Saturday August 29th
Friday gave us a day of variable cloud that improved in the afternoon with the highest UV light for over a week and a maximum of 23.7C, which was 2.1C above average. There were spits and spots of rain on several occasions also, in the early hours, but no significant quantity, measuring 1.8mm in total. Due to the advancing cloud from the depression it has been a mild night as the thermometer slowly dropped away to around 15C just before midnight and hovered around that temperature until a minimum of 15.1C was logged at 04.22, being 3.3C above average.
So far this month every maximum temperature has been above average, some considerably higher during the heatwave, whilst only ten nights have dropped below the August average under clear skies and calm conditions.
Saturday arrived with weak yellow light as the sun gave a sliver of brightness between a slit in the cloud at 06.30 before the advancing cloud from the depression thickened and blocked out all sunshine, probably for much of the day. The centre of the low pressure is currently over Cornwall this morning and as it traverses the UK during daylight hours will eventually end up over the North Sea. The first very light spots of sporadic rain drops were observed at 06.55, from the leading edge of the depression that by 08.00 had begin to fall a little heavier. During its travels it will push a couple of warm, weather fronts across our area that are likely to produce the wettest day this month.
The barometric pressure at 08.00 read 1005.6mb and continuing to fall away as the centre of the low pressure edges towards southern England. As it does so the breeze will swing from the southeast to south and southwest and become quite brisk in the afternoon.
The rain radar early this morning showed a large area of intense rain over the west country but by 08.40, as it passed over southern England, had begun to fragment and become much lighter having deposited significant quantities to the west of our region.
Its pall, another area of low pressure, is following in the wings, edging in over Ireland on Sunday with an associated weather front ahead of it that is likely to produce light showers in the afternoon, that might possibly be thundery.