Category: Commentary

On Thursday a cloudy, moist morning meant the sun did not make an appearance until after midday and during the afternoon the sky was hazy so the maximum of 25.5C was well down on the Thursday peak of 34.1C but 4.5C above the average. Light showers occurred late afternoon and overnight amounting to 1.8mm.

The rainfall for the past twenty-four hours amounted to 4.6mm that brought the monthly total to just 5.8mm however the equivalent rainfall of 44mm has been lost through evaporation.

Friday arrived with overcast skies under calm conditions and a brief intense shower at 07.20. The lower temperatures and modest rainfall has lowered the soil temperature at a depth of 5cm from a peak 24.2C to 20.5C on Friday at 08.00.

Once again on Wednesday the mass of humid and hot air pushed the thermometer very high to reach a maxim of 34.1C, exactly the same as on Tuesday, but a little earlier in the afternoon at 15.55. Thereafter cloud began to build in the east as an approaching storm threatened rain. However, as on several previous occasions, it veered around this area without producing any rain, but reformed to the west shortly afterwards. At 17.15 several claps of thunder were heard and the wind gusted to 24mph, the strongest since 27th July.

The heat was slow to dissipate overnight due to the cloud cover so that we almost experienced a tropical night (minimum 20C) but not quite, as the thermometer dropped to a low of 19.4C at 07.05 Thursday. This was the second warmest night my station has recorded since set up in 1984, the record being set on 20th July 2016 when a minimum of 20.2C was recorded, a true Tropical Night.

Thursday arrived with total cloud cover and a few spots of rain at 07.20, but not measurable, which immediately evaporated. The air was almost still at 08.00, just the occasional movement, variable in direction as yesterday but principally from the north east. The charts show these conditions are due to a long ‘trough’ of low-pressure, stretching west to east, across central Southern England rather than the centre of a depression, which is over France.

Update on Thursday at 18.30: cloud during morning and late afternoon limited heat to a maximum of 25.5C at 14.43. No measurable rain, just a few spots

Tuesday brought 9.8 hours of strong sunshine with the UV level at the top end of’High’. The thermometer climbed steadily throughout the day to reach a maximum of 34.1C at 16.27. This was the hottest day since the record maximum of 34.9C was recorded on 19th July 2006. The station opened in 1984.

The wind was very light throughout the day with a maxim movement of just 11mph. The wind direction was variable initially coming from the north east but veering into the east and briefly into the south late afternoon. During the evening a dramatic storm cloud was observed to the north east as a major storm developed over Oxford.

There was minimal loss of heat from the ground through radiation during the last night so not surprisingly it was very warm. The minimum of 18.2C at 06.27 on Wednesday morning was 6.6C above the 36-year average and was the hottest night since the same temperature was recorded on 24th July 2019. So not a ‘Tropical Night’ as has been mentioned in the weather forecasts for some areas of the country but a tropical night set the record for this station on 20th July 2016 when a minimum of 20.4C was recorded.

Wednesday saw strong sunshine shortly after dawn as the sun cleared cloud on the eastern horizon. The heat continues to be absorbed by the very dry ground with the temperature of the soil at a depth of 5cm at 08.00 was 24.3C.

Update on Wednesday at 19.30: maximum exactly as on Tuesday with a peak of 34.1C that occurred a little later in the day at 17.15 before cloud built up from an approaching storm but no rainfall as yet again storm eased around the area.

As the mist and low cloud on Monday dissipated much earlier than on Sunday, with the sun breaking through after 10.30, the heat built higher again. The thermometer eventually peaked at 31.6C (10.6C above average) at 16.32, being the second hottest day this month after July 7th that reached 31.7C.

Monday night into Tuesday was again a very mild night with the thermometer not falling below 17.0C being 5.4C above the average and the second warmest night after 17.1C in the early hours of July 6th.

Tuesday saw very thin mist after dawn with the occasional glimpse of sunshine through broken, relatively high cloud unlike the thick, low cloud of the past two mornings.

The daily evaporation is the equivalent of over 3mm with the August total currently standing at 31mm against the minimal rainfall on the only rain day that totalled 1.2mm. The humid air has limited evaporation as normally between 4 and 5mm would escape into the atmosphere daily. During Monday again the humidity level dropped to 60% for most of the day when under such strong sunshine and high temperatures that would normally drop to around 30%.

Update on Tuesday at 16.00: thermometer just reached 34.0C being the hottest day since July 2006.

at 17.15: maximum of 34.1C reached at 16.27. This was the hottest day since the record maximum of 34.9C was recorded on 19th July 2006. The station opened in 1984.

Sunday morning was memorable for the low cloud and mist that took until 11.30 for the sun to break through. Thereafter the thermometer steadily rose to a maximum of 29.0C at 18.01, which was 8C above the 36-year average.

Sunday was another dry day but the air was humid. Usually in hot, sunny weather the humidity level drops to 30% or less but yesterday it hovered around 60% all day.

We are now seven weeks after midsummer so it is not surprising to find over the past few days that the UV level now only reaches the ‘High’ category around midday.

A very mild night followed with the temperature still round 20C at midnight but steadily fell in the early hours to a minimum of 16.8C being 5.2C above average.

Monday morning was almost a repeat of Sunday with low cloud draping the Marlborough Downs and Savernake Forest limiting visibility to 1100m. By 08.00 the visibility had improved markedly as the cloud thinned and lifted. The wind continues to be brisk from the north east.

Update on Monday at 18.30: the thermometer rose to a maximum of 31.6C at 16.32, which was 10.6C above average