Widespread cloud into the 2nd meant an almost air frost-free night at low levels across the British Isles. The cloud was the result of fronts to the E and W of the british Isles, that gave some heavy rain in parts of E Scotland. increasing pressure across Scandinavia fed an increasingly strong E/SE wind across Britain and, with only a few breaks in the cloud during the day except across SE England, it felt cold. The precipitation bands spread slowly W, but giving only slight falls during the day; in the evening Dyce reported snowfall for a while, as rain and wintry precipitation pushed W into NE England and E Scotland. (Rosslare 9.2C, Fylingdales 2.5C maximum, Hurn -0.2C minimum, Dyce 14.4mm, East Malling 4.0h.)
The 3rd dawned after a night with snowfalls in E parts of England and Scotland. During the morning further snow fell in E Britain from The Wash N'wards; further S any falls during the day were mostly of sleet - and very slight. The snow slowly pushed E across S Scotland in particular, with falls on the Isle of Man and in N Ireland before midnight; sjowers of hail were also reported in a few parts of E Scotland. W Scotland, W Wales and NW Ireland saw sunny spells before cloud cover increased later in the day; elsewhere, the day was generally cloudy with some light rain falling across S England later in the day as slightly warmer air to the S pushed N. The effect of a wind gusting to 40kn in some E and N areas added to the wind chill effect during the day. In the Angus area a motorist died when his car slipped off the road and down an embankment. (St Mary's Scilly 9.2C, Lake Vrynwy -1.2C maximum, Emley Moor -2.9C minimum, Rosehearty 5.8mm, Belmullet and Connaught Airport 6.4h.)
The 4th was an unsettled day with several fronts crossing the British Isles associated with low pressure to the W. During the morning there was sleet and snow across N England and many areas of Scotland; these wintry conditions gradually cleared across N England. Across much of S and Cent England there was a misty start to the day before rain spread across Ireland from the W into England and Scotland - this was preceded by the snow across N Ireland while over Scotland the snow was more persistent and heavier. Snow depths at midday included 16cm at Eskdalemuir, while in the morning 12cm depths were reported in Northern Ireland. At 1500GMT depths included 9cm at Spadeadam, 6cm at Redesdale and 2cm at Aldergrove. The rain cleared to shwoers from the W. Thunderstorms occurred in Cornwall in the afternoon, while, hail showers were reported in N Scotland and W Ireland. Blustery conditions resulted in gusts to 60kn across parts of W and N Scotland with blowing snow resulting. The snow caused problems on Northern Ireland's roads; several schools were closed, with buses were suspended in some areas, particularly parts of County Down. The snow affected Dumfries and Galloway, Perthshire and Stirlingshire badly with ice on some roads. Up to 10cm of snow fell across Dumfries and Galloway, leading to two motorists being injured in separate accidents when their cars skidded on the roads. Aberdeen Harbour wasn closed and ferry sailing between Shetland, Orkney and Aberdeen were cancelled. Bad weather forced the operators of the Cairngorm ski area to evacuate more than 200 people from the hills. (St Mary's, Scilly 12.0C, Loch Glascarnoch 1.3C maximum, St Angelo -5.3C minimum, Dyce 27.6mm, Connaught Airport 1.2h.)
The 5th was a showery day with a gradually weakening wind. The wind or early cloud cover meant a lack of air frost at low levels overnight although during the day it was cold enough across Scotland for the Met Office to report snow showers above 600m. Hail showers were observed in W Ireland and Shannon Airport reported thunder just before dawn. The showers were neaviest in the N, and it remained rather cloudy across Scotland. Further S the cloud was more broken and many areas had sunny spells. An area of rain pushed E over S England in the afternoon while in the evening the showers died down a little. (St. Mary's, Scilly 10.1C, Dalwhinnie 2.8C maximum, Dalwhinnie 0.6C minimum, Tyndrum 46.6mm, Cork Airport 4.9h.)
The 6th dawned with showers across N and W areas of the British Isles - which gradually lessened during the morning as high pressure spread from the S for a while. Hail showers were observed in the Shetlands and NW Ireland. However, thickening cloud in the SW heralded the next depression which lay over NE Ireland, centre 985mb, by 2400GMT. Rain pushed N across S and Cent England during the afternoon, and was heavy in places; however before the rain there were sunny spells in many E areas of Britain, and in N and Cent England. There was also some snowfall in N Ireland and parts of S Scotland in the evening. Gusty winds spread E and N across Ireland and W areas of England and Wales in the evening around the low. (Isles of Scilly 13.7C, Carterhouse 3.1C maximum, Hurn -2.5C minimum, Kinlochewe 15.6mm, Wattisham 6.2h.)
The low rapidly crossed S Scotland during the morning of the 7th, giving a spell of rain (heavy in places), and snow in parts of Scotland. As the low moved away there were some strong winds to the S of the centre, with gusts over 50kn in places. During the morning further frontal rain crossed Ireland, with 9mm falling in 6 hours at Belmullet, later moving towards SE England by late afternoon. Showers followed this rain, slowly diminishing in intensity in the evening. Hail showers occurred in Wiltshire and on Jersey during the day, and in W Ireland in the afternoon; there was also some isolated thunder in Cornwall during the morning. (Isles of Scilly 14.4C, Cassley 1.5C maximum, Kinbrace -6.1C minimum, Shap 23.4mm, Ashford, Co. Wicklow 5.5h.)
A deepening area of low pressure headed NE towards W Scotland on the 8th, lying over the Hebrides (cetre 970mb) by 2400GMT. There were overnight showers over parts of Scotland early in the day, before a warm front spread rain across Ireland by mid-morning. During the morning this rain spread to W England - 12mm of rain fell in the 6 hours ending 1200GMT at Connaught Airport - and then moved N across Scotland during the second half of the day. The cold front followed, clearing all but the Northern Isles by midnight, to be followed by showers. Hail showers occurred in W Ireland, mixed with thunder at Shannon Airport. Thunder was also reported in parts of S Ireland and on the Isle of Man during the afternoon and early evening. Over Scotland and N England rain turned to snow over high ground. The cold front was a sharp afrfair with some places seeing a temperature drop of 7C in about 20 minutes, according to the Met Office. As the low centre approached the wind speeds increased in the N; The Met Office reported gusts of 84mph at Machrihanish and 77mph at Ballykelly in the evening, with 107mph reported at Malin Head. (Isles of Scilly 13.7C, Loch Glascarnoch 2.1C maximum, Fyvie castle -2.7C, Tyndrum 40.4mm, Kirkwall 3.0h.)
The 9th dawned with gales still blowing across N Scotland after a very stormy night there. Reported gusts included 70kn at Tiree and Port Ellen. MSL pressure dropped to 965.3mb at Stornoway by 0600GMT as the deepening low then pushed NE towards Norway. Rain had cleared much of N Scotland by dawn and during the day winds continued to ease, as showers blew across the British Isles from the W. There were falls of snow over high ground in Scotland and NE England during the day and some thundery showers in W Ireland. During the afternoon and evening the next warm sector crossed Ireland and spread across England and Wales; combined with a cold front that then pushed SE across Irelkand this gave some falls of heavy rain in Ireland later in the day. Little rain affected the SE corner of England where there were sunny spells as a result. The gale force winds and rain have caused chaos in parts of central, western and southern Scotland. The bad weather brought down trees, caused five lorries to topple over on the M74 and left thousands of homes without power. Gales led to the complete closure of the Erskine and Tay Bridges. Overnight winds had blown off part of the roof of the derelict Great Eastern Hotel in Glasgow's Duke Street. The extreme wind also damaged a university hall in Dundee; residents of Seabraes had to be moved from one side of the building to the other when a section of roof came off. All schools on Barra along with some on Benbecula and North Uist have been closed because of the gales. (Isles of Scilly 11.0C, Dalwhinnie 1.7C maximum, Connaught Airport -0.2C minimum, Tyndrum 47.6mm, Durham 5.7h.)
Low pressure and rain continued to dominate the weather on the 10th and there were some very heavy falls of rain from N Wales to S Scotland as a cold front spread SE'wards during the day. The Met Office noted that 30mm fell at Shap fell during 0600-0800GMT, while 21mm fell in 6 hours ending 1200GMT at Eskdalemuir. 66kn gusts were measured at Capel Curig. Across S and Cent Scotland there were falls of snow, heavy in places. It was a windy day across E and S England. The rain was followed by showers and, although much of Britain remained cloudy there were sunny intervals across Ireland. (Yeovilton 12.0C, Altnaharra 0.8C maximum, Braemar-4.4C minimum, Capel Curig 87.6mm, Valentia and Dublin Airport 3.7h.)
Despite low pressure across the British Isles on the 11th, Scotland, Ireland and N England had a mostly dry day; there were a few showers and short spells of rain in places, with some snow reported over the Northern and Western Isles. A depression moved rapidly NE across S and E England later in the day (MSL pressure down to about 986mb), giving some heavy rain over S Wales and SE England. The rain was mixed with snow from Herefordshire SW'wards with some moderate accumulations on the higher ground. The rain led to local flooding and some disruption to transport. At Yeovilton and Boscombe Down 16mm fell in 6 hours ending 1200GMT although the rain area then moved towards Lincolnshire in the evening. Thousands of rail passengers travelling between London and Wales have been affected by flooding; First Great Western said there were service delays, alterations and cancellations on services. Many roads, including the M4 and M5 interchange, were affected by snowfall and flooding. Among the worst hit areas were Bristol, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Somerset. Bristol Airport temporarily closed its runway and advised of delays. The village of Broughton Gifford in Wiltshire was virtually cut-off by floodwater. About 40 children had to be rescued from a primary school in North Somerset after a flooded road cut off access. In the Bristol and North Somerset area, Avon Fire Service dealt with around 200 incidents on Friday. (London 11.2C, Portglenone -0.8C, Katesbridge -4.5C, Filton 34.4mm, Valentia 6.3h.)
A weak ridge developed across S Britain on the 12th for a while, but another warm sector pushed Ne across most of England and Ireland in the afternoon and evening. There was a widespread and, in places sharp, air frost across Scotland by dawn, while further S a ground frost combined with wet roads to give icy conditions in places. Some N and W coastal areas had some showers during the day. However, many E and N areas had a sunny day, but by midday rain was already falling in SW Ireland and this spread rapidly NE, with falls over Scotland in the evening. 12mm of rain in 12 hours ending 1800GMT fell at Cork and Valentia. (Valentia 12.3C, Aviemore -1.4C maximum, Braemar -11.3C minimum, Marham 12.2mm, Manston 6.9h.)
Low pressure to the W of Ireland on the 13th drove bands of cloud and rain N across the British Isles. Early air frosts were mostly confined to E Scotland; elsewhere there was a largely mild start to the day - although this mildness was tempered by blustery conditions that persisted until the evening. Bands of rain and showers affected Scotland, Ireland and W Britain in particular, and by 2400GMT MSL pressure had fallen to 979.3mb at Belmullet. (Gravesend 12.2Cm Cassley 1.8C maximum, Braemar -7.8C minimum, Lyndrum 43.2mm, Valentia 4.3h.)
