S and E England had a cloudy start to the 2nd with some light rain, while over Ireland, Wales, NW England and Scotland there were varying amounts of cloud in the early hours. Air frosts and some mist/fog developed under clear skies, and early mist was widespread in the Midlands. By dawn light rain was falling in parts of W Scotland and SW Ireland - these cloudier conditions spread across Ireland in the morning and also across Cent Scotland, accompanied by light rain in places. Over England it remained generally cloudy with some light rain later in SW England, although sunny spells occurred in East Anglia - before fog formed here and in E Kent in the evening. (Torquay 12C, Eskdalemuir 3C maximum, Katesbridge -3C minimum, Barra 4mm, Norwich 5.4h.)
Dawn on the 3rd saw skies starting to clear across NW Ireland and W Scotland - as a cold front spread SE into England, but rather cloudy skies elsewhere with rain and drizzle from S Ireland to NE England. As the front continued to progress SE falls across much of England and Wales were mostly light - but drizzle and low cloud led to poor visibility across SE Wales in particular. In the clearer air to the N it was colder, and showers that developed during the day fell as snow over the higher ground of Scotland. The cloud and outbreaks of drizzle lingered across S and E England by midnight; elsewhere skies had cleared again and there was an air frost in some inland areas as MSL pressure rose to 1033mb in S Scotland. (Teignmouth 14C, Coltishall -3C, St Bees Head 10mm, Belfast 4.1h.)
The 4th dawned with cloudy skies across SW/W ireland and SE of a line from Cornwall to the Tees, but with mostly cloudless skies elsewhere. Across England the sky cleared for a while later in the day in parts of SE and later Cent S England, after some light rain and drizzle in places. Over Ireland the early cloud was accompanied by light rain and fog patches; this cloud rapidly spread E into E Ireland, parts of Wales and W Scotland with further light rain in W Ireland. Under the clear skies there was some fog in E Scotland that persisted in places until later in the day, although many of these clear areas had quite a sunny day. (Falmouth 10C, Strathallan -2C maximum, Aboyne -7C minimum, Hastings 2mm, Eskdalemuir 5.9h.)
Into the 5th most places had an increasingly cloudy night, although skies did remain mostly clear from SE Scotland to N Wales. Light rain affected W Ireland before dawn and then for most of the day, but made no further progress E. Across E and Cent oparts of England the E'ly flow brought spells of rain and sleet, with some snow on the higher ground, although falls of snow were generally slight and short-lived. For most places it was a cloudy day with temperatures failing to rise much. (St Mary's 8C, Cassley -4C, Boulmer 2mm, Jersey 6.8h.)
The 6th dawned cloudy in most places, with some light rain in Ireland and E Scotland. This cloud persisted in most areas throughout the day which was consequently cool. The precipitation areas in E Scotland and Ireland moved little during the day, although there was some drizzle and sleet reported in S England during the day. There was also some snow on hills close to the North Sea in Scotland and NE England, while elsewhere under the cloud it was a rather misty day away from Scotland. (St Mary's 7C, Aviemore and Capel Curig -3C, Kirkwall 11mm, Clacton 3.1h.)
High pressure over Scandinavia grdaually began to draw an E'ly surface flow across the British Isles on the 7th. There was a mostly cloudy start to the day with poor visibility across England and Wales and for many it remained cloudy all day. A disturbance in the flow brought some prcipitation to s England during the afternoon; this fell as sleet or snow in some places but amounts were small apart from on some of the higher ground where several centimetres fell. Showers down the E coast of Britain also gave some light precipitation - although early rain in W Ireland tended to die out as the morning developed. it remained misty across England and wales for much of the day while 35kn gusts affected N Scotland. MSL pressure had risen to 1026mb in E Britain by midnight. (St Mary's 7C, High Wycombe 1C maximum, Kinlochewe -3C minimum, Boulmer 4mm, Jersey 6.7h.)
The 8th dawned with cloudy skies across England, Wales and Ireland, but with rather clearer conditions over Scotland. As the day developed this clearance spread into Wales and Ireland, but England remained cloudy with light precipitation over S parts - and there was some sleet and snow over the higher ground. Some drizzle also fell over N England and E Scotland, and it remained rather misty across England under the cloudy skies. Despite the developing wsunshine across Ireland there was patchy fog throughout the day in places while S'ly gusts to 40kn affected W Scotland later in the day, despite the continuing high pressure. (Barra 7C, Spadeadam 0c maximum, Capel Curig -6C minimum, Swanage 9mm, Valley 6.1h.)
The 9th saw fronts spreading E across Ireland and into Britain. Overnight cloud spread into W parts of Scotland and Ireland; much of England and Wales had a cloudy night but there were breaks in the cloud in E Ireland, N England and much of Scotland. In parts of Scotland there was a sharp frost while fog, mist and drizzle affected England. The fronts brought wind, cloud and rain from the W - the rain extending into E Scotland and W Wales by 2400GMT. Ahead of the fronts it soon turned cloudy almost everywhere, but parts of East Anglia and Se England had some sunny spells before sunset. Despite the change to a W'ly flow the day was again cold for most places. (South Uist Range 9C, Aboyne -9C, Lusa 16mm, Clacton 6.2h.)
Under cloudy skies there was no air frost at low levels into the 10th. Rain spread across Wales and England during the early hours, reaching parts of East Anglia by midday. The rain was heavy and persistent over high ground in N Wales and NW England, while showers followed the clearance of the main rainbands. The rain meant a mostly cloudy day everywhere, while the wind picked up during the afternoon as a deepening low spread NE towaqrds the Faeroes; MSL pressure fell to 984mb in the Western Isles in the evening as gusts incresed to 60kn here. The Met office reported gusts of 67kn and 63kn at South Uist Range and Stornoway respectively. (Machrihanish 14C, Buxton (Derbyshire) 1C, Capel Curig 62mm, Herne Bay and Guernsey 2.3h.)
Frontal cloud and rain soon cleared E Britain on the 11th and a ridge then developed across the British Isles, MSL pressure rising to 1030mb in SE England by midnight. Some blustery showers, including falls of hail, affected Scotland behind the front for much of the day, but elsewhere skies were largely clear by midday and prolonged sunshine followed. During the evening some low cloud affected SW ireland but across England temperatures fell rapidly under the clear skies. (Tenby 11C, Loch Glascarnoch 1C, Shap Fell 34mm, Fishguard 6.9h.)
Despite high pressure to the E on the 12th, frontal cloud brought a damp day to Ireland and W Britain. By dawn, while England and Wales remained clear and frosty, cloud had spread over much of Ireland and W Scotland with rain in W Ireland and gusts to 60kn in W Scotland. Some early fog in Cent S England was slow to clear ad advancing low cloud spread across much of England during the morning and afternoon. The rain spread E during the morning, but then made little progress into Cent and E England; the winds slowly died down during the afternoon as pressure rose in NW Scotland. By midnight, cloud was fairly widespread across the entire British Isles. (Ballykelly 13C, Redhill -6C, Loch Glascarnoch 16mm, Cromer 4.8h.)
Frontal cloud over the W half of the British Isles on the 13th led to another rather cloudy day. It also led to a wet day in W Scotland and frequent showers across Ireland, while gusts of 40-50kn were widespread around the coasts of both Britain and Ireland. The rain make slow progress E, affecting Wales and SW England in the afternoon but most areas (except places on the E coast of England) had a mild afternoon. (Aultbea 12C, Lowestoft 1C, Tulloch Bridge 26mm, Swanage 3.4h.)
The 14th dawned with a band of cloud and some rain across britain but clearer skies and lower temperatures across Ireland, to the rear of a cold front. This front slowly pushd E during the day, allowing these clearer skies to spread across Scotland, Wales and W England by the evening. The rainfall during the day was only light for many places, however. By midnight further cloud had spread rain across W Ireland, lifting the temperatures and bringing gusts to 45kn around the coast. Places SE of a line Hull-Dorset were still cloudy at midnight, with mist and fog in parts of the E Midlands and Cent S England. (Torquay 12C, Katesbridge -3C, Cardinham 20mm, Torquay 6.8h.)
The next line of frontal cloud and rain was slow-moving over ireland and W areas of Britain on the 15th. Cloud spread across much of Britain overnight with fog and mist patches developing underneath it over many parts of England. Light rain spread E across Ireland and into W Scotland and Cornwall by mid-morning and some light rain also fell down the NE coast of England. During the morning the rain continued to affect much of E Ireland and W Scotland with showers following on in W Ireland. Although early mist and fog tended to clear during the morning, Britain did have a rather cloudy day away from the Channel Islands and by midnight rain was falling from Dorset to E Scotland. (St Mary's 11C, Kinloss -4C, Cardinham 17mm, Jersey 4.9h.)
The 16th was a mostly unsettled day over the British Isles as frontal systems spread E and a low headed for SW Ireland by midnight (MSL pressure at Valentia being 1000.9mb). Rain bands accompanying the three fronts spread E to give most places at least one spell of rain during the day - behind the fronts showery weather spread E across Ireland in the afternoon (with some hail) before more general rain spread into SW Ireland later in the afternoon. In the afternoon rain turned to snow over some of the higher ground in Scotland, but across parts of S Wales and S England it was quite a mild day. (Hurn 11C, Loch Glascarnoch 1C, Stornoway 21mm, Torquay 2.2h.)
Overnight clear skies in parts of NE and E Scotland led to an early air frost here on the 17th. There was early rain across S Scotland, S Ireland, and E and S England, which gradually moved E, followed by showers in NW Scotland that soon spread SE over much of Scotland - with wintry falls over N parts. The rain in S Ireland and S England pushed away SE allowing skies to brighten from the N, but during the afternoon and evening further frontal rain and drizzle spread across Ireland with temperatures rising behind the front. By midnight temperatures across Ireland were in the range 11-12C in most places. (Guernsey 11C, Aboyne -4C, Buxton (Derbyshire) 13mm, Fishguard 3.3h.)
During the 18th the warm sector became established across much of the British Isles - ahead of the warm front there were wintry showers over N Scotland with an air frost in places. The front itself brought a spell of mostly slight rain or drizzle to many areas before the temperature rose. But, some of the rain was quite heavy across parts of N Ireland, N Wales and W Scotland. The warm sector was rather cloudy and also brought light rain/drizzle to W coasts of scotland and Ireland during the day; it did not reached the Northern Isles until the evening. (Great Malvern 14C, Baltasound -2C, Capel Curig 15mm, Bognor Regis 3.0h.)
SW'ly winds in a warm sector again brought warm conditions on the 19th, but in the late afternoon and evening a cold front spread E across Ireland and W Scotland. Away from NW and N Scotland rainfall amounts were slight or non-existent - some heavy falls occurred in these two areas, despite a pressure of 1025mb and above. The cold front brought a spell of rain to W Ireland, with gusts to 45kn and a 4-5C temperature drop in places as the wind veered to the W. (Kinloss 14C, Redhill 5C, Lusa 38mm, Herne Bay 0.8h.)
The cold front quickly across the British Isles during the first half of the 20th, bringing a spell of rain followed by clearing skies, lower temperatures in a NW'ly airflow and some showers in the W. In N Scotland the frontal rain was heavy in places. Across Scotland there was snow behind the front, that was prolonged in places over high ground. According to the Met Office there was 5.5 hours of sunshine in London today - the total for the previous 19 days of 2006 amounting to just 8.1h. (Torquay 13C, Aboyne 0C, Aultbea 27mm, Torquay 7.5h.)
Anticyclonic conditions occurred over S parts of the British Isles on the 21st. Scotland dawned cloudy, but clear skies overnight elsewhere allowed a widespread ground frost to form with an air frost in sheltered places. By kidday MSL pressure was 1031.8mb on Scilly, and most of England and Wales had a bright sunny day as a result. Scotland was rather cloudier, especially in the W, where some light rain and drizzle fell. Later in the day frontal cloud and some light rain also affected W Ireland. (Teignmouth 12C, Redhill -3C, Loch Glascarnoch 3mm, Swanage 7.5h.)
High pressure and little cloud overnight into the 22nd away from Scotland and W Ireland led to a widespread frost and also fog patches in Cent and S England. The cloud led to frontal rain and drizzle, particularly in W Scotland, while over England some of the fog lingered all day. Cloud spread into E England later in the day but much of Wales and N and W England had a sunny day with another air frost in places in the evening. (St Mary's 11C, Redhill -6C, Lusa 22mm, Weymouth 6.7h.)
A ridge on the 23rd brought a mostly cloudy/misty night across the British Isles - where the sky was clear overnight for a while some inland frost developed. Northern and Cent Scotland had a mostly mild night, however, with some slight rain. An area from N Wales to SE Scotland saw the best of any sunshine, but most areas had a cloudy and misty day. Light rain fell across Ireland, W and N Scotland, while in the evening skies cleared across Kent and East Anglia with an inland frosts here by midnight. (Machrihanish 10C, Great Malvern -4C, Lossiemouth 3mm, Prestatyn 4.8h.)
Despite high pressure prevailing on the 24th, a S'ward moving across Scotland meant a rather cloudy day over mainy areas. Across Scotland and much of Ireland the night was fairly mild, but in parts of E England under clear skies there was a sharp air frost. Scotland and Ireland then had a cloudy day with some light rain and drizzle over parts of Scotland - however, the front did bring colder air S, and clearing skies led to an air frost in parts of N Scotland by midnight. Skies also cleared across much of England and Wales, away from NE England, as the day developed and after a sunny (if hazy for many) day it turned frosty here in the evening. (Barra 11C, Redhill -8C, Lerwick 7mm, Guernsey 7.8h.)
The front cleared S England during the afternoon on the 25th, leaving high pressure centred at 1035mb near Shetland by 2400GMT. There was a frosty start to the day in S England, but a band of cloud and some slight rain spread S during the day - although the front had little effect across Ireland. Behind the front, and across Ireland, there was some sunshine. It was also sunny in SW England ahead of the front, while any precipitation generally died out in the evening. (Barra 9C, Redhill -9C, Pembrey Sands 2mm, Newquay 8.3h.)
Despite high pressure, the 26th dawned with only patchy air frost due to either cloud or a moderate breeze. Much of the cloud was across Scotland and it remained cloudy here during the day. Elsewhere, the were a few showers near E coasts of England and some sunny intervals elsewhere, as a NE'ly airflow affected most areas. According to the Met Office, there was hail at Margate, and snow in the afternoon at Hastings. (Tenby 7C, Lusa 2C maximum, Aviemore -7C minimum, Manston 1mm, Newquay 8.2h.)
NE'ly winds continued to feed around the high on the 27th, giving another mostly dry but cloudy day. Cloud was widespread during the day and this meant some light precipitation near the E coast of Britain. A more organised frontal band brought rain into SE England and East Anglia later in the day, with falls of slight snow in parts of Kent, Sussex and Hampshire. Snow and sleet also fell over some of the higher ground in Cent Scotland. Ireland was also cloudy with some light rain near the E coast. (Valley 7C, Shap Fell -5C, Charterhall 3mm, Weymouth 4.9h.)
By dawn on the 28th there were clear skies across much of Ireland and E and SE England, with an air frost in many places here as a result; this followed some overnight snow in Cent S England. Across Scotland the day dawned, and continued, mostly cloudy with rain and showers in the E. Elsewhere there was prolonged sunshine, but in a fresh NE'ly to E'ly wind in S and Cent England it felt cool. Frontal cloud brought some wintry weather to the Channel Islands in the afternoon. (Strathallan 9C, Marham -4C, Loftus 4mm, sunshine information not available.)
There was widespread cloud overnight into the 29th across Scotland and NE England, with clear skies and a widespread ground frost elsewhere. There was also a moderate air frost across S Scotland, parts of N England and Cent Ireland. The Channel Islands were also cloudy overnight with some light rain and dirzzle. Across the Channel Islands and Scotland the cloud tended to clear from the W as the day progressed. In NE England it remained cloudy, and this cloud also extended slowly into the Midland and East Anglia. Early fog persisted for a while in Northern Ireland, while in S England there was prolonged sunshine from dawn to dusk. Across Scotland temperatures fell sharply after sunset to give a widespread sharp frost by midnight. There was very dry over Cornwall in the afternoon; dew point depressions were as large as 15-18C over the southern half of the county, with values of about 12C over parts of Pembrokeshire. (Newquay 11C, Shap Fell -7C, Guernsey 2mm, Bognor Regis 8.6h.)
High pressure brought another largely dry day to the British Isles on the 30th. Overnight there was little cloud except over the E and Cent areas of England - with a sharp frost resulting in many inland areas of Ireland and Scotland. There was mist and fog around dawn over parts of N Ireland, S Scotland and NE England too. The cloud spread W into wales and E Ireland during the day, and parts of S Scotland and N Ireland remained rather foggy all day. Under sunny skies some of the highest temperatures followed the sharpest frosts, with low relative humidities in the afternoon - Altnaharra had a temperatire of 9C and a dew point depression of 15C at 1500GMT. But, after sunset, temperatires fell rapidly in N Scotland under the clear skies; by 2100GMT Altnaharra was recording a temperature of -9C. (Aultbea 11C, Tulloch Bridge -11C, Port Ellen 0.7mm, Newquay 8.6h.)
While much of England and areas around the Irish Sea dawned cloudy on the 31st, Cumbria and much of Scotland had a clear night with a sharp frost in places. There was mist and fog by dawn over parts of Cent and S Scotland - this lingered in places and developed into low cloud elsewhere. E and N Scotland had a sunny day while across much of England and Wales there was continuing widespread cloud during the day. Across Ireland there were varying amounts of cloud and some light rain in the SW. Although W Scotland remained rather cloudy, in the E of Scotland clear skies led to sharp temperature falls in the evening. (Baltasound 9C, Shap Fell -2C maximum, Aviemore -12C minimum, no measureable rainfall in the UK, Fishguard 7.9h.)
The 2nd was a cold day across much of the British Isles, apart from SW Cornwall, W Ireland and the Western Isles where Atlantic air allowed temperatures to rise to 10C in places during the day. Elsewhere, clear skies over E Scotland led to a sharp air frost; even under cloudy skies many other parts of E Britain had a frosty start to the day, with fog patches in S England, and temperatures failed to rise much as the cloud persisted during the day. In a few places the cloud produced drizzle or snow grains, depending upon the temperature, but amounts were very small in the UK. In W Ireland measurable rain fell in parts of W Ireland. (Machrihanish 11C, Little Rissington -3C maximum, Braemar -11C minimum, no measurable rain, Aberdeen 6.2h.)
High pressure continued to prevail throughout the 3rd with a cold start to the day in most inland areas of Britain. It remained milder in W Scotland and W Ireland, and later in the day frontal cloud brough rain and drizzle to NW and N Scotland. E and S Scotland and NE Ireland had the best of the sunshine, although it was foggy in places here, while most of England and wales remained cloudy. In S England there was fog, and slight falls of snow, snow grains and ice needles. (Castlederg 11C, Dunkeswell -4C maximum, Aboyne -7C minimum, Aultbea 2mm, Eskdalemuir 4.9h.)
The anticyclone intensified on the 4th, up to 1035mb over Cardigan Bay by 2400GMT, but milder Atlantic air spread S to Cent Scotland and continued to warm W Ireland. Much of England, Wales and S Ireland had a cold and cloudy day with poor visibility in many areas which again kept temperatures down. Rain and drizzle affected the Northern Isles, while E Scotland and NE England had a mostly bright day. In S Scotland fog occurred during the day and was quite thick at times. (Aboyne 13C, Port Glenone -4C, Fair Isle 4mm, Leuchars 7.3h.)
Fog developed into the 5th across Cent S England and persisted until nearly midday in places. Fog was also present by dawn over the E Midlands but this generally cleared quickly. With the high slipping S a W'ly flow brought milder air to many after a cold start in S England with sunny spells here for a while in many places. Cloud was still prevalent across much of the British Isles with some rain over N and W Scotland, and over NW Ireland, while in E Scotland there were breaks that led to sunny intervals. (Bournemouth 11C, Bournemouth -5C, Baltasound 8mm, Torquay 8.6h.)
After some breaks in the cloud during the early hours of the 6th, the day was a cloudy one everywhere. The day dawned with rain and gusty winds in N Scotland but with the cloiud preventing much of an air frost. The rain spread slowly S into Cent Scotland and there were also slight falls in W Ireland later. With a W'ly flow the W was the warmest part of the British Isles, with temperatures remaining above 10C over much of W Scotland and near the W coast of Ireland at midnight. At Ashford, Co. Wicklow, today was the seventh successful sunless day. (Tain Range 13C, Bournemouth -3C, Aultbea 11mm, Lerwick 1.7h.)
The 7th was another mostly cloudy day across the British Isles. Rain fell before dawn across N Scotland accompanied by falling pressure and as low pressure spread towards Norway this dragged the frontal rain S towards the Midlands and S Wales by midnight. The rain was followed by showers in a blustery N/NW wind, and also by falling temperatures. According to the Met Office it had been a mild night in parts of Scotland with the minimum temperature at Kinloss being 9.8C. By midnight there was some moderately heavy rain falling across parts of S England with 30kn gusts here, while skies across much of N Britain and Ireland had cleared. (Tain Range 12C, Baltasound 1C, Aultbea 35mm, Hunstanton 2.6h.)
A cold front swept rapidly down across the England on the 8th introducing a chilly NW'ly wind. By dawn it was almost clear of S England but the wind strength kept most places frost-free despite the clear skies behind it. Showers developed across ireland and Scotland during the morning, although across Ireland rising pressure tended to damp them down later. Over Scotland the showers persisted and turned to snow and hail in places. A few showers also fell over Wales and NE England - but elsewhere in England and Wales skies were largely clear. (Great Malvern 10C, Tyndrum -1C, Buxton (Derbyshire) 16mm, Eastbourne 8.5h.)
High pressure spread from the W on the 9th, with the result that winds were less than yesterday and cloud was mostly confined to coastal areas. There was an air frost by dawn over parts of Scotland, but after a sunny day in many places temperatures fell below freezing point in many inland parts of the British Isles. Wintry showers continued to affect N Scotland and also fell down the E coast of England as far S as Norfolk. (L'Ancresse Guernsey 9C, Saughall -3C, Weybourne 5mm, Weymouth 8.9h.)
Skies were clear overnight across much of England and Wales into the 10th, leading to a widespread air frost. Across scotland cloud decreased as the night progressed and dawn brought a widespread air frost here too. Ireland had increasing amounts of cloud in the morning as a front spread E across the country - by which time there were a few sleet showers over Norfolk and parts of NE England. Over Ireland the cloud brought some slight rain in the W, and the cloud also spread into Wales and W Scotland during the day. But for many places the day remained sunny, with an air frost returneing in these inland sunny areas in the evening. (Teignmouth 9C, Benson -8C, Norwich 2mm, Weymouth 9.3h.)
Frontal cloud and rain swept across many areas on the 11th, introducing a warm sector across much of S Ireland and S England by midnight. There was an air frost by dawn over much of inland Britain, by when temperatures had risen to 9C over W Ireland. Rain and gusts to 50kn affected W Scotland in the morning, spreading slowly E - as did rain across Ireland. The rain continued to progress E in the afternoon and evening, although amounts were small in E Britain while some moderately heavy falls occurred across S England and S Wales later in the evening. Parts of Essex and Kent had an evening frost ahead of the advancing cloud. (Castlederg 10C, Benson -7C, Lusa 14mm, Jersey 6.9h.)
A warm sector persisting across much of the southern half of the British Isles on the 12th meant a damp and cloudy day except in NE Scotland as the warm front lingered close to E Britain. Much of Scotland and N Ireland saw some dry spells during the day, with sunshine in NE Scotland, while in Ireland and W Britain rainfall amounts decreased later in the day. In E England there was light rain and drizzle, with mist and fog patches in places, for much of the day. During the evening the winds strengthened in W Ireland with further rainfall. (Port Glenone 12C, Redhill -3C, Capel Curig 44mm, Lerwick 8h.)
The 13th saw the warm sector clearing Ireland but enveloping much of Scotland. There were clear skies for a while overnight in E Scotland and also some breaks in the cloud in parts of N Ireland and W Scotland later in the day - elsewhere in Scotland and Ireland the day tended to be cloudy throughout with rain spreading E. Across England and Wales there were a few breaks in the cloud with some light rain drizzle over Wales and NE England in particular, and also in SW England later in the day. (Castlederg 13C, Braemar -2C, Port Ellen 7mm, Tiree 1.3h.)
Two sets of frontal systems cross parts of the British Isles on the 14th made for a rather unsettled day with spells of rain. The first had cleared Ireland by mid-morning leading to sunny periods around midday - but as these clearer skies spread E into Britain in the afternoon further cloud and rain spread E across Ireland. MSL pressure fell to 975mb at Stornoway by midnight with gusts of 40-50kn across NW Ireland and W and N Scotland. The second frontal system brought some heavier rain into W Scotland and N Wales, and into S England in the evening (accompanied by gusts to 50kn in places) - by when showers were being blown across Ireland in a W'ly flow. (Bournemouth 13C, Cardinham 3C, Lusa 27mm, sunshine not available.)
With a deep area of low pressure to the NW of Scotland on the 15th, the day was blusetry and MSL pressure fell to 969.2mb at Stornoway by 2400GMT. Frontal rain spread across Britain early in the morning and a showery day then followed, especially in the W. Gusts to 50kn affected W coastal areas of the British Isles, while across the higher ground in Scotland the showers were wintry. Despite fairly clear skies away from the showers, the wind kept temperatures up after sunset even when the showers died down in many areas. (Guernsey 13C, Aboyne 0C, Capel Curig 36mm, Cromer 7.4h.)
The 16th was another unsettled day with further rain and showers across the British Isles. Across Scotland and N England the rain and showers were heavy at times, and the Met Office reported some snowfalls above 500m in Scotland. With pressure remaining low to the W of Scotland, MSL pressure dropped to 966.9 at 1500GMT at Stornoway. The showers brought sferics to parts of Ireland and SW England during the day, with hail falling in places too. Frontal rain spread across ireland and much of England after midday, but tended to linger across SW England - where wind speeds picked up in the evening also. (Guernsey 11C, Lossiemouth 0C, Shap Fell 14mm, Bognor Regis 6.4h.)
A complex area of low pressure affected the British Isles on the 17th, but with up to three low centres quite close to the British Isles at times the winds werre not too strong. Overnight breaks in the cloud across Ireland led to an air frosts in places here, while E Britain had a mostly cloudy night. SW England had a windy start to the day and then saw most of the daytime showers as a front or low pressure centre were never too far away. Rain or showers also affected parts of Ireland, E Scotland and NE England at times, but in many areas the day was largely dry. (Colwyn Bay 11C, Katesbridge -3C, Cardinham 18mm, Bristol 7.3h.)
There was a widespread inland air frost on the 18th under clear skies and with light winds, although in SW England, NE Scotland and S Ireland there was some overnight precipitation. Early mist was also widespread with some fog patches - these lingered all day in parts of the SW Midlands. Although NE Scotland had a a showery day - with falls of snow over higher ground here - the rain in SW England mostly cleared later in the day and many places had a sunny day, with frost and fog forming again in the evening. Further light rain also fell in the evening in S England with a rather cloudy end to the day here. (Norwich 11C, Altnaharra -8C, Guernsey 7mm, Hunstanton 8.1h.)
The 19th dsaw high pressure develop over NW areas, with a general NE'ly flow becoming established. Clear skies overnight away from S England and Scotland led to a widespread air frost - across Scotland cloud and rain became confined to the E in the morning. Across higherground in Scotland the rain turned to snow. Cloud spread N across much of England and Wales during the day - with rain reaching the N Midlands - and with gusts to 40kn in places. The rain was persistent over the Channel Islands and S England. Ireland had a mostly sunny day, but with some fog patches during the morning - an air frost reurned to parts of Ireland and W Scotland in the evening under clear skies. (Guernsey 11C, Shap Fell -6C, Guernsey 25mm, Valley 8.6h.)
High pressure gradually built over W areas of the British Isles on the 20th with the cloud and rain across England weakening and retreating SE. Under a N/NE'ly airflow there were some wintry showers in E Scotland, but most of Wales, Ireland and scotland had a bright day with MSL pressure reaching 1031.8mb at Belmullet by 2400GMT. Across England any rainfall after dawn was mostly slight in intensity (there was some slight snow in N Wales and over the Pennines) - but showers did continued to fall down the E coast of England into the evening. (Aultbea 10C, Kinbrace -4C, Hastings 31mm, Tiree 8.4h.)
High pressure created mostly settled weather on the 21st, with MSL pressure rising to 1036mb over the Northern Isles in the evening. Cloud during the day wqas mostly confined to E areas of Britain and Ireland, with showers falling in the NE/E'ly airflow. These showers were wintry across the Pennines and E Scotland - and later in the day there were showers over W Scotland and E Ireland. During the early evening showers affected Cornwall with some thunder near Scilly - by which time a sharp air frost had formed under clear skies in N Scotland. (Sloy 10C, Kinbrace -6C, Leeming 10mm, Tiree 9.1h.)
