Category: Commentary

We have now experienced 16 consecutive days when the maximum was below my 40-year average, and Tuesday was no exception, with a high of only 20.8C at 15.34, which was 2.0C below the average. The intermittent light rain in the morning and a shower late afternoon amounted to 0.9mm taking the monthly total to 59.0mm, just 0.7mm below my 40-year average. The low of 12.6C at 04.03 early Wednesday was at least abject average at +0.7C.

First light on Wednesday revealed misty, moist conditions that only began to lift and bring brightness after 07.00 with strong sunshine breaking through just after 07.30 that lifted the temperature at 08.00 to 15.3C.

A modest area of high pressure is close by, ridging over southern England, that will bring three dry days with welcome sunshine and warmth, even heat later on Thursday and for Friday. The barometric pressure has risen 13mb since Tuesday with a reading of 1020.6mb at 08.00, which is the highest pressure this month.

Monday was a day best forgotten as it rained for almost every hour of daylight, light and broken in the morning but heavier in the late afternoon, especially at 19.49 when the rate of fall was equivalent to 55mm/hour, briefly. The daily rainfall total was 7.7mm that took the monthly total to 58.1mm, just 1.8mm below my 40-year average.

Not surprisingly, the daytime temperature was depressed with the thermometer struggling to reach a maximum of 17.4C late afternoon at 16.00 exactly, which was a significant 5.4C below my 40-year average. The thick cloud overnight once again limited any warmth escaping into the atmosphere so that the thermometer did not sink below 11.5C being just 0.4C below my average.

Tuesday brought a very pleasant start to a new day with much broken sunshine after sunrise but just before 07.00 the cloud began to build and shortly after that there was total cloud cover. This cloud cover was and is thanks to the recent depression, currently over East Anglia, that is throwing a sheet of cloud and showers over the Midlands that could arrive here as the day progresses, but minimal rainfall. The wind direction has changed again, thanks to the depression relocating, and will come from a mainly westerly or northwesterly direction later this afternoon.

Sunday was the last of the five consecutive dry days with much sunshine, however, the maximum temperature did not get above my 40-year average with a peak of 21.6C at 17.58 being 1.2C below. It has been a chilly night that saw the thermometer drop to a low of 6.7C at 04.54, which was 5.2C below average. After this time cloud began to filter across and by daybreak was almost continuous.

The temperature had risen to 10.7C by 08.00 as the cloud thickened with the humidity very high reading 98% at that time.

Monday morning saw the clouds continue to thicken ahead of a depression just off the coast of Brittany that will slowly sweep across the UK. The rain radar at 08.00 showed broken shower cloud heading our way but a very ominous, large red area of heavy rain, just crossing Cornwall and Devon, is heading our way, the rain is likely to intensify late afternoon/early evening. The wind will veer from the southeast into the south-southeast and then southwest later today as the depression crosses the UK.

A high of 20.1C at 15.45 on Saturday was yet again below average for July at -2.8C, feeling cool at times in the northwesterly air stream that backed into the west later in the day. It ws the coolest night for a week as the thermometer feel steadily away to a low of 8.4C at 0540 on Sunday, which was 3.5C below my 40-year average.

Brilliant sunken greeted the new day on Sunday with radiation fog in the River Og valley but not over the downs. This mist dispersed by 06.45 under the strong sun that hd lifted the temperature to 15.8C by 08.00.

This will be the last dry day, fifth consecutive. The anticyclone has been filling and easing away whilst a depression is forecast to form off the western approaches bringing rain on Monday. The barometric pressure had fallen to 1012.7mb by 08.00 the lowest for four days.

Yet again both the maximum of 18.8C and the overnight minimum of 9.6C were below my 40-year average with -2.9C and -2.3C respectively. The brisk wind from the northeast for much of the day depressed temperatures. However, it was the third consecutive dry day with the UV level reaching the High level.

Saturday revealed a cloudy sky but thankfully thin and high and allowing a little brightness to come through.

The anticyclone to the west is beginning to fade and move away so no prolonged periods of sunshine with Saturday predominantly cloudy with perhaps more sunshine on Sunday and mainly dry. The barometric pressure has dropped a modest 3mb since Thursday. The wind overnight has backed from the very cool northeasterly direction to come from the northwest today, a slightly warmer direction, but the depression off the cast of Denmark is still feeding the air from Norway.