Despite a largely clear night in many places into the 2nd, windy conditions prevented more than a slight air frost forming at sea level. Snow continued across N Scotland during the morning, with blowing snow in places. 8cm of snow lay in Aviemore by the afternoon, according to the Met Office. The snow continued to cause some travel disruption with some roads in the Highlands being closed and the M6 in Cumbria closed for a time. In NW Britain gusts of 50-60kn were reported. Showers also affected Ireland and W parts of Britain, while in the evening cloud and rain along a warm front spread into W Scotland. (Guernsey 11C, Loch Glascarnoch and Aviemore -1C, Sloy 20mm, Torquay 7.2h.)
Warm fronts spread across northern areas on the 3rd leaving the British Isles in a warm sector by midnight. Winds and approaching cloud prevented air frost in most areas overnight and rain from the fronts was largely confined to N Britain, although other areas in the W saw some showers during the day. The fronts were accompanied by gusts to 50kn in N Ireland and W Scotland in particular, with 62kn reported at Belmullet at midnight - by when temperatures were above 10C in most parts of Ireland and W Britain. As the evening progressed 40-50kn gusts also occurred as far S as SW England. (Guernsey 13C, Lerwick 0C, Lerwick 22mm, Cromer 6.1h.)
The 4th saw a general drop in temperature as a cold front crossed the British Isles. Cloudy and windy conditions overnight meant a lack of air frost although by 0600GMT there had been a slight fall in temperature over W Ireland and W Scotland. Ahead of this drop there was a spell of rain, and this rain rapidly pushed E during the morning and early afternoon, clearing the British Isles and introducing clearer air with some showers. The front was accompanied by strong to gale force winds in N Britain; a gust of 112mph was measured at Aonach Mor. Showers occurred mostly in W districts, and across N Scotland where they also fell as hail. The wind eased as the evening approached but was still gusting to 40mph across Scotland, N England and W Ireland by midnight. (Kinloss 13C, Loch Glascarnoch 3C, Capel Curig 26mm, Ronaldsway 5.6h.)
Further fronts crossed the British Isles on the 5th, bringing rain and showers to most places. Clear skies led to an air frost in some parts of E and SE England overnight, but by dawn rain and windy conditions were spreading into W Ireland and W Scotland with Belmullet reporting 51kn gusts at 0600GMT. The rain spread rapidly E during the day, with strong winds across Scotland and N Ireland gusting over 60mph; five flood warnings were issued for the Forth Valley, Tayside and Angus areas. Clearer skies and some showers followed the rain, these being thundery across parts of W Scotland. By midnight skies were mostly clear everywhere, with gusts of 35-50kn still occurring across Scotland. (St Marys 12C, Redhill -5C, Capel Curig 34mm, Falmouth 2.4h.)
The 6th dawned with increasing amounts of cloud across most areas, but especially across Ireland and W Scotland ahead of a warm front. After a ground frost in some parts of Scotland and E England, the cloud heralded the approach of a warm front that was to lift temperatures during the day. The cloud and associated rain spread E across most of the British Isles during the morning although further rain later affected much of Ireland and Scotland during the afternoon and evening - leading to some heavy falls in places. It was another windy day generally, especially across N Britain and N Ireland where winds gusted to 50-60kn in places. By midnight temperatures were still hovering around 10-12C at sea level everywhere, except for the Northern Isles. In the 24 hours ending 0900GMT on the 7th rainfall totals, according to the Met Office, included 142.7mm at Kinlochewe, 120mm at Cassley and 103.6mm at Tyndrum. (Guernsey 14C, Aviemore 1C, Loch Glascarnoch 49mm, Cromer 3.5h.)
The 7th began with mild air everywhere, and a lack of air frost at sea level, but as the day progressed colder air invaded N Scotland. The colder air lay behing a slow-moving front, that gave spells of heavy rain across parts of Ireland, N Wales, N England and Scotland. Further SE, much of England had a generally dry day With low pressure approaching Belmullet by midnight, winds gustsed to 60kn in the evening in W Ireland, after widespread gusts of 40-50kn over Scotland during the day. Parts of the village of Trefriw in the Conwy valley were under 0.5m of water by the evening, with many flooded roads in parts of N Wales. After a very warm in S England, temperatures remained above 11C across much of S Ireland, S, Cent and E England and S Wales by midnight. In the 24 hours ending 0900GMT on the 8th rainfall totals, according to the Met Office, included 143.8mm at Capel Curig and 119.8mm at Shap. On Aonach Moor winds gusted to 87kn during the day. (London 15C, Loch Glascarnoch 6C, Capel Curig 134mm, Falmouth 4.6h.)
A deepening area of low pressure moved from W Ireland to S Norway between 0000GMT and 1200GMT on the 8th, with fronts spread SE across the British Isles during the day; at 0600GMT the low was centred over the Southern Uplands with a value of 969mb. It was a wet day with rain falling around the low centre and from the fronts, with some of the heaviest rain being across Cumbria. This led to the River Eden overflowing and extensive flooding across Carlisle, the town being cut-off for a while. The strongest of the winds were across S Scotland, N England and N Ireland during the day; hourly mean wind speeds included 84kn at Great Dun Fell and 63kn at St Bees Head, with gusts of 111kn at Great Dun Fell and 89kn at Aberdaron. Power and telephones were cut across in parts of Cumbria. As the front moved SE and temperatures fell, showers of rain, hail and snow fell across Scotland; showers also affected Ireland, Wales and England later in the day, but cloud largely cleared in the evening across England. The wind caused flying debris and overturned lorries, with the M6 being particularly badly affected. Dumfries and Galloway police said nearly every road in the region was affected by fallen trees and flooding, with the A7 closed following a landslide and flooding. A P&O ferry ran aground on rocks at Cairnryan in Dumfries and Galloway. There was also disruption to train services because of fallen trees and flooding. (Guernsey 11C, Aviemore 0C, Shap Fell 81mm, Hunstanton 6.5h.)
Overnight frontal rain continued across into the 9th across parts of S Scotland and N Ireland, with further rain during the day across Ireland and W Britain in particular, as another warm front spread NE. Despite a tendency towards more of a S'ly wind, it remained windy with gusts to 50kn being widespread in many coastal areas - in the late evening winds gusted to 60kn across S Scotland. Temperature continued to rise into the evening with 10-12C being widespread at midnight across the British Isles. Machrihanish on the Mull of Kintyre recorded 14.4C in the evening making it the highest January temperature on record there since 1965. By 0900GMT on the 10th rainfall amounts for the first nine days of the month included 391mm at Sloy, 364mm at Tyndrum and 317mm at Capel Curig - each amounting to to over six times the normal fall for this period. (Chivenor 14C, Loch Glascarnoch 1C, Tulloch bridge 37mm, Clacton 3.0h.)
The 10th dawned after a mild night everywhere; minimum temperatures included 12.7C at Weybourne and Clerkenwell; the Met Office reported that the latter measurement resulted in Met Office London having its mildest January night for over 40 years. Rain in W Britain moved SE during the morning, to be followed by a clearance in the cloud, although it wasn't until afternoon that the rain cleared most of S England. Winds gusting over 60mph were reported from Scotland during the day, with similar speeds in N England. Showers affected W parts of Ireland and Scotland during the day. (Linton-on-Ouse and Church Fenton 14C, Lough Fea and Loch Glascarnoch 5C, Shap Fell 35mm, Skegness 5.8h.)
Windy conditions continued into the 11th, as cloud and rain spread into NW Ireland and W Scotland before dawn. This rain heralded a deepening low that moved to a position some 250km N of N Scotland by 2400GMT, centre 944mb. The frontal rain spread quickly across the British Isles, affecting all areas. The main feature of the day were the increasing winds, especially across N Britain and Ireland. Mean hourly wind speeds reached 71kn at Aonach Moor in the evening, with gusts to 123kn there, and with 116kn gusts at North Rona shortly before midnight. At 2100GMT Stornoway was reporting a 57kn mean wind, with gusts to 84kn and MSL pressure down to 959.3mb. In Londonderry a lorry was blown off a bridge, killing the driver. A coastal high tidal surge caused problems for Mallaig Police Station in the Highlands, which flooded in the evening. There were power failures at Gairloch, Ullapool and Portree and a lorry was blown over on the A1. An emergency severe weather warning was issued by the Met Office for gusts of 100mph across the far northwest of Scotland, the second emergency severe weather warning issued in the previous four days; these two were the first for three years. (Guernsey 14C, Church Fenton 3C, Lusa 24mm, Kinloss 2.8h.)
Low pressure to the N of Scotland on the 12th led to a windy day, especially in N Scotland, although the winds did ease down as the day progressed. These winds included gusts of over 100mph across N Scotland, and they were accompanied by rain followed by snow. The snow fell as far S as s Scotland, and there wwre blizzard conditions over the higher ground of the Highlands. On Cairngorm, a mean hourly wind speed of 89kn was recorded before dawn, while gusts of 83kn were reported at Lerwick and 80kn at Fair Isle. Away from Scotland there was little cloud once some early rain had cleared from S England, and this allowed temperatures to drop during the evening. Some showers, with hail in places, did fall for a while in parts of N Ireland, NW England and some other W parts of Wales and England. The winds led to nearly 50,000 homes being without power, and many uprooted trees and damaged buildings in Scotland and Ireland. Five people were reported killed after being swept off a causeway near Benbecula, while a Spanish fishing boat which went missing off the Hebrides was rescued by the RAF. On South Uist, an 84-year-old woman was rescued from her home after being trapped by rising water. (Guernsey 11C, Fifeness 0C, Loch Glascarnoch 43mm, Hunstanton 8.0h.)
Although gusts of 50kn continued across the Northern Isles at 0000GMT on the 13th, the winds continued to ease as a weak ridge spread NW over the British Isles during the day. away from W and N Scotland, there showers of snow and rain continued overnight, clear skies led to falling temperatures and the first air frost of the year for many places. The showers died out in most N areas during the morning, while patchy cloud developed across S Britain and Ireland. This cloud thickened from the SW in the evening with some light rain across S Ireland and SW England before midnight. (Guernsey 12C, Bournemouth -3C, Eskdalemuir 6mm, Bournemouth 7.1h.)
The weak ridge gave way to fronts and a S'ly airflow on the 14th. Clear skies overnight in E England led to a cold night here and in E Scotland - further W there was cloud, and rain that spread to areas bordering the Irish Sea by dawn. The rain brought warmer air; the 0600GMT temperature was 9C at Tiree and around -1C in Fife. Low cloud was slow to spread E during the day, much of E England had a very sunny day. Rainfall in the W was generally slight, and by midnight had spread to E Scotland and Cent S England. There were also some heavy falls in W Ireland in the late afternoon and evening as a wave-like low formed near Belmullet on an existing cold front; this also led to some gusts near 40kn in parts of N Scotland in the evening. Temperatures did not fall in the evening under the cloud, with 12C at Valentia and Scilly at 2400GMT. (Scilly 14C, Strathallan 1C maximum, Aboyne -6C minimum, Cardinham 7mm, Hastings 6.3h.)
The warm front in E areas made only slow progress E during the 15th, later fizzling out. However, with low pressure just to the W of Ireland and Scotland, and further fronts across W areas, the day was rather cloudy. A S/Se'ly wind helped to supress air frost almost everywhere at sea level overnight. The day dawned with rain in parts of W Scotland, W Ireland, W Wales and SW England. Many parts of Britain also had a misty start although N Scotland, with gusts to 40kn, was generally clearer. The rain was slow-moving during the day, and as a result most E parts of Britain remained dry for much of the day. Parts of Cent Ireland, SE England and the Channel Isles saw the best of any sunshine. (Lossiemouth 14C, Redesdale Camp 1C, Aultbea 27mm, Jersey 5.1h.)
The fronts in W areas dissipated during the 16th - as a result many places had broken cloud overnight and there was a ground frost in parts of Se England. As the fronts weakened rain became confined to parts of S Scotland and N England by early afternoon; remaining areas of England and Wales had brightened up as the day progressed, but across Ireland and Scotland further cloud was spreading from the W with light rain and drizzle in W parts of Scotland and Ireland by early evening. Gusty winds accompanied the rain, with gusts to 50kn in the northern Isles, and to 40kn across N England, W Ireland remaining areas of Scotland by midnight. By midnight this rain had spread to E Scotland and the Irish Sea. (Prestatyn 13C, Redhill -2C, Lusa 31mm, Skegness 5.7h.)
The frontal rain that lay across N and W parts of the British Isles overnight into the 17th rapidly spread SE during the morning and had cleared all areas by late afternoon, introducing a colder NW'ly airflow to all areas. Blustery showers, with 40kn gusts, were widespread after the rain had passed although these died out a little in the evening. There was some heavy rain for a while over the hills and mountains of Wales and N England. The showers were mostly of rain, but across Scotland and N Ireland they increasingly fell as snow later in the day with some thunder in W Scotland in the early evening. During the evening the snow was also falling on lower ground, as far S as S Ireland. Main roads in Scotland were closed by snow later in the day. (Guernsey 12C, Loch Glascarnoch 2C maximum, Redhill -1C minimum, Capel Curig 39mm, Aberdeen 3.4h.)
The 18th dawned after overnight snowfalls across much of Scotland and parts of Ireland and N England, and rain across S wales and S England. In the latter areas there was also some snowfall over higher ground. Many parts of England and Wales had a clear night and an air frost. Showers continued across Scotland, Ireland and W parts of England and Wales during the morning, with snow across Cent and E Scotland but turning to rain elsewhere. Strong winds led to drifting of the snow in N Britain. The Met Office mentioned unconfirmed reports of 25cm snowfalls in parts of Cent Scotland, and there were falls of up to 15cm in parts of N Ireland overnight. During the afternoon and evening increasingly milder air spread E, and the snow turned gradually to rain. Gusts to 50kn were increasingly reported from many W and N parts of Britain as the day progressed, while the showers were thundery across W Scotland and NW Ireland during early morning, and in parts of N England and the N Midlands in the afternoon. By late evening skies had cleared in many places, but snow showers were still affecting parts of N Scotland with rain showers in SW Scotland and W Ireland. The snow caused roads to close in Cent and E Scotland during the day. Dozens of schools closed in Northern Ireland. A number of ScotRail train services have been disrupted by the weather, as were several flights to and from Scotland's airports. All schools in the Western Isles were closed. (Falmouth 10C, Spadeadam 2C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch -4C minimum, Crosby 27mm, Weymouth 6.7h.)
The 19th saw a warm sector cross much of the British Isles. Clear skies overnight in much of E Britain resulted in a widespread ground frost, but by dawn cloud and rain had spread into Ireland and W parts of Scotland, Wales and into SW England. The rain rapidly pushed E, except in S Ireland and S England where it lingered. Showers followed the rain across Scotland and there were gusts to 70kn in N Scotland as MSL pressure fell to 971.4mb at Lerwick by midnight. In the evening windy conditions spread s into N Ireland and N England. (Ashford (Co. Wicklow), Teignmouth and Hawarden 13C, Aboyne -2C, Tyndrum 37mm, Herne Bay 6.6h.)
The 20th dawned after a generally cloudy and windy night, with no low-level air frost as a result - across much of Ireland, Wales and England temperatures fell no lower than 8-9C. Extensive cloud continued throughout the day, with gusts of 40kn being widespread; in some places 55kn or more was reported. Frontal bands, with some wave developments, crossed the British Isles during the day giving spells of rain in most areas. Later in the day, as pressure started to rise everywhere, the wind veered to the NW and wintry showers started to affect N and Cent Scotland. Temperature remained generally above 10C from dawn to midnight across S England, but colder air was apparent across N Scotland by midnight. (Pershore 14C, Wick 2C, Crosby 27mm, Torquay 5h.)
Warm air lingered across S Ireland and S England during the 21st as colder air fed across N areas. Some frontal cloud and light rain affected these S areas overnight, but most other places had a clear night apart from shwoers that fell across N and W Scotland, and W Ireland. The light rain continued throughout the day in SW England, and spread into N Ireland for a while before retreating S. Across N Scotland showers continued on and off during the day, being wintry in places. Elsewhere, much of N and Cent England, and S Scotland and E Wales had a sunny day with a widespread air frost forming here by midnight. (Torquay 12C, Loch Glascarnoch 2C maximum, Lerwick 1C minimum, Loch Glascarnoch 8mm, Leuchars 6.7h.)
Wintry showers continued into the 22nd across Scotland, while cloud and some rain in S Ireland and SW Britain heralded a developing low that moved from W Ireland to NW France as the day progressed. In between these two areas there was little overnight cloud and widespread air frost. The wintry showers continued across N Scotland during the day, with some affecting E Scotland later. As the low pushed SE it brought some heavy rain to SW England - temperature remained low on it's N flank but warm to the S, with values above 10C in Scilly and the Channel Islands by late evening. The low did bright some sleet and then snow to areas from S Wales to Cent S England during the late afternoon and evening, and as the winds veered to the NE a few snow showers also fell in coastal areas of NE England in the evening. Much of Scotland had a bright, if cold, day. (Weymouth 12C, Carlisle 0C maximum, Shap Fell -7C minimum, Cardinham 31mm, Herne Bay 5.6h.)
Away from N Scotland and the Channel Islands the 23rd dawned mostly cloudless, with a widespread air frost away from the coasts. Rain in the Channel Islands soon cleared, while showers across N Scotland gradually spread down the E side of Britain during the day. Much of Ireland, and S and W Britain had a sunny day, while in the evening showers in E England turned to snow as far S as Norfolk. By midnight MSL pressure had risen to 1041mb at Belmullet. (Saunton Sands 8C, Glenlivet -7C, Jersey 16mm, Falmouth 8.8h.)
Clear skies led to an air frost in places early on the 24th, before showers again formed across E Britain, falling as snow in many places here. Showers also affected Ireland during the day, with morning rain showers in Cornwall and SW Wales. Away from the E coast most places saw varying amounts of cloud during the day with sunny spells. Temperatures gradually rose in W Ireland and W scotland as a warm front pushed E here, bringing falls of rain and drizzle, and some sleet in places. By midnight, too, much of E Britain lay under an extensive layer of cloud. There were reports of a waterspout off Folkestone during the day. (Barra 8C, Saughall -3C, Milford Haven 6mm, Teignmouth 6.2h.)
The 25th was a day of high pressure, N'ly winds and rather cloudy skies. MSL pressure reached 1042mb at belmullet at 2400GMT, while the cloud was largely a result of a slow-moving front over N areas. Some breaks in the cloud led to an air or ground frost in places, while the cloud prevented daytime temperatures from rising very much away from Ireland and W Britain. Showers of rain and snow fekll in places, with snow showers falling as far S as Kent - but precipitation totals were generally slight. Folkestone and other parts of E kent reported snow lying for a while. (Ronaldsway 9C, Saughall -2C, Boulmer 9mm, Eastbourne 5.0h.)
The 26th was another cold day in many E parts of Britain, with N'ly winds bringing some sleet and now showers inland after an early air frost in places. Some more general rain across Scotland moved S as the day progressed, despite the continuing high pressure. Behind the rain was warmer air that led to afternoon temperatures above 10c in parts of SW Scotland. From time to time there were breaks in the cloud, more especially over SW England, during the day. As frontal precipitation pushed into S England in the evening, it turned to sleet and snow over some of the high ground here upon encountering cold air. (Sloy 13C, high Wycombe 3C maximum, Marham -3C minimum, Newcastle 8mm, Teignmouth 7.7h.)
There was some clearance of the cloud overnight into the 27th over parts of Ireland and SW Scotland, with an air frost in some parts of Scotland. However much of the British Isles had a cloudy start to the day, and it remained like this throughout the day in many E and S parts. The cloud was partly a result of a weak front that gave some light rain in places here. N Scotland also remained rather cloudy with some light rain; Ireland clouded over during the day with some light rain and showers. Despite the high pressure the N'ly winds near E Britain gusted to 30kn, making it feel quite cool. (Sloy 10C, Saughall -2C, Lusa 4mm, Glasgow 7.2h.)
With high pressure continuing to persist W or Ireland on the 28th, and with fronts close to E Britain, the best of any sunshine was generally in Ireland and W Britain as the E remained moistly cloudy. Light rain and rizzle also affected the E side of Britain during the day, while even Ireland had some rain showers from time to time. A mostly N'ly surface flow persisted, with some gusts to 30kn around S and E coasts of England. (Torquay 11C, Prestwick -1C, Charlwood 6mm, Glasgow 7.3h.)
For many the weather of the 29th was very similar to the previous, the notable exceptions being rather more cloud and light precipitation across Irekand and less cloud in N Wales, NW England and parts of S and Cent Scotland. The strongest gusts to 40kn were across N Scotland, while the clear skies led to some of the lowest and highest temperatures of the day in Cent and E Scotland, respectively. Light rain also affected the Channel Islands and S England during the day, although this had generally cleared by late evening. (Aboyne 12C, Saughall -3C, High Wycombe 5mm, Glasgow 7.1h.)
There were some clear skies into the 30th from E Scotland to the N Midlands, leading to an air frost in places here. Elsewhere, the night was rather more cloudy and milder. Parts of S Scotland also saw freezing fog before dawn, the temperature rising 8C at Eskdalemuit to 0600GMT as low cloud replaced the fog. It remained generally cloudy across much of S England, W Ireland and N Scotland, although even in some of these areas there were afew breaks in the cloud. Light rain, gales and gusts to 50kn affected the Northern Isles, while much of Ireland had a generally cloudy day with light rain and drizzle. (Inverbervie 12C, Topcliffe -5C, Ballypatrick 3mm, Leuchars 7.4h.)
There were clear skies, or broken cloud, into the 31st from E Scotland to SW England, with a slight air frost in some parts of the latter area. Perhaps, suprisingly, temperatures remained relatively high in most places where the cloud cleared. Frontal cloud and rain affected N Scotland during the day, and also spread SE into E Scotland and NE England by midnight. Pressure remained high to the W of Ireland, reaching 1042.8mb at Valentia during late morning, so in E England the frontal rain was light and patchy. Light rain and drizzle also affected Ireland and places bordering the Irish Sea. (Boulmer 13C, Yeovilton -2C, Loch Glascarnoch 16mm,Torquay 7.4h.)
In most places the 2nd dawned rather cloudy, but there was a slight air frost in parts of SE Ireland and N Wales under temporarily clear skies. Light rain and drizzle across Scotland spread S, introducing milder air, and reaching N England and the Midlands by late evening. Further S it was was a cloudy, albeit mostly dry day, as high pressure to the W of Ireland slipped S. Skies cleared in places for a while behind the front across E Scotland and N England, especially in the evening. (Ashford, Co. Wicklow 12C, Ashford, Co. Wicklow -3C, South Uist Range 4mm, Leuchars 4h.)
While high pressure remained deominating the weather across S parts of the 3rd, in N Scotland the weather was more unsettled. Early frosts wer largely confined to E Scotland where there was little overnight cloud. Most places had another cloudy day, especially in S England, although the Channel Islands saw some prolonged sunshine. Ireland and Scotland were mostly cloudy, with spells or rain across N Scotland, with 40kn gusts on Shetland. After a largely cloudy week in Cent S England, today saw only poor-to-moderate visibility in many areas here, with mist or fog at times. Again, some light rain and drizzle fell fro the cloudy skies across England and Wales. (Boulmer 13C, Aboyne -4C, Leek 11mm, Jersey 6.5h.)
The 4th saw the British Isles lying in a S'ly warm sector, until a cold front pushed E across Ireland and W Scotland later in the day. Mostly cloudy skies meant a lack off air frost at sea level overnight, with some short-lived early mist and fog patches in Cent S England, while W Scotland and W Ireland had some rain and drizzle to begin the day. There was also some light rain during the day in SW England, while the rain in other W areas spread slowly E clearing Ireland later in the evening but giving some heavy falls in parts of W Scotland. As skies cleared across Ireland following the rain, the temperature dropped to 4C in many inland areas by midnight. (Colwyn Bay and Ashford, Co. Wicklow 12C, Sennybridge 1C, Lusa 25mm, Guernsey 6.4h.)
The cold front became slow-moving on the 5th and lay from Shetland to Brittany for much of the day. This led to a cloudy day across most of Britain. Clear skies overnight over much of Ireland led to an inland air frost here with patchy thick fog; a mostly clear day then followed with some showers in W Ireland. Clouds cleared a little over W Scotland during the day, with lower temperatures leading to snowfalls over higher ground. Further n there was some heavier rain with a low pressure centre never far away. Parts of SW England and S Wales saw some sunshine with further cloud clearances across much of Wales and parts of NW England during the evening. Further E the day remained cloudy with some light rain, with light rain in E Scotland too. (Saunton Sands 10C, Katesbridge -3C, Lerwick 24mm, Ashford, Co. Wicklow 8.6h.)
A front over W areas, along with low pressure, gradually faded during the 6th as high pressure extended W across the British Isles. Clear skies across most of Ireland, Wales and SW England led to a cold start in these areas - while further E and over much of Scotland the day dawned following a cloudy, damp night. Shortly after dawn there was some thunder in SE Ireland. Rain continued across Shetland until the evening - elsewhere any early rain or fog patches in E Britain dissipated much earlier. Cloud developed during the day across Ireland, but cleared in the evening; the evening also saw a clearance of the clouds across much of the Midlands, S England and parts of NE Scotland. The evening brought some convective rain to Cornwall, along with reports of sferics. (Cent London 11C, Pembrey Sands -3C, Lerwick 24mm, Fishguard 7.3h.)
The 7th danwed with clear skies in many areas, but with widespread mist and fog across England and Wales, and cloud across W Scotland and NE England. The clear skies meant a widespread air frost, although the fog did help to lift temperatures a little in places after it formed. The fog took a while to clear in places, and much of England had a rather misty day. Frontal cloud spread E across Ireland during the morning with rain from early afternoon onwards here. By the evening rain was also falling in W Scotland - accompanied by gusts to 50kn in places here. (Cent London 12C, Tain Range -4C, Tulloch Bridge 7mm, Hunstanton 8.6h.)
Overnight rain in the W made little progress E on the 8th. Much of England and Wales had clear skies overnight, except for places where fog and low cloud developed, while much of Ireland and Scotland had a cloudy start to the day. The fog was slow to clear in places in Cent S England; mist lingered for most of the day with fog reforming in the evening. Further rain spread E during the morning, pushing into S Scotland and across Ireland by midday. Falls were generally slight especially across N England and Wales later on; exceptions were to be found in a few parts of Scotland, however, and another band of rain and showers affected W scotland later in the evening. (Saunton Sands 13C, Redhill -3C, Eskdalemuir 25mm, Weymouth 8.3h.)
Much of S England turned cloudy in the early hours of the 9th as frontal cloud spread SE accompanied by slight rain and drizzle. Most places then had a mild if cloudy day, although a cold front pushed SE across n Scotland in the morning and into Cent Ireland and N England by midnight. The cold front brought heavier bursts of rain, and then showers, accompanied by gusts to 50kn in places across Scotland. There were also a few sferics across NW Scotland later in the afternoon, while temperatures fell close to freezing point behind the cold front during the late evening. (Falmouth 13C, Shoreham and Herstmonceux 0C, Tundrum 46mm, Jersey 4.8h.)
The cold front continued to push S during the 10th, reaching S Ireland and the Midlands by 2400GMT. Most of S Ireland, England and Wales had a mild night while a fresh wind behind the cold front prevented much by way of an air frost. Showers behind the front fell as hail, sleet and snow espceially over high ground. Away from the showers E scotland was mostly sunny and dry. After a cloudy and rather damp day in S Britain and S Ireland, a shallow low and another frontal system pushed E into the S Midlands by midnight, resulting in more extensive light rain and drizzle in the south. (London 12C, Loch Glascarnoch 0C, Capel Curig 46mm, Leuchars 7.5h.)
A complex system of fronts and low pressure brought a generally cloudy day to most places on the 11th. There was some wintry weather overnbight across N Scotland while clear skies led to a slight air frost in parts of NE England. There was rain and drizzle overnight across S England, S wales and S Ireland, but this soon spread N across Ireland as low pressure appeared from the W; some of these areas also had mist and fog around dawn also. The clear skies in the NE soon clouded over as the cloud and rain spread into NE areas ahead of the low that was centred near tiree at 2400GMT, centre 996mb. Across much of Scotland temperatures remained low during the day, and the rain turned to sleet in S Scotland for a while in the afternoon and evening - there was also wintry precipitation across the Grampians and Highlands later. (Ashford, Co. Wicklow 14C, Topcliffe -2C, Cardinham 21mm, Cromer 5.5h.)
