Category: Commentary

Thursday commenced with fog that slowly lifted, there followed a cloudy, sunless day.

The maximum temperature was 10.4C, which was 4.3C below average and the coldest day since 6th October after the ground frost had lifted.

Cloud persisted overnight with the temperature not falling below 9C. A narrow band of rain arrived just before 08.00.

Update at 14.45 on Friday: wind chill a factor today for the first time this autumn as a maximum temperature of just 10.2C at 14.11 felt more like 8C thanks to the brisk, drier northwesterly wind gusting to 21mph. It will feel even colder tomorrow when the wind veers into the north around noon.

Wednesday brought us almost 8.4 hours of strong sunshine bringing the total this month to 105 hours. This, with the wind now from the northwest, a slightly warmer direction, meant the temperature rose a little higher to 17.7C, being 1C above the October average and up 1C on the Tuesday peak.

It was another dry day, the eighteenth this month, when the rainfall this month is still only 47% of the 34-year average.

The clearer skies overnight meant that the thermometer fell away steadily to reach a low of 2.4C at 08.00, being 5C below the average for October and 4C down on the Tuesday minimum.

Thursday arrived with radiation fog, limiting visibility to 200m at 08.00, due to the drop in temperature allowing droplets of moisture to form in the atmosphere. There is a little brightness suggesting that we might see some sunshine that would quickly burn off the fog.

Update on Thursday at 20.15: cloud and early fog limited temperature to a maximum of just 10.4C at 13.47. This was 4.3C below average and the coldest day since 6th October

The wind on Tuesday had backed from the north to northwest resulting in a less cold day with the thermometer rising slowly to a maximum of 14.6C, almost exactly average for October. It was a cloudier day, often thin cloud, allowing 5.22 hours of sunshine.

Another dry day, the seventh consecutive dry day, with UV light very much in the ‘Low’ category.

The temperature varied very little overnight due to the thick cloud cover with a reading of 10.3C at 08.00, when readings were taken, making it a mild night being almost 3C above average.

Wednesday dawned with the continuation of continuous cloud cover, however at 08.00 it looked as if there might be breaks later in the morning as the sun gains in strength.

Update on Wednesday at 18.20: temperature eases up again to a maximum of 15.7C, being exactly 1C above average during over 8 hours of strong sunshine.

The 8.4 hours of sunshine on Monday made it the second sunniest day this month but the steady flow of much cooler air from the north limited the temperature to a maximum of 12.4C. This was 5.4C down on the Sunday peak and 2.3C below average.

The wind had veered into the north on Sunday night as the high pressure eased westwards to centre over the Atlantic.

It was another dry day, the sixth consecutive dry day with the rainfall total still 39.8mm when the October average is 84.8mm.

Although clear skies initially overnight that allowed the thermometer to fall away to a minimum of 3.1C at 23.3, a thin veil of cloud stopped the fall so that at 08.00 today the thermometer read 6.4C.

Tuesday arrived with the thin cloud persisting and blotting out any possibility of sunshine when readings were taken at 08.00.

Update at 17.50 on Tuesday: the modest backing of the wind from the north into the north west gave a slightly higher maximum of 14.6C, average for October. There was less sunshine, 5.8hours, due to more cloud often quite thin.

On Sunday the fog rolled in just after 07.30 but had cleared shortly after 10am to provide another 6.5 hours of strong sunshine that lifted the temperature to a maximum of 17.8C being 3.1C above aver and identical to the peak on Saturday.

Just after 19.30 the wind veered from the west into the north with sharp gusts peaking at 19mph, the windiest for a week.

Clear skies overnight meant another very cool night with the minimum of 3.1C at 07.53 being 4.3C below the average.

Monday has dawned with the absence of fog and the sun just showing itself above the horizon.

Update on Monday at 19.40: northerly breeze restricts temperature even though we have enjoyed over 8 hours of sunshine. Maximum of 12.4C at 15.04, which was 2.3C below average, 5.4C down on Sunday’s peak and the coolest day for a week. The seventh consecutive dry day.