Author: Eric Gilbert

Sunday continued the days of low, thick cloud giving murky conditions.The lack of any sunshine meant the thermometer held steady around 2.3C for much of the day but dropped to 1.6C at 22.05 before rising a fraction overnight resulting in a temperature of 2.3C at 08.00 on Monday. This produced an exceptionally low diurnal range of temperatures, the differed between daily maximum and minimum, of just 0.7C.

A thicker line of cloud passed our way between 10.05 and 12.15 that produced light drizzle. I also observed very small snow flakes at 14.15 and 14.30 also again at 14,45, which I think were just too large to be snow grains. The precipitation amounted to 0.9mm taking the monthly total 50.1mmm when the long-term average for January is 89.6mm.

Monday eventually woke up after dawn under once again the low thick cloud producing misty conditions that restricted visibility to around 500m.

Two depressions in the Atlantic with associated weather fronts are being head at bay at the moment by the recent high pressure that is slowly falling away but with still a relatively high pressure of 1019.1mb at 08.00, down another 2mb since that time on Sunday.

The end of the week looks as if there will be some really energetic weather heading our way with very stormy conditions as an extremely fast deepening low pressure system is forecast to deepen rapidly possibly forming a ‘weather bomb’ if it drops more then 24mb in 24 hrs, however, the forecast is for an even more rapid drop. These conditions are likely to be triggered by extremes of temperatures over America resulting in a Jet Stream travelling at over 200mph, on current predictions, that will rush depressions towards the UK. Friday is the forecast day when it is likely to be very stormy and very wet.

The pool of cold air trapped under the high pressure dome still influenced our weather on Saturday with continuing thick cloud and murky conditions. The thermometer eventually reached a high of 3.2C at 12.02 with no further rise due to lack of any sunshine, which was 5.0C below my long-term average. Any warmth seeped away during the evening to reach a low, unusually just before midnight, with 0C exactly at 22.54, which was 1.3C below average and produced a ground frost. The very calm conditions continued with very little air movement.

The dawn eventually arrived on Sunday, once again under low, thick cloud giving misty and murky conditions.
The high pressure is very slowly ebbing away, a drop o f10mb since yesterday but will continue to influence our weather for another couple of days.

There are signs that low pressure systems are developing in the Atlantic that will bring more changeable weather later in the week with possible rain and increased wind. It is possible that as they deepen they will combine forces resulting in much stronger winds that could arrive on Friday.

Friday brought us more of the same weather, cloudy, murky conditions trapped under the extensive dome of high pressure that extended eastwards towards Russia. Both day and night were cooler than on Thursday with the thermometer not rising above the 4.9C recorded at 08.00 and sinking to 1.9C at 00.2 early Saturday. The high was 2.2C below average and the low 0.6C above average. It was a dry day, the tenth this month with the UV only registering 0.5.

Saturday morning after a very dark start revealed more murky, misty conditions and little is likely to change during the next twenty-four hours. Once again a calm day is ahead with the air stream backing a few degrees from Friday and coming from the southeast or south-southeast.

The anticyclone is keeping weather fronts at bay and stopping them moving in from the Atlantic where there are signs a depression is developing.

Both the maximum of 7.5C, logged at 15.29, and the minimum of 4.2C, recorded at 04.15 early Friday, were above average at +0.4C and +2.9C respectively. Sadly,the murky conditions persisted throughout Thursday, there were a couple of very short and brief glimpses of sunshine mid-afternoon. A weather front passed over our area in a northerly direction mid-afternoon that behind it allowed the cloud to thin. A light breeze from the south, with a maximum gust of 10mph in daylight hours but 14mph at 02.47 early Friday, brought a slightly drier air.

The start to Friday revealed a totally cloudy sky but it was much thinner and higher with no fog or mist thanks to the drier air, a humidity of 94% at 08.00 was the second lowest this month at that time.

We are still under the very extensive high pressure, and will do so for a few more days, with a drop of only 5mb since the extreme high on Sunday last. Until this anticyclone eventually moves away, not likely until next week, we will still have much cloud and cooler air although it is being modified from the warmer air being carried up from Iberia.

The fog on Wednesday eased during the morning into misty conditions but began to thicken again after 15.00 and fog was observed forming at 16.00 with visibility shortly dropping to 200m. The lack of any sunshine meant the thermometer did not rise above the 08.00 temperature of 7.7C and began to drop late afternoon falling to a minimum of 0.3C at 00.58 early Thursday producing a sort lived ground frost. Once again there were periods of total calm with a maximum air movement of just 9mph on one occasion.

Thursday after dawn revealed another foggy and murky start to the new day with visibility restricted to around 300m. The temperature had recovered to 4.2C by 08.00. What air movement there is will be from the south today

The high pressure has eased eastwards, now over central Europe, but still extending across the UK. As a result the misty and calm conditions will continue, the barometric pressure having lost just 0.3mb over the past twenty-four hours with a pressure reading of 1034.9M at 08.00.

The Jet Stream is still arching to the north of the UK leaving us on the warmer southern side, which will continue up to Saturday when it becomes fragmented with the pressure falling away and more variable weather likely into next week.