The 14th brought further bands of rain across the British Isles, giving some falls of heavy or persistent rain and thereby adding to existing surface water in parts of S Britain. The fairly extensive overnight cloud did mean very little air frost. Some snow fell over NE Scotland and many areas saw showers during the day - with thunderstorms and hail in Cent S England during the afternoon. Most places saw little sunshine during the day. During the evening the next frontal system edged N into S Ireland and SW England giving further moderately heavy rain here. (London 11.8C, Dalwhinnie 2.6C maximum, Cassley -0.2C minimum, Shap 31.0mm, Southampton 4.6h.)
A complex area of low pressure became established across the British Isles on the 15th, giving a rather wet, windy and dull day. There was some further heavy rain across England and Wales overnight and into the morning, followed by showers later in the day. Across Scotland, although rather dull, precipitation amounts were generally slight. Further heavy rain affected England, Wales and Ireland into the evening, with 13mm in 6 hours ending at 24090GMt at Wittering. Winds were blustery during the day across S Britain with gusts exceeding 50kn in some places. As the rain fell on to ground that was already saturated, by midnight there 82 flood warnings and 184 flood watches in place. In Upton-upon-Severn the River Severn burst its banks and trains were cancelled near Swindon due to flooding. Homes were flooded in Abergavenny and a woman rescued from car near Crymych, Pembrokeshire. Roads were flooded in Monmouthshire, Pembrokeshire and Swansea. In West Sussex a woman and three children were rescued from flood-hit car in Lodsworth. Strong winds forced a temporary closure of the Port of Dover to shipping. (London 12.7C, Dalwhinnie 1.3C maximum, Braemar -3.5C minimum, Milford Haven 43.4mm, Lerwick 3.6h.)
A complex area of low pressure over the British Isles at the start of the 16th gradually gave way to a weak ridge in the S. Most places had a some precipitation during the day as a result with wintry showers reported over N and Cent parts of Scotland. In S England some thundery bursts of rain were reported as a trough cleared the area in the afternoon, while clearing clouds across N Scotland led to an air frost in places in the evening. Many parts of S Scotland, N and cent England had long, sunny spells during the day. However, the evening also brought the next frontal system and further rain across W Ireland. Several areas of England continued to be affected by flooding during the day. The tidal gate closed on the River Humber at Burstwick Clough, near Hull; some roads were flooded in Lincolnshire. In counties bordering Wales flood barriers remained in place and there was some flooding as rivers burst their banks. (Benson 10.6C, Braemar 1.4C maximum, Dalwhinnie -1.3C minimum, Ballypatrick Forest 34.8mm, Coventry 7.1h.)
After a frosty start to the 17th across Scotland cloud soon arrived from the W. One area of rain affected W Scotland by dawn while another was crossing Ireland. These rain areas eventually cleared much of Britain by early afternoon although falls across England were generally light. In N Scotland and the Northern Isles the rain continued into the evening. A sharp trough crossed much of England and Wales in the afternoon giving a sudden burst of heavy rain and wind, and accompanied by hail and thunder in places. Further thundery outbreaks also affected N Wales and the Midlands into the evening and thunder was also widespread over S and W Ireland late in the morning. Snow fell during the day in parts of Scotland. (Yeovilton 13.0C, Loch Glascarnoch 1.9C maximum, Dalwhinnie -8.7C minimum, Capel Curig 31.6mm, Cork Airport 4.7h.)
The 18th was a generally sunless day across the British Isles. A weak ridge led to a ground frost in parts of Scotland at first but increasing wind heralded the arrival of a warm from from the SW. This brought some rain before the trailing cold front swept S across Scotland and N Ireland during the afternoon and evening. This colder air, and a NW'ly airflow, brought some wintry showers to the Northern Isles. Before the warm sector cleared, much of the S half of the British Isles had afternoon temperatures of 12-13C. (Ashford, Co. Wicklow 15.0C, Loch Glascarnoch -2.2C, Capel Curig 53.0mm, Wisley 0.3h.)
According to the Met Office the 19th began exceptionally mild in S England, with record-breaking minimum temperatures exceeding 13C in London. It remained mild in the extreme S of England, Wales and Ireland throughout the day, as a pair of fronts gave cloud and rain across much of S Ireland and through Wales and Cent England. To the N of the rain it was colder, with showers. Snow and hail showers affected the Northern Isles during the day. (London 14.7C, Braemar 4.2C maximum, Aboyne 0.5C minimum, Sennybridge 39.2mm, Kinloss 4.9mm.)
Frontal bands were slow moving across Central parts of the British Isles on the 20th leading to a wet day in parts of England and Wales; rain was especially heavy over the hills of Wales. To the s of the fronts temperatures remained on the mild side throughout the day - while colder conditions further N resulted in hail showers over the Northern Isles. Most areas had a cloudy day, although N Scotland saw a few sunny intervals. Frontal bands pushed S across N Scotland later in the day, giving showers, while a shallow low moved E towards SW Ireland by mnidnight. (Preston Wynne 15.2C, Aboyne -4.0C, Capel Curig 69.4mm, Dyce 3.4h.)
A low pressure centred moved across Ireland and N England on the 21st, giving some heavy falls of rain here. Malin Head reported 24mm in the 6 hours to 1200GMT. The rain turned to snow over S Scotland and parts of N England, with snow and hail showers also affecting N Scotland during the day. Thunder was reported at Yeovilton in the evening. Parts of N England saw flooding with road closures due to water or snow. There was an air frost across many areas of Scotland by midnight, and this colder air also pushed S into Ireland and Cent England by this time. The Environment Agency issued 116 flood warnings and 15 severe flood warnings as minor streams across the northern half of the country rose by up to three metres - breaking their banks. Yorkshire was badly hit with around 60 homes flooded in Armitage Bridge, near Huddersfield. In nearby Silsden, 100 people were evacuated from a factory as floodwaters gushed in. Dozens of homes and businesses were hit by the flooding. The rain brought chaos to the transport networks with flooded roads and railways. Many services were suspended or cancelled, and there were no trains operating from Leeds to York, Manchester and Sheffield for a time. Parts of Durham, Northumberland, Cumbria and North Yorkshire experienced almost 'white out' conditions with up to 15cm of snow falling in a relatively short space of time. Dozens of schools and roads were closed as a result. Most areas remained cloudy by day, a ntable exception being parts of N Scotland. (Yeovilton 12.8C, Dalwhinnie 1.5C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch -1.8C minimum, Stonyhurst 51.2mm, Lerwick 5.1h.)
Lerwick reported some sleet before dawn on the 22nd in a N'ly surface flow. However, after a frosty start across S a warm sector over SW Ireland (11.1C at Valentia at 0600GMT) soon pushed NE bringing a spell of rain to most areas by midnight. Temperatures rose in most places by the evening, except in E parts of England and Scotland, but the frontal system meant a cloudy day in most places - although there was some early sunshine in E Britain. (Ashford, Co. Wicklow 12.9C, Braemar -7.5C, St. Angelo 17.8mm, East Malling 7.0h.)
The warm sector was slow to clear towards the SE during the 23rd, which consequently started mild everywhere and continued rather cloudy in most places. There was some heavy and persistent rain over NW Scotland and also over high ground in N England and Wales. An associated foehn wind led to warm conditions downwind of some mountain areas. Over S England many places had a mostly dry day, but the passage of a cold front from the NW led to bursts of heavy rain in places - although SE England and East Anglia remained generally dry at midnight. A brisk wind behind the cold front prevented frost formation in the evening here. (Hawarden 15.1C, Lerwick 7.7C maximum, Fyvie Castle 2.5C minimum, Capel Curig 40.6mm, North Wyke 2.6h.)
The cold front cleared SE England during the morning of the 24th - giving most light rain, and a brisk W'ly airflow then became established across the British Isles. During the morning there were showers of hail over W Ireland and snow showers over N and Cent Scotland and N Ireland. These died away in the afternoon as a warm front pushed rapidly E over Scotland, N Ireland and N England. A tightening pressure gradient over N parts of the British Isles in the evening led to gusts of 70kn in some exposed areas. Most places had sunny spells before the warm front arrived, with the heaviest rain being confined mostly to N Scotland. (London 11.7C, Dalwhinnie 2.3C maximum, Salsburgh -0.3C minimum, Cassley 28.2mm, Cork Airport 7.0h.)
Frontal rain affected N and Cent Scotland, and parts of N Ireland, during the 25th. The rain was heavy in places in Cent Scotland - and was accompanied by a blustery wind that affected areas as far S as N England and N Ireland, easing slowly during the day. Tiree reported 18mm in the 6 hours ending 2400GMT. Further S any rain was lighter and there were sunny intervals across England and Wales. (Ashford, Co. Wicklow 13.3C, Shoreham -1.7C, Tyndrum 80.2mm, East Malling 6.3h.)
The rain-bearing frontal system over Scotland pushed S during the morning and then returned N during the second half of the 26th. To the N of this system there were some wintry showers during the morning. A windy start to the day in N Britain with gusts approaching 60kn in places meant no frost here. The daty was generally cloudy, especially over Scotland, but S areas of England, Wales and Ireland had some sunny spells - and rainfall amounts were small here under high pressure. Guernsey Airport reported MSL pressure of 1040.4mb at 0000GMT. (Valentia 13.7C, Hurn -0.1C, Tyndrum 58.0mm, Aberporth 6.7h.) High pressure dominated the weather on the 27th, which was consequently a mostly dry day. The day followed a warm night in parts of W Ireland and W Scotland and little rain fell over mainland Scotland after dawn. Away from Scotland and the N or Ireland most places had sunny spells and it was a warm day for the time of year in all areas. (Ashford, Co. Wicklow 13.7C, Shoreham 0.4C, Kinlochewe 23.2mm, East Malling 7.7h.)
The anticyclone weakened during the 28th which began with a air and ground frosts across parts of Cent and S England. There were a few foggy areas in the Midlands, East Anglia and Cent S England - these generally cleared but in parts of East Anglia lingered enough to prevent the temperatuyre rising much in the afternoon. Away from E areas of Britain and E Ireland it was a rather cloudy day - during the afternoon and evening frontal cloud brought rain to W Ireland and to W and N Scotland. This rain was heavy in parts of W Scotland. (Valentia and Shannon Airport 12.6C, Wattisham 5.1C maximum, Hertsmonceux -1.5C minimum, Kinlochewe 30.6mm, Waddington 6.1h.)
During the 29th a cold front pushed SE across much of the British Isles, introducing colder air from the NW and developing a wave depression that tracvked NE over N England around midday. There was a ground frost behind the front over N Scotland and the front then gave a spell of rain followed by showers. The rain was mostly light, except in places in S Scotland and N England around the low. In most places it was a dull day, and as temperatuyres fell in the evening Stornoway reported some light snow. (Linton-on-Ouse 12.4C, Loch Glascarnoch 2.8C maximum, Altnaharra -0.6C minimum, Capel Curig 22.8mm, Yeovilton 4.0h.)
