Category: Commentary

The low cloud bringing mostly bouts of light drizzle continued on Thursday but totalling only 1.1mm. The wind continued from the south west for much of the day bringing the moist Atlantic air but just before 18.00 the barometric pressure began to rise with a major change in wind direction from southwest to north. We have now had four consecutive days with almost identical maxima namely 19.6C, 19.5C, 19.6C, and 19.7C on Thursday, very unusual and all below the average of 22.8C.

Overnight the clear air from the north meant a cooler night with the thermometer sinking to 11.8C, just average. The wind was very light with a maximum gust of just 15mph, the calmest day all month.

After so many days with cloudy, damp starts it was a treat to see the sun shining again lifting the temperature to 13.7C at 08.00

As we are still under the influence of the moist Atlantic air it is not surprising to find that the maximum on Wednesday was again below average with a cool westerly breeze with a peak 19.6C. The maxima for the past three days were almost identical being 19.6C, 19.5C, and 19.6C respectively. Only 2.4 hours of sunshine triggered the recorded.

There were intermittent showers amounting to 3.4mm. This brought the total for July to 14.5mm when the average is 59.7mm.

The past night saw a minimum of 14.4C, similar to the previous night when 14.0C was recorded.

Thursday arrived with a similar overcast sky to Wednesday but currently dry although the humidity is high with a reading of 96% at 08.00.

After a bright morning the cloud built up ahead of the next weather front advancing from the Atlantic. As a result of afternoon cloud and reduced sunshine, 6.5 hours, the maximum temperature was again below average (-3.3C) with a peak of 19.5C.

The first rain shower arrived just after 23.30 with more persistent rain after 03.30 that amounted to 3.9mm. The thick cloud provided a duvet overnight so little warmth escaped into the atmosphere thus providing a mild night with a minimum of 14.0C being 2.1C above average.

Wednesday dawned with thick, low cloud and light rain continuing as the depression out to the west lowers the barometric pressure to 1013.8mb at 08.00.

Thanks to the wind from the west nor west on Monday, a cool direction, the past day and night were distinctly cool. The thermometer rose to a peak of 19.6C being 3.2C below the average whereas the minimum that occurred at 03.20 on Tuesday morning was 8.8C, which was 3.1C below the 36-year average.

However, we did enjoy the 7 hours of sunshine during which the UV level again peaked into the ‘Very High’ category.

Tuesday saw variable sunshine from dawn that had lifted the thermometer to 16.2C at 08.00, the warmest start to the day at this time since 26th June. The current barometric pressure at this time was 1021.0mb, the highest for two weeks BUT it is beginning to fall as ex Storm Edouard approaches from the Atlantic.

The pressure gradient was high on sunday between low pressure to the north and high pressure to the south west resulting in a very windy day with a peak gust of 31mph.

With strong, gusty winds and from a cooler westerly direction it was not going to be a warm day with a maximum of 17.8C, which was a significant 5C below the 36-year July average. Overnight was a cool night as the thermometer fell below average (-1.6C) with a low of 10.3C. During the 9.3 hours of sunshine the UV level rose to 8.9 being in the ‘Very High’ category and the highest this month.

The wind began to slowly abate after 16.00 Sunday afternoon falling completely out at 03.30 Monday morning.

Monday brought us bright periods after dawn with the wind now light. The barometric pressure has been rising for the past twenty-four hors, which should dampen out the showers linked with the depression having migrated to Scandinavia.
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