The 2nd began with some rain over Scotland and N England, with snow on the hills here. Rain, heavy in places and with sferics in the SW, in SW England and the Channel Islands pushed N to Wales and much of S England by dawn. Many parts of the British Isles had a cloudy day as bands of rain affected Britain and Ireland, before it turned drier during the afternoon in the S and W, with showers here. Some hail and snow fell in the Northern Isles and N Scotland later in the day. (Guernsey 13C, Lerwick 0C, Ballypatrick 26mm, Stornoway 2.1h.)
Skies cleared across W Scotland and much of Ireland into the 3rd, resulting in very low temperatures in NW Scotland. Rain, sleet and snow from NW England to the Midlands extended across into N England and moved slowly south, breaking up during the morning. Wintry showers fell over Ireland and showers were also wintry over N Scotland and NE England. During the afternoon and evening the clearance spread S, with cloud restricted to E coast areas and SE England by midnight with wintry showers to the N. Flood levels were thought to have peaked in the afternoon - but more than 100 flood warnings remained in place, mainly in East Anglia. Severe flood warnings - meaning an imminent risk to life or property - remained in place around the Surrey towns of Chertsey and Weybridge. About 100 houses had already been flooded there by what is normally a minor tributary of the Thames. (Guernsey 13C, Spadeadam -1C maximum, Altnaharra -10C, Prestatyn 25mm, Eskdalemuir 6.0h.)
During the 4th a N airflow kept cloud to mostly E coast areas of Britain with mainly sunny conditions futher W. It was another widespread cold morning, especially in Scotland. There were showers in the E and over north Wales during the night, and a small area of snow pushed SW over SE England early in the day leaving 6cm of lying snow near Dover. There were also showers arounf some Irish Sea coasts and in SW England for a while. Further snow showers fell in NE England during the morning, before pushing S later in the day. (Falmouth 7C, Aviemore -2C maximum, Carnwath -10C minimum, Baltasound 11mm, Tenby 7.2h.)
Conditons on the 5th were similar to the preceding day, with cloud most confined to E Britain and sopme Sw areas, and mostly clear skies to the W. There were snow showers in the E and over N Scotland overnight, with some over NE England during the day. Snow showers also occurred over high ground in SW England during the day, with mist and fog patches forming in Cent S England by midnight. (St. Mary's 8C, Biggar -1C maximum, Biggar -11C minimum, Margate 5mm, Saunton Sands 7.2h.)
The 6th dawned with some cloud in NE and E England, and in S Ireland, but mostly clear conditions elsewhere. Mist and fog patches were widespread around Cent S England, and there was a widespread air frost over much of Britain away from the coasts. There were wintry showers in NE England overnight, and more hail and snow showers fell over East Anglia and Kent later in the morning and at times in the afternoon and evening. Cloud persisted over East Anglia and NE England throughout the day, with patchy cloud over Scotland and S Ireland; eleswhere it was a cold but sunny day. No trains were running from Oxford to Didcot, Reading or Paddington because the tracks are under 30cm of water. Motorists in Oxford were also being warned to expect major disruption as many of the city's roads are badly flooded. (St Marys 8C, Altnaharra -7C maximum, Altnaharra -13C minimum, Folkestone 3mm, Newquay 7.4h.)
There was a cold start to the 7th over inland parts of N Scotland, with minima including Glenlivet -14.1C, Altnaharra -16.1°C and Aviemore -18.3C. Cloud was initially restricted to E England and S Ireland and SW England with rain falling in these latter two areas along wityh some snow over high ground in SW England. Snow also fell in E England before dawn, with an area of snow giving a light covering to SE England before dawn. Cloud developed over Ireland during the morning and persisted across S and E England until the evening. By midnight clear skies and a widespread air frost prevailed over most W parts of Britain and Ireland, although rain showers continued in SW Ireland. As flooding continued around Oxford a spokesman from the Environment Agency said the River Thames in Oxford reached its highest level since 1947 over the last few days. (Torquay 6C, Aviemore -9C maximum, Aviemore -18C minimum, Exmouth 4mm, Prestatyn 6.2h.)
By dawn on the 8th cloud was widespread over NE England and East Anglia, with lesser amounts in E Scotland and SW parts of the British Isles. Elsewhere clear skies again led to a widespread frost, with minima including Loch Glascarnoch -11.1C, Altnaharra -15.6C and Aviemore -16.3C. Snow across East Anglia and around Lincolnshire gradually pushed into the East Midlands, and during the morning into much of SE England, as cloud spread across much of Cent England. Snow showers also affected E Scotland, with rain in the Northern Isles. Wintry showers also fell across parts of SW England and S Wales, with falls pushing W to Manchester and SW Scotland before midnight. There were 120 flights cancelled from Heathrow Airport to Europe due to snowfall. 5cm of snow fell in central London - the most for 9 years - throughout the morning, with up to 10cm reported lying in S Essex. Snow caused the railway line between Hexham and Newcastle in the North East to be closed, leading to cancellations and delays on Arriva Trains Northern services. On the roads, the AA dealt with almost 2,000 breakdowns an hour as cars refused to start in freezing conditions. (Sella Ness 6C, Kenley -1C maximum, Aviemore -16C minimum, Edinburgh 7mm, Jersey 7.1h.)
Rain and snow over the Midlands early on the 9th had become confined to East Anglia by 0600GMT, where falls were mostly of snow showers. Elsewhere, there was some rain in the warmer air over exterme N parts of Scotland, and patchy cloudy elsewhere. Shwoers continued along the NE coast of England during the day, accompanied by gusts to 40kn despite NSL pressure around 1025mb there. By the evening most parts of the British Isles were cloudy, with snow shwoers in East Anglia and Cent S England, and further rain showers in the Northern Isles. (Isle of Man 7C, Altnaharra -6C, Eskdalemuir 7mm, Bognor Regis 7.6h.)
High pressure continued to build over the British Isles on the 10th, with 1037mb reported over Cent Ireland by 2400GMT. There were a few showers across N Scotland and in parts of S England before dawn, but most areas had a dry day. A notable exception continued to be E England, with showers of sleet and hail in NE England and snow in East Anglia during the day. Most areas had sunny spells during the day, and by midnight there was a widespread across Scotland under the clear skies. (Barra 9C, Strathallan -5C, Hunstanton 5mm, Isle of Man 6.3h.)
The high pressure centred slipped S during the 11th, with a central value of 1039mb over S Wales and SW England later in the day. Cloud was mostly patchy and most parts of the British Isles had a sunny day, although there were rain and showers over the Northern Isles overnight and into the morning, and freezing fog around dawn across cent England that lingered all day in a few places. The afternoon brought more widespread cloud moving W across Scotland and W Ireland, accompanied by rain and rain showers in W Scotland and W ireland as the temperature rose here, to 7C in the Western Isles and Belmullet at 2400GMT. The continuing cold spell meant that frozen ground led to the cancellation of many sporting fixtures during the day, however. (Ronaldsway 9C, Church Lawford -1C maximum, Moyola -5C minimum, Scarborough 5mm, Saunton Sands 7.8h.)
Although clear skies in the S led to a sharp frost in S England on the 12th, accompanied by mist and fog patches in places, by mid-morning cloud had spread to most areas N of a line Norwich - Valentia with rain then falling across Ireland and S and W Scotland. The cloud continued to move further S and by the evening rain and drizzle was widespread across the Midlands, N England and N Wales, with falls also across much of Scotland. At 2400GMT MSL pressure was 1037mb in the Channel Islands, with 11C being the temperature in Belmullet as the warmer air progresses S and E. (Tulloch Bridge 10C, Lowestoft 1C maximum, Redhill -10C minimum, Lusa 17mm, Folkestone 7.8h.)
The 13th was a mostly cloudy day in many places, although by dawn temperatures had reached 8C at almost all low-level stations across the British Isles. Overnight rain became scattered except across N and NW Scotland, where rain turned heavier during the afternoon - accompanied by gusts over 50kn in the evening in some parts as the winds increased across N and NW Scotland. Light rain and drizzle also persisted for much of the afternoon and evening over Ireland while most of England and Wales remained dry under anticyclonic influence - 1036mb being the MSL pressure across the Channel Isles at 2400GMT. (Dyce 13C, Redhill -2C, Tulloch Bridge 16mm, Isle of Wight 4.7h.)
There was some rain in SW Scotland, the north of Ireland and N England early on the14th, while another, more extensive, area of rain pushed into NW Scotland before moving slowly E during the day. This rain became confined to the Northern Isles later, with another band of rain reaching W scotland and W Ireland in the evening; this latter area pushed SE to lie from SW Ireland to Orkney by midnight. Wind gusts eased during the day across NW Scotland, but increased again during the evening by which time gusts to 25-30kn were widespread across England. Reported gusts early in the day included Fair Isle 60kn, Lerwick 62kn, Foula 64kn, Sella Ness 66kn and Muckle Holm 81kn. (Aboyne 13C, Wick 5C, Lusa 27mm, Lowestoft 2.3h.)
There was a cloudy start to the 15th across the British Isles, with a SW airflow meaning no low-level air frosts. Early rain across SW Scotland, NW Engl;and and Ireland gradually faded out except for later falls over SW England and N Scotland. By midday clear skies had developed across much of N England and S Scotland, with showers over Ireland. The light rain in the SW dissipated during the afternoon and skies also cleared across S England, with showers becoming confined to Scotland and N parts of Ireland, accompanied by thunder in places. gales in N Scotland were accompanied by strong gusts, including Muckle Holm, Sule Skerry, South Uist and Stornoway 62kn, Foula, Sumburgh and Fair Isle 63kn and Lerwick and Barra 68kn. (Torquay 12C, Lerwick 2C, Loch Glascarnoch 28mm, Colwyn Bay 6.2h.)
After a clear start to the 16th across S Britain, cloud developed from the W by mid-morning across all but E england. Showers turning to rain affected Scotland overnight lasted for much of the day in some N areas. The cloud across Cent England finally affected E parts during the evening, as more rain spread into W Ireland and W Scotland by midnight. Gusts to 50kn were reported during the day across the N Scotland, and by midnight Valentia was reporting gusts to 58kn as rain spread across Ireland. (Falmouth 13C, Redhill -2C, Loch Glascarnoch 13mm, Jersey 7.2h.)
A mostly cloudy night into the 17th meant few low temperatures, the cloud being associated with a broad area of rain across Scotland and Ireland overnight that pushed E across the british Isles during the day. Shwoers followed into Ireland and W Scotland by mid-morning and these spread further E during the morning and afternoon. The evening brought a clearance of the cloud in many areas, although showers continued across Scotland with hail in the Northern Isles. It was a windy day across the British Isles, with gusts including 58kn at Barra and Ronaldsway. (Saunton Sands 12C, Jersey 3C, Tulloch Bridge 36mm, Aberdeen 4.7h.)
Showers, with hail over the Northern Isles continued in to the 18th, with mostly clear skies elsewhere across E Britain before dawn. Cloud and rain spread into W Ireland by dawn, before spreading E across other parts of the British Isles. Showers followed the rain, these affecting Ireland and W wales by midnight. Storng winds across the Northern Isles eased during the day, although gusts to 50kn occurred there before dawn. (Saunton Sands 12C, Redhill -5C, Loch Glascarnoch 13mm, Herne Bay 5.6h.)
A broad band of rain continued to push E across England, wales and E Scotland into the 19th, finally clearing NE England by mid-afternoon. The rain was followed by showers in many areas, with thunder reported during a heavy shower near Tunbridge Wells later in the day. However, rain did continue over the Northern Isles into the evening, by which time further cloud and rain had spread NE into S Ireland and SW Britain. (Saunton Sands 11C, Loch Glascarnoch -4C, Isle of Wight 30mm, Torquay 5.6h.)
The rain made rapid progress N into the 20th, reaching Cent Scotland by mid-morning by which time heavy showers were beginning to affect SW Ireland. The rain, accompanied by strong winds and gusts to 60kn over the English Channel, continued to move E and Ne during the day clearing E England during the evening but lingering across N Scotland by midnight. Showers affected many areas once the rain had passed, especially over S Ireland and SW and Cent S England where they turned heavy, with thunder in S Wales. (Prestatyn 12C, Altnaharra -5C, Capel Curig 34mm, Prestatyn 3.8h.)
Rain continued over N Scotland overnight into the 21st, with widespread cloud and showers elsewher over the British Isles. These continued throughout the day as the wind turned to the NW, giving heavy falls in places and leading to some temporary localised road flooding. Damp conditions over parts of E and NE England led to fog patches developing during the evening. MSL pressure dropped to 972.9mb at Kirkwall at 0300GMT, and gusts to 50kn were reported from the Northern Isles during the morning. (Saunton Sands 12C, Moyola -2C, Altnaharra 26mm, Aviemore 4.8h.)
A NW flow on the 22nd was accompanied by mostly cloudy conditions at first, but clearer skies spread E slowly during the day, extending across Ireland, W Scotland and wales by late evening. Rain and showers were widespread during the day in the E, with some heavy falls over Scotland and widespread gusts to 40kn around Scotland. (Plymouth 11C, Aboyne 1C, Aberdeen 16mm, Bournemouth 7.6h.)
While cloud and some light rain persisted in E Britain early on the 23rd, clearer conditions in the W led to an air frost in Cent Ireland and NW Scotland. By midday the cloud affected only E coast parts of England, with light rain in Norfolk, but further cloud had spread into W Scotland and W Ireland as the wind backed from the NW to SW here. Pressure continued to rise in most places, throughout the day, reaching 1038.5mb in the Channel Islands by midnight. England and Wales had a generally sunny day once the cloud had cleared from the E coast, but the cloud in the W spread to W wales and N England by midnight, with some falls of light rain and drizzle across Ireland and Scotland. An air frost had developed across parts of Cent England by midnight. (Penzance 13C, Altnaharra -4C, Boulmer 5mm, Falmouth 8.5h.)
The 24th dawned clear across much of S and Cent England with an air frost in places here, but cloudy elsewhere with rain in W Ireland and NW Scotland, with the temperature 11C at 0600GMT at Stornoway. The cloud spread E to all areas during the morning, with the rain spreading across Scotland and into Cent Ireland during the morning, and later into parts of Wales and the Isle of Man. Further rain led to heavy falls in places over W Scotland, and gusts to 40kn were widespread over Scotland. (Kinloss 14C, Redhill -5C, Lusa 21mm, Margate 7.6h.)
The 25th dawned with cloud over most of Britain and clearing skies over Ireland. This clearance spread E to most areas by midday followed by showers across Ireland and W Scotland. Showers across Scotland were heavy in places and it was a windy day here, with coastal gales and gusts to 65kn in the Northern Isles; Kirkwall reported 61kn gusts at 1500GMT. Shwoers affected N England during the afternoon, and in the evening further cloud spread across the W half of the British Isles with rain in drizzle in W Ireland and W Scotland. (Poole 14C, Wick 3C, Lusa 37mm, Scarborough 6.8h.)
The 26th dawned cloudy in all areas as rain crossed Scotland, Ireland, the N Midlands and N England, later pushing E and clearing E parts of England by midday. A W flow dominated conditions with MSL pressure around 1036mb at Scilly, and some coastal and hill fog affected Cornwall, W Wales, the Pennines and Cumbria. While drizzle persisted in places in W Ireland during the afternoon and evening, there was a clearance of the cloud in E England later in the day, with fog patches forming in Cent S England by midnight. At Aboyne foehn conditions pushed the temperature up to 18.3C, equalling the highest temperature ever recorded in the UK in January, and about 2C warmer than the previous Scottish January record. 17.8C was recorded at Ashford, Co. Wicklow, with 16.6C at Roches Point. 17.2C at Dyce was the highest January temperature there since before 1957. (Aboyne 18.3C, Wattisham 1C, Dunstaffnage 18mm, Torquay 5.6h.)
Mostly clear skies dawned on the 27th across S England with widespread mist and fog patches here; some of these lasted into the afternoon and parts of SW England had low cloud and fog patches for much of the day. Further N and W the day dawned cloudy, with light rain and drizzle over Ireland and S Scotland. This was slow-moving, but by midnight had cleared SE England and was restricted to a few showers in Scotland. 17.4C at East Malling was reportedly the highest January temperature on record in SE England and followed a generally sunny in much of this region; 16.5C was recorded at Chipstead Valley. In N and W Scotland winds gusted to 50kn in places, with 70kn gusts on the Cairngorms accompanying snow showers over high ground in Scotland during the evening. (East Malling 17.4C, South Farnborough 3C, Eskdalemuir 8mm, Hastings 8.5h.)
The 28th saw strong NW-N winds across the British Isles, with a low over the North Sea and a high pressure centre of 1058mb over the mid-Atlantic; such high pressure was a new record for the time of year, according to the Met Office. Overnight showers in Scotland, which were wintry across N Scotland, spread to the whole of the British Isles with some falling as snow above about 400m in many areas. Gusts to 30kn were common inland during the showers, which became organised over S England during the afternoon; peak low level gusts included 66kn at Barra. By midnight skies had again cleared across much of England and Wales, except in the SW, but showerws continued over parts of E England, W Wales and N Scotland. Thunder was heard in the showers across parts of SW Scotland in the morning, and in Cent England and S Ireland during the afternoon. There was a temperature drop of 5C from 1100-1120GMT in snow/hail showers at Newchapel (Staffordshire), with hail measuring 10mm in diameter at 1415GMT. A few roads in the Highlands were closed and the M1 had some snow related accidents in the afternoon. Funnel clouds were also reported in Berkshire. (St. Marys 10C, Aviemore 1C, Altnaharra 25mm, Margate 5.7h.)
Cold N air flow blew across the British Isles on the 29th. Showers continued before dawn across N Scotland and in W Ireland, and also along the E coast of Britain and SW England. Showers continued across N and E Britain throughout the day with snow and hail over N and E Scotland, and showers became widespread across Ireland during the day. During the evening the showers became confined to N Scotland and W Ireland. Blizzard conditions closed the mountainside Lecht road in Scotland and strong winds caused problems for many areas; there were gusts to 60kn in N Scotland and 30kn were widespread elsewhere. In Whitby harbour white foam was whipped about caused by the stormy conditions, containing high levels of organic material. (Saunton Sands 9C, Emley Moor -1C, Aberdeen 25mm, Teignmouth 8.2h.)
Showers continued into the 30th across Scotland, parts of Ireland, Wales and SW England and in places along the E coast of Britain. The showers were wintry and accompanied by blowing and drifting in N Scotland as winds gusted to 50kn. An area of organised rain and wet snow pushed SE from Ireland and Wales into Cent S England by dawn, as snow shwoers continued to fall near E Britain. This led to widespread disruption in the rush hour as ungritted roads led to many accidents. On many other routes drivers and pedestrians had trouble getting up hills in the icy conditions. Across Sussex and Surrey many teachers were unable to make it in to work, so several schools were closed. The snow gradually became mostly confined to E England and E Scotland, with clearing skies leading to widespread sunny spells across Ireland and W Britain (where snow flurries occurred in places). Many roads in the Grampian and Highland regions were affected by snow, and more than 20 schools closed in this area. In Aberdeenshire thousands of children were unable to get to school and more than 100 schools closed. Strong winds in all areas made it feel bitterly cold, with snow even in S Britain being blown about. By midnight clear skies in the W had led to a widespread air frost across much of Ireland and W Britain. (St. Marys 9C, Lerwick -4C, Lowestoft 21mm, Ronaldsway 7.7h.)
Cloud overnight into the 31st was confined to E coastal areas of Britain and to W parts of Scotland and Ireland. Showers of snow and hail contined to fall in N Scotland and E areas, but these gradually decresed in extent. Clear skies inland led to a widespread air frost and it remained below freezing during the day as far S as the Pennines. During the monring the wind backed to Sw across Ireland and cloud spread E here and in W Scotland, with rain spreading E to E Scotland and Wales by the evening, with snow over Northern Ireland and at upper levels across Scotland; during the evening snow fell over N England with blizzards on the M62, Wales and the Midlands. (Barra 9C, Warcop -6C, Lowestoft 12mm, Isle of Wight 7.7h.)
Wintry showers continued in to the 2nd across Scotland, gradually becoming more widespread and at lower levels as the day progressed. By late evening there were falls of snow over some of the high ground in N England. Much of England and wales had a clear start to the day, with air frost in E counties, before cloud and showers spread from the W. Across Scotland there was drifting snow in NW and Cent Scotland, with 10cm of lying snow reported at Aviemore. Vehicles were stranded in snow on the A6024 at Holme Moss in West Yorkshire. During the evening skies cleared across much of England, Wales and Ireland, but rain showers persisted across SW Ireland and there were also a few sferics over W Scotland. (Penzance 11C, Redhill -4C, Shap Fell 22mm, Herne Bay 5.4h.)
Much of the British Isles had clear skies early on the 3rd, but cloud brought showers of snow to Northern Ireland, Scotland and N England, and rain to SW Britain and W Ireland. Wintry showers continued in the N and W for most of the day. Snow combined with strong winds brought blizzards to N Scotland. 184 schools in Highland were closed as weather conditions became so severe that even snow ploughs became stuck drifts. Over 30cm of snow fell in parts of Highland, many roads were closed and services at Inverness Airport were shut down. Gusts of 40-50kn were widespread over N and E Scotland. As wintry showers became widespread across Ireland the Glenshane Pass was closed overnight due to snow and ice and several schools also failed to open. During the day snow showers also affected N England, N wales and the Midlands, with roads closed in Derbyshire, while rain showers in the SW lingered until midday with some heavy falls in Cornwall. (Guernsey 10C, Loch Glascarnoch -1C maximum, Baltasound -6C minimum, Cardinham 14mm, Bristol 7.4h.)
Overnight cloud gradually became mostly confined to Scotland on the 4th, although showers continued further S with snow reported as far S as Cork before dawn. Over 12cm of snow fell overnight in Magherafelt, Cookstown and Dungannon in Northern Ireland. Blizzard conditions continued to affect parts of Scotland, with the far N being hardest hit by gale force winds and heavy snow. Around 2000 homes were hit by power cuts in the north and north-east and at one point nearly every household on Orkney was affected. Avienmore reported a snow depth of 20cm, with 9cm at Eskdalemuir. After early snow showers in some W parts of England and Wales during the morning, a band of showers developed in the E giving falls of snow that lasted until late evening in parts of east Anglia and Cent S England. (Penzance 8C, Loch Glascarnoch -1C maximum, Warcop -5C minimum, Lerwick 15mm, Bournemouth 8.8h.)
Wintry showers continued into the 5th across N Scotland, and in parts of SW England and W Wales. With temperatures remaining above 5C in W Ireland overnight showers here fell as rain. During the late morning an area of snow showers developed in NW England, before moving across the Midlands and E Wales to Cent S England. About 10cm of lying snow was reported around midday at Wolverhampton. Showers gradually died out over most of Scotland during the day, and in S England the snow cleared to leave a frosty evening. The evening also saw a band of rain pushing across Ireland and into W Scotland (with snow falling over high ground here) as warmer air moved E into the British Isles. By midnight Belmullet was reporting a temperature of 10C, while Eskdalemuir was reporting -6C. (Penzance 11C, Tulloch Bridge -11C, Capel Curig 8mm, Folkestone 8.9h.)
By dawn on the 6th cloud had spread E to most parts of the British Isles, leading to a dull day in most places. Warmer air spread E bringing a short spell of rain to most areas; in some N areas the rain was preceded by sleet and snow and this led to some icy roads around dawn. Temperatures remained low in E England ahead of the warmer air - and fog over N Yorkshire also helped to keep the temperature low here. (Penzance 13C, Scarborough 3C maximum, Biggar -10C minimum, Mumbles 7mm, Penzance 2.0h.)
The 7th was a mostly cloudy day across the British Isles. There was little air frost except in parts of NE Scotland, and the day began with light rain and drizzle across S England; this precipitation led to mist and fog patches in some S areas. This cleared by midday, after which time the heaviest rain was confined to N Scotland, accompanied by gusts to 40kn. Clear skies did develop across SE Scotland and NW England for a while in the afternoon. (Penzance 14C, Aboyne -1C, Sella Ness 6mm, Colwyn Bay 5.0h.)
The 8th remained generally cloudy across the British Isles. Overnight rain continued across NW and N Scotland, and in parts of S England. Further rain moved into W Ireland by dawn, and then moved slowly E across W Britain to reach E Scotland and the Midlands by late evening. With a S to SW airflow it remained mild in all areas, although a fall in temperature occurred later in the day across Ireland as the skies cleared and the rain turned to showers. (Penzance 12C, Fyvie Castle 4C, Lusa 17mm, Torquay 1.5h.)
Cloud and rain continued to affect E Scotland, Wales and England overnight, but by dawn on the 9th skies had cleared across Ireland and W Scotland with an air frost in parts of Cent Ireland. Gusts to 40kn occurred over the Channel Islands during the morning before the rain cleared. By the evening cloud in the E was confined to Lincolnshire, East Anglia and parts of SE England, with only light rain in places; skies were clear elsewhere, except in W Ireland where rain arrived from the W just before midnight. By midnight, an air frost had developed in many inland areas of Scotland and England under the clear skies. (Great Malvern 10C, Moyola -1C, Capel Curig 23mm, Tenby 9.4h.)
Cloud pushed E across much Ireland and Scotland by dawn on the 10th, followed by rain in W Ireland and W Scotland. Before the cloud arrived there was a sharp air frost in parts of E Scotland, while fog developed across many parts of N England, the Midlands and Cent S England before dawn, being freezing in places. By midday the rain had extended across much of Scotland and Ireland, but became slow-moving throughout the rest of the day, affecting E Scotland, N England, the Midlands, SW and Cent S England by midnight. The wind was gusty across N Britain during the day, with gusts to 90kn at Cairngorm and 60kn at Barra. The rain was followed by showers over W Scotland, and by a general clearance of the cloud over Ireland as pressure rose in the W to 1018.5mb at Valentia by midnight. (Ballykelly 11C, Aboyne -6C, Milford Haven 16mm, Southsea 7.1h.)
The 11th saw a pronounced West-East split in the weather, as the cloud and rain in the E lingered over NE England the Midlands and S England for much of the day, becoming confined to East Anglia, SE and Cent S England by midnight. The rain turned to drizzle in much of this area, with poor visibility, mist and fog patches persisting throughout the day. Clearer skies across W areas overnight gradually spread SE throughout the day, although a few fog patches formed in S Scotland and N England as the cloud cleared, and rain showers affected W Scotland for a while. During the evening mist and fog formed across parts of E Ireland, Wales and England under the clear skies. (Cardiff 12C, Aboyne -2C, Dunkeswell 17mm, Ronaldsway 8.2h.)
By dawn on the 12th low cloud was widespread across much of E and S England, with patchy cloud and fog patches across Scotland, fog patches in W Britain and generally clear skies over Ireland. In W Britain the fog was freezing in places, and light rain and drizzle was falling in parts of E England. The fog was slow to clear in places, and mist lingered all day in many parts of England, Wales and E Scotland. A developing E airflow kept temperatures low under the cloud and where fog persisted, but across W Scotland and Ireland prolonged sunshine lifted the temperature before air frost reformed in the evening. (Saunton Sands 10C, Morecambe 2C maximum, Altnaharra -7C minimum, Lowestoft 3mm, Penzance 8.6h.)
Low cloud, mist or fog was widespread across much of the British Isles by dawn on the 13th, with light rain and drizzle in some E and Cent parts of Scotland and England. Air frost was widespread in N and W areas of Scotland that remained clear. During the day the cloud spread gradually further W, although by the evening there was a partial clearance developing in E England, leading to another frosty night. Fog was slow to clear in places, and mist lingered all day in many areas. (Falmouth 11C, Little Rissington 0C maximum, Altnaharra -7C minimum, Topcliffe 3mm, Penzance 7.9h.)
Clearing skies early on the 14th across much of E Britain led to a widespread air frost and some mist patches by dawn; further W there was patchy cloud and some light rain for a while in SW England and W Ireland, with some sleet over Dartmoor and Exmoor. During the day the clearance spread further W and by mid-afternoon cloud was largely confined to Ireland, while by midnight there was little cloud except in some parts of S Cornwall and S Devon with a widespread air frost forming. (Aboyne 7C, Shap Fell -8C, Lerwick 1mm, Tenby 9.3h.)