England, Wales and E Ireland had a rather cloudy day on the 22nd with light rain and showers in the E spreading W and turning wintry in places, especially near high ground. Scotland and Ireland dawned mostly clear with a sharp air frost in parts of Scotland but cloud spread across E Scotland by dawn with some showers here later. In W Scotland and even W Ireland there were spells of cloud during the day - but it was generally drier here compared to eastern areas. (Sloy 9C, Tulloch Bridge -7C, Hastings 8mm, Kinloss 8.7h.)
High pressure to the N of the British Isles on the 23rd drew a NE'ly flow containing frontal bands across the British Isles. After some early clear skies across parts of W Ireland and W Scotland, these bands led to a mostly cloudy day. The frontal bands brought rain to E Britain, with this turning to sleet and snow as it moved SW over higher ground. Over England and Wales snow fell for a few hours in places, but in most places it did not settle. By late evening the precipitation had reached S Ireland and SW England. (Leuchars 9C, Tulloch bridge -3C, Hawarden 15mm, Southpost 2.9h.)
There was a mostly cloudy start to the 24th with E/NE'ly winds bringing rain and snow to many areas overnight. Falls were mostly light, however, and there was an early air frost in parts of S England, S Wales and the Midlands. During the morning there were some prolonged falls of light snow in these areas but only over high ground did it lie at all. During the morning a cold front spread W across N England, Scotland and Ireland - bringing some falls of rain and snow, but with drier and colder air following behind. (Lusa 10C, Dunkeswell -2C, Jersey 14mm, Newquay 7.2h.)
Further frontal cloud and precipitation spread S across Scotland, N Ireland and N England on the 25th, desopite the continuing high pressure over the British Isles. However, precipitation amounts were small and a brisk wind prevented much air frost. In the Channel Islands there was some rain and snow overnight. For much of S England, Wales and parts of SE Ireland skies cleared during the morning, giving a sunny day, only to cloud over again later as the frontal cloud arrived. (Sloy 10C, Kinbrace -5C, Guernsey 2mm, Torquay 8.8h.)
Ireland and W Scotland dawned with generally scattered cloud and an air frost in places on the 26th, but elsewhere the morning began rather cloudy, with some light rain and drizzle (and light snow in places) across England. During the day E and S Britain were generally the most cloudy parts of the British Isles, with some further light showers in the E, with the best of the sunshine being mostly, but not exclusively further W. During the evening showers died down inland and precipitation was mostly confined to W Scotland, W Ireland and East Anglia. (Machrihanish and Castlederg 8C, Port Ellen -2C, Leconfield 4mm, Lowestoft 5.7h.)
W Ireland had a sunny start to the 27th but elsewhere the day dawned rather cloudier with light rain and showers in some E coast areas of Britain. These showers continued during the day, falling as snow over Scottish hills. Across N Scotland there was an increase in wind speed in the morning (with gusts to 50kn in the Northern Isles) as a cold front spread rapidly S - giving rain that was followed by snowfall. The frontal rain spread S during the afternoon and evening, affecting S Ireland and S England by midnight. There was some snowfall across the Pennines and high ground in Wales - but during the evening snow showers tended to die down in many n areas and the cloud cover decreased. An RAF Sea King helicopter was forced down by blizzards in the Cairngorms on Monday night during a mountain rescue after its rotors iced up. (Machrihanish 9C, West Freugh -4C, Loch Glascarnoch 11mm, Lerwick 3.2h.)
Once the cold front had cleared S parts of the British Isles on the 28th all areas had a cold day with a N'ly wind. Although snow showers did penetrate inland as far S as S England, they were mainly confined to coastal areas facing the wind and N Scotland - with many places in the S half of the British Isles having a sunny day. An early air frost was widespread across N England and Scotland - with a further frost widespread by midnight in all areas. Across Scotland snow accumulated on the ground following some heavy falls across northern Scotland where conditions became dangerous for travelling. Aberdeenshire had almost 150 schools closed, all schools were shut in Shetland, and Aberdeen and Kirkwall airports closed. Road closures included the B974 Fettercairn to Strachan road, the A93 Braemar to Cairnwell road and the A939 Cockbridge to Tomintoul road, all due to drifting snow. A series of minor accidents coupled with slippery conditions resulted in long tailbacks on many routes in and around Aberdeen. (Guernsey 9C, Loch Glascarnoch 0C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch -4C minimum, Lerwick 23mm, Cardiff 8.8h.)
There was a widespread sharp frost early on the 2nd with temperatures dropping below -10C in parts of N Scotland - especially over lying snow. Falls of snow continued overnight in N Scotland, N Ireland and parts of NW England, Wales and SW England, while fog patches formed in parts of Ireland around dawn. Further showers of hail and snow affected N Britain during the day, but further S there were long sunny spells and only isolated falls of snow across parts of Cent and E England. During the afternoon and evening the winded turned to an E'ly direction across S Ireland and S England and a low pressure area brought evening rain to parts SW England and the Channel Islands. Elsewhere, many places saw cloud clearing and another air frost by midnight. Pupils in the north of Scotland and parts of Wales were told to stay at home for a second day following snowfalls of more than 10cm, whiel on the M57 in Merseyside, one person was killed in a crash thought to have been caused by wintry conditions. (Saunton Sands 9C, Altnaharra 0C maximum, Altnaharra -16C minimum, Hawarden 16mm, Glasgow 9.6h.)
Centres of low pressure almost surrounded the British Isles on the 3rd; the day dawned with cloud and snow showers across much of Scotland and cloud and some precipitation in S England and the Channel Islands (with some snow in the latter area). The snow showers spread S to Cent Ireland and N England during the day, with some falls of hail, while across S England skies gradually brightened as the cloud pushed E. In the evening there was some snowfall in E England and Norfolk, and also in SW Wales - but for much of S Ireland and Cent England the day was bright and sunny and in the evening a widespread air frost returned to the British Isles. Snowfall in the evening was mostly confined to N Scotland. Diggers and snowploughs were out in force to keep many main routes open in Scotland and hundreds of schools across the country, especially the north east, Highlands and Shetland, were closed - it left around 100,000 pupils off school in Scotland. Inverness Airport was closed, and flights in and out of Aberdeen were disrupted. Ice on the River Dee has forced Saturday's annual Aberdeen Universities Boat Race to be postponed. Thunder was reported from Aberdeen at 0815GMT. (Plymouth 8C, Loch Glascarnoch -1C maximum, Altnaharra -15C minimum, West Freugh 9mm, Cromer 9.4h.)
The N'ly flow became re-established on the 4th. Widespread clear skies meant a widespread air frost at dawn after snow showers overnight in N Scotland and in parts of E Scotland and E England. In Aberdeen there were reports of 26cm of lying snow at 0900GMT. Organised bands of snow continued to affect Scotland during the day, with some blowing of the deep snow in a fresh wind. Snow also fell during the day in N Ireland and Wales; showers also affected Norfolk while hail showers fell as far S as Cornwall. Away from Scotland most areas had a sunny day with little cloud - with an air frost returning to many places by midnight. In the morning the M6 south of Lancaster was badly hit by snow and the A588 near Fleetwood was impassable. Motorists in Clitheroe were also being warned of extremely icy road conditions across the area. (Falmouth 9C, Shap Fell -10C, Aultbea 11mm, Oxford 9.7h.)
The 5th dawned with patchy cloud cover across the British Isles after some overnight snowfall, especially across N Scotland. By 0900GMT Glenlivet was reporting 26cm of lying snow. During the day cloud was mostly confined to Scotland and parts of S England, with mostly sunny conditions elsewhere. Precipitation in S England was mostly in the form of light rain, - there were falls of snow over N Scotland and E England and also some rain showers in parts of Ireland. Over N Scotland snowfall was accompanied by gusts to 40kn - by late evening cloud was mostly confined to N and W Scotland with patches over parts of England, and another air frost was forming in N Ireland and N Britain. (Falmouth 11C, Loch Glascarnoch -5C, Lerwick 12mm, Cromer 10.1h.)
A ridge of high pressure on the 6th led to a generally bright day across much of Britain whereas across Ireland advancing frontal cloud from the W affected most areas from late morning onwards. Wintry showers affected NE and N Scotland overnight, but these faded away during the day. Parts of the UK had some cloud and a showers of rain or snow as a weak front pushed SE from W Scotland to SE England - but falls were only slight. During the afternoon temperatures rose over Ireland as warmer air brought some rain and drizzle - and this precipitation also reached W Scotland and Cornwall later in the evening. By midnight temperatures were as high as 10C in Valentia, but there was another air frost in East Anglia. There were 125 schools closed or partially closed in Aberdeenshire and several roads in the area were also blocked by snow. (Falmouth 11C, Loch Glascarnoch -7C, Lerwick 6mm, Isle of Wight 9.9h.)
A warm sector brought rain and some warmth to S Ireland, Wales and much of S England on the 7th with temperatures generally higher in most places a a result. Rainfall was heavy in places and affected all areas during the day. Cloud cover was extensive across the British Isles. Ahead of the rain there were some clear skies in E Britain in the early hours with an air frosts here as a result. The extensive cloud and persistent rain led to mist and fog patches in many parts of England and Wales during the day. As the rain started to fall across Scotland, lying and drifting snow, coupled with icy conditions after a night of frost, made driving treacherous in some parts of the country. The wintry conditions closedthe A939 from Corgarff to Gairnshiel, the B974 at Cairn o' Mount and the B976 from Crathie to Gairnshiel. (Ashford (Co. Wicklow), Roches Point and Torquay 14C, Baltasound -8C, Milford Haven 27mm, Torquay 2.7h.)
The 8th was an unsettled, wet and cloudy day for many areas due to a low centred over S parts of Ireland and England. The day dawned with widespread mist, fog, rain and drizzle but little frost, and in E Britain these conditions persisted for much of the day. As the low centre pushed SE from E Ireland the main rain area also moved SE, followed by showers across Ireland - although these cleared to give clear skies across much of Ireland in the evening. The cloud cover also broke up a little in parts of Scotland and N England later in the day as pressure started to rise across the area. (Ashford (Co. Wicklow) 16C, Altnaharra -1C, Sennybridge 23mm, Aberdeen 4.8h.)
Away from E England and SW Ireland the 9th dawned after a dry night with some clear skies and an air frost over N and Cent Scotland. The rain and drizzle across Ireland soon spread into Wales and then to much of England and S Scotland. Much of the British Isles had a cloudy day as a result, although there were brighter conditions in a showery N Scotland. Showers followed the rain across England as it pushed N later and there were isolated sferics reported; some of these occurred as a result of a thunderstorm in S London that caused the suspension of the Waterloo and City underground lines due to lightning damage. Across W Ireland winds gusted to 60kn in some of the heavier showers, but by midnight skies had cleared in many areas as showers subsided - although rain continued to fall in parts of N England and S Scotland. (Herne Bay 13C, Loch Glascarnoch -5C, Middle Wallop 11mm, Guernsey 7.1h.)
Cloudy skies overnight, away from Ireland, meant little air frost early on the 10th. During the day rain was mostly confined to E and N England, N Wales and Scotland - although there were widespread showers elsewhere. Across Scotland there was some snow over high ground, while the sunniest skies were across the Channel Islands, Ireland and SW England. Some of the rain also turned to sleet or snow across high ground in NE England later in the day. In many areas there were gusty winds for much of the day. (Guernsey and Falmouth 11C, Salsburgh 0C, Capel Curig 32mm, Torquay 10.3h.)
Parts of N Scotland and Ireland had an air frost into the 11th under clear skies. An E'ly flow into E Britain brought snow and gusty winds to E Scotland and this wintry precipitation soon spread S to East Anglia. Elsewhere, frontal cloud brought some light rain and drizzle and most places had a cloudy day - across Ireland it clouded over in the morning with rain in the afternoon. By midnight there was a widespread air frost in E England, although across a warm front temperatures at this time were 11C in Valentia and Belmullet. (Falmouth 10C, Katesnridge -4C, Capel Curig 7mm, Jersey 6.6h.)
The 12th was a cold day with some heavy snowfalls across Scotland, Wales and N England, with the Met Office reporting 22cm of lying snow at Bishopton. Snow fell as far S as Cent S England, while warmer conditions over Ireland led to rain and drizzle here. Gusts to 40kn accompanied the snow in the E, leading to blowing of the lying snow. Both Glasgow and Edinburgh international airports were closed, and thousands of party goers were left stranded in Glasgow centre in the early hours; all transport around the area came to a stand still so a local hotel, a bus station and a nightclub were opened to shelter those stranded. An estimated 3000 people were accommodated. In south Ayrshire a pregnant women on her way to hospital was airlifted by a RAF helicopter when the ambulance she was travelling in got stuck in the snow. Drifts of snow up to 4 feet were also reported in the area. With cloudy conditions across most of Britain temperatures failed to rise much although 10C and above was widely recorded over Ireland. Heavy snowfall in north west England caused travel disruption; there were delays at Liverpool John Lennon Airport during the day and in Merseyside, Merseyrail Wirral and Northern Line services were subject to delay or cancellation because of points failures and signalling problems. North Wales Police said the snow was particularly heavy around Wrexham, Llandudno and east of Penmaenmawr. (Shannon 14C, Boltshope Park -2C maximum, Boltshope Park -5C minimum, Port Glenone 39mm )
During the 13th most places were cloudy away from SE England. Rainfall was widespread across Ireland before dying out in the evening. As rain spread E into Scotland, N Wales and N England it fell as sleet/snow over high ground with the Met Office issuing a severe weather warning for these areas. Warm air fed into W Scotland, and there were gusts of 50kn in parts of N and W Scotland during the day. Falling temperatures in the evening led to some sleet and snow in the E Midlands, while clearing skies across parts of N England led to surface ice. In Dumfries and Galloway some schools were shut all day due to heavy snowfalls and lying snow. Schools in the Upper Nithsdale and Annandale and Eskdale areas were the worst affected by the weather. At Ashford, Co. Wicklow between 0000 and 2400GMT 33mm of rain fell, compared with just 3.5mm at Casement (28 miles to the NW) and 2.9mm at Dublin Airport (29 miles to the NW); although there was some moderate rain, it was for the most part drizzle for 57h ending just after midnight of the 14th with 50mm falling during this time. (Shannon 13C, Buxton (Derbyshire) -4C, West Freugh 26mm, Southend 9.3h.)
Eastern and Cent Britain clouded over early on the 14th and most areas awoke to a cloudy start. Ireland and the W edge of Britain had a mild start to the day, and ahead of this warmer air were bands of rain, sleet and snow that fell across Cent and E parts of Britain in the morning. There was also some freezing rain that led to icy surfaces in the north. As the warm air spread E temperatures rose a little and the sleet turned to rain. But with a shallow low becoming establihsed over N Britain the day was a cloudy one in most areas. In the evening, despite rising pressure across N Scotland (1028.9mb at Lerwick at 2400GMT) there were still gusts of 30kn around the coasts here. Sleet persisted in parts of East Anglia into the evening, by which time there were fog patches around the Cornish coasts. (Ashford (Co. Wicklow) 13C, Charlwood -3C, Walney Island 23mm, Jersey 7.9h.)
High pressure spread W to become established across the British Isles on the 15th, with a cool E'ly flow resulting. There was patchy cloud across Ireland overnight, but a rather cloudy start to the day over Britain. Across N England and S Scotland there was some rain and sleet that lasted until midday in places, some rain in the Midlands and Wales, and fog in S Wales and SW England. Ireland also had some early light rain and mist patches. While Britain became less cloudy, away from the E coast, as the day progressed, across Ireland cloud was rather more persistent; under the cloudy E coast skies sleet and snow showers fell in places. (Saunton Sands 11C, Emley Moor 1C, Linton-on-Ouse 20mm, Herne Bay 8.3h.)
With high pressure persisting throughout the 16th MSL pressure rose to 1042.9mb at Lerwick by 1500GMT. A brisk E'ly flow made for a cold feel to the day everywhere with wintry falls in E England, that also spread W across N wales and N England into Ireland for a while. NW Scotland and the Channel Islands had the clearest skies and the most sunshine, after an early air frost in the NW. In the evening an area of rain with some sleet and snow affected many S area of England. (St Louis, Jersey 8C, Altnaharra -5C, Edinburgh 7mm, Lerwick 8.3h.)
The E'ly flow continued throughout the 17th. There were some overnight snow showers in E England and over higher ground in SW England - with light rain or drizzle in other S couties of England. Wintry showers continued to affect NE England in the morning, also spreading to the Pennines, but these tended to die down in the afternoon. A brisk wind and low dew points, led to a cool day. Although it was a cloudy day in many areas, parts of N Ireland, NW England and NW Scotland had sunny spells. The temperature only reached 5.0C in Penzance, making it the lowest March maximum temperature in a record back to 1992. (Machrihanish 11C, Altnaharra -4C, Leek 3mm, Tiree 10.3h.)
Much of England, S Ireland and E Scotland had a cloudy night into the 18th but it was generally a dry start to the day apart from some slight sleet and snow grians in parts of S England. Brisk winds continued throughout the day, with gusts to 35kn in parts of S England. Most places had a dry day, but there was some light frontal rain that spread S through N and E Scotland. W Scotland, Wales, N Ireland and W England had a mostly bright day, and across Cent S England the cloud broke in the evening. (Machrihanish 10C, Dunstaffnage -2C, Aviemore 1mm, Tiree 10.1h.)
There was a rather cloudy start to the 19th in E areas, but largely clear skies at dawn over much of Wales and Ireland. The morning brought some light rain and drizzle to NE Scotland as a cold front spread S across Scotland. SW England brightened up in the morning - and there were breaks in the cloud further E. But, as the front spread S some light rain fell later in NE England. During the evening showers over Shetland turned to snow. (Machrihanish 13C, Tulloch Bridge -3C, Kinloss 4mm, Anglesey 11.1h.)
Frontal cloud and rain affected E England at first on the 20th with wintry showers over NE Scotland. There were falls of rain and drizzle over E Ireland and SW England in the morning - with rather cloudy skies elsewhere. Later in the day the precipiation became mostly confined to E Britain, with snow and hail continuing in E and NE Scotland. It remained mostly cloudy into the evening. (Lee-on-Solent 11C, Shap Fell -2C, Scilly 6mm, Jersey 6.1h.)
There were some clear skies overnight into the 21st - these led to a frost in parts of E Scotland, and frosts also occurred in many other areas of that country. Ground frosts were also widespread, with overnight snow showers falling across N and Cent Scotland. Light precipitation also affected NE England and parts of S England early in the day, but for most areas the day was dry. Wintry weather continued across N and NE Scotland during the day and some light rain fell in parts of S Ireland. The evening saw skies clearing in much of Scotland and N Ireland - with a widespread air frost here by midnight. (Saunton Sands 9C, Aboyne -4C, Kirkwall 2mm, Aberdeen 8.1h.)
Across S Ireland, and much of England and Wales the 22nd began with cloudy skies and a slight frost across Cent England, but over N England, Scotland and Cent Ireland clearer skies led to a frosty start to the day. There were snow showers over N Scotland overnight, and during the day several centimetres fell in places - the Met Office reported 5cm lying at Stornoway by early evening. Rain fell over S Ireland overnight - and later in the day in SW England and the Channel Islands, with sleet preceding the rain in the Channel Islands. Wintry weather spread S in Scotland dutring the day, with falls of rain away from the higher ground. N parts of Ireland, Wales and England had a mainly bright and sunny day, but cloud did linger in much of S England. (Ballykelly 9C, Altnaharra -9C, Jersey 11mm, Manchester 9.9h.)
Many areas had a frosty start to the 23rd, although there was some cloud across N Scotland and S England that kept minimum temperatures slightly higher in some places. Scotland had some snow and heavy rain during the day due to frontal weather. Over S Ireland and S England there was a cloudy beginning, with rain in S Ireland by early afternoon that later affected S England - along with strengthening winds that gusted to 40kn in places. N and Cent England had a mainly sunny start, but there were increasing amounts of cloud as the day developed. (Cent London 12C, Baltasound -7C, Lusa 43mm, Norwich 10.6h.)
Low pressure soon spread NE to Ireland during the 24th and unsettled conditions gradually affected most areas. Air frost was mostly confined to N Scotland due to generally cloudy skies overnight. Much of S England had overnight rain, and falling pressure across Ireland brought rain to most places there by mid-morning. The rain over S England gradually spread N during the day, affecting most parts of the British Isles by midnight. The cloud and rain did bring warmer air from the S with temperatures remaining at 9-10C across S and Cent England by midnight - although conditions were rather breezy here throughout the day. (Guernsey 16C, Loch Glascarnoch -2C, Culdrose 17mm, Jersey 7.5h.)
Low pressure and frontal systems made the 25th another unsettled day, but with a SW'ly airflow it was generally mild. An exception to this warmth was N and Cent Scotland where the surface flow remained E'ly and colder. This colder area also from the experienced some heavy and prolonged rain with snow and sleet over some high ground. Further S here were spells of rain spreading from SW England - after a bright start to the day in parts of N and Cent England. Across Ireland the day was showery. (Holbeach 17C, Loch Glascarnoch 1C, Dyce 41mm, Lowestoft 7.4h.)
The 26th followed a cloudy night with some outbreaks of rain, and these conditions continued throughout the day. Inb places the rain was heavy, especially over high ground of W Britain, and for many the ay was a breezy one. With a S'ly airflow the day was mild almost everywhere, the exception being the extreme N of Scotland and the Northern Isles. These latter areas saw a continuation of an E'ly flow. (Scampton 18C, Baltasound 0C, Capel Curig 44m, Cromer 6.5h.)
The 27th was another unsettled and rather breezy day. There were spells of rain, which was heavy across parts of Wales and W Britain with flood warnings for parts of Wales and Scotland. Gusts of 30-40kn were widespread during the day and, with widespread cloud, sunshine totals were rather low away from the Channel Islands. (Ballykelly 16C, Lerwick 3C, Capel Curig 39mm, Jersey 7.3h.)
Low pressure on the 28th meant another blustery day. For much of the day it was cloudy with spells of rain - these were heavy in W Britain and after a few days of heavy rain here there were flood warnings in place for Wales, Scotland and N England. The late afternoon and evening saw a clearance of the cloud spreading across Ireland and into parts of W Scotland, with rain at this time confined to E England along with some rain showers in S England. (Bournemouth 15C, Aboyne 3C, Capel Curig 60mm, Jersey 10.6h.)
Overnight into the 29th skies remained clear across much of Ireland and these conditions also spread to much of Scotland and N England, with an early air frost in parts of N Scotland and Cent Ireland. Further E there were some early showers in E England. W and N Scotland had showers for much of the day and these fell as snow over higher ground. Showers continued under cloudy skies in S England - while cloud spread into S Ireland and SW England during the afternoon followed by widespread rain in these areas. (Gravesend 15C, Aboyne -3C, Tulloch Bridge 12mm, Aberdeen 10.0h.)
The overnight rain spread to much of England and Wales and S Scotland by dawn on the 30th, accomapnied by some blustery winds around the Irish Sea. Clear skies early in the night over parts of N Scotland led to an air frost in places here before the cloud arrived from the S. N Ireland and Scotland continued to see some rain dring the day, while further S the rain was followed by scattered showers. Showers were locally heavy and thundery over SW England and Wales during the afternoon and heavy showers developeed further E and N later into the evening. (Coningsby 17C, Altnaharra -4C, Capel Curig 36mm, Cromer 9.9h.)
Clear skies spread across Ireland and into Wales by dawn on the 31st. Rain spread N into Scotland and was widespread by dawn here and in NE England, while showers fell before dawn over S England. The rain continued over Scotland during the morning while showers continued in SW England and over Wales. The showers became more widespread later in the day and the Met Office reported some thunderstorms from Cent S England to Cambridgeshire during the day. (Guernsey 16C, Lerwick 0C, Port Glenone 22mm, Clacton 7.7h.)
The 2nd was a blustery day with frequent showers, especially in some W areas. N Britain had showers overnight, while over S England an area of rain and showers had cleared to the E by dawn. Although showers spread E in many places, much of SE England had a dry day. However, it felt cool with gusts to 30-40kn being widespread over England and Wales. Across Shetland showers contained hail and snow. During the evening cloud tended to clear across S England and Ireland with temperatures falling over Ireland as the wind eased off here. (Holbeach and Weybourne 15C, Braemar -3C, Capel Curig 36mm, Bognor Regis 11.3h.)
Parts of Scotland and Ireland had an air frost into the 3rd and after a cloudy start in some E areas of England much of England, Wales and Ireland had a bright, sunny day. N and E Scotland had showers during the day, these falling as snow in the N and over high ground, while NE England had a few rain showers. There were reports of isolated showers in SE England as cloud developed in the early afternoon, but falls were slight. The evening finally saw cloud clearing from much of Scotland and NE England (although snow showers continued on Shetland) and clear skies and a N/NW'ly flow meant a dip in temperatures almost everywhere in the evening. (Lee-on-Solent 14C, Aboyne -4C, Aultbea 15mm, Weymouth 11.5h.)
High pressure to the W on the 4th resulted in a NW'ly flow across the British Isles. Skies were mostly clear overnight although near dawn showers affected NE England and cloud developed over SW Britain and SE Ireland. Cloud took much of the day to clear from these latter areas which near the E coast the cloud spread S taking showers, including some hail, into East Anglia. After a cold start to the day it was a sunny one in the W, but in E Scotland and N England there were some snow showers during the day due to S'ward moving troughs. By midnight cloud had cleared from almost everywhere, a notable exception being N Scotland where there was some rain and sleet. At Harborne (Midlands) the observer reported light snow showers around 1520GMT, despite an air temperatiure of 7C. (Guernsey 13C, Tulloch Bridge -5C, Aberdeen 6mm, Anglesey 11.6h.)
Away from a cloudy N Scotland where there was some overnight rain and snow, the 5th dawned generally cold. This frontal cloud spread slowly across Scotland in the morning, later extending to N Ireland and N England. Further S the day was almost cloudless and sunny as a result, but temperatures fell here again in the evening. The cloud in the N spread rain S'wards, and snow fell over higher ground in Scotland. It felt cool in the W'ly flow here, with gusts to 40kn in places. (Lee-on-Solent 13C, Katesbridge -6C, Kirkwall 14mm, Fishguard 12.5h.)
During the 6th the frontal cloud continued to spread S, after clear skies in S England had led to an air frost in places here. To the N of the front N Scotland began the day with wintry showers and these spread further S during the day. Underneath the front there was some rain, which tended to become more patchy as the front spread S, so that falls in Wales, the Midlands and S parts of England and Ireland were generally slight. During the evening the showers tended to die out, and cloud was largely confined to S England, S wales, and to parts of W Scotland and W Ireland where showers persisted longer. (Cent London 14C, Benson -5C, Sloy 24mm, Jersey 12.3h.)
The 7th dawned with increasing amounts of cloud across the British Isles and although there was little air frost to start the day, it felt cold throughout the day due to the brisk NW'ly flow. Showers affected Scotland and W Ireland in particular during the day, and there were also a few showers further to the SE. These fell as sleet and snow across Scotland but there were reports of hail from S England too. In the evening clearing skies in N Scotland led to an air frost here, while an organised line of rain affected the S Midlands and parts of S England. Earlier, this cold front had produced a small tornado in the Alkrington area of Manchester; it cut a swathe of damage along a 100-metre wide area, smashing windows of homes, flattening lampposts and blowing garage roofs 10m into the air. The same storm on a cold front reportedly produced hail the size of satsumas in Rusholme (Manchester). (Guernsey 13C, Fylingdales -1C, Sloy 23mm, Torquay 12.8h.)
The 8th was another unsettled and cold day. The day began with an air frost in parts of Scotland and snow showers in places here. A small tornado swept through a Cannock housing estate around 0100GMTy leaving a trail of damage in its wake; windows were blown out, fence panels ripped up and roof tiles blown off houses on the Barnard Way estate. Residents were woken by what they described as a "loud sucking noise". While S England remained largely dry during the day, elsewhere showers were quite widespread, with wintry conditions across Scotland and into NE England. Sunderland's Premiership football match against Fulham was abandoned after 21 minutes because of heavy snow. Across E Ireland, Wales, N England and S Scotland there were widespread reports of sferics in the afternoon, and hail was also reported. By midnight most of the showers had died down, leading to clear skies across much of England, Wales and Ireland, although rain and snow (over the higher ground) continued to affect N and Cent Scotland. (Morecambe 13C, Kinbrace -4C, Capel Curig 19mm, Bristol 12h.)
Cloud decreased across Scotland early on the 9th and many places in the British Isles had an early air frost. Frontal cloud brought some rain the E Britain during the morning, before showers that developed from the NW spread to many parts of the British Isles during the afternoon. These showers were heavy in places, with hail and snow as far S as E Ireland and the Midlands. There was also some thunder in places. In the evening some sleet fell in Cent S England, but with rising pressure (1025mb at Valentia at 2400GMT) there were clear skies in many W areas later in the evening. (Lee-on-Solent 13C, Benson -3C, Aviemore 12mm, Torquay 12.1h.)
