Category: Commentary

The light rain and drizzle on Thursday morning amounted to another 2mm bringing the monthly total to 119.2mm, which is 33.6m above the 36-year average and the wettest October since the record deluge in 2006 with 139mm.

The cloud cleared late morning and a little sunshine appeared, just 1.9 hours, bt welcome that lifted the thermometer to a maximum of 16.3C, the warmest day this month being 1.8C above average.

A dry but very cool not followed with the thermometer sinking to a low 2.9C at 05.48 being 4.2C below average and the coolest night this month.

Friday saw the sun soon after sunrise skirt cloud on the eastern horizon and begin to shine strongly by 08.00 lifting the thermomter to 6.3C at that time.

Wednesday was a very pleasant day with 5 hours of sunshine and no rain. However, as evening approached cloud arrived bringing the first rain just after 19.00 that with occasional showers during the evening amounted to 2.7mm. This brought the monthly total to 116.7mm, which is 31mmm above the 36-year average.

Late afternoon, the wind having been from the west all day, backed into the south bringing warmer air. Overnight the low pressure system traversed the country, and is currently over the North Sea, that has resulted in the changes in wind direction.

We have now had three consecutive days with maxima very similar that is 14.7C, 14.4C and 14.4C. As the cloud built last night the thermometer, having reached a low of 11.8C, which was 4.7C above average and the warmest night in three weeks, began climbing again.

Thursday arrived with thick cloud with light drizzle and a temperature at 08.00 of 15.1C, which was 0.5C above the daily average. A warm front associated with the depression is producing the drizzle from the low, thick cloud. As the depression continues to move east the wind will veer back more towards the south west.

Tuesday brought sunshine and showers but less sunshine than on Monday, just 2.6 hours, and very brief showers in the early evening amounting 0.7mm.

The sunshine recorder that I reported on Monday had gone berserk during the continuous rain over the weekend has, fortunately, reset itself after switching off overnight. Cross referencing its accuracy with other instruments it appears to working as normal. Even in bursts of sunshine the UV levels are now in the ‘Low’ category as expected for this time of year.

Temperatures by day and night were almost exactly average with a maximum of 14.4C (-0.2C) an a minimum of 7.1C (-0.1C).

Wednesday saw thin cloud blocking out any shine after dawn with very light winds from the west.

As the low pressure eased a little further away into the North Sea on Monday the clouds thinned and allowed us intermittent sunshine in the morning amounting to over 3 hours that lifted the thermometer close to the average with a maximum of 14.7C (+0.1C).

There were a couple of light showers mid-afternoon and one brief shower just before midnight that amounted to 1.5mmm bringing the monthly total to 113.3mm, which is 132% of the 36-year average.

Tuesday arrived with variable cloud but just after 08.00 the sun put in an appearance between the breaks. The minimum overnight was 10.0C being 2.9C above average.

The depression that has been with us for several days deposited another 15.9mm of rainfall over the area on Sunday, which brought the total for October to 111.8mm when the 36-year average is 85.6mm. After just four days in October it is currently the fifth wettest October that I have recorded since the station was set up in 1984. The record was set in 2006 with 131.9mm but with more depressions lining up to inflict more wet weather on us later in the week I wonder if that record might be broken.

Very sadly my sunshine recorder was overcome by the constant rainfall over the past three days so I will not be able to record any sunshine for the future, assuming we get some. By lunchtime on Sunday the recorder had clocked up 3 hours of sunshine when it had been raining constantly.

The thermometer on Sunday struggled to reach 10.5C, which was 4.1C below average. The thick cloud overnight meant the drop in temperature was just 2.3C with a minimum of 8.2C. being 1.1C above average.

The cloud associated with the recent depression is still with us on Monday but thankfully a little thinner.