The squeeze between the high pressure to the east and the low pressure to the west in the Atlantic produced a very windy day on Friday with a maximum gust of 35mph at 09.24. Rainfall for the past twenty-four hours amounted to 9.8mm bringing the monthly total to 63.5mm when the average is 91.8mm.
Saturday saw broken sky after dawn and the temperature reading 9.1C at 08.00 after a very mild night.
The very mild and moist air, brought on a southerly air flow, continued to flood across the country on Thursday that saw the temperature hover around 10.4C all day but climb in the late evening and overnight to reach a maximum of 11.1C, which was 3.1C above the 36-year average. During the morning we enjoyed 2.3 hours of sunshine but increasing cloud arriving around midday, heralded the advance cloud from another weather front coming in from the Atlantic.
Rain arrived just after midnight triggering the automatic rain gauge with a heavy shower at 00.15 then drizzle before dawn brought the daily rainfall total to 2.4C. The wind speed picked up overnight with a maximum gust of 27mph at 03.02.
Friday arrived dark, wet and gloomy with drizzle continuing but the temperature at 08.00 of 10.9C made it the warmest start to a day at that time since 25th November being 8.6C above average. The wind is continuing to increase in speed with a gust of 31mph at 08.33. We are being squeezed between high pressure centred over Italy, rotating clockwise, and a deep depression in the Atlantic, circulating anticlockwise, to the west of the UK.
Wednesday brought another 5.0mm of rainfall that raised the monthly total to 51.3mm being 56% of the 36-year average. So far this month of changeable weather we have endured eight days without a flicker of sunshine.
The thermometer climbed slowly to 9.4C during daylight hours, which was again above average (+1.4C), likewise the overnight minimum of 4.3C (+2.0C). The southerly breeze brought the mild air from the Continent and the Atlantic around the Bay of Biscay.
Thursday saw a much clear sky after dawn with the promise of sunshine thanks to a modest if transient ridge of high pressure, the highest reading since 2nd December at 1013.4mb.
Although the peak temperature on Tuesday was lower than the previous two days with a maximum of 10.3C, it was still 2.3C above the 36-year December average. There was welcome sunshine totalling 3.3 hours with brisk southerly breezes peaking at 23mph.
There were a couple of light showers producing just 0.9mm of rainfall in the past twenty-four hours.
Late evening the thermometer fell a little to reach a minimum of 6.8C at 20.15 then slowly began to rise so that at 08.00 on Wednesday read 8.8C making it the warmest start to a day this month at that time.
The breezy southerly winds continued on Wednesday. The sky was overcast after dawn ahead of the warm front about to cross the area with rain beginning to fall just to the west and imminent here.
The breeze on Sunday, predominantly from the southwest, meant another above average maximum (+3.1C) with a peak of 11.1C at 12.08. There were brief glimpses of sunshine but not sustained.
Overnight another 2.1mm of rain was recorded that brought the monthly total to 45.4mm when the 36-year average is 91.9mm. As the skies cleared following the overnight rain and cloud the thermometer fell away to read a minimum of 5.8C being 3.5C above the 36-year average.
Monday morning brought predominantly clear skies except for shower clouds travelling in from the southwest at 08.00 but currently skirting the area to the south east.