During the early hours of the 10th a small trough over SE England brought some snow to areas between Hampshire and Kent; in parts of Kent and Sussex as much as 15cm fell in places. 23.9mm of precipitation fell in the 24 hours ending at 0900GMT at Benfleet (Essex). Elsewhere the day dawned mainly clear and with a widespread air frost, although there was some snow in N Scotland and light rain in NE England. N Scotland remained cloudy during the day with showers turning to rain later. Cent and S Scotland also tended to be rather cloudy throughout the day. Elsewhere, many places had a sunny day (there were some showers in E England in the afternoon) although cloud spilled E into W Ireland in the afternoon and spread to Wales by midnight - bringing some light frontal rain and drizzle to W Ireland. (Great Malvern 12C, Tulloch Bridge -7C, Manston 31mm, Prestatyn 12.4h.)
This frontal cloud and rain spread SE across the entire British Isles on the 11th - ahead of it there was an early air frost over cent, S and E England. Rain from the front was heavy in places and gusts of 30kn were widespread. Following the rain there were widespread showers over Ireland and Scotland by midday, and these later spread to Wales and N England before dying down in many areas by the evening as skies cleared. (Ashford (Co. Wicklow) 15C, Bournemouth -3C, Capel Curig 43mm, Jersey 7.5h.)
Despite widespread clear skies early on the 12th the wind prevcented much of an early air frost. By mid-morning the next bands of frontal cloud had spread E across much of Scotland, Ireland and into Wales and SW England - and these spread to E England by midday - bringing some rain to most places. Further S rainfall amounts were small, but often persistent as waves developed on a front lying through S Ireland and S England in the evening. (Guernsey 15C, Topcliffe 0C, Southport 10mm, Jersey 10.2h.)
During the 13th frontal cloud lingered over S England and close to S Ireland all day - giving a cloud day here with rain that only spread appreciably S in the evening. Further N there were varying amounts of cloud with bands of rain and showers - accompanied by a blustery wind. Across Scotland and NE England there were widespread gusts to 40kn, with the Met Office reporting gusts to 70kn over high ground in Scotland in the afternoon. The showers died out a little in the evening, and skies cleared over a large area of Ireland, Cent and N England. (Margate 17C, Loch Glascarnoch 2C, Kinlochewe 34mm, Leuchars 9.3h.)
The front continued to affect S England, S Wales and S Ireland on the 14th, giving a mostly cloudy day here with periods of light to moderate rain. Despite many clear skies elsewhere early in the day the wind prevented much by way of an air frost. Early rain and showers across N Scotland became less widespread during the day - elsewhere over S Scotland, and N and Cent areas of England, Wales and Ireland it was mostly dry with long sunny spells. (Cent London 17C, Aboyne 0C, Tulloch Bridge 18mm, Cromer 12.7h.)
The 15th was an unsettled day - there was an air frost in E Scotland but rather cloudy skies to start the day elsewhere. Showers fell over W Scotland overnight with rain from Cent Ireland to E England, gradually pushing N into N Ireland and S Scotland. Milder air followed the rain, while a low centred over N France brought further rain to S England around midday. The rain in S Scotland faded in the afternoon but further rain spread SE across much of Scotland and W and N Ireland in the evening on a cold front. (Woodford 17C, Aboyne -5C, Kinlochewe 7mm, Isle of man 6.3h.)
The cold front spread SE to Kent on the 16th, weakening all the time and giving very little precipitation. Behind the front there were showers across Scotland where they also fell as snow over high ground. Further S showers were few - some fell across N Ireland during the day - while a band of rain and showers also affected N Ireland and S Scotland later in the evening. The cold front brought some rain for a time across England and Wales but ahead of this rain it felt quite warm. (Charlwood 17C, Braemar 2C, Aultbea 7mm, Isle of Man 9.4h.)
The cold front made little progress S on the 17th, giving an area of cloud across N England, N Wales and N and Cent Ireland. Further S there were varying amounts of cloud, but generally sunnier conditions developed here as the cloud thinned. Across Scotland showers gave falls of rain, and hail in the N. (Skegness 16C, Lerwick 1C, Cassley 26mm, Tenby 11.1h.)
The front continued to linger across Cent parts of the British Isles on the 18th, giving cloud and continuing to give light, but patchy, rain. Over parts of S Scotland there was a slight air frost before dawn. Waves on the front meant an extension of the cloud S at times, and over Ireland there was a slow S'ward movement of the front. Rain over ire;and in the afternoon pushed into N England and N wales later. SE England had a sunny day in most places, while showers affected N and Cent Scotland. (Herne Bay and Ashford (Co. Wicklow) 16C, Eskdalemuir -1C, Altnaharra 10mm, Eastbourne 12.5h.)
The front finally pushed S on the 19th, giving rain to many areas of S Ireland, S England and Wales during the day. An exception to this was the extreme SE of England and the Channel Islands, where there were some warm, sunny spells. To the N of the front the day began with some clear skies and an air frost in parts of N Scotland - but lines of showers affected N and Cent Scotland later. Some of these spread S into N England, where there were also reports of thunder. (Guernsey 17C, Loch Glascarnoch -2C, Capel Curig 15mm, Jersey 11.9h.)
The 20th was a rather cloudy and unsettled day; across England and Wales the front made slow N'ward progress and the cloud here made for a mild start to the day with temperatures failing to drop below 10C in a some places overnight. An area of low pressure spread E to the SW and S of Ireland bringing rain to S Ireland later in the day - and SE'ly winds over the SW corner of the British Isles. Further N the winds were lighter - the Shetland Isles has an air frost in places before dawn but most of Scotland away from the far N had a cloudy day with some showers and outbreaks of rain. (Herne Bay 15C, Baltasound -2C, Shobdon 11mm, Lerwick 10.8h.)
The 21st started generally cloudy except across N and Cent Ireland, with some light precipitation in S England and mist and fog in the Midlands and NE England. This rain spread into the Midlands and East Anglia during the morning, then gradually petered out. With pressure rising, the clear skies spread across Scotland and into Wales in the afternoon, and into NW England and SW England in the evening. However, some light frontal rain did spread E in to NW Scotland in the evening, accompanied by 30kn gusts. (Herstmonceux 20C, Braemar -3C, Scilly 11mm, Tiree 12h.)
The high pressure was short-lived, and by dawn on the 22nd cloud had spread to much of Scotland and Ireland from the W; rain was falling by mid-morning in W Ireland and W Scotland and gusts of 30-50kn were reported here. E and much of S England remained cloudy overnight, but there was a clearance across SE England and East Anglia in the late morning that lasted until the evening. The cloud and the rain in Scotland and Ireland continued to spread SE during the day, with the rain gradually becoming weaker and more scattered. By midnight, skies were clearing across NW Scotland and much of W Ireland. (Saunton Sands 20C, Albermarle -1C, Lerwick 8mm, Eastbourne 9.7h.)
The 23rd dawned cloudy across much of England and S Wales with light rain and drizzle in many places. Elsewhere, despite largely clear skies it was still a warm start to the day. Away from N Scotland, where there were a few showers during the day, most of Ireland and N Britain had a sunny day with little cloud Across England and Wales the cloud and rain pushed steadily S during the day - by midnight cloud and rain was confined to S England and the Channel Islands. Across Cent Scotland and parts of N England there was a local ground frost in the late evening and the clear skies led to a drop in air temperature. (Manchester 16C, Braemar -1C, Dundrennan 8mm.)
The light rain and cloud persisted in S England during the early hours of the 24th; E England had some early mist and fog and this also affected parts of Cent S England around dawn. Elsewhere, the night was mostly clear except in W Scotland where there was some early light rain. During the morning cloud spread E across much of England, Wales and Ireland - with many S and Cent parts having a misty day Across Scotland cloud spread E bringing rain to W districts and gusts to 50kn in exposed places in the W. (Cardinham 17C, Katesbridge -3C, Castlederg 4mm, Scarborough 12.1h.)
Fronts spread cloud and rain across the British Isles during the morning of the 25th, but took until late evening to clear SE England. This mean that rain and drizzle was slow-moving across E England during the afternoon - but across E Ireland, Wales and N England and skies cleared by midday. There were also sunny periods across E Scotland after early rain, but further frontal rain spread E later in the day across Scotland and N Ireland. (Coningsby 19C, Shoreham 3C, Sloy 21mm, Leuchars 5.8h.)
This frontal rain across Scotland spread slowly SE on the 26th - but tended to break up across N and Cent England later in the day. The day dawned with clear skies in parts of E England and N Scotland, and mostly cloudy conditions elsewhere - with fog patches in parts of S England. The cloud brought some rain to S Scotland and N Ireland, before the clearer skies spread SE; E England clouded over in the morning but rainfall across England was slight and mostly confined to the N. A further area of cloud spread E into W Scotland later in the day. (Lee-on-Solent 19C, Loch Glascarnoch 3C, Cassley 15mm, Tiree 10.3h.)
The 27th saw showery rain spreading E across W Scotland in the morning - and some light drizzle in parts of N England from the dying front. In between, there were clear skies that led to isolated air frost in sheltered areas, while cloud was widespread across much of Wales and S and Cent England at dawn. The rain spreading E and SE across Scotland tended to become patchy as the day developed, and the cloud in S Britain gradually cleared throughout the day. This left mostly clear skies and a sunny day for E Ireland, N and SW England and much of Wales. (Great Malvern 18C, Braemar -2C, Lerwick 11mm, Newquay 12.1h.)
High pressure became established over the British Isles on the 28th, helping to suppress areas of rainfall in N and W areas. Overnight there were showers over the Northern Isles, with areas of cloud over N Scotland and in parts of E and S England. In parts of S and Cent Scotland there was an air frost but elsewhere overnight temperatures were somewhat higher. Parts of NE England had some light precipitation but in most areas it was a dry day, with Ireland, Wales and SW England having a very sunny day. (Cardiff 18C, Tulloch Bridge -2C, Rosehearty 0.4mm, Tenby 13h.)
Some inland areas of Scotland had a slight air frost on the 29th but elsewhere patchy cloud kept the temperature up. Cloud remained patchy in most places during the day, and there was little rainfall anywhere. With the varying amounts of cloud came long sunny spells from N Britain to the S, but in some places the N'ly wind made it feel cool. (Strathallan 19C, Altnaharra -3C, Wattisham 0.8mm, Falmouth 13.1h.)
Across much of the British Isles the 30th was a rather cloudy day. There were some breaks, notably in E Scotland early in the day leading to an air frost in a few places, in parts of S England and East Anglia (giving a very sunny day along the north Norfolk coast), and over parts of N Scotland in the evening where the temperature fell sharply to give a localised air frost. There was some patchy rain that fell from the cloud from NE England the SE England before midday, and also further rain that spread E from Ireland, giving moderately heavy falls from Cent S England to S Scotland later. (Torquay 17C, Aboyne -3C, Derrylin 4mm, Cromer 13.1h.)
The 2nd was a rather unsettled day. There was little cloud overnight in E Britain with an air frost in some E areas as a result. In the W advancing cloud had spread rain to Ireland, SW England and SW Scotland by dawn. The rain area made slow progress E, with W Ireland seeing clearing skies by mid-afternoon - although there were some sharp showers here later with hail in places. As the rain spread E it became lighter and much of East Anglia remained dry throughout the day. By midnight much of Ireland was clear of cloud but rain continued to fall from NE England to SW England, and over parts of Scotland. In N Britain winds gusted to 30-50kn in places as pressure fell ahead of a deep low to the S of Iceland. (Gravesend 18C, Aboyne -4C, St Angelo 18mm, Herne Bay 10.4h.)
A S'ly airflow over the British Isles on the 3rd enabled temperatures to rise above 20C for the first time in 2006. There was still some rain in Cent S England around dawn, as well as over parts of W Ireland. Elsewhere skies were mostly clear to start the day. Rain and showers spread into W Scotland and across much of Ireland by midday - and tended to linger here before fading out later in the evening. Once the rain in Cent S England had dissipated most of England, Wales and E Scotland had a sunny day although parts of SW England had persistent coastal mist and fog. (Gravesend 21C, Lough Fea 3C, Lusa 17mm, Falmouth 12.7h.)
A S'ly flow continued on the 4th in E Britain giving a mild night and a warm day in much of E England. S England and Wales had some early cloud and rain that spread into E Ireland, N England and S Scotland - where it became slow-moving. Some of the rain turned heavy and thundery with hail in a few downpours. N Scotland had sunny spells before the cloud spread N in the evening, while W Ireland had a rather cloudy day with some showers. During the evening the frontal cloud spread E into Cent S England and the Midlands although skies cleared a little in S Ireland. The evening saw some heavy thundery rain reported from N Wales to NW Scotland. (Northolt and London 28C, Redesdale Camp 1C, Castlederg 16mm, Eastbourne 13.6h.)
Any cloud in the W half of the British Isles (which gave some heavy rain early in the day to W Scotland) had largely cleared by midday on the 5th although across Ireland there were a few showers still falling at this time. Temperatures of 20C occurred from SE England to NE Scotland in the afternoon under mostly clear skies. Across the Northern Isles there were, however, cloudy skies with rain, mist and fog throughout most of the day. Shwoers continued in the afternoon and evening across ireland, with some more general rain in W Ireland later in the evening. (Cent London 23C, Katesbridge 3C, Tyndrum 43mm, Prestatyn 13.9h.)
The 6th saw frontal systems advancing inland from both the E and W sides of the British Isles, while a small trough also gave some rain in Cent S England. Rain affected W Ireland and Shetland overnight, while cloud spread into E England during the morning. Across Ireland the rain soon turned showery as brighter skies followed on behind a cold front. Rain fell across Cent S England by late morning and additional frontal rain affected e England later in the afternoon. As the approaching fronts met over Britain, much of Scotland, E and Cent England was cloudy by midnight with rain in places - but from W Ireland to Wales skies had cleared by this time, apart for a few showers in W Ireland. (Kinloss 21C, Altnaharra -1C, Baltasound 15mm, Kinloss 14.5h.)
Frontal cloud most of Britain by dawn on the 7th, with rain over parts of Scotland and E England. This system was slow-moving and gave some large rainfall totals in E England during the day. Patchy cloud and a few showers developed over Ireland during the morning - but it was not until late afternoon that clear skies across the Northern Isles spread S into N and NE Scotland. England and Wales had a mostly cloudy and damp day - after some clear skies overnight in parts of Wales and SW England. Heavy rain in SW England in the evening was accompanied by a few sferics. (Cardiff 19C, Sennybridge 1C, Holbeach 41mm, Lerwick 13.2h.)
Low pressure across S England and S Ireland on the 8th meant a cloudy, damp and rather cool day here - with some of the heavier rain accompnaied by sferics during the morning in SE England. Clear overnight skies across parts of N and E Scotland introduced a mostly sunny day day here - and these bright conditions slowly spread to N England by the late afternoon. Further S the day was cloudy with outbreaks of rain across much of the Midlands and Ireland - and later to NW England. Funnel clouds were seen over mid-Devon in the Tiverton area; a few thundery raindrops resulted. (Lusa 23C, Camborne 11C maximum, Aboyne 2C minimum, Swanage 35mm, Lerwick 13.2h.)
With low pressure and an associated frontal system over S Ireland and S England making only slow progress S on the 9th, the coolest and wettest weather was in the S. Rainfall amounts were mostly slight, however, and by midnight cloud was confined S of a line from S wales to Essex. Clear skies across scotland meant a cold start in places here; at Altnaharra the minimum temperature of 1C was followed by a maximum of 22C. Fog formed in the early hours around Shetland and then persisted for most of the day, and sea fog also affected areas of SW England and S Wales. Much of N England and the Midlands had a cloudy start to the day with rain in the Midlands, but cloud gradually disappeared S'wards; a similar thing happened across Ireland in the evening. (Lusa 24C, Altnaharra 1C, Ross-on-Wye 10mm, Aberdeen 13.6h.)
The 10th dawned with mostly clear skies everywhere except across S England, S wales and parts of S Ireland. These clear areas remained so throughoput the day for the most part. However, there was persistent fog again around the Shetlands, and thunderstorms were reported over NW Ireland during the early evening. Across s England the early cloud gave some light rain and widespread mist and fog around dawn. This slowly cleared during the morning although some fog did linger around Cornish coasts but in the evening thunderstorms developed in Devon and later affected S Wales places towards Berkshire, with hail 2cm in diameter being reported S of Reading. By midnight skies were clear almost everywhere but Lerwick and S Cornwall were reporting 100m visibility in fog. (Altnaharra 24C, Braemar 0C, Margate 2mm, Kinloss 14.8h.)
The 11th dawned almost cloudfree but with fog around the Northern Isles, Cornwall and S Ireland. Frontal cloud slipped steadily S across Scotland during the day, with rain affecting parts of N and E Scotland. Elsewhere, the day was a mostly sunny one although the afternoon heat did trigger thunderstorms in many places, but notably in W Wales, SW England and in Cent S England; large hail was reported in Cornwall. (Charlwood 24C, Glenlivet 0C, Lyneham 9mm, Southend 14h.)
The 12th began with cloudy skies across Scotland and clearer conditions to the S. Some light frontal rain spread S with this cloud, while with clear skies and sunshine temperatures rose sharply across much of England and Wales. As the cloudy frontal system met the warmer air to the S, widespread thunderstorms developed over Ireland, Wales and England. The Met Office reported a fall of 15mm in one houre at Hawarden. Although skies cleared across NW Scotland in the evening, most other areas ended the day under cloudy skies as the thunderstoirms gave way to showers. Thick fog affected parts of the Channel Islands in the evening. (Cent London 25C, Aviemore 2C, Hawarden 16mm, Cromer 14.1h.)
The frontal system made only slow progress S on the 13th before breaking up over the Midlands. To the N, much of Scotland had sunny periods/spells - but with a few showers, generally in E Scotland. To the S the day dawned mostly cloudy with rain across N England and Cent Ireland. Some sunshine in SE England led to a few afternoon showers here, and thunderstorms in East Anglia and SE England that spread to E Wales. The met Office reported a fall of nearly 18mm in one hour during a storm at Pershore. Under clear skies in a n'ly air flow the temperature at Altnaharra was down to -3C at midnight. (Margate 20C, Loch Glascarnoch -4C, Pershore 23mm, Tiree 14.6h.)
After a clear night in NW Scotland into the 14th - which allowed the temperature to drop well below 0C in places, cloudy skies were widespread by mid-morning. Low pressure moving towards Ireland pushed a frontal system N across Ireland, giving rain and showers here for much of the day but with temperatures remaining around 13C in SW Ireland by 2400GMT. Scotland, N England and N Ireland also had some slight rainfall and although the cloud remained generally widespread, there were some sunny intervals across Britain - while NW Scotland did not cloud over until late afternoon. (Cardiff 19C, Kinbrace -5C, Faversham 18mm, Stornoway 14.5h.)
With low pressure settling across the British Isles the 15th was a mostly cloudy day. Rainfall was widespread during the day, with the heaviest falls tending to be across N Britain. After a wet start, the rain gradually cleared from S areas and by midnight there was little falling over Ireland, Wales and the S half of England. Some showers followed the rain, and a funnel cloud was reported from Cranwell although the skies did clear in the evening over much of East Anglia. The first UK drought order since 1995 was granted today, allowing Sutton and East Surrey Water to restrict water usage by companies and local councils, and impose further limitations on domestic users. (Herne Bay 20C, Baltasound 0C, Spadeadam 24mm, Lerwick 4.2h.)
The frontal cloud and rain in the N continued to push N during the 16th affecting only N Scotland after dawn. Despite this, the day was generally a cloudy one; with areas of rain affecting S Scotland, S England and East Anglia. Thunderstorms affected the N Midlands and the Peak District, while a small tornado hit the small town of Buncrana, Co.Donegal, in the evening. The evening also brought a clearance of the cloud across the Midlands and Cent Ireland as rain in S Scotland spread NE. (Bridlington 20C, Baltasound 4C, South uist Range 21mm, Lerwick and Clacton 6.8h.)
Low pressure headed NE towards W Scotland on the 17th, with MSL pressure down to 988.5mb at Tiree by 2400GMT. Rain across Scotland finally cleared the Northern Isles by mid-afternoon, but the frontal system brought further rain from the SW, accompanied by gusts of 30-50kn in W areas as the day developed. By midnight the rain was confined to N Ireland, Scotland and parts of NE England with temperatures above 10C everywhere eaprt for N Scotland. (Jersey 20C, Fair Isle 5C, Capel Curig 36mm, Cromer 6.2h.)
Low pressure to the NW and W of the British Isles led to an unsettled day on the 18th - at 0600GMT the MSL pressure at Benbecula was 983.3mb. Rain across Scotland spread NE by dawn, while some rain and drizzle also affected S England before dawn. Both areas saw showers after the rain while further rain and showers spread into W Ireland by mid-morning, with a thunderstorm with hail at Shannon at 1500GMT. Further thunder occurred over the Midlands and Lincolnshire shortly afterwards. By midnight pressure had dropped again to 986mb at Benbecula, while rain and showers were still quite widespread across the British Isles. (Coningsby 19C, Fair Isle 7C, Sloy 42mm, Margate 9.6h.)
Low pressure over N Scotland was followed by low pressure over S Ireland and SW England on the 19th. The day dawned mostly cloudy although in N Scotland a few breaks in the cloud allowed temperatures to fall locally, giving a ground frost. During the day several bands of rain spread E'wards across the British Isles and as pressure fell later in the day in the S there were gales around some coasts. In between the spells of rain there were some sunny intervals and showers, while in the late evening the rain turned heavy across parts of SW and Cent S England. (Holbeach 18C, Altnaharra 3C, Capel Curig 26mm, Kinloss 8.5h.)
The 20th saw low pressure spreading from Ireland to the North Sea giving further widespread rain. MSL pressure fell to 983.5mb across N England during the morning and it was consequently a windy day with gusts to 40kn along the English Channel. As the main rain area spread E to E England, there was a partial clearance of the cloud around areas bordering the Irish Sea - this slowly extended in size in the afternoon. By midnight cloud was largely confined to E and S England, parts of S Ireland and Cent Scotland, with a ground frost devel;oping under moderate N'ly winds in N Scotland. (Norfolk 17C, Stornoway 4C, Bingley 31mm, Jersey 8.2h.)
There were some clear spells overnight into the 21st across W Britain and N Ireland that led to a groiund frost in some N areas. The S of England began cloudy and wet and during the day further rain affected most areas. The rain turned showery across Cent England in the afternoon with thunderstorms occurring in parts of the Midlands. In some areas, notably parts of Cent Ireland, temperatures varied little during the day, the N'ly flow across Ireland keeping the temperatures quite low here. Clearer skies in parts of W and NW Scotland gave sunny spells by day, but another ground frost in places by midnight. Rainfall totals in the period 0000-2400GMT across Ireland included 33mm at Roches Point and 31mm at Claremorris. (Chivenor 17C, Knock 7C maximum, Katesbridge -1C minimum, Capel Curig 20mm, Tiree 13.8h.)
A few breaks in the cloud into the 22nd led to a slight air frost in parts of N Scotland - elsewhere clear spelss were mostly shortlived with further rain and drizzle. Rain and showers continued in most places throughout the day although in the late afternoon there was a clearance in the cloud across Ireland that spread across much of Wales, NW England and Scotland before midnight. A N'ly wind made it feel rather on the cool side for the time of year. In parts of Cent England there were a few thunderstorms in mid-afternoon, while blustery winds led to gales in some cooastal areas bordering the English Channel before winds eased off later in the day. (Church Lawford 17C, Kinbrace -2C, Buxton (Derbyshire) 31mm, Lerwick 12.2h.)
Cloud was slow to break up overnight in E England, but clearer skies elsewhere led to a cold start to the 23rd with an air frost in some inland parts of Scotland. By midday shwoers were breaking out across W Scotland, Ireland and S England and these then spread E into parts of E England. Thunderstorms occurred during the afternoon and evening in E Ireland and W Scotland and although the showers did die down a little in the evening cloud was still fairly widespread by midnight. In Doncaster the R. Don burst its banks after recent heavy rains, while the River Ouse in York also burst its banks during the day. (Torquay 16C, Tulloch Bridge -4C, High Wycombe 11mm, Lerwick 12.7h.)
N England and Cent Ireland had a wet start to the 24th, with rather clearer conditions to the N and cloudy skies further S. However, cloud over W Scotland soon spread E giving rain and showers, whiel S Ireland and S England turned wetter as the area of rain pushed S - giving moderately heavy falls in places. Later in the afternoon and evening skies cleared across Scotland and, although it dried up across s Ireland cloud and rain continued to affect S England, the E Midlands and East Anglia at midnight - due to small low pressure centre over SE Wales (1010mb). (Guernsey 17C, Salsburgh 1C, Buxton (Derbyshire) 22mm, Lerwick 13.3h.)
The rain area in S England pushed E during the morning of the 25th, with most places then having a mainly dry day. An exception to this was SW Ireland where there was some light frontal rain and drizzle - this gradually spread N later in the day to give much of Ireland a cloudy evening. Over S and Cent England it felt quite a warm day after the recent damp conditions although the frontal cloud and some light rain did affect SW England in the late afternoon and evening. Scotland was cooler with some showers, and as skies cleared in NE Scotland in the evening there was a ground frost in places by midnight. (Cent London 20C, Aboyne -1C, Milford Haven 22mm, Isle of Man 13.6h.)
Away from NE Scotland the early hours of the 26th were cloudy as frontal rain spread N and E. The rain was heavy in parts of and was followed by drizzle in late morning over Ireland - this brough mist patches to parts of the UK as it also spread E later. Despite the rain clearing to the E during the day many areas remained affected by low cloud as a frontal wave became slow-moving over E England. Parts of NE Scotland had a bright day until rain finally reached here in the evening, by which time temperatures were a mild 9-13C across much of mainland areas of the British Isles. (Hawarden 21C, Altnaharra -1C, Trawscoed 25mm, Lerwick 13.1h.)
For much of the 27th frontal cloud lingered across S Ireland and S England, giving coastalo fog in SW England and rain and drizzle until the evening - with some moderately heavy falls of rain in places. Low pressure over N Scotland gave a rather cloudy days with rain and showers here, which over N and Cent England cloudy conditions with some rain prevailed until the evening, when skies cleared across much of Ireland, Cent and N England and parts of S Scotland. (Prestatyn 19C, Aboyne 5C, Sloy 21mm, Leuchars 8.2h.)
A NW'ly surface airflow on the 28th across much of the British Isles brought a mixture of sunny intervals and showers. away from Scotland and S England skies were mostly clear before dawn but cloud amounts soon increased in the sunshine, with locally heavy showers soon following from the W across Scotland as a small low moved SE towards the Outer Hebrides. Further S the showers were lighter and patchier, while during late evening skies again cleared across much of Ireland, N England and SE Scotland. Fairly extsneive fog finally cleared from the Channel Islands after lasting for much of three days, and casuign extensive disurption to holiday transport on/off the islands. (Lee-on-Solent 19C, Bournemouth 7C, Cassley 16mm, Scarborough 11.5h.)
During the 29th the low centred near Scotland at midnight filled as high pressure spread from the W; by 1800GMT Belmullet was reporting a MSL pressure of 1029mb. Clear skies overnight in E Scotland led to a ground frost in places; elsewhere in Scotland there was some overnight rain which later spread E before turning more showery in nature - accompanied by gusts over 30kn in places. Showers also affected other areas of the British Isles with some haiol and thunder - the latter particularly in E England in the afternoon. The showers and cloud dissipated in the evening, except in parts of NE England and N Scotland. (Torquay 17C, Tulloch Bridge 0C, Barra 11mm, Cromer 11.9h.)
High pressure became firmly established on the 30th, with MSL pressure remaining close to 1030mb in W Ireland during the day. This meant a N'ly flow with a cold start to the day and a mostly cool afternoon. Rain and showers affected N Scotland at first, slowly transferring E during the day. Some showers also affected parts of S and E England - with gusts to 40kn in some coastal parts of NE England. In the evening cloud again cleared except across N Scotland and NE England. (Torquay 16C, Saughall 0C, Lowestoft 6mm, Falmouth 14.6h.)
High pressure continued to persist during the 31st with 1032mb being the central pressure close to SW Ireland during the second half of the day. Clear skies in some inland parts of Scotland led to an air frost - elsewhere away from N Scotland and NE England skies were also clear overnight and there was a ground frost in places. Patchy cloud developed during the morning but precipitation was mostly confined to NE England and N Scotland in the onshore N'ly flow. In the evening warm frontal rain pushed E into W Scotland and then across into E Scotland; associated cloud also affected S Scotland and parts of N and Cent S England but elsewhere skies were largely clear in the evening. (Great Malvern 18C, Tulloch Bridge -3C, Marham 5mm, Falmouth 15.2h.)
