Category: Commentary

The warm, southerly air movement continued on Wednesday producing a maximum of 11.3C. This was 3.6C above the 37-year average but almost identical to the maxima on the two previous days of 11.2C and 11.4C. Rain occurred at intervals during daylight hours and a little overnight amounting to 4.3mm that brought the monthly total to 46.1mm, which is 69% of the long-term average. It was a breezy day with blustery winds and a maximum gust of 29mph at 18.39.

It was another very mild night with the thermometer not dropping below 7.8C being 6.3C above the average.

As dawn arrived on Thursday another rain band, about 40 miles wide, approached the area with light rain after 07.00 and more intense rain at 07.45. The southerly wind continues gust with a gust of 26mph at 08.09.

The warm, southerly air continued to produce a mild day and night on Tuesday with a maximum of 11.4C being 3.7C above average and a minimum of 6.4C, which was 4.9C above average.

A narrow band of rain crossed the area between 1555 and 1620 on Tuesday afternoon during which the temperature dropped 2C. Further rain arrived in the early hours of Wednesday triggering the automatic rain gauge at 0440 that combined produced a doily total of 8.2mm. The monthly total has reached 41.8mm when the 37-year average is 67.2mm

Due to the mild air by day and night also overcast skies, the temperature at 08.00 on Wednesday read 9.2C making it the equal warmest day this month with the 2nd. The southerly breeze continues but again we have a very calm start to the day.

The thermometer on Monday soared to a maximum of 11.2C, which was 3.5C above the 37-year average and the warmest day since 28th January (11.7C). The wind from the south was breezy with a peak gust of 25mph so the absence of any wind chill. The sunshine logged was just 1.3 hours with the UV level at 1.3, rated as Low.

Rain arrived in the early hours of Tuesday triggering the automatic rain gauge just after 06.00 with a daily total of 4.4mm as measured in the standard Meteorological Office 5″ copper rain gauge. The automatic rain gauge, using a tipping bucket mechanism, gives a constant readout of rainfall but not being at the recommended 30cm above ground level can have some inaccuracies due to wind currents affecting the precipitation collected.

Tuesday after dawn was very wet as a rain band crossed the area but in calm conditions, the anemometer stationery for lengthy periods at 08.00. It was the second warmest start to a day this month with a temperature of 8.4C at 08.00 when 9.2C was logged on the 2nd. The ground temperature at a depth of 5cm has risen significantly over recent days with a reading of 6.8C at 08.00.

Sunday saw the dramatic change in our weather as the weather fronts and associated rain from the approaching Atlantic depression brought much warmer air from the south. The thermometer has been rising since Saturday evening when the low of -0.5 was recorded with a continual rise to the maximum in the past twenty-four hours of 7.4C at 08.00 Monday being 0.3C below the average.

The barometric pressure associated with the decline in the anticyclone and approaching depression has fallen from a high of 1032.2mb on Saturday to the current reading on Monday morning at 08.00 of 1016.6mb

The rain that fell during the daylight hours of Sunday and after 05.15 on Monday amounted to 9.7mm bringing the monthly total to 29.2mm when the 37-year average is 67.2mm.

Monday after dawn saw very low cloud masking the Marlborough Downs and Savernake Forest limiting visibility initially to 1500m but began to lift after 08.15. Sunday was a breezy day with a peak gust of 29mph from the south however, Monday arrived with very still conditions, both anemometers motionless.

The soil thermometer at a depth of 5cm read 2.1C at 08.00 on Monday after the low of -2.7C on Saturday. Humidity has returned to more normal levels at 96% on Monday after the dry air of the last two days when it varied between 75% and 80%.

Saturday was predominantly cloudy, the sunshine recorder was triggered for just 12 minutes so not much warmth came from the sun. The thermometer very slowly rose above freezing for just over three hours, reaching a maximum of 0.4C before sliding back to -0.4C at 19.00. The wind continued from the south east gusting to 26mph so wind chill was in effect again during daylight hours.

By 19.40 I noticed that the downward trend in temperature had stopped and the thermometer was beginning to rise as slightly warmer air began to arrive. By midnight the the thermometer read 1.1C. The humidity all day was very low in the high 60s, normally 90%+, which was not surprising as the ground was frozen solid therefore no moisture evaporated from that source or open water areas also being frozen.

Sunday arrived with thick cloud and the thermometer reading 2.2C at 08.00. The wind was still brisk and from the south east with the absence of wind chill. The soil thermometer at a depth of 5cm returned a positive reading for the first time in six days with a reading of +0.1C at 08.00.