Category: Commentary

Saturday brought a deluge of rain that lasted for over eight hours and amounted to 24.5mm, logged after 08.00, but in total, from when it started just before 04.00, amounted to 28.7mm. That additional precipitation took the monthly total to 54.2mm being 11.6mm below my 40-year average. Not surprisingly, the temperature by day was depressed, peaking at 18.9C late in the afternoon sunshine at 15.39. Under clearing skies the thermometer dropped to 10.0C at 04.49 early Sunday.

Sunday brought weak sunshine to start the day but strengthened as the sun rose above cloud on the eastern skyline. A temporary ridge of high pressure should give a dry day even if cloud builds later in the morning.

After a wet start to Friday it dried up in the afternoon with many hours of sunshine that lifted the temperature to a maximum of 20.8C at 15.57, almost exactly that logged on Thursday being 0.6C below my 40-year average. A low f 13.4C at 02.40 very early Saturday was 2.6C above average due to the crud cover that began to produce rain just fate 04.00. The rain in the past twenty-four hours, up to 08.00 Saturday, amounted to 4.2mm taking the monthly total to 29.7mm, now 45% of my 40-year average. The barometric pressure dropped to a low of 997.0mb, the lowest pressure for four months, thanks to Storm Lilian to the north.

Saturday revealed a very wet outlook as two weather fronts are crossing our area that will bring rain until after midday. There is some consolation that the strong winds that were a feature of the last two days have abated.

There were several short showers on Thursday and again overnight just after 02.15 amounting to 6.5mm. That additional precipitation took the monthly rainfall to 25.5mm, just 38% of my 40-year average. There was intermittent sunshine in the afternoon that lifted the temperature to a maximum of 20.7C at 16.39 being 0.7C below average. There was little variation in the temperature overnight with a minimum of 15.3C at 07.30 early Friday.

Friday revealed a sunny start to the new day but very blustery thanks to Storm Lilian recently centred over mid-England and travelling in an easterly direction into the North Sea. The barometric pressure has dropped to its lowest all month with a reading of 1001.mb at 08.00. The maximum gust logged overnight was 28mph, the strongest all month.

The morning on Wednesday was pleasant with variable sunshine but cloud but up towards midday that limited the temperature rise to 19.2C at 14.03 being 2.2C below my 40-year average. Due to the thick cloud cover overnight little warmth was lost to the atmosphere, just a drop of 4C to a minimum of 15.3C at midnight. A few spots of rain were logged after dawn amounting to just 0.1mm. The maximum gust logged was 24mph.

Thursday revealed a leaden sky, the cloud quite thick and low as a result of a weather front crossing our area. The air is moist and warm from the tropical air brought by the remains of ex-hurricane Ernesto.

The rainfall to date amounts to just 19.0 mm whereas the equivalent loss of rainfall due to evaporation from ground sources and plant life stands at 55.5mm.

Thanks to the depression Thursday will be cloudy with outbreaks of rain and a blustery wind.

Tuesday was such an improvement on the dull and damp Monday that saw many hours of sunshine that lifted the temperature to a maximum of 21.3C at 15.03 being almost exactly average for late August. However, the wind from the west was brisk, building in the afternoon and gusting to 21mph. The UV level of 4.9 was at the top end of ‘Moderate’. The past night was a little cooler that saw the thermometer drop to 9.9C at 05.33 early Wednesday.

Wednesday dawned bright with the sun eventually rising above a cloud bank and shining strongly after 07.30 that lifted the temperature to 13.4C at 08.00.

The ridge of high pressure is clinging on but as the day progresses the pressure will begin to fall as we come under the twin depressions to the west of Ireland and Scotland that contain the remnants of Hurricane Ernesto, now just an Atlantic storm. The worst of the weather will arrive on Thursday with modest precipitation likely and the wind gaining in strength.