The high pressure moved only slightly on the 2nd, but parts of N and E Britain were affected by frontal cloud during the day. This meant some light rain and drizzle for the Northern Isles and also in coastal NE England - but amounts were small. Elsewhere, most of Ireland, Wales and W Britain had a sunny day. (Leeming 24C, Katesbridge 1C, Lerwick 1mm, Falmouth 15.5h.)
Frontal cloud and rain affected Scotland into the 3rd, with some drizzle lingering in the E until the evening. Elsewhere, under the influence of high pressure over Ireland there was very little cloud at all. Temperatures widely reached 20-25C under the clear skies although coastal areas were slightly cooler. While there was a break in the cloud across Scotland during the afternoon and evening, some coastal cloud did affect coastal parts of the British Isles in the late afternoon and evening. (Lee-on-Solent 25C, Katesbridge 1C, Cassley 8mm, Oxford 16.0h.)
Frontal cloud began the 4th across N Scotland, giving some light rain in places; as the day developed this frontal activity spread SE to affect some near-coastal areas of E England in the afternoon and evening. Patchy cloud occurred widely across the British Isles during the day - and some showery outbreaks developed across N england before spreading S to areas of East Anglia and Cent S England. By midnight most cloud had dissolved, apart from the frontal cloud that still affected N and E Scoytland and E England. (Boscombe Down 25C, Tulloch Bridge 4C, Loch Glascarnoch 5mm, Torquay 15.6h.)
The frontal system in the E weakened during the 5th, after some early light rainfall in places. Early cloud in W Scotland cleared by early afternoon and the cloud in E Britain then also broke up, except for that in NE England. There was patchy cloud elsehwre during the day while around the Isle of Man patchy fog was reported during the day - this fog also affeceted coasts of N Wales from time to time. However, for most of England, Wales and Ireland it was generally another sunny day. (Castlederg 24C, Shap Fell 4C, Manston 4mm, Falmouth 15.3h.)
The 6th was another mostly dry day, at least until the evening when some frontal rain fell across W Scotland. Overnight cloud in NE England had largely cleared by mid-morning and until the late afternoon most places in the British Isles then had a sunny day with little cloud. Frontal cloud did spread into W Ireland and W Scotland in the late afternoon and evening, with some rain in W Scotland later. (Newry Carnbane 26C, Kinbrace 3C, Stornoway 0.4mm, Prestatyn and Falmouth 15.2h.)
The frontal activity died out across Scotland on the 7th although Scotland did have a rather cloudy day nevertheless. Ireland had a cloudy start to the day, and this cloud di not tend to clear until late afternoon and into the evening. England and Wales had a mostly sunny day with little cloud, although there was some low cloud and sea fog off NE England during the day. SE England had some showers later in the afternoon - with the Met Office reporting some thunder and also 1cm diameter hail in Marlow. (Church Lawford 27C, Katesbridge 6C, Kinbrace 1mm, Falmouth 15.3h.)
The 8th began with cloud across Scotland and NE England - but by midday this was largely confined to N Scotland. There was further patchy cloud across Scotland during the afternoon, and in other parts of the British Isles throughout the day. Some mist and fog affected coastal parts of NE England, E Scotland and also the Northern Isles during the day. Elsewhere the day was largely sunny and dry, although some showers occurred across Wales and S England in the late afternoon and evening. (Cent London 27C, Aboyne 4C, South Farnborough 3mm, Falmouth 16h.)
The 9th dawned with little cloud across the British Isles, but with some mist and fog in E Scotland and the Northrn Isles - cloud and fog patches cpontoinued to affect these areas during the day. W Ireland had cloud during the day, with showers and thunder in the afternoon. Elsewhere there was little cloud and prolonged sunshine giving a warm afternoon; in the evening showers spread into SE Ireland from the W. (Jersey 28C, Altnaharra 3C, no measurable rainfall in the UK, Belfast and Tiree 16.1h.)
The anticyclone finally receded to the E on the 10th; there was a mostly cloudless start to the day across britain but by midday cloud had spread E across Ireland - this cloud affected W Scotland, Wales and SW England by the evening, but not until the evening was there measurable rainfall in these parts of Britain. Fog and light drizzle affected the Northern Isles throughout the day, and E Scotland was also misty. Elsewhere, way from the cloud, it was a hot and sunny day. (Cent London and Heathrow 29C, Redesdale Camp 4C, no measurable rainfall in the UK, Oxford 15.5h.)
According to the Met Office the temperature in Cent London did not drop below 21C into the 11th; E England then had a hot day. Further W there were varying amounts of cloud from decaying frontal systems - this cloud gave some light rain and shwoers in the W - but many areas here also had sunny spells after the clearance of the more extensive earlier cloud. Only in the Shetland Isles did the afternoon temperature not reach 15C - due to some mist and low cloud and the cool sea. (Weybourne 31C, Braemar 8C, Culdrose 4mm, Herne Bay 14.7h.)
A cold front, preceded by troughs, made slow progress E on the 12th. Ahead of the front it was a hot day (after a very warm night) in East Anglia and SE England, while the hot (and humid) air also led to widespread thunderstorms. SW England, the Midlands and then parts of Yorkshire saw some heavy thunderstorms that led to flooding in places. In Coventry, the local newspaper has photographs of golf ball sized hail stones, and even some more the size of cricket balls! By midnight it was still warm E of a line Lincoln-Southampton with temperatures up to 19C here in places. The front also brought some rain during the day, while further W there were sunny periods and a few showers. (Cent London 32C, Altnaharra 4C, Torquay 25mm, Torquay 14.6h.)
The warm and humid air was slow to leave SE England on the 13th; the day dawned cloudy across much of Ireland and Scotland due to a weak front, and also cloudy across S England. Elsewhere, cloud soon developed and during the afternoon showers and thunderstorms developed in SE England before moving N. Thunderstorms also affected the Channel Islands. These storms were especially heavy to the E of London with flooding on parts of the London Underground and in the Dartford Tunnel. Elsewhere, the day was rather a cloudy one, with some light rain in N Scotland and along the warm front separating SE England from the Midlands. (Hastings 27C, Shobden 7C, Kenley 11mm, Leuchars 11.7h.)
A weak ridge of high pressure meant a continuation of the mostly dry weather on the 14th. Clear skies led to low temperatures in a few Scottish valleys and skies were mostly clear by dawn over much of Ireland and N Wales; the E half of England dawned cloudy with some frontal rain that turned heavy in a few places and, although for many the rain soon stopped, the cloud tended to linger here for much of the day. Over the W half of the British Isles and also Scotland it was a mostly sunny day but with some convective cloud; the Northern Isles remained rather cool and cloudy however, and it was also cool around the coasts of Scotland. Therre were also reported of some heavy rain and thunder in Kent and Sussex during the evening. (Falmouth, Keswick and Chivenor 21C, Eskdalemuir 2C, Hastings 24mm, Isle of Man 15h.)
The cloud in E England mostly cleared overnight into the 15th, but by mid-morning another band of cloud had spread E across most of Ireland and into W Scotland. However, a few showers affected the extreme SE of England during the morning and by late morning light rain and shwoers were affecting NW Ireland and W Scotland. The former died out, while the latter pushed E - there were also further showers from E Yorkshire to Norfolk later in the afternoon. Elsewhere the day was mostly dry with sunny spells from E Scotland through NW England-Wales-SW England. (Aboyne 24C, Katesbridge 1C, Herne Bay 15mm, Aberdeen 16h.)
A weak fron gave rather cloudy conditions across Scotland and Ireland for most of the 16th, with some light rain and drizzle across Scotland and N Ireland. England and Wales had a mostly cloudless start to the day, and although there was some patrchy cloud during the morning here, it was not until the late afternoon that cloud spread into many Cent and E areas - although it did clear across Wales, the W Midlands and S England in the evening. (Cent London 26C, Shap Fell 5C, South Uist 5mm, Torquay 15.3h.)
The 17th began with patchy cloud over SE Ireland, Wales and S England, and cloudy skies elsewhere. There was early rain across Scotland, although mostly light; it became more widespread later in the morning, then became mostly confined to N and W parts of the country. Light raain also affected Ireland, and while N and NE England remained rather cloudy, sunny spells prevailed elsewhere across England and Wales until the evening when cloud pushed into Wales. Away from the coasts temperatiures rose to 25C over much of England in the afternoon. (Cent London 29C, Sennybridge 9C, Barra 12mm, Newquay 15h.)
Away from the SE corner of England the 18th was a generally cloud day as a depression tracked across W Ireland towards SW Scotland. With the cloud being the thinnest in the SE, temperatures were highest here. Rain and drizzle fell across Scotland and Ireland during the day, and into Wales, and N and W parts England later in the afternoon and evening. By midnight, cloud and wide was widespread, and MSL pressure had fallen to 998mb near Skye. (Gravesend 27C, Bournemouth 9C, Lusa 17mm, Hastings 13.3h.)
Frontal systems and low pressure made the 19th a rather cloudy day in most places. Spells of rain and drizzle affected Ireland and Scotland during the morning and afternoon; a short-lived clearance over Ireland then spread to Scotland before further rain arrived during the late evening in SW Ireland. Rain across England and Wales was lighter and less widespread with falls in east Anglia and SE England being small. In the Northern Isles mist and fog was persistent throughout the day with accomapnying light rain and drizzle. (Cromer 22C, Lerwick 9C, Port Ellen 25mm, Margate 6.5h.)
A an area of low pressure heading towards NW Scotland on the 20th allowed the MSL pressure to fall to 983.4mb at Stornoway by 2400GMT. The low brought windy conditions and rain to W Ireland and w Scotland from late morning onwards - with the Met Office reporting gusts to 50kn during the evening across W Scotland. Early cloud was mostly confined to E and S Britain, but the passage of fronts meant a spell of rain for most areas at some time during the day. not until the evening did the rain reach parts of SE England, allowing sunny spells here for at some of the day, while skies cleared across much of Ireland and Wales later in the evening - by which time gusts to 40kn were being reported from coastal areas of E Scotland and NE England. (Gravesend 24C, Loch Glascarnoch 2C, Tyndrum 27mm, Eastbourne (duration missing).)
Although the low filled slowly on the 21st, MSl pressure did fall down to 981.4mb at Stornoway by 0600GMT. This meant a cloudy and windy day with gusts to 50kn across Scotland with spells of rain and showers - the wind did ease during the afternoon and evening as the low pushed into the North Sea. A blustery W'ly wind brought showers across Ireland during the day and kept temperatures below 15C in many areas. After overnight rain in E and S England much of England and Wales had a dry day with sunny spells - although some showers did run onto W Wales and SW England. NE England also had quite a few showers. (Herne Bay 21C and Gravesend 21C, Saughall 7C, Tyndrum 62mm, Cromer 12.3h.)
The weather across N Britain on the 22nd was the result of a brisk NW'ly airflow - making it feel cool and breezy with rain and showers. As the low filled and headed NE the winds eased and conditions became drier. S England, S Wales and Ireland had a mostly dry day although there were showers in the W of Ireland. Cloud here was variable with sunny intervals, although in the evening there was a more general clearance of the cloud across S England, East Anglia and the S Midlands. (Heathrow 21C, Fair Isle 7C, Kinlochewe 25mm, Isle of Wight 14.2h.)
The 23rd was a day with fairly light winds, but with bands of frontal cloud and rain over N Britain early in the day and over W parts of the British Isles later. This meant varying amounts of cloud across S and Cent England but rather more cloudy skies elsewhere. Rainfall amounts during the day were mostly slight from these fronts and S England had quite a lot of sunshine in places, although cloud did spread NE here from midday onwards. (Cent London 23C, Woburn 5C, Loch Glascarnoch 4mm, Bognor Regis 14.9h.)
Skies were mostly cloudy during the early hours of the 24th with rain or drizzle across Ireland, N and W Scotland, N Wales and S England. As the rain in S England pushed NE the cloud started to clear from here in the late morning - and a clearance also spread SE across NW Ireland and into parts of W Scotland during the afternoon. E Ireland had rain in the morning and rain and showers were slow to clear from NE Scotland - there were some thundery outbreaks in the Grampians during the evening. In SW, SE and Cent England the afternoon was warm and sunny but across Wales, and from the Midlands to S Scotland the day was generally cloudy. (Cent London 27C, Katesbridge 5C, Wick 11mm, Torquay 12.8h.)
There were clear skies overnight in W Scotland and N Ireland, although during the early hours of the 25th skies across SE England tended to cloud over. Sheltered valleys of NW Scotland had an early ground frost. Rain fell across N England and S Scotland before dawn - and as temperatures rose after dawn heavy showers developed from Dorset to Hampshire. The Met Office reported a funnel cloud sighting near Princetown on Dartmoor. Showers also developed later over the Midlands and wales with sferics across S Wales in the late afternoon. A NE'ly flow made it feel cool down the E side of Britain during the day with persistent drizzle and mist in parts of NE England. Elsewhere, Scotland and Ireland had sunny spells, with some showers in SW Ireland and SW Scotland. At Cardiff (Llandaff) 46.7mm fell in the 24 hours from 0900GMT this morning. (Great Malvern 25C, Altnaharra 0C, Weymouth 17mm, Leuchars 13.0h.)
After a fairly dry June across much of S England, the 26th saw some welcome rain espceially in the SE. The day began with little cloud for much of Scotland and Wales, and an air frost in parts of NW Scotland. England, Wales and parts of S Scotland and E Ireland had a wet start to the day. Although there were some bright spells across NW England, most of England and Wales had a cloudy day with persistent rain - the heaviest falls being in W England and S Wales. At Penzance 82.1mm of rain fell in 24 hours starting 0600GMT, with 78.9mm in the 24 hours starting at 0900GMT - the second highest daily fall in the station record back to 1992. Flooding occurred in large parts of the town as a result - 19mm fell in the 45 minutes ending 1800GMT with 15mm during 0900-1000GMT. Also in Penzance at Trengwainton Gardens, 76.2mm fell in the 24 hours to 0900GMT. From 9pm on the 24th to 12 noon on the 26th a total of 44mm fell in Bradninch (mid-Devon); this followed just 8mm from 28 May to 24 June. (Glasgow 20C, Kinbrace -2C, Torquay 41mm, Tiree 16.5h.)
By dawn on the 27th there were breaks in the cloud across N Ireland and parts of SW Scotland; elsewhere cloud cover was prevalent with rain fallking over parts of Wales, N and Cent England. During the day this cloud distibution did not change much - although the rain over England and Wales did ease off. Not until the evening did skies clear across much of S Ireland and parts of N Scotland - with some breaks in the cloud over east Anglia at this time also. (Jersey 21C, Aboyne 2C, Hawarden 18mm, Tiree 14.4h.)
There was only patchy cloud into the 28th across much of Ireland and Scotland, with ground frost in some Scottish glens as a result. Elsewhere, across England and Wales temperatures generally remained above 10C under cloudy skies - and there was some light rain in NE England. During the morning frontal cloud spread E across Ireland with some light rain and drizzle by late afternoon in the W here. Across England the cloud cover slow diminished during the day, although some areas did remain cloudy. In the afternoon and evening cloud and rain spread across Scotland with rain in the W by midnight. (Heathrow 23C, Tulloch Bridge 2C, Albermarle 10mm, Kinloss 14.4h.)
Ireland and Scotland dawned cloudy on the 29th with frontal rain from Shetland to Valentia - across England and Wales there was little cloud by dawn. The front was slow-moving over Ireland and failed to really affect England and Wales, where most areas had a sunny day. Light rain was largely confined to Ireland and Scotland - although Scotland remained cloudy throughout the day there was a clearance across NW Ireland in the evening. (Heathrow 27C, Sennybridge 7C, Barra 7mm, Cromer 15.5h.)
The 30th saw the front finally push E across England and Wales, where it faded due to high pressure. As a result there were varying amoiunts of cloud over England and Wales during the day, but with little cloud in East Anglia and the SE corner of England. Rain affected Scotland during the morning, but there was a clearance of the cloud in NW Scotland by midday as the rain pushed E. Ireland also had varying amounts of cloud during the day but, along with most of the British Isles, cloud generally cleared from here later in the evening, by when the thickest cloud lay over W Scotland and parts of NE Ireland. Across Shetland at this time the cloud and rain had given way to coastal fog. (Cent London 29C, Sennybridge 8C, Dundrennan 14mm, Eastbourne 15.4h.)
A cold front straddled W Ireland and Scotland on the 2nd. To the E of the front temperatures rose widely to 25C and above across England and Wales during the afternoon, while to the W maxima of 15-20C were more common. Some rainfall occurred along the front, and this was augmented by some heavy thunderstorms. Thunder was reported around Devon, Dublin and Fife at 0600GMT and as the temperature rose the area of thundery activity increased - particularly in the afternoon and evening. Across Scotland thunder was reported from NE to SW Scotland, with the Met Office reporting a fall of 11mm in 10 minutes at Inverbervie out of a total fall of 27mm. Further storms also occurred in E Ireland, but NW England, wales, the Midlands and SW England saw the heaviest storms in the afternoon and evening. Large hail and flooding was reported in Lancashire and Cheshire. Houses were set alight by lightning and a funnel cloud was seen near Manchester. As the storms moved NE there was flooding to parts of Yorkshire. Todmorden town centre was flooded with reports of cars floating down the streets in the centre of town. In Wigan, one house was known to have been struck by lightning and the town's fire service took 70 emergency 999 calls in just 30 minutes. Manchester was hit by torrential downpours and flash flooding which closed two lanes of the M60 motorway and damaged homes. A Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue service spokesman said it had received more than 630 calls in four hours; in the Irlam area, firefighters rescued a 90-year-old man and six other people from two cars after they became trapped in water 4ft deep. Because of the heatwave in E/SE England the old, young and chronically ill have been warned to take extra care to maintain fluid intake and avoid sunstroke. (Heathrow 32C, Katesbridge 7C, Rochdale 40mm, Cromer 14.8h.)
Most of England and Wales had a dry and sunny day on the 3rd, with temperatures widely reaching 25C or higher away from the coasts. A line of frontal cloud affected Scotland and Ireland, giving some thundery outbreaks from Scilly to NE Scotland, mostly before mid-morning, although it did gradually brighten up in W areas of these two countries. The Met Office reported some thunder later in the day, with 19mm falling in one hour at St Bees Head. Temperatures were lower under this cloud, and also lower around some coastal parts of England and wales where low cloud and fog was a fog at times. Although the front weakened during the day, it still managed to give some light rain over S Ireland and during the afternoon, while in the evening rain showers spread N into parts of SW England. (Heathrow 31C, Redesdale Camp 10C, Colwyn Bay 25mm, Tiree 15.5h.)
A thundery area of low pressure began to dominate the weather across S parts of Ireland England on the 4th; there were thunderstorms across SW England, S wales and SE Ireland in the morning and during the day there were further thundery outbreaks across England and Wales - reaching as far N as the NW Midlands in the late afternoon and evening, and giving falls of hail in places. Early rain across parts of Cent and N Ireland and SE Scotland pushed W and N during the day. With an onshore wind there continued to be problems along some North Sea coasts caused by mist and fog. N England had a warm and sunny day, while the sky cleared over E Scotland in the evening. (Charlwood 31C, Baltasound 5C, St Bees Head 19mm, Lerwick 14.5h.)
By dawn on the 5th there were widespread thunderstorms across S England, and during the day these steadily pushed into East Anglia, Wales, NW England and SW Scotland. There were locally heavy falls of rain, and some hail, with flash flooding in parts of East Anglia as a result. Between the showers and thunderstorms it was a rather misty day. Cloud and some light rain affected W Scotland, but E Scotland was brighter with sunny spells. Across Ireland it was generally cloudy in the W with some light rain or drizzle, but conditions were brighter in the E. By midnight although most of the thundery activity had died down, it was still cloudy with rainh and drizzle in areas of SW and cent S England and S Wales. (Manchester 29C, Braemar 5C, Middle Wallop 27mm, Eskdalemuir 11.3h.)
The 6th dawned with cloudy skies across much of S and E England, E Ireland and W Scotland. The former area was associated with a thundery trough that gave thunder in the early hours over S Devon. Totterdown, Bristol, recorded 73.6mm in the 24 hours ending 0900GMT, possibly the fourth highest 24-hour rainfall total ever recorded in Bristol. At Frampton Cotterell (near Bristol) 83m of rain fell in 24 hours; many of the local roads were impassable. These storms then moved generally NE to NE England and Lincolnshire by late afternoon/early evening. The cloud across Scotland and Ireland was frontal, with moderately heavy rain in these places as a result. As the rain spread E it weakened and made little progress into Wales, but another line of rain followed across Ireland later in the afternoon/evening. Ireland and scotland therefore had a mostly cloudy day, but sunny intervals prevailed around the showers across E England. (Extremes unknown to author.)
Cold fronts pushed E across the British Isles on the 7th, bringing cooler air to E Britain. This meant a rather cloudy day everywhere, with the best of the sunshine being generally in W parts of Scotland or Ireland. Precipitation amounts from the front were mostly small with a few areas seeing no rain at all. The cloud meant no high temperatures today, but in E England there was a noticeable drop in dew point, for example from 15-17C in East Anglia at 0000GMT to 10-12C by 2400GMT. (Torquay 25C, Katesbridge 9C, Baltasound 7mm, Tiree 7.6h.)
There was some rain before dawn over Scotland on the 8th with some heavy showers over Shetland. While Shetland then brightened to have a very sunny day, the remainder of Scotland had a rather cloudy day with showers in the monring followed by some rain in the evening. The latter spell of rain was caused by a depression that headed towards NW Ireland (MSL pressure at Belmullet at 2400GMT was 994mb) - and the rain had also reached Wales, N and Cent England by midnight. England had a dry but rather cloudy day until late afternoon when rain spread to the W. (Gravesend 24C, Lossiemouth 7C, Lerwick 10mm, Lerwick 16.4h.)
Low pressure over and to the N of Scotland on the 9th brought frontal systems across the British Isles. This meant widespread cloud and spells of rain or showers during the day. The rain was generally heaviest over N Britain with lighter falls in the S. By early afternoon the cloud was breaking across Ireland while skies cleared across much of SE England between 1500GMT and 2100GMT; it remained cloudier in SW England in particular due to slow-moving fronts here - and cloud was also slow to clear across parts of N England and the N Midlands. At midnight rain was falling over W Ireland, marking the approach of the next frontal cloudband. (Heathrow and Cranwell 24C, Baltasound 9C, Eskdalemuir 35mm, Torquay 10.4h.)
The 10th was another day of frontal systems crossing the British Isles. The day dawned with mostly clear skies over N Wales, N England, the Midlands and East Anglia and rather cloudy skies elsewhere. Over SW Britain there was early rain and drizzle, with rain also in W Scotland and W Ireland around dawn. During the day there was a general E'ward progression of the cloud and rain; Ireland saw the cloud finally break during the late afternoon and evening. Elewhere, however, it remained mostly cloudy throughout the evening with showers across Scotland and light rain or drizzle being slow to clear from parts of S and NE England, and from NE Scotland. (Cromer 26C, Katesbridge 5C, Barra 17mm, Scarborough 10.7h.)
One area of frontal activity cleared from E Britain during the morning of the 11th, after some overnight heavy rain in E England, to be followed by another area of frontal activity that spread rain and drizzle across W Scotland and W Ireland in the evening. Many parts of Scotland had a rather cloudy day with showery precipitation seeming quite persistent over the Northern Isles. Further S there were sunny spells between the two rain areas with much of England and Wales still cloudless by midnight, after a warm day. (Cromer and Cent London 26C, Katesbridge 7C, Baltasounf 13mm, Scarborough 12h.)
Although Ireland and Scotland had a rather cloudy start to the 12th because of frontal cloud, a build-up of high pressure over the British Isles during the day meant that the fronts weakened considerably as they tried to push SE during the day. Consequently, although there was early rain across W Ireland and W Scotland overnight, further falls were limited across E parts of these two countries. Ahead of the decaying fronts, the Midlands, East Anglia and Cent S and SE England remained mopstly cloudfree, sunny and very warm away from the coasts. Skies began to clear Ireland and NW Scotland in the afternoon and by midnight the frontal cloud remnants lay from NE England to Cornwall - with some light drizzle in Cornwall. Shetland also remained rather cloudy throughout the day. (Cent London 29C, Shobdon 6C, Lusa 10mm, Bournemouth 15.1h.)
By midnight on the 13th MSL pressure had risen to 1034mb over NE Scotland. For many places there were long, sunny spells during the day. Notable exceptions included an area SE of a line from NE England to Cornwall. Here a weakening front gave a line of cloud that pushed SE during the day, clearing Kent in the late afternoon, and giving some light rain in SW and Cent S England in the morning. Scotland also had a rather cloudy day, with a relatively cool NW'ly airflow bring some showers to N Scotland. However, this cloud did tend to clear in the evening over S and E Scotland as the wind direction changed. (Church Lawford 25C, Lerwick 13C maximum, Katesbridge 1C minimum, Baltasound 5mm, Margate 14.1h.)
High pressure remained centred over, or close to, N Scotland on the 14th. There was very little cloud at all observed over the British Isles during the day, with no measurable rain as a result. The highest pressure over the mainland was about 1036mb over E Aberdeenshire around 0900GMT. Temperatures rose to at least 20C as far N as NE Scotland in the afternoon - but parts of the Northern Isles remained cloudy until the evening and were consequently much cooler. (Bournemouth 25C, Tulloch Bridge 0C, no measurable rain, Scarborough 15.6h.)
The high pressure continued to persist throughout the 15th across the British Isles, and there was again almost no cloud reported. A notable exception to this were the Northern Isles, where there was some slight cover and very light rainfall. Temperatures as high as 24C as far N as NE Scotland, with an E'ly airflow over much of Britain pulling in warm air off a warm and sunny near-continent. (Bournemouth 27C, Altnaharra 1C, Baltasound 0.4mm, Kinloss 15.8h.)
High pressure continued to dominate conditions across much of the British Isles on the 16th, with little cloud, prolonged sunshine and high temperatures for many. As a result, the Met Office issued at level 2 health alert during the day. There were exceptions to these conditions. In parts of NE England temperatures near the coast were kept down by onshire sea mist/fog and some low cloud that prevailed at times. Frontal cloud spread slowly across Ireland and much of Scotland during the day, although there was a clearance across Ireland later in the evening, and there was some very light rain in W Scotland during late afternoon and evening. Diurnal temperatures at Copley included 24.2C at the official station (from 3.7C to 27.9C, the grass minimum temperature was -3.3C) and 25.6C at the nearby Lead Mill site. (Heathrow 31C, Redesdale Camp 4C, Stornoway 1mm, Isle of Man 15.5h.)
Near cloudless skies continued to give hot and sunny conditions on the 17th across much of England, Wales and Ireland. However, some E coast temperatures in England were lowered by the onshire wind and in NW Ireland there was some coastal fog and light rain. S and E Scotland were also warm, if a little cloudier. Remaining parts of Scotland had considerable cloud cover for much of the day, with light rain and drizzle in the W and N, and patchy sea fog in parts of the W. Later in the evening the cloud cleared from much of S and E Scotland - but at midnight temperatures were widely around 17C under any clear skies over the British Isles. According to the Met Office Coleshill (31.2C) had their highest July temperature for ten years while Aberdeen had an all-time July record with a high of 29.8C. In County Durham 30.0C was measured at Copley, the highest July temperature locally since before 1976. In Penzance 29.7C was the highest temperature (by 1C) in a station record going back to 1992; around Cornwall there was little cooling from a sea breeze on either coast, despite the SST being around 17C. (Heathrow 32.7C, Shap 6C, Baltasound 11mm, Bournemouth 16.2h.)
Near cloudless skies and a light to moderate E'ly wind continued across England, Wales, Ireland and S Scotland throughout the 18th. Afternoon temperatures of 29-30C were widespread acreoss England away from the E coast, and also occurred in parts of W Ireland. N and Cent Scotland dawned cloudy - while Cent parts had turned sunny by early afternoon cloud and some light rain lingered across the Northern Isles until the late evening. The heat brought problems to residents in York, where 500 homes have been left without water after a series of mains burst across the city; Yorkshire Water said a power surge had caused at least 10 mains fractures across the city. Rail lines buckled as a result of the heat in the Midlands on Monday, while glass panels fell at a Newcastle bus station. (Wisley 33.3C, Lerwick 13C maximum, Katesbridge 8C minimum, Lerwick 2mm, Falmouth 15.6h.)