With clear skies overnight into the 15th there was a widespread air frost, with temperatures below -5C in many Cent parts of England and Scotland. Although the day continued sunny in most places, low cloud spread W on the E wind across E England and across much of England and E Wales by midnight. There wasd also some cloud in SW Ireland and the Northern Isles during the day, with some light rain in the latter area. At Aboyne the diurnal range was about 20C. Eleven league football matches in Scotland were cancelled due to frozen pitches, with a few cancellations in England also. (Saunton Sands 10C, Aboyne -11C, Kirkwall 0.6mm, Morecambe 9.1h.)
High pressure continued to dominate weather across the British Isles on the 16th, with MSL pressure of 1038mb over East Anglia at 0000GMT. By dawn low cloud covered much of Ireland, S Wales and England (except over Cumbria) and there was a widespread air frost over Scotland and N England. In SE England there were reports of snow grains falling in places where the cloud thickened. It took until the afternoon for a clearance to spread across much of E England, by which time cloud had spread across much of Scotland, with some light rain falling in W Scotland. As the cloud spread into NW Scotland Altnaharra saw the temperature from around -9C to +9C. (Altnaharra 9C, Buxton (Derbyshire) 0C maximum, Altnaharra -9C minimum, Barra 5mm, Prestatyn 7.7h.)
Much of Cent Ireland, E and S Scotland, and NW England had clear skies by dawn on the 17th, and air frost developed in these areas and also across much of England. Cloud and warm air continued to affect W Ireland and W Scotland, with 0600GMT temperatures including 8C at Valentia and 7C at Stornoway. During the morning cloud from much of Britain, and from most of Ireland in the evening, by when a widespread air frost had again developed. A gusty wind (to 50kn) made it feel very cold in NW Scotland during the day, although 11C was reported at Altnaharra due to a foehn effect. (Altnaharra 11C, Buxton (Derbyshire) -1C maximum, Redesdale -9C minimum, South Uist 3mm, Morecambe 9.1h.)
Despite patchy cloud affecting Ireland and W Britain in the 18th, the day dawned with another widespread air frost across Britain. Despite the prolonged sunshine under clear skies across Britain during the day, a brisk E wind made it feel cool. Ireland had a rather cloudy day until the afternoon, and although the cloud mostly cleared here during the evening, at 2400GMT Valentia was reporting continuous moderate rain as frontal rain started to move NE. At Altnaharra the 1000GMT observation included temperature 9.3C, dew point -39.9C, relative humidity 1.6%. (Aultbea 12C, Redesdale -11C, no measurable rain, Folkestone 9.5h.)
Cloud and rain in SW Ireland made only slow progress NE on the 19th; although the cloud affected the whole of Ireland, W wales and SW England by midnight the rain had only affected Devon and Cornwall (with snow over the moors here), the Channel Islands and S parts of Wales and Ireland by midnight. There was a clear start to the day in E Britain, although low cloud and patchy drizzle affected E Scotland and the Northern Isles for a time during the day. Most of E Britain, however, had a sunny day, but there were variable amounts of cloud in Cent areas. (Aultbea 10C, Woburn -5C, Valentia 52mm, Hunstanton 9.0h.)
Cloud spread slowly N and E before on the 20th to affect all but the extreme E of England and of Scotland by mid-morning. Despite this, many inland areas of England and Scotland had a frosty start, while there was early rain over areas close to the Irish Sea and in parts of SW England. There were also falls of snow over higher ground in SW England, and in Avon and parts of SE Wales. The rain faded during the day, and clearer skies spread both to W Ireland and E and England by mid-afternoon. Elsewhere it remained generally cloudy during the day and into the evening. (Penzance 11C, Loch Glascarnoch -5C, St. Marys 9mm, Norwich 8.8h.)
The 21st was a largely dry day across the British Isles. Clear skies overnight down W and E parts off the British Isles resulted in an air frost in E areas of England, while cloudier skies elsewhere led to a few outbreaks of rain or showers in areas bordering the Irish Sea. These outbreaks largely cleared by mid-morning, and areas of the W Midlands and SW England had a foggy start to the day. Although the fog was slow to clear from some places, by mid-afternoon much of England and Wales was warm and sunny. The evening saw remaining areas of cloud mostly clear although some did persists in W Scotland; fog formed across many parts of E England by midnight. (Cent. London 14C, Redhill -5C, West Freugh 2mm, Folkestone 9.9h.)
Low cloud developed from the fog in E and NE England by dawn on the 22nd, with fog also affecting much of the Midlands and parts of S and E Scotland. With clear skies elsewhere air frost was widespread over Britain, but it remained milder over Ireland. The cloud and fog cleared by midday in most E areas and most of Britain had a sunny afternoon. Two exceptions to this were NE Scotland where low cloud lingered, with 40kn gusts in the Northern Isles, and SW Britain and S Ireland, where advancing rain spread cloud slowly N, with light falls in SW England and S W Wales before midnight, and heavier outbreaks over S parts of Ireland. (Valley 13C, Altnaharra -8C, Cork 7mm, Oxford 9.3h.)
Although the 23rd began with clear skies across much of Scotland, E and N England, cloud pushed NE overnight to cover much of Ireland, W and S England, the Midlands and S Scotland by dawn, with rain, mostly light affected Cent S England, the Midlands and Northern Ireland by the same time. Although the cloud continued to spread, affecting much of Britain by midday, the rain broke up over S and E England, and it turned showery over Ireland. Despite the cloud it was a generally mild day due to the S airflow, and as the day progressed skies cleared over Ireland, W Scotland and SW England, and the cloud over E Britain turned to mist and fog in many areas. (Northolt 14C, Cranwell -3C, Capel Curig 8mm, Weymouth 6.5h.)
The 24th dawned cloudy with mist or fog across many parts of England, but with clearer skies over the rest of the British Isles and an air frost in parts of Scotland. The mist and fog was slow to clear and it remained mist or hazy across many parts of England into the afternoon. Away from the extreme NW, England and Wales had a rather cloudy day although it brightened up over E England in the afternoon. Cloud spread across Ireland in the morning with rain and drizzle affecting the SW during the afternoon, while Scotland had a mostly sunny day although cloud and fog affected the Northern Isles later in the evening. (Cent. London 15C, Aviemore -4C, Colwyn Bay 4mm, Aspatria 8.7h.)
Patchy cloud affected Britain overnight into the 25th, with mist and fog in places, especially in parts of NE England and SE Scotland for a while. Cloud and rain over Ireland spread into SW England in the morning, although amounts were light in this latter region. The day was warm across most of England and S Scotland, despite patchy cloud (mostly high) and an E/SE breeze. During the evening there was a clearance of the cloud in E Englaand for a while, but thickening cloud in the S led to some light rain in Cent S England by midnight. (Keswick 14C, Tain Range -5C, Plymouth 1mm, Folkestone 9.4h.)
Clear skies for much of the night over N and E England led to an air frost in places here on the 26th, with patchy fog across NE England. Other areas of britain began with patchy cloud, although over Ireland the cloud was more extensive with rain over S Ireland also affecting W wales and SW England by dawn. This rain also spread to Northern Ireland, SW Scotland and into the Midlands and Cent S England during the evening, followed by a clearance of the cloud over W Ireland. despite the cloud, it was another warm day across much of E England and parts of E Scotland, although a few coastal areas remained cool in the onshore E wind. (Cent. London 16C, Leeming -3C, Cardinham 13mm, Norwich 9.4h.)
The 27th began generally cloudy across the British Isles with some rain, especially in SW England, in areas bordering the Irish Sea and in parts of W Scotland. Mist and fog patches affected NE England around dawn and it persisted all day in some coastal locations. Rain in SW England and Wales became widespread during the morning, but during the evening cleared from the W as it spread to Cent S England. There were also falls across Ireland, N England and S Scotland, with rain over Ireland turning to showers during the afternoon. Despite the persistent cloud over much of E England, it was another warm day here. (Marham 15C, Aviemore -4C, Newquay 22mm, Kinloss 6.8h.)
Cloud and rain was slow-moving early on the 28th over E and S parts of the British Isles, and by mid-morning further rain had spread E across much of Ireland and through SW England with heavy falls in places. In many areas this was to be the first major rainfall event for about a fortnight. As the rain moved E and NE clearer conditions spread into Ireland, Wales and W England during the late afternoon and evening, with clear skies over much of S and Cent England by midnight. (Kinloss 14C, Church Fenton 1C, St. Angelo 25mm, Cromer 6.2h.)
By dawn on the 2nd cloudy skies were largely confined to Scotland and E England, with rain in NE Scotland and a few showers in SE England; over high ground in NE Scotland the rain turned to snow. Showers developed over Ireland during the morning, with hail in places, as the rain and cloud cleared most E districts (although in the Northern Isles rain showers lingered until the evening). Much of S Britain had a dry and sunny day, and by mid-evening cloud was confined to W Ireland and S Scotland, as temperatures fell sharply over E England. (Falmouth 14C, Castlederg -3C, Kinloss 28mm, Torquay 10.3h.)
Clear skies meant that ground frost was widespread over E and Cent England, and in NE Scotland, on the 3rd with air frost in places. Fog formed overnight in many areas of S Wales, Cent England and in parts of SW England during the night, with cloud and rain spreading across Ireland and into W Scotland by dawn. The cloud continued to spread W during the day. By mid-evening rain was affecting much of Ireland, Wales and Cent S England, although amounts were slight further E. (Penzance 13C, Redhill -5C, Exmouth 10mm, Aberdeen 8.0h.)
A generally cloudy start to the 4th meant no low-level air frost, and the day dawned with patchy light rain and drizzle across much of W Britain, Ireland and S Scotland. It remained cloudy across the British Isles during the day, although the evening brought a clearance in the cloud over much of Ireland. The rain in the W pushed quickly E and NE, turning patchy but giving some heavy falls for a while in W Scotland. Away from the extreme N of Scotland it was a mild day with temperatures remaining above 10C across moct of England by midnight. (Cent. London 15C, Strathallan 1C, Eskdalemuit 17mm, Herne Bay 2.7h.)
Cloud conditions with rain over Scotland and S England heralded the 5th, although Ireland had a mainly clear start until showers developed in the W around dawn. While the rain cleared from most of Scotland early in the morning, it lingered until the evening over much of S and SE England, with many parts of SW England having quite a wet day. Showers developed over W Scotland later in the day, while showers that had affected W Ireland for most of the day cleared in the evening. However, some thundery showers affected parts of Northern Ireland and SW Scotland around sunset. (Herne Bay 15C, Loch Luichart 0C, Cardinham 19mm, Kinloss 8.5h.)
Overnight into the 6th the showers over Scotland largely died out, and the rain cleared from SE England and East Anglia, to leave a clear dawn in most parts of the British Isles. This resulted in aa slight frost in a few sheltered areas, and a widespread ground frost; there were a few fog patches in the Thames Valley around dawn and cloud thickened for a while in most areas as a weak cold front brought patchy rain from the W across most of Britain during the day. Cloud lingered over Scotland, and a further trough meant that showers were more persistent over W and Cent Ireland later in the day. (Falmouth 14C, Aboyne -2C, Norwich 18mm, Isle of Wight 9.9h.)
By dawn on the 7th rain had spread E across much of ireland, W Scotland and into SW Britain, associated with a shallow depression that pushed towards NW Ireland (centred at 995mb at 1200GMT). E Britain had clear skies for a while, before cloud pushed E to cover much of Britain by dawn. The rain pushed steadily E across the British Isles during the day, followed by showers over Ireland and W Wales by midday that affected most of England during the afternoon and evening. The rain area lingered over E and NE Scotland for much of the day, while the showers near the Chilterns turned thundery for a while late in the afternoon. A gust of 67mph occurred at Mumbles, and in Wales and S England many other coastal areas had gusts to 50mph. (Folkestone 12C, Redhill -2C, Port Ellen 18mm, Torquay 5.7h.)
There was scattered rain and showers with broken cloud across the British Isles early on the 8th, but during the morning more organised cloud and raain spread E across Ireland and into W Wales, SW England and SW Scotland. By later afternoon this was affecting most of W and Cent parts of the British Isles, reaching parts of E Britain by evening. Falls of rain were heavy over the hills of Wales, with 80mm falling in 12 hours at Capel Curig and flood wrarnings issued for parts of wales and the Midlands. The Met Office reported a low pressure centre down to 928mb over the Atlantic, probably close to a record for March. (Falmouth 12C, Lough Fea 1C, Caopel Curig 88mm, Aberdeen 6.8h.)
While the rain cleared from E England by dawn on the 9th, it was slow-moving over Scotland and only during the late afternoon did it give way to showers in E Scotland. Across much of Britain it was a mostly cloudy day, although clear skies occurred for a while over East Anglia during the afternoon. Furthewr rain spread from Ireland, where it then turned showery, across Wales and W England during the afternoon before moveing away SE'wards in the evening. Sferics were reported in some coastal areas of W Ireland around sunset. All areas had quite a mild day for the tie of year in the SW surface airflow, although by midnight there were slear skies over large areas of the British Isles. (Guernsey 16C, Aboyne 1C, Lusa 42mm, Guernsey 9.8h.)
Showers affected W coastal areas of Britain, and much of Ireland, before dawn on the 10th with some more prolonged rain in parts of W Scotland. These showers spread further E during the day into the W Midlands, and N England, but it remained dry in most E parts of Britain. An exception was E Scotland, where rain showers fell for a while. There were widespread thundery outbreals across much of Cent Ireland during the late morning and afternoon, and these spread across the Irish Sea into N Wales and N England during the afternoon. There were also a few outbreaks over W Scotland. In exposed parts of N England and Scotland the wind gusted to 45mph in places. (Scampton 15C, Lough Fea 3C, Waterstein 19mm, Kinloss 8.9h.)
There was a generally cloudy start to the 11th across the British Isles, with rain soon spreading across S parts England and Wales, and showers developing elsewhere. Some of these showers were heavy across Scotland, and falls were accompanied by winds gusting to 50kn in parts of N Britain. The rain lingered over parts of S England until early evening, although the evening saw a gradual clearance of showers and cloud as pressure began to build, reaching 1023mb over Orkney by midnight. Despite this, cloud did persist in N and E Scotland, and NE England, during the evening. (Scampton 14C, Loch Glascarnoch 3C, Loch Glascarnoch 36mm, Leuchars 7.6h.)
Low cloud became more extensive down E England into the 12th, with light rain or drizzle in a few places, and cloud also lingered across N and E Scotland. Elsewhere, there was a mainly clear start to the day with a widespread ground frost in Ireland. There were outbreaks of light rain in cent S England during the morning, but precipitation amounts were mostly small across the British isles as pressure continued to rise, reaching 1042mb in S Scotland by midnight. NE winds meant that cloud lingered for much of the day over much of England, but the evening brought a clearance of the cloud over most of Scotland and Ireland. (Culdrose 11C, Katesbridge -1C, Aviemore 7mm, Anglesey 10.3h.)
Cloud persisted across much of England into the 13th, but clearer conditions to the N and W led to an air frost in many inland areas of Ireland and Scotland. Cloud developed across many S parts of the British Isles during the day, with outbreaks of slight rain in some E coastal areas. Pressure remained high (1043.1mb at Eskdalemuir at 0300GMT) and many areas of N Wales, Ireland and Scotland had quite a sunny day. By midnight cloud had cleared from much of S Britain, but lingered in NE England and parts of S Scotland, with an air frost returning to sheltered areas of NW Scotland. (Lee-on-Solent 12C, Altnaharra -5C, Loftus 1mm, Anglesey 10.7h.)
Overnight cloud was mainly confined to NE England and Scotland with the result that the 14th dawned with an air frost in many parts of England and N Scotland. Cloud cleared from much of N Britain during the morning, leaving most areas with a sunny day - although there was patchy cloud for mcuh of the day in parts of SW England and S Ireland. Light rain and drizzle also affected parts of NE Scotland and the Northern Isles during the morning, but falls were slight. Mostly clear skies continued into the evening, with an air frost in places by midnight in the E airflow under the continuing high pressure (1039mb in NE England at 2400GMT). During the afternoon there was very dry air over the surface to the W of London, with relative humidities down to 20%. (Anglesey 13C, Altnaharra -6C, Lerwick 1mm, Saunton Sands 11.7h.)
Mostly clear skies continued into the 15th but by mid-morning there was patchy cloud across many W parts of Britain and Ireland. A mostly E/SE airflow continued throughout the day giving a mostly sunny and dry over the British Isles. During the evening there was more widespread cloud over N and Cent Scotland, with a few light showers in NW Scotland and Orkney. (Lossiemouth 15C, Altnaharra -5C, No measurable rain, Norwich 10.0h.)
Overnight cloud into the 16th was restricted to N and NE Scotland, and to SW Ireland. Elsewhere, the day dawned clear with a widespread ground frost and an inland air frost. Under high pressure (1042.6mb at Whitby at 0600GMT) and a continued SE/E airflow temperatures soon rose in most areas, although fog persisted for much of the morning in some coastal areas of East Anglia and NE England. Most parts of the British Isles had a sunny day, although there was patchy cloud at times in N Britain. (Manchester 15C, Kinbrace -6C, No measurable rain, Saunton Sands 11.3h.)
Patchy cloud and fog was mostly confined to some E parts of England and Scotland into the 17th, with a few mist and fog patches also around the Midlands and Cent S England. Under the clear skies there was a widespread early air frost, although the fog soon cleared and temperatures rose, with some large changes in temperature in places. A diurnal range of 22C was reported at Aviemore. Low cloud persisted for much of the day along the North sea coast N of The Wash, and sea fog patches affected some of this area. During the evening the cloud extent grew, with cloud affecting much of E Britain by midnight. (Trawscoed 19C, Altnaharra -7C, Kirkwall 1mm, Morecambe 11.6h.)
The cloud and mist/fog in the E pushed further W into the 18th across england, although the cloud cleared from much of NE Scotland by mid-morning. There was widespread fog in NE Scotland around dawn, with further patches in parts of S Scotland and the Midlands. As the day progressed the cloud gradually broke up, especially over N parts of Britain, and was mostly confined to S and Cent England by late afternoon - although much of this cleared in the evening. There were again some very large rises in temperature in N Scotland, and a diurnal range of 26C was reported at Altnaharra. By midnight, although pressure was falling slowly across the British Isles it was still around 1034mb across East Anglia and fog was again forming in parts of E Britain. (Glenlivet 19C, Altnaharra -9C, no measurable rain, Tiree 11.0h.))
Overnight, fog became widespread across NE England, S Scotland and in many areas of the Midlands and E Ireland, although by dawn on the 19th much of the British Isles was cloudless. While Britain remained largely free of cloud during the day, there was more of a S airflow over Ireland and an increase of cloud cover here during the morning. Neveretheless, the day was mostly dry, and the afternoon temperature at Aviemore was above the average for July. Cloud dissipated in most areas during the early evening, but low cloud and fog patches reformed over Scotland and parts of Ireland during late evening. (Aviemore 19C, Altnaharra -9C, Sella Ness 1mm, Fishguard 11.2h.)
Scotland and Ireland were mostly cloudy on the 20th, with early fog patches in many places again, and some rain and drizzle over W and NE Scotland during the day. Cloud also affected N England and Wales early in the day, with fog patches in parts of N England and the Midlands around dawn. Cloud developed over much of England during the day and persisted throughout the day, as the wind became more N'ly. (Southwark 16C, Redhill -5C, Kirkwall 3mm, Bristol 10.5h.)
There was patchy cloud across the British Isles by dawn on the 21st, along with mist and fog patches in many parts of E Ireland, Wales and England. The cloud and fog meant little air frost, and the fog was slow to clear in some places, while cloud persisted for much of the day in places on the S coast. The afternoon, however, saw a general clearance of cloud in most places, although some did linger over parts of N and W Scotland. There was no significant rainfall during the day as MSL pressure remained high across the British Isles. (Fyvie Castle 17C, Church Fenton -1C, no significant rain, Aberdeen 9.5h.)
Overnight into the 22nd cloud affected many parts of W and Cent Scotland, and also some areas of S Ireland and SW Britain. Air and ground frosts were quite common in the clear areas. Cloud soon cleared across England and Wales, but spread over much of Ireland and W Scotland by midday, with drizzle falling for a while in the Glasgow area. Despite the sunshine, temperatures remianed below 9C in some coastal parts of NE and SE England. The afternoon saw the cloud clearing from Ireland, although the clearance across W Scotland had to wait until the evening. (Saunton Sands 17C, Redhill -7C, No significant rain, Anglesey 10.8h.)
There was little cloud overnight into the 23rd, with a widespread air and ground frost resulting, along with some early fog patches. An exception was W Scotland, with early light rain reported at Stornoway. It remained cloudfree and sunny over much of the British Isles throughout the day, although cool air continued to affect E coast areas in the onshore breeze. Cloud in Wand NW Scotland cleared by mid-afternoon, while the afternoon and evening brought cloud development over S ireland and SW England, and later across SW Scotland. (London 20C, Clacton 8C maximum, Redhill -5C minimum, Stornoway 2mm, Prestatyn 11.6h.)
The cloud in the W moved slowly E early on the 24th, with a clearance then following from the N and W; by midday cloud was mostly confined to S Ireland and parts of S England. The cloud did bring some light rain and showers across areas of Northern Ireland, Wales and N England, but falls were small. Thundery rain fell in the Dublin area, and in parts of Cumbria. As more cloud spread over Ireland and W Scotland later in the day, there were further showers in parts of NW and N Scotland in the evening, with light rain in W Ireland. Most of England and Wales had a sunny day, with warmer weather on the E coast as the wind swung to the S/SW. (Aboyne 19C, Altnaharra -5C, Tenby 2mm, Clacton 11.0h.)
On the 25th there was early cloud over Ireland, W Scotland and many parts of Wales and SW England, with fog across Cent S England, S Wales and the Midlands. Cloud persisted over Ireland and Scotland during the morning, with some mist around Irish Sea coasts. Much of England had a warm and sunny day, but during the afternoon cloud cleared from Ireland and thickened over N England. Some light rain fell in the Hebrides, while the cloud and damp conditions over S Scotland in the evening brought about fog formation. (Jersey 18C, Dishforth -1C, South Uist Range 1mm, Folkestone 10.6h.)
The 26th dawned with cloud over parts of Ireland, W and S Scotland, and NE England. There was fog in parts of E Ireland, the Midlands and E England, and across S Scotland. The cloud and the fog meant little air frost, but the fog cleared by midday to give much of England a sunny day, once cloud in the E had dispersed. Cloud remained across N Scotland and parts of Ireland, with some light rain and showers here. By early evening the visibility had noticeable deteriorated across areas of cent and S England, with the sunshine being curtailed by hazy conditions. The very dry conditions led to the fire services attending more than 30 gorse fires in Cornwall since the week end, and grass fires have also occurred in parts of Cumbria. (Jersey 20C, Aboyne -3C, Sella Ness 2mm, Torquay 11.9h.)
Much of N and Cent Scotland was cloudy into the 27th, with some light rain and drizzle in many places. Most other areas of the British Isles had a clear start to the day, although there was some cloud in SW England and S Ireland with light rain and showers in Cornwall and Devon. Early fog across parts of E and Cent S England soon cleared and most inland parts of England, Wales and Ireland had a warm and sunny day, before more extensive cloud spread into S Ireland and SW Britain during the afternoon. By midnight there was further light rain in S Ireland, Cornwall and Devon. Cloud persisted throughout the day in N Scotland, with light rain and coastal fog in places. Onshore E winds led to a cold day in many places along the E coast, and foggy patches became widespread over much of E England during the evening. (Saunton Sands 20C, Cromer 5C maximum, Biggar -2C minimum, Cardinham 5mm, Prestatyn 11.3h.)
Cloud earely on the 28th was confined to parts of E England (where fog had thickened into low cloud), N Scotland (where there was some light rain) and parts of SW England, S Wales and S Ireland. There was also widespread fog by dwn across E, SE and Cent England, with visibilty below 100m in places. Early rain in the Channel Islands and S Ireland spread slowly N to give falls across much of Ireland, and in SW England and W Wales by evening; the rain slowly faded during the afternoon and evening over much of Ireland, and by midnight was confined to parts of Cent S England, the Channel Islands and S Ireland. The fog was slow to clear in places, and while there were sunny intervals over England once it did so, the fog reformed during the evening in East Anglia and Cornwall; by this time cloud was quite extensive across all but some NW areas of the British Isles. (Colwyn Bay 18C, Redesdale Camp -4C, Jersey 14mm, Aberdeen 8.5h.)
The 29th began with fairly extensive cloud across England, S Ireland and Wales, with clearer skies over much of Scotland and N parts of Ireland by dawn. Mist and fog were again widespread across E and Cent parts of England, and fog lingered until mid-morning in Cornwall. The cloud was associated with a cold front that slowly pushed SE during the day, before breaking up over SE parts during the afternoon and evening. Rainfall was mostly light, however, and confined to a S Wales and SW England. In the fresher air over W Scotland there were a few showers, and during the late afternoon showers turned thundery over the Shetland Isles, accompanied by gusts to 50kn. (Leeds 19C, Eskdalemuir -1C, Baltasound 10mm, Aberdeen 10.9h.)
Cloud across S England had almost cleared by dawn on the 30th, while cloud across N Ireland and W Scotland gave some light rain before dawn and further scattered outbreakls during the day, until the cloud finally clear in the evening. It was windy across N Scotland, with 62kn gusts reported at Fair Isle ot 0900GMT. Much of England, Wales and S Ireland had a sunny day, although there was some low cloud for a while over Ireland, and cloud that developed along the coast of E England later in the morning lingered for the remainder of the day, helping to keep temperatures low here. (Lee-on-Solent 19C, Trawscoed -2C, Lerwick 7mm, Scarborough 10.4h.)
Overnight cloud on the 31st was mostly confined to the on half of Scotland, where a few light showers also fell. After a clear start further S, patchy cloud developed over Ireland during the morning but most areas away from N Scotland had a generally sunny day. There were outbreaks of light rain in the Northern Isles during the day, and the late afternoon and evening saw frontal cloud push E and SE across Ireland and Scotland into parts of W Wales. By midnight there were moderate falls of rain across NW Ireland, W and N Scotland (with 40kn gusts in this latter region), as clear skies prevailed over S, E and Cent parts of England. (Hawarden 17C, Katesbridge -5C, Sella Ness 1mm, Clacton 11.8h.)
With little overnight cloud except over N Scotland the 2nd started with ground frost in many places, while showers continued over N Scotland. The NW airflow meant that cloud and showers developed rapidly during the morning across the British Isles, with gusts to 30kn being widespread in these showers which fell as hail as far S as London. During the evening cloud cleared across most of England although the showers across Ireland and Scotland turned to light rain and drizzle - despite rising pressure (1031.5mb at Valentia at 2400GMT). (Bournemouth 13C, Spadeadam 0C, Altnaharra 9mm, Scarborough 11.0h.)
Pressure continued to rise early on the 3rd, although light precipitation continued over Scotland, Ireland, and in parts of Wales and N England. Clear skies in Cent and S England led to a ground frost in places, with a cold start at Benson in particular. Cloud became widespread by midday, with showers in Norfolk including falls of hail. By early afternoon the light rain and drizzle in Scotland and Ireland had almost cleared and temperatures reached 15C in many parts of S and E Scotland. Cloud cleared from many areas in the evening, being mostly confined to Scotland and E England by midnight. (Leuchars 18C, Benson -3C, Loch Glascarnoch 4mm, Teignmouth 12.0h.)
Cloud overnight into the 4th was mostly confined to E England and Scotland, and clearer skies to the W alloed for a ground frost in sheltered places. The cloud produced a few spots of light rain in Cent and E England and N Scotland, but the cloud across most of England dissipated by mid-morning. Most of England, Wales and Ireland had a sunny, warm day, although a N airflow led to lower temperatures on N-facing coasts of Wales and England. N Scotland remained mostly cloudy with further light rain in the Northern Isles, and by midnight cloud had pushed S and W and lay along much of E England. (Lee-on-Solent 21C, Shap Fell 1C, Lerwick 1mm, Torquay 12.0h.)
