Category: Commentary

Friday saw the wind come from the northwest as the day developed, which is a warmer direction that the persistent north easterlies we have endured recently. As a result the temperature began to recover during daylight hours to reach a peak of 17.6C, which was just 0.4C below average and the warmest day this week. Another 12 hours of strong sunshine was logged.

Thankfully, especially for gardeners, the thermometer stayed well above freezing overnight with a minimum of 6.4C at 03.24. During the evening the thermometer slowly fell away but in the early hours cloud began to encroach halting the slide.

Thick cloud greeted the dawn but by 08.00 the sky began to brighten with the temperature having risen to 8.7C.

The anticyclone has been slowly drifting down the eastern Atlantic thus the change in wind direction, today it is coming from the west, and locally the pressure is rising again.

After a sunny start the sun kept shining on Thursday to log 12.1 hours making it the sunniest day since 16th July 2019. However, in spite of the many hours of sunshine the northeasterly breeze meant another cool day as the thermometer struggled to reach 13.9C being 3.2C below the 36-year average.

It was not surprising to see the thermometer falling steadily in the evening and overnight under clear skies to reach a low of -0.8C at 04.29 on Friday. In fact the temperature was below zero for almost three hours in the early morning.

Friday saw another glorious start to the day with blue skies and strong sunshine as soon as the sun crossed the horizon lifting the thermometer to 8.7C at 08.00 dispelling the white covering after the air frost.

There is a subtle change in the air this morning as it does not feel as bitterly cold due to the wind backing from the northeast into the north or even nornorwest. This is the result of the anticyclone slipping a little further south in the eastern Atlantic

Wednesday was another very cool day thanks to the persistent northeasterly wind gusting 25mph and producing wind chill again. The thermometer briefly rose to 12.1C at 12.48, being a significant 5C below average, but increasing cloud after midday began to limit sunshine that totalled 8.2 hours.

It was another dry day, the eleventh this month. In the midday sunshine the UV level rose to 6.9, which was at the top end of the ‘High’ rating and not seen since 8th August last year.

The thermometer dropped steadily away during the evening and night to reach a low of 0.2C. This was 6.8C below the 36-year average and although not producing an air frost would have given a brief ground frost.

Thursday saw strong sunshine after dawn in a crystal clear sky that lifted the thermometer to 6.6C at 08.00.

Tuesday was an improvement on the cold Monday as the lighter winds, maximum gust of 12mph, and 10.3 hours of sunshine, lifted the temperature to a peak of 14.9C, which was 2.1C below average.

The wind was initially from the northeast but early afternoon there was a subtle change in direction to a drift from the north.

Thankfully for gardeners there was no frost during the past night as the minimum was 4.0C at 03.21 on Wednesday morning before cloud moved in on the north easterly breeze that was gusty just before readings were taken at 08.00 with a gust of 15mph.

We did not awake to glorious sunshine on Wednesday morning, just brief bursts of brightness through slight breaks in the almost complete cloud cover.

We have now had 9 continuously dry days after the 7.5mm of rainfall that fell on the 1st and 3rd. The equivalent rainfall lost through evaporation currently totals 40mm with the loss of 3 – 4mm per day.

The thermometer struggled to reach a maximum of just 11.1C on Monday as the blast of Arctic air, brought on the strong north easterly wind, took effect. The wind frequently rose above 30mph with a peak gust of 34mph at 12.43 before very slowly subsiding late afternoon and falling out just after 03.15 Tuesday morning. Another day when wind chill meant outside it felt 2C – 3C colder than indicated on the thermometer.

The peak warmth of 11.1C was 6C below average and the minimum of -1.6C, that occurred at 05.33 on Tuesday morning, was 8.6C below the 36-year average making it the coldest night since 15th April and producing a sharp air frost. The thermometer dropped below freezing just after 03.15, as the wind fell out, producing 3 hours of below zero temperature.

Tuesday saw strong sunshine after dawn that lifted the thermometer to 6.4C at 08.00.