The 19th dawned almost cloudless across most of the British Isles, exceptions being a line of approaching high cloud from W-SW Ireland to Cornwall and some low cloud and light drizzle in E Scotland - with sea fog around the Northern Isles. In parts of N and E Scotland the cloud persisted all day, while the cloud in the SW advanced to NW Ireland to Hampshire by midday, albeit mostly high cirrus. Light rain and showers in Cornwall around midday were an indication of a change in conditions, but over many parts of inland England and Wales temperatures rose to record high values for July. 36.5C at Wisley was the highest July on record for the UK, with 36.3C at Charlwood also surpassing the previous record. 34.2C in Penhow, south Wales, was a official July record for Wales although on Anglesey 34.9C was measured at Llansadwrn. At Steyning 35.8C was an all-time station record going back to 1985. Local records for July were also set at Heathrow (35C), Birmingham, Great Malvern, Reading, Bournemouth and Shawbury. By midnight some light rain had fallen as far NE as a line Belmullet-Heathrow and the evening brough onshore cloud to coastal parts of E England. W Scotland remained clear of cloud with AStornoway reporting 17C. NHS Direct reported increased calls from people hit by sunstroke. Some schools across England were forced to close because of "unbearable" heat, but a 15-year-old girl at a school in Doncaster was told to go home to get her blazer after leaving it at home because of the heat. Two dogs died in the heat - a golden retriever in a garden without shade in Oxfordshire and a whippet left in a car in Warwickshire. Hundreds of people in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire had no clean water early on Wednesday, after garden sprinklers left on during the night emptied small reservoirs faster than they could be refilled. Severn Trent Water said consumption in its area had risen by 200 million litres per day, the equivalent of 800,000 extra people. Visitors to the Peak District National Park in Derbyshire were banned from venturing off footpaths by officials fearing the hot weather could cause fires in dry woodland areas. On the roads, emergency measures were brought in to protect surfaces with gritters spreading gravel after the asphalt began to melt. Unions called for employers to keep staff cool and called for a change in the law to create a maximum working temperature. A 14-year-old boy drowned in a canal in Glen Parva, Leicester as he tried to cool off. (Wisley 36.5C, Lerwick and Fair Isle 14C maximum, Fife Ness 7C minimum, Camborne 1mm, Cent London 15.1h.)
With a trough of low pressure from Ireland to England on the 20th, the day began with cloudy skies in most areas. By mid-morning there were thunderstorms in N Ireland, W Scotland, NW England and N Wales - delaying the start of the Open Golf Championship at Hoylake. As the trough spread N so did the storms, weakening as they did so. Eralier in the day, parts of E and N Scotland had been affected by mist, fog and light rain/drizzle. This allowed the skies to clear across much of England from the morning onwards - the clearance then spreading to Ireland and S Scotland by the evening. By midnight, after a hot afternoon, temperatures were still around 17-20C across much of inland England. (Heathrow 32C, Braemar 7C, Belfast 27mm, Oxford 12.2h.)
A weak front gave early cloud across Ireland on the 21st, but in much of E Britain overnight skies were clear. There was some early cloud over NE England and coastal mist/fog from Shetland to Cornwall - due to a high humidity with dw points of 14-16C being widespread at 0900GMT. Cloud spread gradually E across scotland in the morning while over England and Wales early cloud tended to clear W'wards in the morning, giving a sunny day to most places here, with hot conditions again in the SE corner. A few showers affected E Ireland and NE Scotland in the afternoon, and the Met Office reported scattered thunderstorms in NE Scotland, N Ireland and E England during the afternoon. By midnight there was scattered cloud only across the British Isles with light winds generally, and temperatures as high as 20-22C over the Midlands, East Anglia and SE England. (Charlwood 33C, Baltasound 10C, Altnaharra 13mm, Oxford 14.1h.)
The early hours of the 22nd were warm and a trough across N France helped to trigger thunderstorms before dawn over SE England - these moved N over E England in the morning. Increasing cloud cover overnight led to a warm night everywhere and the high humidity led to coastal mist/fog in many areas from Shetland to SE Ireland. Further storms spread to SE and Cent S England around midday, and brought heavy rain, strong gusts and some large hail in places before they moved N. Temperatures fell by 9-10C in about one hour in places during the storms, with gusts to 40kn in places. Falls included - Church Lawford 9.4C in one hour, Cottesmore 9.1C in one hour, Bedford 12.7C in two hours. In Wiltshire many homes and businesses were affected by flooding caused by the storms. A spokeswoman for Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said it had taken more than 80 calls in less than two hours. Frontal rain and drizzle affected Ireland in the afternoon, but elsewhere the day was dry away from the thunderstorms. Later in the day eighty-two people taking part in a regatta were rescued from The Wash after a freak wind overturned 48 of the 50 boats taking part. The RNLI said the sudden squall reached force 8 or 9 within seconds, tipping sailors into the sea. The sailors were taking part in the Hunstanton regatta between the Norfolk and Lincolnshire coasts. (Bedford 31C, Lerwick 15C, Boscombe 36mm, Torquay 13.6h.)
A weakening cold front spread E across the British Isles on the 23rd, leading to slightly cooler weather for some, preceded by a little rain. The day was generally a cloudy one, at least until the late afternoon when skies cleared across much of England. Early mist/fog affected the coasts of E England and the Northern Isles around dawn - and in parts of the Northern Isles lingered all day. Showers followed the frontal rain across W Scotland and over Ireland - but rainfall amounts were mostly small. (Norwich 29C, Katesbridge 8C, South Uist 12mm, Anglesey 11.3h.)
The 24th began with cloudy skies giving some light rain and drizzle across W Scotland and W Ireland, but with little cloud across England and Wales. The cloud spread E across Ireland during the morning, and the rain pushed into parts of NE Scotland. England and Wales had a mostly warm and sunny day, with temperatures reaching 25C as far N as SE Scotland. By midnight was mostly confined to S Ireland and W/N Scotland, with some light rain in parts of N Scotland. (Charlwood 31C, Shobdon 9C, South Uist 4mm, Oxford 15.5h.)
Cloudy skies by dawn on the 25th were mostly confined to Scotland and parts of Ireland, but by 0900GMT some mist and low cloud was affecting parts of NE England and temperatures were widely up to 22-24C across England and Wales - away from North Sea coasts. Sunshine led to temperatures of 30C and above being widely reported across England - while across Scotland 25-27C was reported in some places in the E as cloud cover in Scotland steadily retreated to the W. Contrasting weather was exhibited by Bridlington and Scarborough, according to the Met Office; Bridlington only reached 17C in misty conditions, while Scarborough had 15h of bright sunshine. In Ireland there were varying amounts of cloud during the day with some rain in the W and s at times, and with 25C reported at stations in Northern Ireland. During the afternoon cloud spread into S Wales and SW England and there were thunderstorms in the Channel Islands in the late afternoon. Kinloss was also reporting a thunderstorm at 2100GMT, and by midnight the storms in the S had pushed N into Hampshire. (Heathrow 33C, West Freugh 9C, Stornoway 3mm, Scarborough 15h.)
The 26th dawned with patchy cloud across the UK and S Scotland following a warm night; the Met Office recorded a minimum temperature of 22.1C in London - 0.2C below the July record high. Showers and thunderstorms affected parts of N England, N and E Scotland overnight and before mid-morning, while a few fog patches were reported before dawen over Ireland. Storms were also reported early in the day in parts of SE England. The temperatures rose rapidly over Cent S, SE, E and NE England, and in SE Scotland with thunderstorms developing in SE England by late afternoon - having earlier affected the Channel Islands. W Ireland remianed cloudy for most of the day, but in E Ireland skies cleared later in the afternoon. Much of Wales, W England and W Scotland had sunny spells with cloud initially clearing here in the late afternoon before further cloud spread from the W into W Scotland in the evening. It was a humid day across England and Wales with dew points up to 18C at 1500GMT in E England - this helped to fuel the storms which pushed N and NW into the evening into the Midlands and Cent S England, with 40mm of rain falling in one hour at Bassingbourn (Cambridgeshire) in the early evening. (London 34C, Baltasound 10C, Altnaharra 17mm, sunshine extremes unknown)
Thundery activity continued in places across the E half of England before mid-morning on the 27th - which also began rather warm across the British Isles. Cloud spread E across Scotland by mid-morning, and cloud also affected Ireland at times with rain/drizzle in the W during the afternoon and evening. After a mostly sunny and warm day across England and Wales, SE and E England had more thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening. E Ireland, Wales and S Scotland had a mostly clear evening - while skies cleared across SE England in the evening as the storms pushed N. The storms were heavy in places, with some localised flooding in E England. Some 26 flights were cancelled and 18 diverted at Stansted because of bad weather in the evening. The heatwave across Europe has led to warnings of a shortage of vegetables in the shops, which in turn could push up prices. Current conditions combined with a cold and wet spring means production of some crops has fallen by up to 40%. Broad beans, potatoes, baby carrots and peas could be some of the produce in short supply over the next few weeks. (London 31C, Loch Glascarnoch 10C, Woburn 23mm, Ronaldsway 13.5h.)
Cloud spread E across Ireland during the early hours of the 28th, reaching W Wales by dawn. Cent Scotland and parts of NE England also had a cloudy start to the day - and there was light rain falling from S Ireland to W Scotland at 0600GMT. Early fog in the Northern Isles did not clear until rain reached here around midday. Most of England, away from the SW, had a warm and sunny day with little cloud although some cloud spilled E into Cent England in the evening. The cloud brought some showers to Cent Scotland during the day, but Wales and SW England remained largely dry despite the cloud. (Charlwood 30C, Sennybridge 8C, Lough Fea 23mm, Buxton (Derbyshire) 14.5h.)
The 29th saw frontal cloud finally spread E across most of the British Isles, introducing some light rain and also and last day of 30C+ temperatures. By dawn most of the British Isles W of a line Shetland to Dorset was cloudy and light rain was falling in Ireland, W Scotland and Cornwall. The frontal cloud gradually spread E - although parts of East Anglia remained sunny until early evening - and rain reached a line NE England - Sussex by midnight. The Met Office reported a rise in temperature of 8.6C in one hour as the wind switched from onshore to offshore. There were some thundery outbreaks in E Yorkshire before midnight. Although Scotland remained mostly cloudy during the day, clear skies with showers in the W spread across Ireland in the afternoon, with parts of Wales clearing in the evening. (Weybourne 30C, Hurn and Redesdale Camp 11C, Lough Fea 24mm, Hastings 13.6h.)
The frontal cloud and light rain finally cleared most of E England by midday on the 30th, although my mid-morning cloud and showers were spreading E across Ireland. Britain also show increasing amounts of convective cloud during the day - with some showers later, while in Shetland the lingering remnants of the front gave rain and drizzle until late afternoon, followed by fog in the evening. Along with the convective cloud came sunny spells, although it also brought heavy showers in SW England, W Scotland and around the irish Sea. Thunderstorms occurred in SW and E Ireland in the afternoon and evening, with some localised flooding in Northern Ireland. (Norwich 27C, Katesbridge 8C, Baltasound 17mm, Colwyn Bay 12.7h.)
Low pressure to the W of the British Isles on the 31st brought an unsettled day's weather to all areas. There were showers during the morning across Ireland and in many W and Cent parts of Britain during the morning, and these made progress E during the afternoon. Sferics were reported over W Ireland latyer in the morning and thunderstorms were reported over NE Ireland and W Scotland during the late afternoon. Showers merged into some more persistent areas of rain in S Wales and SW England in the afternoon and spread E during the evening, giving some heavy falls of rain across S England. As a low centre moved across scotland in the second half of the day there were moderae falls of rain here too. (Weybourne 26C, Loch Glascarnoch 9C, Shap Fell 37mm, Hastings 11.7h.)
Despite the mostly N'ly flow, overnight temperatures remained above 10C away from high ground into the 2nd. During the day, however, temperatures in the N were a little lower than average. Scotland and E Britain dawned rather cloudy with rain - this was heavy in places and only slowly pushed S and E during the day, with a wet day resulting in E Britain from East Anglia N'wards. Later in the day the rain affected the Midlands and SE England. Gusts of 30-40kn were also reported in E Britain as far S as Yorkshire. Ireland, Wales and SW England had little cloud by dawn but cloud soon developed on the NW'ly airstream - although there were few showers here. Frontal cloud gradually spread W to the Midlands and Wales as the rain area pushed S, and 30kn gusts were reported around Irish Sea coasts. (Bognor Regis 23C, Saughall 11C, Cromer 48mm, Falmouth 13.5h.)
A temporary ridge brought drier conditions to E Britain on the 3rd; the day dawned cloudy over N Scotland, parts of W Ireland and in much of S and E England. The rain in E England had cleared England to the E by midday by when MSL pressure had risen to 1022mb at Valentia. Away from the extreme E of England skies cleared across most Cent and S areas giving sunny spells to most of Ireland, Wales and England during the day. Scotland remained generally cloudy throughout the day with light rain in the N and E, after a clear start over S Scotland. By the evening, however, further frontal cloud was spreading across Ireland anf this also affected Scotland, giving some light rain in the W. (Ross-on-Wye 27C, Braemar 4C, Weybourne 14mm, Falmouth 14.6h.)
Frontal cloud and some rain affected Ireland and W Scotland on the 4th; however, progress E of this rain was largely ineffective due to the prevailing high pressure - MSL pressure over 1020mb over S England in the afternoon. There was, however, widespread cloud over England and Wales, with some light rain in W Wales in the evening. The cloud did herald the arrival of warm air - at 2400GMT temperatures were a humid 17-20C across cloudy Ireland, but only 11-12C under clear skies in coastal East Anglia. (Lee-on-Solent 25C, Shap 8C, Belfast 9mm, Falmouth 14.4h.)
A weak warm front made only slow progress E on the 5th. However, away from extreme E parts of Britain it meant a rather cloudy start to the day and there was some slight rain and drizzle from W Scotland to Cent S England by dawn. A warm afternoon followed in E Scotland, E and Cent England with sunny periods here. Areas of Wales and E Ireland also had some sunshine, but as the warm front pushed E across E England in the evening a cold front brought further cloud and some light rain to W Ireland and W Scotland. (Aboyne 28C, Shoeburyness 9C, Lusa 6mm, Bognor Regis 14.4h.)
According to the Met Office, on the 6th the temperature at Aboyne fell no lower than 19C, while Edinburgh recorded its third warmest night with both places lying under a warm sector. After a cloudy start in many areas, a cold front pushed SE across Ireland and Scotland during the day, giving some rain and drizzle - the rain being heavy in parts of W Scotland overnight and NE England in the afternoon. Ahead of the front most of England and E Wales had a warm day, while skies cleared across much of W Ireland behind the front in the evening. (Pershore 30C, Herne Bay 11C, Lusa 24mm, Torquay 12.1h.)
There was a range of minimum temperatures over Britain on the 7th; in the warm sector temperatures around London remained no lower than 18-20C, while 3C was reported in the colder air at Saughall. The intervening cold front pushed SE during the day, clearing Kent in the evening (but not before producing some thunder in Kent and Sussex), and pressure rose from the SW - to 1028mb at 2400GMT at Belmullet. East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said it received more than 100 calls for help from shops, restaurants and other businesses in Eastbourne as people were reported to be knee-deep in sewage after flash flooding. As the front cleared from the NW cloud cover became patchier across Britain with much of W Britain having a sunny day; over N and Cent scotland it remained cloudy with some light rain, while by the evening there was very little cloud over Wales, England or Ireland. (Lee-on-Solent 27C, Saughall 3C, Skegness 14mm, Isle of Man 11.8h.)
The high pressure was short-lived, and further frontal cloud and rain spread SE to many areas on the 8th. By dawn cloud and rain was affecting W Scotland and W Ireland, while across most of England skies were still clear - although there was some cloud in places bordering the North Sea. The cloud and rain made rapid progress SE, although rainfall amounts were small and most of S England had a sunny day before the cloud thickened here. With low pressure NW of Scotland, there were gusts to 40kn in N Scotland during the day. Across Ireland skies tended to clear in the evening behind the front. (Great Malvern 27C, Braemar 3C, Port Glenone 7mm, Bristol 13.8h.)
Low pressure near Shetland on the 9th led to a NW'ly flow across the British Isles, and rather cloudy skies over N and Cent Scotland for much of the day. Most of England had a cloudy start to the day but the clearance of the cold front, to the SE by midday, was followed by sunny spells. Ireland and Wales had a bright start to the day - there were sunny spells in the morning over Ireland, along with a few showers, before some frontal cloud and slight rain pushed in from the NW. Across Scotland there were blustery showers, especially in the N where the rain was rather more persistent, for much of the day with gusts to 40kn in places. (Lee-on-Solent 25C, Fifeness 7C, Cassley 29mm, Saunton Sands 12.0h.)
The NW'ly flow continued throughout the 10th - despite the wind direction the briskness of the flow helped to prevent overnight temperatures from falling too low. While the heaviest rain during the day was confined to N and E Scotland, close to a low centre, showers were widespread across Britain; some more general rain also affected parts of Ireland for a while before skies cleared later in the afternoon away from the E coast here. (Lee-on-Solent 23C, Fifeness 8C, Loch Glascarnoch 20mm, Jersey 12.7.)
The NW'ly flow continued on the 11th and weak fronts meant lines of cloud and some showers for many areas. Gusts to 30kn near the E coast made it feel cold here. Across Ireland and W Britain an occluded front remained slow-moving, leading to a rather cloudy day. (Lee-on-Solent 22C, lowest minimum temperature unknown, Weybourne 12mm, Torquay 10.8h.)
During the 12th the wind turned more N'ly. Low pressure again led to a cloudy day in E areas with rain in E England by daybreak. This rain persisted fror most of the day with sferics in Essex and kent around dawn. The rain was heavcy in places; The Met Office quoted an unofficial rainfall report of over 50mm by early evening at Faversham, 31.4mm of which fell in less than one hour. Elsewhere the day was brighter, leading to some low morning minimum tempeeratures in S Wales, but MSL pressure rose to 1024mb in W Ireland by midnight. However, even in these W areas there was an increase in the cloud cover in the morning with sunny spells resulting. (Weymouth 23C, Sennybridge 5C, Wainfleet 29mm, Tenby 11.4h.)
Low pressure to the E of the British Isles continued to dominate the weather on the 13th, with successive troughs and fronts pushing S down the E side of Britain. This resulted in spells of heavy rain, some of this thundery, near the E coast of England, the Met Office reporting a fall of about 25mm in two hours at Heathrow at one stage. Rainfall of this intensity was responsible for some flooding in parts of SE England. Cent and N England also saw some rain during the day. Ireland, W Scotland, Wales and SW England had a dry and bright start to the day with some low minimum temperatures in the N'ly flow as a result - these areas remained mostly bright throughout the day, although there was some increase in cloud amounts as the day progressed. (Strathallan 22C, Saughall 5C, Lowestoft 36mm, Saunton Sands 9.7h.)
During the 14th the low pressure to the E finally began to relinquish its grip on the British Isles and fronts to the W of Ireland spread E. By mid-morning there was still widespread cloud across the British Isles, except for clearer skies over parts Cent and SE Scotland. These clearances led to a cold start in some sheltered areas, and also sunshine and warm weather during the day. These clear skies also affected parts of E Ireland, W Wales and parts of SW England during the day. There was some rain during the morning in parts of SE England and East Anglia - and the cloud remained here in places all day. Across Ireland there was a change in the wind direction to SW in the evening in W areas - heralding the arrival of frontal cloud and, later, some light rain in the W. from the Atlantic. Across N and W Scotland skies remained cloudy all day with rain from time to time in the N. (Strathallan 25C, Braemar 3C, Manston 11mm, Leuchars 12.5h.)
The 15th brought a deepening low pressure centre on a S'ly track through Ireland; MSL pressure was down to 997mb off S Ireland by midnight. By the same time low pressure had pushed fronts S into N Scotland. After some breaks in the cloud overnight, most areas were cloudy by dawn with light rain in parts of N Scotland, and W areas of Scotland and Ireland. With a frontal system never far away, the Northern Isles had a damp day with thick fog at times. Across Ireland the day was mostly wet, although later in the afternoon clearer skies spread into NW Ireland as the low pushed S. Scotland had a cloudy day with some rain in the W, while rain reached Wales late in the morning and later affected NW England. There were damp conditions in SW England later in the day. Remaining areas of England were mostly cloudy, but there were clearances in the cloud across E areas of SE England and East Anglia, especially later in the afternoon.(Torquay 23C, Braemar 5C, St. Angelo 14mm, Jersey 8.1h.)
Low pressure to the SW of the British Isles on the 16th made for an unsettled day generally. There was a fairly cloudy start to the day with rain in N Scotland, S Ireland and SW England. N and Cent Scotland remained cloudy for much of the day, with rain in the N and W. Cloud was patchier across S Scotland during the day, while Ireland had a day with sunshine and showers as the low centre pushed S. SW England and S Wales had frontal rain during the day, this being heavy in places. Elsewhere, England and Wales had some showers on the N flank of the low, some of the showers turning thundery in Cheshire and Cent S England later in the afternoon. (Charlwood 25C, Braemar 2C, Camborne 31mm, Eastbourne 10h.)
The 17th continued with the cyclonic conditions as the low to the S of Britain drove troughs and frontal bands N. These led to bands of clouds and rain; early in the morning thunderstorms were being reported in Cornwall and these then pushed NE across much of England and Wales during the day, giving some heavy falls of rain. Sferics were also reported in W Scotland during the day. The Met Office reported tornadoes in Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire. Five students were injured after a tornado lifted a portable building into the air at Baston in south Lincolnshire; four people were taken to Peterborough Hospital with minor injuries, after the building was lifted up by high winds and dragged 70 feet. Thunderstorms also left 6,000 homes without power across Lincolnshire. There were also reports of a tornado lasting a few minutes in the evening near Warwick and Leamington Spa. Further thunderstorms occurred in parts of SW England and the Midlands in the early evening - with 22mm measured in one hour at Chepstow. Away from the thunderstorms in the W, Scotland had a rather cloudy day with some rain until the evening, when cloud cover diminished except in Cent Scotland. In Ireland there was cloud and rain in the W at first, with further cloud and rain in the E and S in the evening; in between there were sunny periods in most places. By midnight, much of Cent England was misty after the storms had cleared - with fog reported at Shawbury. A thunderstorm over Penzance dropped a total of 15.6mm, mostly during 1730-1745h; a funnel cloud was also seen. At nearby Gulval there was large hail and flooding, with flooding also at nearby Drift. (Charlwood 24C, Auchincruive 7C, Bingley 39mm, Clacton 11.7h.)
The 18th saw the low centre drifting N from Brest to the Isle of Man, with another unsettled day resulting. The rain was again thundery, with thunderstorms widely reported across England from dawn to late afternoon. Storms also occurred across Wales and SE Scotland, with sferics in Cent Ireland in the early evening. Flooding was reported in Doncaster and at a hospital in Cheltenham. York train station was hit by lightning causing trains to be delayed. After overnight fog in the Northern Isles N and Cent Scotland had occasional rain and sunny intervals. Ireland had a rather cloudy day, as did most of England and Wales. However, skies cleared in E England in the evening. At 1555h there was a funnel cloud near the southern edge of a thunderstorm at Hayle in Cornwall; although widely reported as a tornado, it appears not to have reached the ground. 15.3mm of rain fell during a thunderstorm at Harborne, with some very local flooded areas, from 1450-1620GMT. (Weybourne 24C, Capel Curig 6C, Torquay 49mm, Clacton 10h.)
The low centre remained slow-moving on the 19th across S Scotland. With associated frontal cloud lying predominantly to the N this meant a rather cloudy day with rain for Scotland; rainfall also occurred over Ireland with more showery conditions generally across England and Wales. Some of the showers developed into isolated thunderstorms. Kent, Sussex and Essex had the best of the sunshine with little cloud during the day, although some rain affected this area too late in the evening. (Gravesend 24C, Exeter 9C, Kinloss 36mm, Eastbourne 12.6h.)
During the 20th the low transferred to the Shetland Isles as another frontal system swept E across Ireland. So the British Isles was again generally cloudy. There was a temporary spell of clearer skies over areas close to the Irish Sea during late afternoon - before the front over Ireland spread cloud E'wards. Over Britain the most persistent rain was mostly confined to E Scotland and E England - with thunder over E Scotland in the afternoon. Some light rain pushed into W Ireland before midday - and this turned heavier in places in the evening as it reached SW Scotland. Rain also reached S Wales and SW England later in the afternoon - as the area of clear skies shifted SE into SE England. (Andrewsfield and Ashford, Co. Wicklow 23C, Eskdalemuir 9C, Wick 17mm, Jersey 9.5h.)
There were mostly cloudy skies across Britain on the 21st as a system pushed rapidly E across Wales and England, dragging frontal cloud with it. This meant some rain across England and Wales during the morning, while another low centre near Shetland gave cloud and rain further N. Behind the front pressure rose and brighter skies spread to Ireland, Wales and W England in the afternoon; it became drier, but remained rather cloudy, across Scotland. Further E in England showers and rain continued, with thundery outbreaks across East Anglia in the afternoon and showers over N England. These showers persisted in NE England into the evening, despite clearing skies across most of England and Wales by this time. By midnight a new area of frontal cloud and rain had spread NE into SW Ireland. (Heathrow 23C, Braemar 6C, Bingley 31mm, Tenby 9.8h.)
The 22nd saw a weak ridge of high pressure being eroded from the W by a frontal system that spread across Ireland, Wales and W England by midnight. After some clear spells overnight over England, it was a mostly cloudy day; but there were widespread sunny intervals over most of Britain. Light rain and drizzle affected the Northern Isles, and light rain also spread across Ireland into W Scotland, Wales and SW England later in the day. (Falmouth 23C, Braemar 6C, Topcliffe 3mm, Eastbourne 12.0h.)
The 23rd was a rather unsettled day everywhere. The day dawned cloudy, except across NW Ireland, with rain from W Scotland to Hampshire. This was falling from a cold front that steady pushed E towards the E coast of Britain by midnight. Following troughs brought some heavy showers in S Ireland and SW Britain. Thunderstorms broke out near E Wales in the afternoon and spread towards the Channel Islands and SE Scotland. As the cold front pushed E it then became slow-moving, and some heavy rain fell. A terminal at Manchester Airport was put out of action for a time and there were several reports of flooding across the north of England. Behind the front, Ireland had largely clear skies away from the showers in the S, and this clearance also spread into parts of Wales, NW England and SW Scotland later. (Linton-on-Ouse 23C, Aboyne 9C, Linton-on-Ouse 24mm, Tiree 6h.)
As the front in the E slowly cleared E Britain on the 24th (there was still some heavy rain early in the afternoon in Essex and Orkney), clearer skies spread E from Ireland and pressure rose for a while. Many places consequently had a day with sunny spells. N and Cent Scotland remained rather cloudy, with rain in the E that still lingered across Shetland at midnight. Cloud spread E into W Ireland in the afternoon with some light rain and drizzle by midnight – by which time skies were also cloudy over across SW Britain. (Lee-on-Solent 23C, Loch Glascarnoch 3C, Bognor Regis 47mm, Isle of Man 12.4h.)
The 25th began mostly cloudy in Ireland, W Scotland and SW Britain, but with clearer skies further E that led a slight ground frost in places. Under the cloudy skies there was rain and drizzle, although mostly light in intensity. It remained bright and sunny in much of Cent and E England during the morning, but the cloud in the W then spread E bringing light rain and showers with it. By midnight low pressure lay centred near Lancashire with largely cloudy skies across the British Isles as a result. (Cent London 24C, Tulloch Bridge and Eskdalemuir 3C, Lough Fea 11mm, Bournemouth 12.5h.)
The 26th dawned with mostly cloudy skies across the British Isles – but with some breaks over the Northern Isles; it was not until rain spread into this latter area in the evening that the sky completely vanished from sight. Rain and showers were falling in Ireland and W Britain at dawn, with some rain extending further E across S England. There was a generally dying out of the rain in the E, while frontal cloud moving NE meant that the precipitation initially in the W tended to migrate NE. With a W’ly flow a few showers remained across Ireland throughout the day. Nevertheless, there were brighter skies in W Britain in the afternoon and these spread E in the evening. (Bournemouth 23C, Baltasound 8C, Stornoway 14mm, Lerwick 10.6h.)
Cloud was quite patchy over the British Isles at dawn on the 27th, with a few showers in Cent Scotland and NE England. During the morning showers developed across Ireland and W Scotland in the W'ly airflow - pushing into parts of the NE also. Later in the afternoon the showers became heavy with some thunder in NE Ireland and SW Scotland - with rain later feeding across to N England. Most of England and Wales had a dry and sunny day although by the evening there were rain and showers across S Wales, SW and Cent S England - the showers having largely faded across Ireland by then. (Bournemouth 24C, Aboyne 7C, Prestwick 11mm, Swanage 11.3h.)
Rain across England overnight into the 28th pushed E with most places dry by dawn. Across Scotland and Ireland early cloud was mostly confined to the W where there were some showers overnight. In a brisk W/NW'ly airflow it felt cool even in the sunshine across the British Isles - showers affected W-facing coasts especially in Ireland and Scotland, while in E England there were thunderstorms near the E coast from Kent to Durham in the mid- to late afternoon. During the evening cloud cover generally decreased - except across S Ireland, S Wales and SW England where a few showers continued to fall, and across parts of N and W Scotland which also saw showers continuing. (Torquay 23C, Braemar 2C, Bingley 26mm, Saunton Sands 11.8h.)
