Author: Eric Gilbert

Thursday was the first above average maximum in two weeks. The thermometer rose to a maximum of 15.9C at 14.39 being 1.1C above my 40-year average. The peak occurred early afternoon, this was due to variable cloud drifting across on the easterly breeze after midday and just before 15.00 much larger clouds obscured the sun for much longer periods. Once again the clouds dispersed over night so no duvet to minimise the loss of warmth into the atmosphere that resulted in the thermometer dropping away to 2.3C at 05.24.

The recent rainfall and low minimum temperature caused radiation fog to form that limited visibility to 200mm at its worst but by 07.45 there were early signs that it was beginning to thin as the sun rose above the horizon and began to brighten. The humidity at 08.00 read 99% that meant little rise in the temperature since the minimum with a reading of 3.7C at 08.00.

The anticyclone is still centred in the NorthSea but there is a slight change in its coverage, which is producing the airstream to change from east on Thursday to south for much of today. The barometric pressure has been constant since yesterday with a reading at 08.00 of 1021.9mb.

The thermometer on Wednesday almost reached the average for October with a maximum of 14.5C at 14.14 being just 0.4C below. The lack of sunshine and very brisk wind, gusting to 20mph from the Northeast, limited the warmth. The skies cleared later in the evening that allowed the thermometer to drop away to a minimum of 6.1C, which was also below my 40-year average being 1.4C below.

Thankfully the start to Thursday arrived with sunshine as soon as the sun rose above the horizon. The anticyclone to the north of Scotland will influence our weather for the next two days being dry with sunshine.

The barometric pressure has risen 12mb over the last two days, under the influence of the nearby anticyclone, hence the better weather. However, a low-pressure system is crossing towards us, now in mid-Atlantic being, the remains of Hurricane Kirk, that will develop further with very low pressure at its centre, that will mean more disturbed weather later in the weekend.

Tuesday was another of the recent dull and dreary days with total cloud cover and no sunshine that restricted the temperature rise to a maximum of 13.4C at 14.53 being 1.5C below my 40-year average. Brief light rain and drizzle were observed late afternoon, combined with the same early on Wednesday, produced 1.6mm of precipitation.

The diurnal range of temperatures was exceptionally small with a variation between day and night extremes of just 1.7C, the minimum being 11.7C at 00.54 early Wednesday due to the continuing thick cloud cover minimising loss of warmth into the atmosphere.

Wednesday revealed a continuation of the low, thick cloud with light rain before 08.00, this was due to light shower activity from the recent depression drifting in on a change in wind direction, now from the northeast.

The recent depression is now over southern France and we are beginning to come under the influence of a high pressure system just to the north of Scotland, hence the change in wind direction. A barometric reading of 1013.3mb is up 15mb since the end of September and will continue to rise with a much drier outlook after today. The change will be slow.

September 2024 review

Two rainfall records broken

Although the month got off to a very warm start, with a peak of 25.5C on the 1st, the temperatures dropped away on subsequent days.

On the 5th a large depression developed over the Continent that for three days plagued the UK with dark, dreary days with little solar and many hours of rain. A significant total of 26.8mm was logged on the 5th that fell over the previous twenty-four hours. The daytime temperatures were a degree or two below average due to the low, thick cloud.

Frequent thunder was heard on the 6th and in the early hours of the 8th.

We came under the influence of a low-pressure system to the northwest for the next four days that brought much cooler Arctic air from near Iceland, also windier weather. A maximum of 13.8C on the 12th was 5.3C below my 40-year average and the coldest day since 3rd May. The night that followed was very cold for September with the thermometer sinking to 1.0C, being a significant 7.7C below my 40-year average and the coldest night since 25th April. This low briefly produced a ground frost.

High pressure took control of our weather from the 16th that gave us seven dry days with the wind brisk from the northeast. There were many hours of strong sunshine that lifted the thermometer to 22.3C on the 19th, the warmest day since the 1st (25.5C).

As the anticyclone eased away over Scandinavia, during subsequent days, a depression began to take charge of our weather with thunderstorms arriving during the afternoon of the 20th, no thunder with only modest rainfall. However, in the early hours of the 21st a noisy thunderstorm arrived at 05.15 with very heavy rainfall. The daily rainfall amounted to 17.4mm.

A very slow-moving depression covered the country on the 22nd and 23rd producing a large quantity of rainfall with 35.4mm during the 24 hours up to the 08.00 on the 22nd and another 34.0mm to 08.00 on the 23rd. The monthly rainfall at that point exceeded the previous record set in 2006 when 131.9mm was logged for the whole month.

The new September rainfall record was broken again two days later as another 19.9mm daily precipitation was added up to 08.00 on the 26th.

Another depression settled itself right over our area at 06.15 on the 26th with a barometric pressure of 984.7mb, the lowest pressure since 28th March 2024, thus continuing the very unsettled weather.

The month ended with very cool days and nights with ground frost in the early hours of the 28th and 29th as the thermometer briefly dropped to a minimum of 2.2C on both nights, being 6.4C below my 40-year average. The maximum on the 29th was a significant 5.5C below my long-term average due to the persistent thick, low cloud that produced more rainfall.

