Category: Commentary

Saturday produced a very sunny day with a total of 9.61 hours of strong sunshine, the second highest total this month. However, the brisk wind from a westerly direction meant that the temperature was depressed giving a maximum of only 18.9C, which was 2C below the average for August.

The barometric pressure has been rising for the last couple of days, hence the improved weather, but it meant another chilly night with mainly clear skies giving a minimum of 9.8C, some 1.7C below the average.

This morning arrived with intermittent hazy sunshine allowing the thermometer to recover to 12.8C at 08.00.

Friday was memorable for the frequent lines of sharp showers that crossed the area producing a total 6.5mm of rainfall. The rainfall figure for August seems as if it should be higher but although we have had frequent short, sharp showers, we have not experienced a deluge that has occurred elsewhere. The August total is now 47.9mm or 72% of the August average.

Due to the bands of heavy cloud and showers the temperature peaked at 11.15 with a maximum of 17.7C, 4C below average, after a very sunny morning with 5.61 hours of sunshine.

The last rain occurred just before midnight allowing the temperature to drop to 11.5C, exactly average for August.

This morning has dawned with bright sunshine that raised the temperature to 13.4C at 08.00 with the promise of a much drier day.

Thursday gave us the warmest day all month also since 25th July with a maximum of 22.6C, which was 2C above the average. Sunshine was up on the previous day with 4.81 hours.

A long line of sharp showers gave us a glancing blow in the late afternoon at 17.10 with 0.6mm of rainfall that was added to with showers starting just after 2am this morning producing a total of 2.4mm.

As on previous nights the cloud meant another mild night with a minimum of 13.3C, which was 1.8C above the average.

Initially at dawn there was thick cloud, which by 7.30 was beginning to produce breaks that by the time readings were taken at 0800 meant the thermometer had risen to 14.4C as strong sunshine broke through.

The southerly winds, peaking at 22mph on Wednesday, meant a warm day with the maximum of 21.4C being 0.7C above the August average.

The strong sunshine was reduced to 3.8 hours compared to 9 hours on Tuesday, bringing the total for August to 70 hours.

The first rain band arrived at 22.15 last night and lasted for almost half hour. The second longer and heavier rain band arrived just after 02.30 this morning producing a total of 6.6mm. The rainfall for August now stands at 39.0mm, being 59% of the August average.

It was an exceptionally mild night with the thermometer not dropping below 14.7C at 00.30.

The hang back of cloud from these weather fronts is much in evidence this morning with the thick cloud easing eastwards and showing signs of breaks in the cloud layer.

The thermometer has risen even higher so that at 08.00 it read 17.0C.

Tuesday produced the warmest day since 25th July wth a maximum of 21.9C, which was 1.2c above the average and the fourth successive warmer day. We enjoyed 9 hours of strong sunshine with brisk winds peaking at 17mph. It was a dry day, only the seventh this month.

The night was cool, vey cool, with a minimum of just 7.2C being 4.3C below the August average. With no sun at dawn this depressed the temperature resulting in a fresh morning with the coolest start to the day ay 08.00 since 8th June as the thermometer has struggled to reach 9.9C.

This morning there is moderate cloud obscuring the sun with almost still conditions.