Rain cleared E and SE England by mid-morning on the 30th, while places to the N and W experienced some showers overnight - which fell as snow and hail across parts of Scotland. High pressure led to a sunny day in many S parts of Britain and Ireland during the day, albeit with a few showers over Ireland and Wales. Across N and Cent Scotland, and over N Ireland, the day was rather cloudy; There were wintry showers in N and Cent Scotland, although E Scotland was drier with sunny intervals. During the afternoon pressure started to fall in W Scotland as a deepening low approached NW Scotland (979.8mb at Stornoway at 2400GMT); the wind picked up and rain spread across Ireland to Wales and N England, with falls also in W Scotland. Gusts of 60kn were being reported over N Scotland by midnight. (Valentia and St Mary's, Scilly 9.6C, Katesbridge -3.7C, Kinlochewe 37.2mm, Yeovilton 7.2h.)
MSL pressure fell to 951.8mb at Kirkwall by 1800GMT on the 31st and the day was a mainly windy one as a result. The met Office reported gusts to 70kn across Scotland and Wales during the morning, with widespread disruption to traffic as a result; the gusty nature of the winds caused a number of high-sided vehicles to be toppled. Rain spread across all areas during the day associated with an active cold front, to be followed by showers. There was snow across Scotland and parts of N England in the morning, with sleet as far S as Marham by midday. This snow turned showery once the front passed, with wintry showers also over parts of Ireland in the afternoon. Most places had sunny intervals behind the front, although S England remained mostly dull. The crew of a ferry in the Irish Sea were airlifted to safety after it was hit by a freak wave in bad weather; the Riverdance, which was sailing from Warrenpoint in County Down to Heysham, was listing to 60 degrees after its cargo shifted in 7m waves. A lorry driver was killed when his vehicle was blown over in high winds near Tebay in Cumbria; A 50-mile stretch of the M6 motorway was closed to all traffic as winds gusted up to 70mph. Northern Rail reported delays between Newcastle and Hexham after a tree fell on the line at Wylam, Northumberland. Winds of up to 60mph forced the closure of the Port of Dover. Strong winds and rain caused problems across Wales with power failures, schools and bridges closed and ferries cancelled. There was disruption for rail commuters from south Wales after a second landslide within a week at Alderton, south Gloucestershire, caused delays between Bristol Parkway and Swindon. Reported snow depths by 2400GMT included 7cm at Aviemore and 5cm at Eskdalemuir. (Isles of Scilly 10.8C, Carterhouse 1.4C maximum, Salsburgh -0.5C minimum, Tyndrum 47.4mm, Dyce 5.2h.)
Snow showers continued to affect parts of Scotand, W Ireland and N England on the 2nd; although these also reached as far S as the N Midlands they gradually diminished during the day. Hail was also reported on Shetland. There was quite a widespread air frost overnight and sunny spells then followed across much of England. Frontal cloud spread into W Ireland by midday and rain then pushed NE across Ireland and W Britain as a warm sector became established in most areas by midnight. There was some heavy rain in S Scotland and NW England for a while, but over E England amounts were small. According to the Met Office several waterspouts were reported in the Northern North Sea during the early afternoon. (Valentia 10.4C, Baltasound -0.7C maximum, Fyvie Castle -9.1C minimum, Shap 20.2mm, Southampton 7.8h.)
Most places started the 3rd with mild and cloudy conditions under a warm sector. Falling pressure to the W of Scotland led to a strengthening wind with gusts to 40kn being widespread. During the morning rain (preceded by snow) pushed N through the Northern Isles, while cold fronts pushed E across Ireland giving some heavy falls - Shannon reported 14mm in the six hours ending midday. The cold front led to a drop in temperature, and also some sleet/snow over Ireland. Showers followed the front, mostly falling as rain, while the front became slow-moving over E England during the evening. (Isles Of Scilly 10.6C, Fylingdales 3.5C maximum, Baltasound -3.2C minimum, Tulloch Bridge 50.8mm, Woburn 5.1h.)
Air frosts at low levels on the 4th were mostly confined to a few parts of Ireland. Elsewhere, low cloud or wind tended to keep the temperature a little higher. Away from N and W Scotland the day brought sunny intervals; at 1200GMT South Uist range was reporting a MSL pressure of 972.7mb and the associated low system gave a cloudy day across much of Scotland. Showers over Ireland fell as hail in places (with thunder at Malin Head in the morning), and there was also some sleet in parts of W Scotland. A waterspout was seen near Aberystwyth. Although the showers died out in the evening further rain spread into S Ireland and SW England and Wales in the evening - with 11mm at Aberporth and 16mm at Valentia in the six hours ending midnight. (Isles Of Scilly, Ashford (Co. Wicklow) 10.9C, Kilkenny -2.6C, Lusa 19.6mm, Monks Wood 6.9h.)
Rain over s parts of Ireland, Wales and england during the early hours of the 5th moved N during the morning towards Cent Scotland; it was preceded by some sleet or snow over high ground in S Scotland, N wales and W Ireland. Away from the Western and Northern Isles, Scotland had a mostly cloudy day although most other areas had some sunshine before or after the rain. There were some squally showers after the rain cleared over Ireland and W Britain, with thunder in Cornwall in the evening. Winds gusted to 50kn along coastal areas of the English Channel - but except in N Scotland temperatures remained on the mild side into the evening. (London 13.8C, Kinbrace -2.3C, Lake Vyrnwy 60.6mm, Wittering 5.6h.)
The morning of the 6th saw the development of a weak ridge across the British Isles, but this gave way in the afternoon and evening as frontal cloiud pushed across Ireland and into W Britain. The ridge meant long sunny spells in most areas after a ground frost in parts of Ireland and Scotland. Some snow showers fell over parts of Scotland in the morning as a trough moved E here. Rain reached W Ireland during the late afternoon and by midnight had spread E to W areas of Scotland and Wales. (Scilly 11.7C, Altnaharra -3.3C, Dishforth 7.6mm, Valley 7.6h.)
Cloud and rain spread N and E across most areas on the 7th leaving most of the British Isles under a warm sector by midnight. 10.5C was the overnight minimum temperature at Valentia. Rainfall amounts were mostly slight as were sunshine totals - the best of any sunshine tended to be in E England. During the morning it was windy across N and W Scotland, with gusts to 50kn in places. It remained generally mild into the evening, althogh temperatures did fall in parts of SE England as cloud cleared here. (Hawarden 15.7C, Lerwick 8.7C maximum, Aboyne -3.4C minimum, Capel Curig 20.0mm, East Malling 6.5h.)
Many areas had a mild night into the 8th; 11.2C was the overnight minimum temperature at Malin Head. Frontal cloud over Ireland and Scotland led to a cloudy day in Ireland and dull spells in Scotland - both places saw light rain in places. There were clear skies in SE England that led to a ground frost in places (and some mist and fog patches here and in East Anglia), but this was then followed by sunny spells during the day. (Gravesend 14.7C, Charlwood -0.8C, Eskdalemuir 6.0mm, Odiham 8.7h.)
High pressure dominated the weather on the 9th with MSL pressure rising to 1034mb in E Kent by 2400GMT. There was some mist and fog across S and Cent England around dawn, with light rain and drizzle in W areas of Ireland and the Western Isles at this time. The precipitation was frontal and the front led to a cloudy day over W Ireland and across N and W Scotland. Across most of England and Wales there were long sunny spells - while Scotland had a windy start to the day in the NW before the effects of the high pressure were felt here. (London 16.6C, Hurn -3.2C, Kinlochewe 8.0mm, Camborne 8.9h.)
High pressure continued to prevail on the 10th while the front gradually became confined to N Scotland. There was an air frost in some parts of S, Cent and E England with patches of mist and fog over many areas of Ireland, S Scotland, England and Wales by dawn. Across England and Wales these soon cleared to give another sunny day. Over ireland the mist lingered in places and gave a rather dull day in places when combined with persistent low cloud. Much of Cent and W Scotland was also rather dull throughout the day (Manchester Hulme Library 15.9C, Cassley 4.8C maximum, Topcliffe -5.2C minimum, Tulloch Bridge 1.0mm, Manston 8.9h)
For most places (except in parts of E Scotland) the 11th was another sunny day. Some E and S areas of Britain had a frosty start, and there were fog patches in many E, S and Sent areas of England for a while. Mist and low cloud lingered all day near E Scotland and mist was also rather persistent in some W areas of Ireland. (Trawscoed 16.1C, Leuchars 3.8C maximum, Preston Wynne -5.1C minimum, Chivenor 0.6mm, Yeovilton 8.9h.)
By 2400GMT on the 12th MSL pressure was 1039mb over S Scotland and most places had a sunny day as a result. There was an air frost in many parts of E and Cent England, with fog patches at dawn in E England and in some S areas of England and Ireland. These soon cleared although over N and NW areas of Scotland the sunshine was inhibited by low cloud which gave some light rain. A few places in Wales and N England recorded their highest temperatures on record for February. (Trawscoed 18.2C, Dishforth 7.2C maximum, Altnaharra -5.7C minimum, Scampton 0.4mm, Camborne 9.1h.)
Away from the Northern Isles, where frontal cloud led to a rather cloudy day, the 13th saw a continuation of the long sunny spells across much of the British Isles. The day dawned with little cloud away from N Scotland and with fog patches across much of E, S and Cent England. There was also a fairly widespread air frost in E and Cent England, and from NE England to NE Scotland. The fog soon cleared in most places although it did linger in a few places in East Anglia - keeping daytime temperatures fairly low where it did so). After a mostly sunny day cloud spread W across East Anglia in the evening, reaching many parts of Cent S England and the Midlands by midnight. (Trawscoed 17.2C, Donna Nook 4.7C maximum, Tulloch Bridge -7.3C, Manston 0.6mm, Camborne 9.1h.)
By dawn on the 14th cloud was fairly extensive across E Scotland and across much of England. Beneath the cloud there were areas of fog across England and in NE Scotland, although clear skies in W and Cent Scotland led to a frosty start here. There were areas of fog across Ireland during the morning, as the cloud cover spread W to here - in parts of E England the cloud was thick enough to give some light rain and drizzle. Most areas remained cloudy once the cloud arrived - although W areas of Scotland, Wales and Ireland had a mostly sunny day. (Pembrey Sands 13.0C,Lake Vyrnwy 2.0C maximum, Aviemore -7.7C, Monks Wood 0.4mm, Aberporth 9.0h.)
MSL pressure increased during the 15th across much of the British Isles as an anticylonic centre pushed S over the north Sea; Lerwick reported 1044.4mb at 0000GMT. Away from Scotland and areas around the N half of the North Sea it was a rather cloudy day; in N Scotland there was an early sharp frost in places. Under fairly extensive cloud there were patches of mist and fog with some light rain or dizzle in parts fo S England. Later in the day the cloud tended to clear in all areas, except in parts of W Ireland, and temperatures fell sharply in the light E/SE'ly breeze. (St. Mary's, Scilly 9.8C, Cassley -0.3C maximum, Lossiemouth -7.4C minimum, Portland 0.6mm, Valley 8.0h.)
