Category: Commentary

The Arctic Maritime airmass on Sunday meant that the thermometer struggled to give us a maximum of just 7.3C, which was the coldest day since 28th February and almost 3C below the 33-year average. The wind gained strength from early morning to bring a maximum gust of 25mph and producing significant wind chill that made the temperatures feel 3C colder.

The barometric pressure was rising from the nose of high pressure that gave us 3.1 hours of strong sunshine yesterday and the highest barometric pressure since 17th June at 08.00 this morning with a reading of 1026.7mb.

Although there was an air frost with the thermometer dropping to -0.4C, there have been two nights with lower minima this month. However, the colder day and night have meant that the soil temperature at a depth of 5cm has dropped to 1.6C, the coldest since 28th February.

Just after 10.15 on Friday, when the maximum of 12.4C was reached, the wind began to veer into the north with the thermometer dropping 2C rapidly and then falling consistenty until this morning.This heralded the arrival of the Arctic Maritime Airmass having originated from the Arctic and travelled over a considerable expanse of sea before arriving in the UK, which has modified the extremely cold air mass.

Just after dawn today the minimum of 5.0C was recorded with the first recordable windchill this month so that it felt more like 4C.

The cloud is extensive this morning but there were early glimpses of the sun around 8am.

Update at 12.00: Temperature 6.5C but wind chill makes it feel like 3C

Friday was another pleasant day with 4.6 hours of strong sunshine raising the temperature to a maximum of 11.4C, just 1.4C above the average. Late in the day cloud increased again as another weather front approached from the west. As a result the temperature, after falling to a minimum of 7.3C, started to climb again just before midnight so that by 08.00 today the thermometer tread 11.8C, the warmest start to a day this month.

A band of rain after midnight produced 5.9mm of precipitation bringing the total for November to 26.0mm, being 28% of the 33-year average.

Following the pattern this month of dry, sunny days followed by wet days as a succession of weather fronts arrive then clear the UK, this morning has dawned with low cloud but very mild.

Thursday was the first day this month when no sunshine was recorded. However, the thermometer rose to a maximum of 13.2C just after 2.30pm, being 3.2C above the average, and then steadily fell away until a minimum of 5.4C was reached just before midnight.

Yet instead of continuing the downward trend the temperature started to rise again, by 5C, so that at 08.00 the thermometer read 10.6C.

The frequent weather fronts passing over the country are producing such variable weather this month as the wind is constantly changing direction.

Maximum variation: 8.4C to 14.4C
Minimum variation: -2.1C to 6.9C
Morning at 08.00: -1.7C to 10.6C
Rainfall variation: 0 to 12.7mm
Barometric pressure variation: 1001.5mb to 1026.5mb

In the past twenty-four hours:

Temperature on the 8th at 08.00 was 1.6C, at 13.24 was 8.4C, at 23.27 was -1.1C then today, 9th at 08.00 was 7.5C

Wednesday was a glorious day with 7.13 hours of strong sunshine but the wind, then coming from the north-west, meant a cool day with a maximum of 8.4C, being 1.6C below the 33-year average.

The temperature fell away under clear skies until it reached a low of -1.1C just before midnight when the leading edged of the next weather frost began to bring cloud and the temperature started to climb again so that at 08.00 it was at 7.5C, within 1C of the maximum yesterday.

No rain fell yesterday so the monthly total still stands at 20.1mm