With torrential rain totalling 26.8mm and wind gusts to 38mph the last twenty-four hours have been stormy. The thermometer eventually reached a maximum of 8.5C in the early evening at 21.21, which was due to the heavy and persistent rain that began at 10.15 and persisted for much of the daylight hours, easing off at 15.55, with further bursts either side of midnight and another at 08.45 early Monday. The additional daily precipitation of 26.8mm, including hail on Monday morning, took the monthly total to 97.3mm being 109% of my 40-year average or + 7.7mm. The barometric pressure fell to its lowest at 00.10 early Monday with a reading of 975.6mb.
Storm Herminia produced strong squally winds with a maximum gist of 38mph at 12.15 that died down as the afternoon progressed but picked up again during the early hours of Monday, up to 30mph. It was the lowest Sara anergy since the 1st January.
Monday morning early brought two more squalls of wind, rain and hail, in narrow bands, that included thunder at 07.42, just five miles southeast of Marlborough and at 08.10 five miles south of Hungerford. Within minutes the temperature dropped 2C. Clearer skies followed but the rain radar shows a multitude of shower activity massing to the west and heading our way as the day progresses.
Fact: 26.8mm of precipitation equates to 268,000 litres per hectare or every square metre received 26.8 litres of rain water during the past twenty-four hours. No wonder the river is running high.
The centre of Storm Herminia is currently off the southwest tip-off Ireland that has caused the wind direction to change from south east on Sunday to southwest for much of Monday. Its track will take it slowly across Ireland and middle England that by midday on Tuesday is forecast to exit over the east coast of the UK, which will mean its disturbed conditions will dominate our weather for today and into the evening.