MSL pressure remained high on the 16th, with 1044.9mb reported at Leeming and Marham at 1200GMT. There was a widespread air frost to start the day after very little overnight cloud in many areas. Away from some parts of N and W Scotland, and across much of Ireland, there were sunny spells during the day; these other areas had a rather cloudy day and some light rain or drizzle. Under the clear skies temperatures again fell sharply in the evening - down to -5C in parts of Cent England. (St. Mary's, Scilly 9.3C, Topcliffe -7.6C, Baltasound 0.6mm, Aberporth 9.1h.)
Air frost was widespread on the 17th except in N and Cent Scotland, SW England and W/NW Ireland. In places the forst was accompanied by mist or fog patches. As the high pressure centre transferred W to Ireland a W'ly flow became established across N Scotland and the day consequently started rather mild here. Most areas then had a sunny day, except across W and N Scotland where there was some light rain and drizzle. Temperatures again fell sharply under the clear skies in the evening with mist and fog forming in places. (Tain Range 10.9C, St. Angelo 1.8C maximum, Topcliffe -9.3C minimum, Lerwick 2.0mm, Yeovilton 9.4h.)
N and W Scotland had a mostly frost-free start to the 18th - elsewhere air frost was widespread. Fog was fairly widespread over much of E, Cent and N England, and in areas of Wales, cent Scotland and Ireland. In parts of E England it lingered for much of the day, keeping temperatures fairly low. Elsewhere, away from N Scotland the day was a generally sunny day, although in the evening temperatures again fell and fog reformed in many places. Under the low cloud in N Scotland there was some light rain and drizzle. (Capel Curig 14.1C, Wainfleet 2.0C maximum, Topcliffe -8.9C minimum, Aultbea 0.8mm, Odiham 9.4h.)
There was widespread freezing fog into the 19th across many areas of E and Cent England and in parts of Ireland. In parts of E England it lingered all day with low daytime temperatures resulting. Cloud affected areas of W Ireland for much of the day with some fog persisting until late afternoon in E Ireland; there were also cloiud conditions in parts of N Scotland. Away from the fog and cloud most places had a sunny day, while the cloud and fog was thick enough to give some light precipitation in places - this falloing as diamond dust or snow grains in E England. (Capel Curig 12.1mm, Dishforth -2.9C maximum, Topcliffe -8.9C minimum, East Malling 0.4mm, Aberporth 9.3h.)
Away from parts of SE England the 20th was rather cloudy by day. This was the result of a couple of fronts that spread SE across much of the British Isles. Ahead of the fronts there was a clear night and an air frost over much of England and Wales, that was accompanied by thick freezing fog in places by dawn. The fog lingered until late morning in places, by which time there had been some light rain in W parts of Scotland and Ireland. Snow grains fell from the fog in High Wycombe. The first front decayed during the afternoon and gave little rain after midday. Further rain from the next front affected W Ireland in the evening, but when most of E England had clouded over. (Ashford, Co. Wicklow 12.3C, Bridlington 1.5C maximum, Bingley -9.0C minimum, Lusa 8.6mm, Charlwood 5.9h.)
At low levels any air frost into the 21st was confined to parts of East Anglia. Elsewhere there was widespread cloud cover that was to persist all day in many areas. The day was windy, especially over N Britain with gusts to 60kn around the coasts of Scotland. Several fronts affected the British Isles during the day, with some heavy rain over Scotland and parts of Ireland but with mostly lighter falls elsewhere. The best of any sunshine was to be found in parts of SW England and the Channel Islands. MSl pressure fell to 981.3mb at Lerwick at 1800GMT and there was a thunderstorm here in the evening. (Dyce 15.4C, Wattisham -1.7C, Kinlochewe 76.4mm, Guernsey Airport 4.3h.)
Windy conditions into the 22nd prevented an early air frost at low levels. Areas of frontal rain affected Ireland, Scotland and N parts of England and Wales overnight - although the heaviest falls were generally across Scotland. Falls across England were generally slight as the main front pushed S during the day while showers followed the across Scotland and Ireland. These showers fell as snow in places over N Scotland with Lerwick also reporting hail, while Fair Isle reported thunder in the evening. During the day there were gusts to 40-60kn over N Britain although the winds did lessen by the late evening. ((Ashford, Co. Wicklow 14.9C, Wick Airport 1.9C, Tyndrum 42.6mm, Dyce 4.6h.)
Mainly cloudy conditions continued during the 23rd as further fronts crossed the British Isles during the day, bringing spells of rain to many places. Again, the rain was heaviest and most persistent across parts of Scotland and in some W and N areas of Ireland. Elsewhere, rainfall amounts were generally slight. A brisk SW'ly airflow brought gusts to 40kn across Scotland to N areas of England and Ireland. Most stations reported under 1h of bright sunshine during the day. (Tain Range 15.8C, Braemar 1.4C, Kinlochewe 68.4mm, Kinloss 5.3h (suspect value).)
A cold front crossed SE'wards over the British Isles during the 24th giving a spell of rain to most areas during the day. After rain across Scotland and Ireland overnight there were falls in SW England and W Wales during the morning, with rain across many areas of England later in the day. Ahead of the rain there was some sunshine in SE England, while clearances after the rain marked the introduction of a cooler NW'ly airflow that brought some falls of snow across parts of N Scotland; hail was reported at Malin Head. Temperatures fell quickly in the evening; at Heathrow from 11.0C at 1800GMT to 4.5C by 2400GMT. (Gravesend 14.8C, Loch Glascarnoch 1.9C, Kinlochewe 19.0mm, Leuchars 7.3h.)
A deep low to the W of Scotland on the 25th led to a windy day across N Britain and spells of rain in most areas. There was a clear and frosty start to the day across S England with a ground frost in many parts of Scotland. In parts of Cent S England there were also fog patches around dawn that soon cleared. During the morning rain affected W parts of Scotland and Ireland as MSL pressure fell; Stornoway later reported MSL pressure down to 979.6mb by 2400GMT. The rain was heaviest over Scotland and Ireland during the day - and by late evening had affected many W and Cent parts of England. Lerwick reported showers and snow and hail during the morning as bands of precipitation crossed the Northern Isles. With low pressure close by, the wind strengthened across Scotland during the day. (Shannon Airport 12.3C, Benson -4.0C, Tyndrum 38.6mm, East Malling 8.0h.)
The deep low brushed past NW Scotland during the 26th resulting a a windy day across N Britain. Severe winds extended as far S as NE England and Cumbria. Police closed part of Durham City when a section of a university building roof was torn off. Motorists on the M6 in Cumbria faced delays when a lorry was blown over near Southwaite. A woman had a lucky escape in Whitley Bay, when the side of her house was blown down when she was inside.Passengers on the Tyne and Wear Metro were faced with big delays after winds disrupted overhead power cables at Pelaw in the evening. Newcastle Airport recorded the highest gust of the day in N England at 84mph. A mixture of cloud and wind prevented an overnight air frost - the thickest cloud was associated with fronts that brought a period of rain to much of England and Wales overnight. In many areas showers followed the rain, although more general rain fell across N Scotland as the low moved away. However, many areas of England and Wales had long, sunny spells during the day with few, if any, showers. The winds eased in the afternoon and evening leaving blustery conditions across only Scotland by the end of the day. (Manston 13.7C, Dalwhinnie 2.3C, Kinlochewe 57.8mm, Aberporth 9.4h.)
The 27th dawned with a slight ground frost in a few sheltered areas; there were overnight rain and showers across N Scotland, and to a lesser extent over parts of Ireland. Rain affected the Channel Islands and parts of SW England in the afternoon and evening, while over N Scotland there were showers of hail or snow in places. As a result of broken cloud most areas had sunny spells for at least part of the day. (Ashford, Co. Wicklow 13.2C, Pembrey Sands -0.8C, Cassley 20.0mm, Monks Wood 8.8h.)
An area of low pressure close to S England on the 28th gave a mainly cloudy day here, with some light rain and drizzle that moved E'wards in the extreme S. Guernsey Airport reported 8mm of rain in the 12 hours ending 0600GMT. Across Ireland there were varying amounts of sunshine and some light rain, especially in the afternoon and evening as a warm front in the W followed a decaying cold front. This cold front also affected Scotland, giving rather more rain here and also widespread showers; in the north these fell as sleet and hail. Elsewhere the day was mostly dry with sunny periods for a while. (Holbeach 11.6C, Sennybridge -3.3C, Cassley 12.4mm, Durham 6.1h.)
A deep depression passsed E'wards to the N of Scotland on the 29th, with MSL pressure falling to 964.3mb by 1800GMT at Lerwick. Frontal systems brought rain to all areas during the day. Away from N and E Scotland, and a few places in E England, the day was a generally sunless one. Widespread gales and isolated severe gales affected parts of Scotland and N England during the afternoon and evening. The main area of rain gave some heavy falls over high ground over W Britain but smaller amounts of rain further E. As the rain area cleared Scotland and Ireland later in the morning and early afternoon shwoery conditions spread from the W. Two women were injured when gale force winds blew down a tree at Rift Wood in the Saltburn Valley. Several lorries were blown over on the A1 in Northumberland and a fallen tree delayed Tyne and Wear Metro services. The Premiership rugby union match between Newcastle Falcons and London Wasps was called off after high winds snapped a post and blew off part of the Falcons' Kingston Park roof. Strong winds across parts of Scotland have caused trees to be uprooted and traffic lights and motorway signs to be knocked down. In Edinburgh, a huge tree was uprooted with the force of the wind; it landed on a Shell Petrol Station. (Manchester Hulme Library 13.6C, Benson -2.6C, Tyndrum 60.8mm, Kinloss 2.5h.)
A warm sector led to a mild night across much of England into the 2nd, but this sector cleared the UK by midday with only slight falls of rain over England. Overnight temperatures remained above 10C in parts of SW England. A day of showers then followed, particularly across Ireland and Scotland where they fell as sleet or snow in places. Some light rain affected SW England and the Channel Islands in the evening. (Langdon Bay 13.8C, Altnaharra -0.7C, Tyndrum 18.0mm, Woodford 7.6h.)
The 3rd saw the wind directions change from a W'ly direction to N'ly. There were early showers over N parts of Britain and Ireland and these were wintry over N Scotland. During the day these showers tended to feed S'wards and fell as hail from Shetland to the Channel Islands; thunder was heard in Cornwall and W Ireland. Wintry showers fell across Scotland and N and W parts of Ireland; these fed into N England later and also fell as far S as parts of S Wales and SW England as troughs pushed S over W areas. According to the Met Office over the western Highlands and parts of Lanarkshire there was around 10cm of snow. At Connaught Airport 16mm of rain fell in the 6 hours ending 1800GMT. (Charlwood 10.2C, Salsburgh 0.0C maximum, Tyndrum -2.5C minimum, Port Ellen 13.6mm, Wittering 8.8h.)
