With a maximum of only 3.8C at 13.25 on Monday and a severe frost overnight with a minimum of -7.2C at 06.34 on Tuesday, winter returned with vengeance. The maximum was 3.2C below average and the minimum a significant 8.5C below the average. It was the coldest night since 17th December (-9.1C).
The wind from the northwest brought the very cold air and gusted to 24mph producing a wind chill outside where it felt at least 3C lower than that registered on the thermometer.
However, it was the first dry day for almost a month, the last dry day occurring on 17th December, just as there was then a similar dramatic change in the local weather.
The soil thermometer at a depth of 5cm has fallen from a peak of 9.7C on the 7th to almost freezing, 0.2C, at 08.00.
Tuesday arrived with variable, thin cloud and the thermometer having risen a degree to read -6.1C at 08.00. Five low pressure systems are circling the UK with the closest running across northern France that gave a pressure reading of 988.9mb at 08.00.