A low pressure centre crossed Scotland during the 12th, dragging frontal systems with it, before putting all the British Isles in a NW'ly airflow. Overnight it was generally warm and cloudy, except across N and Cent Scotland where there was an air frost in places. Bands of rain and drizzle quickly crossed most areas from the W, clearing SE England late in the morning, and introducing more showery conditions from the W. These showers were accompanied by reduced cloud amounts and blustery winds with widespread gusts of 40kn. The showers turned to snow across high ground in Scotland; across England, Wales and E Ireland there were fewer showers and a generally sunny afternoon. A lightning strike on a house at Castlehill Gardens, Ballymoney at about 0100GMT blew the slates off the roof, demolished upstairs ceilings, and blew electrical sockets out and televisions off the walls; a man was taken to hospital for burns to his hand and foot as a result. He said hospital staff believed his injuries were caused by "the force of the electricity passing through my hand and out my foot". (Sheerness 14C, Altnaharra -3C, Capel Curig 53mm, Rosslare, Cork and Ashford, Co. Wicklow 7h.)
Despite the 13th dawning after a night of patchy cloud cover, there was little early air frost due to the continuing blustery NW'ly wind. High winds and snow throughout Sunday resulted in the loss of electricity to about 5,000 homes in various parts of Scotland; the Met Office reported several centimetres of lying snow on the higher ground here, while several routes across Scotland were also blocked due to the snowfall. Showers continued throughout the day, being wintry across Scotland and with sleet also falling as far S as Salisbury Plain. Snow fell across Dartmoor, and winds gusted to 50kn in places as far S as the Channel Islands. As the day progressed the winds veered more N'ly, bringing more showers to the E coasts of Scotland and England. At Penzance there were gusts to 57mph, with plenty of bits of tree and debris on the roads. A ferry from Rosslare to Cherbourg got into trouble near Wolf Rock off Land's End. Sennen Lifeboat was launched and 2 tugs sent to the scene. A 'dust-devil' was over the sea near Mousehole. It was not associated with any cloud (it was sunny at the time), but the rotation on the sea surface was clear. (St. Mary's 9C, Spadeadam -1C, Altnaharra 20mm, Cork Airport 7.3h.)
The N'ly winds eased a little on the 14th, but it still felt cold. Again, there was little overnight air frost due to the winds, despite the clearing skies overnight. Wintry showers affected the Northern Isles and NE Scotland overnight, with rain showers down the E coast as far as Kent. Cloud soon developed in most areas during the morning, and by midday snow showers had spread inland to Norfolk. Inland, most places were generally dry and showers died back in the evening as the cloud cover diminished. Wintry showers continued throughout the evening in NE England and parts of East Anglia. (Saunton Sands 9C, Spadeadam -1C, Loch Glascarnoch 8mm, Bognor Regis 6.9h.)
There was a widespread inland ground frost on the 15th, with an air frost in many parts of Scotland. Most places then had a sunny day. Cloud was patchy and showers, some of them wintry, were mostly confined to coastal areas NE England and East Anglia. By 2100GMT MSL pressure had risen to 1030mb across S Ireland and W Wales - and the winds continued to ease during the day. During the late afternoon and evening cloud spread E into W Ireland and W Scotland, with light rain and drizzle falling in both areas by midnight. The temperature also failed to fall here as the rain fell, remaining at 7-8C by midnight compared to -1C to 1C in Cent Ireland under clear skies. (Valentia and St. Angelo 9C, Loch Glascarnoch -6C, Boulmer 7mm, Teignmouth 9.5h.)
Much of Scotland and W Ireland clouded over into the 16th, as did the SE and E of England. The former area of cloud was associated with light frontal rain, while the latter was low cloud pushing W inland. Elsehwre the night was largely clear and with an air frost in many places. By midday cloud had extended SE across most of Ireland, accompanied by rising temperatures and light rain or drizzle; temperatures remained quite high here into the evening. After a bright start W England and Wales clouded over in the afternoon, while much of E England remained cloudy throughout the day - with occasional sleet or snbow showers here. In the evening the cloud and patchy rain moved SE into N England and W Wales, and also SW England. (Tain Range 11C, Langdon Bay 2C maximum, Redesdale -6C minimum, Aultbea 3mm, Exmouth 8.7h.)
Despite continuing high pressure on the 17th, frontal bands moved SE across the British Isles during the day. A mostly cloudy start to the day, except across E and S Scotland, meant little early air frost. For much of the British Isles, apart from these parts of Scotland that lay behind an early front and ahead of a later one, the day continued rather cloudy. N Ireland also had sunny spells with a few showers. Rainfall amounts from the fronts were mostly small although their cloud did prevent the temperature from rising much above 6C in a few parts of SE England. (St. Mary's 11C, South Farnborough -3C, Cardinham 4mm, Isle of Man 7.3h.)
Cloud cover increased into the 18th to give most places a cloudy dawn. A band of cloud and rain spread SE during the day, followed by troughs that brought showers to N areas, with some snow across N Scotland. Sferics were reported from N Scotland around dawn. Gusts to 50kn occurred across Scotland in the NW'ly airflow after the frontal cloud passed, although for most places clearance of the fronts brought clearer skies with a few coastal showers. Wintry showers over the Northern Isles in the afternoon spread further S in the evening, with snowfall later report3ed as far S as North Yorkshire. (Torquay 11C, Sennybridge -2C, Altnaharra 10mm, Leuchars 7.8h.)
A N'ly surface airflow was the pronounced feature of the weather on the 19th. This was quite brisk, so that there was little in the way of an early air frost despite largely clear skies overnight. There were some early rain showers across Wales, Northern Ireland and SW England leading to icy surfaces in places. In E Britain the overnight showers were of sleet or snow. The rain showers continued across Ireland during the day, while sleet and snow continued to fall in N Scotland and E Britain. Later in the afternoon and evening snow showers also fell across some of the higher ground in S England. (Tenby 10C, Spadeadam -3C, Norwich 10mm, Hayling Island 9.4h.)
The N'ly airflow continued through the 20th. The day dawned with inland areas largely free of cloud away from E-coastal counties of Britain, and a slight air frost in many of these areas. A frontal system close to W Ireland resulted in a cloudy day with some rain showers here. Down the E side of Britain onshore showers fell as rain, sleet or snow while snow showers continued across N Scotland. Wintry showers in the E spread inland to parts of the Midlands and the Home Counties, while many parts of Wales and W England had a mostly sunny day. (Valentia 8C, Loch Glascarnoch 2C maximum, Kinbrace -5C minimum, Leconfield 9mm, Falmouth 9.4h.)
There 21st began on a generally cloudy note, with rain, sleet and snow across Ireland by mid-morning, snow showers in E Britain, and rain showers in SW England and W Scotland. There was a slight air frost in a few places, although the cloud kept many places frost-free. Snow continued to fall in E Ireland during the morning, while rain fell in W Ireland; precipitation tended to ease offf in Ireland in the evening although Dublin reported a slight thunderstorm with rain at 2100GMT. In NE England several centimetres of snow fell, according to the Met Office (8cm lying at Fylingdales), while snow showers spread into Cent S England later in the afternoon. The evening also brought some thunder to Kent and Essex with cloud spreading across much of S and Cent England. Skies cleared in much of Ireland, Wales and Scotland in the evening, with the temperature falling to -8C at Altnaharra by 2400GMT. (South uist range 7C, Trawscoed -4C, Stornoway 8mm, Lerwick 7.9h.)
The surface flow on the 22nd was from the E, with troughs bringing bands of snow ans snow showers to E Britain. Clear skies across much of Scotland and N Ireland overnight led to a widespread air frosts here, while E'ly winds gusting to 35kn down the E coast of Britain kept snow showers blowing onshore for much of the night. These continued throughout the day, spreading inland to Cent S England and the Midlands. Several places also reported hail or snow pellets, with thunder in E Ireland (around dawn), Kent and Lincolnshire. Wintry showers also fell in E Ireland during the day. In many places away from E Britain, however, falls of snow were slight and any lying snow soon melted in the sunshine during the day. (Sloy 7C, Altnaharra -10C, Edinburgh 8mm, Tiree 8.7h.)
Into the 23rd snow showers continued across E Scotland, E and Cent S England, and in part of E Ireland. There were also minor falls in parts of the Midlands and over some high ground in SW England. Much of Ireland, Wales and W England (and W Scotland in the afternoon) had a mostly sunny day, with snow showers continuing to fall elsewhere. Snow showers also continued in parts of E Ireland in an onshore wind. According to the Met Office the snow caused problems on the M90 in Fife, while 29cm of lying snow was reported from Boltshope Park. In the evening a N'ward moving occluded front brought brought some more general snowfall across East Anglia and E England, and a sharp frost developed in sheltered areas of NW Scotland. (Tenby 7C, Buxton (Derbyshire) -1C maximum, Shap Fell -6C minimum, Wick 8mm, Tenby 8.2h.)
Low pressure over N France drove an occluded front NW across much of England and Wales on the 24th, giving falls of snow to many, but rather more light rain than had been forecast to others. After a mainly clear start to the day across Ireland cloud soon spread from the E; elsewhere the day dawned mostly cloudy, as rain and snow pushed NW across England and Wales towards the Scottish Border. The snowfall was heaviest in N England and over the high ground here there were substantial falls. Hundreds of schools were closed as a precaution. Further S early snow was followed by rain and sleet, although falls over the higher ground of SW England remained wintry. S Scotland also had rain and snow, while higher temperatures during the day in N Scotland meant mostly rain fell at low levels. (Baltasound 7C, Buxton (Derbyshire) 0C maximum, Altnaharra -9C minimum, Buxton 14mm, Falmouth 7.8h.)
Clear skies into the 25th in NW Scotland led to a sharp air frost at sheltered inland sites here; W ireland also had a bright start to the day but elsewhere the day dawned rather cloudy. There were reports of several centimetres of snow falling around dawn in parts of S London and Surrey, as an area of snow spread W here in the early hours. Further falls occurred in E England, and as the day progressed snow spread W into part of SW England. As the temperature rose a little rain shwoers fell across part of Ireland and W Britain, and there was also frontal rain and some sleet during the day across N Scotland, moving S. (Islay 8C, Dunkeswell 1C maximum, Kinbrace -11C minimum, Edinburgh 10mm, Hastings 9h.)
Frontal rain spread S and W during the 26th, the front and its precipitation becoming weaker as the day progessed. Wintry weather continued overnight in S Englnd, although falls were mostly slight here. Ireland and part of SW Scotland and NW England dawned clear with a moderate air frost in places here. Rain and snow continued to affect E England during the day, but the front brought little rain or snow. Skies cleard across much of NW Scotland as the front spread SW, although in the evening rain and rain showers returned to N and NW Scotland. By midnight there was rain and showers in SW England and the Channel Islands, but across S Ireland the front was only marked by an area of cloud. (Saunton Sands 10C, Saughall -5C, Loftus 4mm, Tiree 8.4h.)
By dawn on the 27th there were clear skies across much of S England and S Wales, with a widespread air frosts here as a result. Elsewhere, the day dawned with mostly cloudy skies. Snow showers fell early in the day over parts of East Anglia and Kent with sferics reported over the Thames Estuary around dawn. Further snow during the day led to 50cm drifts in parts of Kent and Sussex by the afternoon with some light snow shoers also spreading into cent S England by this time. The Met Office reported that Langdon Bay saw temperatures below freezing during the day with a wind gusting in excess of 30kn. Snow showers also fell over NE Wales and N England for a while in the morning, and Grosmont on the North Yorkshire Moors reported 10cm of lying snow. Clearin skies across S England and S Wales in the evening led to a rapid fall in temperature in inland areas - MSL pressure rose to 1033mb in S Ireland by midnight. (Isle of Man 8C, Wattisham 1C minimum, Trawscoed -3C minimum, Guernsey 5mm, Newquay 10.0h.)
Clear skies across much of S England into the 28th led to a very cold start to the day in some places, and the lowest temperature of the winter for some. Further N there was more cloud to start the day and many areas had precipitation during the day from bands of sleet and snow that continued to move S/SE as the day progressed. The precipitation was associated with fronts and a low pressure system that had settled over Cent Scotland by 2400GMT. This low dragged warmer air into W parts of Ireland and Scotland during the day, but further E it remained much colder. The evening saw more general rain in NW Scotland, gradually pushing SE and being followed by snow. (Belmullet 9C, Sennybridge 0C maximum, Redhill -9C minimum, Aultbea 6mm, Weymouth 10h.)
Overnight cloud gradually became largely confined to E Scotland, and E and S England by dawn on the 2nd, with a widespread frost in many other areas. Falls of snow continued in these cloudy parts and there was also some mist and fog around dawn in East Anglia and Cent S England. Frequent heavy hail showers from 0800-0930GMT caused traffic chaos in S Dublin, the E coast of Ireland and Wicklow with road freezing over and long delays. Low pressure was never far from the Dover Straits during the day and this led to some heavy snowfall in Kent and East Sussex in the afternoon and evening. Elsewhere in E Britain rain, sleet and snow continued for much of the day, with showers and sunny spells further west. The snow caused travel problems to the S and SE of London in the evening rush-hour. More than 300 schools across Kent and Sussex were closed, roads were shut and bus and train services cancelled, and the Army helped the NHS move staff and patients in Kent. Reports spoke of this being the heaviest snowfall in March in 10 years in Kent, with many roads being closed. (Saunton Sands 7C, Leeds 0C maximum, Kinbrace -4C minimum, Margate 25mm, Falmouth 9.2h.)
With the snow in SE England dying out into the 3rd, the day dawned with little cloud and a widespread air frost; the wind chill effect from a brisk NE wind in E and S England made it feel very cold here. Snow showers continued to affect the E coast of Britain overnight although these decreased later in the day as the NE flow here was replaced by a NW'ly one. The morning saw cloud and some rain spreading into W Scotland and W Ireland; this rain spread slowly SE during the remainder of the day across Scotland and N Ireland. There was further snow and sleet in SE England during the morning but this died out in the afternoon. (Tiree 8C, Langdon Bay 1C maximum, Katesbridge -7C minimum, Baltasound 11mm, Weymouth 10.1h.)
The fronts across N Ireland and Scotland continued to progress S during the 4th. These brought a spell of wintry weather to many places as they did so, but in many places any snowfall was short-lived and was followed by rain as the temperature rose a little. Ahead of the precipitation there was a sharp frost in parts of S England. The snow brought up to 4 cm of fresh lying snow in Kent and Suffolk. As low pressure spread S into the North Sea the wind increased in N Scotland with gusts to 60kn in exposed places. Temperatures rose to 10C in parts of Ireland before another line of rain brought colder air S; this rain fell as snow over high ground in Scotland and snow showers followed in N Scotland later. Further S and across Ireland the colder air brought rain showers. Snowfall this morning made 13 consecutive days with snow observed to fall at Stratfield Mortimer, West Berkshire, easily surpassing the previous longest consecutive spell of days with snow or sleet in 32 years of record viz. 8 days ended 3 April 1975 and 7 days ended 13 Feb 1983; this exceeds the annual average number of days with snow or sleet at this site (1973-2000) of 12.2 days. (St. Mary's and St. Angelo 10C, Langdon Bay 2C maximum, Redhill -9C, Capel curig 10mm, Isle of Man 7h.)
There were variable amounts of cloud over the British Isles into the 5th, with an air frost in many inland areas where the clouds cleared. Wintry showers fell overnight in E coast counties of England and Scotland - during the day these affected much of the E half of Britain while further W and across ireland the showers tended to fall more as rain. By late afternoon much of Ireland, Scotland and Wales was clear of cloud and the winds across N Scotland, which had been gusting to 40kn in places earlier in the day, eased down as high pressure spread from the W. By midnight many inland areas were reporting an air frost, away from the cloudier SE corner of England. (Saunton Sands 10C, Langdon Bay 2C maximum, Yeovilton -3C minimum, Norwich 12mm, Isle of Man 9h.)
High pressure became established across the British Isles on the 6th, with MSL pressure reaching 1035.5mb at Valentia at 2400GMT, and with an easing of the brisk NE winds in SE England. There was a cloudy start to the day SE of a line from North Yorkshire to Devon, and a widespread air frost NW of this line. cloud soon developed across Scotland and lingered during the day, while that in S and E England gradually cleared. Before the cloud cleared here there were some wintry showers in SE England with problems for traffic on the M20 caused by snow and poor visibility. Ireland, Wales and W England had a mostly sunny day, although across scotland the cloud brought some light falls of rain, drizzle and snow over higher ground. (Greenock 10C, Shap Fell -8C, Swanage 2mm, Torquay 9h.)
The 7th started with a widespread air frost - despite a weakening front spreading some cloud SE in N Britain. Despite the continuing presence of high pressure there was a general increase in cloud cover during the morning in most places as the front made further progress S - bring a few slight falls of rain with it. Showers continued in places facing the onshore NW'ly wind and the cloud persisted in many areas after the passage of the front. (St Andrews and Strathallan 11C, Yeovil -7C, Loch Glascarnoch 5mm, St Andrews 8h.)
NW'ly flow around high prtessure continued on the 8th. While many places dawned cloudy, there were clear skies in S Scotland and N England leading to an air frost in places here. Elsewhere the cloud helped to keep temperatures up and gave some early light rain in parts of SW England, E Ireland and E England. The clear skies also extended SW into N Wales but most places across the British Isles had a cloudy day - with further light showers in East Anglia and SE England. Light showers also fell in W Ireland, and W and N Scotland. (Strathallan 12C, Strathallan -5C, Norwich 3mm, Edinburgh 9.6h.)
The 9th dawned cloudy in most places, but clear skies in Cumbria and s Scotland overnight led to air frosts here. In many places the day remained mostly cloudy, and as the day progressed frontal bands spread SE into N England and N Ireland giving thicker cloud and falls of slight rain to N Britain and N Ireland. Coastal showers fell over onshore parts E England in a N'ly wind. At 1200GMT MSL pressure was 1038.8mb at Belmullet. (Port Ellen 10C, Shap Fell -5C, Loch Glascarnoch 9mm, Isle of Man 8.6h.)
The 10th continued the spell of mostly cloudy weather across many parts of the British Isles. Some early clear skies over N Britain resulted in some air frost, but S'ward moving frontal bands brought cloud and some rain to many areas. Rainfall amounts were small in most places although N Scotland saw some moderately heavy falls. Ireland, closest to the high pressure centre, saw a clearance of the cloud in many S and Cent areas before midnight. Ireland also had some of the highest afternoon temperatures with 10c and above being widespread outside of Northern Ireland. (Mumbles and Ashford (Co. Wicklow) 12C, Strathallan -3C, Baltasound 6mm, Hunstanton 7h.)
The 11th brought a S'ward moving cold front across the British Isles, introducing a colder NW'ly airflow to all but the extreme S of england by midnight. The day dawned with a brisk wind in many areas, gusts to 45kn in N Scotland and an air frost in parts of S England. Showers of snow and hail spread into N and Cent Scotland by mid-morning, behind the cold front. The front continued to move S, giving falls of rain in most areas, and followed by clearer skies and showers. These showers fell as far S as East Anglia although across Ireland and W England they fell mostly as rain. By midnight cloud had cleared from most places as the showers died out; frontal cloud persisted in S Ireland and S England, with some rain and snow still falling over N Scotland. (Swanage 12C, Redhill -3C, Loch Glascarnoch 15mm, Leuchars 6.5h.)
Frontal cleared S England by late morning on the 12th after giving some light overnight falls of rain in places here. Despite clear skies further N, a brisk wind helped to keep temperatures generally above freezing exceot in a few places, particularly S Scotland and Cumbria. Showers of rain and snow continued overnight in N Scotland - accompanied by 50kn gusts in places. The NW'ly winds continued to bring showers onshore to parts of N Britain and to parts of NW England and N Wales. Most places, however, had broken cloud and none, or very little, precipitation. (Ross-on-Wye 10C, Loch Glascarnoch 1C maximum, Spadeadam -3C minimum, Baltasound 17mm, Eastbourne 10.5h.)
The 13th saw further snowfalls across N Scotland with winds, gusting to 50kn in places, resulting in blowing snow and blizzard conditions. E England had a cloudy start, but elsewhere away from N Scotland the day dawned largely free of cloud with a widespread ground frost and many places having a touch of air frost. During the day snow showers also fell across exposed parts of N Wales and N Ireland and elsewhere there were generally varying amounts of cloud. The snow became heavier across N Scotland in the evening with gales as anopther low centre affected the area. During the afternoon four people were swept into the sea at Scarborough by a large wave that struck them as they stood on the foreshore - only one person survived and sea swells affshore at the time were about 4m. (Swanage 10C, Loch Glascarnoch -1C maximum, Redhill -6C minimum, Lerwick 10mm, Fishguard 8.5h.)
Snow and blowing snow affected the Northern Isles and the Highlands before dawn on the 14th, while overnight blizzards also gave a fresh covering of snow in NE Scotland with drifts disrupting rail links into Wick. Further S there was varying amounts of cloud overnight and an air frost in some places. During the day fronts spread cloud, rain and mild air NE across England, Ireland and Wales with the temperatures remaining at 11C in W Ireland at 2400GMT. The rain was less intense in E Britain, and there were sunny spells in E England during the day. There were heavy falls of rain in Ireland and later in SW Scotland, although skies cleared during the day in much of N Scotland. (Falmouth 13C, Lerwick 3C maximum, West Freugh -5C minimum, Kirkwall 15mm, Cromer 8.9h.)
The 15th was a generally cloudy day, although with a mild SW'ly airflow temperatures gradually rose everywhere. There were some clear skies overnight in SE England and this allowed an air frosts in sheltered places here. The front marking the N'ward extent of the warm weather cross Scotland during the day, brining sleet and snow to the Highlands before this turned to rain. There was also early rain over N Ireland and E England; while this spread N there were further falls across England and Wales during the day. Heavy rain in parts of W and Cent Scotland led to flood warning being issued for here. (Ballykelly 15C, Lerwick 4C maximum, Redhill -3C minimum, Shap Fell 36mm, Jersey 3.8h.)
According to the Met Office, the 16th was the first air frost-free night of 2005. SW'ly winds blew across the British Isles throughout the day, although a cold front did spread rapidly E across all areas as the day progressed - without lowering the temperatures very much. This front and further troughs meant wet conditions in W Scotland and a few other locations in W Britain but mostly lighter rain elsewhere - in the N Highlands rain and melting snow led to flooding around Kingussie. In Cornwall rain gave way to mist and fog, and generally dull conditions. A foehn affect brought sunny and warm conditions to E Scotland - and it was also warm in SE England and East Anglia. By midnight temperatures remained above 10C across at most low-level sites away from N Scotland. (Gravesend 20C, Baltasound 3C, Lusa 50mm, Eastbourne 7.1h.)
The 17th was milder than the preceding day in most places, with minimum temperatures around 10C in a few places. High pressure over France led to rising pressure during the day everywhere, the MSL pressure reaching 1032mb in the Channel Islands by 2400GMT. Frontal rain affected Scotland in particular, and also N Ireland and N England earlier in the day; further S there was light rain and drizzle in S Ireland, S Wales and SW England. In the Channel Islands light rain and drizzle gave way to mist and fog late in the evening and many places on the English Channel had misty conditions during the day. Over S Ireland, East Anglia, SE and Cent S England and the Midlands temperatures rose above 15C. (London and Ashford (Co. Wicklow) 19C, Baltasound 5C, Lusa 21mm, Southend 9.3h.)
Although MSL pressure fell in the S on the 18th, the anticyclone migrated to sea area Wight by 2400GMT. Although the Northern Isles dawned cold, in Aberdeen the minimum temperature of 12C was the highest minimum temperature on record for mid-March - 2C above the previous record according to the Met Office. Frontal cloud across N Scotland slowly edged N during the day after giving some heavy falls of rain in the Highlands. After a bright start Cent Ireland clouded over in the morning, while skies cleared across Cent and SE England by midday. This clearance spread into Wales in the afternoon and temperatures rose above 17C in many places under a sunny sky. Much of N England and Scotland remained cloudy, however, while the evening brought foggy conditions to parts of S Ireland, S Wales, SW and Cent S England. Parts of the Channel Islands had fog throughout the day. (London 20C, Fair Isle 5C maximum, Lerwick 2C minimum, Aultbea 23mm, Herne Bay 10.0h.)
Many S areas of Britain, and much of Ireland, had largely clear skies during the early hours of the 19th, but low cloud and fog patches developed in many areas by dawn; Scotland was rather more cloudy with some rain and drizzle in the N. Although the fog was slow to clear in places, and low cloud lingered over parts of E England for much of the day, clear skies elsewhere led to a warm day. Under lingering mist, fog and cloud it was much cooler in some coastal areas of the English Channel, SW Scotland and in parts of N Ireland. The Northern isles also remained cloudy and damp under a warm front. 21.4c at Trawscoed was a new British Isles high temperature record for 19th March. 20.7C at Valentia was reportedly the highest March temperature in 100 years; at many other places in Ireland March temperatures were the highest since 1965. (Trawscoed 21C, Redhill 0C, Kirkwall 9mm, Jersey 11.3h.)
The 20th was a generally dry everywhere. During the night low cloudy spilled E across much of E and Cent England but under clear skies in NW Scotland there was an early ground frost in places. The low cloud lingered near some E coast areas of England throughout the day, giving some light drizzle, and cloud also affected parts of E Scotland and S Ireland. Elsewhere the day was largely warm and sunny but there was some coastal fog in SW England and S Wales. During the afternoon and evening rain affected S and W Ireland, with drizzle later in Cornwall. The maximum temperature reached at Rocquaine Guernsey was 20.6C which is a new March record for Guernsey. The previous highest was 19.8C at the same site on the 26th in 2003. As on that occasion a moderate easterly wind helped to make this western part of Guernsey noticably warmer than farther east. At Guernsey Airport the maximum was 18.3C, the equal second highest on record for there. (Guernsey Rocquaine 21C, Bridlington 7C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch 0C minimum, Coltishall 1mm, Jersey 11.2h.)
Cloud and rain spread E from Ireland across into W Scotland, Wales and SW England early on the 21st - further E there was much less cloud to start the day, even near the North Sea. However, E Scotland remained generally cloudy during the day under low cloud blowing onshore. As the rain spread E there were some heavy falls in SW Scotland and N Ireland but, by the evening, when rain reached Cent S England and the Midlands amounts were mostly slight. More heavy rain spread into Ireland and W Britain in the evening with widespread cloud across the British Isles by then keeping temperatures above 10C - except at places bordering the North Sea. A sandy-coloured fall of dust was observed on Guernsey. (Guernsey 17C, Loch Glascarnoch 1C, Ashford (Co. Wicklow) 43mm, Herne Bay 7.5h.)
The 22nd was a mostly cloudy day across the British Isles with rain affecting most places during the day. The heaviest rain fell over N and W areas as a front spread N and E during the day. The rain was followed by clearer skies and showers across Ireland in the evening, and these clearer skies also spread to much of N and Cent England by midnight. (Aultbea 17C, Carlisle 5C, Shap Fell 22mm, Jersey 4.7h.)
The 23rd dawned with cloud and in S Ireland and the SW corner of England and Wales, and also in W Scotland; elsewhere skies were largely clear with some early mist. Cloud soon developed in these clear areas as showers developed, especially over Ireland and W Britain. S'ly winds meant a generally warm afternoon, especially in E England. During the late afternoon and evening frontal cloud and rain spread NE across S Ireland, SW Englaand and S Wales as a low centre spread to the W of S Ireland; this rain included a line of thunderstorms that reached Cornwall in the early evening, before spreading into other parts SW England. (Gravesend 19C, Cassley 3C, Buxton (Derbyshire) 9mm, Aberdeen 10.5h.)
The frontal rain spread NE across the British Isles during the 24th, and was followed by further bands of showers from the SW. Behind the rain the day dawned quite misty across Ireland, W and S England, with fog patches in places. The mist gradually cleared and the cloud broke as the frontal rain passed; the rain lingered, however, across the Northern Isles where it remained misty and damp throughout the day. The showers behind the rain were heavy in places, with the Met Office reporting some thunder in places. Theye also brought a return to misty conditions over parts of S Ireland and SW England in the evening. (Prestatyn 18C, Cassley 3C, Swanage 10mm, Jersey 9.2h.)
For most the 25th was a dry day. There was overnight cloud across much of Scotland and S Britain, with further low cloud across E England by dawn. There were early fog patches, especially over NE Scotland and along coastlines of the English Channel, but also in S Ireland and S Wales. Around the Northern Isles fog persisted throughout the day in places, and in SW England it reformed in the evening. Mostly light rain affected N Ireland, N Wales, N England and S Scotland during the morning, while later in the afternoon cloud disspiated across much of Ireland, Wales and W England. (Leuchars 17C, Aboyne 1C, Capel Curig 6mm, Torquay 9.5h.)
