Category: Commentary

Tuesday started well with 2.09 hours of strong sunshine but increasing cloud late morning meant the peak temperature of just 13.9C, was reached at 11.45. This made it the coolest day in October being 0.7C below the long-term average and the first below average maximum.

The first rain shower started just after 16.30 with the main intermittent rainfall arriving around 8pm, peaking around midnight. The daily rainfall amounted to 4.8mm, making this the wettest day this month.

Even with this wettest day the rainfall for October amounts to just 11.1mm whereas we have lost 17mm of equivalent moisture into the atmosphere through evaporation from ground sources and plant life.

This morning is dull and grey with thick, low cloud producing misty conditions. Notably the wind moved from a southerly direction into the north east around 03.00.

Fortunately for this area the gale force winds passed to the west of us. The maximum gust of 37mph was recorded late afternoon at 17.35 although since 9am the wind strength had been rising with several gusts in excess of 30mph.

The thermometer rose steadily Monday morning to a maximum of 18.8C, at 10.56, the warmest day since 26th September, but began to fall away as storm ‘Ophelia’ travelled further north and away from this region.

Thick, yellow coloured cloud enveloped the area for a couple of hours with the red sun occasionally seen through the dense cloud. At this time the cloud, containing dust from the Sahara and pollution from the fires over Iberia, were so dense that our large solar panel array shut down completely for two hours either side of midday. Just after 2pm the cloud cleared and we enjoyed 1.73 hours of strong sunshine.

Overnight, the clearing skies meant the thermometer fell away to a minimum of 9.6C at 08.00.

This morning has dawned with weak sunshine and very still conditions.

The temperature peaked at 17.4C on sunday, and slowly fell away late afternoon and evening until just after 21.15 when the thermometer started to rise again as the warm air brought to us as storm Ophelia approaches began to be felt. Within one hour the temperature had risen 1.4C from a low of 14.6C.

This morning the wind started to rise just after 04.00 with a peak of 18mph, equal to the maximum gust on sunday.

Monday has arrived with weak sunshine and the thermometer, having risen further to 16.4C at 08.00, indicates the warmest morning since 17th August.

To highlight the relative warmth, yesterday’s maximum was almost 3C above the 33-year average for October and the minimum was 6C above the October average.

Saturday proved another grey and dull day. It was the second day this month with no sunshine and the lowest UV level, at 1.4, since 16th March.

Another day with no rainfall and the total standing at 6.2mm, just 7% of the 33-year average.

It has been the second driest first half to October since 2003, which by the 15th had exactly 6.0mm.The last four Octobers have had reducing rainfall totals from 135.1mm in 2013 to the driest October in 2016 with only 31.5mm, which was 36% of the long-term average.

Both maximum and minimum for the the last twenty-four hours were above average with 17.8C (+3.2C) and 13.3C (+6C), all due to the flow of southerly air from way down in the Azores.

This morning is again dull with thick cloud and minimal wind, averaging 3mph.

The flow of southerly winds bringing sub-tropical air from the Azores has produced the warmest day since 28th September and the warmest night since 23rd August.

The peak temperature on friday was 18.4C, almost 4C above the 33-year average and the minimum overnight of 14.9C at 05.55, was a considerable 7.4C above the October average.

No rain fell in the past twenty-four hours.

The soil temperature at a depth of 5cm has recovered to 14.5C, the warmest since 25th September.