The temperature steadily rose to a maximum of 29.8C at 15.02, which was 9.6C abject he average, before cloud began to arrive from the southeast and the first light drops of rain were observed. This was the hottest day since the heatwave in August 2022 when when 33.5C was noted on the 13th.
A classic Line of Convergence was seen on the radar screens at that as the hot, moist air from the Continent, brought on a southwesterly air stream, met the colder, drier air from the northeast, that had been plaguing our area for the last three weeks. The warm, moist air, being lighter, rose above the colder air mass and rapidly condensed forming storm cells that brought the first rain drops at 15.10. Further cells developed in a line to the southeast and moved northwestwards across our area, due to the wind veering from northeast to southeast, with heavy rain from 15.40. A total of nine thunder claps were heard during this period.
The showers, sometimes very heavy, produced 9.3mm of very welcome rainfall for the gardens and filled three of my 220 litre water buts. The rain eased and ceased at 17.05 and the sun began to reappear, weakly at first.
During the storm period the air temperature fell precisely 10C from 29.9C to 19.9C. The thermometer began to rise again at 17.05.
The warm air mass meant a very mild night with the thermometer not sinking below 15.7C, which was 5.7C above the average.
Sunday dawned with misty conditions and weak sunshine through variable high cloud. By 08.00 the thermometer had risen to 19.3C.