Category: Commentary

Sunday was a predominantly dry day, light rain 18.20 but not measurable, with the UV level into the ‘High’ category during the minimal sunshine of 3.2 hours. The south-southwest breeze was brisk but coming from the Atlantic was warmer with the result that the thermometer rose to 15.5C making it the warmest day since 24th April but still 1.8C below the 37-year average.

Another mild night followed with a minimum of 9.2C just before midnight, which was 2.2C above the average. A short shower just after dawn brought 0.6m of rainfall.

By 08.00 on Monday the thermometer had recovered to 10.7C but no real sunshine, just minimal bright intervals in the short cloud breaks. The soil temperature at 08.00 was 11.2C. After the prolonged cold spell plant life is now showing real growth as although the maxima are still below average, but higher, the last two nights have been well above average for May being +3.1C and +2.2C respectively.

The main rain band eased away on Saturday morning but left a hang back of cloud that produced drizzle from low thick cloud for most of the daylight hours. Not surprisingly no sunshine was logged and the UV level of 1.7 was classed as ‘Low’.

The thermometer rose to a maximum of 13.6C, down a little on Friday’s peak and still 3.7C below the May average.

The thick cloud and moist air continued overnight from a southwesterly direction. This is a warmer air mass than of late and with thick cloud minimising loss of warmth to the atmosphere, the thermometer did not sink below 12.3C. This low was 5.1C above the 37-year average and the warmest night since 31st October.

At first light on Sunday the thick cloud was still evident and light drizzle observed. However, just before 08.00, the cloud began to thin and lift, the drizzle to disappear with brief sunshine observed at 08.27.

The soil temperature at a depth of 5cm at 08.00 today was 11.8C. This was the warmest since 2nd November so perhaps plants in the garden will now begin to grow after the prolonged cold spell and frequent frosts.

The change in the recent weather pattern became apparent on Saturday as the wind backed into a slightly warmer direction, west, that combined with 8.2 hours of sunshine raised the temperature to a peak of 14.1C. However this was still 3.2C below the average.

It was dry during daylight hours when the UV level rose to 6.2 being at the top end of ‘High”.

The wind for much of the day came from the west but just after 16.00 it began to back into the south and by 02.00 was coming from the south east as the low pressure system approached the country.

Although the thermometer initially fell away during the evening and early night this was halted at 03.37 on Saturday with a minimum of 5.9C being 1C below the 37-year average. Rain triggered the automatic rain gauge at 02.20 and by 08.00 on Saturday a total of 16.5mm had fallen. This was the wettest day since 27th January (18.7mm). The dramatic change has been due to an approaching deep depression the eastern Atlantic.

The thermometer eventually crept a little higher on Thursday as for most of the morning it hovered around 8C. The maximum of 12.9C occurred early in the afternoon at 13.30 during a sunny period, but this was still 4.4C below the 37-year average. Light showers amounted to 1.1mm that brought the monthly total to 11.2mm when the average is 59.6mm.

Although the thermometer dropped considerably overnight there was no air frost bit a modest ground frost. The minimum of 0.9C occurred at 05.47. Hopefully that will be the last ground and air frost this Spring as warmer air is on the doorstep.

Friday arrived with glorious sunshine and blue skies that lifted the temperature at 08.00 to 8.4C. This was the warmest start to a day at that time since 28th March. The wind has backed into the west and is very light.

Thursday started off bright and dry but the shower activity increased as the air temperature eased upwards with three hail showers starting at 14.30 then 14.35 and 14.55. The total precipitation was 2.7mm with a clap of thunder at 14.34. Before these events the thermometer had reached 12.3C being 5C below average in the brisk west-northwest breeze. Over the course of half an hour, as the hail and rain descended, the thermometer dropped over 5C from 11.5C to 5.9C.

Clearing skies overnight meant the shower activity diminished, which led to an air frost lasting over three hours with a minimum of -0.9C, which was 7.8C below the 37-year May average.

Initially on Thursday there was a little brightness. However, a trough of low pressure over the area, between two depressions, produced a bank of thick cloud that arrived from the north west, which limited the temperature recovery with a reading of only 2.1C at 08.00. The soil temperature over the past few days had lifted a little to around 7C or 8C but this morning, after the hail and frost, read just 4.8C at a depth of 5cm.