Category: Commentary

With just 6 minutes of sunshine on Monday, it was only a little brighter than previous days with the thermometer, again above average (+3.2C), reaching a peak of 9.9C at 11.14, thanks to the southwesterly winds, gusting to 30 mph at 11.35.

The rain cleared late morning producing another 4.1mm of rain bringing the total for January to 32.9mm, only 36% of the 34-year January average.

The wind late morning veered into the west with a consequent drop in temperature mid-afternoon.

The clearing sky overnight meant that the minimum was 3.8C at 08.00 with the thermometer still dropping, heralding the dramatic change in weather from cloudy, damp and overcast skies to little cloud and the possibility of more sunshine, albeit with much lower temperatures. Although the thermometer read 3.8C at 08.00, the wind chill meant it felt more like 2C this morning.

Update at 13.40: short shower at 13.30, initially rain then soft hail, called ‘graupel’, lasting five minutes and thermometer dropped 2C.

On sunday the thermometer was at its minimum at 08.08 with a reading of 2.8C before recovering slightly to 4.8C at 14.15. There was then a fall away before reaching a low of 3.4C at 19.45.

However, with the wind veering from the east into the south later in the day, a much warmer air mass, the thermometer reached a maximum of 9.0C at 08.00 today, Monday, being 2.1C above average.

Overnight, the first section of a weather front brought rain starting just after 14.30, producing 5.1mm, within which were gusty winds peaking at 31mph at 04.55.

This morning is dominated by thick, low cloud with another rain band about to traverse the area.

Saturday follow the pattern of so many days this month with persistent cloud, though much higher and drier due to the south easterly air stream.

The thermometer struggled to reach an average temperature of 6.9C but the brisk wind, gusting to 18 mph at times, meant that there was a wind chill making it feel a couple of degrees cooler.

The thermometer fell to a minimum of 2.9C at 08.00 this morning, down 1.1C on Friday but still 1.8C above average, with the air much drier giving a humidity reading of 88% at 08.00 today.

Yesterday was the fourth consecutive dry day with rainfall this month of 23.7mm.

This morning is dawning dull and grey although the wind strength has fallen away, now backing a little into the east.

The barometric pressure started to fall just before noon on Friday and shortly afterwards the wind veered into the Southeast, a drier direction. There was a little brightness thereafter triggering the sunshine recorder for 18 minutes.

It was another dry day, seven this month, with the total rainfall at 23.7mm, which is just 26% of the 34-year January average when we are close to half way through the month.

This morning the humidity level is 90%, the lowest for a week as the drier air persists, which has removed the low, thick, moisture laden cloud of previous days and given us broken cloud at 08.00.

The thermometer rose to a maximum of 7.5C on Friday, up 2C on Thursday and just above average, with a minimum of 5.1C overnight.

Recently we seem to get one sunny day then a couple of days with low, thick cloud producing fog. Thursday was just such another day. The wind, coming more from a northwesterly direction pegged back the temperature to a maximum of 5.4C, some 1.4C below the 33-year average and down 3.4C on Wednesday’s maximum.

It was a gloomy day with no sun and no UV registering although no measurable rainfall occurred.

The thermometer held steady most of the day and evening round 4.5C dropping to minimum of 4.0C at 08.00 this morning.

The slack wind flow continues today between the high pressure to the north east and the low-pressure to the west. As a result there are still air conditions again today thus the low cloud is not breaking up or the cloud base rising with visibility varying but down to around 1000 metres. This type of weather is likely to continue for another couple of days until the jet stream repositions itself.