Pressure rose from the SW during the 4th, reaching 1039.8mb at Valentia by 2400GMT. As a result showers were mostly confined to N and E areas. There were falls of hail before dawn in the Channel Islands and Cornwall, and later in E England with Marham reporting thunder in the early afternoon. N and W Scotland had snow showers and these later affected NE England and parts of East Anglia - with slight falls in parts of the S Midlands and S Wales. In between the showers it was also a generally sunny day. (Hawarden 10.9C, Saughakll -5.5C, St. Mawgan 6.6mm, Eskdalemuir 9.6h.)
While high pressure prevailed in the S on the 5th, frontal cloud and precipitation affected Scotland and E Britain during the day. Ahead of the fronts there was a widespread air frost - although not in much of Ireland or across W Scotland. The rain gave 12mm of precipitation to Lerwick in 6 hours ending midday but it was not until the evening that other areas of Scotland has measureable totals; for many places the fronts gqave a cloudy but mainly dry day with the best of the sunshine being in S England and E Scotland. Gusty winds affected Scotland and N England with Kirkwall reporting 50kn a gust around 1800GMT. (Inverbervie 12.8C, Loch Glascarnoch -8.1C, Cassley 28.2mm, Manston 9.2h.)
For much of the 6th the British Isles lay under a warm sector, although in the afternoon the following cold front cleared W Scotland and Ireland towards the E. There was some frontal rain overnight in N and W Scotland with further falls across N and Cent Scotland during the day. The warm sector and this front gave a mostly cloudy day with some drizzle in all areas while the cold front gave a spell of heavy rain across W Scotland and Ireland later in the day - along with some blustery conditions. (Marham 14.1C, Emley Moor 2.5C, Tyndrum 39.6mm, Wittering 3.1h.)
The cold front 7th had largely cleared E Britain by midday, and introduced a showery, W'ly airflow to all areas. The showers were wintry across N and W Scotland with hail reported across N and W Scotland. Elsewhere the showers were mostly of rain, although the showers were largely confined to W and N areas. Breezy conditions prevented an air frost at low levels and most places saw sunny periods during the day - with the longer spells tending to occur over Wales, England and in E Ireland. Cloud cover increased from the W in the evening, and there were falls of rain over W Scotland before midnight as a warm front pushed E here. (St James Park 12.2C, Dalwhinnie 3.9C maximum, Lough Fea 0.4C minimum, Tyndrum 38.2mm, Aberporth 9.5h.)
The 8th began generally cloudy as bands of frontal rain crossed all areas from the W. By midday the main rain areas had cleared Ireland and W Scotland and although it turned showery in these areas they also had sunny spells. Further E it remained rather cloudy as the rain areas were still lingering over SE England by midnight. The fronts were associated with an area of low pressure to the NW of Scotland - MSL pressure fell to 972mb at Lerwick by 1800GMT. It was a blustery day, particularly close to the fronts, and 40kn gusts were widespread. (Church Fenton 13.1C, Dalwhinnie 1.3C, Kinlochewe 50.0mm, Belmullet 5.7h.)
Heavy, frontal rain cleared SE England during the early hours of the 9th, leaving the British Isles in a blustery W'ly surface airflow. This airflow brought showers, which turned thundery over W ireland in the morning and included falls of hail in parts of Scotland and N Ireland. Over high ground in Scotland and at lower levels in N Scotland there were falls of sleet or snow at times. During the afternoon and evening pressure started to fall across Ireland ahead of a deepening low, centred at 946mb off SW Ireland by 2400GMT. MSL pressure at this time over NW Ireland was around 956mb and gusts of over 50mph were occurring over SW England and Ireland, with fronta rain falling over W Ireland by midnight. (Great Malvern 12.1C, Aboyne -0.6C, Tyndrum 13.2mm, Leconfield 9.1h.)
during the 10th this deep low crossed E'wards over Cent Ireland, Wales and the N Midlands towards Humberside and eventually the North Sea. The central MSL pressure tended to rise as the low moved E, with the lowest pressure around 951mb (possibly lower); this reading occurred at Cork at 0600GMT. The lowest MSL pressure on record in the British Isles in March was 946mb at Wick in 1876. The strongest winds tended to occur over SW England and other areas of S England with all places to the S of path the low centre having a windy day. Frontal rain and showers brought spells of rain to all areas and as the centre filled a secondary low formed over N Scotland later in the day, with frontal cloud extending N through much of Cent and N Britain by midnight. Over parts of S England England the rain was thundery with some hail in places, and there were falls of sleet and snow over Scotland and over high ground in SW England. According to the Met Office peak gusts over the UK included 83kn at The Needles at 1300GMT and 71kn at Mumbles at 0400GMT. There was some heavy rain over S parts of Britain and Ireland with 31mm at Valentia and 28mm at Cork, both in the 12 hours ending 0600GMT. A 400m section of the sea wall in St Helier was washed away by storms; The breach led to flooding in the island's 100-year-old Opera House and the closure of Victoria Avenue, causing major disruption. At midnight 14 flood warnings were in place across England and almost 12,000 homes were without power. Water was lapping around seafront doorsteps in the Devon town of Teignmouth, while in the Cornish village of Flushing, seawater has flooded the high street. Earlier in the day, a lifeboat was sent to rescue 40 people from a caravan park after flood defences were breached at high tide in Selsey Bill, West Sussex. A number of flights at Heathrow and Gatwick airports were cancelled, while speed restrictions were put in place on some rail lines. Flooding caused lane closures on the M25, while the Port of Dover was closed. The M48 Severn Bridge between England and Wales was closed both ways because of high winds. Preparations for the Cheltenham Festival, starting on Tuesday, were thrown into disarray after a hospitality stand lost its roof. Parts of north-east England and Scotland were hit by snowfall as well as high winds with snow ploughs needed to keep some roads open. The Tamar Bridge between Devon and Cornwall was closed to high-sided vehicles. The Sheppey Crossing and the QE2 Bridge across the Thames between Essex and Kent were both closed. Tugs had to tow an 11,000-tonne tanker into port after she got into difficulties in the Solent. In London a woman was knocked unconscious after a hoarding was blown down at West Hampstead railway station. (Killowen 11.7C, Aboyne -2.1C, Liscombe 36.4mm, Aldergrove 7.4h.)
Frontal rain affected much of Scotland, NW England, Wales and parts of S England early on the 11th but this gradually pushed NE to give N Scotland some persistent and heavy rain during the day. Another area of rain spread raipdly E across Ireland and into Wales and SW England during the morning, associated with a deep low to the W of Ireland. This low deepened during the day and by 2400GMT was centred at 961mb near Tiree - the frontal rain having pushed NE to the North Sea and N Scotland. In the blustery flow that resulted behind the front there were showers of hail and snow over Ireland in the afternoon and accompanying blustery winds spread across much of the Ireland, Wales, S Scotland and England by midnight - the Met Office reported a gust to 71kn at Capel Curig at 2100GMT. Thunder was reported in the evening from the E Midlands and East Anglia. (Southampton 15.3C, Redesdale Camp -0.1C, Tyndrum 16.6mm, Cork Airport 5.7h.)
The 12th gave a stormy morning across N parts of Ireland, Wales and England as a deep low moved rapidly E across Scotland. Early in the day 90mph gusts were recorded over Snowdonia, according to the Met Office. There was a wet start to the day over N England and N Wales but this soon cleared - rain over N Scotland was more persistent although it turned showery as the low moved away. The showers fell in places, as far S as S wales, with hail and some sleet in W Ireland. Once the early rain cleared there were sunny spells everywhere. The high winds caused the cancellation of the day's events at the Cheltenham horse race festival. On the roads in Cheshire there were delays of up to an hour on the M6 when the Thelwall viaduct near Warrington was closed for several hours after high winds toppled three lorries. High-sided vehicles were being advised against using the Runcorn-Widnes bridge, but it was re-opened to them by late afternoon. The Humber Bridge was also closed to high-sided vehicles, as was the Newton Cap viaduct, near Bishop Auckland. The severe weather conditions caused delays on rail lines, particularly East Midlands Trains, but by mid-afternoon speed restrictions had been lifted in most places. There were delays between Dover and Calais on P&O ferries, and services across the Irish Sea were also affected. Gusts of up to 80mph hit Northern Ireland where about 750 homes were left without power. Police closed a road in Carrington, Greater Manchester, to protect the public after winds ripped off part of the roof of a council depot building. By early afternoon the Environment Agency had one flood warning and 11 flood watches in place, with an "all clear" given for 55 locations which had previously been under threat. (St. James Park 11.9C, Altnaharra -0.9C, Cassley 26.4mm, Guernsey Airport 10.0h.)
The 13th was another unsettled, but less windy day as frontal systems pushed E across S England and through Cent parts of the British Isles in a W'ly airflow. The blustery conditions prevented an air frost but there were wintry showers over Scotland and W Ireland as well as a spell of rain in most areas. Gusts to 40kn were widespread during the day; the Northern Isles had a sunny daay and there were sunny spells across other parts of Scotland, N Ireland and N England. However, elsewhere in England persistent frontal cloud led to rather dull day. (Valentia 12.4C, Katesbridge 0.6C, Shap 23.6mm, Kinloss 8.6h.)
The 14th was a mostly cloudy day across Ireland, Wales and S England due to bands of frontal cloud - although these gave generally light falls of rain. Further N there were cloudy spells with some rain, but also sunny spells. Some of these showers were wintry, especially overnight in N Scotland. Later in the day the frontal rain in the S pushed N across S Ireland and S wales as a low pressure centre moved towards SW Ireland. (North Wyke 14.8C, Katesbridge -2.9C, Aultbea 9.2mm, Leconfield 8.1h.)
The 15th saw an area of frontal rain pushing N across most of Ireland, Wales and england during the morning and afternoon; the northern edge of the rain then retreated S and as area of low pressure (993mb at 2400GMT over Hampshire) moved E over SW and S England. As a result these S areas, and S Scotland, had a rather cloudy day while N Scotland had an early ground frost followed by sunny intervals. The rain in the S did bring warm air to S Britain and S Ireland although the movement of the low centre was accompanied by some heavy rain in S and Cent parts of Britain and Ireland later; at least 10mm of rain in 6 hours was widely reported. (London 15.6C, Braemar -4.8C, Mumbles Head 27.6mm, Lerwick 7.2h.)
The area of low pressure cleared SE England early in the afternoon of the 16th after giving a wet night and morning over S and Cent areas of England and Wales. At Boscombe Down 30mm of rain fell in the 12 hours ending 0600GMT. The cloud meant a mild night in the S but there were ground frosts over Scotland before dawn. As the rain cleared the wind turned to a N'ly direction - in most places it remained a mainly cloudy day although N Ireland and W Scotland had long sunny spells as pressure rose here. There were, however, also a few snow showers over Scotland. (Isles Of Scilly 11.0C, Baltasound 5.1C maximum, Aboyne 0.6C minimum, Brize Norton 34.0mm,Tiree 10.0h.)
