Even in the sunshine on Monday the thermometer struggled to each 3.8C, being 3.2C below average. However, the last night was the coldest this month with a minimum of -8.0C at 07.34 on Tuesday, which was 9.3C below the 38-year average and the coldest night since 17th December (-9.1C).
The intense cold has seeped further into the ground with the soil thermometer at a depth of 5cm reading -4.6C at 08.00. That was the lowest temperature at that depth since the instrument was installed in 2013, the previous low being -3.3C on January 21st 2017.
Tuesday arrived with mainly clear skies and sunshine after the sun rose, but muted with thin cloud on the eastern horizon.
The barometric pressure has contoured to rise with a pressure reading of 1040.8mb at 08.00 from the extensive ridge that extends as Far East as Russia. It is the highest pressure since 15th march 2022 (1043.7mb).