Thursday saw the thermometer rise further again to a maximum of 21.9C at 15.42 as a result of 11.38 hours of strong sunshine and a gentle breeze from the southwest for much of the day. This was 3.3C above the 34-year September average and 1.1C above the August average.
We have now enjoyed 139 hours of strong sunshine in September.
The sky was initially clear overnight but cloud drifted in during the early hours of this morning that reversed the drop in temperature from 6.1C at 03.31 to 10.3C at 08.00.
Friday arrived with thick cloud and the wind beginning to pick up having changed from the southwest into the northeast under the influence of high pressure edging in from the Atlantic, which will mean a much cooler day.
Update on Friday at 17.45: northeasterly wind limited temperature to a peak of 15.4C at 11.07 as cloud cover started to break up mid morning and skies began to clear. Another 7 hours of sunshine during afternoon.