary

A mainly overcast and wet day on Sunday, with just a little sunshine in the afternoon, meant a cool day with the thermometer peaking at 2.4C below average with a maximum of only 18.7C. Rainfall, mainly in the morning amounted to 2.1mm.

At least the cloud cover overnight meant a mild night with the low 1.1C above average with a minimum of 12.8C.

With the barometric pressure slowly rising as the centre of the depression moves into the northern North Sea, Monday saw the cloud a little higher and a dry start to the day.

After a bright morning with limited sunshine the cloud built up again and showers occurred in the afternoon and evening. However, a major rain area arrived in the early hours of Sunday, starting just after 0500, lasting nearly three hours that brought the daily rainfall total to 10.1mm making it the wettest day since 5th July when 10.1mm was also recorded. This additional rainfall brought the monthly total to33.8mm when the average is 66.9mm

The peak temperature of 19.6C was again below average (-1.5C) although due to the cloud the minimum of 12.0C was just above (+0.3C).

Sunday at first light was gloomy and dark under the thick and low cloud that deposited much rain but briefly eased just before 0800.

The unsettled weather continued on Friday with seven claps of thunder heard between 1714 and 1729. Earlier in the day 6 hours of sunshine lifted the temperature to 21.0C, just below average. During the thunderstorm moderate rain fell for half an hour producing 5.0mm of rainfall that brought the monthly total to 22.7mm when the 37-year average is 66.9mm.

Overnight the temperature fell to about average with a low of 11.8C.

Saturday brought brief glimpses of brightness after 0730 that lifted the thermometer to 13.3C at 0800.

The depression has moved very little in the past twenty four hours with its centre just east of Belfast so the south to southwest wind continues bringing more showers. The barometric pressure read 996.6mb at 08.00.

The depression so close to the UK brought a miserable day on Thursday with six hours of continuous rain, just 3.3 hours of sunshine in the morning and depressed temperatures. The thermometer struggled to reach 18.6C being 2.5C below the 37-year average even though the wind was from the south.

Further rain fell in the early hours of Friday bringing the daily total to 7.2mm and the monthly total to 17.7mm. The August average is 66.9mm.

However, it was a mild night with the minimum temperature of 14.6C, which was almost 3C above average.

Friday continued the theme of thick cloud and bands of rain crossing the area although the temperature of 15.5C at 08;00 gave us the warmest morning since 27th July.

The centre of the depression is still close by, forecast to be over Belfast at 12.00, so bands of rain will continue to be brought on the fresh southwesterly wind.

During the 7.2 hours of very warm sunshine on Wednesday the thermometer rose well above average (+2.6C) with a maximum of 23.7C being the warmest day since 26th July.

It was dry day with UV peak`in at a High level.

The past night was mild with the temperature no lower than 12.2C being 0.5C above average.

The barometric pressure has been falling with another depression now centred over the west coast of Ireland that has swung the wind into the southwest and increased the wind speed late Wednesday afternoon.

Thursday saw glimpses of very brief sunshine early morning before cloud thickens ahead of rain towards midday.