The 5th dawned with bands of cloud over Scotland and Ireland, and down Cent England, despite continuing high pressure (1036mb at Belmullet at 1200GMT). Early fog affected the Isle of Man and parts of Ireland, and was slow to clear. In most areas the cloud dissipated by mid-afternoon, except in NE England and N and W Scotland. It was a mostly warm and sunny day in SW, S and Cent England. There were also falls of light rain in the Northern Isles, while the cloud became more extensive down E Britain during the evening with some light drizzle in NE England. (Lee-on-Solent 19C, Eskdalemuir -1C, Lerwick 0.4mm, Anglesey 12.0h.)
Cloud in E England pushed slowly W into the 6th, while mist and fog formed by dawn in many parts of W England, Wales and in coastal parts of Ireland. The cloud gave some light rain in parts of E Scotland and NE England, although during the morning it retreated S in Scotland and pushed W into Cent and SW England. The fog was slow to clear in Ireland, but then Ireland and Scotland had a mostly dry and sunny day. During the late afternoon the cloud cleared from East Anglia and SE England; the highest temperatures during the day occurred where the cloud was absent during the afternoon. In W Cornwall the warm weather and recent dry spell have provided the conditions necessary for gorse fires over recent days. (Aviemore and Penzance 18C, Tulloch bridge -1C, Aberdeen 1mm, Saunton Sands 11.8h.)
Clear skies in E and SE England into the 7th as a cold front pushed W led to an air frost in some places. Elsewhere the day began rather cloudy, except in W Scotland and W Ireland; however it clouded over here as the frontal cloud pushed W during the morning, and there were falls of light rain in N Scotland. The very cold air behind the front meant a cold day in places along the North Sea coast, despite the sunshine which by the evening had extended W to Cent Scotland and the Irish Sea. This air was very dry, with dew points down to -4 to -7C across a large area of East Anglia and SE England in the afternoon. (Altnaharra 15C, Benson -4C, Kirkwall 0.5mm, Cromer 11.5h.)
Overnight cloud was confined to N and W Scotland, and parts of S Ireland early on the 8th. A consequence was that much of England and Wales had a frosty start, but with little cloud development (except in parts of East Anglia for a while) it was a sunny day across England and Wales. Cloud also cleared from most of Scotland by late afternoon to give a sunny day here too. There were some light rain showers in SW Ireland later in the afternoon and here too most places had a sunny day. Despite the sunshine there was a cold E wind over England and Wales, and most E coast areas remained quite cold. In addition the air was dry, with dew points down below -4C in part of England and Wales during mid-afternoon. During the evening low cloud reformed over E coast ares of England and Scotland. (Glentress Forest 16C, Clacton 5C maximum, Redhill -6C minimum, No measurable rainfall, Clacton 12.4h.)
Overnight cloud was limited to E parts of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland on the 9th, leading to a widespread air frost in remaining areas. During the day the cloud gradually dispersed from many E areas, as further cloud affected S England and parts of S Ireland. Cloud also lingered across N Scotland, with light rain in some areas here, but remaining parst of the British Isles has a very sunny day. Sleet and hail was reported from parts of Cent S and SE England. (Castlederg 14C, Redhill -7C, Eastbourne 3mm, Margate 11.4h.)
There was patchy cloud across the British Isles early on the 10th, with an area of more extensive cloud over NE and E England, leading to showers of hail and sleet before dawn in East Anglia. There was another widespread air frost over the British Isles by dawn. The area of cloud in the E pushed W across England during the day, with a few falls of light rain, but with widespread reports of light snow over Cent S and SE England, and the Midlands. The snow did not settle, and by midnight much of the cloud had dissipated. Remaining areas had a mostly sunny day, although more general cloud over N Scotland gave some light falls of rain and drizzle in the Northern Isles. A funnel cloud spotted off the North Kent coast (at Leysdown) at 0928GMT, in the vicinity of a clearly-visible shower, while pea- to marble-size hailstones fell in Danbury, Essex. (Aboyne 14C, Crosby -6C, Andrewsfield 3mm, Ronaldsway 12.0h.)
There was a cloudy start to the 11th in many E parts of Britain and across Scotland, but with a widespread air frost over Ireland under clearer skies. Frost and fog occurred around dawn in many Cent and W parts of England. A depression to the N of the Scottish mainland brought some rain to N Scotland throughout the day, while further cloud spread across SW England, S Wales and S Ireland during the afternoon with falls of light rain in places. Cloud in the E dispersed later in the day. (Leuchars 14C, Katesbridge -6C, Wick 5mm, Jersey 11.5h.)
Cloud affected much of Ireland and W parts of Britain into the 12th, with a few light showers over N Scotland, while there was a an frost in parts of E England under clear skies. E England and SE Scotland remained sunny for most of the day, but to the W the cloud gave some rain and showers across Scotland and Ireland; this cloud broke over E Ireland, N Wales and N England in the evening at the same time as cloud pushed E into SE England and East Anglia. There was a whirlwind at Mountsorrel (Leicestershire) at 1528GMT; a large concrete based advertising board was blown over and the perspex shattered all over a supermarket car park sending the advert into the sky along with other debris. (Strathallan 16C, Redhill -5C, Saunton Sands 11mm, Leuchars 11.4h.)
By dawn on the 13th cloud had become mostly confined to SW England, S Ireland and N Scotland, with somw low cloud near the E coast of England. Sea fog affected parts of E Scotland, although there was little air frost under clear skies. The cloud in the SW brought rain to the Channel Islands, S Ireland and Cornwall by dawn, and by mid-afternoon this rain and accompanying cloud had pushed N to affect all of Ireland, SW England and S Wales. By midnight there was extensive cloud over the British Isles, with light rain falling in some places in Cent and NE England by midnight. Before the cloud arrived, E England and SE Scotland had another sunny day. (London 19C, Aviemore -2C, Falmouth 12mm, Hunstanton 11.3h.)
The 14th began with cloudy skies in most places, although this cloud was high in many E areas, with slight rain in some W parts of Britain and Ireland. This pattern continued throughout the day, although falls of rain became less common and there was a breakup of the cloud across Cent England and E Ireland as the day progressed. The evening brought further light rain over parts of Cornwall and Devon, and a brief shower around 2400GMT at Penzance gave almost as much dust as rain; just 1mm of rain fell, but dust covered cars, windows, garden tables in the heaviest dust locally for many years. Despite the high cloud, it was a warm day across many area of England, Wales, S Scotland and E Ireland. (Llanbedr 22C, Redesdale 5C, Capel Curig 8mm, Torquay 10.7h.)
A continuing anticyclone over Scandinavia continued to provide a mostly SE/E flow on the 15th over the British Isles. There was a mostly cloudy start to the day, except over some Cent areas, and although there was some early rain in parts of W Scotland and SW Ireland amounts were small. With sunny intervals across much of the British Isles it was a warm day everywhere. Llanbedr had an overnight minimum temperature of 13.8C. Cardiff reached 24.4C, a new April record, beating the previous one established in 1990. 23.5C at Brize Norton was also the highest on record in April there. (Cardiff 24C, Aboyne 3C, South Uist 1mm, Stornoway 13.0h.)
The warm weather continued on the 16th with no measurable rain falling and very little cloud throughout the day except in SW Ireland. By 2400GMT pressure had risen to 1030mb in SE Scotland. The maximum temperature recorded was the highest in April in the UK since 1949 (when 29.4C occurred at Camden Square, London). 24.3C at Guernsey Airport was the highest temperature on record for April on the island (previously 24.1C was recorded on 21.4.1893 at St. Peter Port). This followed a minimum at the airport of 13.9C the warmest April night on record there. Unofficial readings included 28.5C at Bristol Totterdown and 27.4C at Stratfield Mortimer (more than 1C above the highest April maximum on record for the Reading area (records began in 1904) of 26.1C at Reading University and at Shinfield 16.4.1949). The diurnal range at Stratfield Mortimer was 25.0C, the highest for any month since records began locally in 1971, and the relative humidity fell to 22% at 1428GMT. In the Wokingham area 26.4C was the second highest reading in local records since 1904 (after 26.6C in 1949). In SE London temperatures included 25.4C at Forest Hill and 25.3C at Sidcup NW. (Wolverhampton 27C, Redhill 0C, No significant rain, Falmouth 13.0h.)
The 17th dawned almost cloudless over the British Isles. There was some fog in coastal areas of E Scotland, which lingered for much of the day in a few places, but most parts of the British Isles had a very warm and sunny day. The air was very dry with dew point depressions of as much as 20C in some parts of E England. (Saunton Sands 26C, Aboyne -1C, No significant rain, Hunstanton 13.4h.)
The 18th dawned with almost no cloud over the British Isles, and some fog in parts of E Scotland pushed inland by an E wind. It remained clear and sunny in most areas throughout the day, although there was some light drizzle in mid-afternoon on the North Yorkshire coast. Very dry air led to some low dew points over England, with dew point depressions of as much as 20C during mid-afternoon in SE England. (Exeter 25C, Tain Range -2C, No significant rain, Torquay 14.0h.)
The early hours of the 19th saw some low cloud spreading W across S Scotland and England from the North Sea, and there was some fog in coastal areas of E Scotland. This cloud heralded the onset of a cooler, E flow across England, and brought a few spots of rain to some places. During the afternoon the cloud retreated S into England. with outbreakes of light rain becoming confined to S England. Much of Ireland and Scotland had a sunny day although there was patchy cloud over Ireland. (Aviemore 18C, Altnaharra -4C, No significant rain, Belfast 12.0h.)
There was a mostly cloudy start to the 20th over much of England, Wales, and the S halves of Scotland and Ireland, and this cloud distribution remained until the evening when a clearance occurred over parts of N Wales and NW England. A cool E airflow kepot temperatures low along the E coast, but rainfall amounts were slight until late afternoon, when there were falls along ther Thames Estuary and in Cornwall. Forest and moorland fires affected parts of Wales and Scotland, and also parts of Cornwall and Dorset. Much of NW Ireland, W and N Scotland had a sunny day. (Lee-on-Solent 16C, Aviemore -4C, Camborne 2mm, Lerwick 13.0h.)
The early hours of the 21st saw rain pushing N across Ireland, England and Wales, and there were some heavy falls over Cumbria in late morning. There was some thunder before dawn in parts of Gloucestershire. Generally, however, amounts were small and a S airflow behind the rain and a clearance of the cloud over the Midlands led to a warm day in Cent parts of England. Cloud persisted further S and didn't clear from S England until the evening. meanwhile the rain and cloud also spread N into Scotland, while much of Ireland had a cloudy day with rain and drizzle in the E and mist patches along the Irish Sea coastline in the evening. The rain turned thundery over N England S Scotland during late afternoon and into the evening. (Weybourne 20C, Aboyne -2C, Stonyhurst 14mm, Guernsey 10.2h.)
Cloud and rain into the 22nd were mostly confined to Scotland and the N half of Ireland before dawn, although some low cloud and fog did develop in parts of Cent S and SW England. The rain and showers were heavy and thundery in places and accompanied by hail. This main area of rain spread N during the morning, although there were further showery outbreaks across Scotland and Ireland during the day - these outbreaks died out during the evening after some thunder in N Scotland. Apart from from some low cloud for a while in NE England, most of England and Wales had a sunny day, after an early air or ground frost in a few places. Shortly before midnight, a band of cloud pushed into S Ireland and SW England. (Cent London 19C, Redhill -3C, Aboyne 34mm, Isle of Wight 13.0h.)
The 23rd dawned mostly clear across the British Isles, after some showers over N Scotland had given way to mist and fog around the Northern Isles. There was also some early fog around Irish Sea coasts and in Cent England. Air and ground frosts occurred under the clear skies in places. Most areas had a sunny day, although there was some development of cloud across S parts of the British Isles - this cloud cleared during the evening. There were a few showers over NW parts of Scotland, and some coastal parts of E Scotland were affcetd by mist and fog for a large part of the day. (Jersey 22C, Shap Fell -3C, Loch Glascarnoch 5mm, Leuchars 13.4h.)
The 24th began with a large area of cloud pushing N into N Ireland and Cent England by 0600GMT, and with rain spreading N and NE to affect S ireland, S wales and SW England by this time. Another area of cloud over N Scotland moved E during the morning, as the rain moved N/NE to affect much of Cent Ireland, Wales and W and Cent England by midday. As the rain moved N there was a clearance of the cloud over N Ireland and in N Wales, but some showers in the evening over ireland turned thundery for a while. The rain reached S and cent Scotland by the evening, by when it had weakened considerably; however, another area of heavier rain reached S Ireland, SW England and S Wales by midnight. Onshore breezes kept temperature below 10C in many coastal areas of NE England and E Scotland. (Guernsey 19C, Redesdale Camp -1C, Milford Haven 14mm, Stornoway 12.4h.)
There was a cloudy start to the 25th in most places, with early rain over Ireland, SW England and Wales. This rain moved slowly N and E during the day, with some heavy falls in the SW and in S Ireland. By early afternoon the rain had reached N Scotland, but had cleared across much of ireland where showers then developed. The rain was slow to clear from SE and E England, and was still falling over N Scotland at midnight. Shwoers continued over W Ireland throughout the afternoon and evening. (Weybourne 20C, Aviemore 2C, Cork 27mm, Stornoway 8.4h.)
Continuing low pressure to the W of Ireland on the 26th (MSL pressure 986.9mb at Belmullet at 0900GMT) meant a blustery day in W areas of the British Isles with gusts to 50kn in places. Clearing skies overnight over much of England and Wales led to a ground frost in places, but by dawn further bands of rain were affecting much of S and W Ireland, with rain over N Scotland still clearing. There were mist and fog patches around dawn over Cent England while by midday rain and showers had spread across much of W Britain and Ireland. These turned thundery around Somerset and in E Ireland during the afternoon. (London 17C, Shawbury 1C, Tain Range 16mm, Aberdeen 9.1h.)
A moist SW airflow continued to affect the British Isles on the 27th, and there were further falls of rain and showers in many parts. Thunder was heard over Lincolnshire and E Scotland during the afternoon but most places saw spells of sunshine between the showers. Gusts to 40kn accompnaied the showers in W districts of Ireland and Scotland, while in the late afternoon more general rain spread into S Ireland and SW Britain, before pushing N to Cent Ireland and N England by midnight. (Coningsby 18C, Topcliffe 5C, Lusa 21mm, Colwyn Bay 10.5h.)
Conditions on the 28th were cyclonic, as a depression moved N across Ireland and over S Scotland during the day. MSL pressure fell to 982mb over the Irish Sea around 1200GMT as the low passed through. Rainfall was mostly confined to areas to the S and E of the depression, with heavy falls over N Wales. The rain area extended across much of Ireland, Wales and England by dawn, with falls alsso over S Scotland. During the morning falls became lighter over Ireland and the rain pushed in Cent Scotland. Showers developed over Ireland in the afternoon and as the rain spread into N Scotland later in the day it becme slow-moving; most other parts of Britain turned drier and clearer in the evening. (Margate 18C, Altnaharra -1C, Capel Curig 34mm, Falmouth 8.0h.)
Rain continued across N Scotland into the 29th, but clearer skies prevailed over much of Ireland, Wales and Cent and S England by dawn. Cloud developed over these clear areas during the morning, and there were widespread showers during the day although these did not affect some E parts of England until the evening. The overnight rain in N Scotland lingered until the evening, and the showers further S fell will hail in places and were accompanied by thunder over parts of Ireland, Wales and NW England. In the evening an area of general rain pushed N into S England and spread to N Wales and the Pennines by midnight, with shortlived heavy falls in places. (London 18C, Katesbridge 4C, Kirkwall 21mm, Margate 11.3h.)
The overnight rain across much of England cleared by mid-morning on the 30th, leaving falls over parts of N and E Scotland. There was a short-lived clearance of the cloud behind the rain in some places, but further cloud development soon followed, hearlading a day with widespread showers in most places. These showers were heavy and accompanied by hail in places. Outbreaks of thunder were widespread across England and Ireland during the afternoon, and these moved NE during the late afternoon and evening, with occurrences in Cent Scotland during the evening. During a hailstorm to the S of Manchester hail to a depth of 2.5cm fell in just 3 minutes, with some stones 12mm in diameter. More general rain continued throughout the day in NE Scotland, while towards midnight the showers and cloud broke up over much of England, Wales and E Ireland. (Margate 18C, Aviemore -1C, Cardinham 33mm, Isle of Man 10.6h.)
Widespread rain in the SW around midnight on the 2nd was brought by a depression, that pushed NE across England during the day. Further N light rain persisted across E Scotland throughout the day. The rain in the S moved N during the day, reaching Cent Scotland during afternoon, before merging with the rain over NE Scotland. Rain in S Ireland moved NE during the morning, and the rain cleared from Wales and W England during the afternoon as skies cleared here. Before the clearance however, there were some heavy showers over W Britain, and these were accompanied by gusts to 60kn in SW England. (Coltishall 16C, Baltasound -2C, Cardinham 37mm, Tiree 9h.)
Into the early hours of the 3rd remaining cloud and rain cleared from the E coast of England and Scotland, but by mid-morning further cloud had extended NE across much of Ireland and SW England, with rain over S Ireland. The clear skies led to a ground frost in many areas ahead of the cloud, although the earlier cloud and rain did persist over the Northern Isles until the afternoon. The cloud and rain in the SW pushed N and E throughout the day, reaching NE Scotland by midnight, although some areas to the SE of London remained dry. During the evening the rain cleared from Ireland, to be replaced by showers although there was some more persistent rain in the SE by midnight. Also by midnight, there was a clearance of the cloud across much of Wales, S and Cent England. (Guernsey 17C, Katesbridge 0C, Loch Glascarnoch 15mm, Cromer 11h.)
Rain continued across S Ireland into the 4th, and there were some falls over N England and Scotland in addition, but most other places had a dry start to the day. This frontal rain continued to affect Scotland and Ireland throughout the day, but most of England and Wales had a dry day with sunny spells, especially in the E where it was quite a warm afternoon. Rain and showers across N and NW Scotland were accompained by gusts to 40kn. In Scotland and W Ireland it turned drier in the evening as the rain dissipated, but there were outbreaks of rain and showers in SW England during the evening. Sferics were also reported across the SE corner of England shortly before midnight. (Cent London 23C, Redhill 4C, Shap Fell 37mm, Torquay 13h.)
There was a mostly cloudy start to the 5th across Britain, although skies were clearer over Ireland until showers began to develop in W areas. Low pressure W of Scotland dragged a cold front across the British Isles, and gusty conditions continued in NW areas of Britain during the morning. Cooler and drier air followed the front, with dew point depressions of over 12C in some E parts of England during the afternoon. Showers affected Ireland and W parts of Britain in the morning, but the afternoon saw clearer skies spreading across most of the British Isles, except in Scotland. Across Scotland cloud and rain continued throughout the afternoon and evening, but the rain truned showery in the evening. (Gravesend 18C, Altnaharra 1C, West Freugh 20mm, Falmouth 12h.)
Showers continued into the 6th across Scotland, and also affected some N parts of Ireland, with gusts to 45kn in places. Elsehwre therev was little cloud overnight, with a ground frost in some S and Cent parts of England. Across England and Wales there were sunny spells during the day, while showers continued to affect Scotland. Across W Scotland and ireland it turned cloudier in the afternoon with rain and drizzle pushing across Ireland in the evening, and also affecting W Scotland; the rain did weaken, however, as it pushed E. (Torquay 19C, Redhill 0C, Lusa 9mm, Tenby 14h.)
Clear skies across many areas of Ireland and England early on the 7th led to a ground frost in some areas. A ridge of high pressure was the cause, with MSL pressure up to about 1028mb in Cent S England by 0000GMT. Once patchy overnbight rain had cleared from Scotland cloud cover decreased here during the nmorning. Howvere, late morning saw further cloud and rain advancing E into W Scotland and Ireland, the rain pushing E into NW England and Wales by midnight. Pressure fell rapidly in the evening in Scotland, down to 989mb in the Western Isles by 2100GMT. Gales also affected NW Scotland and W ireland, with gusts to 60kn in places, and to 70kn over the Scotttish mountains. (Cent London 21C, Redhill 0C, Lusa 9mm, Jersey 14h.)
The rain pushed E early on the 8th, weakening as it did so, and winds slowly eased in the N as pressure rose. Frontal cloud associated with this rain moved E across the British Isles during the day, giving a period of low cloud to most places across England, but with little rain here. Showers followed the cloud and rain in the W, but skies largely cleared from the W during the afternoon and evening, this clearance affecting all but S Ireland, and parts of S and E England by midnight. The centre of the depression that brought the rain passed close to Shetland during the morning, where the pressure was recorded at 981mb. A gust of 112mph was recorded on the top of Cairngorm during the morning. (Great Malvern 18C, Redhill -1C, Sloy 32mm, Aberdeen 11h.)
There were variable amounts of cloud over the British Isles during the early hours of the 9th, with widespread showers over scotland by mid-morning. Late morning saw a trough line of showers advancing E across Ireland and W Scotland, and these continued to move E across much of n britain during the afternoon and evening. Most parts of Cent and S England were dry throughout the day, and by midnight the showers and associated cloud had cleared from most parts of the British Isles. A noticeable exception to this, however, was SW England where another area of cloud pushed NE during the evening. (Gravesend 19C, Aboyne 0C, Tyndrum 15mm, Newquay 13.4h.)
The cloud in SW England moved N and E on the 10th to affect much of S England by late morning, with rain and SW and Cent S areas. Further N there was a mostly dry start to the day, although by mid-morning cloud and showers had developed across Scotland and Ireland. The clear skies led to a widespread ground frost with an air frost in some areas. The rain and cloud in S England pushed NE, finally clearing East Anglia during the evening. Showers affected the Midlands for a while during the day, and bands of showers continued to affect Scotland and Ireland into the evening, when there was a clearance of the cloud over much of Ireland, Wales and W England. (Cromer 17C, Eskdalemuir -2C, Aultbea 10mm, Ronaldsway 14.0h.)
Overnight showers were mostly confined to W parts of Ireland and Scotland into the 11th, although another area of cloud and some rain spread across SW England and the Channel Islands by dawn. Elsewhere there was a mostly vclear start to the day, with a widespread ground frost. Showers soon spread E during the morning as cloud developed again across the British Isles and some of these were heavy and thundery; one band of thundery rain progresses NE through the Straits of Dover in the evening. The heaviest showers were generally across Scotland, and rainfall continued here throughout the evening in places; across Ireland and over much of England and Wales skies again cleared in the evening, althopugh cloud and showers did persist until midnight in SW England and S Wales. (Holbeach 17C, Tain Range -2C, Tulloch Bridge 16mm, Stornoway 12.1h.)
Clear skies across S parts of the British Isles early on the 12th again led to a ground frost in places. However, there was early cloud across SW Britain and over Scotland, with accompanying rain and showers in places. Shwoers again developed in Ireland and W britain during the morning, with falls of hail in places, and by midday these ahd spread E to many E areas. Thunder was reported from parts of E Ireland and E England later in the afternoon, and gusts to 30kn accompanied some of the showers. The showers fell as snow, especially early in the day, across some of the higher ground in Scotland; there was fresh snow on The Cobbler (884m, W Scotland) this morning after a night of heavy showers. In the evening a funnel cloud was seen from Danbury, Essex. The shwoers continued through the afternoon, but died out in the evening as skies cleared from the W; by midnight falls were restricted to W Ireland and to N and W Scotland. (Holbeach 16C, Moyola 2C, Andrewsfield 11mm, Colwyn Bay 11.7h.)
Showers continued across N and W areas of the British Isles overnight 13th, and with a widespread ground frost resulting from a cool night elsewhere. Showers soon developed, however, and became widespread over the British Isles by mid-morning. Showers were thundery across many parts of cent and S England during the afternoon and into the evening, and accomapnied by large amiounts of hail in places. There were reports of hail up to 15mm in diameter, Temperature falls during the showers were as much as 6-8C in some places around Berkshire, where it was noted that some of the hail looked more like wet snow than normal 'onion-ringed' hailstones - being hevay eneough to cover the ground for an hour. Around 1730GMT there were sightings of five waterspouts in succession offf the shore at Saltdean in East Sussex. Once again, as the sun set the showers dissipated over much of ireland, SW England and Wales, but light rain and showers lingered throughout the evening in parts Scotland. (Poole 16C, Aboyne -1C, Loch Glascarnoch 19mm, Newquay 13.4h.)
Rising pressure on the 14th heralded a ridge of high pressure from the W, which meant a drier day for most places. By 1200GMT MSL pressure had risen to 1025.5mb at Valentia, before the wind backed, pressure started to fall and cloud advanced NE in SW Ireland. There was another widespread ground frost under clear skies in many areas of England by dawn, although subsequent showery development was mostly confined to E parts of Britain, albeit with some falls over the Midlands. Again, thunder occurred in east Anglia for a while in the afternoon, but by mid-evening most of the shower clouds had cleared from E Britain. By midnight light rain had spread into SW Ireland. (Bognor Regis 17C, Redhill 0C, Southend and Bingley 12mm, Isle of Wight 13.9h.)
Despite the 15th dawning clear in most parts of the British Isles, pressure was falling almost everywhere by dawn, and frontal cloud ande rain was moving slowly across S Ireland and SW England. Some inland areas of N Scotland had early air frost, while there were fog patches in parts of N Yorkshire. At Stratfield Mortimer the air minimum was -0.6C; this is the first air frost in May here for six years. During the morning cloud extended across most of Ireland, Wales and S England - further progress then became slow and by midnight much of E Englnd and E Scotland was still clear of cloud. The rain had, by then, reached into the N Midlands and Cent S England. Much of Scotland, especially the N half, had a sunny day once early cloud had cleared from the Northern Isles, although cloud affected S Scotland during the afternoon and evening. (Northolt 17C, Loch Glascarnoch -4C, Culdrose 15mm, Tiree 14.7h.)
Clear skies across parts of N Scotland led to an air frost on the 16th in a few sheltered places. In most other places the day dawned cloudy, as rain over Ireland and SW parts of England and wales pushed into S Scotland, the Midlands and N England by 0600GMT. By midday the rain was affected most of England, Wales and S Scotland, but had given way to showers across Ireland; light rain was also falling in the Northern Isles. The rain was slow-moving across Britain for the remainder of the day, with widespread falls across Scotland by evening. (Margate 16C, Altnaharra -1C, Tenby 31mm, Lerwick 11.4h.)
A mostly cloudy start across the British Isles on the 17th meant no really low temperatures. It remained cloudy in most places throughout the day, with rain over Scotland and N Ireland, and showers in S Ireland. Across England rain gradually gave way to blustery showers from the SW with 30-35kn gusts. These turned thundery with hail in places - there were sferics in SW Wales during late evening. (Hunstanton 17C, Baltasound 3C, Shap Fell 24mm, Lerwick 4.3h.)
Another cloudy start on the 18th again meant no low overnight temperatures. Rain and showers continued overnight in many places although it turned drier in the E by dawn. The shwoers soon picked up again, affectigng most places and accompanied by a wind gusting to 40kn. The showers were heavy and accompanied by hail in places There were thunderstorms across Northern Ireland during late afternoon, and a band of thundery activity in the evening from S Wales to NE England, moving SE. As this died down, however, much of Ireland and Cent England saw clearer skies by midnight, by when most showers across the British Isles had faded. (Coningsby 18C, Fylingdales 7C, Shap Fell 26mm, Aberdeen 9.6h.)
After a clearance of skies into the 19th across S Ireland and S Britain, there was a rapid build up of cloud here by mid-morning, as further rain and showers pushed N. Rain and showers continued overnight in Northern Ireland, Scotland and parts of N England. By midday cloud was widespread over the British Isles; over Ireland the showers had banded into more persistent rain. During the afternoon this band swung into SW Scotland, NW England, Wales and SW England. This produced some thunderstorms with 9.8mm falling in one hour at Rochdale. Hail was also reported during the afternoon; in Coventry it reportedly lay on the ground for three hours before melting. There were also reports of thunderstorms in SE England and East Anglia in the afternoon, with outbreaks further N in the evening. At Harborne (Birmingham) a thunderstorm with moderate hail and rain gave a white cover to the ground and lasted over two hours in parts of the garden. Central News just showed some footage of homes in Halesowen that were struck this evening by lightning. At Ashford, Co. Wicklow, heavy afternoon showers produced a wind gust of 58mph. However, the evening saw a clearance in the cloud across much of S Ireland and the S half of England. (Bedford 17C, Glenlivet 7C, Lossiemouth 21mm, Skegness 11.0h.)