The 26th dawned with cloud over NE England and parts of Scotland; clear skies elsewhere led to a ground frost in places. Cloud soon spread to much of N England and NE Ireland with fog forming by mid-morning in parts of Ireland and NE Scotland. With NE winds cloud lingered for most of the day along NE England; E England also saw coastal fog for much of the day, as did E Scotland. S England, Wales and Ireland were much brighter during the day, as were parts of W Scotland. However, rising tempertaures led to some showers inland over the Midlands, East Anglia and SE England; in placers there was also hail and thunder, with heavy rain giving 12mm at Northolt in a short space of time. (Cardiff 18C, Redhill -1C, Northolt 12mm, Hastings 10.8h.)
Much of Britain and E Ireland dawned rather cloudy on the 27th, with some light rain and drizzle near the E coast of britain and mist or fog in many places. With an E/NE wind it remained generally cloudy throughout the day, although across W Ireland there were sunny periods; parts of W Scotland and the northern Isles also had sunny spells during the day. The rain spread across parts of Cent Scotland and into Cent England during the day - giving moderately heavy falls in places. The mist persisted in many of the cloudy areas too, merging into the low stratus cloud. Some heavy rain affected East Anglia in the evening. (Lee-on-Solent 15C, Spadeadam 4C, Herne Bay 13mm, Kirkwall 9.8h.)
Low pressure and frontal cloud again domined the weather on the 28th. E Britain remained generally cloudy, although in East Anglia the cloud did clear into the afternoon - although mist and fog lingered into the evening. Although Cent S England and the Midlands had sunny spells during the day, early fog patches had been slow to clear from Cent S England. NW Scotland had the best of the sunshine; elsewhere in Scotland it was a rather cloudy day. Ireland was cloudy with frontal rain times, and in the evening further frontal rain spread from the SW into the Channel Islands and SW England. (Northolt 16C, Redhill 1C, Cromer 27mm, Stornoway 9.8h.)
The 29th had unsettled weather as low pressure over the English Channel brought fronts to S britain, and there were further fronts over Ireland and N Scotland. Consequently, for many places it was a rather cloudy day. Across N Scotland the front was slow-moving and produced rain throughout the day, although to the N the Northern Isles had a sunny day. Much of E England was cloudywith poor visibility under a cooling E'ly wind. Through s England frontal rain was heavy at times; according to the Met Office, Liscombe (Cornwall) had 24mm in five hours, with larger daily totals around the moors of SW England. This rain also affected S Wales and the S Midlands, while the frontal rain across Ireland and slowly petered out as the day progressed. Across S England today was the wettest for nearly six weeks. (Jersey 14C, Shap Fell 1C, Exmouth 35mm, Lerwick 8.3h.)
Across N Scotland pressure increased during the 30th, under the influence of a high over Norway; at 2400GMT Lerwick was reporting MSL pressure of 1028.6mb. Further S low pressure over SE England and a front over Cent England meany a wet day for much of England and Wales. By the end of the day, there were flood warnings in place for the Midlands. Ireland, NW Scotland, the Channel Islands and parts of SW Wales and SW England had a sunny day, while under the rain and low cloud across remaining parts of England it was cool and misty. (Falmouth 14C, Aviemore 4C, Shobdon 33mm, Falmouth 6.2h.)
The 31st saw the rain gradually fading away as a ridge of high pressure affected most places. Despite this, it was a cloudy day for most places, with low cloud and misty conditions even once the rain had stopped. Central and NW Scotland had clear skies overnight, with a ground frost in shelterd areas. The best of the sunshine was confined to parts of NW England, NW Scotland, Cornwall and the Channel Islands. Across Ireland cloud thickened as frontal cloud and rain spread into the W, extending across much of Ireland and into SW Scotland by midnight. (Kinloss 15C, Aviemore -1C, Shrewsbury 14mm, Aviemore 8.8h.)
The 2nd began with cloud in NE England, S and W Scotland and some fog across the Midlands and Cent S England. There was little rain from this cloud, which marked the positions of dying fronts across Scotland and an onshore wind in NE England; the heaviest of the erain tended to be over W Scotand. Most of the cloud dissipated during the day and all areas saw some sunshine - many places had a very sunny day. In Shetland, fog was rather persistent, however, and this kept the temperature down. (Saunton Sands 20C, Aboyne -1C, Dundrennan 5mm, Newquay 11.2h.)
Largely clear skies into the 3rd, away from S Ireland and SW and Cent S England, meant a cool night in NE England, with a ground frost in places. In E Scotland and E England there was some cloud mid-morning, but this cleared to give a sunny day in E Scotland and the SE corner of England. Cloud in the W persisted across S Wales and SW England; it cleared later from S Ireland and also affected much of W Britain during the day, with light to moderate rain or drizzle in places. (Gravesend 20C, Topcliffe -2C, Stornoway 4mm, Southsea 11.5h.)
By dawn on the 4th cloud and rain lay SE of a line Scilly - Northumberland; there were mostly clear skies to the NW albeit with a few showers over S Ireland and W Scotland. A cold night gave an air frost to sheltered inland areas in Scotland. The cloud and rain spread SE and the showers became more widespread and pushed SE too. It was much cooler behind the rain and some of the showers in W ireland fell as hail. In the evening, as the rain finally cleared East Anglia skies cleared in most areas, except in S and W scotland where showers and light rain lingered. (Falmouth 15C, Aboyne -2C, Loch Glascarnoch 9mm, Kinloss 8.2h.)
There was little cloud present across the British Isles as the 5th dawned with a widespread ground frost as a result. Cloud across Scotland brought some overnight showers, while more general cloud spread NE into S England and much of Ireland by midday, bringing rain to S and Cent Ireland. N Wales and N England also had some light showers, while the afternoon saw more cloud and rain spreading E across Ireland and into W Scotland, as low pressure pushed towards the Faeroes. The best sunshine during the day was generally in E Britain, but even here cloud had become widespread by late evening. (Falmouth 14C, Redhill -1C, Lough Fea 16mm, Aberdeen 10.5h.)
Fronts followed by showery troughs meant an unsettled day in all areas on the 6th. With low pressure centred just to the N of Scotland it was also a windy day, with gales around Ireland and gusts to 60kn being reported from N Wales. After the early rain, which cleared E britain during late morning and early afternoon, there were sunny spells for most places before the showers started up. These showers were thundery in parts of N Ireland and N England in the afternoon, and fell as sleet and snow over the high ground of Cent Scotland. (Aboyne 15C, Fylingdale 1C, Eskdalemuir 39mm, Falmouth 9.8h.)
Overnight into the 7th skies were clear in many places, but snow showers across Scotland spread S to Cumbria and the Pennines and rain shwoers were widespread across S Ireland and the SW corner of England and Wales. There was also rain, accompanied by gusts to 60kn, across the Northern Isles. During the day the winds gradually veered towards the N across the British Isles with snow falling across Scotland, and drifting in the strong winds there. A few roads were reported blocked by snow in the Highlands by late evening. Colder conditions spread from the NW to most areas of the British Isles by the evening with most places across Britain seeing showers during the day. Thunderstorms affected parts of SE England, East Anglia and E England during the afternoon and early evening. (Margate 14C, Aviemore 3C maximum, Aboyne -3C minimum, Altnaharra 20mm, Jersey 10.2h.)
A N'ly airflow on the eastern flank of an anticyclone gave a mostly cold day on the 8th. Ireland and later NW ENGland and SW Scotland had little cloud during the night, with cloudy skies in much of S and E England. Showers across Scotland fell as snow in the N and over high ground, accompanied by 40kn gusts. Further S the showers were more sleety but with large snowflakes falling as far S as the Home Counties, and hail was also reported. The showers continued throughoput the day, although by midnight most inlands areas of the British Isles were free of cloud - with an air frost in many places. Even at this time, snow was continuing to fall across n Scotland. (Torquay 11C, Lerwick 0C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch -3C minimum, Aberdeen 11mm, Eskdalemuir 10.2h.)
Clear skies inland, away from Scotland, led to a widespread into the 9th; there was more snow overnight in N Scotland and rain by dawn in W Scotland and NW Ireland. Frontal cloud gradually spread SE to most areas during the day, bringing rain and showers to many places as the wind backed during the day. The fronts brought an increase in the temperature, and despite clearing skies across cent Ireland in the evening temperatures at sea level remained around 6-8C everywhere by midnight. (Falmouth 14C, Benson -5C, Loch Glascarnoch 11mm, Jersey 11.4h.)
Frontal bands brought rain to Scotland and N England on the 10th, but further S it was a mostly dry day. After a mild start temperatures rose above 10c in most places, and MSL pressure rose to 1033.4mb on Scilly by 2400GMT as a ridge formed across S England. As a result cloud tended to decrease in the afternoon and evening across most of England and Wales, although some mist formed in Cent S England in the evening. (Lee-on-Solent 18C, Buxton (Derbyshire) 3C, Lerwick 10mm, Torquay 11.0h.)
High pressure dominated into the 11th, but the end of the evening a cold front was spreading SE across Cent Ireland and S Scotland, bringing slightly fresher air from the W. Much of Cent and E England had a clear start to the day, with a ground frost in places and fog, that merged into low cloud, in Cent S England. There was some light rain early in W Scotland and this spread slowly SE during the day, with falls over Ireland in the morning too. There was further rain across Ireland later in the day. Despite variable amounts of cloud, much of England and Wales had a dry day. (Gravesend 19C, Redhill -1C, Lusa 15mm, Hastings 11.5h.)
Cloud was broken across the British Isles into the 12th, giving a ground frost in parts of SE and E England, and shwoers across NW Scotland. The slow-moving cold front also gave small amounts of rain from SW England to NE England. The frontal cloud gradually spread SE and then lingered over S and E England, and S Ireland, as the front stalled. Further N it was a sunny day with some showers, while the front also gave a misty day around some English Channel coastlines. Some snow fell in the cooler air across the high ground of Scotland during the day. (Torquay 18C, Redhill -1C, Bishopton 11mm, Jersey 12.2h.)
There was a damp, cloudy start to the 13th in S England due to a lingering cold front, but this grdually pushed S during the morning with a shallow area of low pressure becoming established across Ireland later in the day. There were overnight showers in N and W Scotland and some rain in E England; elsewhere the night was almost cloudfree. Further rain fell during the morning across Ireland and Scotland, but despite the low there was not that much cloud across Ireland. Some heavy rain affected S wales and SW England later in the day and there was also further rain later in Ireland, with sferics in n Ireland and thunderstorms in Lincolnshire during the late afternoon and evening. (Torquay 15C, Aboyne -4C, Aultbea 18mm, Aberdeen 12.9h.)
During the 14th the low spread slowly E from Ireland to East Anglia, drawing an E'ly flow across much of England and giving a cloudy day here. While Britain dawned generally cloudy, there was little cloud across Ireland until after dawn. Rain was widespread from the low over much of England and Wales although in the W the cloud was not that extensive as the low spread E. Showers occurred in the W later, and the Met Office reported a funnel cloud near Newton Abbot (Devon) in mid-afternoon. A N'ly flow brought some rain and showers to Scotland and Ireland. (Great Malvern 14C, Glenlivet -1C, Bingley 21mm, Cardiff 9.6h.)
Despite low pressure across East Anglia, the 15th began with clear skies across much of S and Cent England, although by dawn there was widespread mist and fog here. Further N there was rain in E Scotland and NE England, but clearer skies in much of Ireland and W Scotland. As the morning progressed cloud spread further W with just the Channel Islands and extreme W areas of Ireland remaining sunny throughout the day. Rain and showers affected the cloudy areas, although skies did clear across much of E Ireland in the evening. During the afternoon there were falls of hail and thunderstorms that affected parts of S England. Showers of hail and snow also affected some of the high ground of Scotland. (Lee-on-Solent 13C, Sennybridge -3C, Newcastle 30mm, Guernsey 11.5h.)
Rain continued overnight in parts of NE England, and by dawn on the 16th 74mm of rain had fallen in about 48 hours in Newcastle, according to the Met Office. During the early hours snow or sleet fell over S and Cent Scotland, the Pennines and the Isle of Man. Ireland and parts of SE England had a clear night with some mist; elsewhere it was cloudy with some precipitation. Cloud developed in most areas during the morning, and the snow turned to rain as the temperature rose. Low pressure finally cleared from Britain later in the day, with cloud later reducing as a result across England and Wales; some rain and shwoers continued to affect Scotland into the evening, while further frontal cloud and rain arrived in W Ireland shortly before midnight. (Eastbourne 14C, South Farnborough -1C, Newcastle 35mm, Guernsey 11.1h.)
Much of England and Wales had a clear start to the 17th, until cloud and rain spread E into W Wales. There was a widespread ground frost under these clear skies. Across Scotland and Ireland there was a cloudy start to the day with some rain. Across Ireland and W Scotland the rain was slow to move E and gave some large falls in places, although it did clear across W Ireland in the afternoon. E Scotland remained dry until the evening; W Wales and SW England were also wet for most of the day with over 25mm in 6 hours reported from places in S Wales. By midnight rain had reached much of E Britain and temperatures remained above 6C at most low-level sites. (London 17C, Redhill -4C, Lough Fea 37mm, Eastbourne 11.7h.)
Low pressure and fronts brought widespread rain and showers on the 18th. A cloudy start to the day, except across Ireland, meant no air frosts at sea level. The rain was accompanied by strong winds in places, with gusts of 30-40kn around the coasts. The rain, was heavy in places, with thunder over SW Emgland in the afternoon, according to the Met Office, and flood warning were issued for a few areas of Britain. Brighter conditions and showers affected Ireland throughout the day, and these brighter conditions gradually spread E into Wales and SW England, before extending NE so that by midnight most of England and Wales (away from the SW) was almost clear of cloud. (London 16C, Castlederg 2C, Bishopton 39mm, Bognor Regis 10.0h.)
In the early hours of the 19th rain over Scotland tended to die out, while the light falls across SW and Cent S England continued. Elsewhere, the day dawned mostly clear with an air frost in a few places and a widespread ground frost. As the day developed, convective cloud formed in many areas leading to showers and to widespread thundery activity in the afternoon across SW Ireland, the Midlands, Wales and parts of S England. Hail up to 12mm diameter fell from some of these storms, which resulted in a misty end to the day in some places. (Charlwood 15C, Katesbridge -2C, Tiree 21mm, Bognor Regis 13.5h)
The 20th brought a weakening front S across N Britain, with high pressure building behind it. The front meant increasing cloud across much of England overnight, but there was some air and ground frost ahead of this cloud. Rainfall during the day was generally light; the front was followed by dry air with low dew points across Scotland in the aftern oon and evening, while by midnight MSL pressure had risen to 1025mb on Shetland and in NE Scotland. With the front tending to weaken during the day, parts of S England had a fairly sunny day with little cloud ahead of the front. However, across N England low cloud was rather persistent, helping to keep temperatures low here. (Lusa 16C, Redhill -2C, Cardiff 19mm, Bognor Regis 13.2h.)
The frontal line of cloud and rain continued to fizzle out into the 21st, with very little precipitation falling. High pressure meant a sunny day for most places, after a misty start across England and some early fog patches in Cent S England. Temperatures rose steadily into the afternoon, in contrast to dew points which remained low across much of E England, E and and S Scotland. Values here were widely below 3C at 1500GMT (with temperatures of 12-15C being widespread) and fell as low as -1C in some places. Cloud occurrence during the day was patchy, and temperatures fell sharply during the evening under mostly clear skies. (Saunton Sands 17C, Tulloch Bridge -3C, Little Rissington 1mm, Stornoway 13.0h.)
There were largely clear skies at dawn on the 22nd, with a ground frost in parts of Britain as a result. However, by mid-morning cloud had spread NE to much of S Ireland, S wales and SW England, followed by light rain and drizzle in SW England and S Ireland by midday. There were also varying amounts of cloud across Scotland during the day, while in E England temperatures again rose while dew points remained low. In parts of East Anglia and the E Midlands at 1500GMT temperatures were around 15-16C, with dew points of 1C. During the afternoon the area of rain in the SW extended towards Cent S England, S Wales and Cent Ireland, with mist and fog patches around the coasts here. (London 19C, Altnaharra -3C, Guernsey 9mm, Scarborough 13.3h.)
Low pressure and frontal cloud affected much of Ireland and the S half of England and Wales throughout the 23rd. Parts of E England had a clear start with a ground frost, and air and ground frost also occurred under clear skies in Scotland. In the SW rain and showers occurred throughout the day, with some isolated heavy falls; mist and fog patches affected hills and coastal areas here. Showers also affected parts of W Scotland for a while, with the Northern and Western Isles remaining rather cloudy in the afternoon and evening. Under clear skies in Cent Scotland a ground frost occurred again by midnight. (Wittering 17C, Altnaharra -3C, Exmouth 40mm, Norwich 12.4h.)
Low pressure close to Brittany meant that the 24th was another unsettled day in S England. After a mainly dry night for many places here, cloud built up during the day and there were both warm spells and heavy rain in the afternoon; the heavy rain was accompanied by some slight tunder and rather misty conditions around some coasts. Further N it was generally drier throughout the day - little cloud meant a ground or air frost in parts of Scotland and N England. There was cloud and some light rain across Ireland during the morning, and coastal cloud down much of E Britain, but elsewhere it was a sunny day. (Saunton Sands 18C, Glenlivet -3C, St Mawgan 15mm, Kinloss 13.4h.)
Low pressure over N France brought sferics to the London area around dawn on the 25th, with St Albans recording 36.8mm of rain in the morning and the Met Office reporting 25mm during the same time across parts of SE England. Elsewhere the day dawned generally dry but with coastal cloud; parts of Scotland had an air frost and there was a ground frost further S. Although the rain stopped in S England during the early afternoon, it remained cloudy here throughout the day; further N there was less cloud and more sunshine, but the afternoon saw more cloud (and then rain) spreading NE into S Ireland, SW England and S Wales. (Crosby 19C, Altnaharra -5C, Exmouth 17mmm Kinloss 12.9h.)
During the 26th frontal cloud and rain spread NE during the day to affect all areas by midnight, although it did remain largely dry in N Scotland. Ahead of the rain there were clear skies across much of N Britain, which still lingered across N Scotland by dawn giving a sharp frost in a few places. As the cloud pushed NE it brought bands of rain, followed by showery conditions later in the day. These showers turned heavy in places and were accompanied by thunder across parts of the Midlands and S England in the afternoon. Later in the evening, however, the showers died out and cloud cleared across much of Ireland, Wales and W England - at which time precipoitation was mostly confined to E England and parts of Scotland (Aultbea 18C, Altnaharra -4C, Dunkeswell 16mm, Stornoway 13.4h.)
By dawn on the 27th cloud wwas confined mostly to NE England and Scotland. Although NE England soon cleared up, with S Scotland becoming dry by midday, it remained cloudy and damp across N Scotland throughout the day. Cloud and showers developed across S England later in the morning, and there were thunderstorms in S England and E England in the afternoon. There were heavy falls of rain in a few of these storms, with the media reporting that Tony Blair's plane was struck by lightning as it approached London. The Met Office reported a funnel cloud in Guildford, and 5mm of rain was reported to have fallen in just 15 minutes near Newbury. In Wiltshire glass panes were broken in a greenhouse by hail, and 6mm diameter hail was reported at Honiton (Devon) during the afternoon. The afternooon and evning also saw some frontal rain spreading into S Ireland and this also affected SW England and S Wales before midnight. By this time much of the British Isles was under cloud, although in a now-clear area across Cent Scotland temperatures were falling rapidly. (Lowestoft 17C, Katesbridge 1C, Yeovilton 19mm, Weymouth 13.1h.)
A deepening area of low pressure spread NE towards NW Scotland on the 28th, with MSL pressure dropping to 984.7mb at Stornoway at 1800GMT. The low drew frontal cloud and rain across the British Isles, wi8th gales and gusts of 50-60kn over NW Ireland and N and W Scotland later in the day. Some Irish sea ferries were cancelled as a result. By midday cloud was widespread over the British Isles although in many places in the S amounts of rain were small. Later in the afternoon and into the evening skies cleared from the W, although S England remained cloudy with a frontal trailing through the English Channel at midnight. In afternoon sunshine parts of S Ireland reached temperatures of 16-17C, with 17.7C at Ashford, Co Wicklow. (Ashford (Co Wicklow) 18C, Altnaharra -2C, South Uist 32mm, Colwyn Bay 6.4h.)
Many regions had a clear night into the 29th, with mist and fog developing across SW Britain and Cent S England. Cyclonic cloud and rain persisted across N and W Scotland with 40kn gusts here. Frontal cloud was never far from counties along the English Channel, and this spread n during the afternoon and evening into S Ireland and the Midlands. Away from this cloud many places had a sunny day, and this sunshine also affected Cent Scotland as the cloud and rain across N Scotland slowly disappeared. Light rain and drizzle affected the cloudy S areas later - although the cloud marked the advance of warmer air so that by 2400GMT temperatures had reached 13-14c in the Channel Islands. (London 20C, Shobdon 3C, Tulloch Bridge 19mm, Leuchars 12.3h.)
During the 30th the warm front spread N to lie across S Scotland by 2400GMT. This meant a cloudy start for most areas in the S, but the night was mild here. According to the Met Office the temperature in London during the night fell to just 14C, the warmest April night here since 1987. Most places away from N Scotland had some rain during the day and the sunniest areas tended to be in N Britain. Later in the afternoon and evening showers developed in S Britain, and these turned thundery in SW and Cent S England before midnight. However, the temperature remained around 15-16C in Cent S England at this time. (London 23C, Fyvie Castle 3C, Aberporth 16mm, Aberdeen 11h.)
Cloud cover increased across England, Wales and Ireland into the 2nd.Some rain fell, and it brought a light dusting of saharan dust/sand in parts of S England. Across Scotland there was some early light rain which turned more showery later in the morning, before more general rain affacted S Scotland in the evening. During late morning an area of heavy showers began affecting Sw England, and this was the prelude to thunderstorms that affected many parts of the Midlands, Wales and W Ireland, from the W in the morning and then moving NE towards the evening. In N England thunderstorms resulted in a tornado at Hoghton (Lancashire) with 30 houses being damaged. There were also reports of flooding on the M60 in Greater Manchester while in Coventry 15mm of rain fell in just under two hours at one stage. At Handleys Hitch (Shropshire) a whirlwind/ragged tornado was photographed. (London 22C, Fyvie Castle 4C, Coventry 15mm, Bournemouth 11.3h.)
There was a generally cloudy start to the 3rd in most areas. Some heavy rain affected S England by mid-morning, with widespread light rain and drizzle at this time across Ireland and W Scotland. Across N England thunderstorms developed later in the morning with the late morning and early afternoon sferics seeing reported from NE Ireland to E England. The storms produced some locally heavy rain, with Leeds reporting over 41mm of rain in less than two hours and marble-sized hail; the centre of Leeds was flooded for a while as were the local motorways. The storms and heavy rain then spread into S Scotland. To the S of the storms it was a warm day but it was cooler in N Scotland as rain and showers spread E from the W. (London 19C, Wick 3C, Eskdalemuir 22mm, Jersey 9.4h.)
Clearing skies early on the 4th in NW Scotland led to a ground frosts here; elsewhere there was a clear start to the day over much of Ireland and through parts of Cent England. Early light rain affected parts of NE and S England. The rain was the result of a weakening front that became slow-moving in the SE corner of England; further w high pressure led to a sunny days with mostly small amounts of cloud. In the afternoon cloud, and later rain and drizzle, spread into NW Scotland while in S England the lingering cloud mostly cleared in the evening and temperatures fell to 2-3C by midnight in East Anglia. (Great Malvern 17C, Altnaharra -1C, Lowestoft 10mm, Leuchars 10.4h.)
Clear skies early in the morning led to a ground in East Anglia and SE England on the 5th but by mid-morning much of Enbgland and Wales had joined Scotland under cloudy skies. The cloud brought some heavy rain across Scotland and N Ireland - the rain spread SE during the day but the heaviest rain spread no further S than Norfolk. Showers followed the rain in the N - Aberdeen reported a drop of 5C in one shower - while in S England where it remained mostly dry the afternoon was warm and sunny. (Lee-on-Solent 21C, Redhill -1C, Loch Glascarnoch 17mm, Falmouth 12.1h.)
The 6th began with some light rain clearing S Britain and S Ireland, and some moderate rain across Cent S Scotland. There were also some early showers over S Scotland but mostly clear skies elsewhere. As the day progressed further rain spread E across S Ireland and S Britain, while further N it tended to be showery. Gusts to 40kn accompanied the showers across N Scotland, while the rain arrived sufficiently late in the day in SE England to allow a sunny day in many blaces here. (Torquay 19C, Baltasound 3C, Buxton (Derbyshire) 11mm, Eastbourne 12h.)
During the 7th an area of low pressure pushed rapidly E across England, dragging a cold front S across England during the morning. Early rain and cloud across the S half of England cleared by midday, to be followed by a N'ly airflow that showery conditions to most areas. Clearer skies further N from early in the day meant a cold start to the morning in Scotland - this was followed by some heavy showers with gusts to 30kn. Heavy and blustery showers also affected E England later in the morning with some thunder also reported. Across S Ireland and S Britain many places had a sunny day after early cloud had cleared. Mrs Angela Edwards of Kings Lynn escaped virtually unharmed as a bolt of lightning surged through her as she stood at the sink, blowing sockets off the wall in her lounge and scattering debris across the room; a section of wall at the front of he home collapsed, sections of bark were stripped from her Poplar tree, and telephone lines were "frazzled" by the strike, leaving burned remains of the external wire on her front garden. Miraculously Mrs Edwards was not burned, suffering only an ache in her arm and neck - and her rubber-soled shoes and washing up gloves are being heralded as being what saved her from serious injury. (Lee-on-Solent 17C, Kinbrace 1C, Loch Glascarnoch 18mm, Bognor Regis 13.5h.)
Many parts of the British Isles had an early ground frost on the 8th under clear skies in a NW'ly airflow. Across Scotland showers were quite widespread by dawn, and these spread S as temperatures rose. Hail and thunder were a feature of some of these showers across parts of Scotland, and from N England to SE England. The showers died out in the evening, although they were rather slow to clear from parts of S England. In the Channel Islands there were long spells of unbroken sunshine. (Torquay 16C, Benson 0C, Loch Glascarnoch 14mm, Jersey 13.9h.)
The 9th dawned with little cloud over the British Isles. This led to a widespread ground frost with even an air frost in some parts. During the morning showers developed in many places, continuing through the afternoon before dying out in the evening. According to the Met Office the showers produced large hail in Cardiff and funnel clouds around Scilly. During the afternoon showers turned heavy and thundery in Kent and Sussex. The Channel Islands were also again almost cloudless. At Belmullet the MSL pressure had risen to 1025mb by 2400GMT. (Torquay 17C, Saughall -2C, Loch Glascarnoch 7mm, Guernsey 13.6h.)
A high pressure centre gradually spread E into the British Isles on the 10th. Most places had a clear start to the ay, except in E England where a trough brought some low cloud and light precipitation. There was a widespread ground frost across the British Isles - the Met Office reported a grass minimum temperature of -8C at Tulloch Bridge. At Dun Laoghaire 3C was the lowest May temperature for 8 years. Precipitation in the E spread S during the day with some thundery showers in SE England later. Most places had a sunny day despite some cloud development - this cloud then died out in the evening. Later in the afternoon and evening some frontal cloud spread E into N Scotland, with some light precipitation in places. (Torquay 16C, Katesbridge -4C, Scarborough 5mm, Isle of Man 14.5h.)
On the 11th high pressure continued to dominated the weather across much of the British Isles, while across N Scotland the day was rather more cloudy with some frontal precipitation. MSL pressure rose to 1028mb at 1200GMT in N Norfolk. Little overnight cloud away from Scotland meant another widespread ground frost. As temperatures rose cloud developed in these areas, while Scotland remained cloudy throughout the day - and the Channel Islands remained almost cloud-free. In the evening the cloud, except in Scotland, again died back. Some light rain fell during the day across N Scotland and the islands, but there were also sunny spells in Shetland at times. (Leuchars 16C, Woburn -3C, Baltasound 6mm, Jersey 14.2h.)
Into the 12th the cloud across Scotland largely cleared although some light precipitation continued to fall over Shetland. Some mist and fog patches formed by dawn in the E Midlands but soon cleared. The high pressure centred transferred N during the day - about 1029mb in N Scotland later in the day. Parts of S England were noticeably cloudy during the day, but in many places in the British Isles cloud amounts were small. In the E'ly airflow the dryness of the air was evident from the low dew points (down to -1C in places) across much of Britain. (Greenock 18C, Shap Fell -2C, Lerwick 2mm, Leuchars 14.2h.)
