Category: Commentary

Although the hours of sunshine (10.9) on Saturday were up again, the strong wind from the north east depressed daytime temperatures. The maximum of 16.9C at 14.41 was down a degree on the Friday peak but still 2.6C above the average.

Yet another dry day with the UV level rising further with a peak value of 5.8 that was at the top end of ‘High’.

The temperature drifted downwards after late afternoon to reach a low of 1.6C at 05.30 on Sunday morning.

We were greeted with sunshine after dawn on Sunday. However, just after 07.00 a bank of cloud was observed on the eastern horizon that by 07.15 had drifted across the sky and began to blot out the sunshine. As a result the recovery in temperature was halted so that the thermometer read 4.4C at 08.00 as against 7.8C on Saturday. The wind also picked up as the cloud arrived so that wind chill was a factor in depressing the temperature so it felt more like 3C outside at 08.00. By 08.10 the cloud was beginning to thin and sunny intervals to break through.

Friday brought another 10.6 hours of glorious sunshine for the greater part of the day in very clear blue skies. Later in the afternoon thin, high cloud drifted in. The wind from the east increased in speed with a maximum gust of 21mph. However, the thermometer climbed to a peak of 17.7C being 3.4C above average. The UV level was the highest since 8th September with a peak value of 5.2, which is firmly in the ‘High’ category.

No air frost was recorded overnight with a minimum of 2.3C being 1.8C below average but there was a short lived ground frost.

We have now had 14 consecutive days without rain with the rainfall total for April still standing at 7.4mm against the 37-year average of 58.5mm. Not only has April been very dry with little in the forecast, an equivalent rainfall of 50mm has been lost through evaporation from ground sources and plant life. Over the last two days we have lost the equivalent of 3.62mm and 3.79mm of rainfall respectively.

The temperature at 08.00 on Saturday morning was 7.8C due to a slightly less cold night and sunshine from dawn. This made it the warmest start to a day this month.

The sun just kept shining all day on Thursday totalling 10.9 hours. The wind from the east was a little lighter, maximum gust of 18mph, that combined with the sunshine saw the thermometer rise to 15.6C being 1.3C above the average. Also notable was the UV level that peaked at 5.0, which was just into the ‘High’ level.

Although no air frost occurred last night there was a sharp ground frost.

Friday dawned as Thursday with sunshine after dawn that saw the thermometer rise to 5.0C at 08.00 after a minimum of 1.9C in the early hours. The anticyclone is still very close, centred off the Essex coast having moved a little south, so the wind for much of Friday is likely to come from the east-southeast.

The soil temperature at a depth of 5cm has for the last three days risen a degree or two to read at least 7.0C, today was 7.9C, still rather cold for planting out much in the way of seeds. Tender plants will continue to need covering or indoors overnight as although the minimum temperature of the last two nights was just above freezing the cold wind will chill soft leaves.

The wind backed into the north east again on Wednesday and became much stronger with a maximum gust of 26mph, which was the windiest day since the 6th. Although sunshine of 8.12 hours was almost exactly the same as on Tuesday the cool, strong wind depressed the temperatures although a maximum of 15.0C was just above average.

The thermometer fell slowly downwards overnight to a minimum of 0.9C at 05.33 that was just short of an air frost but a hard ground frost set in.

Thursday arrived with strong sunshine after dawn with thin high cloud taking the edge off its strength.

The barometric pressure has increased again as the centre of the high pressure relocated to just off The Wash with the wind forecast to come from the east on Thursday and a little lighter.

At last we had a warm day on Tuesday as the wind from the east was light, a slightly warmer direction than from the north east, and we received 8.1 hours of sunshine. As a result the thermometer rose to a maximum of 18.4C, which was 4.3C above average and the warmest day since 22nd September.

After ten consecutive nights with air frost the thermometer did not fall below zero during the past night. However the minimum of 1.6C was still 2.5C below average.

We have now endured ten consecutive nights with air frosts. I have so far recorded 14 nights in April when an air frost occurred. This is exceptional as the average over the past 37 years is 5.2.

Wednesday saw weak sunshine after dawn as the advance thin, high cloud from an advancing weather front drifted down from the north.