The 20th was another showery day, once skiees in the S again clouded over. These showers were blustery, and gusts to 50kn resulted in some ferry cancellations across the Irish Sea. There were reports of sferics in SE Scotland during late afternoon, although showers gradually died out in most places in the evening. (Bridlington 17C, Altnaharra 1C, Capel Curig 48mm, Falmouth 12.5h.)
Cloudy skies across the British Isles for most of the night into the 21st meant no very low minimum temperatures. By mid-morning rain and drizzle had pushed NE into S and Cent Ireland, SW England and the Channel Islands, with fog patches in some coastal parts of these areas. This cloud and rain continued to push NE throughout the day, introducing warm and humid air. Coastal fog was widespread in S Wales, SW England and the Channel Islands by evening, and lingered for the remainder of the day. By midnight the rain was mainly affecting S Scotland and E England, but light falls continued across Ireland. (Gravesend 18C, Wick 4C, Aviemore 5mm, Aberdeen 8.1h.)
The 22nd dawned generally cloudy across the British Isles, with rain across much of Britain and Ireland, except for N Scotland where there were early showers. Fog in SW coastal areas thinned to mist during the morning. The rain was slow to clear in S Wales, SW England and in some parts of the Midlands and E England, with falls still occurring in the Sw at midnight. Over Ireland the rain became mostly confined to the S and W, while there were reports of over 50mm falling in two hours at Blaenau Ffestiniog in the morning. Showers continued during the morning across Scotland, these being followed by more widespread rain in the W later in the day. (Gravesend 20C, Tain Range 5C, Capel Curig 37mm, Aviemore 5.5h.)
The 23rd began with mostly cloudy conditions as rain spread e in most parts; however, the rain cleared to showers over much of Ireland by dawn. These showers, with SW gusts to 35kn in many places, spread across the British Isles during the day before dying out in most areas during the evening. (Lowestoft 19C, Aviemore 7C, Port Ellen 17mm, Colwyn Bay 9h.)
Showers continued into the 24th over many parts of N Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and SW England. By midday showers had developed in many places, becoming widespread over Scotland and thudnery in S Scotland. The afternoon saw a clearance from the W across Ireland and this spread E across much of England and Wales in the evening. Low pressure did, however, bring some rain to places bordering the English channel in the evening. (Gravesend 19C, Eskdalemuir 2C, Wick 15mm, Weymouth 11h.)
Early cloud in E england soon cleared on the 25th but by late morning further showery cloud had developed over the clear areas of the British Isles. These spread from W parts of the British Isles on a W/NW wind, penetrating as far as East Anglia. In E England, from Lincolnshire northwards, these truned thundery around mid-afternoon, but by midnight many areas of england and wales were cloudfree. (Torquay 19C, Eskdalemuir 3C, Lowestoft 29mm, Morecambe 13h.)
Although there was little cloud over England and Wales by 0300GMT on the 26th, leading to a ground frost in some sheltered N areas, cloud to the W spread E during the morning across all areas as rain spread into S Ireland and SW England by midday. Despite the rain, pressure was around 1024mb in Cornwall at 1200GMT. Showers fell over some N parts of Scotland, whiel in the afternoon the rain spread across much of Ireland and into S Wales, reaching Cent S England and the Midlands by midnight. Mist and fog patches developed over hills and coasts in the W during the evening in the arriving moist air. (Gravesend 21C, Eskdalemuir 1C, Aviemore 4mm, Jersey 14h.)
The 27th dawned mostly cloud over the British Isles, but clear skies in NW Scotland led to a ground frost in places. Coastal mist and fog was slow to clear in the W, while early clear skies in some parts of E England soon clouded over. Cloud in the W pushed slowly E during the day but amounts of rain were small and little fell in the E - MSL pressure remained high here with values around 1026mb in East Anglia at 1200GMT. The cloud persisted into the evening in most places, although SE england and east anglia were clear by midnight, and mist and fog again affected some W coastal areas of S England. (Holbeach 21C, Loch Glascarnoch 0C, Llabedr 5mm, Lerwick 9.5h.)
There was a warm start to the 28th in most places, with minima above 13C in some parts of NE Scotland and E England. This was the result of a rairly extensive early cloud cover, and these cloudy conditions persisted throughout the day over much of Scotland and Ireland. There was a gradual thinning of the cloud during the morning over England and Wales, where the day was generally a warm one. The cloud led to some light rain over ireland and SW Scotland, with patchy light rain over N Wales for a while. Sea fog patches have held temperatures down along some English Channel coasts. (Cent London 25C, Sennybridge 5C, Sloy 7mm, Eastbourne 14h.)
Despite high pressure near the British Isles on the 29th, cloud contniued to affect much of Ireland and Scotland throughout the day and it was not until the evening that a clearance spread into Ireland and parts of W Scotland. Light rain fell over parts of Scotland and Ireland during the day while over England and Wales, after a misty start in places, it was another warm day. (London 26C, Redhill 4C, Machrihanish 6mm, Newquay 14.4h.)
Cloud lingered across much of Scotland into the 30th, with light rain in some S and E areas here. There was also early cloud over N England which gave some heavy rain in NE England. 22mm of rain fell in just over two hours in Boulmer (Northumberland). In S England temperatures remained above 14C in places overnight, and it became another warm day across most of the British Isles as cloud further N cleared during the day. The exception was an area of N and Cent Scotland, where there was some further rain before the cloud broke up here in the evening, leaving fog patches in the Central Belt. Thunderstorms moved E across S Scotland from late morning into the afternoon. A cluster of particularly intense thunderstorms developed across North Lanarkshire bringing heavy rain and reports of golf ball sized hail. A house in Wishaw was struck by lightning and the A721 was closed due to flash flooding. Heavy showers also caused problems for motorists in Lothian and the Borders through the evening rush hour. Isolated heavy showers also affected parts of NE England again in late afternoon. (Jersey 29C, Tyndrum 5C, Boulmer 22mm, Saunton Sands 14.6h.)
The 31st brought another warm night, with temperatures remaining above 10c in many areas. Mist and fog affected many SW areas of England and Wales and also SE Ireland and E England, while cloud and some mist across Scotland meant that very few sightings were possible of the annular eclipse before dawn. Once low cloud and mist had cleared it was a warm if humid day in E Britain, while frontal cloud pushed E across Ireland and W Britain to keep temperatures lowere here. This frontal cloud brought rain over Ireland and W Scotland and there were sferics in W Scotland before dawn, and in SE Scotland late in the evening. (Cent London 29C, Aviemore 6C, Wick 3mm, Bournemouth 14.0h.)
E Britain had a mostly cloudy start to the 2nd, but there were clearer skies over Ireland and Wales by dawn. There were widespread thunderstorms before mid-morning across E and SE England; these staedily moved east after 60mm was reported falling at St Leonards (East Sussex); flash flooding was reported in some areas. There was a mild night under the cloud, with the minimum temperature at Newcastle being 17C. The rain cleared during the morning, but showers across Ireland by midday also affected parts of SW Britain during the afternoon. Elsewhere cloud cleared later in the afternoon and by midnight there was little cloud away from W Scotland, W Ireland and SW England. (Lossiemouth 24C, Katesbridge 8C, Hastings 45mm, Weymouth 11.1h.)
The cloud in the SW and W of the British Isles spread across most areas by mid-morning on the 3rd, except in W and N Scotland. There was widespread rain over Ireland by mid-morning with lighter amounts in S England. The rain pushed into SW Scotland in the afternoon before weakening. Showers affected parts of E England into the evening, with sferics across NE England in the late evening. (Lossiemouth 23C, Altnaharra 3C, Lough Fea 18mm, Aberdeen 11.9h.)
The 4th began with rain bands moving N across S areas of the the British Isles, but with drier conditions further N. Over SW Englaand and S wales the rain was slow to clear, after some heavy falls. Showers affected Ireland, while the Northern Isles had a mixture of rain, fog and thunderstorms, with visibility down to 100m at times. By midnight much of the cloud across Ireland, Wales and S England had cleared. (Gravesend 23C, Sennybridge 5C, Cardinham 20mm, Stornoway 8.3h.)
Rain cleared the Northern Isles in the early hours of the 5th, and most other places apart from Cent Scotland had a dry start to the day until showers developed over Ireland in the morning. The cloud over Ireland thickened in the morning and the showers turned to more general rain. This rain spread into W Scotland, wales and SW England as the cloud spread E, with only East anglia and the extreme SE of England being cloudfree by midnight. (Cent London 22C, Aboyne 4C, Baltasound 11mm, Weymouth 14.0h.)
A band of rain cleared Ireland by dawn on the 6th and pushed E into Scotland and N parts of England. A second band of heavier rain then swung into Wales and SW England. By midday most of the rain in the N had cleared Scotland and N England, but further s the rain was slow to clear with falls continuing in some coastal areas of Cent S England by early evening. The rain then extended in area due to a frontal system and by midnight was widespread across many parts of S England. (Leeds 22C, Redhill 5C, Plymouth 16mm, Scarborough 14h.)
While much of Ireland had a clear start to the 7th, frontal cloud led to continuing rain overnight across S England and East Anglia, with heavy falls in places. Some early clear skies across Cent Scotland led to a ground frost in places. During the morning the cloud and rain in S areas gradually pushed E and by midday there were sunny breaks in the cloud in the S, and broken cloud further N giving sunny spells across much of Scotland, Ireland and N parts of Wales and England. A few showers continued to affect parts of Scotland and Ireland, however, and by the e4vening cloud had become more extensive across much of England with rain moving from the channel islands into SW and cent S England, and into S Wales. (Leeds 24C, Aviemore 3C, Marham 15mm, Morecambe 14h.)
Cloud and rain was widespread across the UK by dawn on the 8th, although skies were clearer over Ireland. The rain spread N during the morning, with cloud developing across Ireland. Behind the rain it turned showery in the S, and by mid-morning there was thundery rain over the English channel off SE England. Bands of showers continued throughout the day, with thunder across SE England during the afternoon, and 8mm diameter hail in Colnbrook (near Slough). Flooding was reported at Middlesbrough and at Albermarle 31mm fell in one hour from a thunderstorm. The showers faded during the evening and with rain across Scotland confined by then to the Northern Isles, cloud cover diminished rapidly over the British Isles (except in the extreme SW corner of Ireland). (Margate 22C, Loch Glascarnoch 6C, Albermarle 39mm, Jersey 11h.)
The rain across the Northern Isles cleared into the 9th, which dawned with little cloud except in SW Ireland. An area of rain here was slow-moving, although by midday it was affecting much of S Ireland with associated cloud spreading into Wales and some W areas of Scotland and England. At Valentia 32mm fell in the six hours ending 1200GMT. Rain over Ireland continued throughout the day and by midnight had spread E across much of England and into W and S Scotland, after a warm afternoon across much of e Scotland and E England. (Leeds 22C, West Freugh 3C, Valentia 55mm, Margate 14h.)
The widespread rain meant a cloud and mild start to the 10th, with minima above 12C in many places in the S. As the rain moved N and e over the British Isles there were gusts to 35kn over NW Scotland, and thunder at Belmullet before dawn. Some of the rain was heavy in parts of W Scotland and N Ireland. The rain gave way to blustery showers and sunny intervals in many areas of the British Isles, but the evening brought a clearance of the cloud over much of Ireland, Wales and cent and N parts of England. Over the Northern Isles rain and drizzle throughout the day was accompanied by fog patches at times. (Coningsby 23C, Baltasound 8C, St. Angelo 32mm, Scarborough 11h.)
Rain and showers lingered throughout much of the night in parts of SW and Cent S England, and over some W areas of Scotland. Elsewhere, a clear night 11th was not accompanied by low temperatures due to the SW direction of the wind, which was also moderate in strength. There were a few showers over Ireland throughout the day, although those in S England largely faded by midday. Light rain and showers affected W and N Scotland while elsewhere cloud amounts were variable in nature. (Gravesend 23C, Moyola 7C, Spadeadam 12mm, Scarborough 14.8h)
The 12th had a cloudy start over the UK with rain showers across Ireland. There was also some early light rain over Scotland and S England. The cloud cover broke up during the morning across the UK but showery conditions spread E in bands across Ireland and England. By late afternoon there was little cloud over much of England and wales, but cloud and rain continued to affect N and W Scotland, with thunder reported from Aberdeen. Pressure rose during the afternoon to reach 1025.5mb at Scilly by midnight. (Lowestoft 24C, Altnaharra 5C, Lusa 9mm, Clacton 13.9h.)
High pressure meant a clear start to the 13th over much of England and Wales, but light rain and showers continued over W and N Scotland and N Ireland into the morning. This N/S split continued for much of the day, but by the evening it had turned dry over most of Scotland. Prolonged sunshine across much of England and Wales resulted in a warm day here. The evening brought an area of cloud and rain to the SW England, which spread into S Wales by midnight. (Cent London 25C, Benson 4C, Loch Glascarnoch 11mm, Eastbourne 15.6h.)
The rain in the SW became thunder before dawn on the 14th. Thunderstorms moved E across the English Channel early in the day, affecting the Channel Islands and some coastal areas of SW England. High pressure continued to prevail throughout the day, but frontal systems to the W of Scotland meant a rather cloudy start in N Britain, while patchy cloud remained over S England for most of the day before dispersing in the evening. It was a warrm day over much of S and cent England, but light rain spread into N Ireland, N and W Scotland in the evening. (Cardiff 26C, Tulloch Bridge 4C, Scilly Isles 6mm, Falmouth 13.6h.)
There was a cloudy start to the 15th over W Ireland and Scotland, with rain and showers in places. It remained cloudy across Scotland and Ireland into the evening when cloud started to clear over Ireland, although little rain fell after midday. After a warm night (with minima over 12C in places) there was broken cloud over England and Wales throughout the day, and a warm day resulted here. (Cent London 27C, Redhill 5C, Baltasound 6mm, Southend 16h.)
England and Wales had very little cloud on the 16th until the evening, resulting in a very warm and sunny day here. Ireland also had a clear start to the day, but cloud cover pushed N during the morning with light rain falling over W Ireland from around midday onwards. Scotland began with cloudy skies although these soon became confined to N parts, with the maximum temperature at Fair Isle reaching just 14C as a result. Patchy rain also fell for a while over Northern Ireland in the afternoon, and over the Western Isles in the evening. Some thundery rain occured in the evening in Devon and the Channel Islands. (Cent London 28C, Tulloch Bridge 5C, Kinbrace 0.8mm, Torquay 15.6h.)
Cloud cover increasing from the W in most areas led to a warm start to the 17th everywhere. Early rain moved E over W and Cent Scotland, and also across SW Country and Wales into N England. During the morning thunder was reported from N Wales to NE England and SE Scotland, while it turned very foggy around dawn in the Channel Islands. In Ne England lightning strikes affected electricity supplies and railway lines. Points were struck on the Tyne and Wear Metro and at least one tunnel was flooded. Lightning strikes on signals in Darlington also caused disruption. In Hartlepool, lightning hit a domestic TV aerial, travelled into the house creating sparks which set fire to the curtains. In a separate incident a house was set alight by lightning in County Durham. 25000 homes had their electricity supply cut - mainly in an area from Berwick to York and across the Pennines. In the afternoon and evening thunderstorms were reported across SE England and East Anglia, giving some short bursts of heavy rain. Light rain affected parts of Ireland during the morning. To the W of the thundery activity it was generally cooler and less humid than in SE England, where it was another earm day. By midnight most the the British isles was clear of cloud, exceptions being the Northern Isles and W Ireland where rain was falling. (Cent London 26C, Katesbridge 8C, Coningsby 24mm, Falmouth 14h.)
Cloud pushed E before dawn across the british Isles on the 18th, and by 0600GMT only E parts of England were cloudfree. The cloud was accompanied by rain, which by 0600GMT had spread E to parts of Cent Scotland, W Wales and Devon. The rain continued to push E before midday - falls were heavy in parts of N wales and NW England - but it never reached parts East Anglia and the extreme SE of England. The rain cleared from Cent and N England during the afternoon and evening, but lingered longer of parts of Cent Scotland, and was still falling at midnight over SW England and parts of Ireland. (Margate 24C, Loch Luichart 4C, Marham 23mm, Clacton 10.2h.)
The 19th began with cloudy skies in most places, with some light frontal rain across S parts of England, Wales and Ireland, and with showers and gusts to 40kn in N Scotland. The rain in the S spread into parts of the Midlands and Northern Ireland during the morning, introducing quite humid air to S parts which resulted in mist and fog around coastal areas of SW England and S Wales. Showers during the afternoon gave some heavy falls of rain in N England, including 13mm in one hour at Loftus. Showers continued to affect N Scotland throughout the day, but further S the cloud and rain slowly cleared to the SE as fresher air and clear skies spread over Ireland, Wales and England by midnight. (Herne Bay 25C, Loch Glascarnoch 9C, Loftus 14mm, Cromer 10.8h.)
Light rain and showers continued into the 20th across W and N areas of Scotland, and although most other areas had a clear start to the day, cloud did develop across Ireland and N England by mid-morning. High pressure slowly built during the day, with Scilly reporting 1027mn at 1200GMT. Gusts to 40kn affected exposed areas of N Scotland during the morning and early afternoon as showers continued to fall here. Much of Scotland had a mostly cloudy day, while the cloud over N England slowly cleared during the afternoon and evening; most S areas of Britain had a very sunny day, but some frontal cloud affected S Ireland and SW Wales in the evening. (Bognor Regis 24C, Shobdon 5C, Loch Glascarnoch 18mm, Southend 15.5h.)
Scotland continued mostly cloudy into the 21st, and cloud also affected much of Ireland by dawn. Across England and Wales, however, the day began with only patchy cloud in a few places. Light rain affected S Ireland for a while during the day, and there was also some light rain over N Ireland and W Scotland due to fronts. High pressure continued to affect S Britain and most places here had a warm and dry day, although some light rain affected SW and cent S England in the afternoon, turning thundery in a few places. Patchy rain also affected parts of N Wales and N England. (Saunton Sands, Northolt and Jersey 26C, Sennybridge 4C, Barra 6mm, Bournemouth 15.6h.)
Thunderstorms occurred early on the 22nd across S England, with another area of thundery activity over Wales, the N Midlands and N England. This was accompanied by warm and humid air. Scotland had a cloudy night, with light rain and showers in N and W parts. By dawn most areas of the British Isles were rather cloudy, and this cloud prevented prolonged sunshine. This cloud, and cooler air after the thundery activity, kept temperatures down in many areas, but 30C was reported at Shepshed. The rain over N Scotland continued in places throughout the day, and more rain and thunderstorms pushed NE across Cent S England and into East Anglia during the afternoon, with further reports across the Channel islands and some coastal parts of S England into the evening. At Guernsey airport a temperature fall from 25.5C at 1655GMT to 17.0C at 1715GMT was noted. At Stratfield Mortimer the pressure fell 5.3mb in two hours including 2.7mb in 10 minutes from 0820GMT during a thunderstorm. (Shepshed 30C, Lerwick 8C, Barra 9mm, Manchester 7.7h.)
The 23rd began with cloud across much of Britain, and there was thundery rain before dawn across some parts of S England, and slightly later over East Anglia. Minimum temperatures were as high as 16C in some places in SE England and East Anglia. As the cloud and rain moved SE during the morning across England it introduced fresher air from the NW and W/NW airflow. Across extreme N and E parts of Scotland rain continued into the evening. Across Ireland there was broken cloud for much of the day, and it was not until the evening that cloud cleared from here with much of Ireland, Wales and England being cloud free by midnight. (Gravesend 24C, Great Dun Fell 7C, Cottesmore 36mm, Falmouth 12.8h.)
The 24th dawned with variable cloud amounts over N areas of the British Isles, and little cloud in the S; however, overnight temperatures remained above 10C in many areas. There was some overnight rain in N Scotland, but this soon cleared. Cloud developed in the morning across parts of Ireland, NW England, the Midlands and East Anglia before clearing in the evening; across Scotland cloud was more extensive and persistent. S areas of England and Wales had a mostly sunny day. (Gravesend 24C, Redhill 5C, Loch Glascarnoch 3mm, Torquay 15.5h.)
After a clear start to the 25th in most areas, with the cloud extent rapidly decreasing over much of Scotland, cloud spread into SW and cent s England, and the Midlands and S Ireland by mid-mnorning, with some light rain in places. An E airflow had become established over S England, indicating low pressure to the S. There was little cloud across Scotland, N Ireland and N wales throughout the day, and during the evening the cloud across S Ireland cleared. S Wales, Cent and S England had a rather cloudy day, with rain and showers becoming widespread over SW and cent S England during the late afternoon, with thunderstorms across the Channel Islands. (Colwyn Bay 25C, Tyndrum 3C, Camborne 8mm, Cromer 15.0h.)
N Britain dawned mostly clear of cloud on the 26th, but further S cloud and rain pushed N, reaching N Ireland and S Scotland by midday as the E flow became more extensive. Rain across S Ireland, S Wales and SW and Cent S england was accompanied by thunder over the English Channel for a while before dawn; this gave way to sea fog, especially around the Channel Islands where it persisted for much of the day. Cloud in N Britain dissipated for a while during the afternoon, with much of Scotland having a warm and sunny day, but during the evening cloud became extensive across the entire British Isles. Across S Ireland and SW Britain there were showers in places throughout the day. (Lochcarron 25C, Redesdale Camp 3C, Swanage 9mm, Kinloss 14.5h.)
The 27th dawned generally cloudy, with rain over N Ireland, w Scotland, W Wales and SW England. This pushed slowly E with a clearance following behind. By late afternoon the rain had cleared ireland, much of Wales and SW England; heavy rain across parts of Scotland included a fall of 29mm in 12 hours in Glasgow. by midnoight rain was confined to E England, Cent and E Scotland with some very heavy falls across parts of Yorkshire. Fog was reported during the afternoon around the Shetlands, with visibility below 100m in Lerwick at midnight. (Gravesend 24C, Redesdale 7C, Lough Fea 38mm, Falmouth 14.4h.)
The rain had cleared E England by dawn on the 28th, leading to a clear night with low temperatures in some parts of N Ireland, but it lingered in parts of E Scotland until midday. Thereafter there were a few rain showers in W Ireland and W Scotland, while most remaining areas of the British Isles had a dry day. There was broken cloud in most areas during the afternoon, but this died down in the evening, with the notable exception of Sw Ireland where the evening saw light rain reported from Valentia. The Northern Isles saw mist and fog, thick at times, persisting for much of the day in places. (Cent London 24C, Katesbridge 2C, Hunstanton 27mm, Torquay 15.4h.)
Although the 29th dawned nearly everywhere, cloud had developed in the early hours over Scotland, S Ireland and SW Britain. Clear skies across Cent S and SE England led to some low air temperatures and a ground frost in sheltered locations, while mist and fog affected E Scotland and Ne England, persisting for much of the day in a few places and giving some falls of drizzle and light rain. In the afternoon cloud spread N into S Ireland, S England and S Wales, with rain in these areas by midnight. The rain was accompanied by thunder shortly before midnight in parts of Cent S England. At about 2200GMT on the Isle of Wight, lightning hit three houses in Lake (near Sandown). (Jersey 28C, Redhill 2C, Boulmer 4mm, Tiree 15.9h.)
This rain spread N early on the 30th, to affect much of S Ireland, Wales, and England as far N as the Pennines by 0600GMT. There were heavy falls in places, as the rain moved further N before becoming clow-moving across Northern Ireland and N England, with showery conditions spreading into S England. At Ashford, Co. Wicklow, 39.4mm of rain fell during the 12 hours ending 0900GMT. Thunderstorms occurred over the SW Midlands and Norfolk later in the afternoon, but by midnight the rain area had become largely confined to N England and SE Scotland. Remaining parts of Scotland had a mostly dry day, although light rain did fall over the Northern Isles. (Aultbea 23C, Bingley 13C maximum, Topcliffe 8C minimum, Ashford (Co. Wicklow) 41mm, Tiree 12h.))
There was broken cloud across W parts of the British Isles into the 2nd with more extensive cloud further E continuing to give rain across E England by dawn. Light rain and drizzle also affected S England by that time. This latter area of rain turned showery as the day progressed and across E England the rain and showers continued throughout the day. At Shoreham (Sussex) 9mm fell in one hour, while in Kenley almost 15mm fell in an hour. Sferics were reported across parts of S England and SE Ireland late in the afternoon and funnel clouds were spotted between Worthing and Shoreham after 1300GMT. With the W-E split continuing the brightest and warmest weather was in W parts. (Glasgow 23C, Castlederg 7C, Kenley 15mm, Fishguard 10h.)
The 3rd saw low cloud, mist and some rain and drizzle in parts of N Scotland, N Wales and N areas of Ireland during the day. Across England and Wales it was cloudy with rain in many Cent and E parts, although by the evening all areas of the British isles had become much drier as pressure rose from the W (reaching 1020.7mb at Valentia by midnight). Cumbria and parts of SW Scotland had a bright day and even by midnight this area was surrounded by cloudier weather in neighbouring areas. (Glasgow 24C, Tulloch Bridge 4C, Bournemouth 13mm, Glasgow 15h.)
Skies cleared into the 4th across Cent Scotland to give a cold start in places. Elsewhere the day dawned mostly cloudy and remained so until late in the afternoon, when this cloud began to clear from parts of S Scotland and N England. The cloud along the e coast brought some light rain to a few places, although most of the British Isles stayed dry. (Edinburgh 25C, Loch Luichart 5C, Manston 3mm, Glasgow 14.6h.)
The 5th was a dry, albeit rather cloudy day, in most places, with any clear skies gradually clouding over during the morning. There was some light rain and drizzle along some E coastal areas, and also in the Western Isles and parts of W Ireland. In Cornwall, a funnel cloud/tornado was seen during humid conditions near/over St. Bunyan - there were eyewitness reports of three or four funnels descending from a bank of dark grey cloud; a few sharp showers were reported locally during the day in nearby Penzance. (Poole 21C, Katesbridge 6C, Stornoway 4mm, Isle of Man 12.6h.)
There were a few breaks in the cloud into the 6th over Cent Ireland and N England, but these soon filled in and the day was again generally cloudy across the British Isles. In a few places there was some light rain as the cloud thickened, and there was more general rain over W Ireland and W Scotland by mid-morning as a weak front approached. This rain failed to progress into Wales and much of E Scotland as the front weakened further during the day, while across much of England the cloud cleared during the evening after a cloud afternoon. (Bognor Regis 24C, Tulloch Bridge 6C, Barra 5mm, Bournemouth 10.1h.)
Cloud spread back into W England early on the 7th, with outbreaks of rain across much of Scotland and Ireland having pushed E by mid-morning. The rain became slow-moving across Ireland during the morning, and during the afternoon there were light falls across N England and N Wales. Across Scotland the rain took most of the day to clear to the N and E. (Gravesend 24C, Redhill 5C, Kinloss 11mm, Eastbourne 14.5h.)
The 8th dawned cloudy almost everywhere, with humid air in S Britain. Light rain from Norfolk to N Wales and W Ireland marked the boundary of this humid air and of fresher weather to the N. Light rain also fell in parts of SW England and S Wales, with some heavy showers falling over N Scotland. Mid-afternoon over parts of S England rose to 17C-18C, and it was a warm day in Cent and S England, with some coastal fog around some SW coastlines of England. The evening saw a clearance of the rain area to the E and clearing skies over much of Ireland and S Britain. (Great Malvern 26C, Lerwick 15C maximum, Redhill 7C minimum, Wick 9mm, Clacton 11.5h.)
Temperatures stayed above 18C into the 9th in cent London, and it was again rather warm and humid across S England as dawn broke. However, clear skies in parts of N Scotland led to much lower temperatures around dawn here. Mist and fog patches occurred around dawn in parts of Cent S and SW England, but these soon cleared as the temperature rose; by midday cloud was fairly broken across most of England, Wales and E Scotland. Remaining parts of Scotland and Ireland had a mostly cloudy day, with some light rain in Ireland and W and N Scotland, especially in the evening as a front pushed E here. Temperatures of 25C were widespread across S and cent England in the afternoon with dew points of 16-18C in S England. (Northolt 28C, Baltasound 15C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch 4C minimum, Dublin 13mm, Clacton 14h.)