There was patchy cloud across the British Isles into the 13th; however across parts of Scotland there was an air frost in places. Many parts of Scotland and a few areas of N Ireland and N England had a bright and sunny day. Most other areas had a rather cloudy day as a frontal system spread cloud N, and also rain into the Channel Islands and S England. Some light rain also fell in parts of NE England in an onshore breeze. (Lee-on-Solent 18C, Kinbrace -4C, St Louis, Jersey 13mm, Stornoway 14.3h.)
Much of Scotland, N Ireland and NW England had a clear start to the 14th, with an air frost in parts of Scotland - cloud spread S through N Scotland during the day and into S Scotland in the evening, after many S parts of Scotland had had a warm and sunny day. S Ireland, SW England, S Wales and some E parts of England had a rather cloudy day - elsewhere across Ireland, Wales and England the day was also sunny. In SW England there were gusts to 30kn with some persistent rain in places. (Dalmally 20C, Kinbrace -3C, Teignmouth 17mm, Leuchars 15h.)
Many places in Cent England had clear skies into the 15th, with an air frost in a few favoured locations. However, across much of the British Isles the day was one of varying amounts of cloud and sunshine. Where the skies were clear temperatures rose upwards of 15C, and above 20C in a few locations in Scotland. In N Scotland there was drizzly rain or showers - some light rain also fell in parts of N Wales and N England. Cloud and rain also affected SW England for much of the day. (Strathallan 21C, Benson -2C, Torquay 9mm, Birmingham 13.6h.)
The 16th was a mostly cloudy day across the British Isles, and it was not until the late afternoon and evening that clear skies spread across Ireland and into NW England and parts of W Scotland. Low temperatures resulted in snow showers early in the morning at Lerwick. There was some early rain in N England which later cleared; across SE England, after a cloudy start, there was rain in the afternoon and this later spread into parts of SW England. (Torquay 19C, Lerwick 1C, Shoeburyness 5mm, Tiree 9.1h.)
Cloud and rain moved S into the 17th over S Wales and SW England while early showers affected parts of N Scotland and NE and E England. Across Ireland skies were largely clear by dawn, with a ground frost in places - there were also reports of an air frost over parts of Ireland, Scotland , N England and the Midlands where clear skies lingered. By mid-morning the cloud and rain had cleared the SW, but showers became more widespread across N Scotland, where they fell as snow over higher ground. Showers also affected SE Scotland, NE England and the Pennines during the day. (Torquay 16C, Saughall -4C, Baltasound 11mm, Torquay 11.4h.)
The 18th saw a marked changed to the weather as frontal systems spread NE across much of the British Isles. However, to start the day there were widespread clear skies over Scotland and E England, with the minimum temperature of -6.3C at Tulloch Bridge being a UK date record for 18th May - and it was also the lowest May temperature in the UK since 1995. However, by dawn much of SW Scotland, Ireland, wales and w england was under cloud with light rain falling in W Ireland. It remained cloudy and wet across ireland for much of the day, with rain also affecting W Britain later - although the cloud was slow to reach some places on the E side of Britain. (Cent London 16C, Tulloch Bridge -6C, Killowen 23mm, Aberdeen 13.8h.)
Overnight cloud and rain affected most places into the 19th, although clear skies for a while in Shetland allowed a temporary air frost here. Low pressure persisted to the W of Ireland throughout the day, driving a mostly mild SW airflow across the British Isles. For most places the day was generally cloudy throughout and parts of Scotland and S England saw rain for much of the day - hill or coastal fog was a problem, particularly in parts of NE and N Scotland. Gusts of 30kn accompanied the rain - although where the rain sstopped for a while and the sun shone temperatures rose to 17-20C. (Linton-on-Ouse 20C, Baltasound -1C, Glasgow 21mm, Lerwick 8.2h.)
A SW'ly air flow and cloudy skies meant that the 20th dawned without a ground frost - rain continued to affect the British Isles overnight and duyring the day. The low centre spread NE such that by 2400GMT separate centres wer lying from N Scotland to W of Ireland. Further fronts brought bands of rain to most areas from time to time during the day - with some high and coastal fog that was remarkably persisted across much of the Shetlands. The frontal rain turned thundery in Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire in the afternoon, and sferics later affected SE Scotland. During the evening the cloud died down in most areas and the showers eased off but NE Scotland and Cent S England remained cloudy with rain in the NE and fog continuing at Lerwick. (Coningsby 21C, Aboyne 5C, Eskdalemuir 21mm, Ross-on-Wye 9.1h.)
Low pressure to the N and W of the British Isles produced a SW airflow in most places on the 21st that drove troughs across S Ireland, England and Wales during the day. Despite early clear skies in many areas, temperatures were not too low generally, and as day dawned it was raining heavily over parts of SW England from the first trough. There were two lines of sferics during the day, from SW Ireland to NE Ireland during the afternoon and early evening, and also from SW England during mid-morning to East Anglia in early evening. There were also a few reports around the Channel Islands in the afternoon. Togther with this thundery tendency, there was some very heavy rain in parts of S England as the troughs passed - although the intensity did vary a lot from locality to locality. The Met Office reported tornadoes reported on the North Norfolk and Somerset coasts and the heavy rain was also accompanied by hail in places. N Ireland and Scotland had sunny spells between the showers while S england and S Wales remained generally cloudier. During the evening a shallow low spread E from Sole to S Wales. (Gravesend 19C, Katesbridge 0C, Saunton Sands 27mm, Isle of Man 13.3h.)
There were clear skies into the 22nd across parts of Scotland and Ireland, leading to a ground frost in places here. Elsewhere, the days dawned rather cloudy with some areas of light rain. As the morning developed, so too did the showers - there were also sferics in the afternoon across Scotland and SW England, and across parts of the Midlands and N England in the evening. The showers lingered into the late evening in places, but during the day they were interspersed with sunny spells. (Gravesend 18C, Tulloch Bridge -1C, Dunkeswell 18mm, Stornoway 14.3h.)
Low pressure across Ireland and later Scotland led to an unsettled 23rd. Early clear skies led to a ground frost on parts of Scotland but an area of moderate-to-heavy rain soon affected SW Scotland, with falls further S across N England and Ireland. Rain and heavy showers continued to affect Scotland, Ireland and parts of N England throughout the day, with snow reported in parts of the Highlands. Showers also spread into the N Midlands, Wales, SW and Cent S of England, while elsewhere in England it remained largely dry despite the presence of cloud. (Heathrow 18C, Katesbridge -1C, Shap Fell 22mm, Ross-on-Wye 14.0h.)
Further low pressure and frontal activity affected the British Isles on the 24th, albeit further S than on the previous day. Most places had a cloiudy night with rain across Ireland, Wales and England reaching E England by dawn. There were showers during the day in NW and N Scotland, and rain and showers across Ireland, Wales and N England/S Scotland. Spells of rain and drizzle also affected remaining areas of England, although it did brighten up later in the afternoon away from some S coast locations. By midnight further rain from a warm front was spreading N into S Ireland, while many coastal areas of SW England were turning foggy. (Heathrow 19C, Lough Fea 3C, Capel Curig 22mm, Kinloss 10.9h.)
With two fronts pushing slowly N over the British Isles on the 25th most places had a cloudy start. In many parts of England, Wales and S Ireland minimum temperatures remained above 10C as a warm front spread N. This front spread to NW Scotland by midnight giving a spell of rain and drizzle to many places, while low pressure spreading NE into Scotland brough a cold front across Ireland and W Scotland later in the day. There was heavy rain from SW Scotland to N Wales, but temperatures remained above 10C at sea level except across Shetland by midnight. (Jersey 25C, Aboyne 1C, Sloy 31mm, Herne Bay 8.0h.)
The cold front continued to spread SE across the British Isles during the 26th, before stalling across S and SE England later in the day. By dawn the front lay from SE Scotland to SW England, with places to the E having another warm night - to the W temperatures fell little below 10C in many places because of lingering cloud. There was some heavy frontal rain across scotland overnight but as the front speread SE rainfall amounts decreased. Behind the front Scotland and Ireland had a sunny day but showers continued to affect W areas of Scotland and NW Ireland. Cent S and SW England remained cloudy, and misty around the coasts, in the evening, while rain affected S Ireland as the front reversed and started to spread NW. (Gravesend 15C, Lerwick 11C maximum, Castlederg 6C minimum, Aultbea 47mm, Jersey 12.6h.)
As the front spread NW there was rain over w parts of Wales and over S Ireland early on the 27th; further N other frontal activity gave spells of rain and rather cool and dull day to N England, N Ireland and much of Scotland. The cloud soon broke up across much of S and Cent England to give a very warm day away from the coasts. In parts of SE England temperatures were the highest in May for over 50 years with 31C being recorded in London. However, rain and drizzle affected most of Ireland and Scotland throughout the day, with afternoon temperatures some 15C lower here, and it was also much cooler in some places bordering the English Channel. In the late afternoon there were thunderstorms in E Yorkshire, while low pressure reaching S Ireland by midnight also spread rain (and 40kn gusts) into SW England by then. (Cent London 31.7C, Lough Fea 8C maximum, Kinbrace 2C minimum, St Angelo 12mm, Herne Bay 13.1C)
The low spread from SW Ireland to Shetland during the 28th, gradually drawing the rain areas to the E and NE as it did so. However, it took a while for rather breezy conditions in W and N parts of the British Isles to clear (at 1200GMT MSL pressure was down to about 992mb near Tiree), while sferics were reported over N Scotland around dawn as the bulk of the day's rain passed through. Further rain affected Scotland during the day, and there were showers across Ireland and N England - these had died down by late evening and skies then soon cleared everywhere, except over Scotland and an area of Cent S England and S Wales. (Lowestoft 23C, Lerwick 6C maximum, Baltasound 3C minimum, Barra 26mm, Cromer 13.5h.)
The 29th brought some light rain across Scotland, but generally drier conditions further S as a small area of high pressure became centred over Cornwall (1021mb at 1200GMT). Cloud developed in most areas during the morning to give a few showers across Ireland and Scotland - these largely died out in the evening although some light rain and drizzle persisted throughout the evening in the Northern Isles. In Essex, Kent and Sussex there was patchy rain in the later afternoon and evening as cloud spread N from France here. (Torquay 19C, Redhill 3C, Lerwick 5mm, Anglesey 13.1h.)
Rain, thundery in places, spread N in E England early on the 30th. These storms turned heavy with a small tornado reported near Ely in Cambridgeshire, and another (unconfirmed) seen near Althorne in Essex. Showers also affected E Scotland, and parts of the Midlands and NE England. Showers were also widespread over Ireland, with light rain sopreading into NW Wales in the evening. However, most other areas of Britain had a bright and dry day. (Bournemouth 20C, Eskdalemuir -1C, Wattisham 24mm, Newquay 13.3h.)
A ridge of high pressure brought a mostly fine start to the 31st, with clear skies giving an air frost in parts of Scotland. There were a copule of early bands of showers that also gave cloudy skies early on for parts of N Britain while low cloud and a few fog patches featured early in the day across S Ireland, SW and Cent S England, and S Wales. Further showers affected parts of S Scotland and E England, and later in the day the cloud in the SW corner of the British Isles spread further NE, with patchy rain affecting much of ireland and parts of S Wales by midnight. Elsewhere, the day was largely dry and sunny. (Heathrow 20C, Kinbrace -1C, Leuchars 6mm, Hastings 13.2h.)
The warm sector extended N into Cent Scotland during the morning of the 2nd, and then cooler air spread E across Ireland and W Scotland. This made for a cloudy day in most places; there was also fog at times in many coastal areas. Rain spread N across Scotland during the morning, and there was also early rain in W Ireland. Further S in the warm sector light rain and drizzle affected England and Wales - this tended to ease off in the afternoon, while across N Scotland the rain persisted once it arrived and lingered throughout the rest of the day. In the evening rain in W Scotland and W Ireland was accompanied by a strenthening wind as pressure fell. (Jersey 23C, Fair Isle 5C, South Uist 25mm, Jersey 7h.)
A complex area of low pressure developed across the British Isles on the 3rd. Thunderstorms in the early hours affected Kent and lingered for much of the morning. Much of S England and Scotland dawned cloudy with frontal rain across N Scotland and showery conditions across E Ireland that spread E later. Further thunderstorms developed along this front, affecting parts of south Wales and England in the second half of the afternoon - with showers in those places that missed the thunder. Around Norfolk there were reports of some heavy evening rain. The rain lessened across N Scotland in the afternoon - leaving rather misty conditions in places. (London 23C, Lerwick 7C, Margate 31mm, Leuchars 9h.)
Low pressure continued to dominate the weather on the 4th. A generally cloudy night led to mostly high minimum temperatures, and the low pressure led to a showery morning across Ireland. Rain and showers affected parts of Britain too, and the met office reported a rather persistent line of heavy and thundery rain extending from central Scotland towards the Borders and Northumberland. Into the evening showers tended to die down and the cloud partially cleared temporarily across an area of Ireland, and parts of W Britain. (Heathrow 20C, Tulloch Bridge 3C, Cromer 32mm, Guernsey 11h.)
Into the 5th showers continued lingered across N England and Scotland, and while most other areas were dry, rain spread into SW England and SW Ireland by dawn. While it remained mostly cloudy throughout the day, the late afternoon and evening saw a cleaarance of the cloud over NW Ireland W Scotland as pressure started to rise - 1023.1mb at stornoway by 2400GMT. S Ireland, and increasing areas of S England and S wales had a cloudy day with rain and drizzle at times. Some heavy showers affected Scotland, NE England and East Anglia, before dying out in the evening. (Herne Bay 20C, Lerwick 4C, Boulmer 16mm, Lerwick 9.7h.)
Although many areas had a cloudy start to the 6th, there were clear skies across parts of NW Ireland NW Scotland that allowed local air frosts in the latter region. There was some light rain and drizzsle overnight across S Ireland, S Wales and S England but this generally cleared up during the morning, although it lingered into the afternoon over the Channel Islands. Skies gradually cleared from the N, and by midnight cloud was confined only to a few spots of SE Ireland, NE England and Cent S England. This clearance was due to high pressure (1035mb over S Scotland at midnight). (Castlederg 20C, Altnaharra -1C, Saunton Sands 17mm, Stornoway 14h.)
A generally clear night led to an air frost in sheltered areas into the 7th; the Met Office reported that Benson experienced its lowest June temperature ever recorded, with -0.3C beating the previous low of 0.0C recorded in 1962. By dawn some cloud was evident across S Ireland and the Northern Isles, in particular. This produced some light rain and drizzle in SW Ireland and over W and N Scotland, as the cloud in the N spread to cover much of Scotland by the evening. Elsewhere, cloud was comprised mostly a cirrus veil. With high pressure and slight winds it felt warm, except around some coasts where sea breezes kept temperature a little lower than inland. At midnight MSL pressure was as high as 1038.2mb in parts of East Anglia. (St Angelo 21C, Aboyne -1C, Baltasound 0.6mm, Torquay 14h.)
Continuing high pressure brought a sunny day to many plaaces on the 8th. Scotland and W Ireland dawned with some cloud, and light rain in W Ireland and parts of N and W Scotland. Ireland and scotland saw the bulk of the cloud for the remainder of the day, although it cleared across E Scotland and most of Ireland in the evening. There was also some cloud in NE England, with cirrus further S. There was some further light rain in W Ireland and W and N Scotland during the day but elsewhere it was a dry day. At midnight MSL pressure ranged from 1028.2mb at Lerwick to 1036mb off S Ireland. (Church Fenton 23C, Redhill 1C, Lerwick 3mm, Oxford 15.3h.)
At dawn on the 9th cloud was largely confined to Scotland and parts of Ireland, with a ground frost in parts of S England under clear skies. The cloud brought some rain to N Scotland, but away from a more-showery Shetland, this had largely stopped by midday. Cloud extended s across the British Isles during the day as the high pressure centre migrated to the W of Ireland - although the cloud was due to a cold front there was very little precipitation after early morning from it. (Heathrow and Inverbervie 23C, Redhill 1C, Loch Glascarnoch 3mm, Newquay 15.3h.)
With the frontal cloud continuing to spread S early on the 10th, breaking up as it did so, many parts of NW Ireland and W Scotland dawned clear. There was a ground frost in parts of Scotland before it clouded over, with a few light showers during the morning, especially over Shetland. The afternoon and evening saw cloud clearing, first across much of Scotland and then further S - although further cloud and showers did affect parts of Scotland into the evening. (Bournemouth 23C, Kinbrace 0C, Lerwick 1mm, Lerwick 14.4h.)
Air pressure gradually fell during the 11th across the British Isles. Meanwhile, there was a cloudy start to the day in parts of Britain - with some light rain near the NE coast of England and in N Scotland. Areas of cloud fed across the UK on a cool northerly breeze. The best of the sunshine was in the more sheltered western areas. This rain, and showers, gradually died out in the morning across NE England but persisted across N Scotland. Britain remained with cloudy skies for much of the day, although much of the cloud was high; in contrast, Ireland had very little cloud throughout the day, as did parts of W wales and NW England. (Torquay 22C, Lerwick 9C maximum, Woburn 1C minimum, Baltasound 2mm, Anglesey 14.5h.)
Much of Britain had a rather cloudy start to the 12th, although skies were clearer over S Ireland. Bands of showers in a N'ly wind affected many areas during the day, although amounts of rain were often small. Even where it remained dry, the combination of the wind and the cloud led to a cool day, especially close to the North Sea. Showers developed across Scotland and N England by late morning, and as they spread S they became thundery in places - with some heavy falls in parts of Yorkshire. During the evening most of the showers died down, with cloud becoming confined to Scotland and E England; a low pressure to the E of orkney led to continuing falls of moderate rain in N and NE Scotland at this time, however. (Teignmouth 20C, Leconfield 9C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch 3C minimum, Leuchars 12mm, Guernsey 14.1h.)
Low pressure moved slowly S over waters close to E Scotland and NE England during the 13th. This meant a cloudy start to the day across Scotland, N Ireland and N England - but clearer skies further S with a local ground frost in places. Overnight rain in E Scotland was moderate to heavy, and as the day progressed the cloud spread S to East Anglia, followed by the (weakening) rain - which also affected parts of N and W Ireland. Over Scotland the rain turned to showers during the day, while much of S England and SE Ireland had a sunny day with patchy cloud. (Gravesend 20C, Benson 0C, Lossiemouth 26mm, Weymouth 14.9h.)
Low pressure continued to affect the British Isles on the 14th, although the centre to the E was replaced by low pressure to the W during the day, resulting in a change in wind direction from N/NW to S/SW. Overnight rain continued across N Ireland, and also in parts of S Scotland and N England. With low pressure becoming widespread, so too did the cloud cover with the best of the sunshine during the day being over the SE corner of England. The early rain gradually spread N into Scotland during the day, while in the evning further rain spread NE into S Ireland and SW England as cloud spread as far E and Cent S England. (Gravesend 21C, Loch Glascarnoch 2C, Belfast 14mm, Eastbourne 14.8h.)
During the 15th low pressure and fronts pushed NE across the British Isles; this led to a generally cloudy start to the day with a spell of rain everywhere, although this was mostly light in the SE. Behind the rain it turned showery with brighter skies - the showers were more evident in the W, while in the E they turned thundery in a few places. The rain was slow to clear Shetland, where the second half of the day was quite misty also, while further frontal cloud and rain spread into S Ireland and SW England later in the evening. (Heathrow 21C, Redhill 6C, Tulloch Bridge 27mm, Guernsey 10.7h.)
A rather cloudy night meant no low temperatures at dawn on the 16th; overnight rain spread to N Ireland, N England and S Scotland, while early rain over Shetland had cleared by dawn to leave mist in places. there was also rain in SW and Cent S England at dawn that spread gradually to E England, leaving mist and fog around some coasts. For most areas it was a rather cloudy day, although it turned drier in many places later. However, in S Scotland the rain became heavier later in the day. By midnight fronts lay across S Scotland, Ireland and Cent England, with temperatures of 16-18C over S Ireland and much of England and Wales - with lingering coastal fog in places. (Ashford (Co. Wicklow) 25C, Kinbrace 7C, Lerwick 26mm, Herne Bay 8.2h.)
The 17th saw high pressure building over the British Isles (1029mb over the S North Sea at 2400GMT), with the early frontal systems rapidly weakening as a result. Rather general cloud early in the day, away from N Scotland, mean a mild start to the day. Overnight minimum temperatures included Coltishall 17.2C, Shawbury and Heathrow 17.3C. There was some early mist, fog and drizzle in S England and S Ireland and, although the drizzle had mostly gone by midday, coastal fog and mist lingered in places. A lingering front meant some late light rain in parts of Scotland, but to the S of this front it was a warm and rather humid day; across S parts of Ireland, Wales and England dew points at 1500GMt were as high as 17-19C. (Shoeburyness 28C, Fair Isle 13C maximum, Kinbrace 2C minimum, Stonyhurst 8mm, Lerwick 11.9h.)
Overnight into the 18th it was cloudy in many places, with rain in N Scotland but some clear skies in the SE corner of England. For most it was a mild night, with overnight minimum temperatures including Coltishall 16.5C, Aldergrove 16.9C and Gogarbank 17.0C. Although the anticyclone weakened across Ireland, cloud cleared across much of England, wales and SE Scotland to give a warm or hot day. Across Ireland and much of Scotland it was rather cloudy and fronts spread rain into W Ireland and W Scotland during the afternoon and evening. As this rain spread E it turned thundery in the evening over E Ireland and in parts of W Scotland. Under clear skies it remained warm further E, with temperatures of 21C in parts of NE England at midnight. (London 30C, Lerwick 14C maximum, Lerwick 9C minimum, Lerwick 11mm, Herne Bay 14.9h.)
The 19th had a warm start everywhere; overnight minimum temperatures included Prestwick 18.2C, Lyneham 18.4C and Guernsey 20.9C. The day dawned cloudy across much of Ireland, Scotland and in parts of Wales. Thunderstorms moved from N Ireland to NE Scotland in the early morning, with some heavy rain falling in W Scotland. Cloud cleared from Ireland from the morning onwards, and from W Scotland later in the day. Much of England and Wales had a very hot day, with 33.1C in London making it the hottest June day there since 1976, with almost unbroken sunshine in places. During the afternoon thunderstorms developed in the West Midlands, Wales and N England and spread NE. Golfball and walnut-size hail was seen in the West Midlands (5cm diameter hail seen at Wolaston, near Stourbridge). Heavy rain was more widespread, with localised flooding, especially in parts of Yorkshire. Here, 59.8mm of rain fell in 60 minutes at Hawnby, out of a three-hour fall of 69.4mm. Villages were cut off, roads washed away and nine people were reported missing at one point. Two RAF helicopters were scrambled to rescue the missing people when they were tracked down in the market town of Helmsley, which was worst hit. Drivers were forced to abandon their cars and climb trees to escape rising waters after the River Rye burst its banks. The thunderstorms resulted in some large falls in temperature; at Tipton from 30.6C at 1300GMT to 22.9C at 1700GMT. The heatwave led to four drowning incidents as people tried to cool off in the sea, in lakes and in rivers. (Cent London 33C, Fair Isle 15C maximum, Fair Isle 9C minimum, Hawarden 43mm, Eastbourne 15.5h.)
Temperatures into the 20th remained high, and overnight minima included Langdon Bay 19.7C and Heathrow 19.8C. At Wokingham the 24-hour minimum temperature ending 0900GMT of 18.8C was the highest in a composite June record going back to 1913. Similarly 18.5C at Luton was the highest in June since at least 1900. Parts of Scotland and N England had a misty start to the day, while in the London-Surrey-Kent area early storms spread NE towards Norfolk during the morning. There was also some thundery activity very early in the day in NE England. Elsewhere, the day was mostly dry apart from some light rain and a few showers in parts of W Scotland and W Ireland. During the evening more extensive rain spread into parts of Ireland and W Scotland. (Cent London 28C, Aboyne 7C, Newcastle 21mm, Torquay 14.8h.)
The 21st brought a NW-SE split to the weather. After another warm start it was a generally warm and dry day across England and Wales. There was a cloudy start across Ireland and Scotland with rain, this being heavy at times in W Scotland. Rain cleared from Ireland and then Scotland, before further rain reached Ireland in the afternoon - spreading to W Scotland during the evening. There was a misty start to the day in parts of the Northern Isles, and the rain then lingered once it arrived in the morning. (Gravesend 26C, Shobden 7C, Sloy 19mm, Newquay 13.6h.)
The 22nd brought a smog warning for many parts of England from the government. A combination of air pollution and warm weather created high ozone levels across London, SE England, East Anglia and Cent England. There was a cloudy start to the day across Scotland, and in parts of Ireland and S Wales. Early rain across Scotland and N Ireland spread N, to be followed by a drier interlude (except in NW Scotland) before further rain reached W Ireland and W Scotland from the W. The first area of rain fell from a warm front, and with nearly clear skies across much of England, Wales and E Ireland throughout the day it was warm here away from the sea. SW England and a few other places bordering the Irish Sea had a misty start to the day, but visibility soon improved. (Cent London 30C, Redhill 9C, South Uist 19mm, Jersey 15.1h.)
Scotland and Ireland dawned cloudy in the W on the 23rd with some light rain and drizzle. This was associated with two fronts that made slow progress to the E as the day developed. Across most of England and Wales there was a bright and sunny start to the day, leading to a warm day with humid conditions in some extreme E areas. As the fronts spread SE, troughts developed in the air ahead of them, with thundery conditions in the Channel Islands and Cent S England in the evening. Some of the lightning displays in Dorset were noted as being unusually vivid. (Gravesend 32C, Foula 12C maximum, Redhill 7C minimum, Lusa 11mm, Eastbourne 15.3h.)
Troughs continued to bring thundery activity to England and Wales on the 24th, as the fronts continued to make slow progress SE. The thundery was widespread S of a line liverpool-Hull, although parts of W wales and East Anglia did escape the storms. The storms began early in the day across SW England, and spread E and NE as the day developed, although distinct lines of storms were evident. There was an unofficial report of 75mm in 2 hours at Plympton (Devon) while in Exmouth there was a report of ball-lightning, according to the Met Office. There were unconfirmed reports of a tornado in Coventry during another storm. The Holiday Inn in Fareham (Hampshire) was struck by lightning during this afternoon's series of thunderstormsl the hotel reception, kitchens, conference rooms and restaurant were gutted before 100 fire-fighters could bring it under control. Fortunately, the staff and guests were all safely evacuated. Although the temperatures fell during the storms, in Kent it remained warm and humid all day with some places here excaping the storms. Across Ireland there was a misture of rain, showers and sunshine, while N England was cloudy with some rain in the NE. S Scotland had spells of rain, while much of N Scotland had a dry day behind the fronts. (Herne Bay 32C, Aboyne 5C, Teignmouth 52mm, Herne Bay 13.3h.)
The 25th was a generally cloudy day across the British Isles. Rain continued overnight across England, with some further thunder in the Midlands, and there was also some light rain in parts of Ireland and Scotland. Cloud was slow to clear in Ireland, away from the SW. Scotland too, remained cloudy in many places until later in the day. The SE half of England remained cloudy throughout the day with misty conditions in places even after light rain and drizzle had cleared; in some places this precipitation continued intermittently until the late afternoon, while further thundery showers affected SW England later in the afternoon. Later in the afternoon there was a clearance in the cloud across much if Ireland, SW Scotland, NW England and N Wales. At Warstock 66.7mm of rain fell in the 27-hour period ending 0900GMT, 32.5mm of which occurred in the last nine hours. (Weymouth 23C, Islay 7C, Coventry 27mm, Tiree 4.9h.)
High pressure spread across the British Isles on the 26th, giving a clear start to the day in many places away from S and E England, S Wales and S Ireland. Heavy showers over Cornwall and Devon turned thundery over Scilly, and there was some rain and drizzle across N Scotland during the day. Elsehwre the day was generally dry, and the cloud in S and E parts gradually broke up as the day developed. MSL pressure reached almost 1030mb in W Ireland in the afternoon. (Aboyne 24C, Altnaharra 5C, Scilly 38mm, Torquay 14.7h.)
Away from Scotland and N Ireland there was little cloud by dawn on the 27th; the cloud brought some light rain to Scotland but this had generally cleared by midday. There was, however, some thundery activity around 0600GMTin S Cornwall, but this soon died away. The cloud persisted across N and Cent Scotland until mid-afternoon, while the rest of the British Isles had a mostly warm and sunny day, with only high cloud. Cloud did linger throughout the afternoon and evening in parts of N and W Scotland throughout the day and evening, and thunderstorms spread to the Channel Islands late in the evening. At Ashford (Co. Wicklow) the day began with a grass minimum temperature of -2.0C and then, despite 15.8h of sunshine, the air temperature only rose to 17.8C in an E'ly wind. (Lee-on-Solent 27C, Katesbridge 1C, Camborne 9mm, Ronaldsway 16.2h.)
