Tuesday brought us a very pleasant day with much sunshine that boosted the temperature to reach a maximum of 16.2C at 14.26, being 2.1C above my long-term average, before thin cloud began to drift across ahead of the depression moving towards the UK. There was a noticeable thickening of cloud during the evening and the first spots of rain from the weather-front were observed at 23.15. The steady rain began shortly after 23.30 with heavier bursts at 01.15, 02.45 and 05.00, that eventually amounted to 8.6mm. This was the heaviest daily rainfall since 26th February (10.8mm). The last of the steady rain ceased just after 05.30 with a few reluctant rain drops over the next hour or so from the hang back of cloud. The low of 8.2C, logged at 05.27 early Wednesday was 4.5C above average. The rain overnight was very welcome to gardeners as it had time to be absorbed by the very dry ground rather than during daylight hours when some of it would have quickly evaporated. The monthly precipitation total is now 11.7mm against the 41-year average of 57.6mm.
Wednesday after dawn revealed very low, thick cloud from the hang back of cloud from the depression that is slowly drifting southeastwards across the Channel towards the Continent.
I mentioned a couple of days ago that the forecast track of the Jet Stream indicated it beginning to loop north of the UK that would indicate a warmer period under higher barometric pressure. The latest charts indicate that a ridge will develop on Thursday and subsequently build, that will bring warmer and dry weather for most of next week. It will not be particularly warm on Thursday as the air stream will come from a northerly quadrant but by Friday this will change to come from a more southerly quadrant with subsequent higher temperatures over the next few days.