A N'ly airflow on the 17th led to a cold day in all areas. There was an air frost, and a sharp ground frost in places, over parts of Scotland and this was followed by a day of wintry showers here. These showers extended S into NE England at times. Showers also affected N Wales and other areas with a N-facing coast although much of the western half of the British Isles had a very sunny day. In the E cloud tended to make for a dull day. In most places precipitation was slight and as cloud broke in the evening temperatures started to fall. (Belmullet 11.8C, Dalwhinnie 3.0C maximum, Tulloch Bridge -6.5C minimum, Aviemore 2.4mm, Tiree 10.7h.)
MSL pressure rose slowly on the 18th, reaching 1029.2mb at Belmullet by 2400GMT. There was a cold start to the day in most places, especially over Ireland, and this cold start was followed by a sunny day in the W and cloudier skies in E areas of Britain. Showers of hail and snow fell during the day from N Scotland to NE England although falls were mainly slight. It felt cold. (Belmullet 11.7C, Baltasound 3.4C maximum, Katesbridge -6.6C, Wick Airport 3.4mm, Shannon Airport 9.9h.)
The 19th dawned cold with a slight air frost and a widespread ground frost. Snow showers fell in NE England and East Anglia during the day, with other falls in E Scotland - falls were slight and temperatures rose in most places as the sun rose. Later in the afternoon the winds backed to a W'ly direction and cloud cover increased across W Scotland, heralding frontal rain that fell in N and W areas of Scotland in the evening. This change resulted in temperatures holding up here after sunset. (Belmullet 12.1C, Lerwick 5.6C maximum, Tulloch Bridge -7.0C minimum, Loftus 4.6mm, Camborne 10.2h.)
Fronts crossed Scotland overnight into the 20th and during the day pushed S to clear all but S England and S Ireland by midnight. 15mm fell in 12 hours ending 0600GMT at Lerwick with 13mm at Kirkwall. The fronts were associated with a depression that crossed E'wards to the N of Scotland and resulted in strong to gale force winds with gusts to 60kn in parts of Scotland, that gradually veered to a NW'ly direction. Precipitation was mainly in the form of rain, but as temperatures fell in the evening over Scotland showers turned wintry across N Scotland. The rainfall tended to lessen in intensity as it moved S, with only slight falls in S England. (Leuchars 15.0C, Okehampton 6.8C maximum, Benson -2.8C minimum, Cassley 29.8mm, Lerwick 4.0h.)
A cold front cleared S parts of the British Isles during the morning of the 21st, and during the day the wind gradually veered N'ly everywhere. The wind direction and its strength made it feel cold everywhere although most places did have sunny spells. There were snow showers across Scotland throughout the day and these also spread S to N/NE England with falls also occurring as far S as S England. Hail showers also fell in many areas with the Met Office noting an unoffical report of 15mm diameter hail in Cent S England; thunder was heard in Cornwall in the evening. During the day gusts of 40-50kn occurred widely across the British Isles. (Solent MRSC 11.7C, Braemar 2.2C maximum, Dalwhinnie -1.3C minimum, Sennybridge 20.4mm, Glasgow 9.1h.)
A N'ly airflow on the 22nd resulted in overnight minimum temperatures being generally below 5C over the British Isles. Overnight, snow showers fell as far S as parts of cent S England - these falls continued during the day although most snow showers were confined to E Britain and N Scotland. There was very little lying snow from these showers except over high ground in the N - and most areas had sunny spells, especially over Ireland. In the evening an area of frontal cloud with more general outbreaks of sleet and snow pushed across NW Scotland and into N Ireland. It was a windy at times in many areas and in NE England and Cumbria this led to roads being closed and buildings damaged. The A66 transpennine route was closed at Bowes in County Durham for several hours because of snow and stranded lorries on the Cumbrian border. Parked cars were swamped by wind-swept waves at Redcar promenade. And 1,000 Derby County fans visiting Middlesbrough Football Club's ground had to be reseated, after a stadium stand suffered overnight damage. In Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, a cordon was set up after scaffolding collapsed near a hotel. Some roads in Ulverston in the Lake District were closed when roof slates were ripped from roofs in high winds. (Great Malvern 9.1C, Braemar 1.3C maximum, Dalwhinnie -1.7C minimum, Wattisham 11.6mm, Shannon Airport 10.0h.)
The 23rd saw a shallow low and its associated frontal system pushing SE from Scotland to Kent; this brought an area of moderate to heavy snowfall to Scotland and NE England with lesser amounts falling over East Anglia and SE England. Further W, the precipitation fell as rain although there was some snowfall over higher ground in Wales and SW England. 18mm of precipitation fell at Waddington in the 12 hours ending 0600GMT, while snow accumulated to depths of 5-10cm in parts of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and the East Midlands. Snow showers followed the snow - while in the W rain showers turned to light frontal later in the evening over SW Ireland. Humberside Police, as well as police in Lincolnshire, Staffordshire and Derbyshire, warned motorists either not to go out unless their journeys were essential, or to drive with caution. Three men had to be rescued from Scafell Pike. In Cumbria, the A66 was closed to all vehicles and the police were urging motorists to take extra care on minor roads. A number of lorries became stuck and the snow gates were closed on both the Cumbria and Durham sides of the A66. (Shannon Airport 11.6C, Baltasound 0.7C maximum, Benson -4.4C minimum, Capel Curig 22.8mm, Lerwick 6.6h.)
The N'ly flow was maintained throughout the 24th leading to another cold day in most places; the maximum temperature at Lerwick during the day was -0.2C. However, frontal cloud over SW parts of England and Ireland marked the arrival of milder air - although its' progress towards the E was very slow and it did result in a rather cloudy day in these areas. Snow showers continued to fall across Scotland, NE England and parts of East Anglia and over high ground in N England. There was also some sleet and snow over Wales and SW England that moved away to SE England during the morning - the sleet gradsually turning to rain. Over Scotland and N England there were sunny spells between any showers - and the showers tended to die down in the evening. (Shannon Airport 13.1C, Braemar -0.9C maximum, Redesdale Camp -4.2C minimum, Weybourne 7.8mm, Leconfield 8.8h.)
The N'ly flow gradually turned to a W'ly one from the SW on the 25th. Overnight snow showers continued across Scotland with snow pellets also observed as far S as Heathrow. There was further snow during the morning across Scotland and N parts of England and Wales - but these wintry conditions gradually became confined to N Scotland. Frontal cloud across SW Ireland soon spread across remaining parts of Ireland by midday and over Wales and W parts of England by midnight. This brought some light rain in these areas, preceded by some sleet over high ground earlier in the day as advancing warm air met the existing cold air. The best of the sunshine was to be found in E Britain ahead of the front - which brought light rain to many E areas of England by midnight. (Isles of Scilly 11.5C, Braemar 0.4C maximum, Aviemore -5.8C minimum, Baltasound 7.0mm, Lerwick 7.2h.)
The 26th dawned cold across much of Cent and E Scotland due to clear skies with grass minimum temperatures down to -10C in many places. Under a warm sector over S Wales and SW England there was a warm start to the day with some light rain or drizzle. A cold front brough heavier rain E across Ireland in the morning and this rain then affected much of England later in the day. Across Scotland the same line of frontal cloud gave rain and snow - the snow gradually retreating N during the day. The rain was followed by shwoers and brighter conditions with the sunniest places being in N Scotland (ahead of the rain) and over Ireland (in the showers after the rain). (Great Malvern 13.6C, Loch Glascarnoch 3.4C maximum, Braemar -11.4C minimum, Ballypatrick Forest 22.0mm, Cork Airport 10.6h.)
There was an overnight air frost on the 27th over parts of N Scotland and W England, with some snow over N Scotland and rain in E England. Rain or showers affected N Scotland and N England during the morning, with snow in some N areas of mainland Scotland. Away from Cent Scotland and some areas of E Scotland the day was a sunny one, but in the afternoon and evening frontal cloud brought rain into SW Ireland - with the rain spreading to SW England by midnight. (Great Malvern 13.6C, Altnaharra -5.2C, Manston 10.8mm, Stornoway 10.1h.)
Frontal cloud and rain crossed Ireland during the early hours of the 28th and by dawn this rain was affecting W Scotland and parts of W England. Cloudy skies ahead of the rain meant a relatively mild night although there was a widespread ground frost in E Britain. The rain spread rapidly E, clearing most areas by mid-afternoon; the rain was heavy in places with 14mm falling in the 6 hours ending 1200GMT at Eskdalemuir. MSL pressure fell to about 977mb over the Outer hebrides by 1200GMT. Showers followed the rain, especially in W areas and in places these banded together to give further heavy downpours. The showers were wintry in parts of W Ireland and across areas of Scotland and it was a windy day once the early rain arrived; by midnight most of the showers had died down. (London 13.7C, Braemar 5.1C maximum, Braemar -3.9c minimum, Capel Curig 38.8mm, Cork Airport 7.5h.)
After a mainly dry start, the 29th turned unsettled as a complex area of low pressure developed over Scotland and Ireland - with low centres of 984mb over N Scotland and 983mb over N Ireland by 2400GMT. There was some rain overnight over N Scotland and scattered showers elsewhere before dawn and by midday most of Ireland and parts of SW Britain had seen rain crossing from the SW. This rain continued to move NE affecting mainly W England, Wales and Scotland although rain did fall in E England later in the day. The rain was heavy in parts of SW England in the evening while in the afternoon it was windy in most areas for a while, with gusts exceeding 50kn in SW England. Rosslare reported thunder during the afternoon with hail showers at Cork. The best of the sunshine tended to be across N Scotland, ahead of the main rain areas. (Gravesend 13.2C, Kinbrace -0.4C, Shap 22.4mm, Lerwick 10.7h.)
Low pressure again dominated the weather during the 30th, with one centre slowing moving N'wards from Scotland and another crossing E'wards over the S coast of Ireland in the afternoon and evening. There was some early frontal rain over SE England and although the rain soom cleared it remained rather cloudy in the extreme SE corner. Cloud and rain affected Scotland, especially during the morning, but there were also sunny periods here. There were sunny spells across remaining areas of England and Wales during much of the day, and also over Ireland early on - but cloud and some heavy rain spread across Ireland later; Casement Aerodrome had 24mm, and Dublin Airport 26mm, both in the 6 hours ending 2400GMT. There were some showers even in the sunny areas during the day; thunder was reported in the morning at Belmullet but in the sunehine it felt quite warm in S areas. (London 15.3C, Lossiemouth -2.0C, Lough Fea 17.4mm, Woburn 9.9h.)
The heavy rain in E Ireland turned lighter as it crossed S Wales and SW England early on the 31st; this rain quickly diminished in intensity and most places had a mainly dry day until the evening when another frontal system pushed further rain across Ireland and into W parts of Scotland, Wales and SW England. Many places had a sunny day although some showers formed across parts of England and Wales; in the sunshine it again felt quite warm as winds were fairly light until they picked up in the evening over Ireland. 7mm of rain fell at Valentia during 0600-1800GMT. (Donna Nook 14.9C, Aboyne -3.5C, Cardinham 5.8mm, Waddington 10.8h.)