The thunderstorms in the Channel Islands died out during the early hours of the 28th, with a few reports of thunder and lightning over Hampshire shortly afterwards. Scotland and N Ireland dawned cloudy with light rain, drizzle and some mist and fog - elsewhere there was a bright start to the day, once early cloud had cleared from Cent S England. During the morning cloud spread across much of Ireland, with a few rain showers; cloud and thundery activity developed across SW England at this time and these soon spread N and E with thunder occurring widely across most of wales, S and Cent England by midnight. N England and much of Scotland (except in the N) had a mostly sunny day once early cloud had cleared; S Ireland had a rather cloudy day with some thunder in the SE, while there were sunny spells later in the N. (Jersey 30C, Capel Curig 4C, Bournemouth 14mm, Buxton (Derbyshire) 16h.)
With thunderstorms continuing in parts of E England early on the 29th, there was a generally cloudy start to the day across much of the British Isles. During the day there were scattered thunderstorms across Ireland, Wales and England, especially in E England. According to the Met office, 20mm fell in 60 minutes at Pershore during one storm. The Northern Isles had a rather foggy start to the day, and this lingered in places under cloudy skies that also gave rain and drizzle. In W Scotland skies cleared in the morning and some places here then had a very sunny day; elsewhere in Scotland it was generally cloudy with some rain. (Herne Bay 27C, Aboyne 6C, Trawscoed 22mm, Stornoway 13h.)
The 30th dawned mostly cloudy with some thick fog in parts of the Midlands and N England. With the cloud remaining for much of the day, it was generally not very sunny over the British Isles. However, the afternoon did see skies clearing across Ireland and this clearance spread to much if Wales, NW England and the Midlands later in the evening. The cloud brought showers to many areas during the day, with thunderstorms in the afternoon in East Anglia, NE England and SE Scotland in particular. There were also reports of a tornado at Leeming. The evening saw fog becoming widespread in the Northern Isles and in E coast areas of mainland Scotland. (Church Fenton 23C, Shap Fell 10C, Port Ellen 32mm, Skegness 7h.)
The 2nd saw a warm front spreading N across Britain, with further fronts moving E over ireland later in the day as pressure started to fall. Away from Scotland it was a mostly cloudy night, and this cloud spread into S Scotland towards dawn. There was some mist and drizzle in S Britain and S Ireland. The cloud continued to spread N during the morning into N Scotland, while the drizzle and mist in the S largely cleared as the sun broke through the clouds. The afternoon brought heavier rain into W Scotland and W Ireland, and this spread to parts of E Scotland, Wales and SW England by midnight - by which times skies across much of Ireland had cleared and showers had started to affect coastal areas of W Scotland and W Ireland. (Church Fenton 25C, Aviemore 3C, Barra 11mm, Edinburgh 9.4h.)
Overnight cloud had cleared from all but E and S England by dawn on the 3rd, although some cloud and rain also lingered over NW Scotland - where pressure remained low and gusts to 60kn were reported. The cloud over SE England was accompanied by some rain (which had generally stopped by midday but did cause some disruption at Wimbledon) and a few showers developed around dawn in SW Ireland. The wind in NW Scotland eased during the day, but showers affected W Scotland and much of Ireland before they tended to die out in the afternoon. However, further showers and longer spells of rain and drizzle spread into S Ireland, S Wales and SW England in the evening as a shallow low centre became identifiable over SW Scotland. A few sferics were reported in the afternoon over Cent and E Ireland and SW Scotland. (Herne Bay 24C, Lough Fea 9C, Lusa 13mm, Torquay 13.7h.)
For part of the 4th parts of the British Isles sat under a col, as one low centre pushed E across the area and another pushed E towards Ireland. Once some early showers had died out, much of Ireland and Scotland had a night with only small amounts of cloud; England and Wales was cloudier with light to moderate rain spreading E. As the cloud and rain spread E across England it was followed by showers, that also affected parts of Scotland and Ireland. These showers turned thunder in the afternoon over parts of S England and Essex, with a few reports of hail. At Old Woking (Surrey) hail up to a centimetre in diameter fell for about 10 minutes, pulverising the leaves of some garden plants; some hail lay on the grass for up to an hour. Later in the afternoon the showers cleared from the W, before further cloud spread into W Ireland from the Atlantic. A funnel cloud was seen at 1145h in N England not far from Scottish border near Featherstone, and there are unconfirmed reports of tornadoes from the Morecambe and Dudley areas. (Torquay 20C, Castlederg 3C, Lowestoft 29mm, Tiree 14.6h.)
Low pressure dominated the weather on the 5th, giving many a rather cloudy day. Many places awoke to current or recent rain, although Ireland was rather more showery and East Anglia relatively cloud-free. Cloud increased across East Anglia during the morning from the W, and rain cleared E across England and Wales during the day to affect just E England later in the evening. Scotl;and had a generally cloud day with frontal rain affecting the N and NE in particular. According to the Met Office about 9mm of rain fell in Blackpool in about one hour. A farmer, sheltering by a trailer near the A64 just NE of York said he was lifted into the air by a tornado, and then dropped to the ground; a funnel cloud was sighted near Ballymena. (Leuchars 20C, Tulloch Bridge 4C, Cromer 35mm, Hastings 7.3h.)
Low pressure close to the coast of E Britain into the 6th meant a rather cloudy start to the day, with rain in the E; there was heavy rain in E Scotland that later spread S into NE England and East Anglia. There was rain and showers early in the day in W Scotland and across Ireland. In parts of E Britain rain and showers continued into the evening in places, with the best of the sunshine being mostly across SW Scotland, Wales and W England (away from the SW), while some windward-facing coastal areas had gusts to 35kn in the NW wind. (Thorney Island 22C, Stornoway 8C, Boulmer 48mm, Guernsey 10.3h.)
The 7th dawned with light rain falling in E England, and light rain and drizzle across W Ireland and W Scotland, the latter precipitation being due to a warm front that spread slowly E across W Britain during the day. With rising pressure in the E, the rain here had generally cleared by midday, and many parts of Cent and N England and SE Scotland had a bright day. In S England there were some heavy showers later in the day; after a bright start in E Scotland cloud spread from the W to give a cloudy end to the day in many parts of Scotland - although amounts of rain were mostly small. (Bournemouth 22C, Loch Glascarnich 2C, Coningsby 20mm, Jersey 12.6h.)
A pair of weakening warm fronts affected W parts of the British Isles on the 8th, with high pressure prevailing in E Scotland. This resulted in a mostly cloudy day with some light rain in Ireland and W and Cent Scotland - falls were small, however, and the cloud cleared in many E and cent parts of these two countries in the evening. Cloud also affected E England in an onshore breeze, while elsewhere the day was largely bright and dry. (Keswick 25C, Shap Fell 5C, Tiree 6mm, Lerwick 13.1h.)
High pressure meant a largely dry day on the 9th, although N and W Scotland and W Ireland had some drizzle from a weak frontal system that became confined to NW Scotland in the evening. Early cloud across E England cleared slowly back to the E coast during the morning and afternoon; the early cloud also resulted in a few showers in the SE corner of England early in the day. Elsewhere, the day was mostly dry and bright although some fog affected coastal areas of W Ireland later in the day as MSL pressure rose to 1030mb by midnight here. (Cardiff 26C, Redesdale 5C, Hastings 6mm, Eskdalemuir 14.6h.)
Developing high pressure on the 10th meant a mostly dry and sunny day across the British Isles - with temperatures reaching 28C across S and Cent England and a MSL pressure of 1034mb on the N Irish coast at 2400GMT. The notable exception to this sunny scene was Scotland which was rather cloudy due to a lingering front in the N. The front resulted in some rain and showers in N Scotland and mist and fog around the Northern Isles. Some cloud also affected parts of N Ireland, N England and N Wales during the day. (Lee-on-Solent 30C, Trawscoed 10C, Lerwick 3mm, Torquay 14.9h.)
MSL pressure reached 1035mb off Northumberland at 1200GMT on the 11th, as high pressure continued top prevail. There was some cloud, light rain and fog over the Northern Isles, the latter persisting over shetland for much of the day. Cloud also affected the E coast of E England and East Anglia; elsewhere it was a sunny day with almost cloudless skies and temperatures rose to 28C and above at many inland areas as far N as the NE Highlands. (Bolton 30C, Tyndrum 9C, Lerwick 2mm, Anglesey 15.4h)
High pressure again meant almost cloudless skies for many places on the 12th. Overnight, cloud developed across the SE corner of England and there was mist and drizzle in parts of NE England. Cloud from cold fronts also spread SE across Scotland, and later N Ireland, during the day. There was some convective cloud development during the day over Ireland, and close to the Pennines some thunderstorms developed, with 16mm falling in an hour at Shap Fell. Convective showers also affacted S Wales and SE Scotland. It was again hot across inland areas of England, Wales and Ireland, but cooler across much of Scotland due to the cloud and the cold front. (Hulme (Manchester) 30C, Kinbrace 9C, Shap Fell 30mm, Isle of Man 16h.)
The cold fronts weaked during the 13th in the high pressure. Scotland and Ireland had a rather cloudy day, although the cloud cleared across Ireland later on, and there was some light rain and drizzle herefrom the weakening front. Cloud and some mist again affected E England for much of the day, and after a hot day across across much of England and E Wales thunderstorms developed in East Anglia - the Met Office reported 13mm of rain in an hour at Andrewsfield. (Charlwood 31C, Shap Fell 9C, Andrewsfield 13mm, Falmouth 15.2h.)
Fronts spread SE on the 14th, introducing cooler conditions from the NW to Scotland and N Ireland by the end of the day. The fronts meant a cloudy start for Scotland and the cloud spread slowly SE, with some rain and drizzle in W Scotland and NW Ireland that gradually spread SE too. Thundery rain fell in SE Scotland during the afternoon ahead of the front and rain also fell in NW England later. England again had another sunny and hot day, away from the N, and this caused thundery developments in the E Midlands and East Anglia during the late afternoon and evening. (Gravesend 32C, Shap Fell 10C, Dundrennan 12mm, Falmouth 15.4h.)
The cold front weakened as it pushed SE during the 15th; N England and N wales saw some light rain overnight, as did parts of S Ireland. The SE corner of England had a mostly warm night and then a warm day. Cloud was mostly confined to N Ireland and N Britain during the day, but with some broken cover in the S resulting from the front. Some thundery showers occurred in East Anglia in the late morning associated with the front but falls of rain were slight. Away from the frontal cloud, many S districts had a sunny day, and cloud cover then decreased in S and E Scotland during the evening. (Heathrow 28C, Redhill 9C, Lowestoft 5mm, Torquay 15.3h.)
The 16th began with variable amounts of cloud across the British Isles, and some cold air in parts of E Scotland. The cloud across England was the result of a weakening front and cleared later - across Scotland the cloud was more persistent and caused slight rain and drizzle in places, especially in the N. Mist and fog also affected the Northern Isles. By mid-afternoon S and Cent Ireland, and almost all of England and Wales was free of cloud and a bright afternoon and evening followed. (Herstmonceux 25C, Eskdalemuir and Braemar 4C, Fair Isle 2mm, Isle of Wight 15h.)
The 17th began with mostly cloudy skies across Scotland and W Ireland, with rain and drizzle in the W. Elsewhere it was mostly clear overnight and after a mild night temperatures across much of england and wales had reached 19-22C by 0900GMT. This cloud-clear split continued for much of the day, although some cloud did affect SW Wales and SW England in places in the evening. It remained damp, too, across N and W Scotland and in parts of W Ireland, and a few showers affected N England. (London 30C, Redhill 7C, Stornoway 8mm, Torquay 15.4h.)
Scotland and parts of Ireland again dawned clody on the 18th with rain across Scotland and more showery conditions over Ireland. Fronts spread E during the day reaching wales in the late morning and followed by showers. Ahead of the fronts it was anothger hot day in SE England and East Anglia and this resulted in some heavy showers to the W of London and thunderstorms in E England. During the evening, behind the fronts, cloud and showers both died down althogh W Scotland was still fairly cloudy by midnight. (Gravesend 28C, Redhill 9C, Kirkwall 20mm, Cromer 13.2h.)
The 19th was a day of sunshine and showers, with the showers largely concentrated over Ireland, Scotland and parts of W England. Over Scotland and Ireland these showers merged to give longer, heavier period of rain in places, while many parts of E England remained totally dry. Later in the evening an area of rain and drizzle also affected SW England, with light falls continuing in parts of Scotland. (Heathrow 24C, Aboyne 5C, Lusa 18mm, London 10.8h.)
SW England and S Wales had rain and drizzle in places during the morning and early afternoon of the 20th, and there was also a damp start to the day in parts of W Scotland. The rainfall intensity in both these areas decreased as the day progressed, but an area of further rain and drizzle was rather more widespread over S Ireland during the day. As temperatures rose, showers also affected parts of NE England and East Anglia. However, pressure rose in most places during the day, the MSL pressure being 1028mb in SW Ireland by midnight. (Heathrow 25C, Wick 8C, Loch Glascarnoch 15mm, Ross-on-Wye 10.8h.)
There was a clear start to the 21st across much of E and Cent England, but the day began rather cloiudy elsewhere with some mist and light precipitation in places. During the day the cloud spread S into E England while decreasing in extent across Ireland. Light precipitatiuon continued across N Scotland in particular, but amounts were only small. During the afternoon the cloud tended to clear from Wales and SW England and much of S and Cent England had a warm afternoon. (Lee-on-Solent 28C, Shobdon 7C, Aultbea 2mm, Eastbourne 15.4h.)
Precipitation on the 22nd was light and scattered. There was some light rain and drizzle across NE Scotland and down the E coast of England during the morning, with light rain at times in Ireland and in parts of N wales and around the Pennines during the day. Elsewhere, the day was dry despite rather extensive cloud. The rain turned more continuous across S Ireland in the evening as a front crossed the area, and this rain reached Cornwall by midnight. (Sloy 24C, Benson 7C, Leek 1mm, Isle of Wight 14.5h.)
During the 23rd low pressure developed to the SW of the British Isles and frontal rain affected S and Cent Ireland, Wales and SW England by midnight. At Valentia 23mm of rain fell in the period 0600-1800GMT. By mid-morning rain was falling across much of Ireland and in parts of SW and Cent S England, with light falls in NE and E Scotland. As the day progressed the rain across Ireland tended to retreat S, and clear skies developed across W and S Scotland, and over N wales and NW England. In parts of E Scotland the rain lingered for much of the day.Much of S and E England remained cloudy, and rain affectd SW England and later S Wales, for a large part of the day. (Charlwood 24C, Tyndrum 5C, Culdrose 9mm, Tiree 11.3h.)
The 24th saw an area of rain, heavy in places, pushing from S Ireland across S England and the Midlands towards Lincolnshire and East Anglia. The rain fell from fronts associated with a complex area of low pressure and was thundery in parts of the SE Wales and the SW Midlands. Further N it was generally a dry day, although some rain and showers fell over N and NE Scotland. In a mostly N'ly flow here, Scotland had a cloudy day in the E but it was bright in W Scotland and later across N and Cent Ireland after the rain cleared. Other large rainfall totals in S Ireland in the 24 hours to 1800GMT included 58mm at Rosslare and 64mm at Roches Point. (St Angelo 23C, Redesdale 3C, Cork 74mm, Tiree 14.8h.)
A mostly N'ly on the 25th meant a generally cool day for many for the time of year. Low pressure and its accompanying rain moved E during the morning to clear most of S and Cent England by midday. At Brize Norton 20mm of rain reportedly fell in one hour early in the day. Most of England remained cloudy, however, and the Channel Islands were the brightest region - although breaks in the cloud were also to be found over wales and Ireland at times. (Herne Bay 22C, Aboyne 7C, Brize Norton 28mm, Jersey 8.4h.)
Although the British Isles lay under an weak area of high pressure on the 26th, frontal rain spread along the English Channel throughout the day. As a result much of S and Cent England, and also much of E England had a rather cloudy day, with rain in most places S of the M4 corridor, and some poor visibility in the Channel Islands. Across Ireland there were sunny spells throughout the day, but Scotland was generally cloudy, with some light rain and showers in the N. (Saunton Sands 23C, Tulloch Bridge 6C, Guernsey 11mm, Skegness 13h.)
Frontal rain spread N from S England to the N Midlands on the 27th, with low pressure located to the SW of the British Isles. With a E/NE flow aqnd cloudy skies much of S England had a cold day, but the fronts introduced warmer air into the Channel Islands later and by midnioght as the rain began to clear from the S coast of England it turned misty as the temperature rose here too - to 18C in places. Thunderstorms affected the Channel Islands in the warmer air in the evening. Showers occurred during the day in S Ireland and N Scotland - with Scotland and much of N England also having a rather cloudy day. (Jersey 24C, West Freugh 3C, Herne Bay 20mm, Isle of Man 14.6h.)
Away from Ireland, most places had a cloudy start to the 28th, and ireland too had clouded over by mid-morning. There was some early rain in many places, and some of this was heavy in SW England and S Wales during the morning. As the day progressed a band of rain from SW England to Norfolk pushed N into N England and parts of S Scotland, with a low pressure centre moving NE to mid-Wales by 2400GMT. Heavy showers turned thundery to the S of the main rainband, and tornadoes occurred in Birningham, Peterborough and Lincolnshire; the one in Birmingham did considerable damage and at least 20 people were reported injured by flying debris. Winds were estimated at over 130mph, according to press reports. Heavy rain led to localised flooding in parts of the Midlands. Scotland had a generally cloudy day with some light rain while the best of the sunshine tended to be in the Channel Islands and the SE corner of England. At Ashford, Co. Wicklow, 46.2mm of rain fell in 24 hours to 1800GMT, with a further 7mm falling by 0730GMT next day. At Carlton-in-Cleveland the day was the wettest July day in a 22-year records with 45.7mm falling; 37.5mm fell in the six hours commencing 1700GMT. One station in Scarborough reported 57.8mm and other similar falls were reported in Wales. In Dun Laoghaire in by strong N-NE winds, the temperature was pegged at 13C, the coolest July day for 8 years. (Herne Bay 27C, Glenlivet 5C, Milford Haven 65mm, Jersey 9.1h.)
The low centre was slow-moving, as were its fronts, and for many places the 29th was another cloudy day. Low cloud and drizzle persisted across much of N Britain and E Ireland during the day with cloud and rain in most other areas. It felt cool in the NE wind in N Britain and the best of any sunshine was confined to a few location in S England. (Marham 24C, Boltshope Park 9C, Boulmer 35mm, Isle of Wight 13h.)
Although the low centre across the British Isles fiiled on the 30th, a NE/N flow was maintained in most places and frontal cloud persisted across Britain. For most places the day dawned cloudy with rain over many parts of E Ireland, E Scotland and N England. Light rain also affected much of SW England and S Wales. After some sunshine in SE England there were some heavy showers here, giving locally as much as 5-15mm of rain in an hour. There were also reports of a funnel cloud seen about 15km N of Peterborough. (Northolt 22C, Redhill 7C, Loftus 26mm, Eastbourne 9.7h.)
The 31st continued the cloudy spell almost everywhere, although later in the day there was a partial clearance of the cloud over W Ireland. There were a few breaks in the cloud from time to time in other areas, and one of these allowed a ground frost to form around Braemar. Further clear spells developed in NW England and Cent Scotland during the day. Further N in Scotland the day was mostly cloudy with some light rain and drizzle while across much of England and wales the day was generally cloudy with some light rain or showers, especially in East Anglia earlier in the day.(Thorney Island 23C, Braemar 1C, Weybourne 13mm, Bognor Regis 7.9h.)
Clear skies led to some low dawn temperatures in parts of E Scotland on the 2nd, and also some widespread fog in Cent S England. The fog soon cleared and much of England then had a sunny day. The morning brought cloud and rain into Ireland and W Scotland and this grdually spread SE as the day progressed, lying from SW England to NE England by midnight. By this time, however, the (frontal) had weakened in intensity and showers in Scotland and that had followed the rain also tended to disperse in the evening. (Cent London 25C, Aboyne 3C, Wick 12mm, Newquay 14.8h.)
The frontal cloud and rain spread SE through England by mid-morning of the 3rd, giving mostly slight falls of rain. Clouds cleared as the rain passed, and most places then had a largely clear night. However, the day began with the rain falling in W Scotland and showers continued to affect Ireland and Scotland throughout the day. Over England and Wales the day was mostly bright and sunny once the overnight rain had cleared and MSL pressure rose to 1030mb in Scilly by midnight. Some showers did affect N England and there were thunderstorms in East Anglia in late afternoon. A funnel cloud was seen in the Bristol area in a shower around 1805GMT. (Northolt and Hastings 24C, Aboyne 4C, Lusa 7mm, Weymouth 13.9h.)
N Britain had further unsettled weather during the 4th, while a depression brought cloud and rain across Ireland into Wales by midnight. There was a cool start to the day in E England ahead of approaching cloud from the W, and the best of the sunshine as to be found here and in the Channel Islands, despite increasing amounts of cloud during the day. Across Scotland the weather was mostly showery at first, but by midday rain had spread E to much of Ireland and was also affecting W Scotland; much of Ireland had a wet afternoon and by late evening rain was falling in parts of W and Cent England with the low centred over SE Ireland. Lines of rain and showers affected Scotland and N England during the afternoon and evening, but NW Ireland saw a clearance in the rain by midnight. (Herne Bay 23C, Redhill 6C, Bishopton 10mm, Jersey 13.1h.)
The low centre pushed E across Wales and Cent England during the morning of the 5th, and lay to the E of Suffolk by midday. As a result, most of Cent and S England had a wet spell in the morning before the rain cleared and the wind veered to the NW. Skies soon cleared from the W, although some showers developed from the W. There was rather more cloud across Scotland where showers were quite widespread after some overnight rain had cleared. (Lee-on-Solent 24C, Eskdalemuir 8C, Tenby 20mm, Teignmouth 8.4h.)
While surface pressure was generally high on the 6th, weak fronts brought areas of cloud and some rain to places. There was rain and drizzle across S Ireland and S England during the morning, and although the rain decreased in extent the cloud was slower to diminish. Scotland had arather cloudy day in places, with showers especially in the N. SW Scotland had a mostly sunny day, as did araes of N England and N Ireland - the latter after early cloud had cleared. But coastal parts of E England turend more cloudy later in the day. (Jersey 21C, Kinbrace 4C, Loch Glascarnoch 11mm, Guernsey 10.7h.)
Away from Scotland, the 7th dawned with only little cloud; things soon changeed across Ireland as frontal cloud spread Ne during the morning bringing some light rain and drizzle, and also mist and fog patches. Later, this frontal cloud dispersed under high pressure, but it turned cloudy near E coast areas of England during late morning and afternoon. There were a few showers across Scotland with gusts to 30kn in the N and E, and it remained generally cloudy. Across Wales and and remaining areas of England, and later Ireland, the day was generally sunny with only small amounts of cloud. (Lee-on-Solent 23C, Saughall 2C, Cardinham 3mm, Manchester 13.5h.)
Weakening high pressure prevailed during the 8th. MSL pressure was as high as 1024mb near stornoway at 0000GMT. There was some early cloud over NE England and around N and Cent Scotland, but elsewhere clear skies led to a few low temperatures in sheltered places. The cloud in NE England, and later Norfolk, brought some light rain, and some frontal cloud over Ireland later gave some drizzle and caused some mist and fog patches. For much of England and Wales, and later in S and E Scotland there were long sunny spells. W Scotland remained rather cloudy once cloud developed here, while light rain also fell over the Northern Isles. During the afternoon much of the cloud in E England cleared, except near some Yorkshire coasts. (Strathallan 25C, Braemar 1C, Coltishall 1mm, Falmouth 14.7h.)
Despite high pressure lingereing close to SW Ireland, frontal cloud affected many parts of the British isles on the 9th. This led to large amounts of cloud in many areas at times during the day, with the exception being much of wales, the Midlands, SW and Cent S England where it remained mostly sunny. There was frontal rain from this cloud, particularly over parts of Scotland. Parts of N and NE England also has some moderate falls later in the day. (London 26C, Shap Fell 5C, Aboyne 11mm, Falmouth 15.1h.)
Frontal cloud continued to affect much of Scotland, N and E England into the 10th, and although it dimished as the day developed, there were some heavy overnight falls of rain in parts of N England. Early mist or fog was quite widespread across Ireland. The weakening cloud meant a sunny and warm day in much of the British Isles, except in N and Cent Scotland; Edinburgh was reporting heavy continuous rain at 1500GMT. Over N Scotland rain and drizzle featured for much of the day. (Lee-on-Solent 26C, Redhill 8C, Carlisle 15mm, Falmouth 14h.)
Scotland and NE England dawned rather cloudy on the 11th with varying amounts of cloud elsewhere and some mist and fog in Cent S England. A line of rain crossed Ireland and SW Scotland during the morning and as this rain spread E it turned thundery over parts of N England the E Midlands and East Anglia; according to the Met Office 24.8mm rain fell in one hour in the evening at Warcop Range (Cumbria). Showers continued over N and W Scotland during the day, while temperatures rose above 25C over much of SE England. (Northolt 27C, Shap Fell 7C, Warcop 34mm, Jersey 13.6h.)
Ireland, wales and the southern half of England had varying amounts of cloudy into the 12th; further N the day dawned generally cloudy. Despite a weak ridge of high pressure over the British Isles, for most places the day was rather cloudy as frontal cloud spread from the W across Ireland and into W Scotland. Some heavy showers affected NE England, while more general rain spread into W Ireland and W Scotland in the evening. (Lee-on-Solent 24C, Braemar 9C, Dishforth 29mm, Teignmouth 14.1h.)
Low pressure pushed across Scotland during the 13th, dragging frontal cloud and rain E as it did so. Ahead of the cloud there was some sunshine in SE England, while rain and cloud also affected Scotland, N of the low centre path. By dawn rain was falling from Cornwall to W Scotland and this continued to spread E. Showers followed the rain over W Ireland by midday, and these showers had spread to most areas by the evening - although falls were mostly light in E Britain. The rain was heavy in places, while the showers turned thundery in places. There was some flooding in Nottingham followed one heavy downpour. Near Nantwich, at Worlaston there were reports of minor wind damage around 1600GMT, although the exact cause is uncertain. By midnight, precipitation was mostly confined to W Ireland and parts of N Scotland. (Margate 23C, Redhill 6C, Hawarden 41mm, Hastings 10.1h.)
Pre-dawn rain on the 14th was mostly confined to parts of E Scotland and NE England but a brisk NW'ly airflow affected most parts of the British Isles at dawn. During the day showers developed across E and S parts of England. S Ireland and N Scotland had a rather cloudy morning and in the evening these areas tended to remian cloudy as cloud broke up elsewhere in the British Isles, with the showers fading everywhere also. (Lee-on-Solent 23C, Fylingdales 7C, Cromer 11mm, Southport 11.2h.)
The 15th dawned after a cloudy night in much of Scotland with light rain and drizzle in the W; these conditions also spread to NW Ireland by dawn. Cloud and mist also formed before dawn after a clear night in parts of S and NE England. Much of this cloud soon cleared across England to give a sunny day. However, Ireland turned increasingly cloudy and the rain and drizzle spread E and S across both Scotland and Ireland during the day. During the afternoon and evening the rain also affected N Wales and N England, although with little intensity. As the rain moved SE and weakened it turned drier across Ireland, although in Scotland persistent low cloud meant intermittent rain and drizzle for much of the day for some areas. (Cent London 24C, Redhill 5C, South Uist 5mm, Weymouth 13.8h.)
Scotland had a another generally cloudy day on the 16th, and Ireland and N England saw varying amounts of cloud during the day. However, elsewhere across Wales and England it was a warm and sunny day (once some early fog had cleared from the Midlands) with mostly small amounts of cloud. Despite the cloud there was little rain in Scotland although the Northern Isles and parts of NW and N Scotland had some light rain or drizzle. Some light rain showers fell over parts of N and NW Ireland. (Northolt 26C, Sennybridge 7C, Aultbea 6mm, Isle of Wight 13.7h.)