The early hours of the 10th saw cloud over Ireland and Scotland pushing E into England and Wales; the cloud was associated with a cold front that marked fresh-feeling air in the W from more humid condions to the E. Some rain fall as this front pushed E, mostly across Ireland, Scotland and Wales - there was little rain over England during the afternoon and evening as the front finally reached SE England. Ahead of the front, and under clear skies the SE corner of England became verey warm and muggy - dew points here in the afternoon were around 16C compared with 11C in SW Ireland. Sea fog affected some coastal araes around the S end of the Irish Sea, along with coastal areas of SW England. By midnight the cloud associated with the front was confined to some E and Se parts of England, with clearer skies over much of E Ireland, Wales and W England. (Gravesend 29.5C, Redhill 9C, Eskdalemuir 17mm, Isle of Wight 15.4h.)
Cloud persisted into the 11th across much of Scotland and N Ireland, with broken cloud developing over England and Wales by dawn, and with mostly cloud skies across Ireland. There was some light rain and showers over Ireland and Scotland; this faded across Ireland in the afternoon and across most of Scotland during the evening. Despite the patchy cloud it was a warm day over S Britain and S Ireland, and clopud in these areas dissipated later in the evening. (Bognor Regis 25C, Sennybridge 8C, Lusa 11mm, Bournemouth 15.3h.)
There was little cloud across England and wales early on the 12th as high pressure became established (1024mb in NE Kent by 0900GMT). Cloud over much of Scotland and W Ireland broke up as the day progressed and it remained almost cloudless over England and Wales. It was dry everywhere, except for areas of NW and N Scotland where there was some light rain during the day. It was warm across England and Wales, although a sea breeze was noted around Wokingham early in the evening - penetrating N from the S coast. (Cent London 27C, Sennybridge 6mm, Baltasound 3mm, Torquay 15.2h.)
By dawn on the 13th cloud was confined to W Scotland and W Ireland, associated with low pressure to the W of the British Isles. This distribution persisteed throughout the day, although during the evening the cloud did push as far E as cornwall as showers spread to SE Ireland. It was a very warm day over England, Wales and S Ireland, although the air was quite dry around the Thames Valley until early afternoon (at 1200GMT Heathrow was reporting a temperature of 27C and a dew point of 2C). By midnight rain shwoers were starting to affect W Scotland. (Barbourne 30C, Eskdalemuir 3C, no measurable rain except in Ireland, Bournemouth 15.8h.)
England and Wales had a mostly cloudless day on the 14th, although there were a few exceptions. Around dawn low cloud and mist affected parts of North Yorkshire and at about the same time an area of thunderstorms affected Cornwall; the latter activity was followed by a few showers across SW Wales (where thunder also occurred) and SW England, which lingered in parts of Cornwall until near midnight. Scotland and Ireland had cloud in W areas by dawn, accompanied by some light rain and showers. This cloud spread E across much of S Ireland during the day, becoming broken in the late afternoon. However, the main feature of the day was the hot conditions over England and Wales, with the temperature in Cardiff being reportedly within 0.2C of their highest on record for July. Temperatures above 25C occurred across much of inland England and Wales, as far N as Cumbria and Cleveland, and also in some S and Cent parts of Scotland. (Cardiff 32.9C, Eskdalemuir 3C, Barra 5mm, Skegness 16.1h.)
Cloud over W Scotland and W Ireland early on the 15th gradually moved E and by dawn covered much of Ireland, Scotland and W England. Light rain fell over Ireland, while thunderstorms affected the Channel Islands, SE Ireland and SW Wales during the morning and early afternoon. The cloud across S Scotland dissipated by lunchtime; most of England and SE Scotland had a very hot day with temperatures above 30C in many places as far N as Manchester. Showers fell during the afternoon across SW England, with thunder also reported in Cornwall, while rain across NE Ireland and W Scotland gradually cleared into the evening as the cloud here lifted. At Maidenhead 33.1C made it the hottest July day since 1976, and in Wokingham 32.9C was the highest July reading since 1989. (Wisley 33.6C, Aboyne 6C, Tiree 9mm, Southend 16.1h.)
Before dawn on the 16th cloud spread NE into S Ireland, S Wales and SW England, and by mid-morning thundery rain and some heavy showers had occurred across the Channel Islands and SW England. Shwoers also fell across S ireland, the S Midlands and SE England by midday, while in the afternoon thunderstorms pushed N and NW from SE England, the East Midlands and NW England towards the Irish Sea. To the N it remained very sunny and warm, with 28C reported at Kinloss. Some of the lowest maximum temperatures occurred in S Ireland and SW England; the maximum temperature at Scilly was just 17C, while 21.9c was achieved at Lerwick. Keele University recorded its hottest temperature of the year for the fourth day running (27.2C on 13th, 27.6C on 14th, 28.8C on 15th and 29.0C today). (Crosby 31.3C, Valentia 15C maximum, Enoch Dhu 9C minimum, St Mawgan 28mm, Hunstanton 15.7h.)
Thunderstorms continued to affect the Midlands, and parts of N England and N Ireland into the 17th. It was a mild night everywhere, with 17C at Marham, Wittering, Machrihanish and Shawbury, while Ronaldsway had a minimum of 17.5C, Heathrow 17.6C and Manchester 18.2C. By midday cloud was affecting all areas of the British Isles except for W and N Scotland, with thunder over the Midlands taking until early afternoon to cease. Temperatures rose to over 25C in W and NW Scotland during the afternoon. Early rain across S Wales and SW England was very heavy in places, and later in the day there were further heavy falls to the N. Floodwater in parts of Wrexham was knee deep, and reportedly 50mm of rain fell in Blaenau Ffestiniog. In a raingauge in Lancashire 44mm of rain in the space of just 2 hours. Hours of heavy rain caused flash flooding in parts of County Down and several roads were reported flooded in Flintshire. As this rain moved further N it weakened, and clearer skies developed across parts of S England and S Ireland by midnight. A flight from Newcastle to Kos was struck by lightning as it climbed out of Newcastle Airport; the strike could be felt inside the plane and as a precaution the plane landed at Manchester to check for damage - fortunately all was found to be in order and it continued its journey. (Lochcarron 28C, Sennybridge 15C maximum, Dunkeswell 13C minimum, St Athan 55mm, Lerwick 15.6h.)
The 18th dawned generally mild across the British Isles, but it was cloudy start in many areas. Overnight rain, some of it heavy, across N Ireland spread into Scotland, associated with an area of low pressure that was centred over the highlands by 1200GMT. There were showers across N England and S Scotland during the morning that moved N into Scotland in the afternoon. Ligth rain and shwoers also affected SW England for a time, but as cloud lifted across England during the day it turned warm here. The evening saw more cloud and rain spreading E into W Ireland. (Jersey 26C, Sennybridge 10C, Newry Carnbane 70mm, Clacton 11.3h.)
There was a cloudy start to the 19th across W and Cent parts of the British Isles, but a clear dawn over much of E England. Cloud remained broken in much of this E area until the evening, and it turned hot in the SE corner. Rain and showers affected W areas during the night, with some thunder over W Ireland around dawn, as frontal bands moved slowly E. Across S England there was very little rain at all. However, there were thundery outbreaks across SE England and East Anglia during the late evening, and also thundery showers across NW England and S England around the same time. (Margate 30C, Tulloch Bridge 8C, Glenanne 14mm, Clacton 15h.)
The thundery activity over E England moved into the North Sea during the early hours of the 20th, and there were some overnight showers across Ireland, Wales and W Scotland. These showers continued in W areas throughout the day, but rarely did they stray to E Britain. Consequently, with little cloud here, the E was generally warm and sunny. Thundery showers affected N and W Ireland during the late afternoon. (Southend 26C, Redesdale Camp 8C, Buxton (Norfolk) 29mm, Aberdeen 13h.)
The 21st was a mostly showery day form the British Isles, but again these were more frequent in W areas, although some did fall in SE England during the morning. Some of the showers were heavy across Scotland; thunderstorms wrecked havoc across Perth and Angus during the early evening. In Kirriemuir a chimney was struck by lightning, sending debris flying and a lightning bolt in Perth set a house roof on fire. Thunder was also heard in a few other location in NE England and E Scotland during the late afternoon. There were also reports of a couple of funnel clouds to the east of Leeds. Gusts to 30kn accompanied some of the showers, which died down, except in W Ireland and SW Scotland, during the evening. In these two areas more general light rain was falling by midnight. (Margate 25C, Redhill 9C, Eskdalemuir 29mm, Eastbourne 14.6h.)
There was little cloud into the 22nd across much of England, Wales and Cent Scotland, and although cloud cover did increase in the E much of E and Cent England had a warm day with sunny intervals. However, showers occurred across SW England and S Wales from mid-morning. In Cent Scotland the early rain moved E with brighter conditions following here. W Ireland remained cloudy for most of the day, with light rain and drizzle persisting for much of the time, although E Ireland was cloudy and drier. W Scotland saw patchy rain and drizzle throughout the day, although falls were generally light. (Gravesend 25C, Shobden 9C, Inverbervie 16mm, Eastbourne 11.7h.)
Low pressure to the W of the British Isles pushed bands of rain E across the area on the 23rd. By dawn rain was affecting many W and Cent areas of Scotland and England, but progress further E into E England was slow. Amounts of rain were mostly small, although it was quite windy across Scotland, with 59kn gusts on Caingorm. The rain turned more showery across W areas later in the day while by midnight light rain was falling in parts of East Anglia. (Gravesend 25C, Redesdale Camp 9C, Lough Fea 9mm, Southend 9h.)
The overnight rain across E Britain cleared by late morning on the 24th, but light showers and intermittent rain continued across Ireland and W Britain throughout the morning. There were sunny spelss during the day in most places, but these were curtailed in the SW as further frontal rain pushed NE, covering much of Ireland and SW England by mid-afternoon. By midnight there was rain across much of mainland Scotland, and in Cent England westwards, with some heavy falls in S Scotland and SW England. (Heathrow 24C, Port Glenone 11C, Lusa 10mm, Swanage 9.4h.)
On the 25th an area of low pressure pushed NE into the Midlands and then across the East Midlands into the North Sea. Ireland had a mostly cloudy day with some showers in the W. However, the new low brought heavy rain and guists to 40-60kn across SW England by dawn, when rain was also falling from the earlier fronts across Scotland and much of Wales and W England. At Cardinham, 35mm fell in one hours ending 0700GMT. In Cornwall there was some flooding with man-hole covers lifted by the force of the water. The rain moved E quite quickley, with the heaviest falls being across East Anglia by mid-afternoon. Across Scotland the rain had given way to showers by this time, with thunder heard around the Moray Firth, and showers followed the rain across Wales and W England. By midnight the rain had cleared E England, and cloud was clearing from much of SE and cent England. A funnel cloud was seen over above Scone, near Perth, shortly before 1200GMT; it did not touch the ground and no damage was reported. (Poole 23C, Altnaharra 9C, Cardinham 62mm, Torquay 6.2h.)
The 26th brought another depression that pushed E from Scilly along the English Channel to Kent. beforew that a clearance in the cloud cover in some areas brought lower temperatures than recently; in coastal Cent S England minima were around 14-16C under a continuing cloud cover, however. The day dawned dry in most places, apart from some light rain in NE parts of Scotland but light falls occurred in the cloudy SW of Britain and by mid-morning rain extended over an area SW from the Isle of Wight to S Wales. A funnel cloud was spotted and filmed near Fyvie, Aberdeen; the condensation funnel did not touch the ground and no damage has been reported. The rain was slow-moving and heavy in the S with thunder around Wiltshire during the evening; Yeovilton reported almost 10mm in two hours and the continuing rain kept temperatures down in the SW. By midnight falls were lighter and extended from Cheshire to Norfolk and down to Wiltshire. There were showers across Scotland and Ireland during the day, but by midnight these had largely died down as skies started to clear. (Herne Bay 23C, Tulloch Bridge 4C, Baltasound 19mm, Stornoway 11.5h.)
Cloud cleared across many W areas of the British Isles into the 27th and by mid-morning cloud and rain had cleared from E England, leading to some further low minimum temperatures. there were a few showers across S and E England during the day, with thunder in Essex during the afternoon. Showers were more frequent across Scotland and N Ireland, while across S Ireland showers became less frequent as the day developed. (Heathrow 23C, Shap Fell 4C, Lowestoft 30mm, Aspatria 11.9h.)
Many parts of the British Isles had little cloud before dawn on the 28th, leading to a few low minima in sheltered locations. Light showers fell before dawn in coastal parts of Cent S England. There was some light rain in W Ireland by dawn, and this extended E across the whole of Ireland and into W Wales by midday, with cloud spreading into W Britain. The rain continued to push E during the afternoon, also affecting Cent and S Scotland, and accompanied by gusts to 30kn in some coastal areas. By midnight the rain had reached London and E Scotland, but it became lighter and more patchy as it reached E areas. The extreme N of Scotland remained generally dry, however, and it was a sunny day on the Shetlands. (Skegness and Coltishall 24C, Aboyne 4C, South Uist 11mm, Lerwick 14.8h.)
The 29th dawned with a band mostly light rain across parts of Scotland and England, and extensive cloud meaning a mostly warm night across the British Isles. The heaviest rain lay from SW Scotland to W Wales and SW England, and this pushed E into Cent Scotland, the W Midlands and Cent S England, with a low centred at 1009mb near the Isle of Mull. By midnight the low lay between Cumbria and the Isle of Man (1010mb) with rain across much of W England, wales and S Scotland. During the late afternoon and evening there were some thunderstorms across E Ireland, and rain also spread into the Northern Isles. (Marham 23C, Aviemore 11C, Eskdalemuir 20mm, Cromer 8.4h.)
There was a generally cloudy start to the 30th; early rain across England had largely stopped by midday, and across Ireland and W Scotland the cloud started to break up during the morning as the low tracked E towards the North Sea. After a mostly cloudy day across England cloud began to break in the E during the late afternoon. More showers developed across the NW England, the Pennines, Lincolnshire and Norfolk later in the morning, and these turned thundery in the early afternoon with 35mm falling in 6 hours at Waddington. Small tornadoes were seen in Sculthorpe, Norfolk. The showers pushed Se in the afternoon with some heavy rain as far SE as Essex. In the evening cloud spread into Ireland and W Scotland with rain in Ireland and SW Scotland by midnight. (Heathrow 25C, Stornoway 11C, Aspatria 43mm, Tiree 10h.)
There was widespread cloud across the British Isles on the 31st - by dawn pressure was falling everywhere as a ridge receded to the E and rain spread across Ireland and into W Scotland and Wales. The rain continued to push E during the day, gradually breaking up as it did so, and largely clearing E britain by mid-afternoon. More rain affected Ireland, SW Britain and W Scotland during the evening, with some heavy falls in SW England, and by midnight these rain areas had spread to Cent S England and E Scotland. (Margate 25C, Sennybridge 8c, Hillsborough 11mm, Hastings 9h.)
Clear skies for a while before dawn across cent England resulted in the lowest temperatures of the 2nd being in this area. Cloud spread from the W across Ireland into much of W England by mid-morning, although in the afternoon and evening a clearance in the cloud here meant that most of England and Wales was free of cloud again by midnight. E England had a sunny day with little cloud while E Scotland had a day with sunny periods. There was patchy rain across parts of W Scotland with gusts to 30kn at times. (Cent London 27C, Shobdon 6C, Lusa 4mm, Eastbourne 13h.)
There was little cloud over England and Wales on the 3rd with minimum temperatures around 14C in parts of Norfolk, and temperatures climbed quite rapidly after dawn in anticyclonic conditions (MSL pressure was 1024mb over S Wales at 0000GMT). There was some light rain across W Ireland, W and Cent Scotland at times during the day, and there were mist patches in some coastal areas at first in SW Britain. E Ireland, although moistly dry, had a rather cloudy day. (Cent London 30C, Sennybridge 3C, Sella Ness 3mm, Oxford 14.6h.)
There was again little cloud over most of England and Wales during the 4th, and fairly clear skies also persisted for much of the day in E England and SE Scotland. On Guernsey the minimum temperature was 17.7C. It was cloudy during the morning over W Ireland and W Scotland with some light rain and drizzle in places, but skies cleared here too in the afternoon, except in a few locations in NE Scotland and S Ireland. Across parts of England train speeds on the railways were reduced to prevent the rails from buckling in the heat. Cloud and rain affected parts of SW England and S Ireland in the evening, with thunder over Cornwall. (Wisley 32.5C, Shap Fell 6C, Waterstein 3mm, Manchester 14.6h.)
The 5th was a day with patchy cloud across parts of the British Isles, but it still turned out to be a hot day across England and Wales. Overnight temperatures remained well above 20C over West Cornwall, 23C the lowest at St Mawgan. At Cardiff the minimum temperature was 21C. Around the coats there was some mist and fog, especially in E Scotland and the Northern Isles. Rain and showers affected SW and Cent S England, and S Wales and parts of the Midlands at times during the day, with some thunder in the SW during the morning. During the afternoon and evening storms pushed E from N Ireland into W and S Scotland. In Northern Ireland the storms brought power cuts and some heavy downpours during the late evening. 34.8C at Jersey was the highest temperature so far this year in the British Isles, while 33.0C was reported at Valley, their highest temperature on record. On Guernsey the minimum temperature was 23.8C at the Airport and at Rocquaine; the maximum at the Airport was the highest temperature on record for the station at 33.7C, as was the 35.0C at Rocquaine. At Jersey Airport the temperature fell sharply later in the day, as the wind swung from E to W; 1600GMT 34C E 12mph, 1700GMT 24C WNW 5mph, 1800GMT 21C W 12mph. (Jersey 34.8C, Kinbrace 7C, Ballykelly 4mm, Herne Bay 13.7h.)
Despite clear skies across much of Ireland, Wales and England into the 6th it was a warm start to the day in many places. At London Weather Centre the minimum was 21.1C with Manchester reporting a minimum of 18.1C, and by 0600GMT temperatures of 20C were being reported in many places in East Anglia and SE England. There was a cloud start for parts of Scotland as thundery activity moved from Northern Ireland into Cent Scotland by dawn, with some rain and showers further N. Mist and fog affected parts of S Wales and SW England for a while around dawn and, although there was some cloud across Ireland and W Wales during the morning, most of the British Isles had a hot and sunny day. The cloud did, however, keep the temperature low in some places in W Wales. In the Channel Islands fog for much of the day kept temperatures down to about 18C. 30.1C was recorded at Glenlivet, the highest this year so far in Scotland, and the highest on record there. 35.7C was recorded at both Enfield and the London Weather Centre, reportedly the highest temperature on record in Cent London. There were speed restrictions on the Tube system and the London Eye had to close as it got too hot in the slow-moving pods. Kirkwall in Orkney recorded 24.5C, their highest on record. During the evening fog and low-cloud reformed across SW England and S Wales, with mist and low cloud in partss of Scotland and Ireland. (Gravesend 36.4C, Redesdale Camp 10C, Port Ellen 11mm, Falmouth 12.5h.)
There was some cloud into the 7th across Ireland and W Britain, with mist and fog in these areas also by dawn. E England had a mostly clear start to the day, and minimum temperatures of 18C were widespread in SE England. During the morning the cloud area pushed slowly E, affecting many parts E England by midday, while cloud cleared over S Ireland. The afternoon and evening saw a more general clearance of the cloud from much of the British Isles but by midnight fog had reformed, particularly around the coasts of SW England, W and S Wales and E Scotland. Across much of England, Wales and S Ireland it was a very warm day where the cloud cleared, with 27.8C reported from Shannon. 28.1C at Penzance made it the hottest day of the year so far. (East Malling 31.6C, Shap Fell 10C, Camborne and Malin Head 1mm, Isle of Wight 13.4h.)
The following was written by Bernard Burton.
After the clearance of overnight cloud in the Midlands and eastern England, all inland areas had a fine, sunny and hot day on the 8th. However, fog affected many coasts and was persistent in places. Later in the day, a cold front spread low cloud and some drizzle into western Ireland. (Wisley 32C, Fair Isle 15C maximum, Redesdale 7C minimum, Tiree 0.4mm, Newquay 14.0h.)
Fog and low cloud once again spread inland overnight into the 9th over England and Scotland, particularly from the North Sea, although it was not as extensive over the Midlands as on the previous day. Cloud from an eastward moving cold front extended across Ireland, although eastern coastal districts had fog during the night. Inland parts of England and Wales and most of Scotland then had another fine and hot day, and it became very hot in central and southern England, but again fog affected coastal places. Cloud and patchy light rain and drizzle affected Ireland and western Scotland during the day, but activity pepped up along the front during the evening, with outbreaks of heavy rain and the odd thunderstorm over eastern Ireland and south and east Scotland. (Central London 36C, Fair Isle 17C maximum, Aboyne 8C minimum, Loftus 1mm, Oxford 14.0h.)
Inland areas of England and Wales had a fine but humid night into the 10th, although fog continued to affect some coastal localities. Rain from the now slow-moving cold front lay form eastern Scotland through the Irish Sea, with breaking skies to the west. During the morning, thunderstorms broke out over western England and west Wales, spreading northeast to affect the midlands and much of northern England. Some of the storms were very active, and there were reports of injuries from lightning. Meanwhile, the southeast remained sunny and again became very hot. All time temperature records tumbled in many places, with the 100 F 'barrier' breached east of London. Ireland, western and northern Scotland had a dry and pleasant afternoon and evening with scattered convection. Thunderstorms continued through the afternoon and evening, but became less widespread and intense than earlier, and chiefly affected the midlands and eastern England, and East Anglia later. (Gravesend 38C, Baltasound 16C maximum, Waterstein 11C minimum, Longlands 33mm, Weymouth 13.1h.)
Thundery activity near the Wash and over Essex around midnight tended to move away eastwards, but more developed along a line Isle of Wight to Harwich, and over Wales and northwest England early in the morning of the 11th, the latter became more intense as they moved ENE, clearing the Yorkshire coast near midday. Elsewhere the night and morning were mostly fine, although fog and low cloud affected mostly east facing coasts, becoming more widespread inland for a time overnight and early morning. For the afternoon and evening the whole country became dry. It was hot again in the southeast, but cooler further north, with a band of persistent cloud, associated with the decaying cold front, over the midlands and eastern England, reinforced with low cloud from the North Sea during the evening. (Gravesend 35C, Spadeadam 17C maximum, Katesbridge 6C minimum, Topcliffe 24mm, Falmouth 13.8h.)
The whole country had a dry night, but North Sea stratus spread inland widely, covering much of England and Wales, except the west and extreme south, by dawn on the 12th. There were a few fog patches over Ireland and Irish Sea coasts. Much of the low cloud cleared by midday, but it remained cloudy across the Midlands, and eastern parts of England and Scotland, and there was a good deal of upper cloud in western and northern areas. An approaching cold front off the Atlantic brought outbreaks of rain to western Ireland and northwest Scotland by the end of the afternoon, and a few showers developed over the north Pennines and moved east. South-eastern areas became quite hot again. Outbreaks of rain continued to spread eastwards across Ireland and Scotland during the evening, otherwise most of England and Wales had only patchy upper cloud, and mist and fog developed on and near the east coast, and also affected the Channel Islands. (Poole 31C, Tulloch Bridge 7C, Wick 1mm, Eastbourne 13.0h.)
Rain in the north and west moved southeast overnight, reaching a line southern Ireland to Yorkshire during the morning of the 13th, but dying out as it did so. To the north, there were showers over Scotland, heaviest in the northeast, where the winds also became strong, and there was thunder over Shetland. To the south, patchy overnight fog in the east cleared and there were just small amounts of high cloud in most places. Medium level instability was evident, and there was a general increase in cloud during the afternoon, with a few thundery showers moving east along the English Channel, affecting southwest England and extreme southern counties, but most places remained dry. During the evening cloud melted away over most of the UK, though showers continued in the far north, and thundery showers over northern France affected the Channel Islands. (Southend 29C, Sennybridge 8C, Lerwick 9mm, Oxford 12.0h.)
Showers, heavy at first, continued overnight into the 14th in north and east Scotland, but mostly died out during the morning, as did lighter scattered showers on exposed coasts of western Scotland and Northern Ireland. The rest of the country had a dry night with little cloud, and a fine day to follow, with plenty of sunshine. Temperatures were down on recent days, especially welcome in the south, as more invigorating lower dew point air became established. The evening was fine everywhere, and became virtually cloud free in most places. (Lee-on-Solent 27C, Katesbridge 3C, Loch Glascarnoch 7mm, Scarborough 14.0h.)
Apart from one or two light showers in the far north the night was dry everywhere and with little in the way of cloud radiation fog patches formed early on the 15th. An area of cloud associated with a slow-moving front over northern France moved slowly north overnight, affecting the Channel Islands and later southwestern most counties of England. Convection developed widely over land as the day progressed, but was capped by a strong inversion, preventing showers, and many southern counties even saw little of the cloud. As it melted away in the evening, most of the UK became cloud free, but the area of cloud in the far south continued to push northwards, reaching as far as the Midlands and East Anglia by the end of the evening, by which time outbreaks of rain were also moving north from the English Channel. (South Farnborough 25C, Katesbridge 2C, Kinloss 0.6mm, Morecombe 14.4h.)
Outbreaks of rain in the far south tended to die out as they moved north through the night and morning of the 16th, but not before many southern counties had a sprinkling. Elsewhere the night was fine, with a few fog patches in Ireland and Scotland, although it became more cloudy in the far north, with a spot of rain in Shetland. During the morning, high cloud increased in the north and west ahead of a frontal system moving in from the Atlantic, and outbreaks of rain affected the Western Isles during the afternoon, and western Ireland in the evening. Medium cloud cover persisted over the south of England, but tended to become more broken. The rest of England and Wales had a fine afternoon and evening. (Leeds 25C, Tulloch Bridge 1C, Weymouth 5mm, Isle of Man 13.5h.)
Increasing upper cloud from a frontal system to the west covered Scotland and Ireland at the start of the night, and spread to most other parts by morning on the 17th. Outbreaks of light rain affected western Ireland at first, and there was a little rain in the English Channel that moved northwards as it died out. During the morning, a cold front brought a band of moderate/heavy rain into western parts of Ireland and Scotland, and this moved steadily east, to lie Irish Sea to central Scotland by the end of the evening, with the heaviest rain in the north, followed by a clearance to scattered showers over Ireland and western Scotland. Meanwhile, the rest of England and Wales was mostly fine, though with generally large amounts of medium cloud, which gave the odd spot of rain in places, and a few showers, including the odd heavy one, broke out over south Wales and moved northeast to affect the Midlands, and Lancashire across to Yorkshire during the evening. (Heathrow 27C, Aboyne 6C, Port Glenone 5mm, Cromer 13.5h.)
Rain at first over Scotland and northern England cleared from most places by morning on the 18th, although it was after midday before it finally became drier in Shetland. The front responsible continued its eastward progress across the southern half of England, though giving just patchy rain or drizzle here and there. However, about mid-afternoon one or two heavy showers broke out near the front over southern England. It was rather cloudy ahead of the front over southeast England and East Anglia, though with some sunny intervals. Behind the front, again there was quite a lot of cloud, with showers in places, heaviest and most frequent in the north, and merging to give a period of sometimes heavy rain over western and northern Scotland a wrap-around occlusion encroached from the west. (Herne Bay 27C, West Freugh 7C, Lusa 25mm, Southend 11.3h.)
Scotland had a cloudy night and morning on the 19th, with outbreaks of rain, chiefly in the west and north. During the afternoon the rain petered out as it resolved itself into a narrow band moving southeast over central Scotland, with cloud breaks becoming more widespread. The rest of the country was also mostly cloudy, with the best of any breaks in the east and south, but mainly dry. A few light showers affected Ireland and western parts of England and Wales early on, but mostly died out by midday. (Southend 24C, Benson 6C, Kirkwall 20mm, Falmouth 11.1h.)
