Sunday 19th October
Saturday was the last of the dry and bright days under the remains of the recent high-pressure that meant a high of 14.1C at 12.49, although that was 0.7C below average. The past night was another very mild night with a low of 11.2C just before midnight, at 23.59, being 3.8C above average. There was a brief, light shower at 20.20 and then dry for the remainder of the night.
After first light there was a little clear sky to the east but that was soon overtaken by advancing cloud from two weather fronts that will cross the UK today producing substantial rainfall. The temperature at 08.00 had risen to 12.3C due to the increasing cloud, being the second warmest start to a day this month. The first rain today, from the front edge of the weather front, was observed at 08.10, with heavy rain expected within a couple of hours that will last for much of the daylight hours that is currently over Devon. The radar shows a very large area of heavy rain, which is making its way toward us. The increased strength of the wind will also be a feature as the centre of the depression moves towards the UK and then being centred over the UK on Monday.
The barometric pressure has dropped significantly over the last twenty-four hours as the deepening depression takes the place of the recent high pressure. There has been a drop of 17mb since 08.00 on Saturday and a drop of 25mb since the high a week ago. The weather this week will be unsettled as we are now in a new pattern of low-pressure systems arriving from the Atlantic that has replaced the recent Azores High. Temperatures will drop, substantially by the end of the week, as the wind backs into a southwesterly quadrant then a more northerly quadrant by next weekend.
Savernake Forest. The forest has a royal history, with King Henry VIII using it for deer hunts and his third wife, Jane Seymour, being born in the forest. The illustration is of the Grand Avenue, about four miles long, that is likely to lose much of the colourful beech leaves over the next two days with increasing gusty wind.