Although there was welcome sunshine on Thursday the cold air, on a light northerly airstream, meant the thermometer struggled to reach a maximum of 3.2C being 3.8C below the average but at least it was a couple of degrees higher than on Wednesday. Under clear skies for much of the night the thermometer slowly fell reaching a minimum of -7.2C at 05.40 early Friday. It was the coldest night since 24th January 2023 (-8.0C) and a significant 8.5C below my long-term average. It became clear that it was going to be a colder night as the thermometer dropped to freezing (-0.1C) at 21.10 on Wednesday evening but at a much earlier time on Thursday at 18.44.
Cloud was seen encroaching after first light that allowed a slight recovery in the air temperature to read -5.7C at 08.00. The barometric pressure has been rising again having risen 12mb since Thursday as the anticyclone centre is currently between us and Iceland that will produce a calm day with a light easterly flow of air today as it produces a ridge down over the country.
The cold days and nights have meant the chill has been seeping into the ground. The temperature of the soil at a depth of 5cm at 08.00 has read 5.8C, 1.6C and 0.7C for the previous three days respectively but today read -1.1C at 08.00.
There are two warm weather fronts lurking off the cast of Cornwall but the high pressure is stopping them moving eastwards to bring warmer air. The Jet Stream is still to the south of the UK and won’t arch to the north, putting us one the warmer, south side until later on Sunday.
2024 Annual Survey
Maximum Day Temperature 30.7 19th July
Minimum Day Temperature 0.7 19th December
Maximum Night Temperature 18.1 2nd December
Minimum Night Temperature -6.3 19th January
Last Air Frost – Spring -0.7 25th April
First Air Frost – Autumn -0.4 11th October
Number Air Frosts 28
Total Precipitation 1126.8
Maximum Daily Rainfall 43.4 23rd September
No. Days with Snowfall 1
No. Days with Thunder 4
No. Days with Small Hail (<5mm) 5
No. Days with Large Hail (>5mm) 0
No. Days with fog at 08.00 25
Soil Temperature (av at depth at 5cm) 10.3
Max Soil temperature at 5cm depth 22.2 1st August
Min Soil temperature at 5cm depth -2.9 19th January
Wettest Month 221.4 September
Driest Month 25.0 June
Maximum Wind Gust 45 7th December
Maximum Barometric Pressure. 1040.0 11th January
Minimum Barometric Pressure 976.1 2nd January
Wind Directions
20 N
34 NE
22 E
29 SE
47 SE
87 SW
80 W
47 NW
N.B. Temp in C: Rainfall in mm: Wind Speed in mph: Barometric Pressure in mb
