Tuesday 4th November
The maximum and minimum temperatures over the past twenty-four hours have been significantly above average for early November. The high of 14.9C at 11.31 was 4.6C above my long-term average whilst the minimum of 12.7C, early Tuesday at 06.37, was a very significant 8.7C higher than my long-term average for November. The diurnal range of temperature was just 2.2C, the difference between day and night extremes, was entirely due to the thick cloud cover minimising a rise during daylight hours and minimal loss into the atmosphere through the thick cloud cover overnight, aided by the continual flow of warm, moist air from near the Azores region.
Tuesday revealed another cloudy start to the new day with a temperature of 13.1C at 08.00. The day ahead will be mainly cloudy with probably light precipitation after midday.
The high pressure to the east, is still fending off the progression of depressions from the Atlantic towards the UK.
The air circulating clockwise around the high to the east, is combining with air circulating anticlockwise around low-pressure systems to the west, as they do, producing between them the flow of southerly warm, moist air, currently from around the Azores region and Iberia.
The forecast track of the jet stream indicates that temperatures will begin to drop a little over the weekend and into next week, that by mid-month could bring us a spell of much colder weather with the wind coming from a chilly northeast.
The continuing mild weather has seen the crocus bulbs I planted a month ago deciding to send shoots above ground. Spring is a long way away, so any tender shoots will be damaged when the real cold weather arrives, so time to cover up!