Thickening cloud spread across Scotland and into W Ireland by dawn on the 17th, giving rain in W Scotland and W Ireland that was heavy in places. Under clear skies across England and Wales there was widespread mist and some fog by dawn. This poor visibility soon improved and all of England and Wales then had a warm and sunny day. Meanwhile, the cloud and rain spread slowly across Ireland and Scotland giving some heavy bursts in places, and skies clouded over in W Wales later in the evening. (Charlwood 27C, Redhill 6C, Lusa 38mm, Teignmouth 13.7h.)
The rain was slow-moving across Scotland and Ireland into the 18th, with only slight falls in W Wales by midday. There were early mist and fog patches in parts of E England before dawn, and then some high cloud across England allowed a warm and sunny day in SE England. By the evening rain and some showers had arrived in SW and Cent S England, and these turned thunder around Warwick in the evening. This precipitation was from the same bands that had earlier given some heavy falls over Scotland and Ireland. This rain had cleared from W Ireland by mid-afternoon and from W Scotland by early evening; by midnight rain was mostly confined to England and SE Wales. (Cent London 29C, Sennybridge 8C, Dunstaffnage 34mm, Isle of Wight 13.4h.)
The 19th dawned with frontal rain from NE England to Cent S England and also in parts of N Ireland and W Scotland. Across England the rain was heavy and thundery in places. Lightning struck a house in Bournemouth damaging the roof; and there was some flooding in Gosport. While the thunder had largely stopped by late morning, the rain continued to move slowly E across E England and didn't finally clear E England until the evening. Cloud and rain in W Scotland extended S into Ireland for a while, but turned showery before fading during late afternoon. Between the two rain areas there was a clear start to the day, cool across parts of Scotland with some early fog patches that did linger in Shetland, and then a mostly dry and bright day followed. (Great Malvern 23C, Kinbrace 3C, Sutton Bonnington 32mm, Torquay 9.3h.)
On the 20th weather across the British Isles was the result of a ridge of high pressure, before cloud and rain spread into W areas later. Despite this, there was quite a lot of early cloud across England and wales with some light rain in places, while under clear skies in parts of Cent scotland there was a cool or misty start to the day. Much of Scotland and N Ireland had a sunny day; E England remained rather cloudy and it took several hours before clouds cleared in Wales and W England. By late afternoon cloud and rain had spread into W Ireland, with cloud then also affecting W Scotland by midnight; at this time cloud still lingered in NE and E England. (Strathallan 24C, Braemar 2C, Edinburgh 13mm, Aberdeen 13.6h.)
The cloud and rain made slow progress E during the 21st. By dawn cloud had spread to much of Ireland with rain in many places, and also into N and W Scotland with some light rain and drizzle in W Scotland. Elsewhere, away from a cloudy E England, the day started almost cloudfree. By midday the cloud and spread across much of Scotland and reached W Wales, and had almost cleared E England, and during the next twelve hours spread E into NE England, the Midlands and Cent S England, accompanied by light rain. Ahead of the cloud it was a sunny day, while in the evening a clearance in the cloud and rain spread into N and Cent Ireland. (Torquay 25C, Redesdale 2C, Tiree 13mm, Shrewsbury 13.5h.)
Cloud and rain continued to spread E across the British Isles on the 22nd, almost clearing SE England by midnight. By mid-morning Ireland and parts of SW Scotland were largely cloudfree, and this clearance spread to most other areas as the rain cleared. Much of E England, however, had a rather wet day. Late afternoon and evening saw cloud and showers spreading E into W Scotland, and later W Ireland. (Margate 22C, Redhill 6C, Saunton Sands 29mm, Torquay 9.1h.)
Cloud and rain spread rapidly to much of Scotland and Ireland during the morning of the 23rd, with more broken cloud elsewhere. This distribution remained throughout the day, although the rain bands did migrate across Scotland - further rain appeared in W Ireland in the late evening after there had a been a partial clearance of cloud and rain there in the late afternoon and early evening. East Anglia and parts of S England had the best of the sunshine. The rain in Ireland in the evening, that also affected W Scotland, heralded the arrival of a deep depression, with gusts to 50kn along the W coasts of both countries by midnight and gales in W Scotland. MSL pressure fell to 989.7mb at tiree by 2400GMT. (Lee-on-Solent 23C, Katesbridge 3C, Stornoway 14mm, Teignmouth 11.8h.)
A deep depression of NW Scotland caused gales and widespread strong winds on the 24th, while associated fronts spread rain across the entire British Isles during the day. MSL pressure fell to 980.6mb at Stornoway at 0300GMT. According to the Met Office a gust of over 100mph was reported by the automatic station on the top of Cairngorm mountain, while Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis experienced a full gale for a continuous period of over 8 hours. The crew of a French fishing trawler 'Cap Saint Jean' was airlifted to safety after it got into trouble in high seas west of the Outer Hebrides. Gusts to 50kn were widespread across W and N Scotland, while the rain cleared quickly from the W, followed by sunshine and showers. The rain was relatively slow to clear S England, and gave some heavy falls in places here, with heavy rain also across some upland areas further N. (Ross-on-Wye 20C, Redhill 7C, Shap Fell 49mm, Aberden 10h.)
A brisk W'ly airflow covered the British Iskles on the 25th and while this gave generally bright conditions there were also E'ward mving troughs that resulted in thundery rain and hail. Thundery showers were quite widespread and heavy across much of S and E England after late morning, with thunderstorms also reported in NE England and parts of Wales and S Ireland. In Crowthorne (Berkshire), hailstones the size of ten pence pieces were observed and at Hastings there were unconfirmed reports of a small tornado. Elsewhere, rain showers were reported, but these had largely died out everywhere away from W-facing coasts of Scotland and ireland by late evening. (Walton-on-Naze 20C, Aboyne 1C, Bingley 14mm, Tenby 11.9h.)
The 26th was another W'ly day, although more general frontal cloud did spread E into N Ireland and S Scotland/N England later in the day. A clear start in parts of Scotland meant a ground frost in a few places here. But cloud soon developed across the British Isles and showers became widespread over Ireland and close to the frontal cloud, turning to more general rain in places. According to the Met office the temperature on Cairngorm was close to 0C, so some snow showers may have fallen here. The evening brought a clearance of the cloud across Ireland, and parts of Wales and NW England; elsewhere England had a rather cloudy day although with sunny spells. (Gravesend 20C, Aboyne 3C, Port Ellen 15mm, Oxford 11h.)
There were mostly cloudy skies across the British Isles on the 27th; some of these cloudy turned showery in SW England, Wales and over parts of Ireland and Scotland. A tornado was reported from Carmarthenshire. A few of the showers were heavy with 7mm in one hour at St Mawgan. The showers died down towards the evening, and skies cleared over SE Ireland, S Wales and S England into the evening. Across S and W Scotland there was some frontal rain during the day but as the rain spread E the front weakened and the rain had largely gone by midnight. (Gravesend 21C, Altnaharra 3C, St Mawgan 8mm, Isle of Wight 8h.)
A warm sector spread across most of Scotland during the morning, and the 28th then saw a general increase in wind speeds as a low pressure centre pushed NE towards the Faeroes. The day began with clear skies across most of England and Wales, but with rain (heavy in places) spreading rapidly E over Scotland. Across Ireland the day began cloudy with some rain and drizzle. The day was warm across all areas with sunny spells for most of the day over Cent and S England under clear skies. In N England and Scotland gusts were widely up to 40kn in strength, while the evening brought a cold front with rain and lowering temperatures to W Scotland and W Ireland. (London 25C, Redhill 6C, Lusa 52mm, Falmouth 13h.)
Frontal cloud and rain spread SE during the 29th, gradually dying out as it drifted into a developing area of high pressure. MSL pressure rose to 1027mb over NE England by midnight. There was a misty start to the day over Cent S England ahead of the front, with largely clear skies over Scotland at this time. The front progressed no further S than Cent England by the end of the day while across N Scotland, before the pressure started to rise, there were gusty conditions for a while; 70mph gusts were recorded in Shetland in the morning. (Lowestoft 27C, Redhill 5C, Eskdalemuir 16mm, Weymouth 13.5h.)
High pressure resulted in a mostly S'ly airflow across the British Isles on the 30th. There was a cloudy start to the day from S Ireland to NE England, with clearer skies to the N; there was a ground frost in parts of E Scotland and NE England, and early fog in Cent S England. The cloud spread N during the day with some light rain and drizzle in Ireland and W Wales. Sunny conditions led to a hot day in many areas of S and Cent England away from the coasts. As Scotland turned cloudier there were a few light showers and falls of light rain. (Northolt 28C, Redesdale 2C, Aberporth 2mm, Weymouth 13.5h.)
A thundery low pushed N from Biscay to SE Ireland on the 31st giving a hot and thundery day for many. A S'ly airflow meant a warm night everywhere and this was followed by a warm day - in many places the hottest of the month - and quite high humidities were also reported. A cold front pushed E across Ireland and W Scotland during the day, and ahead of this some severe thundery activity occurred. Thunderstorms were reported from Cornwall during mid-morning, and this activity then spread to E Scotland (across much of England) by midnight. Thunder was also reported across Ireland and SW Scotland during late morning and in the afternoon; the thunderstorms caused torrential rain in places and some 'day darkness'. by midnight cloud had cleared from much of Ireland but elsewhere it remained generally cloudy with thunder in E England and NE Scotland. (Cent London 32C, Shap Fell 10C, Lough Fea 32mm, Hastings 12.6h.)
Pressure continued to rise during the 2nd over the British Isles as the high intensified and pushed towards SW Norway. MSL pressure reached 1030mb in NE England later in the evening. Under the high pressure there was little overnight cloud and temperatures fell rapidly in some sheltered parts of Scotland; there were a few fog patches across England and also a thundery outbreak around dawn in Norfolk. There were varying amounts of cloud across Scotland and Ireland during the day - this mostly cleared by late evening after some showers in places - while England and Wales saw little cloud and had a generally sunny day. (Ross-on-Wye 25C, Aboyne 2C, Weybourne 7mm, Newquay 14.0h.)
High pressure to the E of Britain continued to control the weather on the 3rd, giving another mostly dry day everywhere. There was some early low cloud and fog patches in parts of E and S England and a ground frost in sheltered parts of Cent and N Scotland. During the day cloud was fairly widespread, albeit mostly high, although low cloud did give some light showers in N Scotland. by midnight mist and fog was reforming in places in E England and E Scotland. (Jersey 25C, Aboyne 3C, Kinloss 0.6mm, Fishguard 11.9h.)
The 4th dawned with low cloud and fog patches in E England, and further cloud in Cent Ireland and W Scotland. The former cleared during the morning, and many parts of Britain had a warm day with a few places, including Birmingham at 28C, setting September temperature records. Ireland and SW England turned more cloudy late in the morning, with showers here, and thunderstorms over Devon and parts of Cent S England later. Showers also became more widespread across England and wales later into the evening. (Northolt 30C, Shap 5C, Liscombe 7mm, Manchester 11.3h.)
By dawn on the 5th cloud was widespread across Britain with thunderstorms reported across the E Midlands and SE England. The Met Office reported a fall of over 29mm in about two hours in Cambridge as a cold front spread NE across England and Ireland. As the front spread into Scotland the showers generally died out - although some kept going in SW England. During the evening cloud largely cleared across most of England, Wales and Ireland but showers continued to affect N Scotland. In the Northern Isles it was a mostly foggy day with visibilities below 100m at times. (Charterhall 26C, Braemar 5C, Cambridge 29mm, Torquay 10h.)
There was some cloud overnight into the 6th in SW England that gave a few showers, and it was also a cloudy start to the day across Scotland with fog in the Northern Isles. Early fog patches also affected NE and Cent S England, but once these cleared much of England and Wales had a sunny day; NE England suffered from bouts of cloud in places during the day, while parts of S England and East Anglia had some morning showers. Cloud over E Scotland cleared during the morning and here and in E Ireland it was also mostly dry and sunny. However, more general cloud spread into W Scotland and Ireland in the afternoon bringing some light rain. In the evening mist and fog patches formed under clear skies in parts of S Britain and SE Ireland. (Coltishall 26C, Katesbridge 4C, Hastings 13mm, Anglesey 12.4h.)
Low pressure close to N Scotland dragged frontal cloud and rain across much of Ireland and N britain on the 7th. Scotland and Ireland dawned cloudy with rain in the W, and there were increasing amounts of cloud across England and Wales overnight, along with mist and fog patches. Despite the cloud, much of England had a dry day with rain largely confined to N England. Rain and showers affected Scotland, Ireland and Wales giving some moderately heavy falls in places, but there was a clearance of the cloud across NW Ireland later in the evening. (Herne Bay 27C, Redhill 7C, Lusa 11mm, Newquay 12.3h.)
SW'ly winds and a lot of cloud in places meant a mild sart to the 8th. This frontal cloud bright rain for many areas, notable exceptions being the Midlands, East Anglia and SE England where it was mostly warm and sunny - after a foggy start in parts of Cent S England. After the clearance of overnight rain most of N Scotland was dry apart from the odd shower - these dry conditions also spread S to most other parts of Scotland and N Ireland during the day. Elsewhere slow-moving fronts meant a day of cloud and rain, although rainfall aounts were mostly small. by midnight, under clear skies, the temperature at Altnaharra had dropped just below 0C. (Margate 26C, Stornoway 8C, Capel Curig 17mm, Eastbourne 11.6h.)
A mostly E'ly flow covered the British Isles on the 9th. Clear skies across N Scotland overnight meant the first air frost of the autumn for parts of the region; further S it was mostly cloudy with foggy conditions from Lincolnshire to Dorset. Under the cloud over S Scotland, Ireland, Wales and W England it was a wet night, with some heavy falls in places; this cloud lingered for much of the day although the rainfall intensity did decrease. In the Midlands, East Anglia and much of S England any fog gradually cleared and it was a generally warm day. The afternoon brought showers and thunderstorms to the SE Midlands and SE England; parts London received some very heavy rain that ked to flooding. Parts of the A3 road was flooded along with other roads, and in Roehampton some trees were blown over. It remained largely cloud free in NW and N Scotland during the day although cooler than in SE England, by midnight the temperature had dropped down again at Altnaharra to 1C. (Northolt 27C, Kinbrace -3C, Loftus 37mm, Stornoway 10.8h.)
The mostly E'ly flow continued into the 10th with clear skies across much of NW/W Scotland again giving a sunny day although cloud did spread E into the Western Isles later in the evening. Elsewhere it was a rather cloudy day, with frontal rain. In London, according to the Met Office, the minimum temperature of 18.5C made it the warmest September night for over 50 years. There were some heavy falls of frontal rain in places, with thundery outbreaks over SE Wales, the S parts of the Midlands and East Anglia, and SE England. Flooding was reported in the evening in parts of north London, Surrey and W Kent, and near Newbury, while a funnel cloud was seen at Filton (Bristol). As the day progressed it became drier across Ireland, S Scotland and N England and the wind shifted to more of a NE'ly direction. (Charlwood 25C, Altnaharra 0C, Ross-on-Wye 44mm, Stornoway 12.1h.)
The 11th dawned with cloud and some rain spreading into NW Scotland, cloudy skies and some light rain over much of England, and varying amounts of cloud elsewhere. The cloud across England was slow to clear, although in the late afternoon and evening it did leave N England and later, the Midlands. For S England it was a dull day. Cloud soon spread across N and Cent Scotland giving some light rain; Ireland had patchy cloud but S Scotland, and parts of NW England and W Wales had a mainly sunny day. (Jersey 23C, Braemar 2C, Wisley 42mm, Jersey 9.2h.)
A weak ridge across S parts of the British Isles on the 12th meant a generally dry day, but fronts did push into W Scotland and W Ireland later in the day. Cloud remained overnight in East Anglia, S England and N and Cent Scotland with some light rain in N Scotland. Elsewhere there was little early cloud but mist and fog patches were quite widespread. The cloud in the S gradually faded as the day developed and much of the British Isles then had a sunny day once the mist/fog had cleared. N Scotland remained cloudy, and cloud and light rain spread to W Ireland in the afternoon; this light rain also fell across W and N Scotland. (Topcliffe 23C, Shap Fell 4C, South Uist Range 3mm, Isle of Man 11.2h.)
Rain fell across much of Scotland and in W and N Ireland overnight into the 13th. This continued for much of the day with very heavy falls over W Scotland. There was a slow progression of the rain to the SE with the rain spreading into W Wales and NW England by midnight. Further SE it was a dry day - S England turned cloudy in the morning as did Wales and N England later in the day; in between the rain to the N and cloud to the S it was generally sunny. (Charlwood 25C, Redhill 5C, Lusa 103mm, Clacton 11.1h.)
Cloudy skies across N Britain into the 14th meant a generally mild start to the day everywhere. Rain continued overnight in Scotland and Ireland but during the day there was a movemnt of the rain areas to the S; at the same time the intensity of the rainfall decreased dramatically. In SW England, S Wales and S Ireland frontal cloud and rain lingered once it arrived; elsewhere brighetr weather followed the rain although some areas in the NW saw a few showers after the rain. Scotland remained rather cloudy during the day. (Northolt 25C, Loch Glascarnoch 10C, Lusa 52mm, Cromer 10.4h.)
Low pressure spread E across S parts of the British Isles on the 15th, dragging fronts with it. Much of England, Wales and Ireland had a wet day with spells of rain on and off. Scotland also had some rain but this soon turned more showery in nature. Over Ireland, the rain eased off in the N during the morning and dried up in the late afternoon in the S after a showery day there. While falls were not as large as some recent daily totals across the British Isles, the rain was quite persistent in S England due to the extent of the fronts. As the low cleared to the E of England in the evening the winds swung round to a N'ly direction everywhere and temperatures began to fall sharply where the skies were clear. By midnight cloud and rain was mostly confined to E and S England while MSL pressure at Belmullet had risen to 1025mb. (Pershore 23C, Kinbrace 4C, Milford Haven 20mm, Tiree 7.0h.)
Fronts clearing SE England into the 16th meant a cloudy start to the daya here - elsewhere, away from N Scotland, skies were largely clear and a ground frost was reported across many parts of Scotland. Cloud cover increased during the morning across much of Scotland and Ireland, and there were showers in N Scotland, East Anglia and coastal parts of NE England; the cloud in Scotland and Ireland lessened in the evening. Much of England and Wales had a sunny day once early cloud had cleared in the SE, while MSL pressure reached 1030mb in W Ireland in the evening. (Lee-on-Solent 18C, Saughall 0C, Manston 15mm, Oxford 10.4h.)
Despite high pressure centred over SW parts of the British Isles on the 17th, a warm front crossed Scotland during the day bringing rain to some places. Ahead of the front, which spread cloud into Scotland and N Ireland during the morning, it was a cold night with an air frost in SE Scotland and parts of N England. As the front spread E rain fell as far S as N Wales and the N Midlands but away from Scotland amounts were small. Cloud also affected S England and S Ireland, althoigh there were sunny peridos here during the day. By midnight, depite MSL pressure of 1030mb at Scilly, there was fairly widespread cloud across the British Isles and rain and drizzle in N Scotland and parts of NE England as the front finally cleared into the North Sea. (Lee-on-Solent 18C, Shap Fell -2C, Lusa 15mm, Isle of Wight 11.6h.)
High pressure persisted across S Britain during the 18th, but despite this it was a mostly cloudy day for many areas, until clearing skies spread into Ireland, SE Scotland, Wales and NW England in the late afternoon and evening. there was some light rain in parts of SE England from the clearing front, and slightly heavier rain and showers in N Scotland. Where the cloud did break overnight in S England temperatures fell; at 0600GMT temperatures were 3C in S Hampshire but 12C in the cloudy S Midlands. Conversely, in sunny parts of NE England temperatures rose to 18-20C in the afternoon. (Bridlington 20C, Bournemouth 2C, Baltasound 6mm, Falmouth 11.3h.)
Although parts of N England, Wales and SW England had a clear start to the 19th, frontal cloud brought rain to NW Ireland and W Scotland by dawn, and this spread E across much of these two countries during the day reaching N Wales later. Over W Scotland the rain was heavy for a while with gales and gusts to 50kn in W Scotland and N Ireland. Across England it was generally cloudy although as the rain area pushed E it weakened and falls across W England and Wales were mostly slight. Behind the fronts there was a clearance in the cloud across W Ireland before showers developed here, but the clearance also spread to E Scotland by midnight. (Charlwood 21C, Buxton (Derbyshire) 4C, Lusa 28mm, Falmouth 10.0h.)
The 20th began with some light frontal rain across England and Wales - this front was slowly breaking up as it rain into high pressure and falls here were slight. By midday this rain had generally stopped in the S. Showers affecetd N Scotland early in the day, and Lerwick reported a thunderstorm at 0900GMT. These showers diminished as the day progressed; elsewhere there was a general tendency towards drier and sunnier weather as the day wore on, although in S Ireland it remained rather cloudy as a front approached the S coast later. (London 23C, Katesbridge 3C, Spadeadam 11mm, Southport 9.2h.)
The 21st dawned with frontal cloud across much of Ireland and Scotland (with light rain in the W) and some fog across many parts of Cent S and SE England and East Anglia; this fog was thick or dense in places. Once the fog cleared most of England and Wales had a bright day. It continued cloudy across most of Scotland, Ireland throughout the day, and parts of W Wales became cloudy later in the morning. Rain fell across Ireland and W and N parts of Scotland during the day with falls also in W Wales; however, rainfall intensities did lessen in the evening despite continuing winds in N Britain that led to gusts of 40kn in places. (London 22C, Redesdale Camp 4C, South Uist 13mm, Cromer 10.4h.)
Fronts across W parts of the British Isles made only slow progress E on the 22nd, and made for a rather cloudy and damp day across Scotland and Ireland. Early fog and low cloud affected many places from Devon to Lincolnshire and by dawn there was rain in W Ireland and parts of W and Cent Scotland. This fog and low cloud cleared by late morning and much of England and Wales then had a sunny day with skies still largely clear of cloud at midnight. Cloud did spread slowly into W Wales and SW England, with some light rain spreading E across Ireland to these areas too. Despite the slow-moving fronts, falls were generally small, although parts of SW Scotland were a notable exception to this. Pressure fell to 996mb on the Isle of Lewis by midnight, and there were 40kn gusts in W Scotland in the evening. (Gravesend 23C, Redhill 5C, Sloy 46mm, Falmouth 10.3h.)
The fronts final pushed across the British Isles on the 23rd, bringing aa spell of cloud and rain to all areas; early in the day E England dawned clear apart from some fog in the Midlands and Cent S England but this fog soon cleared as rain spread from the W by mid-morning. By this time clearing skies and some showers prevailed across Ireland and these conditions then spread across wales, England and later Scotland. Gusts to 50kn were reported in coastal parts of Scotland during the day although these eased in the evening as pressure rose and skies cleared - temperatures at midnight were down to 2C in Cent Ireland. (Herne Bay 22C, Redhill 3C, Sloy 30mm, Southport 7.9h.)
High pressure meant a mostly clear start to the 24th, with a slight air frost in a few sheltered N areas. There was some cloud in W Scotland and W Ireland by dawn - this became extensive over Ireland in the morning with rain in W Ireland, and also spread into S Wales and SW England by midday. During the afternoon and evening the cloud became extensive across the British Isles with moderately heavy rain in E Ireland and W Scotland, but by midnight much of W Ireland was again clear of cloud. Gusts to 40kn occurred in N and W Scotland in the evening. (Jersey 20C, Redesdale -1C, Castlederg 5mm, isle of Wight 9.8h.)
Cloud and rain spread E in the early hours of the 25th with a clearcne following into Wales by dawn. Falls were mostly slight, and the rain was followed by scattered showers across Ireland and S Britain, with patchy cloud and sunshine here. Scotland remained rather more cloudy; the rain cleared the E by mid-afternoon but cloudy skies and a few showers affected W Scotland later. In the late afternoon showers turned thundery over the E Midlands and parts of Norfolk, but the evening saw a clearance of cloud and showers over most of England, Wales and SE Scotland. (Heathrow 22C, Redesdale 4C, Sloy 22mm, Guernsey 9.2h.)
The 26th began under a weak ridge of high pressure but as low pressure spread NE towards the Faeroes winds picked up and frontal rain spread across N and W parts of the British Isles. By mid-morning, after a clear start in many E areas, cloud had spread to much of E Britain, the wind was gusting to 50kn in W Ireland and rain was falling over Cent and W Ireland and W Scotland. By mid-afternoon skies were clearing in W Ireland, but the rain had reached E Scotland and W Wales. By midnight there was cloud E of a line Whitby-Cornwall, with gusty, light rain spreading rapidly E here, and a few blustery showers in NW Scotland; elsewhere skies were mostly clear. (Saunton Sands 21C, Aboyne 2C, Tyndrum 31mm, Herne Bay 5.2h.)
The frontal rain soon cleared the SE corner of England early on the 27th, and apart from a few showers here much of England and Wales then had a dry day. Nearby low pressure led to bands of showers and rain across Scotland and showers also affected parts of W Wales. But even in the N and W districts, there were many breaks between the showers and spells of sunshine. However, the low did lead to a blustery day in N britain with 40kn gusts in many places. By midnight, most of the showers had died out except in W Ireland and W Scotland and skies were largely clear. (Bournemouth 21C, Aviemore 9C, Eskdalemuir 26mm, Torquay 9.5h.)
There was little overnight cloud into the 28th, resulting in a sharp fall of temperature in places, but by dawn cloud and light rain had spread E into W Ireland and W Scotland. This cloud and rain made rapid progress E, accompanied by winds that gusted to 50kn in N Britain, and was followed by blustery showers. According to the Met Office 12.2mm of rain fell in an hour at Capel Curig, and there were some heavy falls of rain in other parts of Wales and N Britain. The rain finally cleared S and E England late in the evening, but showers continued to affected N and W coasts of Scotland and Ireland at this time. Two tornadoes were reported at Rasharkin and Aghalee, both in Co. Antrim, around 1230GMT. A lamppost was blown over into a garden, one house lost a chimney and roof tiles were dislodged and damaged during the strong winds in Fleetwood; firefighters said only a quarter-mile square area of the town was affected and a Met Office spokesman said the evidence suggested that the damage had been caused by a tornado shortly after 1700GMT. (Lyneham 17C, Aboyne 1C, Capel Curig 41mm, Norwich 8.8h.)
The 29th began with mostly clear skies across the British Isles, but with showers across W and N parts of Scotland and Ireland. By midday, cloud had develoepd across much of S and Cent england, and fairly widespread cloud had also spread E across Ireland giving falls of rain. This rain spread into SW Scotland and W wales in the afternoon, with falls in many parts of Scotland, and as far E as NE England and Cent S England by late evening. This rain heralded the arrival of a warm sector - at 2400GMT temperatures were as high as 16C on Scilly and in S Ireland with accomapnying poor visibility and light drizzle. (Guernsey 18C, Aboyne and Ashford (Co. Wicklow) 3C, Baltasound 24mm, Bognor Regis 9.3h.)
A SW'ly airflow meant a warm start to the 30th, but also a cloudy start with some overnight rain from the overlying warm sector. At 0600GMT temperatures at mean sea level were generally no lower than 10C across the British Isles and as high as 17C in parts of SW Ireland. Around some coasts of S Wales, S Ireland and SW England there was also early mist and fog. Further rain followed from the W as a cold front spread E across Ireland, and then across most of Britain, before late evening. Across Ireland this cooler air brought some showers, with clear skies in the evening as these died out. Britain remained rather cloudy however during the day, and clear skies did not arrive in Wales and NW England until the evening. (Rotherham 23C, Fyvie Castle 6C, Isle of Man 24mm, Prestatyn 3.4h.)
The 2nd saw high pressure continuing to prevail in the SW of the British Isles, but weak frontal systems passing across N Scotland. The fronts gave some moderate falls or rain across Shetland, and some lighter rain and drizzle in N and W Scotland. Elsewhere, it was a frequently cloudy, albeit mostly dry, day following a clear start for some places that had resulted in local ground frosts in N England. By the end of the day MSL pressure had risen to 1032.7mb at Scilly. (Aboyne 17C, Shap Fell 0C, Lerwick 9mm, Bognor Regis 9.8h.)
High pressure pushed NE across the British Isles on the 3rd to give most places a dry day. However, cloud and some rain again affected N Scotland for part of the day. SE England and parts of Cent Ireland began the day with little cloud but, despite the high pressure, most places then had a cloudy day. (Lee-on-Solent 18C, Redhill -1C, Lerwick 4mm, Margate 9.6h.)
High pressure continued to prevail on the 4th with a S to Sw'ly airflow bringing mild air across the British Isles. Rainfall amounts were consequently also small, and affected mostly a few W areas of Ireland and Scotland. It was again another rather cloudy day, although there was a clearance over the S half of England and Wales in the late afternoon and evening, when some mist patches also developed here. (Hastings 19C, Aboyne 1C, Tiree 1mm, Torquay 9.4h.)