Most of Ireland and Scotland had a cloudy night with spots of rain and drizzle here and there into the 20th, while England and Wales started clear but clouded up from the west by midday, although cloud became more broken again during the afternoon in the southeast. Most places saw little change during the evening. Meanwhile, occasional rain continued over Scotland and Ireland during the morning, and became more persistent and heavier in the north of Scotland in the afternoon, but largely died out over Ireland. The evening brought more rain to much of Scotland, heaviest and most persistent in the north and west, and this spread to the north of Ireland later in the evening. (Gravesend 24C, Redhill Airport 4C, Port Ellen 5mm, Southend 12.0 h.)
Rain, heavy in places, and with considerable orographic enhancement, affected Scotland and the north of Ireland overnight into the 21st. England, Wales and the south of Ireland had a generally cloudy night with spits of rain in places, chiefly in the west. The morning saw the rain over Scotland edging south along with a cold front, with a clearance to more broken skies following, but still with some showery rainbands, most of which died out by evening. Winds became strong in western Scotland in the evening. The front and rain became slow moving across Ireland and the Borders during the afternoon, and reached Shannon to Lincolnshire by the end of the evening, by which time the precipitation had became generally light and drizzly. To the south of the front most places had a good deal of cloud, though with some breaks developing in the southeast, and a little rain or drizzle in western parts. (Colwyn Bay 24C, Redhill Airport 6C, Sloy 28mm, Jersey 13.0h.)
On the 22nd the north of Scotland had a windy day with blustery showers dying out later to give a mainly fair evening. The cold front made little progress in the east, and returned northwards in the west, reaching a position northwest Ireland to Lincolnshire by late evening. Along the front, a band of cloud was thick enough to give outbreaks of rain and drizzle from time to time. To the north of the frontal band it was a fair and mainly dry day with broken cloud. To the south of the band it was a cloudy night and morning, with the odd spot of rain here and there, chiefly in the west, giving way to a fine late afternoon and evening in the southeast. Sea fog affected English Channel coasts, and became quite widespread in the evening. (Shoeburyness 27C, Katesbridge 9C, Capel Curig 8mm, Bognor Regis 10.8h.)
Most of Scotland had a dry and mainly fine night into the 23rd, though the west and north were cloudy with a little rain and drizzle at times. The rest of the UK was mostly cloudy night with a few breaks at times, and there was a persistent band of light rain and drizzle lying from the northern half of Ireland across to Lincolnshire, associated with a decaying cold front. During the rest of the day there were scattered mostly light showers over Wales, Ireland and the southern half of England, while the band of patchy rain and drizzle moved away northwards in the west. Scotland and the northern half of England had broken cloud and it was mainly dry. Sea fog affected western coasts at times. (Wisley 28C, Tyndrum 2C, Buxton 4mm, Leuchars 13.1h.)
Many places were cloudy overnight, although there were a few breaks in places, especially over Ireland and the Highlands of Scotland, where there was radiation fog around dawn on the 24th. Scattered showers over the southern half of England worked their way southwestwards overnight and throughout the morning, and there was fog around Irish Sea coasts and the Western Isles. The day was mainly dry generally, but with quite a lot of cloud in places, although amounts decreased during the afternoon, except near the east coast, where a sheet of stratocumulus worked its way inland during the late afternoon and evening, producing a little rain and drizzle here and there. (Cardiff 28C, Glenlivet 4C, Warcop 2mm, Anglesey 12.4h.)
End of the text written by Bernard Burton.
The 25th dawned mostly cloudy in E Scotland, E Wales and much of England and these E areas remained cloudy throughout the day. NW Scotland remained sunny for much of the day (after a cool beginning in some places), and there were also sunny spells across Ireland, W wales and SW England, and it was quite a warm day in Cornwall and the Channel Islands. An onshore wind kept the low cloud cover over many coastal parts of NE England, and there was some light rain and drizzle in these areas too, with falls also in the Northern Isles. (St Louis, Jersey 24C, Kinbrace 2C, Loftus 2mm, Stornoway 13.7h.)
The 26th brought another cloudy start over much of E Scotland and England, and cloud in SW England was accompanied by heavy thundery rain in parts of Cornwall. This rain trunbed more showery during the morning, and continued until mid-afternoon. There was also a cloudy start to the day in S Ireland, where light also fell. The low cloud in E Scotland and NE England was also accompanied by light rain and drizzle which spread inland to the Pennines for a while. However, cloud tended to clear across Scotland later in the afternoon, much of W Scotland and N Ireland having had sunny spells throughout the day. Across most of England and S Wales it was a mostly cloudy day throughout. (Charlwood 24C, Tyndrum 4C, Culdrose 18mm, Stornoway 10.1h.)
The 27th dawned rather cloudy across the UK, but with only broken cloud across Ireland. N Scotland remained cloudy with light rain and drizzle, which had almost did out by midnight. There was broken cloud and sunny intervals across most other areas of the UK, and it also turned cloudies across Ireland as the day wore on, while in the evening there was some light rain in SW England as the cloud thickened here. (Jersey 27C, Shap Fell 1C, Baltasound 2mm, Anglesey 11.2h.)
The 28th dawned cloud in most places, and the day remained mostly cloudy for many areas with fronts bringing bands of rain to many parts during the day. Sferics reported from some coastal stations along the English Channel from mid-morning onwards, and the thunderstorms causing these gave some of the heaviest falls of rain recorded during the day. The best of the sushine occurred in W Scotland, as Scotland and N parts of Ireland gradually became cloudfree later in the day and into the evening. (Jersey 23C, Kinbrace 2C, Kenley 13mm, Tiree 11.2h.)
The cloud gradually moved S into the 29th, with clear skies in the n leading to a few low temperatures as a N airflow developed. Early rain across S England was heavy in places, but this had cleared all but the Channel Islands and a few parts of Kent and Sussex by mid-afternoon. Behind the rain the skies cleared and most places then had a sunny day. However, scattered showers developed in this airstream, particularly across Scotland, parts of the Midlands, W Wales and E England. Most of these showers died back during the evening as skies tended to clear again. (Torquay 20C, Hillsborough 4C, Cardinham 26mm, Tiree 11.4h.)
Clear skies and a N airflow led to some low temperatures on the 30th. Cent London had its lowest August night temperature in ten years, down to 10.1C (the coldest ever August night temperature in the capital was on 24.8.1940 at 8.2C). There were a few early showers in N Scotland, and these extended into E Scotland during the day. Cloud developed across most areas of Scotland and in S England during the day, with showers in S Wales and SW England developing and turning thundery in Devon in the afternoon. There were also reports of a waterspout off the Isles of Scilly and a couple near Plymouth. Some showers also developed over East Anglia later in the day, turning thundery for a while. However, by midnight the cloudy areas were mostly confined to Scotland and N England. (Lee-on-Solent 21C, Shap Fell 0C, Hunstanton 13mm, Tiree 12h.)
Overnight cloud across Scotland into the 31st was accompanied by rain in the N, while much of England and Wales had another cold start to the day. Cloud soon built up in most areas during the morning, with a few rain showers in Northern Ireland, N Scotland, the Channel Islands and East Anglia. Although this cloud and showers died back in the evening again, there were some heavy showers later in the day across parts of SW England - an area that remianed cloudy in places. (Torquay 22C, Shap Fell 0C, Avienmore 5mm, Weymouth 13h.)
High pressure resulted in a mostly cloudy start to the 2nd, but where the cloud did clear temperatures fell and there was a touch of ground frost in places. Cloud thickened in many of these clear areas during the morning and most places had a cloudy day. There was some light rain and drizzle in parts of N England, N Ireland and Scotland but much of England and Wales remained dry with the best of any sunshine being in Cornwall and some extreme E parts of SE England. (St Louis (Jersey) and Great Malvern 22C, Redhill 3C, Belfast and Aultbea 2mm, Newquay 12.1h.)
While many W parts of the British Isles again had a cloudy start on the 3rd, there were some clear skies in E England and SE Scotland around dawn, leading to a cold start and some fog patches in some of these areas. The day was moistly dry under the influence of high pressure, and although it remained cloudy for much of the day in most places, the cloud did dissipate in E Ireland during the afternoon, and over much of England, Wales, E Scotland and remaining areas of Ireland in the evening. Cloud in W and N Scotland led to some light rain in W Scotland. (Gravesend 24C, Coltishall 4C, Barra 2mm, Clacton 11.7h.)
Mist, fog and low cloud developed by dawn on the 4th over Cent S and parts of N and E England, and it there was a cloudy start to the day across much of Scotland. The fog and cloud cleared across England by mid-afternoon and most of England and Wales had a very sunny day - with almost no cloud in S parts. Cloud lingered across much of Ireland and Scotland (and there was some light rain in parts of NW Scotland) and with pressure starting to fall later in the day, thickening cloud brought light rain to W Ireland during the evening. (Jersey 25C, Redhill 3C, Barra 0.4mm, Southsea 12.8h.)
There was a mostly clear start to the 5th over much of England and Wales with early fog in Cent England being short-lived. Across Ireland and Scotland there was frontal cloud and some light rain in the W and this pushed slowly E during the day; by midnight there was cloud across much of Wales, England and E Scotland but clearer skies across much of Ireland and W Scotland. Rain along this front was slight in the S and as the front pushed E the rain lessende; there were also showers around the English Channel and SW England during the morning which later affected SE Wales and parts of Cent S England. It was a warm afternoon ahead of the cloud in SE England. (Heathrow, Northolt and Wisley 27C, Preston 4C, South Uist 6mm, Clacton 12.2h.)
For much of the 6th E Britain remained cloudy (although this cloud did break up in the evening) while skies remained brighter across Ireland and W parts of Wales and Scotland. Showers affected many E parts of Scotland during the day, and there werev also showery outbreaks across N and W Ireland. Thundery showers, heavy in parts of NW England, affected many parts of England from the midlands northwards during late morning and into the afternoon - these migrated NE as the day progressed - while a few light showers also affected parts of SE England. The showers died out in the evening and by midnight there was very little cloud across the British Isles. (Margate 24C, Loch Glascarnoch 3C, Crosby 24mm, Teignmouth 9.8h.)
Clear skies into the 7th meant a cold start in many sheltered areas across the UK, but by dawn cloud was pushing into S Ireland and much of S England and wales - with some light rain in S Ireland. These was fog around dawn, dense in places, in SW Scotland and parts of the Midlands. By mid-afternoon cloud was widespread across the Ireland and W parts of England and Scotland, with rain in SW England, Ireland and parts of Eales. Early in the afternoon a funnel cloud was seen out to sea off the coast in Wigtown Bay. The cloud and rain failed to progress into the extreme E parts of England, although by midnight cloud was clearing from NW Scotland and NW Ireland. (Poole 21C, Katesbridge 0C, Cardinham 14mm, Lerwick 11.5h.)
The 8th began with cloud lying N-S from N Scotland to Cent S England, and rain in N Scotland and also in SW England and S Wales. Rain in the N soon became largely confined to the Northern Isles while further S the rain affected many areas from Manchester S'wards. Falls in SW England were particularly heavy in places and it was not until the evening that much of this rain moved SE to clear the UK. Rain and showers broke out in W Scotland during the afternoon and evening and there were also some light falls in parts of E England around the same time. Elsewhere it was a mostly warm and sunny day. (Great Malvern 23C, Katesbridge 0C, Camborne 31mm, Clacton 10.7h.)
Broken cloud in to the 9th across the British Isles resulted in a cool start in some places, but in parts of W Scotland there was more organised cloud with rain to start the day. Showers also affected S Scotland and N England as the day progressed with others occurring in W and S Ireland. The afternoon brought a thickening of the cloud across W areas with the rain becoming more widespread in Ireland, and with rain and showers in the Midlands, SW and Cent S England by midnight. There were also reports of sferics in E England during the afternoon. (Herne Bay 21C, Katesbridge 2C, Tain Range 14mm, Lerwick 9.8h.)
Cloud and rain affected much of the British Isles before dawn on the 10th, with the exception of parts of N Scotland where skies were clear for the most part. The frontal rain continued to push E and S during the morning, leading to skies clearing across much of Scotland and N England by mid-afternoon. This clearance spread down E England into the afternoon and evening, but W Britain and jmuch of Ireland remained cloudier despite the rian largely dying out during this time. (Bognor Regis 23C, Altnaharra 0C, Capel Curig 26mm, Leuchars 10.4h.)
Cloud spread across W Britain and Ireland into the 11th but clear skies in the E led to ground frost in many areas. The cloud in the W was accompanied by rain in places, although amounts were small in Cent S and SE areas. Another area of rain affected N Ireland later in the morning and gave soime heavy falls in parts of SW Scotland during the afternoon and evening. By mid-afternoon the main cloud area had extended E to most E coast counties, while a clearance under rising pressure across Ireland led to a warm afternoon in S Ireland. It was also warm in N Wales, where the cloud cleared during late afternoon. Rain affected the Northern Isles in the afternoon and evening, while blustery showers were accompanied by gusts to 40kn across the Western Isles in the evening. (Ashford (Wicklow) 24C, Redesdale 0C, Barra 11mm, Norwich 8.8h.)
Overnight into the 12th saw rain continuing to push E across and then away from E counties of Britain, and pressure rose to reach 1032mb over SW Wales by midday. This resulted in remaining showers over parts of N Scotland clearing by early afternoon, by when another weak front brought light rain and showers to W and S Ireland. This rain also started to affect parts of W Scotland later in the evening. Mist and fog patches affected parts of Cent S England around dawn but these soon cleared and it was a warm and sunny day for much of England and E Scotland. (Falmouth 22C, Katesbridge 1C, Lerwick 9mm, Glasgow 11.1h.)
The 13th saw pressure falling as the anticyclone transferred to the near continent, and frontal systems pushed E across W parts of the British Isles. By dawn rain has spread E to affect many parts of Scotland, North Wales and Ireland. There was a cloudy start in n England but in most other parts of England and Wales early skies were generally clear and a warm and sunny day followed here. Cloud persisted across parts of Ireland and Scotland throughout the day, but away from the Northern Isles the rain had stopped by early afternoon. Across Scotland the rain was, however, accompanied by gusty conditions with 50mph gusts in some N and W areas. Further cloud and rain spread E into W Ireland and then W Scotland later in the day, while fog formed by midnight around the Bristol Channel under the clear skies.(Saunton Sands 26C, Redhill 2C, South Uist 22mm, Clacton 10.9h.)
Overnight in to the 14th cloud was largely confined to W Ireland and Scotland it gradually became confined to cent Scotland by dawn. Across England there was low cloud and fog by dawn in the W Midlands and Cent S England. Once this had cleared most of England, Wales and Ireland had a warm and sunny day with temperatures above 25c in many S parts of England. N and W Scotland also had a mostly sunny day but cloud over N Ireland, SW, Cent and E Scotland persisted for most of the day giving falls of light rain and drizzle. By midnight cloud was also extending across previously clear N and W areas of Scotland. (Saunton Sands 27C, Redhill 4C, Lusa 17mm, Scarborough and Fishguard 11.9h.)
Clear skies over much of England and Wales into the 15th led to a cold start to the day in some areas, with mist and fog patches in parts of Cent S England. Early cloud was largely confined to Scotland and Ireland and there was some early rain in E Scotland. Further bands of frontal rain affected Ireland and Scotland later in the day (interspersed with some sunny intervals), while England and Wales had a generally warm and sunny day. By midnight cloud had cleared across most of Ireland, with remaining rain being confined to NW Ireland and N Scotland. (Cleethorpe 27C, Redhill 2C, Sella Ness 6mm, Newquay 11h.)
The 16th was a very warm day across much of England, Wales and Ireland; early cloud in W Ireland soon cleared while many areas of England and Wales saw little cloud all day. Relative humidity was quite low across a large area of E England in the afternoon, with values down below 30% in places. It was a cloudier day across Scotland, with rain in the N and W the rain in the N lingered for most of the afternoon and evening. Across s Scotland the day began with extensive cloud and some light rain, although this gradually migrated N to give a bright afternoon here. (Cambridge 28C, Redhill 3C, Stornoway 9mm, Isle of Wight 12h.)
Clear skies again prevailed across most of England and Wales into the 17th, leading to fog formation from the W Midlands to Dorset and Devon. Further N and W there was more cloud early in the day, with rain in the Northern isles finally clearing by dawn. Much of England and Wales had another very warm and sunny day, with low relative humidity again affecting E England, but during the evening cloud and rain that had spread across Ireland in the afternoon, pushed into W Wales. It remained cloudy in N Scotland and, after a bright morning in some parts, further cloud and light rain spread slowly E into Scotland. In S Ireland, Ashford (Co. Wicklow) recorded 25.0C during the afternoon, the fourth highest maximum temperature of the year. (Gravesend 28C, Redhill 3C, Baltasound 7mm, Fishguard 11.8h.)
Some clear skies in E Britain into the 18th led to a slight ground frost in places, while there was some rain over S Scotland by dawn. The front bringing this rain pushed slowly SE during the day, but in many places its effects were mostly confined to cloud. Later in the morning further cloud, followed by rain spread E into W Ireland with falls also in N and W Scotland. By midnight this rain had spread to N Wales and S Scotland, while skies were clearing across NW Scotland and NW Ireland, apart from a few showery bursts. (Margate 25C, Redhill 4C, Port Ellen 11mm, Margate 10.9h.)
A slow-moving front continued to push SE during the 19th; behind it there were clear skies in E Scotland by dawn that gave low temperatures here. The front brought rain to many N and w parts of Britain, with some especially heavy falls across N Wales. In the evening, there was a fall of over 7mm in an hour at Topcliffe. During the afternoon temperatures in Se England rose to 23C in many places, while behind the front 11-12C was more common in W Scotland, despite sunny spells here. Showers also affected W Scotland and Ireland, while temperature fell rapidly in the evening under clear skies over Se England. (Gravesend 24C, Aboyne 4C, Capel Curig 40mm, Norwich 11h.)
The 20th dawned with clear skies in E and Se England, but mostly cloudy skies elsewhere. Clear skies also resulted in a ground frost in some sheltered areas of Cent Scotland. The frontal band bringing the cloud to E Scotland and W England by dawn was slow-moving throughout the day, and rain fell at times from S Ireland, N Wales through to NE Scotland. Falls were heavy in some places at times as shallow depressions ran along the front, although there were clearer skies to the W of the front that gave sunny spells over W Scotland and Ireland at times. E and SE England had a warm and sunny day also, while by midnight much of the rain along the front had fizzled out and frontal cloud amounts were fairly small. (Jersey St. Louis 28C, Tyndrum 0C, Leeming 37mm, Norwich 11h.)
There was some light rain very early on the 21st around Norfolk, but until cloud spread into W Ireland by dawn there was little cloud elsewhere. Fog patches from Manchester to Dorset developed into low cloud in places; the fog generally soon cleared after dawn, but the cloud thickened in the W as increasing amounts spread E. During the morning light rain and drizzle spread across Ireland, pushing E into Cent and E Scotland during the afternoon. Cloud amounts in E England remained mostly small but by midnight some light rain was falling in SW and Cent S England. It was again very warm in SE England during the afternoon. (Gravesend 28C, Katesbridge 1C, Lusa 11mm, London 10.3h.)
The 22nd saw an end to the warm weather in SE England as a cold front pushed SE across Britain. The morning saw a clearing of the cloud cover over Ireland and increasing cloud amounts over E England, In between, there were some heavy falls of rain or showers, and these pushed E and SE during the day. The rain was accompanied by blustery winds, and introduced colder air in its wake. Waterspouts were reported off Spurn Head and off Essex, while a tornado was seen in Gloucester. Gusts of 50mph were reported in London and Wattisham, and very heavy rain in parts of SE England in the afternoon resulted in temperatures dropping by 10c in less than an hour. Sunshine behind the front led to showers in W Scotland and Ireland, while by midnight the front had cleared SE England (temperatures were down to 9C in Norfolk by then) and skies were generally clear apart from some showery outbreaks lingering near W coasts of Ireland and Scotland. (Norwich 23C, Lerwick 9C maximum, Kinbrace 5C minimum, Prestwick 43mm, Bognor Regis 9.2h.)
Throughout the 23rd pressure rose across the British Isles, reaching 1031mb over Wiltshire by midnight. Cloud amounts were consequently low, associated often with showers around W coastal sites, and clear skies led to a widespread ground frost in many areas. It snowed in the Cairngorms overnight, down to about 600m. The showers became lighter as the day progressed and pressure rose, but the evening saw some frontal cloud pushing into W Ireland and W Scotland giving some light rain in places here. During the evening temperatures fell rapidly in most places under clear skies. (Guernsey 19C, Saughall 0C, Loch Glascarnoch 14mm, Cardiff 11.0h.)
Clear skies into the 24th led to an air frost in many places, as far S as SE England. At Stratfield Mortimer -1.5C was possibly the coldest September night in the area since 1919. At Boscombe Down it was the coldest September night since 1931. Pressure remained high during the day, although it did gradually fall in most areas. It was generally sunny over England and Wales during the morning, but cloud spread into Ireland and then Wales by mid-afternoon, before fading in the evening. Across Scotland cloud was more extensive and persistent, with rain and strong winds in the NW. (Saunton Sands 19C, Redhill -3C, Aultbea 13mm, Hunstanton 12.0h.)
The 25th dawned with cloud across Scotland and parts of N England and Ireland, but with clear skies and a ground frost in many places further S. Early rain was confined mainly to N and NW Scotland, but by midday this area of rain into W Ireland; the general SE progression of the rain continued then throughout the rest of the day with some heavy falls across Scotland. By midnight rain was falling in S Scotland and the Isle of Man but skies were clearing in NW Scotland. Cloud pushed E into Wales and W England during the morning with the Midlands and NE England becoming cloudy by midnight. Much of SE England and East Anglia remained almost cloudfree until late evening and it was consequently very sunny here. (Saunton Sands 21C, Redhill -2C, Sella Ness 28mm, Hastings 11.6h.)
Rain fell across Cent Scotland and N and W areas of Ireland into the 26th, and this frontal band and its associated cloud gradually pushed Se as the day progressed. By midday there was rain in S Wales and NW England, and later rain fell further S, but there was little rain in many E and SE areas as the front weakened. There were clear skies behind the front across much of Ireland and W Scotland, and later across N England and Wales. There was a clear start to the day across Se England and East Anglia, but skies soon clouded over and did not clear again in East Anglia until the evening. (Torquay 22C, Redhill -1C, Sloy 23mm, Guernsey 8.9h.)
A weak high pressure ridge cross the British Isles on the 27th. Early cloud was confined to Scotland and S England, and there were mist and fog patches in some of the clear parts of the Midlands. Bands of showers fell across Scotland and Ireland during the morning and by late afternoon there had been a general increase in cloud cover across much of the British Isles associated with troughs bringing these showers. The showers persisted into the evening across E Scotland, but most of England, wales and S Ireland had a dry day. (Torquay 20C, Katesbridge -2C, Dundrennan 18mm, Shrewsbury 9.8h.)
Slack pressure gradients on the 28th were accompanied by showers across East Anglia, Northern Ireland and Scotland with extensive cloud across many parts of Scotland, Wales and England. Many areas of Ireland and Wales and the S coast of England had a sunny day, but it was not until the evening that clearer skies developed across much of England and Wales. However, showers continued to affect Ireland, W and N Scotland during the evening. (Lee-on-Solent 19C, Altnaharra -1C, Wick 13mm, Bournemouth 10.7h.)
Cloud across Scotland, and Ireland spread to Wales and N England early on the 29th with light rain in W Ireland and Scotland. Damp conditions led to some fog in S Scotland, while clear skies in E England resulted in a ground frost in places. Extensive cloud cover persisted across much of Irelad and W and Cent areas of Britain throughout the day and it was not until the evening that the SE corner of England began to cloud over. Bands of frontal rain, heavy in places, affected W Scotland, N Wales and N England while more showery conditions spread E into Ireland in the afternoon. Rain continued into the evening in E Scotland, N England and N Wales, with a few showers lingering thern across S Ireland. (Poole 20C, Redhill -1C, Morecambe 22mm, Cromer 10.2h.)
By dawn on the 30th rainfall was largely confined to Ireland and areas around the Irish Sea. Skies were clearer across N Scotland and NW Ireland where there was a ground frost or fog in places. By mid-afternoon this rain had largely died out as it moved NE but another extensive area was affecting the Channel islands and was pushing N into SW England; this latter area continued into the evening, making little further progress N. It remained sunny across N Scotland and some extreme E parts of England during the day, while clearer skies spread E across much of Ireland during the evening with fog forming in many areas of E Ireland by midnight. (St. Louis, Jersey 22C, Kinbrace -1C, Anglesey 24mm, Clacton 10.0h.)
It remained cloudy across S England into the 2nd with rain and drizzle, and with thunderstrms across the Channel Islands before dawn. Elsewhere, there were mostly clear skies with some fog in NE England, although skies clouded over from the W over W Scotland and NW Ireland by dawn. The rain in S areas dissipated during the morning to leave a cloudy afternoon with small amounts od rain and rather misty conditions, the cloud in the W became more extensive and by the evening had extended SE across much of the British Isles, with rain across N and Cent Scotland and W Ireland by midnight. (Saunton Sands 22C, Aviemore -1C, Isle of Wight 13mm, Anglesey 11.1h.)
The 3rd dawned mostly cloud across the British Isles, except in E Scotland, with no air frost at low-level sites. An area of cloud and rain across S Scotland moved S into N England during the morning, with skies clearing to the N behind it. However, the rain diminished as the band moved S (it reached the Channel Islands by midnight), and there was little rain over Cent or S England as a result. Showers developed in the colder air behind the cloud band, and spread S on the NW airflow as far as N England, while gusts to 40kn were reported across N Scotland. (Torquay 21C, Enochdhu 3C, Lerwick 8mm, Aspatria 8.1h.)
A NW airflow with slightly rising pressure affected the whole of the British Isles on the 4th. Clear skies and a gusty wind meant a cold feel to the start of the day across many N areas of the British Isles. Cloud developed in N and W areas bring some heavy showers in places. The temperature failed to rise above 6C at Lerwick and there were showers of hail over the Northern Isles and Highlands. Rain showers soon became widespread across all areas, and especially so near N and W-facing coasts, with 30-40kn gusts being widespread around the coasts. During the evening, the showers died back to affect only a few coastal areas, and temperatures began to fall sharply under clear skies inland. (Lee-on-Solent 16C, Lerwick 6C maximum, Biggar 2C minimum, Loch Glascarnoch 24mm, Aspatria 8.0h.)
High pressure continued to dominate the weather on the 5th; clear skies led to a widespread ground frost at inland sites, and an air frost in some sheltered places. However, by dawn pressure was falling, and cloud increasing, over Ireland and W Scotland. Rain reached W areas of Scotland and Ireland by mid-morning, and spread E to affect many W and cent areas of England and Scotland by midnight. Ahead of the cloud, which covered much of E Britain by midnight, it was a sunny if cool day; as the rain cleared across W Scotland and Ireland in the evening cloud cover became patchy with showers. Under falling pressure across N Scotland it became quite windy in the afternoon and evening, with gusts to 50kn in places. (Falmouth 15C, Shap Fell -5C, Lusa 8mm, Hastings 10.1h.)
The 6th saw widespread rain and showers across the British Isles once the area of frontal rain had cleared S England by around dawn. These were blustery and accompanied by gusts to 60kn over N and W parts of Scotland, and by 30-40kn gusts as far S as the English Channel coastline. A gust to 65mph was observed at Barra. However, with the wind blwoing from the W or NW showers were less frequent and lighter across S and E parts of England and Ireland; isolated sferics were reported in W Scoaltnd in the afternoon. (Guernsey 17C, Aboyne 4C, Morecambe 23mm, Leuchars 8.5h.)
A mostly cloudy and breezy start to the 7th helped to keep overnight temperatures above 10C in many S areas of the Britain and Ireland. Gusts to 55kn were reported frommany exposed places from N Scotland to the English Channel during the day although the wind did gradually ease off as pressure rose. The W/NW wind brought showers to many N and W areas, and these also affected SW and Cent S England, parts of the Midlands and East Anglia. During the afternoon and evening skies were relatively clear of cloud over much of E England, however, and this clearance spread to NW and Cent England during the late evening. (Jersey 17C, Spadeadam 1C, Cardinham 17mm, Hunstanton 9.7h.)
