Category: Commentary

Wednesday gave us over 8 hours of hazy sunshine, especially in the morning before the cloud began to thicken and the cloud base lower as a weather system approached from the Atlantic. A few rain drops were observed at 17.15 but soon evaporated. With little sunshine in the afternoon the maximum of 24.0C, which was 1.3C above average, occurred at 14.34.

Due to the thickening cloud the UV level was the lowest since 18th June with a reading of 6.3, reduced to the high category.

The overnight thick cloud meant a very mild night with a minimum of 13.4C, which was 1.6C above average.

Just after 03.15 rain began to fall from a cold front passing over the area with the rain ceasing just after 06.30 producing 5.2mm of rainfall making it the wettest day since 24th June. The gardens will have benefitted from this modest fall of rain and the rainfall capture in water butts mean two out of my six are now full.

By 08.00 Thursday the cloud had lifted and the temperature recovered to 16.0C. The barometric pressure reads 1008.6mb, the lowest this month due to the Atlantic depression.

Update on Thursday at 18.00: a cooler dat with peak of 21.5C, being 1.2C below average. A dry day with the highest peak solar energy this month but as next weather front approaches from the Atlantic wind gusts are beginning to rise.

With the wind having made a 180 degree change in direction from north east to south west and 12.6 hours of sunshine on Tuesday the thermometer rose to the highest in July with a maximum of 26.2C. This was 3.5C above average and the hottest day since 29th June, when 31.8C was recorded.

Another dry day, only one damp one in July (0.3mm) and very high UV again.

Last night was not so cool as the two previous nights as the thermometer dropped to 10.3C but still 1.5C below average.

Wednesday saw the sun shining brightly, if a little hazy, after dawn that lifted the thermometer to 16.7C at 08.00

As the wind is now coming from the south west and barometric almost at its lowest this month (1014.8C), as the high pressure retreats, it is expected that a change in our weather pattern of late is imminent over the next day or two. Over the past 30 days, 25 have been totally dry and as a result the gardens are in much need of a soaking as just 5.1mm of rainfall has been recorded in that time whilst almost 60mm of equivalent rainfall has been lost through evaporation. Approaching weather fronts are expected to pass over our area in the early hours of Thursday morning.

With 1,200 litres of rainwater capacity at home contained in six large water butts, harvested from my roofs, I have long exhausted my supply for watering flowers and fruit in planters.

Update on Wednesday at 17.55: the temperature steadily rose during the morning and early afternoon to reach a maximum of 24.0C at 14.34 before cloud cover became thicker and with a lower base. A few drops of rain were observed at 17.15.

Monday saw the warmth return but not until the effects of the very cold night had been overcome after a cloudy start to the day. The complete cloud cover (8/8) arrived just after 07.30 and took until 10.00 before it began to break up. Thereafter the 10 hours of strong sunshine, and UV level back into the very high category, lifted the thermometer to a peak of 22.6C at 16.42, just 0.1C below average.

Another cool night was to follow as the thermometer dropped to a minimum of 7.7C by 06.02 Tuesday morning, which was 4.1C below average. Thereafter, the strong sunshine as the sun climbed above the horizon lifted the temperature to 16.3C at 08.00.

After another dry day the rainfall data for the past 30 days shows just how dry it has been. Just 7.7mm of rainfall has been recorded in the past 30 days whereas equivalent rainfall lost to the atmosphere from evaporation amounts to 55mm.

Update on Tuesday at 19.10: hottest day in July with a maximum of 26.2C at 17.23 being 3.5C above the average.

The temperature was down again on Sunday with a maximum of 21.4C, the second successive day below average (-1.3C) with a brisk north easterly wind. There were 9.4 hours of sunshine but the thicker cloud meant the UV level slipped back into the high category after being very high all month.

Over the past 30 days we have received just 19mm of rainfall, just 0.3mm in July, whereas the equivalent rainfall lost through evaporation from ground sources and plant life now amounts to 51mm. No wonder the levels of the River Og and River Kennet are continuing to fall and now quite low.

It was the coldest night since 9th June when the thermometer, under clear skies, fell steadily away to a minimum of 7.1C at 05.45.

The anticyclone centred over the UK, with winds rotating clockwise, has brought cooler air from the North Sea.

At 05.25 on Monday the sun eased over the horizon and we enjoyed glorious sunshine for an hour. However, all the while cloud was slowly encroaching from the east so that that by 06.25 the sun was being weakened and totally obscured by 06.45. As result it was the coldest start to a morning at 08.00 since 18th June with a reading of just 12.1C.

Update on Monday at 17.10: warmth returned, after a cold start, as strong sunshine lifted temperature to a maximum of 22.6C, almost average, after two successive cooler days.

With a mainly cloudy day on Saturday it was not surprising to find that the UV level was the lowest this month with a reading of 7.4, but still rated as very high, and the lowest solar energy in July.

The brisk wind from the north pegged back the temperature so the maximum of 21.8C was down over 2C on the Friday peak and almost 1C below the July average.

It was another dry day with the evaporation total now 48mm set against rainfall of 0.3mm.

Sunday saw total cloud cover (8/8) in the early morning but signs of brightness after 08.00 when the minimum of 12.8C had risen to 14.7C.