Category: Commentary

Saturday brought far less sunshine than on previous days with just 1.5 hours due to cloud ahead of the depression in the Atlantic. However, the light wind, mainly from the east or southeast, brought mild air from the Continent that allowed the thermometer to rise 2.4C above average with a peak of 12.4C. It was another dry, the fifth in succession, that has not occurred since mid-September.

The barometric pressure has been steadily falling over the past three days as low pressure systems are positioned in the eastern Atlantic throwing bands of cloud over the UK. As a result it has been the mildest night in a week with a minimum of 9.4C being 5.7C above average.

Sunday arrived with fog that initially limited visibility to 250m but by 08.30 had improved to 500m.

The intense high pressure still exerted itself on Friday with 5.6 hours of sunshine but had lost 10mb of pressure as it eased away over the Continent. It was another dry day with the maximum of 10.7C being 0.8C above average. The wind all day was from the east or south-southeast but had picked up in strength with a peak gust of 20mph. Cloud and mist meant the thermometer did not fall below 4.1C, which was 0.4C above average.

Saturday was initially clear, just a little mist but by 07.45 fog was observed to the north that by 08.00 had drifted across the area limiting visibility to 400m.

During Thursday the anticyclone slowly emigrated across the country toward the east but being over the UK gave another calm day with a maximum gust of only 8mph. The wind direction I note as variable. The air mass initially came from the west then from the north, abruptly swinging into the south then back to the north and finally east.

During the 4.7 hours of sunshine the thermometer crept to a peak of 11.7C being 1.7C above the average. During the first part of the night the temperature slowly fell away to reach a minimum of 0.3C at 01.14 on Friday morning. However, the arrival of cloud and fog halted the drop in temperature so that by 08.00 on Friday the thermometer read 3.7C and all signs of the brief, early ground frost had disappeared.

Friday at dawn saw thick fog limiting visibility to 200m but by 08.00, the wind, having been calm most of the night, began to pick up a little and mix up the atmosphere and as a result the visibility increased to 500m. The high pressure is now centred over Germany that has seen the wind direction continue from the east.

Wednesday gave us the sunniest day since 27th September with 6.2 hours under the influence of an intense high pressure system to the west of the UK. Not only was it sunny but very calm with the maximum movement of air, could not call it a gust, of just 9mph and variable in direction but mainly from the Northwest.

The thermometer on Wednesday edged a little higher than on Tuesday with a maximum of 10.3C being 0,3C above average. The clear skies overnight meant another chilly night with a ground frost as the thermometer dropped away to -0.6C at 04.55 on Wednesday morning.

At first light on Thursday it was misty with no sign of any fog although as the sun rose a bank of fog slowly spread across the area from the east that by 07.45 had limited visibility to 200m. The anticyclone is now centred across the UK with the current pressure reading of 1039.6mb, the peak was 1040.2mb. This was the highest barometric pressure locally since 21st January 2020.

Under the influence of th intense high pressure in the north Atlantic, to the south west of the UK, Monday was fine and dry with 4.5 hours of sunshine. The air, moving in a clockwise direction around the anticyclone meant the wind had veered further into the west-northwest then northwest, which was a cooler direction but a much clearer air that limited the thermometer rise to 9.9C. However, this was close to the early November average being just 0.1C below.

After fifteen consecutive days with rainfall it was the first dry day since 18th October.

The clear sky overnight meant the thermometer dropped steadily to reach a minimum of -1.7C, which was 2C below average and producing a hard air frost.

The sun was visible as it rose above the horizon on Tuesday but fog in the Kennet valley limited its strength initially as the fog drifted westwards across parts the Marlborough Downs. But by 08.00 the fog had cleared completely allowing the full strength of the sun, at this time of year, to begin lifting the temperature.