The 5th was another generally dry and anticyclonic day, with the Met Office reporting no measurable rain over the UK. Clear skies led to fog by dawn over Cent and S England and Wales, and in much of this area it remained rather misty all day. Skies cleared across SW England, SE Ireland, Wales and NW England and these places had a mostly sunny day. Remaining parts of Ireland and Scotland continued rather cloudy with a few spots of light rain in places. (Saunton Sands 19C, Glenlivet 1C, no measurable rainfall, Falmouth 10.h.)
The 6th was another day of anticyclonic gloom for many places although there were a few breaks in the cloud, noticeably across parts of N England before dawn and in E Scotland later. The gloom was accompanied by mist or poor visibility for many, and a few spots of light rain or drizzle for some places; earlier in the day there was some fog across N England and the Midlands. (Jersey 19C, Redesdale 0C, Guernsey 0.5mm, Aberdeen 7.5h.)
The 7th was another cloudy day for many. By dawn the winds were increasing over W Scotland and W Ireland (Belmullet reported 43kn gusts at 0600GMT) while mist and fog patches were widespread across England and Wales at this time, It remained misty across much of England during the day, while the winds in the W heralded the arrival of a cold front that brought some light rain to W Scotland and W Ireland. During the evening this rain turned heavy in parts of W Scotland, and it also spread into E Ireland. (Herstmonceux 19C, Loch Glascarnoch 6C, South Uist 3mm, Eastbourne 5.7h.)
The cold front pushed E across the British Isles on the 8th, giving a spell of rain to most areas but introducing clearer skies from the W later. This clearance had reached much of Ireland by dawn and had spread to all but a few parts of East Anglia by late evening. However, with the clearance came showers that affected many areas until late afternoon; these were especially heavy in parts of N Scotland where they became more organised into bands. Later in the evening temperatures fell sharply in parts of N England and E Scotland as the showers became confined to NW Scotland. (Guernsey 21C, Loch Fea 5C, Tyndrum 26mm, Jersey 6.9h.)
A deepening low on the 9th to the W and NW of the British Isles allowed MSL pressure to fall to 990mb at Stornoway by 2100GMT. It's associated frontal systems brought rain, heavy at times to N Ireland and Scotland, and by late evening its cold front was spreading rain E into W Ireland. Ahead of this system the day had dawned clear in all by W Ireland and W Scotland with a ground frost in places. Cloud soon spread across much of Ireland and Scotland, and into Wales and SW England. E England remained largely cloudfree until the evening, when further frontal cloud spread N across the English Channel. As the depression approached it brought increasing winds, and gales to W parts, of Scotland and NW Ireland, with gusts over 50kn in places. (Bournemouth 19C, Aboyne -3C, Lusa 36mm, Herne Bay 9.2h.)
The cold front across Ireland made only slow progress E on the 10th, although a shallow wave depression formed on it later in the day. A S/SW'ly airflow and sunny conditions, after early fog had cleared, across England led to a warm day here. Across Ireland and Scotland there were some large rainfall totals caused by the slow-movement of the front, and this rain also affected Wales and SW England later in the day. (Herne Bay 24C, Redhill 5C, Lusa 64mm, Norwich 9.9h.)
The front moved very little on the 11th, although wave depressions along it did cause some significant variation in the weather. By the end of the day there was flooding in parts of W Cumbria, and flooding also affected Pembrokeshire and Gwynedd. Schools were shut in SW Wales with Haverfordwest town centre being badly affected. To the E of the front it was a warm and rather cloudy day, but it was markedly cooler to the W of the front. At 1200GMT the temperature was 19-21C across much of E England, but only 9C in much of Cent Ireland. The rain spread into E Scotland during the day, giving heavy falls in places here; Eskdalemuir was reporting thunder at 2100GMT, by which time rain had also spread into NE and Cent S England - much of this falling from a secondary trough rather than the main front. (Cent London 23C, Loch Glascarnoch 5C, Milford Haven 100mm, Cromer 9.3h.)
The front finally made significant progress E during the 12th, after giving some heavy falls in NW England and SW Scotland. There was widespread flooding across parts of Wales, Scotland and northern England according to the Met Office. To the W of the front Ireland had an often clear, and noticeably cool, day with a NW'ly airflow. Further E, E En gland was again very warm for the time of year. The frontal rain made gradual progress to the E during the day with a clearance across much of W Scotland and Wales by midnight. Sferics were reported across parts of NE England and Sussex during mid-afternoon and a wave on the front gave slow-moving rain across much of S England in the evening. In the evening there were reports of a tornado in Moseley, Birmingham, with tiles, trees and fences damaged and some rush hour traffic problems. There were also some flooded roads in the Birmingham area caused by the heavy rain associated with the system that caused the suspected tornado. (Cromer 23C, Braemar 4C, Carlisle 91mm, Cromer 2.5h.)
The 13th saw the front finally clearing all by the SE corner of England, and by 2400GMT MSL pressure of 1029mb prevailed in a high centred across SE Scotland. Clear skies overnight across Ireland led to a ground frost in places (-7.1C grass minimum temperature at Birr and an air minimum of -0.6C at Claremorris), to be followed by an almost cloudless day. The front gave rain in E England and parts of E Scotland during the morning - by early evening this had finally cleared most places. Clear skies spread into SW England, Wales and across most of Scotland during the afternoon, but the cloud remained across much of England (except the SW) throughout the evening. (Hastings 18C, St Angelo 2C, Birmingham 25mm, Belmullet 10.0h.)
Although high pressure dominated the weather on the 14th, cloudy complication were caused by a decaying front that pushed N across Ireland and S England during the day. Clear skies overnight over Ireland, much of Scotland and NW England led to a ground frost in places here. Elsewhere, England and NW Scotland dawned cloudy and tended to remain so, with cloud and some light rain spreading N with the front. E Scotland had the best of the day's sunshine, although here too it clouded over later in the day. (Guernsey 19C, Tulloch Bridge -1C, Scarborough 3mm, Aberdeen 7.6h.)
A S'ly flow on the edge of a large anticyclone meant a mostly mild day on the 15th. For many parts of England it was a cloudy and misty start to the day - but this cloud largely cleared by midday to give a warm and sunny afternoon. Much of Ireland too, soon lost its early cloud although it did tend to reappear around the coast in places. N and NW Scotland had a mostly sunny day with 20C at Lusa on Skye, according to the Met Office. Cloud lingered slightly longer in parts of S Scotland and NE England, with some mist and fog during the day in this latter area - that thickened again in the evening. The cloud here gave some spots of light rain during the day, and there were also some light falls in SW Ireland and N Scotland. (Wisley 21C, Loch Glascarnoch 0C, Leeming 1mm, Jersey 9.8h.)
Despite high pressure on the 16th (1028mb in E Scotland at 0000GMT) fronts and troughs spread bands of rain across England, Wales and Ireland from the SW as the day developed. The day began with little cloud in many N and E parts of Britain, but with fog patches in E England and some rain in SW England and S Ireland. By early afternoon skies were clear across N and E England and in much of Scotland away from the far N, but cloudy elsewhere with rain in places from Hampshiure to Cent Ireland. This resulted in a warm day in parts of Scotland and E England, but the cloud in the SW brought some heavy falls that turned thundery along the Hampshire-Dorset coast. (Aultbea 21C, Shap Fell 4C, Camborne 15mm, Kinloss 8.8h.)
With high pressure persisting, the fronts declined on the 17th and rainfall amounts were consequently mostly small. Overnight cloud in S Ireland, Wales and the SW corner of England produced widespread mist and fog patches by dawn, but this slowly burnt off fin the morning, except across Ireland where light rainfall was a rather more persistent. In parts of the E Midlands fog was very slow to clear, with reports of 200m visibility at 1200GMT in a few locations. The rain persisted in parts of SW Ireland for much of the day, as another frontal system extended its influence NE to here. E Scotland remained rather cloudy for much of the day, but there were sunny intervals in W Scotland. Cloud in E England was patchy, but this area was generally the warmest and the sunniest overall. (Herstmonceux 20C, Aviemore 1C, Dunkeswell 19mm, Cromer 8.8h.)
Frontal cloud spread NE during the 18th to reach East Anglia and N Ireland by the evening. The day was surprisingly cloudy overall, and with a SE/E wind felt rather cool - especially in SE England after recent warm days; in places here the daytime temperature did not exceed 13C. Despite the fronts, rainfall amounts were mostly small, and Scotland was generally dry except in the SW. A notable exception was SW England, with some heavier rain later in the day in Devon caused some local flooding. (Falmouth 17C, Aviemore 4C, Torquay 10mm, Clacton 2.3h.)
A complex, albeit shallow, area of low pressure and associated fronts and troughs brought some heavy and persistent falls of rain and showers on the 19th, especially over Wales and England. The showers were thundery in the afternoon and early evening across S Wales, and Cent and S England; hail was reported in one or two places and the Met Office reported that funnel clouds were seen around the Channel Islands. During the evening a clearance in the cloud developed across Cent Ireland and Cent England. The rain was lighter in Scotland with a few places in the NW remaining largely dry. (Gravesend 17C, Aviemore 6C, Anglesey 33mm, Falmouth 7.9h.)
In many parts of Britain the 20th dawned following a cloudy night, although across Ireland skies had been clearer with some showers. Low pressure near Scotland meant a wet day in W and N Scotland, but with a SW'ly airflow the day was mild across Cent and S England. Overnight rain followed by showers in S England soon cleared, and much of England, Wales and Ireland then had a bright day. However, a further low spread to SW Ireland later in the day, bringing some moderate rain to S Ireland and light rain to SW England by midnight. MSL pressure at Valentia at 2400GMT was 985.2mb. (Lee-on-Solent 18C, Church Fenton 5C, Capel Curig 16mm, Guernsey 9h.)
During the 21st low pressure moved from SW Ireland across N Wales to NE England and the North Sea. This meant a wet and windy day for S Ireland and S Britain although the generally cloudy start meant a mostly mild night. Along the English Channel gusts exceeded 40kn, with the Met Office reporting a 65kn gust on the Needles. As the low and its rain moved E, showers developed in a N'ly airflow across Ireland and spread E to Wales and S England. There was further frontal rain and drizzle across N Scotland during the day, with gusts to 35kn here during the evening. (Guernsey 18C, Braemar 2C, Sennybridge 26mm, Guernsey 7.9h.)
A cold front spread S during the 22nd across Scotland to reach N Ireland and N England by the end of the day. Conditions were consequently cooler to the N, and warmer to the S of this front. There were some mist patches by dawn across Cent England, with patchy rain across Cent and S Scotland at this time. Showers followed the cold front as it moved S, and there were also showers across S England and S Wales for a while, some of these being heavy affairs. Hastings 18C, Port Ellen 2C, Saunton Sands 14mm, Tenby 7.5h.)
Skies cleared across much of N Scotland overnight into the 23rd, leading to an air frost in places here. There were also some early clear skies across parts of Ireland and Cent England. Under these clear skies some mist and fog patches developed, while there was some light rain over NE England. In parts of N Ireland the fog was slow to clear. Under clear skies N Scotland had a mostly sunny day, but cloud and rain spread into SW Ireland in the afternoon; by midnight this rain was falling across much of S England, Wales and Ireland, with cloudy skies across N England and S Scotland. (Guernsey 17C, Kinbrace -5C, Port Ellen 16mm, Lerwick 7.7h.)
The 24th saw two major areas of rain affecting the British Isles, with a mostly cloudy day everywhere as a result. Before the cloud spread across N Scotland there was a brief air frost in some places. The rain was heavy across Ireland and the high ground of W Britain and Scotland, and gusts of 40kn occurred in some N parts. The Met Office reported falls of 68mm at Killowen and 55mm at Lough Fea in Northern Ireland with some flooding here, and severe flood warnings were also posted over Cent Scotland after heavy rain there. N Wales had some heavy rain over the mountains with falls over 50mm being reported here leading to five flood warnings in the country by the evening. Across England the rain eased off in the afternoon before further rain spread in from the SW in the evening. The cloud cleared a little in the evening over Ireland with temperatures falling below 10C by 2400GMT in a few places here; across Cent England temperatures of 15-16C were being reported at this time. (Ashford (Co. Wicklow) and Colwyn Bay 18C, Altnaharra -2C, Capel Curig 70mm, Lerwick 2.1h.)
Overnight rain had largely cleared by 0900GMT on the 25th, to be followed by fairly widespread showers. Across Ireland the showers were thundery in places (in the W in the morning and later in the N) with gusts to 40kn reported from coastal areas. There were also thundery outbreaks in W Scotland, NW England and from N Wales to Norfolk with some reports of hail. These showers tended to die out in the evening, but across Scotland and parts of N England they lingered even at this time in places. (Guernsey 18C, Baltasound 5C, Buxton (Derbyshire) 37mm, Falmouth 8.5h.)
There were varying amounts of cloud overnight into the 26th, with some early rain over W and N Scotland. The day saw warm frontal systems spreading N to N Scotland and by midnight there was a pronounced S'ly airflow over the entire British Isles with a track back to Spain. This meant that, despite some clear skies giving a ground frost in N Scotland by dawn, by midnight temperatures were as high as 17C in S England and 15C in N mainland Scotland. The warm air had not quite reached Lerwick at this time, where it was 8C in moderate rain. The warm fronts brought spells of rain for many, and this rain was heavy over parts of Wales and SW Scotland for a time. (Guernsey 21C, Kinbrace -1C, Barra 22mm, Clacton 6.9h.)
Across E Britain the warm, S'ly airflow continued all day on the 27th, but in the western half of the British Isles a cold front made steady progress W resulting in a slight fall in temperatures. However, even then, by midnight temperatures were still widely above 14C, except in the Northern Isles. The frontal system brought some rain as it spread E, but the main talking point was the widespread warmth; 20C was widely reported and 22.5C was reported at an experimental site at Kinlochewe. However, 21.5C at London Met Office and 21.2C at Aultbea were still the highest temperatures on record for this date in the UK; previously the highest had been 20.3C in London in 1888. 20.7C was recorded at Carlisle. (London 21.5C, Lerwick 13C maximum, Lerwick 8C minimum, Stornoway 14mm, Eastbourne 9.1h.)
The cold front cleared E parts of Britain during the morning of the 28th, giving a short spell of rain followed by more showery conditions. Wales, Ireland and Scotland had a day of sunny intervals and showers, but even so it was a mild day for most in a S'ly airflow; in many places across Ireland and W Britain the showers were heavy and around the coasts the winds were noticeably gusty. Even once the showers died down and the showers stopped in the evening temperatures remained reasonably high; at 2400GMT reading ranged from 10C in the Northern Isles to 15C in parts of S England. (Herne Bay 19C, Lerwick 11C, Cardinham 36mm, Saunton Sands 6.8h.)
The were increasing amounts of cloud overnight across S parts of the British Isles, but generally clearer skies across N and E England, N Ireland and Scotland by dawn on the 29th. A few mist and fog patches also formed over E England by dawn. The cloud in the S heralded rain which arrived in S Ireland and SW England during the morning and spread N and E. By late morning the rain had reached SW Scotland and had reached N Scotland by evening. With low pressure to the W of Ireland MSL pressure fell to 982mb at Belmullet by 2100GMT and the rain was accompanied by gusty winds that affected all but East Anglia by the evening. Bands of showers followed the rain Ireland and Wales in the afternoon and evening with gales around the coasts here. (Jersey 19C, Loch Glascarnoch 3C, South Uist 19mm, Lerwick 5.6h.)
A breezy S'ly airflow continued during the 30th, but with the rain spreading N and E it gradually turned drier from the W as the showers also tended to die down. Nevertheless, a few thundery outbreaks were reported from W Ireland in the late morning. Across S England there was some heavy rain in places during the morning, which subsequently spread N and E. East Anglia and the extreme SE corner of England had a mild afternoon with temperatures of 18-19C being widespread here. Under clearing skies over Ireland in the evening the temperature fell to 8C in places, but remained at 14-16C in SE England by midnight at which time further rain was pushing into Kent and Sussex. (Gravesend 21C, Kinlochwewe 9C, Tulloch Bridge 29mm, Falmouth 7.2h.)
The frontal cloud and rain spread rapidly to Cent Scotland by midday on the 2nd, later almost clearing Shetland by midnight. Ahead of the cloud there was some air frost in N Scotland. The front a spell of moderately heavy rain to many places, and this was followed by showers and some lighter rain in the warm sector; by midnight, temperatures remained at 12-15C across most of Ireland, Wales and England, while cooler foggy conditions prevailed across the Northern Isles. Some of the showers were thundery across S Ireland in the morning, while sferics were reported over NE England in the late afternoon. (Prestatyn 19C, Altnaharra -2C, Capel Curig 35mm, Southport 7h.)
A complex area of low pressure moved slowly NE over the British Isles on the 3rd. After a reading of 981.4mb at Valentia at 0000GMT the low pressure centres slowly filled during the day. After a mild start in a mostly S'ly airflow winds gradually shifted around to the W during the day. Rainfall was frequent and widespread, with some fog across the Northern Isles early in the day that lingrered all day in some places. The Met Office reported severe gales around the coasts of SW England and S Wales during the early hours, with the strong winds then transferring E; 50mph gusts were reported along the S coast of England and train services were disrupted by fallen trees in Sussex. Temperatures of 10C were widespread across the British Isles, except across Cent and S Ireland, at midnight. (Herne Bay 17C, Tain Range 3C, Capel Curig 37mm, Falmouth 5.4h.)
There was a mainly cloudy start to the 4th, except across Cent and E England, and it was also generally a mild start to the day. As the low continued to moved NE away from Scotland pressure rose under a weak, developing ridge. Rain and windy conditions continued to affect Scotland, N wales and N England overnight - and light falls continue to affect E britain during the afternoon. Rain gradually cleared from the W and some places had long spells of sunshine; however, a further weak spread to Ireland and SW England in the late afternoon and evening, leading to some light rain and showers here before midnight (along with rising temperatures). (Guernsey 15C, Redhill 5C, Capel Curig 34mm, Bognor Regis 8h.)
While E Britain had little cloud, and some ground frost, early on the 5th further W the day began with cloudy skies and some rain across S Ireland and SW England. During the day the rain spread N and E, introducing warmer into Ireland, wales and England. Despite a forecast the previous day for a wet bonfire night in SE England very little rain eventually fell here. Skies across Scotland tended to clear later in the day befoire clouding over from the S in the evening. At 2400GMT temperatures ranged across the warm front from 6C in a misty Glasgow to 12C in S Cumbria; the slow-moving front meant a damp evening from NE England to Wales and SW England, with 40kn gusts in these latter two areas. (Guernsey and Bognor Regis 14C, Redhill -2C, Capel Curig 21mm, Hunstanton 8.4h.)
Cold fronts crossing the British Isles on the 6th brought a spell of rain followed by showers. The day began generally cloudy, except across N and NE Scotland where there was a ground frost in places. By dawn the cold front had cleared much of Ireland introducing clearer skies and lower temperatures, and it then continued to push rapidly E. By midday much of Scotland and wales was also in the cooler air, while rain continued to fall across Cent S and SE England. Gusts to 50kn prevailed in W Scotland and NW Ireland during the day, and although windy conditions elsewhere died down in the evening, in these areas it remained blustery. By midnight a trough made for cloudy and showery conditions from W Scotland to SW England; elsewhere it was mostly clear. The Met Office reported some snow in the showers over the mountains of Scotland. (Prestatyn 17C, Aboyne 1C, Bodmin 45mm, Belfast 4h.)
Many areas had clear skies much of the time overnight into the 7th, but a trough did bring a few showers - these were thundery at Belmullet shortly before dawn. By 0900GMT pressure was falling at Valentia ahead of a deepening depression that tracked NE towards NW Scotland; at 2400GMT pressure was down to 968mb off the Western Isles. During the morning cloud affected W Scotland and much of Ireland, and spread into Wales and Sw england as rain pushed across S and Cent Ireland. Winds increased in speed across Ireland (59mph gusts at Valentia at 1500GMT) in the morning and later speeded up across Scotland. Heavy rain affected W Ireland and W Scotland and the Met Office reported a gust to 80mph at Tiree later in the day; issuing an emergency severe weather warning for Northwest Highland and the Western Isles. E England remained dry while rain spread into NW England in the evening and 60mph gusts occurred across N England. (Hastings 15C, Fyvie Castle 3C, Loch Glascarnoch 22mm, Cromer 8h.)
A wavy front spead rain E across E England during the morning of the 8th, the day beginning with storm force winds around W and N Scotland. Gusts to 80kn were reported here early in the morning, but the winds gradually eased as the low centre moved away to the NE. Thousands of homes were left without power in Argyll in the early hours; the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland were also badly affected. The rain continued to move e across Cent and E England in the afternoon and evening, but at 2400GMT there was still rainfall in E and Cent S England, with some thunder also reported in Cent S England. Skies across Ireland cleared in the evening, and this clearance later spread to Wales and parts of W Britain. It remained warm in SE England by midnight; 13C in Kent but down to 3C in Cent Ireland across the cold front. (Gravesend 18C, Glen Ogle 5C, Capel Curig 72mm, Clacton 6.5h.)
The frontal rain cleared E England before dawn on the 9th, allowinf clearer skies to spread E to most areas by mid-morning. There was an early ground frost in parts of Cent Ireland and Scotland. Further cloud spilled into Ireland during the late morning, and into Scotland, Wales and N England by midnight, as another warm front spread E. At 2400GMT Valentia was reporting 14C, compared to 2C in parts of Sussex. The cloud was accompanied later by increasing winds and rain (with 40kn gusts across Scotland), although East Anglia and SE England remained clear of cloud throughout the evening. (Falmouth 15C, Katesbridge -2C, Scampton 14mm, Tenby 8h.)
Frontal cloud spread rain, and re-introduced cooler conditions, on the 10th across Scotland, much of Ireland and N England, but S England remained to the S of a cold front in mild air. Rain spread rapidly across Scotland, followed by showers in a brisk W'ly airflow. From S Ireland to East Anglia cloud was rather more persistent with light rain and drizzle for much of the day, especially over the hills. During the evening this area of rain extended N into parts of N Ireland and N England, with temperatures as high as 14C to the S at 2400GMT. (Great Malvern 17C, Redhill -2C, Aultbea 29mm.)
Another deepening low passed to the NW of the British Isles on the 11th, pushing a warm front N across n Britain before a trailing cold front spread across most areas by late evening, bringing a spell of rain and then showers in the W. MSL pressure fell to 969.1mb at Stornoway at 1800GMT, and the fronts moved very fast, reflecting the windy bature of the day. By midday winds were gusting to 60kn across W Ireland and W Scotland, and these increased further in the afternoon across W Scotland. The Met office reported 80mph along the Moray Firth. The winds closed roads and bridges and caused a few accidents involving high-sided vehicles. There was also a report of structural damage in Edinburgh. By midnight skies were clear in most places except for Scotlandm, although a few showers continued across S England and S Ireland. Winds gusts were down to 40kn across N Britain, apart from NW Scotland where 60kn ones were still being reported in a few places. (Kinloss 15C, Fyvie Castle 2C, Lusa 39mm, Kinloss 2.9h.)
The deep low gradually pushed NE away from N Scotland on the 12th. It was windy overnight across N Britain with gusts to 60kn across N Scotland. The winds slowly eased during the day as they turned to the NW, but even at 2400GMT 40kn gusts were still reported over Shetland. The low dragged a band of frontal cloud and showers SE across Scotland and Ireland during the day; Scotland had a rather cloudy start to the day but further S the day began with clearer skies, except for some showers on W-facing coasts. Away from the front, further showers affected many W/NW-facing coasts during the day - these tended to die out in the evening as MSL pressure rose to 1028mb at Valentia. During showery conditions near Camborne in the morning, three funnel clouds were sighted. By midnight there was still some frontal cloud from NE England to Cornwall, and showery cloud across N Scotland; elsewhere under clear skies the temperature was starting to fall sharply. (Guernsey 14C, Braemar 2C, Loch Glascarnoch 54mm, Cromer 7.8h.)
Many places had little overnight cloud into the 13th; inland, these places saw temperatures dropping close to freezing in a NW'ly airflow. By early afternoon a band of cloud across Cent and S England had cleared the S coast with only a few light falls of rain/drizzle. Scotland and W Ireland saw some cloud during the day, along with some light rain or showers. Elsewhere the day was generally a sunny one; by the evening only W Ireland and Scotland was cloudy and some inland areas of England and Wales were experiencing an air frost. At midnight MSL pressure was up to 1034mb in S Ireland, while the Northern Isles were experiencing gales and gusts to 60kn. (Falmouth 14C, Saughall -3C, Capel Curig 14mm, Tenby 8.3h.)
Much of S England had a sunny day on the 14th; there was an early air frost in many places and some freezing fog around dawn in Cent S England, the Midlands and East Anglia. By dawn there was cloud across most of Scotland and Ireland, and also N England, with rain/drizzle in W areas. Gales across N Scotland were accompanied by 60kn gusts and these conditions persisted throughout the day here, the wind not really easing until the late evening. Cloud spread into the Midlands in the morning, but did not affect parts of S England until the evening as pressure fell everywhere in the S. Light rain and drizzle affected Ireland and Scotland during the day, although falls were much heavier in the W than the E, and across Ireland many falls were slight. (Aberdeen 15C, Benson -3C, Aultbea 23mm, Falmouth 8.3h.)
Frontal systems pushed S across the British Isles on the 15th introducing a N'ly flow to all areas. This meant a cloudy start to the day in S parts with some light rain and drizzle, before clearer conditions to the N spread S. N and W parts of Scotland and Ireland had showers during the day accompanied by 30-40kn gusts, and these showers turned wintry across high ground in Cent Scotland and in the Northern Isles later in the day. Showers also affected some W coasts of England and Wales during the day. (Falmouth 15C, Redhill -1C, Loch Glascarnoch 10mm, Manchester 5.5h.)
A N'ly airstream on the 16th meant a cool day everywhere, with showers at times in many areas due to troughs embedded in this flow. Although mostly of rain, some hail fell in places with some snow over N Scotland and higher ground further S. Later in the day these showers tended to die out in S areas as a weak ridge of high pressure became established but frontal cloud then brought some light rain and drizzle into SW Ireland later in the evening. By midnight, under clear skies, there was an air frost developing over cent Ireland and many inland areas of Britain. (Guernsey 12C, Saughall -2C, Fyvie Castle 10mm, Clacton 7.5h.)
The ridge of high pressure strengthened a little on the 17th and pushed slowly E, with MSL pressure rising to 1023mb over S Scotland during the evening. Much of S Scotland, E Ireland, wales and England had little cloud during the day, and there was a widespread early air frost under these clear skies. Cloud across N Scotland brought some snow showers and there were reports of rain and small hail in parts of E England adjacent to the North Sea. Cloud with light rain across SW Ireland earlier in the day spread to parts of SW England in the evening; this marked a warm front that allowed the temperature at 2400GMT to be at 11C at Valentia. Elsewhere at this time there was another widespread frost developing under clear skies, except in the cloudier parts of N Scotland. (Falmouth 12C, Warcop 3C maximum, Shap Fell -6C minimum, Rosehearty 16mm, Hastings 8.5h.)
The anticyclone continued to intensify on the 18th, and the front across SW parts of the British Isles consequently declined. Away from this SW corner there was a widespread inland air frost with freezing mist and fog around dawn in parts of the Midlands. Early cloud in SW England tended to quickly clear, and the cloud became confined to parts of E Ireland and W Scotland by mid-afternoon, light rain in W Ireland having stopped by then. After a mostly dry and sunny day - although there were some showers in East Anglia - another widespread air frost developed in the evening over much of England, Wales and E Scotland. Parts of SW England, W Wales and much of Ireland remained mild, as did W Scotland, with 11C at Valentia and 10C at Scilly at 2400GMT. By midnight 1030mb was the central pressure over N England. (Culdrose 13C, Aviemore 1C maximum, Braemar and Tulloch Bridge -9C, Lowestoft 5mm, Hastings 8.5h.)
With the anticylone persisting on the 19th (1034mb MSL pressure over the Midlands later in the day) most of England, Wales and Ireland had a clear day with sunny spells; there was an early inland air frost in Wales and all but the SW peninsular of England, with further frost here and in parts of Ireland in the evening. Scilly, Cornwall and the extreme W of Ireland remained mild throughout the day. Freezing mist and fog was a problem for drivers in Cent and S England around dawn and later in the evening. E Scotland danwed clear and frosty, but cloud in the W spread E during the day to give a relatively mild evening across all of N and Cent Scotland; 10C was reported on the Western Isles late in the evening. This cloud also spread some light frontal rain to parts of N Scotland, but amounts were slight. (Falmouth 13C, Ross-on-Wye 1C maximum, Braemar -9C minimum, Lusa 1mm, Saunton Sands 8.2h.)
