Th brisk westerly breeze and lack of sunshine on Saturday limited the rise in temperature to a maximum of only 15.9C being a significant 4.7C below my long-term average and the coolest day since the end of May. The main rain bands decided to travel to the north and south of our area but the several hours of light rain, that was heavy for a brief period around 16.30, amounted to 7.9mm, which also included light rain that triggered the automatic rain gauge at 04.54 early Sunday from a passing weather front. Before the rain band passed our way overnight, with its associated cloud, the thermometer dropped steadily to reach a minimum of 6.4C at 04.37, being 3.8C below average.
Early Sunday saw the cloud thinning and weak sunshine breaking through that had lifted the temperature to 11.4C by 08.00, after the very cool night. The cool air last night and today has begun its journey just south of Greenland, hence the cool temperatures.
This morning I counted five low-pressure systems surrounding the UK, however, they are losing their control of our weather as one fills and another slowly moves away that has allowed the anticyclone in the eastern Atlantic to begin to affect our weather. The barometric pressure has risen a significant 10 mb since yesterday with a reading of 1016.8mb at 08.00, that will mean a much drier and sunnier day. This pattern will build over the next couple of days so that by Tuesday temperatures by day with begin to rise above the normal for June as every day this month has seen a below average maximum.
Kennet and Avon Canal: In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the canal gradually fell into disuse after the opening of the Great Western Railway. In the latter half of the 20th century the canal was restored in stages, largely by volunteers.