During the morning a warm front pushed slowly NE over Ireland, Wales and SW England, giving a warm start to the 2nd in places here. The overnight minimum temperature at Valentia was 10.5C. Rainfall along the front was mainly slight, while there was rain from an additional, decaying, front over parts of Scotland. As a result of these fronts, many places had a dull, if warm, day with some light rain and drizzle as the warm front moved to lie Sussex-Hebrides by the evening. Around some coastal areas in the warm sector it was a misty day but in E Scotland there were sunny spells. (Great Malvern 17.7C, Tulloch Bridge 2.6mm, Valley 2.8mm, Leuchars 10.0h.)
The warm front became mostly stationary across E Britain for a while on the 3rd, while pressure rose in the W to about 1032mb over Cornwall and S Ireland by 2400GMT. Light rain along the front was largely confined to Scotland - and in the evening there was further light rain in some N and NW ares of Scotland from a cold front. Coastal fog patches remained in parts of SW England throughout the day and sunshine amounts were geographically quite variable - despite the warm conditions. (Inverbervie 18.9C, Marham 0.3C, Cassley 2.0mm, Aberporth 11.4h.)
The 4th saw a warm sector giving way to a cooler, NW'ly airflow. The warm sector, and some cloudy skies, meant a lack of early air frost at low levels. There was rain over W Scotland by dawn and some mist or fog inland across Britain. The rain moved s during the day and the associated cold front lay from S Ireland to Lincolnshire by midnight; showers developed behind the front and these turned wintry across high ground in Scotland later. As the rain moved S it reduced in intensity, while across S England the temperature remained at about 10-11C at midnight ahead of the front. (Charlwood 18.3C, Dunkeswell 2.2C, Loch Glascarnoch 13.0mm, Odiham 10.4h.)
The cool, NW'ly flow developed further on the 5th, spreading to S areas. There was some overnight rain over S areas of England, Wales and Ireland and this was followed by showers. During the day wintry precipitation occured widely across Scotland, with falls across N England, N Ireland and the N Midlands in the evening. Further S the showers were mainly of rain. There were reports of isolated thunderstorms with hail, according to the Met Office. The best of the sunshine was across Wales, W Scotland and Ireland. At Dublin Airport 10.9h of sunshine was recorded in the day ending 1800GMT. Temperatures fell in the evening across Scotland with Cairngorm reporting -9.8C at 2400GMT. (Lee-on-Solent 13.0C, Topcliffe -1.2C minimum, Fyvie Castle 8.0mm, Aldergrove 9.9h.)
The 6th was a cold day across the British Isles with daytime temperatures were notably low in S Essex and Kent. In the early hours of the morning an area of heavy and persistent snow developed over N Wales and NW England and moved southeastwards, arriving into London by dawn. According to the Met Office, an area from NW England, through the Midlands and into S and SE England, around 5 to 8 cm of snow fell; over 10cm fell is some places S of Reading. The snow soon melted once it stopped falling, but some snowfall lingered in Sussex and Kent well into the afternoon. In Maidenhead the 5cm lying depth was the greatest of any April day in the past 20 years. Elsewhere, snow showers were widespread -with falls as far W as N Ireland ruing the day (and in W Ireland during the morning). There were further heavy falls over Scotland and N England in the morning - and again across Scotland in the afternoon due to S'ward-moving troughs. At Shannon Airport 9.6h of sunshine was recorded in the day ending 1800GMT. (Shannon Airport 9.9C, East Malling 1.9C maximum, Warcop -6.0C minimum, Altnaharra 12.4mm, Coventry 8.8h.)
The 7th dawned with a widespread frost and during the day snow showers were widespread, falling as far S as S England and the Channel Islands. By midnight they were mostly confined to Scotland and N England; across N and W Scotland by this time temperatures had risen a little and there was falling rain - some it heavy. At Valentia 10.1h of sunshine was recorded in the day ending 1800GMT while there were thunderstorms over Wiltshire during the late afternoon. (Katesbridge 9.9C, Dalwhinnie 2.6C maximum, Sennybridge -3.1C minimum, Aboyne 19.8mm, Guernsey Airport 10.7h.)
Away from W areas of Scotland and Ireland, and N parts of Scotland, the 8th dawned with a widespread air frost. During the morning a band of frontal cloud separated colder air over E Scotland, SE Ireland and England and Wales from slightly milder conditions further W. However, it was sunny in this E area and temperature rose here as a result - once some early mist and fog had cleared. There was some snowfall over Cent and E scotland during the day with some sleet over parts of N England and N Wales early in the day. Some scattered showers affected Cent and E areas of England. (London 12.0C, Aviemore 4.3C maximum, Shap -5.6C minimum, Fyvie Castle 17.8mm, Filton and Guernsey Airport 11.4h.)
The 9th was another cool day with an air frost in places, particular around the Midlands and Cent S England. There was also a spell of snowfall in NE Scotland before dawn. Showers developed during the day and some of the showers fell as snow across parts of Scotland; however, SE England tended to remain mainly dry. Across Ireland showers turned to more prolonged rain in places as a weak frontal system crossed the country in the evening; elsewhere the showers died down in the evening and temperatures again fell in many areas under clearing skies. (Southampton 13.7C, Dalwhinnie -4.5C, Fyvie Castle 24.4mm, Manston 10.9h.)
The 10th was an unsettled day with low pressure close to Iereland pushing bands of rain over the British Isles. Ahead of the cloud from these fronts there was an air frost over E Scotland and in parts of NE England. Rain soon fell over W Scotland and Ireland but elsewhere amounts of precipitation were small and mostly showery, once some early mist and fog had cleared from parts of Cent England. Some of these showers were heavy and thundery, according to the Met Office. Light sleet and snow fell at times over parts of Scotland, N Ireland and N England; some hail was reported over NW Ireland. (London 13.7C, Dyce -3.1C, Dunstaffnage 15.6mm, Guernsey Airport 11.3h.)
Low pressure centres remained across the British Isles on the 11th. By dawn there was a slight frost in parts of N Scotland and N England while during the day most areas saw some precipitation. Light snow showers again fell across parts of Scotland. During the morning thunderstorms were reported at Belmullet and from London to Wiltshire, with additional reports from East Anglia in the afternoon. Some showers also fell as hail, from the Channel islands to Scotland. In the evening there was further thunder over Wales and SW areas of England. (Weybourne 13.7C, Dalwhinnie -3.1C, Capel Curig 23.6mm, Guernsey Airport and Malin Head 10.1h.)
The 12th saw a continuation of the unsettled weather and showery precipitation that turned heavy and thundery with some hail in places. At low levels there was only a slight air frost in parts of SW Scotland and N Ireland. There were again snow showers over Scotland and over some high ground in N England with most places also seeing spells of sunshine. (Gravesend 13.6C, Braemar -2.5C, Rochdale 15.0mm, St. Athan 11.7h.)
Further showery weather occurred on the 13th as a generally NW'ly surface flow became established. There was an early air frost over parts of S Scotland and N England. The showers again turned thundery, especially around hampshire/Wiltshire and in E Ireland. A boy was fatally injured by a bolt of lightning as he walked through a green space in Tallaght (Dublin) and there were reports of hail lying up to 2cm deep on some roads in Hampshire after a storm. (Marham 13.4C, Topcliffe -2.8C, Crosby 15.2mm, Malin Head 11.8h.)
Showers were less frequent and intense on the 14th as high pressure built from the SW; by 2400GMT MSL pressure was up to almost 1026mb across S Wales. Overnight there were some wintry showers over high ground in Scotland and N England and an air frost formed in these areas also. Showers soon developed which turned thundery over East Anglia and parts of London and NW England. Hail was reported from Fair Isle and in parts of the Midlands. (Thorney Island 13.2C, Braemar -6.8C, Altnaharra 6.8mm, Shannon Airport 12.7h.)
The 15th saw a band of frontal rain/showers pushing S from Scotland to East Anglia. There was a cold start to the day over Scotland and N England - -4.7C at Topcliffe is cold for the time of year. The frontal showers turned thundery over N England and with snow over high ground here, and wintry showers continued for most of the day across parts of Scotland. There were also reports of hail from S Scotland and N England. Later in the morning there were thundery outbreaks over Wales with the Met Office noting an unconfirmed waterspout off W Wales. Ahead of the front it remained mostly dry and sunny. (Thorney Island 15.5C, Topcliffe -4.7C, Pershore College 12.2mm, Hurn 12.9h.)
The frontal showers moved away overnight and the 16th dawned with a widespread inland air frost over Britain; however the 0600GMT temperature of 8.3C at Valentia was a hint of warmer air to the SW. Mist and fog was widespread by dawn across England and by midday there was shower development along a trough in E England. These showers persistent through much of the day here with most other places being largely dry; the early mist and fog turned into low cloud over much of Cent England leading to a cloudy day there. (Belmullet 13.5C, Braemar -6.6C, Weybourne 5.8mm, Malin Head 13.1h.)
High pressure to the N of Scotland slipped W on the 17th leading to the introduction of an E'ly flow across the British Isles. The trough over E England pushed an area of rain W towards Ireland during the morning, giving heavy rain in places and some wintry weather over high ground - especially over N England, the Pennines and S Wales; some 10cm of snow fell outside Sheffield. There was a widespread air frost over E Scotland and to the N and S of the trough the day was a mostly dry one. However, during the evening some frontal cloud and rain spread W from the North Sea towards N Ireland. (hurn 12.7C, Carterhouse -5.1C, Cranwell 9.8mm, Stornoway 13.4h.)
A cool E'ly flow persisted across the British Isles on the 18th. A few parts of N and E Scotland had an overnight air frost but further S iwas cloudier and/or slightly warmer. There was slight rainfall overnight from N Ireland to NE England and also in the Channel Islands. Mist, fog and haze were fairly widespread across England during the morning. The rain in the S pushed N into S England in the morning and persisted in the S for much of the day, gradually becoming more confined to S Wales and SW England. Although many areas remained dry, it was generally a cloudy day with the best of the sunshine being across parts of NE Scotland and NW Ireland. One result of the E'ly flow across parts of SE England, in particular, was the so-called 'Euro-whiff', a smell in the air that was blamed on the advection of air from agricultural muck-spreading over N Germany. (Dunstaffnage 12.9C, Altnaharra -3.8C, Spadeadam 9.0mm, Kinloss 10.9h.)
A band of frontal cloud continued to affect S parts of Britain and Ireland throughout the 19th. There was a slight air frost across parts of N Scotland but again cloud further S kept temperatures up. There was slight rain overnight in SW areas of England and Wales. Most places had a rather cloudy day, the exceptions being over parts of N Ireland, S Scotland and NE England. Light rain and drizzle fell in places, with the greatest of the falls being from the frontal band in the S. (Belmullet 13.3C, Dalwhinnie -3.9C, Okehampton 13.6mm, Tiree 13.6h.)