After largely clear skies overnight, cloud soon bubbled up during the morning of the 29th in most places and showers became fairly widespread. With low pressure to the E of Britain, showers also spread into E areas of England and Scotland. The showers turned heavy in places, especially in the afternoon, when thunder was reported in parts of E England, East Anglia, Cent S England and the Midlands. Towards the evening skies cleared in most places - but cloudy skies did linger in E and S Scotland where rain and showers continued to fall. (Lee-on-Solent 22C, Lerwick 13C maximum, Katesbridge 5C minimum, Keswick 15mm, Falmouth 11h.)
Over much of E Ireland, Wales and England the 30th dawned bright with little cloud but with a heavy dew in places. This was the result of a weak ridge of high pressure over the S half of the UK (1021.7mb at Scilly at 0600GMT). Early frontal cloud across Scotland gave some rain and drizzle in Shetland - and this persisted for much of the day. In W Ireland a warm front brought some rain by dawn and this precipitation, mostly slight, spread into SW England, Wales, the Midlands and SW Scotland by the evening. Temperatures even rose again in the evening as the front passed overhead in some parts of W Britain. Ahead of the cloud E England had a warm and, in some places, a sunny day - but by midnight there was almost a complete cloud cover across Britain. (Cent London 21C, Aboyne 5C, St. Angelo 11mm, Cent London 12.4h.)
The 31st was a rather cloudy day across the British Isles, with the Channel Islands and parts of E Scotland being notable exceptions. A slow-moving front gave persistent rain and drizzle, especially across S Ireland, N Wales and N England. S parts of the UK had some early light rain and drizzle from a warm front, which was then followed by a rather cloudy day. N of the main rain area there were a few showers in W Scotland and N Ireland, although skies cleared across much of N and Cent Ireland in the evening - the heavier rain had, by then, pushed further S into Cent England. Parts of N England had some sunshine during the day as the rain spread S. (Charterhall 24C, Lerwick 8C, Capel Curig 58mm, Jersey 10.7h.)
A depression centre crossed the British Isles across Northern Ireland and N England on the 2nd, with widespread rain to the S as a result. With MSL pressure down to 992mb over NE Ireland by 1200GMT it was a windy day inland with gusts to 45kn around some coasts of England and Wales. After a bright start in E Scotland cloud and rain also affected much of Scotland - although rainfall amounts were far less than across N Wales and N England. Parts of NW Ireland and W Scotland had some sunny spells around midday, while the raindfall intensity did tend to ease off a little in the afternoon. (Prestatyn 22C, Aboyne 4C, Capel Curig 57mm, Stornoway 5.8h.)
The widespread fronts the 3rd started rather cloudy, but very warm over much of E, Cent and S England. But at 0600GMT rain and drizzle were widespread across much of Ireland, S Scotland and E and S England. By early afternoon skies were clearing across parts of SE England and East Anglia - and it became quite warm here. It was humid, and the Met Office reported that the moist air kept Culdrose under fog until late afternoon. N England Ireland also turned bright in the afternoon, but Scotland, Wales and SW England remained mostly cloudy with further light rain in the afternoon - although the cloud lifted from S Scxotland in the evening. (Heathrow 27C, Aboyne 5C, Carlisle 23mm, Cromer 9.1h.)
A weak ridge of high pressure gave a generally dry day on the 4th, but some precipitation still resulted from a warm front that spread N over much of Ireland, Wales and S England. MSL pressure rose to about 1027mb in the Channel Islands. Light rain and showers affected N Scotland, while there was broken cloud further S until the evening. The front in the S brought cloud, some light rain, warm and humid air N; temperatures by midnight across S England and S Ireland were around 18-19C, while mist and fog affected coastal areas of S Ireland and Cornwall in the afternoon and evening. (Charlwood 25C, Sennybridge 9C, Lerwick 6mm, Charlwood 10.6h.)
During the 5th areas of low pressure moved towards N Scotland, with frontal cloud and rain across East Anglia to S Ireland pushing N, before becoming slow-moving across Scotland. The day thus began generally cloudy with rain from S Ireland to the N Midlands and East Anglia; as the front moved N the rain stopped across England and S Ireland, and the clouds broke-up a little - clear skies spread into SE England later in the afternoon and later to East Anglia. Rain and drizzle were heavy and persistent across W Scotland in particular once the precipitation started. In the Channel Islands there was bright sunshine from mid-morning onwards. (Jersey 27C, Kinbrace 4C, Dunstaffnage 33mm, St. Louis (Jersey) 10.2h.)
As the low pressure area near Scotland filled and moved E, the frontal cloud and rain over Scotland weakened and migrated SE towards S and SE England on the 6th as a cold front. The night was a warm one, with temperatures remaining above 16C across much of England, Wales and S Ireland. This was followed by a warm afternoon in East Anglia and SE England, although as the ccold front spread SE temperatures fell and a band of light rain affected all but the extreme SE corner of England and the Channel Islands by midnight. During the afternoon brighter skies, with some showers across Ireland, followed the front, and by midnight skies were clear across much of Ireland, Wales and NW England. In the Northern Isles a further front gave a rather cloudy day with persistent rain and drizzle. (Margate 28C, Tiree 11C, Eskdalemuir 16mm, Jersey 11.8h.)
The frontal cloud and light rain cleared SE England and the Channel Islands by mid-morning on the 7th - by which time only parts of mainland N Scotland were cloudy. High pressure rapidly spread E across the British Isles, MSL pressure rising to 1030mb over SW Scotland by midnight. With an onshore wind cloud affected NE England at times during the day, but away from Scotland most places remained almost cloudfree. Shetland had some moderately heavy overnight rain, and showers affected NE Scotland at times during the day. (Thorney Island 23C, Spadeadam 6C, Baltasound 22mm, Bournemouth 11.2h.)
The high pressure intensified to 1033mb near The Wash by 1200GMT on the 8th, before weakening slightly later in the day. The day dawned with mostly clear skies and a ground frost in some sheltered areas, but with a lttle cloud along the E coast of britain that gave some rain in the Northern Isles. This light rain continued until late morning with the cloud clearing across Shetland for a while in the afternoon. Some patchy cloud developed across S parts of England and Ireland, in particular, during the day, but away from N Scotland it was a generally sunny day. (Saunton Sands 23C, Braemar -1C, Lerwick 3mm, Filton 12.3h.)
MSL pressure fell slightly on the 9th as the anticyclone retreated E, but it's presence was sufficient to give most of the British Isles a dry day. Exceptions to this were Shetland where a trace of rain fell in places, and the SW corner of Ireland where a trough brought dome rain later in the afternoon and evening. Little overnight cloud resulted in a ground frost in parts of Scotland and some fog patches around dawn in Yorkshire. Despite the sunshine, there was quite extensive medium and high cloud over S Ireland and S Britain during the day, and this thickened and lowered across Ireland later. By midnight, however, broken cloud was largely confined to SW and W Ireland and parts of NE Scotland and Cent S England. (Saunton Sands 25C, Glenlivet 1C, no measureable rain in the UK, Weymouth 12.1h.)
The 10th danwed with cloud across Ireland giving some light rain in the W, and thick fog patches in many places S Ireland and from Cent S England to SE Scotland. Sheltered areas of Scotland again had an early ground frost under clear skies. However, the cloud across Ireland spread E to W Scotland and SW England by late morning, with the rain then in Cent Ireland. By midnight Scotland had clouded over except in the SE, and cloud had also reached W Wales; light rain and showers affected N and W Scotland before midnight with some drizzle and mist/fog in Cornwall. Once the early fog, and some low cloud, had cleared, much of England and wales had a warm and sunny day. (Cent London 28C, Kinbrace 1C, Stornoway 3mm, Cromer 11.9h.)
W of a line from Wick to Weymouth the 11th dawned mostly cloudy with mist and fog patches under clearer skies further E over England. During the morning the fog clearede but the cloud made only slow progress E, the rain being mostly confined to Ireland and W Scotland. As temperatures rose across England mid-level castellanus cloud from the Channel islands N'wards heralded the onset of thunderstorms, which affected an area from the Channel Islands to Lancashire during the afternoon. One storm in Derby reportedly caused some localised flooding as some of the storms turned heavy. The main area of cloud continued to move E during the day - although Sussex to Norfolk remained largely cloudfree by midnight - as did the area of associated rain. 30.2C at Heathrow was the highest September temperature there since 1949, according to the Met Office. (Heathrow 30C, Redesdale Camp 7C, Port Ellen 22mm, Eastbourne 11.2h.)
The frontal rainband made only slow progress on the 12th. Before dawn there were some sferics reported in E Hampshire and according to the Met Office thundery showers drifted north during the early hours, across N England and out into the North Sea. Most places then dawned cloudy with rain in E Scotland, S Ireland and parts of E and Cent England. Cent S England had widespread mist and fog patches at dawn, and fog also affected SW England, the E Midlands, Yorkshire and parts of the Northern Isles. In many places the cloud cover was rather persistent, parts of East Anglia being an exception. There were also widespread breaks in the cloud over E Scotland in the afternoon. Many places saw some light rain or showers during the day, while in the Northern Isles fog patches continued throughout the day. (Norwich 26C, Aboyne 10C, Altnaharra 21mm, Clacton 9.5h.)
The 13th dawned shortly after thunderstorms had affected Norfolk, and with cloud in many areas of the British Isles. W weak front was giving some light rain in parts of Wales and W England at this time while further frontal rain was advancing E through W Ireland. This latter front eventually became almost stationary from Cornwall to W Scotland, with showery conditions across W Ireland. For most areas the day was generally cloudy - NE Scotland and East Anglia being notable exceptions for a while - while mist and fog affected the Northern Isles for much of the day. By midnight, a wave depression lay on a front that stretched from Lincolnshire to the Isle of Wight, and this gave some thunderstorms over East England and SE and Cent s England in the evening - accompanied by heavy rain in places. (Cromer 25C, Redesdale Camp 10C, Marham 10mm, Kinloss 9.4h.)
There was a warm start to the 14th in across England with temperatures remaining above 16C in parts of the SE. As the wave depression moved slowly N from the Channel Islands to NE Scotland it was accompanied by some heavy rain - and thunderstorms that spread from Cent S England to SE Scotland during the afternoon and evening. Much of Britain therefore ahd a rather cloudy day - in contrast to Ireland that had widespread sunny spells - this clearance had spread into parts of SW England, Wales, NW England and SW Scotland by midnight. Initial reports suggest that Leeds, Derby and Harrogate may have experienced small tornadoes during the afternoon, with some damage reported. Lightning strikes hit signals at Leeds station as caused rail travel disruption. In North Yorkshire, fire and rescue crews were called to Harrogate, Summerbridge, Selby, Northallerton and Reeth - all in a two hour period - to deal with flooded premises. In Harehills, Leeds, a roof was blown off a house in a tornado - the whole roof travlled 50m; one man was taken to hospital after he was hit by a falling tree. There was an unofficial report of a gust to 98mph less than a kilometre from the location of the lifted roof. West Yorkshire Fire Service had the largest number of calls ever received by a fire service over a 30 minute period in 20 years. At Leeds Grammar school there was torrential rain and a tornado that took tiles off the junior school roof and wet the inside of the sports hall. At Warstock 37.5mm fell in 15.5 hours to lunchtime, while in Derby a roof under construction and weighing several tonnes was bodily removed by winds. The tornado hit a council depot on Stores Road, Derby, and ripped part of the roof off one building and scattered items being stored in the yard. It then felled a tree on Sir Frank Whittle Road, but no-one was hurt. Several cars were also damaged. In Ilkeston, lightning from the same storm hit the Cavendish Road site of South East Derbyshire College. (Coningsby 24C, Castlederg 9C, Brize Norton 40mm, Southport 8.7h.)
By dawn on the 15th there was still some frontal cloud in E Britain with some light rain in NE Scotland. In Cent S England another front, W'ward moving, was giving widespread rain at this time. Elesehwre, there was little early cloud with ground frosts in Cent Ireland, although fog patches affected parts of N Ireland. In NE Scotland the rain continued in places until late afternoon, although in S England the rain cleared by midday. Some cloud continud to affect parts of E England during the day, while further frontal cloud (and later drizzle) affected W Ireland later in the afternon; elsewhere, there was little cloud and long spells of sunshine. (Bognor Regis 23C, Eskdalemuir 6C, Aviemore 28mm, Falmouth 11.1h.)
The frontal cloud across W Ireland at the start of the 16th made only slow progress E during the day, with its precipitation being confined to the W half of Ireland - at least until the late evening when Dublin and Rosslare reported some slight rain. Much of E England and E coast areas of Scotland dawned cloudy - this cloud made only slow progress W, and it did thin a little near the western edge, and precipitation amounts were slight. Elesehwre there was little cloud - resulting in ground frost in parts of SW Scotland and a sunny day for much of W Scotland, Wales and parts of SW England. (Herstmonmceux 24C, West Freugh 3C, Loftus 1mm, Saunton Sands 12h.)
Much of the British Isles dawned cloudy on the 17th, although there were some bright skies in a line from NW Scotland to the Isle of Wight. This clearance also led to early mist and fog patches in parts of W England - while early fog in the Shetland Isles tended to persist throughout the day. Minimum temperatures were generally high for the time of year - with temperatures of 13-16C being widespread under the cloudy areas at 0600GMT. The frontal cloud in the W was giving some light rain over Ireland, Wales, Cornwall and W Scotland by dawn, and this rain gradually spread E - clearing E Scotland but lingering over E England by midnight. Behind this frontal cloud came clearer skies and a few showers, with much of Ireland, Scotland and Wales clear of cloud by late evening. (Northolt 24C, Altnaharra 6C, Aberdaron 4mm, Kinloss 10.9h.)
The 18th saw one frontal band leaving E Britain and another then crossing from the W. There was little early rain from the first band, except in the Northern Isles but by dawn further rain had started to fall in W Ireland. The latter rain pushed E across Ireland and into W Wales in the morning - the rain then spreading across Scotland and into E England by the end of the day. Ahead of this rain there were sunny spells in Cent and E England in particular. As the rain spread E there were sferics in W Ireland during mid to late morning, and in NE Ireland and SW Scotland in the afternoon. As the rain spread across England rainfall amounts were generally small, although with a low centre down to 989mb reaching the Outer Hebrides by midnight the rain and cloud became rather more persistent here. (Margate 23C, Altnaharra 1C, Capel Curig 22mm, Jersey 9.3h.)
Across much of England and Wales the 19th was a warm and sunny day, due to a weak ridge of high pressure extending NW from S England. Further N and W the day was a little more unsettled; a low over NW Scotland moved away NE during the morning giving rain and showers across NW and N Scotland. During the afternoon a weak warm front spread across NW Ireland and W Scotland bringing further cloud and rain, while another area of frontal rain spread E across W Ireland later in the day. away from the the fronts some showers also affected NW England and other W areas of the British Isles. (Falmouth 22C, Altnaharra 8C, Keswick 20mm, Torquay 10.9h.)
Slow-moving fronts affected N and W parts of the British Isles on the 20th, and another dying front brought some cloud and light rain to parts of w England in the morning. E and Cent England had a warm day with broken cloud. Under the frontal cloud there was widespread rain, some of it heavy, with winds gusting to 45kn around the Irish Sea and over Scotland. During the evening the cloud tended to clear across most of England, away from the SW, with temperatures hovering widely around 16-17C under the clear skies. (Gravesend 23C, Coningsby 8C, Glasgow 34mm, Herne Bay 10.4h.)
A generally warm, S'ly airflow was maintained across the British Isles on the 21st, while later in the day a deepening low pushed rapidly N across W Ireland reaching 974mb of NW Ireland by midnight - the remnants of former hurricane Gordon. During the day frontal cloud and rain affected Scotland and W Ireland in particular - although this did retreat W in the morning. As the low spread N in the afternoon another area of frontal cloud and rain pushed NE across much of Wales and England. Temperatures remained high overnight everywhere, and the afternboon was a hot one ahead of the cloud in SE England. Close to the advancing low centre the pressure gardient was large, resulting in windy conditions with gusts to 60kn from Cornwall to SW Scotland. During the evening some sferics were reported in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. (Bedford 29C and Herne Bay 29C, Ballykelly 11C, Tyndrum 49mm, Jersey 11.4h.)
The 22nd started with low pressure close to NW Ireland, giving windy conditions here and in W Scotland in particular. As the day progressed, the low pushed W and filled, and the winds eased. Gusts to 70kn were reported in the Outer Hebrides overnight, and there were reports of fallen tree branches and power cuts in Northern Ireland as a result. A cold front lying Benbecula-Kent at 0000GMT moved E/NE during the morning to clear E Britain, giving some rain as it did so. Even then, rain continued to fall in E Britain as a wave depression edged along the front N'wards. Further W it was a day of sunshine and showers - some of the showers became organised into bands and sferics were reported over N Ireland in the afternoon. Following the rain, the evening saw widespread fog patches forming in NE England, East Anglia and the E Midlands with visibilities down to 100m in places by midnight. (Torquay 22C, Lough Fea 9C, Wainfleet 45mm, Tiree 8.2h.)
Troughs over Ireland on the 23rd meant a showery start to the day here, and the showers then continued in places throughout the day. Much of E England had a misty/foggy start to the day - this generally cleared by mid-morning to be followed by mostly dry conditions with sunny spells, although some low cloud did linger in NE England. After overnight rain in E Scotland, it soon turned brighter here too, although some sea fog affected coastal areas at times during the day. Elsewhere, W Britain ahd a cloudy start to the day, but away from W Scotland the day then brightened up with sunny spells. Thundery showers developed over Cornwall and the Channel Islands in the evening, however, and by midnight these spread into S Wales with rain in S Ireland. (Northolt 24C, Loch Glascarnoch 6C, Aberdeen 9mm, Jersey 11.2h)
The morning of the 24th saw an area of thundery activity moving spreading out from Devon and S Wales towards London, the Midlands and Lancashire - giving near tropical falls of rain and some vivid lightning displays; in Maidenhead over 26mm of rain fell in an hour during a thundery downpour. In Bloxwich a house was almost destroyed by lightning and fire in the morning, while at Harborne 6.9mm of rain fell during 0720-0740GMT. Away from W Scotland and the Channel Islands most places dawned cloudy; there were showers and some heavy rain over Ireland that later spread into Scotland. East Anglia and Kent had a generally dry morning, and by midday much of England and Wales had turned dry and sunny. Thunderstorms were reported from NW Ireland in the afternoon, and as a complex area of low pressure spread across scotland and Ireland towards the end of the day, many places in the British Isles ended the day with cloudy skies. (Gravesend 25C, Loch Glascarnoch 6C, Strathallan 25mm, Bognor Regis 8.9h.)
Weather on the 25th was dominated by a slow-moving front close to E Britain, that resulted in prolonged periods of rain and heavy showers in East Anglia in particular. There were reports of thunder here during the morning, and the heavy rain brought flash flooding which affected more than 90 properties at Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, and at Lowestoft in Suffolk. Norfolk Fire Service received between 200 and 300 calls in four-and-a-half hours from people having flooding problems. Schools and businesses were forced to close. There was a report of 69mm at Stalham during 0500-1600h. Rain also affected NE England, and there were some heavy showers in SW Scotland and NE Ireland. Later in the day heavy showers accompanied by thunder affected parts of Cent S England, causing minor delays at Heathrow. remaining parts of Ireland, Wales and w England had a mostly bright and dry day. The Northern Isles had a dull and foggy day - and fog also affected the E coast of Scotland. (Pershore 22C, Sennybridge 6C, Lowestoft 53mm, Weymouth 10.8h.)
The 26th brought a ridge of high pressure to E Britain, while a warm front spread E across Ireland later in the day. The day dawned with some cloud in W Ireland and across Scotland; mist and fog patches were widespread in central and E Britain and visibility was especially low in Shetland. Cloud and rain spread into W Scotland and W Ireland during the morning - this only made slow progress E'ward, reaching the Isle of man in the late evening. Most of Scotland had a cloudy day with fog finally clearing in Shetland in the evening, while across England and Wales the skies remained bright and sunny until the evening. Warmer air behind the warm front meant temperatures of 15-17C across W and S Ireland at midnight - compared to 12C in parts of Essex. (Great Malvern and Yeovilton 22C, Katesbridge 3C, Belmullet 11mm, Tenby 10.6h.)
The 27th dawned mostly cloudy, and very warm across Ireland behind a warm front; 0600GMT temperatures were as high as 17C in SW Ireland. The warm front soon crossed Britain and was followed by a cold front - resulting in some rain in most places during the day. There was early mist in Cent S England while, as pressure started to fall in the morning, winds increased in NW Britain with gusts to 50kn both here and in NW Ireland. With the warm front giving only patchy cloud in much of SE England the best of any sunshine tended to be here, ahead of the cold front. Skies cleared a little later in the day over Ireland as showers developed here. (Guernsey 21C, Shobdon 9C, West Freugh 12mm, Clacton 8.6h.)
The mild S'ly flow continued throughout the 28th; despite some broken cloud across Ireland, Wales and W England overnight the day started mild everywhere. The clearing cold front gave some early rain in S England and in parts of Scotland, and this was followed by showers in S England, N Scotland and Ireland in particular. During the afternmoon and evening some heavier rain and showers also fell in S England, associated with a 'kink in the front. (Herne Bay 21C, Belfast 11C, Eskdalemuir 19mm, Scarborough 8.2h.)
The 29th was a generally warm but unsettled day, due to the presence of fronts and troughs over the British Isles. Overnight rain in Cent S England turned thundery in SW England, and these thunderstorms then affected the Midlands and parts of NE England. During the afternoon and evening further storms affected parts of NE and SW Ireland, and then also SW England and S Wales. According to the Met Office. one lady in Oxfordshire was lucky to survive after being hit by lightning. Away from the showers there were sunny spells over much of Ireland, Wales and W England, but in Scotland and E Britain skies remained rather more cloudy. (Herne Bay 21C, Altnaharra 5C, Church Lawford 31mm, Tenby 10.6h.)
The unsettled weather continued throughout the 30th, with low pressure over N Scotland and to the SW of Ireland. At 0300GMT there was little cloud over the British Isles except in S England, S and W Ireland and the Northern Isles - with widespread fog under the clear skies in England and E Scotland, and also in the Northern Isles. Convective cloud soon developed over England, Wales and Ireland with some heavy, thundery downpours in S England in particular, and heavy showers in many other places. Across Ireland the rain was more frontal in nature, and after a bright morning in most of mainland Scotland the rain reached SW Scotland later in the afternoon. In parts of E and N Scotland the mist and fog lingered for much of the day. (Saunton Sands 21C, Tulloch Bridge 1C, Lough Fea 30mm, Valley 9.1h.)
As the low centre moved towards Norway on the 2nd a NW'ly flow became established from the W. Showers continued in places overnight and intensified during the day, with some heavy thundery falls reported in S England in the afternoon. Flooding was reported from Poole in the afternoon. Again, there were sunny intervals between the showers and in the evening the showers tended to die down in much of Ireland, Wales and Cent and S England, with a widespread clearance in the cloud cover. Scotland remained generally cloudy in the evening, with rain falling from fronts that wavered across the country. (Torquay 22C, Katesbridge 6C, Charlwood 35mm, Cromer 7.6h.)
Cloud and rain continued to affect Scotland early on the 3rd, with light rain also falling in parts of NE England. Elsewhere, skies were largely clear with a touch of ground frost in some sheltered areas. After a sunny start in these clear areas cloud soon developed and brought some showers again on a NW'ly airflow. The showers were more widespread over N Britain due to a lingering frontal system - after sunset skies again tended to clear across much of S Britain. (Falmouth 19C, Benson 4C, Ballypatrick Forest 18mm, Weymouth 9.7h.)
The 4th saw winds turning to a more W'ly direction, with troughs/fronts bringing bands of rain and showers from the W during the day. There were largely clear skies overnight across much of Ireland and S Britain with a slight ground frost in some sheltered, inland areas. Scotland had rather more cloud to start the day, but even here there were some breaks leading to ground frosts. The rain and showers tended to steer away from S Britain - being heaviest across parts of N England and S Scotland. While an advancing occlusion led to cloudy skies later in the day over Ireland and W Britain, skies rapidly cleare in the evening across much of E England. (Guernsey 19C, Altnaharra 1C, Walney Island 19mm, Falmouth 9.6h.)
An area of low pressure approached NW Britain on the 5th, pushing frontal bands across the British Isles ahead of it. As a result the clear skies in E England had largely clouded over by dawn - and the rain across SW Britain at this time was associated with rising temperatures. By 0600GMT 16C was being reported at Valentia. With a cold front moving only slowly SE across Ireland and N England much of S Britain had a warm and damp day with temperatures remaining fairly constant at around 15-16C in the evening. There was some heavy rain from this moist air over the higher ground of W Britain - although across Scotland falls were much lighter. With falling pressure from the W there were gusts to 45kn in some exposed W parts of Britain and Ireland during the day. (Ballykelly 18C, Aboyne 1C, Capel Curig 50mm, Lerwick 6.0h.)
A low pressure corssed the Northern Isles on the 6th with MSL pressure down to 985mb at Lerwick at 2400GMT. As the low centred pushed NE it dragged frontal cloud and rain E across the British Isles, giving some heavy falls of rain in parts of S England as a cold front cleared to the SE, and bringing some heavy showers to other areas. Around the W coasts there were gusts to 40kn while in the evening there was a general clearance of the cloud from the W - across Ireland, wales and much of England. However, a moderate to fresh wind prevented temperatures falling too much here. (Coningsby 19C, Baltasound 5C, Kenley 34mm, Torquay 5.8h.)
Pressure rose during the 7th as a weak ridge of high pressure crossed S Britain. The result was a mostly dry and bright day across England and Wales, although there was some light rain in the N. Across Scotland and N Ireland a further frontal system brought cloud and rain after some clear overnight skies, and in N Scotland gusts to 40kn continued for much of the day in exposed places. S Ireland also turned cloudy during the morning with rain showers falling in the W. (Guernsey 19C, Bournemouth 6C, Eskdalemuir 12mm, Clacton 9.6h.)
Scotland dawned cloudy on the 8th with a band of rain pushing N - and it remained cloudy throughout the day, except in some E areas, as further rain spread here later from the SW. The early rain fell from a warm front, with most places having a mild night as a result - excpot where the skies cleared before dawn in parts of E England. This latter rain also brought cloudy and wet weather across Ireland and W Britain during the day, but in East Anglia and parts of SE England this rain failed to arrive until the evening, with a sunny day here as a result. (London 18C, Charlwood 6C, Glasgow 14mm, Hastings 9.2h.)
The 9th dawned with frontal cloud and rain clearing E Ireland and giving a cloudy, damp start to the day over Britain; as the skies cleared the temperature fell a little so Ireland had a fresh start to the day. By midday rain was confined to Shetland and E of a line Hull-Exeter - with little cloud development as the rain cleared due to building high pressure. By the evening the movemant of the rain area had stopped, and the rain was confined to SE and Cent S England, and to parts of the E Midlands. According to the Met Office the rain became quite heavy in the early evening across the Home Counties and parts of East Anglia with some minor flooding reported. A secondary area of rain affected the Outer Hebrides for a while in the evening, but elsewhere across the British Isles temperatures fell after sunset under clear skies. (Guernsey 23C, Katesbridge 7C, Sennybridge 23mm, Isle of Man 8.6h.)
The 10th saw a strengthening S'ly flow developing as a meandering warm front pushed N, intrdoucing warm air to much of Wales, Ireland and England by midnight. However, to start the day there were clear skies across much of Scotland, Wales and Ireland and this meant a ground frost in parts of Scotland and Ireland. There was patchy rain and drizzle in S and E England at dawn, with some fog patches in Cent S England. Cloud spread N and W during the day, although W Scotland remained mostly cloudfree. The evening gave some moderate to heavy rain in S Wales and SW England, and this turned thundery in parts of SW England just before midnight. Away from the clear area of W Scotland temperatures were quite high at midnight, with 16-18C reported in S England and the Channel Islands. (Pershore 22C, Aboyne 3C, High Wycombe 12mm, Anglesey 9.6h.)
Mostly warm, S'ly to SW'ly winds blew across the British Isles on the 11th with rain the main feature for many as frontal bands pushed E during the day. Thundery conditions before dawn in Cornwall spread rapidly towards Cumbria and Kent by midday with heavy rain, local flooding and lightning strikes resulting. Two people were taken to hospital after lightning struck three homes near Gunnislake in Cornwall. There were also lightning strikes in Crediton, Devon. Flash flooding closed streets in the Keyham and Devonport areas of Plymouth. Elsewhere in Devon, Tavistock, Okehampton and Barnstaple were also affected by flooding. Firefighters have rescued two men from the roof of their truck following flooding in Merseyside. The pair were stranded in 1.5m deep water when a road flooded in Bootle in the morning. Torrential rain caused flash flooding across parts of Oxfordshire, affecting motorists and householders. The Oxford eastern bypass reopened after flooding, but a lightning strike in Kidlington cut power to 200 homes. The fire service said around 50 homes in Pontarddulais, Mumbles and Swansea city centre were affected by floodwaters. Across Ireland there were showers and sunny spells during the morning and these clearer conditions then spread E into Wales and W Britain in the afternoon and evening. Further cloud and rain spread into W Ireland in the evening, and by midnight ther earlier cloud and rain was mostly confined to the E coast of Britain. (Gravesend 20C, Aviemore 5C, Mumbles 34mm, Falmouth 4.2h.)
