Category: Commentary

Saturday gave us the sunniest day since 6th August with 9.36 hours of strong sunshine with the UV level just into the High category. This followed a very cool night but the thermometer recovered to a maximum of 18.6C, however that was 2.1C below the average for August, the second consecutive below average night.

It was a dry day with the wind veering a little into the north west but less strong than on Friday with a maximum gust of 16mph.

A cool night followed with the thermometer falling to 8.8C, being 2.6C below average, at 00.56.

Sunday has arrived with cloud thickening from the west, after brief brightness in the east at dawn, as the last of the clearer skies departed. The first rain drops from a wide rain band approaching from the west, were noted at 08.16. The wind has now backed into the south as this weather front arrives.

Update at 09.10: continuous steady rain just started. Current temperature is 13.1C with wind beginning to pick up after quiet night. The barometric pressure is falling rapidly as the low pressure approaches.

Update at 16.00: heavy rain ceased just after 15.45 with total precipitation today of 18.4mm, which makes it the wettest day since 24th May. This takes the August total to 60.7mm, which is 6mm below the August average.

The temperature, having hovered around 13.3C for most of the day, began to rise as the rain eased around 15.00 now reading 16.8C, which is 4C below average.

Update at 18.30: hang back of cloud from the wide rain band still not clearing so no sunshine today. Current temperature 17.8C.

Friday brought us the full effect of the Polar Maritime air from the Arctic that provided a much cooler day than of late with a maximum of 18.5C being 2.2C below average and the second coolest day this August after 17.1C on the 12th.

However, the drier, cooler air did provide more sunshine, 5.9 hours in total and the UV still at High.

The wind veered a little from west into the nor nor west during the day and was very gusty in the early evening with a maximum gust of 24mph.

There was a brief shower mid-afternoon and heavier, more continuous rain that started at 17.44 bringing the total for the day to 5.7mm. This increased the rainfall for August to 42.1mm, still well short of the average of 66mm.

Clear skies in the evening saw the thermometer plummet to a low of 6.5C at 04.25 before broken cloud arrived that partly obscured the sun at dawn.

Saturday gave us the coldest start to the day since 18th May with a reading of 9.3C at 08.00. By that time the cloud had moved away to the east allowing more continuous sunshine

Update at 18.50: second consecutive day of below average maximum with peak of 18.6C at 16.16 irrespective of 9.3 hours of strong sunshine making it the sunniest day since 6th August. A dry day with pleasant sunny evening.

Thursday saw the arrival of Polar Maritime Air that had travelled from the Arctic but modified in temperature having traversed a large area of the North Atlantic. However, temperatures were down again with a maximum of 20.9C, which was 0.2C above average.

Late afternoon the breeze picked up with a maximum gust of 22mph.

We enjoyed 5.4 hours of sunshine but at this time of year the UV strength is weakening although the value of 5.7 is just in the High category.

Clear skies overnight meant a chilly night, after a brief shower at 19.40 amounting to just 0.1mm, so that a minimum of 8.9C was recorded at 05.59, which was 2.5C below the 34-year August average.

Sunshine from dawn on Friday allowed the temperature to begin a recovery so that by 08.00, when readings were taken, the thermometer read 12.0C making this the coolest morning since 6th June.

Update at 18.00: temperature much reduced due to cooler Arctic air with a maximum of 18.5C at 12.21 before cloud cover increased, which was 2.2C below average. Brief shower mid-afternoon but heavy and continuous rain started at 17.44.

Update at 21.50: chilly night ahead as current temperature is 9.4C and still falling.

With a mainly cloudy day Wednesday was cooler than of late with a maximum of 21.8C only reached late in the afternoon at 18.07 as brief sunshine arrived through breaks in the cloud.

It was dry day with the UV level still in the High category.

Overnight the cloud again acted as a duvet keeping in the warmth so that the thermometer did not fall below 17.8C until the arrival of the cold front. However, by 08.00 when readings were taken, the effect of the colder air, originating in the Arctic, was to drop the temperature down 2.3C with a current reading at that time of 15.5C.

The cold front arrived just before 6am Thursday with light drizzle that by 06.15 had turned into steady if brief rainfall that by 07.00 had cleared the area with precipitation amounting to just 0.6mm.

The cold front, as its name implies, saw this colder, denser air undermine the warm, moist less dense Atlantic air of recent days forcing it upwards and as it did so cooling and condensing the moisture into rain.

Tuesday saw light, brief drizzle to start the day that just made 0.1mm in the rain gauge. The day was cloudy until brief sunshine later in the afternoon that turned into a sunny evening, which lifted the temperature to a maximum of 22.5C, being 1.8C above the average, at 16.22.

Initially, the temperature under clear skies fell away to a minimum of 14.7C at 01.46 but the cloud began to fill in as the early morning progressed so that by 08.00, when readings were taken, the thermometer read 16.4C.

There was light drizzle again to start Wednesday that cleared shortly after 08.00.

A feature of Tuesday was the lack of wind with many periods when the anemometer was becalmed. The peak gust was just 12mph but for most of the day the wind strength was in single figures.

The wind dropped out entirely for a longer period overnight allowing spider’s gossamer threads to once again tie up the anemometer, which had to be freed by means of a very long pole as it is positioned 4 metres above ridge height.

Update at 14.35: current temperature of 21.1C, no sunshine today but humidity even higher than yesterday at 79% when last month often down to 40% in the hot weather.

Update at 16.20: brightness as cloud thinned, alas no sun, raised temperature to a maximum of 21.7C at current time. Wind still light all day with maximum gust of 12mph from the west.