The clear skies in the E were short-lived and by dawn on the 8th cloud cover was quite extensive over the British Isles. The wind increased during the morning over N Scotland and gusts of 50kn were recorded here, before speeds decreased later in the day. Showery conditions again prevailed on a mostly NW/W airflow, with rain spreading across much of Scotland, N and W Ireland, and into parts of N and Cent England. 30kn gusts at inland sites in S England during the afternoon were widespread, although these also declined in the evening as the showers became largely confined to W Ireland and N and W Scotland. (Shoreham 21C, Topcliffe 1C, Buxton (Derbyshire) 7mm, Hayling Island 7h.)
The 9th began generally cloudy across N Britain and Ireland, but with more patchy/broken cloud over much of Cent and SE England by dawn. Temperatures of 10-12C were widespread across the British Isles by 0600GMT, except in the Northern Isles and at high levels. There was some early rain across Scotland, N Ireland and parts of N England, but by mid-afternoon this rain area had moved away and further rain confined to N Ireland and S Scotland. Parts of Cent and S England and S Ireland were warm, with temperatures around 17-20C during the afternoon, while 19C was recorded at Leuchars. The rain moved SE, declining in intensity as it did so, and leading to light falls in S Ireland, SW England and Cent S England by midnight. By this time there were only a few showers on windward coasts of Scotland along with 50kn gusts over the Northern Isles and W Scotland. (Hastings and Ashford (Co. Wicklow) 20C, Baltasound 4C, Barra 16mm, Herne Bay 8.7h.)
Gales and gusts to 60kn affected N Scotland early on the 10th as the remnants of formewr hurricane Kate passed by. Across S parts of Britain and Ireland a cold front pushed S introducing cooler air and once the rain had stopped. This changes did not S England until late in the evening, and it was a mostly cloudy day in the extreme S as the front became slow-moving here. Behind the front, and away from the windier N, winds were lighter and there were sunny spells. Rain or showers affected N, W and Cent Scotland for much of the day from time to time. (Bournemouth 20C, Fylingdales 7C, Altnaharra 14mm, Aberdeen 8.5h.)
The 11th saw high pressure moving N from France to Scotland, with winds turning from a generally W'ly to a mostly E'ly direction during the day. There were mostly clear skies in many places before dawn with ground frosts in sheltered areas, while fog developed for a while across Cent S England. There was some cloud in SW England, S Wales and Ireland from the remnants of a front, and this lingered throughout the day in many W areas, including W Scotland for much of the day. These areas alsso saw some light rain and drizzle. Much of E Britain had a day of sunshine and little cloud, although in the evening the onshore wind brought some cloud to NE England. (Shobden 21C, Topcliffe 1C, Cardinham 8mm, Bognor Regis 9.6h.)
A mainly E airflow affected the British Isles on the 12th. While there were some clear skies around dawn over SE England, most places began with rather cloud skies and this cloud spread to most parts of the British Isles by mid-morning. There was some light rain in W areas of Scotland and Ireland although most E parts remained dry. Rain also affected SW England in the afternoon and evening and this rain later spread to S and W Wales. (Jersey 19C, Sella Ness 1C, Barra 6mm, Shrewsbury 8.9h.)
Frontal cloud and some rain lingered on the 13th over E parts of Ireland, Wales, and W areas of England and Scotland. Amounts of raain were small in most places, while E areas of Britain were mostly dry and wuite sunny in places, with any cloud in E England being mainly cirriform. The E airflow persisted with MSL pressure up to about 1027mb in E Scotland. W Ireland also had a sunny day, with the wind haveing more of a S component here. (Jersey 19C, East Malling 5C, Sennybridge 11mm, Clacton 7.7h.)
High pressure to the NE continued to give a mostly E airflow over the British Isles on the 14th with little rain. Clear skies or high cloud in E England led to a cold start with ground in places here, but under sunshine temperatures rose to 15C here later in the day. W areas of the British Isles, apart from W Ireland, were rather cloudier and although there was widespread mist across S Ireland during the morning, rainfall was largely confined to the Channel Islands. The rain did reach Cornwall later in the evening accompanied by gusts to 40kn along the English Channel. The evening brought a clearance of the cloud across much of N Britain. (Filton 18C, Monkswood 4C, Guernsey 6mm, Hunstanton 9.1h.)
With high pressure continuing its grip on the British Isles on the 15th there was again little rain. MSL pressure reached 1036.1mb at Aberdeen by 2400GMT. Early cloud was confined to SW England, S Wales and S Ireland with rain in Cornwall, although this rain had dissipated by midday. Cloud was broken across remaining areas of the British Isles in the morning, and across all areas in the afternoon and evening. The wind was rather gusty around some of the coasts of S England for most of the day, however, with culdrose reporting a 52mph gust. (Falmouth 18C, Loch Glascarnoch 0C, St Mary's, Scilly 2mm, Herne Bay 9.9h.)
A mostly clear, anticyclonic start to the 16th meant an early air frost in some parts of N Scotland, while there was early mist and fog across parts of Cent S England and the Midlands. Generally clear skies prevailed throughout the day, although the afternoon brought some temporary cloud across the extreme SW of England, and low cloud developed along NE England during the evening in the SE wind there. By midnight temperatures had again fallen below freezing in parts of NW Scotland. (Lee-on-Solent 17C, Aviemore -3C, No measureable rain, Hunstanton 9.8h.)
The 17th dawned with clear skies in most areas, the notable exception being NE England where mist and loww cloud had spread inland overnight. Mist and fog also affected many parts of the Midlands and Cent S England by dawn; both the low clear poor visibility had largely cleared by midday. Highest temperatures during the afternoon tended to be away from the E coast, although most places had a largely sunny day and there was little in the way of precipitation anywhere. The E wind was rather breezy around S coasts with gusts to 30kn along English Channel coasts. The evening saw cloud spreading into SW England and NE England. At Aboyne the temperature rose from a low of -5C to a high of 16C. (Bournemouth 18C, Kinbrace -6C, Strathallan, Charterhall, St. Angelo 0.4mm, Saunton Sands 10.2h.)
The 18th was another mostly dry day across the British Isles. There was early cloud across SW Britain, parts of S Ireland, and NE England with mist and fog in Cent areas of England. Cloud spread across N scotland during the night with rain showers by mid-morning in the Shetlands. Further rain and drizzle followed in the Northern isles during the afternoon, with falls in some other areas of N Scotland. Cloud also affected Cent scotland during the day, but further S the day was mostly cloudfree once early cover in the SW has dissipated. However, the E airflow kept a bank of cloud over coastal partss of NE England during most of the day, and this penetrated further inland during the evening. (Lee-on-Solent 17C, Tulloch Bridge -5C, Lerwick 0.8mm, Aspatria 10.1h.)
Overnight into the 19th cloud spread to cover much of Scotland and NE England, as a band of light rain pushed S through Scotland. Clearer skies elsewhere led to a ground frost in places, but skies soon clouded over across much of England as the rain pushed further S and cloud associated with rain in the Channel Islands spread into SW England. Showers followed the rain across N Scotland, with a light snowfall over the mountains. As the rain continued to spread S it turned much lighter and patchier, although most areas of the British Isles experienced a chilly E/NE wind during the day, with gusts to 30kn being widespread. As the rain faded skies started to clear in many inland areas of the Uk by midnight, although light showers persisted in NE England, and parts of N Scotland. After almost three months of mostly dry weather across S and cent Britain, water companies were beginning to talk of possible restrictions unless winter rainfall totals returned to normal levels. (Bournemouth 17C, Pembrey Sands -2C, Stornoway 5mm, Saunton Sands 8.2h.)
With a more northerly airflow across the British Isles the 20th was a much colder day everywhere. Despite patchy cloud in the extreme N and S end of Britain, there was an air frost in many inland areas of Scotland and N Ireland, with a ground frost in other areas of England and Wales. Overnight showers affected N and E Scotland, and NE England with hail and snow in N Scotland. The day saw widespread cloud across Scotland but broken cover elsewhere, with showers mostly confined to coastal areas facing the N wind. The afternoon brought thundery rain across parts of N Yorkshire, while another area of thundery rain affected E kent in the late evening. The first snow fall of the season for the North Pennine area occurred early in the morning, with about 1cm of snow in places. Most of the snow had melted by 100GMT, but the snowline on Crossfell was about 700m, with a thin cover still present at dusk. (Lee-on-Solent and Jersey St. Louis 13C, Tulloch Bridge -4C, Charterhall 22mm, Tenby 8.6h.)
Away from the coasts, under largely clear skies, the 21st began with a widespread air frost, sharp in some sheltered places. At Benson the minimum temperature was -5C. Early mist and fog patches were widespread across Cent England, while showers continued to affect some coastal areas and also N Scotland. Up to 10cm of snow fell across Aberdeenshire during the day. Snow caused problems East of Aviemore and a there were a few road accidents with jack-knifed lorries. An area of persistent rain, sleet and snow affected Fife, Lothians, the Borders and parts of Lanarkshire for much of the day. By the evening, (as seen from Baintown) the Lothians and Border hills were covered in snow above 300m. Thousands of homes in the North Berwick and Dunbar areas of East Lothian were without power during the evening after a lightning strike hit a main high voltage power cable. Heavy rain in E Kent during the morning was accompanied by hail. Rain and showers were widespread across SW England during the morning but most inland areas of England had a dry, if cloudy day, as cloud spread from the SW. Thunder was hear during the late afternoon in the Channel Islands, and during the evening an 6mm of rain fell in an hour at St Catherines Point as rain moved E across Dorset and Hampshire. Ireland, too, had a showery day around N-facing coasts but was mostly dry inland, with another widespread ground frost by midnight. Pea-sized hail fell in Norwich in the mid-afternoon, while there were reports of a funnel cloud at Eye (Norfolk) in the afternoon. By the evening there was 5cm of level snow at Wanlockhead, Dumfriesshire. The loss of power to the new £180million "flagship" Edinburgh Royal Infirmary is understood to have been linked to a lightning strike in East Lothian. ScottishPower said that one of the main lines out of Torness Power Station was hit at about 1845GMT, cutting supplies to 12,000 households in Dunbar, East Linton and parts of North Berwick. (Torquay 14C, Aviemore 2C maximum, Shap Fell -6C minimum, Margate 39mm, Isle of Wight 8.0h.)
Rain ands showers continued into the 22nd, along some windward-facing coasts. Clear skies across parts of N England and Scotland led to some very low temperatures for the time of year (-6.9C at Shap Fell), and by dawn an area of rain was affecting Cent Scotland. Further S there was rain across Cent S England by dawn, and this turned heavy in some parts with thunder, and with snow/sleet across high ground in SW England. At St. Catherine's Point 40mm fell during the 24 hours to 1800GMT. Thundery outbreaks were quite widespread around the coasts from NE Scotland to the English Channel. There were also wintry showers during the day over the higher ground of N Wales and N England, along with the Highlands. Dublin Airport was badly affected with refueling of aircraft stopped for 90 minutes during lightening in the early morning, and then it was closed while the runways were cleared of snow and hail. In the morning there was slush on the M1 motorway north of Dublin. Many minor accidents were reported in E Ireland, and there were reports of local flooding in the Dublin, Meath, Louth and to a lesser extent Wicklow areas. There were sightings of two waterspouts off the coast of Redcar in the afternoon. At Penzance between 1515 and 1600GMT the temperature fell from 10C to 6C; the winds increased to strong, and between 1530 and 1630 there was large hail, sleet, heavy rain and thunder - it then got worse and around 1630GMT thunder passed right overhead with very large hail (1 - 2cm in diameter), setting off car alarms. Although much of the British Isles had a cloudy day, there were clear skies and sunny spells over NW Ireland and W Scotland. (Weybourne 11C, Aboyne 3C maximum, Kinbrace -8C minimum, Casement Aerodrome 52mm, Tiree 7.8h.)
Although there was a mostly cloudy start to the 23rd across the British Isles, clear skies across NW Scotland led to a cold start here, and these clear conditions spread to much of W Ireland and W Britain by dawn. Cloud was persistent across S England, with gusty winds and some further rain in places. Showers also continued overnight near E coasts, and there were thunderstorms in E Ireland before dawn. Cloud cover lessened further for the remainder of the day except across N Scotland where cloud developed into the afternoon. Showers continued to affect some E coastal areas, however, accompanied by thunder from time to time and there were 40kn gusts in the Channel Islands in the afternoon. (West Freugh 13C, Altnaharra -6C, Teignmouth 21mm, Manchester 8.9h.)
Patchy cloud into the 24th and high pressure meant a cold start to the day in most areas, with a sharp frost in some N areas. Cloud across N Scotland and along coasts of NE England brought some overnight rain. The N/NW wind brought showers to many N-facing coasts throughout the day and these were accompanied by thunder during the morning in SW England and W Wales. Gusts to 30kn were common around the coasts, but by mid-evening cloud had cleared from most inland areas and temperatures fell to near 0C by midnight in many areas. (Torquay 13C, Katesbridge -5C, Loftus 13mm, Newquay 8.7h.)
Mostly clear skies overnight into the 25th led to another widespread air frost across inland areas of the British Isles. As the day progresses showers affected N and NW facing coasts in the fresh NW airflow, although these also fell inland across England beneath a trough. Sferics were reported from NE England during the late afternoon. 6mm of rain fell in one hour at Scampton during the early evening. As this trough pushed S during the evening, clear skies again developed to the N and temperatures again fell sharply here. (Torquay 13C, Redhill -5C, Cassley 14mm, Torquay 8h.)
The 26th began with clear skies in most areas, but with lingering cloud and a few showers in parts of S England. However, minimum temperatures were generally slightly higher than on recent days. Cloud spread across Scotland and Ireland by midday, but amounts across England and Wales by this time were small. Light rain and drizzle affected the extreme N of Scotland during the afternoon, and NW scotland later. However, cloud cleared across Ireland later in the afternoon; most of England and Wales remained clear and sunny but there was some moderate rain showers in some NE coastal areas and later these affected East Anglia. (Falmouth 13C, Biggar -4C, Boulmer 14mm, Oxford 10h.)
While N parts of the British Isles had a rather cloudy start to the 27th, it was clear and colder in the S. Rain accompanied the cloud in N Scotland; at 0600GMT Kirkwall was reporting 11C with -3C at Yeovilton. There was freezing fog in parts of the Midlands and Cent S England by dawn, and fog in some inland areas of Ireland. The rain turned showery during the morning in N Scotland, where gusts to 40kn also occurred. Rain and drizzle affected SW Scotland N Ireland during the afternoon and lingered into the evening. While N England was mostly cloudy during the day, it was a mostly sunny day in SE Ireland, Wales, Cent and S England, although the highest temperatures occurred in E Scotland downwind of the Highlands. (Dyce 18C, Sennybridge -5C, Cromer 4mm, Hunstanton 10.2h.)
Clear skies into the 28th meant a frosty start for S and cent England, where mist and fog patches also formed by dawn. The air minimum at Stratfield Mortimer, Berkshire was -4.3C; this is the lowest October minimum since local daily records commenced in 1971, the previous lowest being -4.0C on 30 October 1997. There was a cloudy start to the day across most of Scotland, Ireland and N England, with light rain over W Scotland. By dawn this patchy rain had spread into parts of Northern Ireland and central Scotland, later affecting N England and N Wales. This was accomapanied by increasing cloud cover across S England, but clearing cloud across N Scotland. The rain area intensified and by the evening had spread SE into SE and Cent S England, and was followed by showery conditions across Ireland. (Plymouth 13C, Benson -4C, Lerwick 7mm, Hastings and Torquay 9.1h.)
After some sharp frosts in N areas into the 29th two bands of rain moved E across the British Isles during the day. There were some heavy falls in W parts of Britain, but sunny spells in some areas between the spells of rain. By late evening skies were clearing across much of Scotland leading to another air frost, while rain lingered over S Ireland and SW England. MSL pressure at 2400GMT was down to 983.7mb at Scilly, and to 976.8mb at Cork. During the evening the aurora was visible from as far S as Cornwall and Kent. (Swanage 14C, Aviemore -3C, Cardinham 38mm, Kinloss 6.4h.)
Partilaly clear skies across Britain into the 30th led to a sharp air frost in some n areas, and to mist and fog in cent scotland, N England, East Anglia and N Ireland. The fog soon lifted in most places although in Cent Scot;and it remained rather misty until the afternoon. Rain was already falling in W and SW Ireland by dawn, and by mid-morning an extensive area of rain lay across much of W and S Ireland, SW England, SW Wales and the Channel Islands. This rain was slow-moving over W Ireland, and elsewhere swung NE to lie from W Ireland, across much of Wales and the Midlands to SE England by early evening, before pushing into East Anglia and East Anglia by midnight. There were heavy falls of rain in SW parts of Britain and gusts of 50mph were recorded at Aberporth and Mumbles; gale force gusts were also reported across N Scotland. Rain also affected parts of N Scotland, with showers pushing S later to S Scotland and N Ireland. In the evening the aurora was again seen in SW England after the rain had cleared. (St. Marys Scilly 13C, Starthallan -5C, Cardinham 32mm, Leuchars 6.7h.)
There was a mostly cloudy start to the 31st across much of the British Isles, with rain across N Scotland and parts of England and S Ireland, and with fog in Cent S England. MSL pressure was low due a depression down to 968mb SW of Scilly at 0000GMT, which also gave a mostly E airflow, and there some thundery activity before dawn in SW England. The day remained mostly cloudy across Britain although there was a clearance of the cloud across much of Ireland in the afternoon. The rain areas gradually weakened during the day, and by early evening lay from Dorset to E Yorkshire, and over NE Scotland. The resulted in some brighter conditions in SW England, behind the rain, and this brightness spread to other W parts of England and Wales as the rain pushed E. By midnight a mostly N airflow had spread across the British Isles. (Charlwood 16C, Strathallan -4C, Aviemore 32mm, Torquay 8.9h.)
Areas of rain and strong winds crossed the British Isles on the 2nd. Widespread cloud and SW winds meant a mild start to the day (13C in SW England by 0600GMT). The rain soon cleared Ireland allowing skies to clear here by mid-morning, apart from a few showery outbreaks. The rain rapidly spread E and affected only S and E areas of England by late morning, along with showers across N Scotland. It's progress then slowed, and it didn't clear Kent until early evening. Showers lingered in SW Ireland and a few W areas of England during the evening, and there was some thunder in places, with some rain also in parts of N and W Scotland. Elsewhere the evening was mostly dry and clear. (Yeovilton 15C, Baltasound -1C, Shap Fell 37mm, Isle of Man 6.4h.)
Cloud and some in parts of S England into the 3rd were accompanied by string winds and gusts of around 70mph on the Isle of Wight. The wind gradually decreased during the morning, but not before many other gusts of 40-50mph had been measured. Although skies were clear in many areas overnight the S wind prevented very low temperatures for occurring and showers affected many N areas as cloud developed during the morning. During the afternoon the showers erased off in Ireland, Cent and S England, although by midnight theye were agian occurring in W parts of Ireland. By midnight skies had cleared across much of Britain and temperatures were falling across Scotland. (Bournemouth 16C, Kinbrace 1C, Shap Fell 28mm, Torquay 9h.)
Although much of the British Isles remained free of cloud into the 4th, cloud did spread E across W Ireland and into W Scotland by dawn. E Scotland had a slight air frost in places, but by midday the cloud had spread e into E areas of Britain with over much of Ireland, and in parts of W Scotland and W England. Parts of E Ireland remained dry, and precipiation in some parts of E England was confined to slight rain and drizzle. The rain did introduce milder air, and by midnight temperatures of 10-14C were common over low-level ground from Shetland to the Channel Islands. In N areas the rain was accompanied by gales and gusts to 50kn in places, although the late evening the rain had stopped in most areas. (Saunton Sands 17C, Aboyne -3C, Lusa 15mm, Southend 7h.)
Temperatures stayed above 10C in many areas into the 5th, with 15C at Kinloss overnight being the highest overnight minimum temperature since the station opened in the 1940s. During the morning cloud cover became broken across Britain, but low cloud persisted across Ireland and in the afternoon cloud became more extensive across W and N Scotland. A S wind led to some high temperatures where a foehn effect operated, with 16-18C in areas of N Scotland and N Wales. Afternoon rain across Ireland spread into SW England and W Scotland in the evening, with strong S winds gusting to 50kn in W Scotland. However, the evening saw clear skies in E England and W Ireland. (Lochcarron 18C, Fylingdales 6C, Barra 11mm, Bournemouth 8.2h.)
By dawn on the 6th the rain in W and Cent scotland had cleared, and as skies cleared here and in Cent England mist formed in places. Cloud, mist and light rain persisted across the S Midlands and much of S England by mid-morning, while gusty winds continued in N Scotland with 60mph gusts early in the day over the Shetlands. The winds died down in the morning, although the remnants of frontaal cloud persisted from SW England through E aWales and the Midlands to N England for much of the day. Other areas of England, and E Scotland had a sunny day, as did Ireland until late afternoon when cloud and some rain spread NE there. 18C at Heathrow and Brecon was reportedly the highest temperature on record here for early November. By midnigth the cloud had cleared across S England and was chiefly confined to S Scotland, N England and Ireland, but with little rain by then. (Northolt 19C, Redhill 2C, South Uist 11mm, Jersey 8.3h.)
Dawn on the 7th saw cloudy conditions across much of Scotland and W Ireland, but little cloud elsewhere. There was widespread mist and fog over much of Cent, S and E England, although this largely cleared by midday. Patchy low cloud in Cornwall brought some early drizzle there, and there was some light rain during the morning in SW Ireland. Most parts of the British Isles, however, had a dry day and by midday there was little cloud anywhere. Foehn flow meant that some of the highest temperatures were in N Scotland - Stornoway reached 16.3C, its highest November temperature in a 142-year record. The temperature at Aultbea, 20C, was just short of the Scottish November temperature of 20.6C at edinburgh in 1946. Skies remained clear into the evening, except across E England where low stratus developed in the E flow. (Lochcarron 20C, Redhill -2C, Cardinham 0.6mm, Eastbourne 8.8h.)
Cloud across E England spread further W early on the 8th, covering most of England and S Scotland by dawn. Elsewhere, despite clear skies the temperature generally remained well above freezing, due in part to a brisk wind. By midday the cloud had spread to all but parts of Cornwall, W Ireland and parts of W Scotland, with a few slight falls of rain or drizzle in places. It was noticeable colder than during recent days. The cloud broke a little in parts of SE England, and failed to spread to the Channel Islands until the evening. later in the evening more general rain arrived in parts of Cornwall and S Ireland. (Falmouth 14C, Loch Luichart 1C, Bingley 1mm, Jersey 7.8h.)
The 9th dawned rather cloud across much of the British Isles with light rain in S Ireland, S Wales and SW England. Clear skies did develop around dawn in Kent and parts of East Anglia, but these disappeared later as the rain spread sporadically NE turning more showery as it did so. An north an area of rain developed across N England before dawn, before moving N across scotland. It turned heavy in E Scotland before clearing later in the morning. Further rain spread from Cent S England into the Midlands later in the day, and during the evening showers affected much of S Ireland, Wales and S England. In parts of London and West Kent there was a slight fall of dust from the rain that fell around midday. (Saunton Sands 16C, Charlwood 1C, Aberdeen 13mm, Falmouth 6.4h.)
Early cloud and drizzle in S England cleared to fog patches by dawn on the 10th, and most other parts of the British Isles had a cloudy start to the day with showers in W Ireland. These showers continued in W areas for much of the day, which was generally cloudy across the British Isles. By late afternoon cloud was clearing across Wales, Ireland and W Scotland, but the clearing skies later in Cent S England and the Midlands led to thick fog formation. (Prestatyn 16C, Charterhall 3C, Aberporth 22mm, Margate 6.6h.)
A S airflow into the 11th meant a mostly mild start to the day, but there was widespread fog across Cent S England and the Midlands until mid-morning. In parts of E England fog persisted until near midday. Frontal cloud spread gradually E during the morning with rain reaching E Ireland, SW England and SW Scotland by midday. The rain spread further E later giving falls to all but some extreme E areas of England by midnight. It remained mild throughout the day in most places and there were gusts to 40kn in many coastal areas; where low cloud and mist lingered in N England temperatures did remian below 10C however. The evening saw the cloud and rain finally clearing from most of Ireland and fog thickening in parts of NE England. (Torquay 15C, Loch Glascarnoch 0C, Lough Fea 14mm, Manchester 3h.)
The 12th dawned with clear skies across Ireland pushing E into Wales and W England, but cloudier conditions elsewhere accompanied by light rain and drizzle. By midday the cloud was largely confined to E-coast areas of England and Scotland with sunny conditions elsewhere. The afternoon saw an area of thundery rain affecting S Ireland for a while, and rain showers in S wales also spawned some thunder too. Other showers affected W areas of Scotland, turning to more general rain in SW Scotland by midnight. (Teignmouth 15C, Castlederg 2C, Ballypatrick forest 18mm, Torquay 8h.)
The 13th dawned with largely clear skies away from SW England and W Scotland, the latter area associated with a band of rain and showers moving E. By mid-morning more general cloud has spread N and E into SW Britain and much of Ireland; rain reached S Ireland and SW England around midday, ahead of a deep but filling depression to the SW of Ireland. By the evening cloud had spread to most areas and as the rain pushed N and E into N England and S Scotland winds were gusting to 50kn in the Channel Islands and S parts of England and Ireland. (Gravesend 15C, Aboyne -3C, Capel Curig 13C, Clacton 6h.)
The 14th saw an area of low pressure, down to 986mb over W Ireland at 0000GMT, track across Ireland and N England to the North Sea, filling to 993mb at 2400GMT. There were strong, gusty winds to the S of the centre, with SW Ireland, Wales, N and S England experiencing coastal gales, gusts to 50-60mph inland and to 80mph around the coasts. Peak gusts included 78mph at Llanelli, 84mph at Mumbles and 74mph at Pembrey Sands. Rain affected most areas, but was heavy in only a few areas. By the evening cloud had cleared across much of Ireland as the rasin turned to showers over W-facing coasts, and as pressure rose winds turned W/NW'ly across the British Isles in the evening. (Gravesend 15C, Cassley 2C, Capel Curig 38mm, Torquay 7.6h.)
Low pressure off E Scotland was slow-moving on the 15th. The day began with mostly mild air over the British Isles, and light rain across parts of Scotland. As the day developed this rain faded and showers affected W-facing coasts, despite slowly rising pressure. By early afternoon skies had cleared across much of E Ireland, and Cent and N parts of England, but cloud persisted across S England and over N Scotland for the entire day. (Eastbourne 14C, Kinbrace 2C, Loch Glascarnoch 23mm, Cromer 7.1h.)
Low pressure to the NE of the British Isles and a weak ridge of high pressure on the 16th meant a bright and dry day for most of the British Isles until the evening. There was a ground frost as far S as S England early in the day, which also began with rain and showers across N Scotland. This rain soon cleared, but showers were more persistent around N Wales. During the afternoon a band of cloud pusheed E into W Ireland and W Scotland, later extending to the Irish Sea and E Scotland. The cloud brought rain, which by midnight ewas affecting N and W Scotland, and W Ireland - temperatures rose to 12C by midnight at Valentia and Belmullet. (Torquay 13C, Benson -1C, Colwyn Bay 16mm, Torquay 8.4h.)
There was a clear start to the 17th across much of England and Wales, but by dawn cloud had spread SE and most of the British Isles was cloudy. However, before the cloud arrived there air and ground frosts were recorded in the SE. A frontal system pushed rain E across the British Isles during the day, introducing mild air to all areas - by midnight temperatures were above 10C at almost all low-level sites, with 13C in S England and SW Ireland. The rain was accompanied by gusts to 40kn in N Scotland. (Torquay 15C, Redhill -4C, Llanbedr 17mm, Lerwick 1.3h.)
