Thankfully, the strong wind from the north east, that has plagued us for seven days, fell much lighter on Thursday allowing an even warmer day. The thermometer rose steadily to reach a high of 22.3C in the late afternoon at 16.12. This maximum was 8.2C above the 36-year average.
The maximum wind gusts over the past four days have been 33mph, 31mph, 21mph and 15mph respectively. There was the odd moment in the early evening on Thursday when, very briefly, the anemometer fell motionless.
Gardeners will be pleased that the temperature of the soil at a depth of 5cm has also been rising over the past five days with 7.9C, 8.9C, 9.8C, 10.8C and 11.7C respectively on Friday morning. Readings are taken at 08.00 each morning. This will allow plants to become established and thrive after the cold winter and early wet spring.
Friday saw weak sunshine initially as the sun struggled through thin high cloud but by 07.30 was gaining in strength. This raised the temperature from a low of 5.6C to read 9.5C at 08.00