Continuing high pressure meant that the 20th was another cold day except for Cornwall, S and W Ireland and W and N Scotland. Clear skies led to freezing fog in S Scotland, the Midlands and Cent S England around dawn - with similra conditions again in the late evening. Away from Scotland it was a mostly dry and bright day and this led to some high daytime temperatures in Wales and Ireland that soon fell back after sunset. In the Midlands mist and few fog patches lingered all day, while across Scotland cloudy skies led to some light rain and drizzle in the north. (Falmouth 14C, Church Lawford -1C maximum, Redhill -8C minimum, Lerwick 7mm, Bognor Regis 8.2h.)
By 2400GMT on the 21st MSL pressure had risen to 1038mb over the Pennines. Away from Scotland (earlier in the day) and E England (later in the day) there was little cloud. This resulted in a widespread frost, sunny spells but also misty conditions across much of Britain with widespread fog patches (early and late). Milder air persisted across the Channel Islands, Cornwall, S and W Ireland and N and W Scotland throughout the day. Some light frontal rain fell over the Shetlands for a while. Thousands of people were left stranded after thick fog brought chaos to Liverpool John Lennon Airport. After 1000GMT all flights were cancelled as the conditions made taking-off and landing almost impossible for aircraft. Manchester Airport also suffered as a result of fog, with around 130 flights cancelled or diverted. (Ronaldsway 12C, Church Lawford 0C maximum, Benson -7C minimum, Baltasound 3mm, Newquay 8.3h.)
The anticyclone continued to intensify on the 22nd, MSL pressure reaching 1041mb over N Wales by 2400GMT. Following the overnight clearance of cloud across Scotland, much of Ireland and Scotland (away from N Scotland) had a generally clear day, but with some persistent fog in S Scotland and N Ireland. After early clear skies but foggy conditions across England and Wales, low cloud formed over many areas during the day and for a few places the fog persisted all day; even where it cleared misty conditions remained with fog returning to parts of the Midlands and Cent S England in the evening. N Scotland, Cornwall, the Channel Islands and S Ireland remained the warmest places throughout the day. (Guernsey 13C, Eskdalemuir 0C maximum, Redesdale Camp -7C minimum, no measureable rain, Saunton Sands 8h.)
The high pressure centre finally slipped away to the W on the 23rd, allowing cold fronts to push S across Scotland. Mist, fog and low cloud was widespread early in the morning, with warm conditions across the Northern Isles where rain was falling at dawn. At 0900GMT two sites with 400m of each other at Copley (Durham) reported maximum/minimum temperatures of 12.6C/-6.6C (Copley) and -0.1C/-6.7C (Copley Lead Mill) - a remarkable contrast. For most places poor visibility and low cloud continued throughout the day, while light rain spread S into S Scotland by late evening. Despite the fronts being marked as 'cold' temperatures at 2400GMT were relatively high across Scotland compared with those of S England, but the mildest air did lie across N Ireland and S Scotland (10-12C in places). By this time much of England was again misty, but fog formation was generally confined to just a few parts of E England. (Guernsey 12C, Leeming -1C maximum, Redesdale Camp -9C minimum, Baltasound 3mm, Falmouth 8.2h.)
By the end of the 24th a cold N'ly airflow was established throughout the British Isles. With S'ward-moving fronts intorducing this cooler air it was a rather cloudy day for many, with wintry showers following the rain as the fronts cleared to the S. Skies were generally clearer in the evening, except across scotland and few coastal areas where the showers were more persistent. By late afternoon there was a covering of snow across the Highlands, and by midnight the temperature was down to 5C on the Channel Islands with a widespread air frost developing inland across Britain. (Torquay 12C, Coningsby -3C, Tain Range 11mm, Leuchars 5.5h.)
Cold arctic air affected all parts of the British Isles on the 25th, with heavy snow falling as far S as Cornwall. Many inland areas of England avoided the snow and had sunny spells. W and N parts of Britain were worst affected by the snow, with up to 15cm of snow falling in the Highlands and about 10cm near cardiff and in parts of Northern Ireland. Showers were thundery in NE Scotland in the afternoon, and turned to rain across N Scotland. About 500 vehicles, including coaches, were stuck on the A30 between Kennards House and Bodmin near to Jamaica Inn in Cornwall, following a crash which has closed a snow-hit road. More than 460 schools in S Wales and around 100 in NE Scotland and the Northern Isles were closed. Over 4,000 Scottish homes have lost electricity. Northern Ireland and NW Scotland were affected by gales and 70mph gusts, which increased to up to 100mph over high ground in Scotland. Grampian Police have dealt with a series of accidents, and reported road closures around Braemar and Crathie, with other routes affected by drifting snow and heavy ice. The Skye Bridge was closed to high-sided vehicles. (Scilly 8C, Leek -4C, Lerwick 31mm, Isle of Wight 6.7h.)
The N'ly flow continued during the 26th around a depression located over the Low Countries. Much of Britain had a cloudy day while there was less cloud over Ireland; these clearer conditions spread into Wales and W England later in the day. The cloud brought falls of snow in many parts of E Britain, with a few light falls in Sussex and Kent (giving a temporary dusting on the ground) and heavier falls over the Scottish Highlands. Despite the cold, precipitation at low levels fell as rain for many, with some heavy falls in E Scotland, and there were a few light falls in Ireland and W Scotland. Early in the day the Highways Agency closed the A477 road to Pembroke Dock because of an accident on sheet ice. (Saunton Sands 11C, Trawscoed -5C, Braemar 43mm, Falmouth 7.2h.)
A N'ly airflow, with several troughs and fronts, meant that the 27th was another mostly cold and cloudy day. There was a clear beginning to the day over much of Ireland, Wales and W England but it turned cloudy in these areas by mid-morning. The cloud brought rain to many areas with some heavy falls in parts of E England, but over higher ground in Scotland the precipitation turned to sleet and snow. During the evening the cloud cleared from much of E Ireland, SW Scotland, Wales and NW England. (Guernsey 10C, Leek 2C maximum, Pembrey Sands -3C minimum, Boulmer 51mm, Torquay 5.4h.)
Clear skies overnight across areas surrounding the Irish Sea led to sharp air frost early on the 28th. Further E, and in W Ireland and N Scotland there was a cloudy start to the day, with some snowfall in N Scotland. During the morning snow began falling in N England and spread to the Midlands. According to the Met Office there were 5cm accumulations over higher ground. During the evening the snow spread to cent S and SW England with traffic chaos in Gloucestershire. Showers, many of rain, continued to fall in E England during the day, and there were also falls in W Ireland. E Ireland and S Scotland remained mostly dry and sunny, while N Scotland and SE England stayed rather cloudy throughout the day - with further snowfall over the N Highlands. Between 300 and 400 cars were abandoned on rural roads in Gloucestershire and accidents reported on major routes. The worst affected areas were Cirencester and Stroud, and the south Cotswolds. More than 20 schools in the county, mostly in the north Cotswolds and the Stroud area were closed. (Guernsey 10C, Leek -1C maximum, Yeovilton -6C minimum, Loftus 18mm, Belfast 6.1h.)
The 29th brought the beginnings of a change to the wintry weather as a warm front spread across Ireland and into the Western Isles and W Cornwall during the second half of the day. Across Britain and E Ireland the day again dawned cold with some snow showers in NE Scotland, but by 0600GMT Belmullet and Valentia were reporting 7C and rain. By midday rain and drizzle had reached parts of E Ireland but further progress E was slow and the frontal preciptation weakened in intensity. After some showers in parts of SW England, Wales and E Britain which fell as snow/sleet in places, the late evening saw a clearance of cloud across much of E and Cent England with some fog patches in Cent and S England. As temperatures dropped below 0C ahead of the cloud (which at midnight lay Shetland-Aberdeen-Devon) there were concerns over freezing rain in the clear areas for the following day. (St Mary's Scilly 11C, Woodford -8C, St Mary's Scilly 10mm, sunshine data unavailable)
The 30th saw the warm front making slow progress E introducing milder conditions to all areas by midnight. East Anglia and SE England had an early clear start to the day with some mist/fog, before cloud spread E to most places by mid-morning. Advanncing cloud from the W brought rain across England during the morning and afternoon - although falls were mostly slight the early rain did fall on frozen ground and with an air temperature slightly below 0C in places - freezing rain. Across Scotland the rain was preceded by snow or sleet in places, while later in the day across much of E and cent England mist and fog developed. Temperatures at sea level at 2400GMT were mostly above 5C, except for parts of SE Scotland and NE England, while 11C was being reporting on Scilly. (Falmouth 13C, Eskdalemuir 1C maximum, Redhill -7C minimum, Cardinham 11mm, Herne Bay 4.6h.)
This low pressure area intensified early on the 2nd and by 1200GMT was located between Devon and Britanny with a central pressure of 960mb. During the remainder of the day the low filled slowly and moved to lie over E Wales by midnight, centre 972mb. There was overnight rain across S Ireland (that subsequently moved N) and much of England (but noticeably in the S). Clearing skies in parts of N Scotland resulted in a local air frost, but many places in Scotland also saw overnight rain. Mostly light and patchy rain affected Ireland and Scotland during the day; across England and Wales rain and showers continued for much of the day in the S, accompanied by strong to gale force winds. Some of these showers were thundery later in the morning and afternoon. Several homes were flooded in parts of Monmouthshire and a road was blocked by a landslide following heavy rain in the morning. The met Office reported gusts to 75mph at the Needles. Winds also brought down trees in the New Forest and caused some structural damage at Southsea. Train services were disrupted on the coastal line near Dawlish as high waves mounted the sea defences. (Falmouth 12C, Loch Glascarnoch -2C, Odiham 37mm, sunshine extremes unavailable.)
The low pressure centre moved slowly N through N Britain on the 3rd, filling to 981mb by 2400GMT. Associated fronts and troughs made for a mostly cloudy day with spells of rain and showers. Around the coasts gusts to 40kn occurred while showers were accompanied by thunder during the day in parts of N Wales and Kent. The showers died down in the evening along with the wind. (Guernsey 12C, South Uist 1C, Falmouth 24mm, Torquay 5.8h.)
Low pressure was slow-moving across Scotland on the 4th, with bands of showers and rain continuing to circulate around it across the British Isles. A secondary low formed near Kent and pushed NE. Clear skies around dawn in parts of S England led to local air frosts and some freezing fog. During the day were close to N- and W-facing coasts, with the SE corner of England remaining mostly dry, while some thick fog formed in the evening across parts of East Anglia. (Torquay 12C, Redhill -2C, Capel Curig 23mm, Torquay 5.6h.)
Cyclonic conditions, with a N'ly flow, continued to affect the British Isles on the 5th. There was early fog across parts of E Scotland and East Anglia. Across Ireland it was a mostly brigfht and sunny day with temperatures tumbling in the S in the evening. Parts of W England and Wales also had a bright day, while Scotland, NE Ireland and E England tended to be cloudier. Bands of rain and showers affected E Scotland, NW England and NE Ireland and theye were quite heavy in places. Showers of rain and hail also affected Cornwall, while fog returned to parts of E England and East Anglia in the evening. (Falmouth 10C, Saughall -1C, Ballypatrick Forest 30mm, Falmouth 7.1h.)
The N'ly flow weakened during the 6th. There was a foggy start to the day in E England, with early cloud across much of England and clearer skies elsewhere. Light rain and drizzle fell from this cloud, and the cloud gradually cleared during the day from all but a few E coast areas of England. A few showers also fell across SW England and NE Scotland earlier in the day. Consequently, sunshine totals were much higher than for several days in most areas, and an inland air frost developed across Ireland and Britain later in the evening. However, in W Ireland the next frontal cloud was already present by 2400GMT. (Saunton Sands 11C, Benson -3C, Middlesbrough 13mm, Isle of Man 6.9h.)
Cloud advanced E across much of Ireland by dawn on the 7th, but elsewhere there was a widespread inland air frost. Fog was widespread around dawn across much of Cent and E England and Scotland. By mid-morning rain was falling across much of Ireland and this spread into Wales and SW England by midday, later spreading to SW Scotland, Cent and SE England. Under clear skies in E Scotland it remained cold during the day with fog patches in places. By midnight the cloud had spread E to most E parts of England and Scotland, but had cleared in much of W and S Ireland. There were moderately heavy falls of rain in places, with 40kn gusts in SW England. (Scilly 11C, Altnaharra -6C, Glenanne 17mm, Eastbourne 6.5h.)
During the 8th the cloud and rain in W Britain spread E, and although this was followed by more fronts spreading into W Ireland during the afternoon, a ridge of high pressure developed across England with MSL pressure rising to 1031mb over Cent England by 2400GMT. Cloud and rain cleared to the SE across England during the morning (after some heavy falls over Wales) giving a sunny afternoon for most of E Scotland, N and E England. Frontal cloud affected W Scotland for much of the day, and there frontal rain in the afternoon in W Wales. During the evening fog became widespread under the clear skies of E and Cent Britain, turning freezing in places. (St. Marys 11C, Aboyne -6C, Trawscoed 28mm, Scarborough 5.7h.)
Despite high pressure to the E on the 9th, frontal cloud made steady progress E during the day across Scotland, Ireland and N England. E Britain had a widespread frosty and foggy start; in parts of E England and the Midlands the fog failed to clear until the afternoon. The frontal cloud brought falls of light rain E, but in some E areas of England the days was bright and sunny once early fog had cleared. The rain introduced warmer air with temperatures of 10-12C across Ireland by midnight, but -1C at Southend at the same time. However, as the rain encountered the high pressure in the E it did tend to weaken. (Ballykelly 13C, Topcliffe -5C, West Freugh 9mm, Hastings 8h.)
The 10th saw high pressure becoming established with MSL pressure rising to 1041mb in SE England later in the day. The warm air did not quite reach parts of E/SE England and the Channel Islands, however, although further N and W it was a mostly mild day. Cloud and drizzle affected N and W Scotland, while the best of any sunshine was in S England. Skies cleared across Ireland later in the day, while mist and fog developed across S England in the evening under clear skies. (Prestatyn 13C, Redhill -4C, Lusa 15mm, Falmouth 7.2h.)
High pressure continued to dominate on the 11th, with a SW'ly flow giving a very mild night in Scotland and NW Ireland. According to the Met Office Lerwick, Kirkwall and Kinloss had their warmest December night on record. In Kinloss the temperature was no lower than 11C. In S England there were clear skies and freezing fog patches at dawn. During the day the high centre transferred to the W and a weak cold front spread rain and drizzle across Scotland, N England and much of Ireland. The fog lingered for much of the daylight hours in parts of Cent S England and the S Midlands, reforming in the S again in the evening. Visible on satellite imagery was the smoke plume from the burning oil fires in Hertfordshire, which spread across much of SE England, given the light and changing wind direction here. (Tain Range 14C, Redhill -4C, Lusa 11mm, Hastings 7.3h.)
Pressure rose to 1047mb at 1200GMT on the 12th over N Ireland. Cloud was mostly confined to S and E England and to W and N Scotland during the day; there was some light rain in S England at first while the cold front continued to push S, while some light rain also fell in parts of N Scotland. For many it was a dry, and in the W a sunny, day. Again visible on satellite imagery was the smoke plume from the burning oil fires in Hertfordshire, which spread to the S coast. By midnight there was a widespread air frost under clear skies across Ireland, N England and S Scotland. (Tenby 12C, Tulloch Bridge -4C, Loch Glascarnoch 2mm, Tenby 7.0h.)
There was a cloudy start to the 13th across much of Scotland and the SE corner of England. Elsewhere, air frost was fairly widespread with a few fog patches. As the day progressed cloud spread across Scotland, Ireland and N England giving slight falls of rain from a decaying front. Skies cleared across parts of Ireland and S Scotland later, while at 2400GMT pressure remained as haigh as 1043mb at Valentia. (Tain Range 11C, Katesbridge -6C, Kirkwall 11mm, Falmouth 7.2h.)
A further front pushed S across Scotland later on the 14th but, despite falling pressure, it was another anticyclonic day. For many places it was a cloudy day, with some light rain falling later across Scotland. In parts of E and S England the cloud was also thick enough to produce a few spots of rain. During the afternoon and evening cloud broke up in parts of N England and E Scotland. (Saunton Sands 12C, Yeovilton -1C, Loch Glascarnoch 4mm, Cromer 4.4h.)
Overnight cloud was widespread into the 15th over N, W and S Britain, but there were some clearer skies over E England and SE Scotland. The cloud gave some light rain and drizzle across Scotland and Ireland. During the day the cloud thickened in the E but cleared a little in SW Ireland. The rain spread slowly S into N Ireland during the day while in the afternoon skies brightened a little across S England to give spells on sunshine. The rain was accompanied by gusts to 45kn around the Scottish coasts as pressure gradients following falling pressure near Norway. Ashford (Co. Wicklow) reported that it got quite windy from after 2100GMT with gusts to 45kn here too. (Ashford (Co. Wicklow) and Cardiff 13C, Scampton 0C, Loch Glascarnoch 11mm, Herne Bay 5.5h.)
There was a generally cloudy start to the 16th with much of the British isles lying in a warm sector. During the day cold fronts pushed rapidly S to clear all but SW Ireland by midnight, introducing a much colder N'ly airflow. As the fronts spread S they introduced clear skies and showers, some of them wintry, across N Scotland at first and subsequently as far S as N England. The Met Office reported lying snow depths of about 2cm at Dyce by 1800GMT. N Scotland experienced gusts to 50kn during the day, and by midnight clearing skies allowed temperature to fall sharply in inland areas of N Britain. (Torquay 14C, Lerwick -1C, Loch Glascarnoch 24mm, Leuchars 4.6h.)
The 17th dawned with mostly clear skies away from Ireland and W coasts of Britain, with a widespread air frost in Cent and E Britain as a result. Cloud and rain spread into SW England and Ireland in the morning, while N and E Scotland saw early wintry showers. In the N/NW'ly airflow, snow showers also fell down the E coast of England to Suffolk. The rain made little further progress E, while the wintry conditions weakened in E Britain while continuing in N Scotland in rather windy conditions. Clearing skies inland in the evening allowed a widespread air frost to form across the British Isles by midnight. (St Mary's 10C, Warcop -6C, Lowestoft 13mm, Bognor Regis 7.6h.)
By dawn on the 18th there was cloud across much of Scotland, Ireland, Wales and SW England (with rain in W Ireland and W Scotland), heralding the frontal system that was to cross much of the British Isles during the day. In E areas there was a sharp frost with temperatures taking until midday in places to reach 0C. Rain spread across Ireland in the morning, and then across Scotland. Temperatures rose as the rain started, but then fell again as the warm frontal rain was soon followed by a cold front. For many the rain was light, and was followed by clearer skies that extended across much of Ireland, Scotland, Wales and N England by midnight. (St Mary's 11C, Lowestoft 1C maximum, Aboyne -9C minimum, Tyndrum 17mm, Hastings 7.3h.)
Overnight frontal cloud and rain cleared SE England before dawn on the 19th as further cloud spread E into W Scotland. Elsewhere, the day dawned mostly clear of cloud with a groiund frost in many places. Cloud and light rain affected Scotland during the day, with cloudy skies over Ireland; Wales and N England turned cloudy later, while remaining parts of England remained largely bright and sunny with a widespread air frosts in SE England, the E Midlands and East Anglia by midnight. Fog also formed in Cent S England before midnight. (Falmouth 13C, Buxton (Derbyshire) -3C, Capel Curig 7mm, Eastbourne 7.4h.)
The 20th began with clear skies and widespread fog before dawn in East Anglia, SE and Cent S England, but by dawn much of this are had clouded over and the temperature had lifted. Elsewhere, except for parts of N England, SE Scotland and E Ireland it was also a cloudy start to the day - and for many it remained cloudy as a weak front crossed N areas, with further fronts appraoching W Ireland later in the day. Low cloud led to light rain and drizzle in many areas, and also some mist and poor visibility in SW England and NE England. Mist formed more widely in the evening across much of S England and the Midlands. (Falmouth and Ashford (Co. Wicklow) 12C, Redhill -6C, Lusa 12mm, Dyce 3.6h.)
For most areas the 21st had a cloudy start with some fog across Cent S England and the S Midlands. Low pressure approaching the Northern Isles resulted in falling pressure and a strengthening wind during the morning with Lerwick reporting 63kn gusts at 1200GMT; the winds eased a little in the afternoon. Early in the day there was some heavy rain across Scotland but as this cleared skies brightened later in the morning and this clearance then S into N England and parts of Ireland. Further S it remained cloudy with a little light rain, while showers developed in the clearer air across Scotland. (Falmouth 13C, Topcliffe -1C, Loch Glascarnoch 15mm, Aberdeen 5.2h.)
The 22nd was a rather cloudy day as a warm sector spread NE across most of the British Isles, introducing warmer air but also widespread rain in the north. This rain was heavy in parts of Scotland, especially in the W where, later in the day, a cold front started to push SE. There was some some sunshine in S England but the Channel Islands were the sunniest area for the day. (Barra and Tenby 11C, Aboyne -1C, Lusa 42mm, Guernsey 5.8h.)
The cold front became slow-moving on the 23rd across Cent Ireland and N England; overnight as it spread SE across Ireland and Scotland skies cleared a little here, while further S there was more cloud and some light to moderate rain under the front. Skies cleared in leeward places in Cent England, and also in E Scotland, during the day; there were also clearing skies later in E England as the front began to break up. W parts of Scotland tended to be cloudier with further light rain or drizzle. Across S England, S wales and SW ireland it remained rather cloudy throughout the day, and in the Channel Islands the proximity of a cold continent and a S'ly flow led to little change in temperature during the day. (Ashford (Co. Wicklow) and Hawarden 13C, Jersey 7C maximum, Jersey 3C minimum, Spadeadam 15mm, Ross-on-Wye 5.6h.)
In the early hours of the 24th it was rather cloudy in S England and parts of N England, but cloud amounts were mostly small elsewhere. This led to a ground frost in many places overnight followed by a mostly dry day as high pressure developed across the British Isles (1029mb over SW Scotland by 2400GMT). By day the bulk of the cloud was confined to S England and S Ireland as the original cold front spread finally SW, while later in the day a further front brought cloud and rain to N and E Scotland, and then NE England. Elsehere there was widespread sunshine, with temperatures tumbling during the evening. In parts of N Ireland, however, there was rather persistent fog which kept temperatures down. (Tenby 12C, Tyndrum and Preston -1C, Trawscoed 4mm, Glasgow 5.5h.)
With persistent high pressure on the 25th along with clear skies overnight, there was a widespread ground frost and some early fog in parts of W Scotland, N Ireland and the Midlands. Frontal cloud gave some light rain in E England and E Scotland but these fronts faded as pressure maintained at around 1030mb over W Scotland during the day. In Glasgow the fog persisted all day leading to cold conditions here. Away from the mist and fog it was a sunny day across Ireland and the extreme end of SW England, while the remainder of Britain tended to be rather cloudy with extensive low cloud and some persistent mist. (Guernsey 10C, Glasgow -1C maximum, Tulloch Bridge -8C minimum, Kinloss 3mm, Newquay 7h.)
Pressure fell on the 26th, and fronts pushed W across the British Isles during the second half of the day. The day dawned after a mostly clear night (apart from some mist and fog) across Ireland, and cloudier skies elsewhere. The fronts brought rain and rain showers to E Britain with Ireland clouding over as the fronts spread across Britain. With a N'ly wind and gusts to 30kn on the NE coast of Englaand it felt cold here and, although there was a clearance of the cloud over parts of Cent England, Wales and Ireland in the evening, showers turned to snow in Norfolk and Essex by 2100GMT. (Ashford (Co. Wicklow) and Falmouth 8C, Tyndrum -8C, Kirkwall 4mm, Newquay 7h.)
Wintry showers fell overnight into 27th in the Channel Islands, and E England. Away from these areas there was little cloud and a widespread air frost as a result in the NE airflow. The wintry weather spread into E Scotland, N England, the Pennines, the Midlands and Cent S England during the day although falls were mostly slight away from E Britain. According to the Met Office there were reports in the evening of 15cm to 18cm of snow in the Folkestone area and 10cm in Rye, and some wintry showers also affected Cornwall. Seven flights at Guernsey Airport were delayed in the morning after light snow fell around the runway. A major gritting operation to treat main routes in the South East took place after heavy snow swept across Kent and into parts of East Sussex. East Kent was the worst hit, with snow ploughs needed to clear many roads. Many trains on the Medway valley line and between Tonbridge and Hastings were cancelled, while services to Brighton suffered severe delays. Across much Ireland, Wales and W England the day was sunny with an air frost occurring again after sunset. (Falmouth 7C, Aviemore -2C maximum, Altnaharra -5C minimum, Margate 11mm, Newquay 7.5h.)
Despite a weak ridge of high pressure over the British Isles on the 28th, snowfalls continued to affect E Britain, while the moderate rain at Valentia at 0300GMT was a sign of a change that was to spread from the W. With largely clear skies in the early hours there was a widespread air frost, and rain at Belmullet at 0600GMT was preceded by sleet. Wintry showers affected NE England, East Anglia and parts of E Scotland during the day. W Ireland and W Scotland had increasing amounts of cloud from the W and some rain and showers, while mostly clear skies prevailed elsewhere across the British Isles. The snow wass heavy in parts of NE and E England, with several centimetres of snow in Lincolnshire. Mist and fog were persistent around Glasgow. The Met Office reported locally deep snowdrifts, and in Folkestone there was a report of 25cm of snow, in Lincoln 10cm, in Ipswich 8cm and up to 15cm in Northumberland. (South Uist Range 5C, Aviemore -2C maximum, Benson -8C minimum, Skegness 6mm, Newquay 7.4h.)
Frontal cloud spread E on the 29th to most places in the British Isles. By dawn it was cloudy from Cornwall to W Scotland, with clearer skies further E but a few snow showers in E Britain adjacent to the North Sea. In many E areas the advancing cloud later in the day led to an temperatures remaining below freezing during the day, with -3C at Birmingham reportedly the lowest daytime maximum temperature here since November 1997. Under the clear skies there was also some mist and fog. As the cloud spread E it brought rain, that was preceded by sleet and snow for a time in E Ireland and W Britain. Wales and SW England had gusts to 50kn in exposed places, but also rising temperatures. By midnight much of Britain was cloudy, and temperatures ranged from -4C in Norfolk to 5-10C across all of Ireland; the precipitation had reached W Scotland, S Wales and Devon by this time. The dangers of playing on icy lakes and ponds was highlighted by police in Scotland, who ordered around 10 youngsters from a frozen boating pond in Dingwall, near Inverness. In the West Midlands a man in his 40s is thought to have frozen to death in West Bromwich. GNER and Virgin train services through Berwick-upon-Tweed were affected by power supply problems caused by the snow. 75 complaints were made in south-east Kent about snowballs hitting people, cars and houses. (St. Mary's 11C, Redesdale Camp -5C maximum, Aviemore -13C minimum, Glenanne 9mm, Scarborough 3.9h.)
The 30th saw the frontal precipitation continuing to spread E, introducing warmer air as it did so. Rain was preceded by sleet or snow, and icy roads led to many accidents. Cloud finally cleared across Ireland in the late afternoon and subsequently across Wales, the W Midlands and NW England. With low pressure centred to the NW of Scotland it was a blustery day in N areas with gusts of 40-50kn. In W Scotland this heavy precipitaation fell as rain. Airports were forced to divert flights as runways became blanketed in snow. More than 200 cars were left stranded when strong winds caused 1 metre snow drifts in blizzard-hit East Yorkshire, as up 10cm of snow fell here on top of existing falls. One man died when his van collided with a lorry in what police said were appalling conditions. About 20 vehicles were stuck on the snow-blocked A157 at Welton Le Wold near Louth. In West Yorkshire, drivers were urged not to use the M1 near Leeds after a spate of accidents caused by sheet ice. (Colwyn Bay and Ashford (Co. Wicklow) 13C, Redesdale Camp 0C, Skegness -6C, West freugh 41mm, Saunton Sands 1.5h.)
Low pressure to the NW of Scotland spread SE on the 31st to N England, giving unsettled conditions across the British Isles. Overnight rain and showers affected S England, Ireland and W Scotland while during the day these showers gave way to more general rain in N Britain. Mist and fog affected some higher ground in S Scotland and NE England while showers were widespread in Ireland and parts of SW England. Much of E England had a mostly dry day. (Falmouth 10C, Tain Range 2C maximum, Altnaharra -4C minimum, Spadeadam 21mm, Torquay 6.6h.)