Between breaks the strong sunshine was relentless on Friday, that saw the thermometer soar to a maximum of 29.1C at 16.16, however this peak was 1.6C down on the Thursday high but still a significant 8.5C above my long-term average. There was a dip in sunshine between 12.15 and 14.00, due to light cloud drifting across, that limited the eventual peak in temperature. It was the sixth consecutive dry day with the UV level peaking at the top end of ‘High’. The Amber Heat Health alert issued by the Met Office was fully justified.
The past night has been very warm with the thermometer not sinking below 16.2C at 03.41 early Saturday, being exactly 6C above average.
The start to Saturday saw a magnificent sunrise, however, a few large spots of rain were observed falling at 05.20 that were very brief and did not completely cover a hard surface and then promptly dried up, thus recorded as a ‘trace’. The rain radar at that time showed a very small, isolated shower right over Marlborough, matching the small shower simultaneously over Swindon. The shower came from an area of cloud that then limited further sunshine until after around 08.30. Today will bring sunny intervals as the weather pattern is changing with three weather fronts forecast to cross our area after midday. The rain radar at 08.30 indicated bands of heavy shower activity moving across Cornwall and Devon, which might eventually arrive here later today.
The high pressure system that brought the recent hot, sunny weather is slowly edging eastwards whilst a depression just south of Iceland is edging closer. This significant change in weather over the UK will see the wind, much later today, veer from the recent southeasterly to southwest heralding the breakdown in the hot, sunny weather. This change will mean we are then under the influence of Atlantic weather systems with temperatures returning closer to the normal for late June.
The hot dry weather recently has seen the river levels fall a couple of centimetres, however, the River Kennet at Winterbourne Monkton, near its source, dried up a few days ago.
Puffins: I mentioned yesterday the brightly coloured beaks of Puffins in the mating season. They shed the colourful outer parts of their bills after the breeding season, leaving a smaller and duller beak.