The sun just kept shining all day on Thursday totalling 10.9 hours. The wind from the east was a little lighter, maximum gust of 18mph, that combined with the sunshine saw the thermometer rise to 15.6C being 1.3C above the average. Also notable was the UV level that peaked at 5.0, which was just into the ‘High’ level.
Although no air frost occurred last night there was a sharp ground frost.
Friday dawned as Thursday with sunshine after dawn that saw the thermometer rise to 5.0C at 08.00 after a minimum of 1.9C in the early hours. The anticyclone is still very close, centred off the Essex coast having moved a little south, so the wind for much of Friday is likely to come from the east-southeast.
The soil temperature at a depth of 5cm has for the last three days risen a degree or two to read at least 7.0C, today was 7.9C, still rather cold for planting out much in the way of seeds. Tender plants will continue to need covering or indoors overnight as although the minimum temperature of the last two nights was just above freezing the cold wind will chill soft leaves.