The rainfall total for September was a record 221.4mm beating the previous high of 131.9mm set in 2006. The wettest day occurred on the 23rd with 43.4mm of precipitation. Not only was it greater than the previous September record but it also broke the record for the wettest month in the year set in November 2002 with 203.5mm.

It was a cooler than average September being 0.4C below my 40-year average principally due to the numerous cool days, 22 during the month.

Thunder was observed on four days, namely 6th, 8th, 11th and 21st, with radiation fog observed in the River Og valley in the early morning, up to 08.00, on the 17th.

Monday followed the recent pattern of cool and cloudy days that saw the thermometer eventually rise to 15.7C, early in the afternoon at 14.10, limited by lack of sunshine being 3.4C below my 40-year average. The past night was also cool dipping to 9.6C at 00.49 in the early hours of Tuesday due to thickening cloud that arrived.

Tuesday revealed a dreary start to the new day as cloud and variable shower activity are moving towards our area thanks to the recent depression, still in the southern North Sea, that will bring a northwesterly breeze.

In the Weather Records by Month since 1984 section the September data and associated graphs have been updated and corrected. The mean September graph quite clearly shows the increase in the mean temperature for the month since 1984, a significant change since around 1997. The rainfall fall data and associated graph for September has shown a steady mean total for the past fifteen years, the exception being the major change in 2024.

September 2024 review

Two records broken for rainfall

Although the month got off to a very warm start, with a peak of 25.5C on the 1st, the temperatures dropped away on subsequent days.

On the 5th a large depression developed over the Continent that for three days plagued the UK with dark, dreary days with little solar and many hours of rain. A significant total of 26.8mm was logged on the 5th that fell over the previous twenty-four hours. The daytime temperatures were a degree or two below average due to the low, thick cloud.

Frequent thunder was heard on the 6th and in the early hours of the 8th.

We came under the influence of a low-pressure system to the northwest for the next four days that brought much cooler Arctic air from near Iceland, also windier weather. A maximum of 13.8C on the 12th was 5.3C below my 40-year average and the coldest day since 3rd May. The night that followed was very cold for September with the thermometer sinking to 1.0C, being a significant 7.7C below my 40-year average and the coldest night since 25th April. This low briefly produced a ground frost.

High pressure took control of our weather from the 16th that gave us seven dry days with the wind brisk from the northeast. There were many hours of strong sunshine that lifted the thermometer to 22.3C on the 19th, the warmest day since the 1st (25.5C).

As the anticyclone eased away over Scandinavia, during subsequent days, a depression began to take charge of our weather with thunderstorms arriving during the afternoon of the 20th, no thunder with only modest rainfall. However, in the early hours of the 21st a noisy thunderstorm arrived at 05.15 with very heavy rainfall. The daily rainfall amounted to 17.4mm.

A very slow-moving depression covered the country on the 22nd and 23rd producing a large quantity of rainfall with 35.4mm during the 24 hours up to the 08.00 on the 22nd and another 34.0mm to 08.00 on the 23rd. The monthly rainfall at that point exceeded the previous record set in 2006 when 131.9mm was logged for the whole month.

The new September rainfall record was broken again two days later as another 19.9mm daily precipitation was added up to 08.00 on the 26th.

Another depression settled itself right over our area at 06.15 on the 26th with a barometric pressure of 984.7mb, the lowest pressure since 28th March 2024, thus continuing the very unsettled weather.

The month ended with very cool days and nights with ground frost in the early hours of the 28th and 29th as the thermometer briefly dropped to a minimum of 2.2C on both nights, being 6.4C below my 40-year average. The maximum on the 29th was a significant 5.5C below my long-term average due to the persistent thick, low cloud that produced more rainfall.

The rainfall total for September was a record 221.4mm beating the previous high of 131.9mm set in 2006. The wettest day occurred on the 23rd with 43.4mm of precipitation. Not only was this total greater than the previous September record but it also broke the record for the wettest month in the year set in November 2002 with 203.5mm.

It was a cooler than average September being 0.4C below my 40-year average principally due to the numerous cool days, 22 during the month.

Thunder was observed on four days, namely 6th, 8th, 11th and 21st, with radiation fog observed in the River Og valley in the early morning, up to 08.00, on the 17th.

Sunday was another cool day due to the brisk southeasterly breeze and lack of sunshine. The thermometer only reached a maximum of 13.6C mid-afternoon at 14.36 before cloud built up again, being 5.5C below my 40-year average. The thicker cloud ahead of the depression produced the first spots of rain at 18.00 with more frequent and heavier rain after 19.00.

After two very cool nights with a minimum of 2.2C last night saw the thermometer drop away to 9.8C late evening at 20.47 before the thicker cloud and rain arrived when the thermometer did an about turn and began to rise to reach 14.0C at 08.00 Monday.

Monday dawned dull under thick low cloud and light drizzle falling. The depression is now slowly moving eastwards into the North Sea having dawdled over the UK yesterday.

The rainfall for the past twenty-four hours, to 08.00 Monday, amounted to 17.4mm taking the September rainfall total to 220.9C. This total is 350.6% of my 40-year September average or plus 157.9mm. This exceptional rainfall made it the wettest September since 2020 that brought 191.0mm and the previous record set for any month in the year when 219.1mm was recorded in January 2014.