Friday 20th March
The many hours of strong sunshine on Thursday once again lifted the temperature well above average (+5.5C) with a maximum of 16.3C at 14.55, down a couple of degrees on the peak of Wednesday, the light wind from the east tempered the rise in warmth. The peak UV level of 2.5 was also slightly down but the loss of equivalent rainfall due to evaporation from ground sources and plant life was identical at 2.4mm.
Inevitably, at this time of year when the sky remains clear overnight the warmth slowly dissipates into the atmosphere, as last night, that produced a minimum of -1.3C at 05.28. This low was 3.9C below average and the coldest night for two months, in fact since 15th January. The thermometer dropped below freezing (-0.1C) at 02.53 and did not rise above freezing until 07.29 early Friday.
Welcome but weak sunshine greeted the new day on Friday as the sun initially struggled to break through the thin cloud on the eastern horizon. The high pressure still remains over the UK but is showing signs of easing eastwards, the pressure has dropped 4mb since yesterday. The slight relocation has resulted in the wind direction backing from east yesterday to northeast today.
The recent cloud charts indicate that variable cloud is encroaching from the east that will soon result in probably broken sunshine rather than strong wall to wall sunshine under clear blue skies, as on Thursday.
The forecast surface pressure charts indicate that although the anticyclone will continue to ease away we have several warm, dry and sunny days ahead, not until Tuesday or Wednesday will temperatures by day drop back to around average.
Further detail not he Which report on Weather apps continued from yesterday
Meanwhile, another common assumption is that a single forecast will apply to the whole area.
Which? explains that weather apps actually divide the the country into a grid of squares, each covering an area as large as 124 miles (200km).
The rain percentage is the chance of rain during the time covered by the forecast – with many apps showing both the hourly and doily chance of rain.
‘If a downpour is forecast somewhere in that grid, a rain icon may inaccurately be assigned, it explained.
‘That doesn’t mean it will rain where you are.’
Which? has also worked with the University of Reading to uncover which weather app is the most accurate – and it’s bad news for fans of BBC Weather.
Overall, this app was the worst at predicting the weather.
‘BBC Weather was especially poor at predicting the forecast for later the same day and overestimated the amount of rain due,’ Which? explained.
In contrast, the most accurate app was found to be The Weather Channel app.
The consumer champion added: ‘It performed well when forecasting the weather for the next few hours (known as a nowcast) and was also strong at predicting the weather accurately for later the same day.’
If you’re sick of getting caught without an umbrella, Which?’s senior researcher, Jo Rhodes, has given three tips to get the most accurate forecast.
Firstly, use more than one app.
‘As the research shows, each app is better or worse at predicting different elements of the weather.
That’s why it’s a good idea to compare several, Ms Rhodes said.
Next, make sure you have your phone’s location services turned on.
‘The weather is very location-specific, so for the most accurate forecast, switch on your “precise location” for the relevant app,’ she added.
‘Most apps will ask for this permission when you install them, or you can update their access to location data in the settings.’
Finally, switch on the TV, where a forecaster will interpret data in front of a map for you.
Ms Rhodes added: ‘An app can only provide a “yes or no” prediction – and then it’s up to the user to translate the information they’ve been given.’