Month: March 2024

A maximum of 10.1C on Tuesday was the highest this month but still below average, -0.5C, thanks to the cool air on a southeasterly light breeze that saw a maximum gust of just 11mph. Overnight was calm just the odd movement of 2 or 3mph, which is why, with a clear sky, the temperature fell below freezing with a low of -1.9C at 06.05 on Wednesday producing a hard air frost.

Wednesday at first light revealed fog in evidence again, the morning it was varying between 200m and 500m with a short burst of sun just before 08.00 that was soon eclipsed by the moving fog bank. The thermometer just lifted to 0C at 08.00.

A ridge of high pressure centred over Scandinavia, gave a reading of 1020.8b at 08.00, which will mean a dry and mostly sunny day after the sun disperses the fog. The anticyclone is not forecast to move much for a couple of days.

Sunshine and later brightness Monday morning lifted the temperature to a peak of 9.4C but the southeasterly breeze meant this was depressed and 1.2C below my 40-year average. Cloud slowly built up after midday with thickening cloud that brought rain starting at 15.50, which eventually amounted to 2.3mm in total. The cloud cover minimised loss of warmth into the atmosphere overnight acting as a duvet so the minimum of 4.6C at 06.36 on Tuesday was 2.1C abject my 40-year average so no frost, air or ground.

First light on Tuesday revealed another foggy start to a new day with visibility reduced to 200m initially but by 07.30 that had increased to 300m and by 08.00 had thinned considerably so that distant features could be observed at 500m.

A high pressure over Scandinavia is termed a blocking high as it is resting the forward movement of depressions trying to move in from the Atlantic. In fact the low pressure area from yesterday, recently over the West Country, is slowly filling this morning.

Sunday was the warmest day in five days, however, it was still 0.9C below my 40-year average. It was dry day thanks to the almost wall to wall sunshine but the light north-westerly breeze , maximum movement of just 10mph, that set in before midday depressed the temperature. Clear skies overnight saw the thermometer drop below freezing (-0.1C) at 21.05 Sunday evening and reach a minimum of -1.7C at 01.59 early Monday morning. Thereafter the temperate gradually rose.

Monday after dawn revealed a hard frost but also that fog had formed limiting visibility to 200m. By 08.00 some brightness was evident that resulted in the thermometer reading 1.8C having risen above freezing at 07.05.

There are five depressions currently surrounding the UK with the next one bringing cloud later on Monday on a southeasterly breeze, light in the morning, with possible rainfall late afternoon. A low is forming between Ireland and the southwest approaches that will also bring stronger winds late afternoon.

With a maximum of just 5.9C on Saturday it was a chilly day thanks to the cool airstream originating in the Arctic region and brought on an easterly breeze. This peak was a significant 5.6C below my 40-year average. It was a cloudy day with light roan and drizzle in the wrong not amount to much, just 0.2mm.
It has been a cold night as the thermometer fell below freezing just before midnight and reached a minimum of -2.5C at 7.02 early onSunday being 5.0C below my 40-year average.

Sunday after dawn revealed foggy conditions with variable visibility as the fog moved around with a minimum visibility of 300m. However, by 07.30 the fog had thinned considerably, just leaving misty conditions for a short while. It was a delight to see sunshine that broke through in Marlborough at 07.35 that lifted the temperature to -1.4C at 08.00.

The depression that plagued our area on Saturday is now to the north of Scotland so a bright, dry day is ahead with less sunshine after midday. The barometric pressure had recovered to 1001.3mb at 08.00, up a significant 13mb since that time on Sunday, and rising fast.

An air stream from the southwest or south is usually mild but Friday was an exception. The depression that moved in from the west on Friday produced the south-southwest air movement but that did not originate from the Atlantic as usual but dragged cold air in from near the Arctic down the west coast of Ireland before making a 180 degree turn back over the UK. The maximum of 7.9C was 0.7C below my 40-year average.

During a brief squall at 16.48 on Friday, small hail was observed falling pushed on by a wind gusting to 24mph. It has also been a very wet night with 16.2mm of precipitation recorded for the past twenty-four hours.

Overnight the thermometer slowly descended to a minimum of 1.1C at 07.09 Saturday. This fall in temperature meant the moist air condensed and in combination with a low cloud base produced a very misty, foggy start to Saturday that limited visibility after dawn to around 500m. Visibly,kty began to improve just before 08.00.

The centre of the depression was overhead our area at 06.00 on Saturday but is slowly moving northwards. However, we will still be under its influence on Saturday with a very cool, cloudy day. The barometric pressure reading at 08.00 was a low 987.9mb.

February 2024 Review – Wet and Warm!

A flow of warm, moist air from off the Atlantic gave a mild start to February. This was due to air circulating clockwise around a large area of high pressure, centred over the Bay of Biscay.

From the 2nd to the 6th maxima were in double figures with a peak of 12.8C on the 6th being 4.7C above my 40-year average.

A significant change in our weather occurred late on the 6th as a cold front arrived from the north that saw the temperature drop from a high of 12.8C to a low of 3.8C. The weather front dropped 19.5mm of precipitation. As the weather front departed the wind veered from the southwest to come from the northeast.

The cooler air on the 7th, from a north-easterly direction, gave us the coldest day of the month with a maximum of just 5.5C being 2.6C below my 40-year4 average.

It was all change on the 8th as a warm front moved north across the country lifting the temperature again into double figures. The wide rain band also deposited 23.9mm of precipitation. This was the wettest day since 4th January (29.3mm).

After a very brief dry spell on the 12th, the very warm and moist air, drawn on a long track from far south originating around North Africa and the Western Mediterranean, saw temperatures rise again. The morning of the 13th started with a temperature of 5.7C that slowly rose all day and night, continuously, reaching 11.7C at 08.00 on the 14th making it the warmest start to a day since 24th December.

This unseasonably warm, moist weather was due to a very large area of high pressure over the continent with its air moving clockwise and a depression far west of Ireland with the air mass rotating anticlockwise.

Overnight of the 17th and 18th fourteen hours of continuous rainfall dropped another 27.1mm of precipitation that made it the wettest day since 4th January.

In the early hours of the 22nd the Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (TORRO) issued an alert for Southern England that mini tornadoes might occur as a very active weather front crossed the area. None were observed, fortunately. In a squall at 08.40 small hail was observed very briefly.

A much colder period arrived at the end of the month producing night air frosts, a minimum of -2.1C in the early hours of the 25th was the coldest night since 20th January. The high of 7.6C on the 23rd was the first below average maximum since 7th February.

It has been an exceptionally warm and wet month with the average temperature a record 3.25C above my 40-year average. Analysing the day and night data reveals that the average maximum was +3.0C and the average minimum was +3.5C.

There were five days with a daily rainfall total in double figures. The wettest day occurred on the 17th with 27.1mm. The monthly rainfall amounted to 155.4mm. This was a record for my station being 238% of my 40-year average or plus 89.7m.

Not surprisingly, the soil temperature at a depth of 5cm was 3.3C above my 15-year average.

The record-breaking rainfall and warmth were the result of a succession of depressions crossing, or passing close by, our country with the average monthly barometric pressure some 4.5mb below my long-term average.

Winter 2023/2024

It was the second warmest winter I have recorded since the station was set up in 1984 being 1.9C above my 40-year average. The warmest winter occurred in 2025 being just 0.2C warmer.

The rainfall total for the three months of winter amounted to 389mm. This was 156% of my 40-year average or +140mm. This was the second highest winter total as the winter of 2013/2014 produced a record 528mm.