The rain in the E had cleared from all but Shetland by dawn on the 12th, while the rain across Ireland weakened and gave little more than showers for many as it crossed Britain before running into an area of high pressure. MSL pressure was up to 1029mb in Kent at 2400GMT. Between the two areas of rain there were clear skies overnight with a ground frost in some shletered areas of Cent England. S'ly winds and prolonged sunshine for many made for a generally pleasant day, although W ireland saw some cloud and light rain in the evening, and it tended to become cloudy and misty across S Wales, SW and Cent S England in the evening. (Saunton Sands 20C, Shobdon 4C, Wick 18mm, Jersey 9h.)
High pressure led to mostly dry conditions on the 13th. Under the cloudy skies across much of S England, and also under clear skies in Cent and NE Engkland, it turned misty and foggy by dawn. The Met Office reported visibility lower than 50m in some locations. While the fog cleared from most places by mid-morning, it did linger for much of the day in parts of Yorkshire, and it also remainbed misty and dull in parts of the Midlands and E Wales. The cloudy start in S England and W Scotland led to some rain or drizzle here. MSL pressure rose to 1032mb in NE England by 2400GMT, while under clear skies mist and fog returned to many parts of the Midlands and Cent S England in the evening. (Bournemouth 21C, Aboyne 1C, Weymouth 1mm, Clacton 8.8h.)
High pressure continued to prevail on the 14th. Early mist, fog and low cloud was widespread across England by dawn and, although must of the mist and fog soon dissipated, low cloud persisted throughout the day in many places - notably in S and NE England. There was also early mist in S Ireland - but both here and in Scotland the day was mostly a warm, sunny one. The Northern Isles, however, had mist and cloud throughout the day - while in the evening fairly extensive low cloud returned to cover much of England. (Jersey 20C, Altnaharra 2C, no measurable rain, Anglesey 9.9h.)
Although the high pressure weakened a little on the 15th, it remained another sunny, dry and sttled day for most places. Clear skies in parts of N and Cent Scotland led to a ground frost in places; across England and S Ireland the day dawned rather cloudy and misty, while Cent and S Scotland also had a misty start. Across England the cloud tended to break up from the SE, with only N England having much cloud by mid-afternoon. Wales, N and Cent Scotland and much of Ireland also had a sunny day once early cloud/mist had cleared. By midnight, cloud had again returned to much of E Britain, and to S areas of Ireland, Wales and England. (Lee-on-Solent 20C, Kinbrace 0C, no measurable rain, Anglesey 9.1h.)
Clear skies in N and Cent Scotland led to an air frost in places by dawn on the 16th. Further S, and across Ireland, there was patchy cloud and mist. An area of thundertorms spread from the Channel Islands around dawn, to Wales by late afternoon. This produced some heavy downpours and reports of hail. A lightning strike, set a house on fire in Perranporth. Some intense thunderstorms in Cornwall completely missed the official gauges; in Penzance 8mm fell in 30 minutes from 0930GMT, but that was nothing compared to Padstow where they used gritting lorries to clear the roads after a heavy fall of hail. For many areas it was a fairly cloudy, if warm, day, until clear skies spread into S, Cent and E England in the evening. Showers, some of then thundery, continued in SW England into the evening. However, Kinloss reported just 7C at 1200GMT as fog persisted locally. (Northolt 20C, Glenlivet -2C, Milford Haven 5mm, Margate 8.5h)
The 17th followed a generally mild night (except in an area of NE Scotland) , and dawned with thick fog in parts of the Midlands and NE England with visibility dropping below 100m in places. A trough brought some overnight rain to parts of E Ireland, N England and S Scotland - and there was also some frontal rain in the Northern Isles before dawn. An area of heavy rain was, by dawn, already affecting S Ireland, Cornwall and the Channel Islands - and this pushed steadily N and E to lie over S Scotland and E England by midnight. There were also sferics reported across SW Ireland and Cornwall early in the morning. Behind the rain there was a partial clearance in the cloud across SE Ireland, Wales and SW England, while ahead of it much of Scotland had a rather cloudy day. (Highest temperature unknown, Lossiemouth 1C, Camborne 21mm, Herne Bay 7.8h.)
Low pressure and various frontal bands continued to bring winds from a mainly S'ly direction on the 18th, leading to an unsettled but mild day for most areas. There was also widespread mist and fog around dawn in NE England, the Midlands and Cent S England. N and Cent Scotland had a dull day with rain from a slow-moving front. There were some sunny spells over parts of S Scotland, Wales and Ireland, but during the afternoon frontal cloud, followed by rain, spread N into S Ireland and S England - there were also thundery outbreaks in the Channel Islands and Cornwall in the evening. Mist and fog then returned in the evening to NE England and the Midlands. (Cent London 20C, Lerwick 6C, Altnaharra 22mm, Saunton Sands 8.6h.)
A low pressure centre moved from Cornwall to S Wales during the second half of the 19th, with an unsettled day resulting. Scilly reported MSL pressure down to 979mb at 1200GMT. Bands of rain associated with frontal systems gave spells of rain and showers throughout the day across the British Isles - although N Ireland and S Scotland had a mostly dry start to the day. As the low in the S moved N it brought some heavy rain to SW England and S Wales, with the wind gusting to 45kn. Earlier in the day there were thunderstorms across oparts of Cornwall. (Cromer 19C, Lerwick 6C, Cardiff 29mm, Hastings 5.1h.)
The low centre moved slowly across Wales and N England on the 20th, before heading out to the North Sea. In addition, frontal systems lingered close to N Scotland throughout the day, leading to an unsettled and wet day for most parts of the British Isles. Across Irelnd there was some rain during the day, but it was generally brighter and drier here than in Britain. As the low moved N skies brightened in S England and the rain gave way to showers and these then spread N during the remainder of the day. In Oxfordshire, for the second time in less than ten days, the village of Nuneham Courtenay in south Oxfordshire was struck by flooding following heavy rain. In Abingdon, homes, gardens and roads flooded after the rainfall overwhelmed the drainage systems. The town's football club ground was also inundated with 15cm of water when the nearby River Thames broke its banks. (Guernsey 19C, Katesbridge 5C, Larkhill 33mm, Tiree 6.5h.)
Another low pressure centre moved NE across Ireland during the 21st, driving frontal bands N across the British Isles ahead of it, while frontal systems again lingered close to N Scotland. The result was another generally mild day, with spells of rain and showers. The rain was heavy in places, and accompanied by widespread thunder during the afternoon over N and W Ireland, S Wales, W Midlands and NW England. There were also thunderstorms in the Channel Islands around dawn. At 1200GMT the main front associated with the low has moved across much of England and Wales and lay from Cent Ireland to Norfolk; showers developed to the S of this line in the afternoon, along with sunny intervals. (Gravesend 19C, Lerwick 11C maximum, West Freugh 6C minimum, Jersey 26mm, Torquay 7.7h.)
Low pressure areas and associated frontal systems lying over the British Isles led to a cloud and damp day on the 22nd. Despite the rain there were some large breaks in the cloud, noticeably from Ireland to E Scotland at first - although much of Ireland subsequently clouded over. There was also some morning sunshine in parts of E England before frontal rain spread N here. The heaviest rain tended to be across S wales and SW England. There was 32mm of rain in Penzance 1115-1215h; the A30 was flooded at the entrance to Penzance, with much more flooding in the Carbis Bay and St Ives area. (Guernsey 17C, Aboyne 2C, Sennybridge 33mm, Aberdeen 6.6h.)
While low pressure and frontal cloud remained close to N Scotland on the 23rd, over s England one low moved away E as another pushed NE towards Dorset in the afternoon and evening. N Scotland consequently had a rather wet day, and while N England and S Scotland dawned rather cloudy there were some clearances in the cloud at this time across much of Ireland, and in parts of Wales and S and Cent England. This led to mist and fog patches in the Midlands and Cent S England before they cleared and thickening cloud arrived from the SW - with rain in Cornwall and the Channel Islands by midday. The cloud broke during the day in S Scotland and N England - and with it remaining clear here into the evening the temperature dropped quite quickly after sunset. S Ireland, Wales and remaining areas of England continued to cloud over from the SW with rain falling across S and Cent England by midnight - with some heavy rain in SW England. N and Cent scotland remained cloudy throughout the day. (Herne Bay 17C, Aviemore 3C, Wick 39mm, Manchester 8.0h.)
The low pressure centre near Dorset (981mb at Portland at 0000GMT) early on the 24th moved towards N Holland by midday, after giving some heavy overnight rain in S England, along with some thunderstorms in Cent s England and East Anglia. N and Cent Scotland were again cloudy with some rain during the day, although as the offending front moved slightly S it did lead to a clearance of much of thr cloud over Shetland. There were a few showers over Ireland in the morning but by midday most of England and Wales was experiencing sunny spells and little cloud. Later in the afternoon and evening further cloud spread N into SW England, S wales and S Ireland - where there was also some light rain by midight. (Teignmouth 17C, Katesbridge 0C, Herne Bay 30mm, Falmouth 7.8h.)
During the 25th low pressure pushed N into Northern Ireland (centre 981mb at 2400GMT), drawing frontal rain N across England, Wales and Ireland. Throughout the day much of N and Cent Scoptland lay under another front, with gave rain and drizzle - and some particularly heavy rain in parts of W Scotland overnight. Early clear skies across much of England soon disappeared as the fronts pushed N, with widespread rain S Ireland and much of Wales, S and Cent England by midday. Gusts of 30-40kn occurred around Irish Sea coasts and by midnight the rain had spread into Cent Scotland, albeit with a drying up across much of S England, Wales and the Midlands. (Jersey 19C, Lerwick and Baltasound 7C maximum, Baltasound 2C minimum, Tiree 50mm, Lerwick 2.7h.)
The low deepened during the morning of the 26th, the centre being 973mb over the Moray Firth by midday. It brought some very heavy rain to parts of Scotland, with severe gales and gusts above 60kn in exposed places there. As the low then moved E, pressure rose across Scotland and the rain was replaced by showers from the W. England, Wales and Ireland had variable amounts of cloud, with showers in many areas - these tended to die down in the evening. Thousands of people were left without power and 40 people had to be rescued from their flooded homes in Dingwall by lifeboat volunteers from Kessock RNLI. Police told people not to travel in Ross-shire, Caithness and Sutherland due to the danger of falling trees. The 1612BST train from Glasgow to Inverness was forced to stop after hitting tree branches on the line between Carrbridge and Inverness. A railway line was washed away at Helmsdale, and storms have flooded houses and premises in Kirkwall in Orkney, where most schools have been closed. 23 houses in Dingwall were without power and there were reports of failures in Lairg and the Black Isle. In SE England it was a mild day for the time of year. (Margate 20C, Lerwick 6C, Kirkwall 85mm, Falmouth 7.2h.)
Although much of Cent and E Britain was largely cloudfree into the 27th, frontal cloud encroached from the W across Ireland and W parts of Britain by dawn, with some rain in W Scotland and W Ireland. Before the cloud arrived there was a slight air frost in parts of E Scotland, while a few sheltered parts of Cent England had a ground frost. By midday rain had reached E Scotland and Wales, and cloud had spread E into much of England. During the afternoon the rain spread into N England and then spread E into Cent and S England - although amounts were slight in these latter areas as pressure was rising here (1025mb MSL pressure in Kent by midnight). In parts of W Ireland there was rain for much of the day, turning to drizzle in the evening. (Guernsey 18C, Tulloch Bridge -1C, Lerwick 15mm, Margate 6.4h.)
Despite high pressure in S England on the 28th, the British Isles was affected by several fronts during the day, and this led to a generally cloud day until late afternoon. It was, however, mostly mild - temperatures at 0600GMT were in the range 10-15C across the British Isles. Rainfall tended to be light and patchy, although there were some heavier falls in Wales and N Scotland. During the evening skies a high pressure centre became established over SW Ireland (1025mb), and skies tended to clear over E Scotland, N England, Wales and parts of E Ireland; however, light rain continued to fall over much of S England, W and N Scotland. (Credenhill 19C, Coningsby 6C, Capel Curig 27mm, Aberdeen 2.3h.)
The high pressure centred drifted SE on the 29th, but still managed to give a warm and sunny day in most parts. As the high intensified slightly, early rain in S England amd W Scotland gradually dissipated. By midday much of E Scotland, Wales and England was clear of cloud, but a warm front was bringing cloud and some light rain to S Ireland. This cloud then spread E and N to affect all but the extreme SE corner of England, with rain across much of Scotland by midnight. Rain and drizzle also affected parts of SW England, with fog around the coasts of Cornwall at midnight. (Cardinham 20C, Castlederg 6C, Scilly 19mm, Margate 8.7h.)
A warm front made for a generally cloudy start to the 30th with warm air following behind the front as it spread rain and drizzle N and E. By midday the rain was mostly confined to N Scotland, although under rather persistent cloud there were outbreaks of drizzle elsewhere. Around Cornwall mist and fog lingered until midday. A rapidly-moving cold front moved across Ireland, N England and Scotland in the afternoon and evening, brining another spell of rain followed by clearer skies and some showers. At the same time pressure fell, especially in W Scotland as a low centre headed towards there; MSL pressure was down to 985.7mb at Stornoway at 2400GMT and the low also brought further rain to W Scotland in the evening along with gusts to 55kn. (Credenhill 20C, Aboyne 5C, Lusa 47mm, Prestatyn 8.7h.)
The 31st dawned with rain continuing to fall in N Scotland, with gusts of up to 50kn being reported, some light drizzle in S England and showers in W Ireland. There was also causing some light rain and showers from wales to N England; as this pushed S it introduced air with noticeably lower dew points from the N. During the day pressure built from the W and the wind over the British Isles veered to N'ly direction, as a low pressure over N Scotland pushed E to Norway. In most areas the day was then one of sunshine and showers, with the 50kn gusts transferring to E Scotland and NE England. The winds died down a little during the evening; by midnight air frosts were being reported from Cent Scotland, dew points were widely below 0C in E England and most places were reporting clear skies - the first real taste of autumn for many. (Lee-on-Solent 15C, Aviemore 0C, Lerwick 40mm, Oxford 6.0h.)
Although high pressure persisted on the 2nd (MSL pressure 1038mb over Northern Ireland at 1200GMT), an area of cloud affected N and Cent Scotland, giving some rain in N Scotland. There was also some cloud that gave light rain showers in coastal parts of E England. Elsewhere there was a widespread inland air frost under almost clear skies - with mist and fog affecting parts of the Midlands and Cent S England. patchy cloud then followed during the day, but then cloud later clearing from all but N and Cent Scotland another widespread inland air frost was already developing by midnight. (Saunton Sands 12C, Sennybridge -7C, Wick 14mm, Newquay 9.4h.)
Much of N and Cent Scotland again had a rather cloudy day on the 3rd, although there were some breaks in the cloud in the E. Elsewhere, clear skies led to a widespread inland air frost, although around S and w coasts of ireland temperatures remained generally above 5C, with Valentia reporting 9C at 0600GMT. There were varying amounts of cloud across England, Wales, and S Ireland during the day, and although across England and Wales the cloud cover decreased later in the afternoon a front brought more extensive cloud to Scotland, W and N Ireland in the evening (accompanied by light falls of rain). By midnight temnperatures were as high as 11C (at Tiree) and 12C (at Belmullet) behind the front but as low as -3C in parts of Cent England under clear skies. (Guernsey and Lee-on-Solent 14C, Sennybridge -7C, Weybourne 4mm, Hastings 8.9h.)
The front pushed generally E across N Britain before dawn on the 4th; temperatures hovered around 10C in N Scotland under cloudy skies at 0600GMT, while across Wales and the S half of England there was another inland air frost at this time. Mist and fog patches were also present under clear skies in parts of the Midlands - but these then cleared to give a sunny day to much of Wales, S Ireland and S England. Further N there was rather more cloud - this brought some rain to the Northern Isles during the day. Over N Scotland the wind speed increased during the day as pressure fell slightly - gusts to 45kn being reported in N Scotland in the evening. (Torquay and Ashford (Co. Wicklow) 15C, Benson -5C, Lerwick 6mm, Torquay 8.6h.)
High pressure gave a day of varying cloud amounts across much of England, Wales and Ireland on the 5th - but there were rather cloudy skies across Scotland. The cloud over Scotland gave some, most slight, rain to places in the north. Over S and cent parts of Ireland and England there were fog patches around dawn, with an air frost in some inland areas of England. Over N England, Scotland, N Ireland temperatures remained fairly high for the time of year overnight - and then rose a little during the day. Further S the day was one of sunny spells once early fog had cleared, and with clear skies in the evening temperatures again fell quickly after sunset - with mist and fog again forming before midnight over S England and S Ireland. (Torquay 16C, Larkhill -3C, Lerwick 5mm, Jersey 8.6h.)
Fog was slow to clear in parts of S Ireland and S England on the 6th, and persisted all day in parts of Cent S England with visibility below 100m at times. There was some air and ground frost in inland parts of S England and Ireland, while in Scotland skies tended to be cloudy overnight - with rain in the N accompanied by gusts to 50kn in the Northern Isles. E Scotland saw some sunshine during the day, although W Scotland, and later W Ireland, tended to be cloudy - with rain and drizzle later in the day in these areas. Some low cloud affected England and Wales during the day, along with some mist and fog patches in the S, and the fog tended to reform again in the evening. Pressure tended to fall during the day, but remained at 1025mb in Kent by midnight. (Saunton Sands 15C, Benson -2C, Lerwick 4mm, Torquay 8.9h.)
On the 7th frontal cloud with light rain and drizzle affected much of Scotland and Ireland throughout the day. However, the gusty winds did decrease during the day in N Scotland, after some overnight gusts to 50kn in the Northern Isles. England and Wales had some widespread mist and fog to start the day and it remained misty with increasing amounts of low cloud for many places. By the evening light rain was also falling in N Wales and N England, with fog again thickening in Cent S England giving visibilities below 200m in places. At midnight temperatres were above 10C across much of Ireland, S Scotland an around the irish Sea coasts, with readings below 6C in parts of N Scotland, the Midlands and S England. (Falmouth 16C, Woodford -2C, Aultbea 18mm, Fishguard 7.7h.)
During the 8th a cold front across Scotland at 0000GMT poushed steadily SE to reach the English Channel by 2400GMT. With early fog and low cloud across much of S England at dawn, this meant a rather dull day across much of England and Wales - although rainfall amounts tended to be slight here. The front gave some moderately heavy rain in S Scotland as it passed, and behind the front a partial clearance of the cloud affected Ireland and parts of Scotland later in the day. However, skies did not really start to clear across England and Wales until after sunset. By midnight low cloud and light rain was confined to S England with showery conditions and 30-40kn gusts over N Scotland; elsewhere, skies were generally clear. (Teignmouth 17C, Shrewsbury 1C, Eskdalemuir 13mm, sunshine data not available.)
The 9th saw high pressure pushing E across S parts of the British Isles, with a centre of 1037mb near London by 2400GMT. Showers fell across high ground and near W-facing coasts in the resulting W/NW'ly wind during the day - while during the evening frontal cloud spread E into W Ireland. Overnight cloud and rain in S England had cleared by dawn, and away from the showers most parts of the British Isles then had a sunny day. With rising pressure the gusty winds in N Scotland died down during the morning. Under largely clear skies in the evening and air frost developed in parts of Cent S and N England by midnight. (Falmouth 15C, Sennybridge -1C, Loch Glascarnoch 8mm, Bognor Regis 8.8h.)
The 10th saw high pressure retreating to the SE and fronts spreading SE across W and N parts of the British Isles towards England. This resulted in localised air frost in Cent England before dawn, followed by increasing amounts of cloud spreading W everywhere. By midday rain was affecting much of Scotland and Ireland with gusts to 35kn around the coasts here. Parts of Kent did not cloud over until late afternoon but rain fell here by late evening. Showers followed the rain in the W although in many parts of Scotland and Ireland there was a clearance of the cloud in the evening. Across N Scotland the showers continued in the evening, however, with falls of hail in places. (Guernsey 15C, lowest minimum temperature unknown, Eskdalemuir 28mm, Jersey 8.0h.)
The cloud and rain had cleared SE England by mid-morning on the 11th, leaving a brisk NW'ly airflow across the British Isles. Showers affected Scotland and Ireland in particular; these fell as hail in N Scotland and as snow over the higher ground of N Scotland. With gusts to 50kn in N Scotland there were also reports of blizzard conditions as this snow blew around. Gusts to 30kn occurred as far S as s England and some showers also affected Wales and parts of England. A trough led to enhanced shower acticity across N England later in the day and there were reports of a tornado to the S of Leeds. Aluminium sheeting on the roof of a Cheshire supermarket was ripped off by high winds; one person suffered minor injuries and about eight vehicles were damaged when the sheeting landed in the car park, Merseyside Ambulance Service said. A funnel cloud was also spotted by golfers near Thame. Two Indian crewmen died when the tanker FR8 Venture was struck by a massive wave in the Pentland Firth in the afternoon. Coastguards said weather conditions had been "horrendous", with strong winds, heavy seas and a high swell. The showers tended to die down in the evening but persisted across N Scotland accompanied by gusty winds - temperatures hovered around 10-12C in S England at this time. (Guernsey 15C, Aboyne 0C, Eskdalemuir 25mm, Hastings 4.2h.)
Skies cleared overnight in much of England and E Scotland, although temperatures generally remained above freezing by dawn on the 12th. Frontal cloud spread some rain across Ireland and W Scotland during the morning, as well as lifting temperatures here. This cloud and rain spread E during the afternoon and evening, although rainfall amounts were mostly slight. Further frontal rain then followed on behind with falling pressure bringing gusts to 50kn in N and W Scotland and Ireland. (Swanage 15C, Aviemore 1C, Lusa 10mm, Swanage 5.4h.)
Frontal bands had cleared most areas by midday on the 13th, but a cold front lingered across S England leading to a generally cloudy day here with frequent rain and drizzle. Overnight cloud and windy conditions - gusts to 50kn across parts of Scotland - meant a mostly mild start to the day, and the windy conditions persisted after the passage of the fronts, spreading showers from the W over Scotland and Ireland in particular. Over areas of N Scotland the showers fell as hail, although in all areas the frequency of the showers tended to lessen into the evening. (Hurn 17C, lowest minimum temperature not available, Lusa 20mm, Aberdeen 6.7h.)
A double front over S England for much of the 14th led to a mostly cloudy day over S Ireland and much of Wales and England, with spells of rain and drizzle. Across Scotland and N Ireland cloud was rather more broken, with showers feeding in from the SW on a blustery wind. During the second half of the day there was a slight movement of the fronts N, especially over E England and later over W areas of Britain and Ireland, although the fronts marked the boundary between warm air over the English Channel and slightly cooler air to the N. (Guernsey 17C, Aviemore 2C, Chivenor 16mm, Aberdeen 6.5h.)
The 15th was an unsettled day with low pressure to the W of the British Isles and a frontal system affecting most areas at some time. The day dawned with mostly clear skies across much of Scotland (albeit with some showers in the W) and with mostly cloudy skies elsewhere. The cloud gave rain and drizzle from a warm front, and this gradually spread N during the during the day, while a trailing cold front later spread frther rain NE across Ireland and Wales. By midnight MSL pressure was down to 978mb over SW Scotland and there were gusts of 30-40kn occurring across much of N England and Scotland. The rain turned heavy over parts of S Scotland in the evening with the Met Office reporting a fall of 15.4mm at West Freugh in one hour. With low temperatures, there was also some snow over the higher ground of Scotland. (Saunton Sands 16C, Aviemore 2C, Glenanne 24mm, Cromer 6.7h.)
During the 16th the low pressure over S Scotland pushed N, and as the fronts moved E a generally SW'ly flow became established across the British Isles. An area of heavy rain had moved N across Scotland by dawn, although most places in the British Isles had some rain and drizzle overnight and it dawned cloudy almost everywhere. During the morning skies brightened a little over Ireland and W Britain - with some showers in these areas but with more general rain and drizzle further E under the clearing fronts. The clearing skies continued to spread E during the remainder of the day, but the showers continued in the W, with some hail reported in the heavier falls in W Ireland. In Cent England temperatures fell sharply in the evening, while another low brought further cloud and rain to SW Ireland by midnight. (Herne Bay 16C, Loch Glascarnoch 1C, Glasgow 30mm, Belfast 4.7h.)
Low pressure remained centred close to Ireland during the 17th while associated fronts spread N and E. The result was a generally bright start to the day in E Britain but with cloud and some rain over Ireland and parts of W Britain. The low pressure mean some blustery conditions over Ireland in particular, with gusts to 50kn in places. The rain turned to snow around dawn at Eskdalemuir and then back to rain as temperatures rose. As the fronts pushed E skies cleared over Ireland during the morning, with showers then spread E here; Belmullet was reporting a snow shower at 1200GMT. By late evening the clearance had reached E England, while over N Scotland there were falls of light snow over higher ground later in the as the temperature fell with some roads being affected. (Falmouth 15C, Kinloss 0C, Dundrennan 33mm, Jersey 4.9h.)
The 18th began with largely clear skies in many areas and a ground frost in some sheltered locations. But overnight showers still affected some windward, W-facing coastal areas, with the showers turning to hail in places and to snow over the higher ground of Scotland. While Cent and E England remained mostly dry, the showers did continue to affect most other areas - at times the banded together to give more persistent spells of rain. The Met Office reported the showers falling as snow at levels as low as 150m in SW and NW Scotland. In the evening the showers tended to die donw, and temperatures fell widely inland as the skies cleared. (Guernsey 13C, Fyvie Castle -1C, Dunstaffnage 22mm, Buxton (Derbyshire) 7.5h.)
Except for W Scotland and S Wales the 19th began with mostly clear skies and a widespread air frost. The cloud in W Scotland gave some overnight rain there before pressure began falling everywhere during the morning. This fall was due to a low pressure centre heading NE towards the Faeroes - by midday Ireland had clouded over and there was widespread rain here, with Belmullet reporting gusts to 62kn. The cloud and rain continued to progress E with stormy conditions along most coasts and gusts to 45kn inland across England by the end of the day - gusts of 60-70kn were reported in other parts of Ireland, Wales and W Britain. Skies cleared a little in the evening across Ireland with MSl pressure down to 975mb off NW Scotland by 2400GMT. (Guernsey 13C, Aboyne -6C, Port Ellen 11mm, Herne Bay 7.3h.)
Low pressure remained close to NW Scotland throughout the 20th, resulting in a very windy day across Scotland with MSL pressure down to 968.5mb at Lerwick by 2400GMT. By dawn overnight rain was still falling in S England; there were showers in W Scotland, cloudy skies in E England but mostly clear skies elsewhere. The showers following behind the rain affected Ireland and Scotland in particular, with gusts to 60kn around N Ireland and up to 70kn across Scotland. The Met Office reported that a gust of 120mph was recorded on the top of Cairngorm when the temperature was -3C; this equates to a wind chill temperature of -18C. Some of the showers over high ground in Scotland consequently fell as snow, and rain showers later spread E to many parts of England. In the evening rain and showers remained widespread across Scotland and W Ireland, but tended to die down elsewhere. Two climbers who were found after spending a night in "dreadful" conditions in the Cairngorms later died. They were taken to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness after being found by rescue teams on Monday morning. It is suspected the pair, who have not been named by police, were caught out by extreme weather returning from Coire an t-Sneachda on Sunday. (Teignmouth 15C, Loch Glascarnoch 1C, Capel Curig 52mm, Torquay 5.7h.)
During the 21st the low centre N of Scotland slowly filled and the winds over N Britain died down as a result. During the day the cloud, rain and showers across Scotland gradually became confined to N areas - although there were some heavy falls in places during the day. Gusts to 50kn continued in exposed places until the evening. Over Ireland there were widespread blustery showers until the evening, when rather more general cloud and some light rain reached the SW. England and Wales also had showers in the N and W, while the E of England remained mostly dry. (Guernsey 11C, Charterhall -4C, Loch Glascarnoch 53mm, Cromer 7.0h.)
The 22nd saw frontal cloud and rain steadily spreading NE across most parts of the British Isles, as another low pressure area headed E towards W Ireland; by 2400GMT Belmullet was reporting MSL pressure down to 968.2mb with gusts to 50kn over S Ireland and parts of SW England by this time. There were clear skies around dawn across much of England, S Scotland and N Ireland - but these soon clouded over with frontal rain reaching from SW Scotland to Berkshire by midday. The rain continued top push NE and with the low centre heading towards Ireland there was no cloud clearance once the rain stopped falling. By midnight cloud, showers and rain were fairly widespread - although near the Moray Firth lingering clear skies allowed an air frost to occur in places. (Guernsey 14C, Tulloch Bridge -2C, Buxton (Derbyshire) 11mm, Kinloss 3.0h.)
