Category: Commentary

The artic air was felt on Saturday with a maximum of just 5.8C, being 4.2C below the 33-year average. This cool day, the coldest since 12th February, was despite 4.74 hours of strong sunshine.

No precipitation was recorded so the November total still stands at 56.6mm, just 61% of the 33-year average for November. October was a very dry month and it looks, from the forecast, if November will also be much drier than normal.

The thermometer overnight fell to a minimum of 0.4C, giving a ground frost.

This morning there was hazy sunshine from dawn with the temperature recovering to 1.6C at 08.00.

The forecast cold air reached Marlborough yesterday with a maximum of 7.6C, some 2.4C below the 33-year average, although we had 1.7 Hours of strong sunshine.

The other noticeable feature during daylight hours was the lack of wind. For long periods there were still conditions and the maximum movement, cannot call it a gust, was just 4 mph.

The clear skies initially overnight meant that the thermometer fell rapidly late afternoon, reaching freezing a 18.20 and dropping to a low of -2.8 at 00.23 early this morning. The made it the coldest night since 27th April. There was then a surprising lift of temperature of 4C until just after 4am, when the thermometer fell back again to just below freezing.

This morning has broken with hazy sunshine, due to thin high cloud, and the thermometer gradually rising.

Although Thursday brought us 5.8 hours of strong sunshine the cooler, westerly breeze pegged back the maximum from previous days to 10.1C, average for November.

Light showers occurred in the afternoon and evening but the quantity was small, just 0.8mm.

Clearing skies in the early morning today meant that the thermometer dropped steadily to a minimum of 3.0C at 08.00, and was still dropping.

Maximum wind gust: 37 mph
Rainfall: 11.8mm
Temperature drop at 08.00: 7.7CC
Maximum temperature: 13.7C (+3.7C)
Minimum temperature: 6.0C (+2.3C)
Barometric pressure: 984.8mb at 02.28
Humidity at 08.00: 86%

All day on Wednesday the thermometer hovered around 13.6C with a maximum of 13.7C being a significant 3.7C above the 33-year average. It started to drop a couple of degrees in the evening but the major fall in temperature was this morning as the cloud began to thin just after 5am. By 08.00 the thermometer had fallen nearly 8C within twenty-four hours.

The significant rainfall of 11.8mm, very heavy around 23.30, brings the total for November to 55.6mm, being 60% of the November average. However, this was just a quarter of the deluge that fell in Lancashire causing much flooding.

The weather front cleared to the east this morning leaving a legacy of thin cloud at 08.00 with the wind having veered from the south into the west. As a result of the change in wind direction, the humidity reading at 08.00 was 86%, being the driest air at this time for almost a month.

All this dramatic weather was due to a very deep depression to the west of the country giving the lowest barometric pressure of 984.8mb since 5th March.

The conveyor belt of depressions yesterday and today has continued to feed moist and mild air across the country. As a result, the thermometer steadily rose to a maximum of 12.8C yesterday (+2.8C) and stayed around that temperature for almost twenty-four hours.

At the time readings are taken (08.00) the thermometer read 12.6C, the warmest night and morning since 25th October.

An intermittent rain band late evening and night produced 4.3mm bringing the total for November to 43.8mm (47% of the average).

Barometer plunges to lowest pressure for two months with a reading of 998.8mb at 08.00.