Mild and overcast conditions affected the British Isles on the 18th, with early minimum temperatures being quite high everywhere for the time of year; the minimum temperature at Ashford, Co. Wicklow, was 13.2C. Periods of rain affected N and W areas of Scotland, and parts of N England for much of the day, accompanied by strong and gusty winds which eased off later in the afternoon. There were some severe gale and storm force winds in the far N for a while, with gusts to 75mph at Lerwick. Rain and drizzle also affected Ireland for most of the day. England began with rain and drizzle, accompanied by low cloud and poor visibility in the SW, and this later affected Cent S England. (Dyce 17C, Aboyne and Braemar 6C, Cassley 19mm, Kinloss 3.3h.)
The 19th was a mild and cloudy day in most areas; the minimum temperature at Ashford, Co. Wicklow, was 12.9C. Patchy rain affected N England, N Wales and parts of N Ireland and S Scotland early in the day but by late morning it had turned dry with little cloud across much of Scotland. Showers did continued to affect extreme N and W areas, however. Further S, rain affected S Ireland for much of the day, while in the evening rain and drizzle spread NE to much of N England and parts of Wales and Northern Ireland; this marked the boundary of warm air in the S and cooler conditions in the N. (Credenhill 16C, Loch Glascarnoch 3C, Tiree 23mm, Leuchars 4.8h.)
A warm sector covered SE parts of the British Isles on the 20th, with warm conditions resulting here, and cooler air across NW parts. The sector was bounded from frontal cloud and rain; after a clear start to the day in parts of NE Scotland, the morning was generally cloud across most of Britain, although as the pushed E skies cleared across E Scotland and n England during the afetrnoon and evening. Over Ireland, early rain soon gave way to showers and sunny spells, and showers also affected W Scotland for much of the day. Fog formed across the Southern Uplands during the evening, and there was some mist across Cent S England for parts of the day accomapnying the low cloud and light rain and drizzle. (Lowestoft 15C, Fyvie Castle -1C, Morecambe 30mm, Belfast 5h.)
The area of cloud and rain over S and SE England stalled on the 21st as it pushed E into Europe. This led to a rather cloud day across S England with mist, fog, rain and drizzle. Poor visibility and low cloud prevailed across the Midlands and East Anglia for much of the day, aleit with little rain after midday. There was also cloud and fog across NE England during the day, but elsewhere cloud amounts were small; this led to an air frost in parts of Scotland and Ireland. There were showery outbreaks in W parts of Scotland, Ireland and Wales, with hail showers reported in NW Ireland. (Guernsey 14C, Aboyne -4C, Isle of Wight 19mm, Leuchars 5.5h.)
The rain-bearing frontal system again lingered close to SE England on the 22nd. This meant a cloudy start to the day across much of S and E England, and rain for much of this area. As the front retreated slightly to the E, the rain did die out in many places in the evening. Clear skies overnight across much of Scotland and Ireland resulted in an air frost in places, but showers continued in W Ireland and W Scotland overnight, and for much of the day. Some thick fog patches formed overnight from S Scotland to the Midlands, and these were slow to clear in parts of N England and S Scotland. This fog reformed in the evening, with freezing fog in some area by midnight. (Eastbourne 14C, Kinbrace -4C, Wisley 37mm, Kinloss 5.1h.)
Clear skies across much of Ireland and N Britain into the 23rd led to a sharp air frost in places, with freezing fog from S Scotland to the Midlands, and in parts of Ireland. With the exception of a few showers in W Ireland, and some cloud and light rain in SW Scotland, these clear areas remianed clear, although fog was again slow to clear in places and it reformed in the evening as temperatures fell once more. S and E England remained cloudy and frost-free as the frontal rain again intensified from the E, giving over 40mm in places to the S of London, although in the evning the cloud did finally clear from parts of SW England. (Jersey 15C, Altnaharra -7C, Charlwood 46mm, Leuchars 5.9h.)
The early hours of the 24th fionally saw the weekend rain clearing from S and E England, although further frontal cloud was, by dawn, spreading into W Ireland and W Scotland. During the 96 hours ending at 0900GMT over 80mm of rain fell across parts of S London, Surrey and to the SW of London, corresponding to about 110-130% of the normal November rainfall total for this area. At Charlwood 94mm fell, with 95mm recorded at Wisley. E Scotland and parts of E Ireland had a sharp air frost before the cloud arrived, and there was again fog in the Midlands by dawn. The cloud and rains pread E into W wales, and E Scotland by midnight, with temperatures rising to 8-10C here by midnight. In SE England the clearing cloud resulted in a ground frost with fog patches by midnight. (Saunton Sands 12C, Altnaharra -8c, Aultbea 12mm, Torquay 8.1h.)
Early clear skies in SE England soon turned cloudy on the 25th, as a weakening band of cloud and rain spread E, followed by a clearence and some heavy showers to the W. The afternoon and evening saw an area of heavier rain spreading from S Ireland and SW England N and E, with heavy falls in parts of the SE leading to minor road flooding in places. By midnight this had spread into Cent and S areas of Scotland, and was accompanied winds gusting to 50mph in some coastal areas; temperatures were by then well-above freezing everywhere with MSL pressure down to 980mb in NW Ireland. It was reported that today was the ninth consecutive day without sunshine at Herstmonceux. (Guernsey 14C, Buxton (Derbyshire) -3C, Capel Curig 20mm, Bristol 6.8h.)
The 26th had a cloudy start in most areas, as a broad area of rain spread E across England and Scotland, with showers developing in the W behind it. The main rain area cleared E England by early afternoon. Showers fell across Ireland, W Scotland and some W areas of England and Wales into the afternoon, and there were falls of snow in these showers across high ground in Cent Scotland, NW England, Northern Ireland and Wales. Although these showers persisted into the evening, there was a clearance of the cloud further E, across much of E and Cent England, and even in parts of N England and E Wales. (Southwark 13C, Cassley 0C, Shap Fell 32mm, Torquay 5.2h.)
Early cloud on the 27th was confined to Scotland, Northern Ireland and S parts of England, while clear skies elsewhere triggered some fog formation in the Midlands. The cloud across scotland was accompanied by rain, which by early afternoon had turned to showers in the W and largely cleareed elsewhere. The Midlands had a frosty start to the day, but most of England and wales than had a sunny day once early fog had lifted, except for SW England and S wales where there were showers during the evening. More general rain spread E into W Ireland and W Scotland in the evening. (Falmouth 11C, Credenhill -4C, Ballypatrick 21mm, Swanage 7.5h.)
Clear skies led to a widespread frost on the 28th over much of Scotland, N Ireland and E England. By mid-morning, however, cloud and rain had spread across much of Ireland and although this cloud had spread to much of E England by evening, the rain was largely confined to Scotland, W Wales and SW England. Gusts to 40kn accomapnied the cloud across many N areas in the evening, while the cloud helped to prevent the temperatures from falling very far in the evening - except in extreme E areas of England. (Torquay 13C, Redhill -6C, Eskdalemuir 11mm, Margate 7.5h.)
The 29th was a generally cloudy day across the British Isles until the evening, when clearer skies spread E across ireland into many Cent areas of Britain. There was rain across Scotland overnight, while a more general area of rainspread E across Ireland and into Northern Ireland and Cornwall towards the end of the night. This then pushed E into Wales, and remaining areas of england and Cent and S Scotland by midday. Blustery s winds accomapnied the rain, with gusts to 40kn; across high ground in Scotland, gusts to 70kn were reported. The heavy rain caused problems for several Scottish football matches - senior Scottish games at Dumfries, Alloa, Arbroath, Dumbarton and Hamilton were called off. The game at Gretna was abandoned after 18 minutes, reportedly after sheeting from the stand roof became detached by the wind and flew around the players. At Berwick, a player was taken off six minutes from time (about 1645h) allegedly suffering from hypothermia; a newspaper report said the game was played in "driving sleet" although temperatures were probably to high from wintry weather. (Teignmouth 15C, Lowestoft 2C, Eskdalemuir 44mm, Falmouth 3.7h.)
After a clear start to the 30th in many areas (although there was some overnight rain in S Scotland and SW England) cloud soon developed in many inland areas. By early afternoon there were showers across W Scotland and W Ireland, with more general rain, thundery in places, over SW England and S Wales. This moved steadily north and east to reach Cent S England, and later the Midlands and NW England, with local flooding of roads due to standing water. By midnight the rain was confined to NE Engkand with clearer skies following, and leading to fog formation across Cent S England. (Guernsey 11C, Katesbridge -1C, Milford Haven 25mm, Belfast 6.5h.)
The 2nd dawned rather cloudy across the British Isles, except in areas of W Ireland and N and W Scotland. The cloud was due to a low located to the S of Britain, and to its associated fronts. There was rain across parts of S England, NE England, SE Scotland and Northern Ireland, while early fog across parts of E England lingered into the afternoon. With cloud developing in the W of the British Isles the remainder of the day was generally cloudy in most places, with further rain spreading into S England later in the day. The evening saw fog thickening across parts of E England and the Midlands. (Morecambe 13C, Altnaharra -4C, Loftus 13mm, Teignmouth 5h.)
High pressure gradually spread across the British Isles during the 3rd, reaching 1036mb in NW Ireland by midnight. Despite this, much of Ireland, Wales and England had a cloudy day under a cool NE flow, while cloud across Scotland cleared later in the evening as the wind turned to the SW. There was early mist and fog in Cent scotland, NE and E England, the Midlands and Cent S England. There was also light rain and drizzle in places under the cloud although the cloud did clear from parts of Cornwall in the morning. Parts of the East Midlands, Lincolnshire and parts of East Anglia remained foggy for much of the day, although visibility had improved in these areas by midnight. (Torquay 13C, Glenlivet 2C, Torquay 5mm, Newquay 7h.)
High pressure dominated the 4th across the British Isles. Skies cleared overnight across much of Ireland, Wales and SW England and there was a widespread frost in NE Scotland. Elsewhere there was a cloudy start to the day, with fog i8n parts of Cent Scotland, Ireland and NE England by dawn. The fog lingered all day in parts of NE England, and was slow to clear in parts of Ireland. Cloud and some light rain affected N and W Scotland from the morning onwards from a weak front, while althought it remained cloudy in much of Cent, S and SE England throughout the day, there was a slow clearance of the cloud inh NE England. (Plymouth 12C, Aboyne -3C, Barra 1mm, Falmouth 7h.)
There was a cloudy start to the 5th over much of S and E England, N and W Scotland and E Ireland, with mainly clear skies elsewhere. Mild airflow across N and Cent Scotland led to a temperature of 14c at 0600GMT in Aberdeen, while there was frost and fog in S Scotland at the same time. There was also early fog in parts of NE England. The area of cloud across Scotland slowly edged S during the day, as did the cloud across E and S England. Light rain and drizzle fell across N parts of Scotland during the day. By midnight fog patches had reformed in places from S Scotland to Cent S England. (Aberdeen 15C, Topcliffe -2C, Lerwick 4mm, Fishguard 7h.)
Despite the high pressure (1038mb on Shetland at 1200GMT) on the 6th, frontal cloud gave a dull day in many N parts of the British Isles. A NE flow covered the British Isles during the day, and a cold front gradually introduced colder air to all parts. Rainfall amounts were small from the front, and as skies cleared to the N of it there were sunny spells in some places in N Scotland - an air frost had become quite widespread here by midnight. (Llanbedr 12C, Redhill -2C, Kenley 2mm, Kinloss 5h.)
By dawn on the 7th cloud was largely confined to some coastal areas of the British Isles, with a widespread frost in inland areas. Light rain fell in N Scotland during the morning and by midday cloud was largely confined to W Scotland, and parts of W Ireland and NE England. Much of the British Isles had a clear and sunny day, although a moderate to fresh E wind made it felt quite cold; there were gusts over 40mph in places along the S coast. During the evening cloud spread into SW England and SW Ireland. (St Marys 10C, Tulloch Bridge -6C, Port Ellen 1mm, Jersey 8h.)
The 8th dawned with cloud across SW Britain, S IUreland and parts of N Scotland. Elsewhere slear skies meant a cold start to the day. Light snow fell over the high ground of the Highlands, while fog forming in Strathallan prevented the temperature from rising above -3C by early evening. The cloud in the SW pushed N and E during the day, introducing milder air and allowing the temperature to remain around 11C on Scilly in the evening. There was also some light rain in S Ireland and SW England during the afternoon and evening, by which time clear skies across n Scotland had led to another sharp frost. (St Marys 11C, Strathallan -3C maximum, Glenlivet -9C minimum, Baltasound 1mm, Norwich 6.5h.)
The 9th began with some very low temperatures across Scotland but rather cloudy conditions eelsewhere. Light rain fell across parts of Ireland before dawn and this spread into W Scotland during the morning. There was some mist and fog under the low cloud across England by dawn, but sunny weather in the morning across SE England spread NW across much of England and Wales by the evening. The light rain in W Scotland spread to E Scotland during the day, and there were gusts to 40kn across N Scotland. Widespread fog formed in the evening across England, becoming freezeing in places by midnight. (Torquay 13C, Aviemore -12C, Stornoway 11mm, Jersey 7.4h.)
The 10th dawned with cloudy skies and some light rain across Scotland, cloud spreading across Ireland with light rain in the W, but with mostly clear skies and widespread fog across England. The fog was freezing in many inland areas, and a few road accidents resulted. The fog lingered throughout the day in parts of Cent S England, with temperatures only just climbing above freezing here in places as a result. The cloud across Scotland and Ireland spread slowly E during the day, introducing warmer air as it did so. The rain turned heavy in parts of Northern Ireland and W Scotland and by midnight light rain was falling as far E as SW England and S Wales. (Falmouth 13C, Benson 1C maximum, Lyneham -4C minimum, Lusa 41mm, Jersey 7.0h.)
An area of low pressure tracked E across S parts of the British Isles on the 11th, with the result that the days dawned rather cloudy from Cent S southwards. The clearer skies to the N marked the N limit of a cold front, that pushed S during the day, finally clearing much of S England by midnight. There was a frosty start in N Scotland, followed by a cold day here, while further S rain and warmer air started the day. As the low pushed E the rain cleared from the W, and the S/SW winds in the s swung round to a N direction. Although skies gradually cleared in the evening in most places, the front across S Ireland turned around and cloud and light rain spread back into S Ireland. (Teignmouth 15C, Kinbrace -5C, Capel Curig 22mm, Isle of Man 6.1h.)
Although much of the British Isles was clear at 0000GMT on the 12th, by dawn widespread cloud and a little sun was blotting out the sun everywhere, to the extent that only 6 minutes of sunshine was recorded in the sunniest place during the day. The cloud spread across from the SW, bringing rain to much of England, Wales, Ireland and S Scotland by midday. This later turned to snow above 200m across Cent Scotland, while there was a clearance of the cloud in NE Scotland in the evening. By midnight temperatures were in the range 10-13C at most low-level sites, while the rain had become showery over W Scotland. In the 24 hours ending 0900GMT on the 13th 41.5mm of rain fell at Bristol (Totterdown), while 42.5mm fell at Cardiff (Llandaff). (Dun Laoghaire 15C, Tulloch Bridge -4C, Milford Haven 20mm, Newquay 0.1h.)
There was broken cloud and showery conditions across N Scotland into the 13th, but mostly cloudy skies further S with rain in the S half of England. Some of this rain was heavy, but during the morning it tended to clear from Wales as the rain area moved E. At Ashford, Co. Wicklow, the temperature at 0354GMT was a very mild 14.1C. Showers were widespread across Ireland for much of the day, and also fell across W Scotland; E parts of England and Scotland were much drier, in the morning but the showers spread here later. The rain area gradually cleared from S England in the afternoon and evening, and the showers then retreated W. (Cent London 14C, Fyvie Castle 3C, Trawscoed 35mm, Shrewsbury 3.3h.)
The 14th dawned with a NW airflow across the British Isles, and a few showers across W Scotland. Gusts of 40kn were widespread here too, while the wind helped to keep the temperatures above freezing at low levels. In the morning ahowers were largely to be found across N and W Ireland, and in the N and W of Scotland. Showers across the Northern isles and N and E Scotland turned to snow as the day wore on, accompanied by gusts to 50kn. Another area of showers affected the Midlands and later Cent S England, but by midnight skies were again clearing in most places although snow showers coninued in the far N. (Falmouth 13C, Baltasound 0C, Loch Glascarnoch 16mm, Isle of Wight 6.9h.)
The absence of cloud by dawn on the 15th in most areas was to herald a mostly dry day across the British Isles. The clear skies meant a frosty start in many inland areas, and the cold airflow then kept temperatures generally low during the day. Cloud spread across Ireland in the morning and the wind turned to the S here, before some light rain fell in W Ireland in the evening. There were a few showers in the N/NW airfrlow down the E coast of England and Scotland during the day, and these fell as sleet as far S as Norfolk accompanied by gusts to 40kn. Although cloud spread across Scotland in the evening, clear skies over England led to a widespread air frost by midnight. (Torquay 12C, Shap Fell -5C, Coltishall 3mm, Eastbourne 7.3h.)
Cloud spread E across England during the early hours of the 16th, lifting temperatures after an early air frost. Elsewhere the day began with cloudy skies, and rain over Ireland spread over Scotland by midday. Although England remained dry, it was a cold cloudy day here; by the evening the rain had cleared from much of Scotland but the evening brought light rain and drizzle to W Ireland and W Scotland. Across much of England away from the E coast, however, skies cleared in the evening and another frost formed inland. (Ballykelly 11C, Redhill -8C, Lusa 11mm, Falmouth 4.2h.)
The 17th bagen with high pressure in the E, and MSL pressure up to 1028mb at Manston at 0000GMT. Clear skies led to early frost and fog across the Midlands and SE England, but Scotland and N Ireland had a mostly cloudy start to thhe day, with some light rain. During the day, however, rain and drizzle was largely confined to N and NW Scotland, with cloud gradually becoming confined to W Scotland by the evening. England and Wales had a cold but sunny day, and frost returned to inland areas by midnight under continuing clear skies. (Trawscoed 12C, South Farnborough -5C, Lerwick 8mm, Bognor Regis 7.5h.)
Clear skies across much of England and Wales meant a frosty start to the 18th, with mist and fog patches across many Cent and S areas. Cloud spread across Scotland and Ireland from the W during the morning, and rain started to fall in W areas of Scotland and Ireland. During the afternoon the cloud pushed into SW and Cent S England, parts of which continued rather misty during the day and fog patches formed here in the evening. As the rain moved E across Ireland and Scotland it turned patchier and faded out, while lingereing mist and fog throughout the day in parts of E Wales and E England kept temperatures down. (Falmouth 11C, Leeming 2C maximum, South Farnborough -5C minimum, Lusa 12mm, Cent London 7.1h.)
There was a rather cloudy and misty start to the 19th across much of England, Wales and S Ireland, wth a sharp frost in some parts of NE England. There was light rain and a few showers across N Scotland, with light drizzle in some parts of Cent England. Clear skies led to sunny spells in parts of NE England and E Scotland during the day, followed by another frosty evening in NE England. During the evening cloud and rain spread E across Ireland and into W Scotland. (St Marys's Scilly 12C, Linton-on-Ouse -4C, Lerwick 3mm, Aberdeen 4.6h.)
Cloud and rain continued to spread E into the 20th and this soon lifted the overnight temperatures in the frosty parts of NE England. By dawn the rain was affecting SW England, Wales and the W half of Scotland and N England, and was accompanied by gusts to 40kn along the coast. Low pressure tracked from N Ireland to East Anglia and into the North Sea during the day, with the winds swinging from the S to the N as the low and rain passed. Precipitation in the N airflow was of a showery nature and although it was mild in S England during the day, temperatures fell widely as the wind direction changed. Blusetry winds remained across S England into the evening, peaking at 50kn along the S coast. Snow fell on high ground in Scotland in the evening, with falls at lower levels in S Scotland later. A few high level roads in Scotland were closed because of the snow by midnight. (Torquay 14C, Topcliffe -5C, West Freugh 36mm, Torquay 3.2h.)
Early on the 21st there was an area of rain, with snow on the higher ground, that lingered across N England, N Wales and parts of S and E Scotland, while blustery winds gusting to 50kn blew a few showers across S England and W Ireland. Shwoers continued during the day, especially in W and N parts of the British Isles, while the winds abated in S England during the morning. There was further heavy rain across Wales, with snow over high ground, which later moved into Cent S and SW England and becoming lighter. During the evening showers were largely confined to E coast counties, with snow falling as far S at Lincolnshire. Shwores lingered also around SW wales and W Ireland. (Guernsey 11C, Lerwick 1C maximum, Saughall -1C minimum, Buxton (Derbyshire) 21mm, Isle of Wight 5.7h.)
During the 22nd snow showers continued to affect E Britain, as far S as Suffolk. Several centimetres of snow lay in places, with over 20cm falling in parts of north Yorkshire; as a result there were sevarl blocked roads and road accidents. Under clear skies elsewhere there was a frosty start to the day although by midday cloud had spread E into Ireland, W wales, W Scotland and SW England accompanied by rain in W Ireland and W Scotland. This cloud continued to spread E during the day and as the rain spread E it was preceded by further sleet and snow especially over high ground in the N. Warmer air accompanied the rain, with 10C being widely reported at midnight over W coast areas of Ireland. (Barra 9C, Warcop -1C maximum, Sennybridge -6C minimum, Coltishall 16mm, Southsea 4.2h.)
The 23rd began with an air frost in the early hours across parts of E England and E Scotland, but rapidly increasing cloud cover from the W soon heralded the arrival of rain and warmer air. By dawn this was falling in E coastal areas while it had turned drier across Ireland. It was a cloudy day in most places, and the temperature didn't rise significantly in extreme E areas until the evening, this slow rise being helped by the still-lying snow. By mid-afternoon the rain had cleared from W Scotland, much of Wales and SW England, finally fading from E areas during the evening. In the late evening another area of thick cloud approached NW Scotland, associated with a cold front that marked the W limit of this warm sector. (Torquay 12C, Buxton (Derbyshire) -3C, Keswick 26mm, Torquay 1.6h.)
Much of the British Isles spent the 24th under a cloudy warm sector; whil e temperatures were still rising at midnight from a cold daytime level in parts of East Anglia, in Guernsey, Newcastle and over most of W Scotland the temperatu re didn't fell below 10C. Temperatures then rose in E Scotland due to the foehn effect. Rain was falling in NW Scotland at the start of the day from a cold fron t and this soon spread to W Scotland. Heavy rain fell in places here, and the ra in area and front gradually pushed SE into Cent Scotland ater in the day. Some l ight rain and drizzle fell further S onto windward coasts but most places remain ed dry - the best of any sunshine was around E Scotland. (Aboyne and Aberdee 13C , Lowestoft 4C, Sloy 44mm, Leuchars 3.7h.)
The 25th was another cloudy day in most places, and mild way from NW parts of the British Isles. W parts of Scotland had a generally wet day, along with areas around the northern half of the Irish Sea (especially NW England). However, rainfall rates in these areas gradually declined throughout the day. Temperatures across Scotland were lower than those across England, and while reading of 4-7C were widespread by midnight at low-levels in Scotland, reading of 10-11C were common across S Irelnd, and much of England and Wales. During the late afternoon another area of heavier rain pushed into SW Ireland, and during the evening this spread NE to be centered over the Irish Sea with light falls in Wales and parts of W England. According to the Met Office, the only flakes of snow were to be found across the tops of the Scottish mountains today. (Bournemouth 13C, Aviemore 7C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch 4C minimum, Glasgow 23mm, Aberdeen 2.3h.)
The 26th began with rain around Irish Sea coasts becoming concentrated in a line from E Scotland to SE Ireland and Cornwall by mid-morning. It was a cloudy day almost everywhere - as the day went on the rain (accompanied by blustery winds) pushed E to lie down the E coast of Britain by early evening, after some very heavy rain had fallen in Cumbria, Wales and SW England. At Shap Fell 80mm reportedly fell in 18 hours. As the rain spread E it was followed by showers although another slow-moving area of general rain affected NW Scotland during the day, and was still lingering there by midnight. Behind the rain areas it turned cooler with slight hail and snow showers in NW Ireland in the evening and a gradual breaking up of the cloud cover across Ireland and in parts of W Britain. MSL pressure was down to 971mb at Fair Isle at 2400GMT as the low associated with the frontal rain finally moved away to the N of Scotland. (Torquay 13C, Fyvie Castle 0C, Shap Fell 84mm, Cleethorpes 0.4h.)
A N wind on the 27th meant it felt quite cold over the British Isles, although there was little in the way of an early air frost. An area of rain moved E across N Scotland, giving way to showers, and there were showers across NW Scotland, N and W Ireland and in N England. These fell as sleet and snow, down to low-levels in places and by the end of the day a few centimetres of snow were reported over higher ground in N Scotland and on the Pennines. Further showers also affected Wales, where snow again fell over the higher ground, and the Midlands. An area of widespread rain, heavy in places, spread N into the Channel Islands and S England early in the afternoon, and then spread NE to affect all of SE England and parts of East Anglia by midnight, giving heavy falls in places. (Guernsey 10C, Lough Fea 2C maximum, Moyola -1C minimum, Isle of Wight 29mm, Cromer 5.2h.)
Overnight cloud into the 28th was largely confined to S England and W Scotland, with clear skies elsewhere leading to a sharp frost in N England. Wintry showers of hail and snow affected Northern Ireland by dawn, by which time an area of heavy rain has spread E across S England with over 30mm being recorded from Hampshire to Kent. As the rain pushed E it was followed by showers and sunshine across S England; the showers fell as sleet or snow in places near high ground. Showers of rain and snow affected Scotlan during the day, with gusts to 40kn. Showers also affected Ireland, but the evening saw more general cloud and rain spreading NE into S Ireland and SW England, accompanied by a rise in temperature. Air frost was widespread across most other inland areas of the British Isles by mdnight. (St Mary's Scilly 9C, Topcliffe -5C, Hastings 39mm, Weymouth 6.8h.)
Low pressure passing to the S of the British Isles on the 29th meant a rather wet day in parts, but a weak ridge meant a sunnier and drier day further N. By dawn the rain had spread E out of S Ireland and was falling across most of S England, S Wales and parts of the S Midlands, preceded by sleet across high ground. The rain continued to spread E throughout the day in the S, lingering in some places into the evening. Elsewhere, there was little cloud away from N Scotland where wintry showers fell, although cloud developed across parts of E England in the evening. Temperatures remained below freezing in some N areas throughout the day, and by midnight had fallen down below -5C in some inland areas of Scotland, Cent Ireland and N England. (St Mary's Scilly 9C, Loch Glascarnoch -3C maximum, Shap Fell -8C minimum, Bournemouth 35mm, Isle of Man 6.2h.)
The 30th dawned with cloud and rain pushing E into W Ireland, and with some cloud, mist and light rain in parts of S England. Elsewhere there was a cold, clear start to the day and it remained this was across much of Scotland and N England throughout the day. The cloud and rain continued to push E across Ireland, Wales and W England, with snow and sleet in places from Northern Ireland to the Midlands. The late afternoon saw a clearance across much of Ireland and other W areas as the front bringing the rain weakened, but it remained cloudy and rather misty across S England. Temperatures remained below 0C in many parts of Scotland and N England, and by midnight an air frost was widespread across much of N England and Scotland. (St Mary's Scilly 11C, Altnaharra -9C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch -15C minimum, Andrewsfield 6mm, Aviemore 4.7h.)
Ireland clouded over by dawn on the 31st, and there was a rather cloudy and misty start to the day in S England. Elsewhere, an air frost was widespread with temperatures below -5C in many parts of Scotland and N England. The clear skies were due to high pressure (1030mb across the Midlands at 0900GMT) and a lack of wind made it rather foggy and misty across parts of S England all day. There was also some early fog in parts of Scotland and NW England. The afternoon and evening brought rain and strong winds to Scotland and N England, leading to the cancellation of New Year's Eve celebrations in Liverpool, Newcastle and Edinburgh. There was also snow in the evening over the high ground of N England and Scotland, with ice forming on cold surfaces as the rain started to fall. Blizzards left many routes hazardous or impassable overnight, including the A672 towards Huddersfield and the A56 near Burnley. The M62 between Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire was reduced to just one lane by drifting snow, while the A66 and A171 were also closed. There were also power cuts from Berwick to Yorkshire as power lines became iced over and then collapsed. (St Mary's Scilly 10C, Buxton (Derbyshire) 0C maximum, Kinbrace -16C minimum, Machrihanish 17mm, Jersey 5.5h.)