A low pressure centre remained close to W Scotland throughout the 23rd with Tiree reporting a MSL pressure of 960.9mb at 1500GMT; gusts to 50kn were widely reported around the low. Away from parts of N Scotland the day dawned cloudy across Scotland and it continued this way throughout the day, with widespread rain from an associated occluded front. Elsewhere the day also began mostly cloudy, but then brightened up from the W. Sunny spells and showers followed in these areas - but they were largely confined to the W before dying down in the evening. (Guernsey 15c, Loch Glascarnoch -3C, Port Ellen 28mm, Cromer 6.7h.)
Overnight into the 24th there were clear skies for most araes, except across N and Cent Scotland. By dawn, however, frontal cloud and rain, with gusts to 45kn, had spread into S parts of Ireland and Wales and also SW England. Across Scotland the cloud gave some rain but this soon pushed N and cleared from the S as pressure rose here. In between the two cloud areas the clear skies allowed a slight ground frost in places, but the wind was too brisk for the temperature to fall too low. As clearing skies spread into NE Scotland during the morning, the cloud and rain in the S pushed N - reaching S Scotland by early afternoon. With MSL pressure down to 970-975mb over W Ireland it was a generally breezy day in a S'ly airflow across Britain and Ireland. By late evening the cloud and rain had reached N Scotland, but the pressure gradient had slackened across Ireland and skies were clearing here - while it remained cloudy and damp over S and E England. (Cent London 14C, Lough Fea 0C, St Mary's Scilly 28mm, Kinloss 5.7h.)
Overnight into the 25th there were gusts to 60kn in the English Channel, and to 40kn in parts of E England. Heavy rain in Cent and E England was accompanied by thunder in places in the morning, before brighter skies with showers spread from the W. Over N Ireland and Scotland, after overnigth rain, the morning was dry for many - but then an area of rain moved in from the NW during the afternoon. The heavy rain did cause some problems with flooding across parts of Britain, especially southwest England where homes were flooded from the heavy rain. Showers lingered across parts of scotland during the evening, but across England, Wales and Ireland the skies cleared as the showers largely died out - except for the extreme S of Ireland. During the day some heavy rain led to flooding in parts of SW England. Residents were evacuated from two Dorset homes in the early hours of Saturday due to flooding; firefighters pumped 30cm of water from a house in Sturminster Newton and 20cm from a house in Motcombe, near Shaftesbury, after a stream burst its banks. Irish Ferries Swift Sailings on the Holyhead to Dublin route were cancelled due to adverse conditions on the Irish Sea. A tornado struck the village of Boarhunt, Hampshire, causing thousands of pounds of damage and reportedly lifting three ponies into the air. (Shoeburyness 15C, Lough Fea 1C, Loftus 37mm, Torquay 5.6h.)
Most places had some sunny spells during the 26th with a SW'ly flow giving a mostly mild day in all areas. An narrow but active trough gave some severe thunderstorms from S Wales to Norfolk during the morning, with the Met Office reporting some pea- to marble-sized hail in SE England; hail covered the ground in parts of Weybridge (Surrey). There were some showers reportd in other areas during the day, while during the afternoon pressure fell in Ireland as a deep low moved slowly NE to the W of Ireland. There was rain with gusts to 40kn in parts of S and W Ireland, and later SW parts of Wales and England, in the evening - as MSL pressure dropped to 983mb at Belmullet by 2400GMT. (Saunton Sands 16C, Lough Fea 0C, South Farnborough 29mm, Hastings 7.1h.)
A deep area of low pressure to the W of the British Isles on the 27th led to low pressure readings in the W (980.9mb at Belmullet at 0600GMT) and windy conditions over Ireland and N Britain. Gusts to 60kn occurred around Ireland and in W Scotland and the low pushed frontal bands across the British isles that gave spells of rain to all areas during the day. Between the bands there were sunny spells, while the S'ly flow meant a genarally mild day. At midnight temperatures in S England were around 12-13C. (Guernsey 16C, Altnaharra 1C, Camborne 21mm, Falmouth 7.1h.)
The low centre maintained a S'ly to SW'ly flow on the 28th and temperatures consequently remained fairly high for the time of year. A cold front swept NE across the British Isles during the morning, giving some heavy falls of rain for Britain. Ireland remained brighter but with some showers, and these showery/sunny conditions spread E behind the front - which failed to have much impact on the temperature. With slowly rising pressure, the winds gradually eased across Scotland after some overnight gusts of 45kn. The afternoon and evening saw relatively small amounts of cloud anywhere and temperatures did dip slightly inland in the evening. As the cold front passed through, the Ceredigion village of Bow Street, north of Aberystwyth, was hit by a tornado at 0130GMT. More than 20 houses were affected with roofs and chimneys blown off, while electricity cables were brought down and trees uprooted. (Falmouth 15C, Lough Fea 4C, Larkhill 25mm, Torquay 6.9h.)
The 29th saw pressure continuing to rise in most areas, reaching 1033.8mb at Manston by 2400GMT. This meant a mostly sunny day in E England and E Scotland, after some air frost in sheltered parts of Cent Scotland. However, cloud brought rain and showers to the W half of the British Isles and later in the day pressure started to fall across Ireland as another deepening low brought gusts to 40kn in SW Ireland and to 30kn in W Scotland in the evening. (Herstmonceux 15C, Aviemore -2C, Loch Glascarnoch 23mm, Herne Bay 7.3h.)
Low pressure located to the W led to a windy day in W parts of the British Isles on the 30th, along with rain across Ireland and Scotland as a cold front later pushed slowly E here. For most places the day was a cloudy one - the exceptions tending to be East Anglis and the extreme E parts of SE England. Gusts of 60-70kn were reported cross W parts of Ireland and Scotland and the rain falling from the front tended to be rather heavy for many places. By the late evening the rain had spread into Wales and SW England with gusts to 50kn being reported in NE England. However, clearing skies followed at this time across W Ireland. (Saunton Sands 14C, Skegness 5C, Tulloch Bridge 47mm, Southend 5.0h.)
The 2nd saw an area of rain clearing E England during the morning - but during the afternoon and evening another area of rain spread E across Ireland into Cent Scotland, Wales and SW England. Ahead of the second area of rain there were showers in W areas of the British Isles with some isolated sferics reported in the morning over W Scotland, N Ireland and NW England. Across remaining areas of England the rain was followed by sunny spells and there were also sunny spells in E Scotland. During the afternoon and evening the wind speed increased from the W with gusts to 60kn accompanying the rain; MSL pressure was down to 966.2mb at Belmullet by midnight. (Saunton Sands 14C, Rosehearty 3C, Lusa 32mm, Newquay 5.6h.)
With low pressure remaining close to W Scotland throughout the 3rd, MSL pressure fell to 956.4mb at Stornoway by 2400GMT. Winds were consequently blustery with the Met Office reporting gusts to 99mph at Pembery Sands as the early rain spread E and 98mph was measured at Mumbles; this rain had cleared E Britain by midday and was followed by showers, before another area of rain associated with the centre of the low pressure system became slow-moving over N Ireland and W Scotland. Despite being windy, much of E England had sunny spells once the early rain had cleared. Winds caused havoc with the Erskine Bridge closed on Sunday to high-sided vehicles and a number of people had to be rescued from the water in Dalgety Bay, Fife, after a strong gust of wind knocked over a series of dinghies. Gusts of 70mph reported at Leuchars and 78mph at Tiree. In SW England at Culdrose and Plymouth winds peaked at nearly 90mph on Sunday, bringing down trees and power lines. Devon and Cornwall police reported localised flooding and some structural damage to buildings. Brixham coastguards in Devon said the heavy seas had sunk two vessels and damaged many other small craft. Power was also lost in hundreds of homes much further inland in Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. At Bristol (Totterdown) there was a wind speed gust of 47 mph at 0453GMT; the temperature at 0450GMT was 11.2C, by 0500GMT it had fallen to 9.2C, while the pressure rose from 985.9mb at 0450GMT to 988.7mb at 0500GMT. (Torquay 13C, Glenanne 3C, Shap Fell 52mm, Shrewsbury 5.4h.)
MSL pressure dropped to 959.4mb at Lerwick at 1000GMT on the 4th as a complex area of low pressure continued to reside across N Scotland. The day dawned windy and cloudy across Scotland with rain, showers over parts of Ireland, NE and S England and mostly clear skies elsewhere. During the morning cloud spread NE from S ireland to affect much of England with the early rain over Scotland being slow-moving. SEPA had 6 severe flood warnings in force for most of the afternoon. The cloud in the south brought warm-frontal rain to England, Wales and S Ireland, and was followed by a cold front that pushed E across ireland in the evening. Despite the wind, which slowly eased across Scotland but was causing 30kn gusts in the evening across S England, it was a mostly mild day - temperatures were widely above 11C across England and wales at 2400GMT. (Teignmouth and Yeovilton 15C, Altnaharra 1C, Cassley 56mm, Cromer 5.7h.)
The complex low pressure system remained close to Scotland on the 5th resulting in another windy day with spells of rain and showers. For much of England and wales the bulk of the rain fell during the morning and during the afternoon the rain was followed by brighter skies that spread from the W. Showers also affected Wales and W parts of England during the afternoon and evening. Rainfall and showers were more persistent across Ireland and Scotland, witht wind turning to a NW'ly direction here in the evening, although over England and Wales the Environment Agency continued to issue flood warnings. The showers turned heavy in places, with thundery outbreaks from Wales to n England in the afternoon - these storms gave some hail in places. (Weybourne 15C, Baltasound 2C, Capel Curig 72mm, Kinloss 4.9h.)
Pressure generally rose across the British Isles for the first half of the 6th - but then fell again later as further bands of rain pushed E across the British Isles ahead of the next depression. With the showers dying down there were some clear skies and touch of ground frost overnight in parts of N Britain. Parts of Cent Ireland, N England and the Midlands had extensive cloud for most of the day from a lingering front. During the afternoon and evening this cloud merged with more cloud spreading across Ireland and by midnight rain had fallen in W Scotland, Wales and SW England. S of the old front there were sunny intervals during the day and there were sunny spells in Cent and E Scotland for much of the day. Sferics were reported in late evening over W Ireland - resulting from a trough in the cyclonic flow there. (Hastings 12C, Tulloch Bridge 1C, Manchester 21mm, Hastings 6.3h.)
Low pressure over N Scotland (MSL pressure down to 962mb on Shetland at 2400GMT) on the 7th made for another blustery day - the early rain across W Britain spread E during the morning to be followed by troughs. During the morning one (a squall line) of these brought thundery outbreaks E from S Ireland to SE England during the morning, giving falls of hail in places and culminating in a tornado over NW London during late morning. Gusty winds and spells of heavy rain were widespread across the British Isles - although pressure gradients were less across N Scotland and the gusts were correspondingly reduced here. The Met Office reported gusts of wind in excess of 70mph over the coastal areas of S Wales and S England. Up to 150 houses and many cars were damaged when a tornado hit the Kensal Rise area. One man in his 50s suffered a serious head injury and five were treated for minor injuries and shock. Fire services sealed six roads in a zone covering a quarter of a square mile and searched at least 100 homes. Fire crews were called at about 1100GMT on Thursday to Chamberlayne Road and surrounding streets, amid reports of collapsed scaffolding and damage to buildings. One house had its roof completely removed while another had an exterior wall demolished. The Association of British Insurers said initial estimates suggested damage would be in the millions of pounds. The observer at Penzqance noted an exceptional swell to 9m at Sevenstones just off Land's End; this was acompanied by gusts widely 60-75kn in west Cornwall this afternoon with 76mph near Land's End. (Guernsey 13C, Aboyne -3C, Shap fell 52mm, Guernsey 4.3h.)
A NW'ly airflow covered most of the British Isles on the 8th but although there were some clear skies overnight the wind was a little too strong to allow an air frost to form except over mountainous areas. Some heavy rain fell during the morning in SE England, caused by a low over N France, but the associated cloud cleared around midday to give much of E Scotland and E Enmgland a sunny afternoon. W parts of the British Isles had a showery day, with hail and thunder in W Ireland during the afternoon. The showers reached Wales and SW England and gusts to 35kn were reported around W and N Scotland, Ireland and the Irish Sea. (Falmouth 12C, Stornoway 2C, Jersey 26mm, Ronaldsway 5.5h.)
Under a weak ridge of high pressure, clear skies early on the 9th in E Britain led to a slight air frost in some sheltered places. A mostly sunny day followed, especially in the E and across Wales and E Ireland, but there were some showers in Ireland, NW Wales and in N and W Scotland. Showers in SW England died out in the late afternoon - across Ireland W Scotland the showers turned to rain as frontal cloud spread E and pressure started to fall. By midnight temperatures were below 0c in a few E areas and mist and fog patches were forming in the E Midlands. (Guernsey 11C, Redesdale -2C, Falmouth 9mm, Bognor Regis 6.8h.)
The 10th dawned with clear skies across much of E and Cent England and an air frost in many places here. Further W the sky had clouded over and rain was falling from N Scotland to SE Ireland. By early afternoon E Britain had clouded over and this frontal rain continued to push E - to be followed by other bands of rain later in the day. Over the Northern Isles and NW Scotland the sky cleared a little after sunset - but for most W areas it was a rather cloudy and wet day. According to the Met Office some W parts of Scotland endured almost 24 hours of continuous rain, prompting a number of flood warnings to be issued. Gusts to 40kn were widespread around the British Isles later in the day. (Kinloss 14C, Topcliffe -5C, Lusa 52mm, Herne Bay 5.4h.)
Frontal rain, heavy in places, crossed much of the British Isles during the morning of the 11th, to be followed by clearer skies and a few showers over Ireland and W Scotland in particular. Over S England, however, it remained cloud with some light rain until the evening. Although gusts to 40kn persisted across Scotland throughout the day, rising pressure here meant a reduction in the pressure gradient and gradually weakening winds. Across Scotland the showers fell as snow above about 200m - by midnight inland temperatures were widely below 4C across Britain but still slightly higher over Ireland. Thunder occurred in some of the afternoon showers in W and N Scotland. (Weybourne and Prestatyn 14C, Aviemore 1C, Capel Curig 73mm, Prestatyn 5.2h.)
Another deep depression passing to the NW of Scotland on the 12th brought a further period of cloud and rain to all areas. Clear skies around dawn across much of England and Wales led to a slight ground frost in places - across Scotland there was some overnight rain while Ireland had clouded over by dawn with rain in the W. The cloud and rain spread rapidly E; across S parts of England and Ireland it lingered and then started to return N'wards in the evening. Scotland also remained rather cloudy with frequent showers after the rain - some of the showers being heavy with sferics in W Scotland during the late morning and in the afternoon. The depression resulted in some severe gales over N Scotland with some gusts to 50kn. (Guernsey 13C, Shobdon 0C, Aviemore 33mm, Jersey 5.1h.)
The 13th was a generally mild, wet and blustery day as fronts brought rain and warm sector across most of the British Isles. Parts of N and Cent England, Scotland and N Ireland had some clear skies overnight, but cloud rapidly spread NE during the morning. Flooding was reported in Perthshire in the afternoon, while gusts to 60kn across N England led to the movement of high-sided vehicles being restricted on some roads. Gusts to 50kn were also reported around many coastal areas of the British Isles. Once the fronts had cleared to the N of England and Wales, precipitation amounts became lighter with patchy rain and drizzle here. A school in the Highlands has been evacuated after a river burst its banks and as flooding hit much of Scotland. Pupils were sent home from Kingussie High School because of the risk posed by the River Gynack. The A82 at Letterfinlay, between Fort Augustus and Spean Bridge, has been closed due to a landslide. (Machrihanish and Kinloss 14C, Aviemore and Aboyne 2C, Tulloch Bridge 58mm, Guernsey 4.2h.)
During the 14th the warm sector gradually became confined to England as a cold front moved SE, bringing a spell of rain and introducing cooler air from the NW. The front gave some heavy rain across Scotland earlier in the day, and this then became slow-moving across N Wales and N England. Wave developments along the front led to an intensification of the rain in places. Despite rising pressure it remained a mostly cloudy day with winds gusting to 50kn around Scotland, Ireland and N England, with Lerwick reporting gusts close to 60kn during the day. By midnight temperatures of 11-12C p[ersisted across much of S and Cent England, being up to 10C lower in some sheltered parts of Scotland. Showers behind the front were widespread over W and N Scotland with sferics reported in the Northern Isles in the morning and in W Scotland in the afternoon. A number of residents in the Riverside area of Stirling had to be rescued from their homes by raft as floodwater threatened to engulf their properties. Elsewhere at least 40 people had to leave their homes in Milnathort overnight after the River Queich burst its banks. In Perthshire some villages remained under water. (Colwyn Bay 15C, Lerwick 5C, Capel Curig 58mm, Jersey 2.8h.)
The cold front continued to make slow progress SE on the 15th. To the N of the front showers fell - these including hail in the Northern Isles where sfercis were also reported in the early morning. These were mostly confined to windward areas in the W'ly airflow; across the British Isles generally the wind was much lighter than in recent days due to a decreasing pressure gradient. There were heavy falls of rain from the front across N England and N Wales early in the day but, as the front pushed S, falls across Cent and S England were mostly lighter in intensity. By midnight the sky was clearing across much of Ireland, Scotland, and in NW Wales and parts of N England - with a ground frost in many inland parts of Scotland while the air temperature remained around 12C in SE England. At Elderslie 208.5mm of rrain fell in the six days ending today. (Torquay 14C, Loch Glascarnoch 3C, Capel Curig 59mm, Jersey 4.4h.)
The cold front cleared Kent by midday on the 16th - with most places away from E and S England dawning with little cloud and widespread ground frost. W and N Scotland had some rain during the day, with showers in the Northern Isles again bringing falls of hail. Some showers also fell over W Ireland and in SW England and W Wales - but elsewhere the day was a mostly sunny one with temperatures then falling rapidly after sunset. (Falmouth 12C, Aboyne -6C, Port Ellen 11mm, Bristol 6.8h.)
A ridge of high pressure into the 17th meant a mostly cloudless start to the day with a ground frost in places. There were some early showers in parts of N Scotland and N England but most places in England and E Scotland then had a sunny day. During the morning, however, frontal cloud spread E across Ireland and into W Scotland - with light rain in W Ireland by midday. This E'ward progression continued for the remainder of the day with the cloud affecting all but the extreme E parts of England by midnight. The rain spread to the W Midlands and SW England by this time and was slow-moving in W Scotland. Shoqwers followed the rain across much of Ireland. (Guernsey 12C, Topcliffe -1C, Bingley 10mm, Herne Bay 6.9h.)
The frontal rain gradually fizzled out during the 18th as an anticylone built rapidly over the British Isles; MSL pressure reached 1036mb by midnight over W Ireland and Cumbria. By mid-morning the rain was mostly confined to the Midlands, S Wales, SW and Cent S England - across Ireland skies had cleared to give widespread fog and cloud had also disappeared from most orf Scotland. The rain lingered until the evening in the Channel Islands and parts of Cent S England with much of England having a cloudy day. Over Scotland and Ireland there were sunny spells - but with lingering fog in parts of Ireland and an air frost in much of E Scotland by midnight. (Guernsey 12C, Altnaharra -6C, Torquay 19mm, Guernsey 6.2h.)
Pressure continued to build during the 19th reeaching 1041mb over the S Midlands by midnight. The day dawned with fog and low cloud across much of England and S Ireland, and with mist and fog patches in parts of N Ireland. Frontal cloud gave some light rain in parts of N Scotland, along with gusts to 30kn in the Northern Isles. The fog, frezzing in places, across England persisted throughout th4e day in places, notably in parts of E and Cent S England with temperatures not rising much in places here as a result. The fog then thickened again in the evening over the Midlands and S England. W Scotland had a cloudy day, but away from the cloud and fog many places had long sunny spells. (St. Mary's 11C, Marham -2C maximum, Redesdale Camp -6C minimum, Lerwick 3mm, Edinburgh 7.0h.)
High pressure, with a central value of 1041-1042mb, continued to dominate the weather on the 20th. There was widespread fog at dawn across SE, E and Cent England with visibility below 100m in places, patchy cloud in W Scotland and W Ireland, and some light drizzle in the Northern Isles. Elsewhere there were some clear skies and a frosty start. The fog lingered in these areas for much of the day, also spreading into N England. Mist and fog patches also affected N Ireland and parts of S Scotland. E Scotland and E Ireland had a mostly sunny day, as did much of Wales, SW England and some S coast areas of England. The cloud persisted across W Ireland and W Scotland, with much warmer conditions in these areas also. Domestic flights to and from Heathrow were cancelled from the early afternoon onwards with severe delays to international arrivals and departures, just as the traffic started to pick-up for the holiday period. There was also lesser disruption to flights, due to the fog, at Gatwick and other regional airports. (Guernsey 10C, Topcliffe -2C maximum, Aboyne -6C minimum, Lerwick 1mm, Newquay 7.4h.)
Pressure continued to rise across S Britain on the 21st - reaching 1046mb in SE Wales by midnight - but frontal cloud introduced rain and warmer air to Scotland during the day. The day dawned with cloud, warm air and gusts to 45kn in W Scotland, and with clear skies in most other areas of the British Isles. The exceptions to this were mostly over England where early fog was again widespread; temperatures were below 0C and visibility below 100m in places. The fog again lingered throughout the day in parts of S, E and Cent England. Over Scotland cloud gradually sdpread to most areas during the day - also bringing light rain to N Ireland. Much of S Ireland, Wales and England had a sunny day where the fog cleared, although W Ireland turned cloudy as a result of the same fronts across Scotland. There were reports that a small area near Didcot (Oxfordshire) had snow falling from the outflow from the cooling towers; reports spoke of a covering of some 3cm. Thousands of air passengers were facing days of disruption after flights from Scotland to London Heathrow were cancelled due to dense fog. A total of 47 flights from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen were affected and all BA domestic flights to and from Heathrow were cancelled. (Altnaharra 11C, Dishforth -1C maximum, Dyce -7C minimum, Lusa 9mm, Saunton Sands 6h.)
High pressure continued to cause foggy conditions over Cent and S parts of England on the 22nd. Again, it lingered all day in places and was thick enough to produce drizzle in parts of E England. Where the fog did clear there were sunny spells across England and Wales - W and N Ireland had a cloudy day but S and E Ireland also had sunny spells. Scotland was rather cloudy, and although the main frontal area pushed N during the day there were falls of rain in W Scotland. N Scotland again had some of the highest temperatures in the British Isles under a prevailing S'ly airflow. More than 300 flights were cancelled at Heathrow on Friday, including all British Airways domestic flights. In all, 411 flights were cancelled at Heathrow and other airports. (Altnaharra 12C, Sennybridge -3C maximum, Sennybridge -7C minimum, Lusa 13mm, Weymouth 5.2h.)
The morning 23rd finally brought an end to the long spell of fog endured by parts of England during recent days as a more S'ly airflow affected W parts of the British Isles and milder air and low cloud spread into S England. This led to a mostly cloud day with some light drizzle across England, except near the Scottish border. W Scotland was mostly cloudy with some light rain while there were sunny spells in E Scotland. S Ireland saw cloudy skies with sunny spells elsewhere in Ireland. (Barra 11C, Sennybridge 0C maximum, Trawscoed -3C minimum, Baltasound 2mm, Belfast 5.3h.)
Very little precipitation fell in the 24 hours ending 1800GMT on the 24th - a large anticyclone covering the British Isles meant that there were deposits on the ground from fog in N Scotland and S Scotland, and from low cloud layers in other parts of England, Wales and Ireland. The fog lingered in parts of N England and Cent Scotland, leading to maximum temperatures below 0C in places here. Further N in Scotland the day was sunny with a cold start nd finish to the day as a result. (Baltasound 9C, Redesdale Camp -3C maximum, Tulloch Bridge -7C, no significant rainfall, Kinloss 5.2h.)
With high pressure continuing to dominate the weather the 25th was another generally dry day. However the central value did decline and the centre itself moved out over the North Sea during the day. Much of England, Wales and ireland had a cloudy day with mist, fog patches and some light drizzle in places. E Scotland and parts of N England had some sunshine during the day, but S and Cent Scotland had fog patches and some low cloud, while W Scotland remained mostly cloudy. (St. Mary's (Scilly) 11C, Charterhall 0C maximum, Aboyne -9C, Dunkeswell 0.6mm, Aberdeen 4.8h.)
MSL pressure gradually fell during the 26th. E Scotland and parts of Ireland had clear skies overnight with a sharp air frost around Aberdeen; elsewhere the day dawned cloudy with drizzle in the Channel Islands and some showers over W Scotland. The cloud lingered and increased in extent in these clear areas during the day - with light rain and drizzle falling in places from the cloud blanket and many areas remaining misty throughout the day. Heavier frontal rain affected W Ireland in the evening. (St. Mary's (Scilly) 10C, Dyce -7C, Tiree 4mm, Dyce 4.8h.)
There was a rather cloudy start to the 27th over much of England and Wales and in W and S Scotland. Elsewhere there were some clear skies overnight, and some moderately heavy falls of rain across Ireland. The frontal rain over Ireland moved e during the day, with a shallow low developing on the front as it moved across England. There were reports of sleet at lower levels in Fife in the afternoon as the rain met cold air here. The rain lingered across E England and s parts of England and Ireland in the evening, while across Scotland there were some breaks in the cloud as the front broke up here after dark. (Scilly 12C, Fyvie Castle -1C maximum, Aboyne -7C minimum, St Angelo 18mm, Dyce 2.3h.)
The warm front across S parts of England and Ireland early on the 28th made slow progress N during the day, but gave little precipitation although the temperature did rise at it arrived. There were clear skies and low temperatures at dawn over NE Scotland with some fog patches in E and Cent Scotland. Elsewhere there was a cloudy start to the day due to the front - as the front pushed N there were some sunny periods over Cent England although cloud tended to linger in E England. Further cloud and rain from a cold spread E over Ireland during the afternoon and evening although Valentia was still reporting 12C at 2400GMT. Some fog patches formed in E England in the evening. (Saunton Sands 14C, Fyvie Castle -7C, Church Lawford 9mm, Bristol 5.4h.)
A deepening area of low pressure swept N'wards to the W of the British Isles on the 29th, pushing frontal bands across many W and cent parts and leading to a generally cloudy day in all areas. Overnight fog in E England tended to clear as the pressure fell and the winds increased - with gusts to 45kn along the NE coast of England by mid-morning. The frontal rain as heavy in places, particularly over Ireland and Wales in the afternoon and evening, and the wind gusted to 60kn around the coasts of W Scotland and W Ireland. MSL pressure at Stornoway at 2400GMT was 973.1mb following a fall of 7.7mb in 3h. (Prestatyn 15C, Redesdale Camp -1C, Tulloch Bridge 22mm, Belfast 0.9h.)
The 30th was a blustery day with the frontal rain clearing E Britain in the morning. This clearance was followed largely clear skies during the morning for most areas of the British Isles - although a developing low and associated frontal system over SW England led to cloud and some heavy rain here that subsequently pushed rapidly NE across S and E England. Gusts to 50kn accompanied this system and the Met Office noted falls of 12mm in 30 minutes in places. There were reports of tornado-like damage to lampposts and trees in the Wokingham/Winnersh area of Berkshire. Elsewhere there were showers over the W coasts of Ireland, wales and Scotland in particular. (Herne Bay 14C, Lough Fea 2C, Boscombe 48mm, Belfast 4.9h.)
The 31st dawned with cloud over S Ireland and SW Britain and mostly clear skies elsewhere. Rain over W ireland was falling from the first of several bands of rain that were to affect the British Isles during the day. These bands of frontal rain were associated with a deepening low that ran NE across N Scotland during the second half of the day - MSL pressure fell to about 970mb over the Northern Isles shortly before midnight. The Met Office reported that heavy rain caused some flooding and there were damaging winds in N England and S Scotland - a gust close to 100mph was reported at Great Dun Fell. Edinburgh's Hogmanay street party was among a string of events cancelled as bad weather hampered New Year's Eve celebrations across the UK. A firework event in Newcastle was called off and one in Liverpool moved to 5 January, while in Belfast an outdoor concert was scrapped. Glasgow's Hogmanay party was also cancelled due to the weather. Tornadoes were spawned from strong thunderstorms across Northern Ireland (Belfast) and southwest Scotland during the afternoon; hundreds of homes in the Aghalee area of Belfast were left without electricity. Over England, wales and Ireland the rain had cleared by the evening leaving largely clear skies with just a few showers on W-facing coasts. Over Scotland the rain continued throughout the evening. (Guernsey 14C, Fyvie Castle -1C, Tulloch Bridge 37mm, Birmingham 1.4h.)