There were clear spells, and a slight air frost in places, over N Scotland into the 20th - but further S the night was rather cloudy with light rain in S Britain and S Ireland. Although Shetland remained cloudy, many parts of Cent and N Scotland had a sunny day. It remained cloudy further S; an occluded front that gave the rain in the S overnight moved N, weakening as it did so and introducing milder conditions - with mist and haze - across S England. It was followed by another set of rain bands that gave further rain over S England in the late afternoon and evening - with falls in East Anglia later. The Met Office reported some thundery falls in SW England later in the day. (Lee-on-Solent 18.6C, Dalwhinnie -4.5C, Hurn 12.0mm, Stornoway 13.0h.)
Overnight temperatures were low across N Scotland with an air frost in a few sheltered areas; further S the 21st dawned milder with temperatures remaining above 10C around the Solent. Over many parts of Scotland and in some areas of E England it was a sunny day - elsewhere the day was rather cloudy. Rain across S England moved towards the W during the morning and was followed by showers in the SW later. Some overnight frontal precipitation over Cent areas of England soon faded and in S England the rain moved away S during the afternoon and evening, leaving rather cloudy and hazy conditions over S Britain. (South Farnborough 15.9C, Altnaharra -5.1C, Isle of Portland 11.8mm, Stornoway 12.0h.)
There was a again a slight air frost in a few parts of N Scotland into the22nd while across Cent, S and E England early mist and haze were widespread; the haze persisted throughout the day in places under a col. frontal cloud spread NE across Ireland in the afternoon and brought rainfall in SW Ireland by the evening. This rain pushed NE affecting Wales, SW Scotland and SW England by midnight. Elsewhere the day was a mainly dry one after some early rain in the Channel Islands; there was a return of widespread mist and haze in the evening. (Southampton 20.7C, Altnaharra -2.8C, Culdrose 3.0mm, Casement Aerodrome 11.6h.)
The 23rd dawned with a touch of ground frost over parts of E and NE England and with a band of rain spreading NE across W Britain. The rain was heavy over parts of Scotland and wwas followed by drier, brighter conditions from the SW. In the evening a further area of cloud and precipitation spread across S and W parts of Ireland - as the earlier band of rain moved NE across Orkney. (Great Malvern 18.7C, Topcliffe 1.1C, Dundrennan 12.8mm, Filton 12.1h.)
Overnight rain across Ireland crossed Britain NE'wards during the 24th, followed by showers in a SW'ly airflow. Some of these showers turned thundery over parts of E Ireland, the Midlands and East Anglia during the afternoon with generally drier weather following later. The best of the sunshine was generally to be found over Ireland and SW Britain - although Ireland clouded over in the evening as another frontal system approached from the SW. (St. James Park, London 16.9C, Redesdale Camp -1.0C, Sennybridge 20.4mm, Belmullet 11.8h.)
The 25th was a rather cloudy day, except across N and E Scotland, and in the Channel Islands. This was due to a band of rain that pushed NE across much of the British Isles, introducing a warm sector to most places by midnight; oveer N Scotland this rain turned heavy in the evening with Lusa reporting 16mm of rain in the 6 hours ending 2400GMT. A low pressure centre was close to W Scotland at this time with MSL pressure down to 1006.9mb at Stornoway. Behind the rainband the weather was mostly dry but cloudy with temperatures widely remaining around 10-11C by midnight - and up to 14C across Ireland. (Gravesend 17.6C, Aboyne -1.5C, Lusa 18.2mm, Guernsey Airport 9.4h.)
Overnight rain continued to affect Scotland, N Ireland and N England with soem heavy falls over Scotland. Further S the 26th dawned mainly dry and mild, with overnight temperatures remaining no lower than 12.8C at Malin Head and 12.9C at Ballykelly. Across Scotland rain continued in plaaces into the afternoon while most of England and Wales had a warm day with sunny spells. Frontal cloud gave some slight falls of rain over Ireland and this later moved into SW England. (Weybourne 22.0C, Northolt 5.7C, Lusa 30.4mm, Belmullet 12.1h.)
The 27th dawned after a warm night over much of S England and the Midlands. Overnight there was rain from SW England to N England with cooler conditions to the NW. N and Cent Scotland had a very sunny day; elsewhere conditions were rather dull. The rain moved E during the day although shallow low centres formed around the front over N Britain and Ireland. An area of thunderstorms moved from the Channel Islands towards London during the morning, with further thunder over Dublin, the Midlands and NE England in the afternoon. There were also showers at times across Cent and S areas of Britain with some heavy rain over N Ireland later in the evening - in association with one of the low centres. (Weybourne 20.6C, Braemar -2.0C, Albemarle 30.0mm, Lerwick 14.3h.)
The 28th dawned with showers across Ireland and these soon spread E during the morning to affect most areas of England and Wales; heavy showers in the afternoon from the SW Midlands to London led to thundery outbreaks in places. Early in the day rain affected N and E Scotland and this gradually moved N during the day, affecting mainly the Northern Isles lat in the evening. The showers further s tended to die down in the evening but some persisted along trough-lines. Cloud thickened over SW Ireland in the evening as a low pressure system moved towards the area. (Holbeach 17.1C, Katesbridge 0.2C, Leuchars 21.4mm, Valentia 12.1h.)
Low pressure centres to the N of Scotland and later over SW England (986mb over Devon at 2400GMT) meant that the 29th was a rather unsettled and showery day - and fairly extensive cloud cover helped to keep temperatures on the low side. N and E Scotland, and parts of N England and Ireland, had the most prolonged sunshine while across S England there were bands of rain and organised lines of showers that affected all areas and kept the sunshine totals down. Over parts of Ireland, S Scotland and N England there were thunderstorms and heavy showers from late morning until the evening. N Scotland was cloudy with some rain while in the evening there were spells of heavy rain over S England associated with the arrival of the low pressure centre. (Crosby 16.3C, Redesdale Camp -0.2C, Milford haven 30.4mm, Tiree 12.9h.)
The low pressure centre moved N during the 30th from Devon to N England, associated with areas of rain and heavy showers that moved generally N also. It was a rather cloudy day for late April, except over W and S Ireland which were not really affected by the frontal rain during the day. The rain and showers were heavy in places with thunder in Wiltshire in the afternoon. According to the Met Office there was also an unconfirmed report of a tornado in Gloucestershire. With persistent cloud cover and no sunshine in places, temperatures remained below 10C in places during the day in some parts of S England and many places in Cent and S England failed to reach 12C. (Great Malvern 14.2C, Okehampton 5.8C maximum, Okehampton -0.2C minimum, Dishforth 24.8mm, Belmullet 11.0h.)
Pressure rose from the E during the 2nd and in many places it was quite a sunny day as a result. Showers did develop as the temperature rose, from mid-morning onwards and turned thunder in parts of Ne Scotland during the early afternoon. During the afternoon and evening frontal cloud pushed N across Ireland and W areas of England and Wales - giving some light rain here and also holding the temperature up across Ireland in the evening. (Charlwood 17.8C, Aboyne -0.9C, Hawarden 7.8mm, Valley 12.2h.)
High pressure persisted to the E throughout the 3rd while low pressure held sway to the W of Ireland. During the morning a weak front moved N across Scotland - to be followed by another one over Ireland at that time that tended to break up as it also moved N later over W Scotland; 10mm of rain fell at Valentia in the 12 hours ending 0600GMT, followed by another 18mm in the following 12 hours. There was a good deal of dry weather for most places away from Ireland. It was a sunny day on Orkney with the best of the sunshine elsewhere being over S parts of England. (Central London 22.0C, Altnaharra 0.4C, Machrihanish 3.6mm, Kirkwall 10.6h.)
A generally S'ly flow continued during the 4th although fronts pushed E during the day to affect most areas of the British Isles at some time. As a result the day was generally cloudy - sunless in several areas - except across Ireland, the fronts having cleared much of that counbtry by late morning. The fronts brought periods of rain and showers with thunder reported over E Wales and W England during the morning. The drier conditions across Ireland spread slowly E, with rainfall in the evening largely confined to N England. (Central London 23.2C, Braemar 5.2C, Shap 19.0mm, Shannon Airport 12.8h.)
Fronts over Cent Britain decayed during the 5th as pressure rose over NE Scotland - rising to 1031mb at Lerwick by 2400GMT. Overnight there were showery outbreaks of rain overnight across Cent and S England with some heavy bursts at times; there was thunder before dawn at Guernsey Airport. As the fronts decayed the rain weakened by some showers developed later as the temperature rose. There was some fog at times around coastal areas of NE Scotland but much of Scotland and Ireland had a sunny day. (Cent London 23.2C, Pembrey Sands 0.8C, Little Rissington 12.0mm, Dublin Airport 14.4h.)
High pressure dominated the weather on the 6th leading to a mainly dry, warm and sunny day. There were some exceptions, however. Lerwick was sunless and cool and other areas of N Scotland had sunny intervals, with coastal fog and low cloud in NE Scotland that was slow to clear in places. By evening ther winds were generally from a SE direction except across N Scotland where a S'ly flow persisted. (Nottingham 24.5C, Altnaharra 2.6C, Kirkwall 0.4mm, East Malling 14.5h.)
High pressure centred to the E of Scotland on the 7th led to a mainly settled day. Overnight temperatures were relatively high in S and W areas of the British Isles - remaining at or above 12.5C at South Uist Range. The day was then generally warm, dry and sunny in al parts, although there were patches of fog around the coasts of SE Scotland, NE England and Cornwall for a while. In parts of E England a cool onshore flow helped to keep the temperature down in places - the maximum temperature at Boulmer and Bridlington being 13.4C. (Wisley 25.4C, Braemar -0.2C, Kinlochewe 1.6mm, Norwich Airport 14.8h.)
High pressure persisted over E areas on the 8th to give another warm and dry night in most W and S areas of the British Isles. The lowest overnight temperature at Lee-on-Solent was 15.1C. The Met Office reported some thundery activity that affected NW ireland and the Western Isles towards the end of the night. Most places then had another warm, dry and sunny day although frontal cloud and some showers affected Ireland later in the morning - and 3mm of rain had fallen at Cork Airport by 1800GMT. By this time rain had also affected Cornwall as a frontal system pushed NE across the area. 5mm of rain fell at Guernsey Airport in the 6 hours ending 2400GMT with 7mm at Shannon Airport in the same period. This rainfall was also accompanied by mist and fog in some coastal locations - while temperature were again held back in parts of E England by the onshore wind. (Herstmonceux 25.2C, Braemar 1.2C, Isles of Scilly 5.2mm, Lerwick 14.8h.)
The front that gave some showery rain over Ireland and some W and S areas of England and Wales into the 9th gradually spread N and E during the day. This resulted in cooler conditions over Ireland, Wales and SW England than in previous days - with the best of the sunshine in NE Scotland the warmest conditions in E Britain. Across S England the sunshine tended to be hazy while in the afternoon and evening there were some thundery outbreaks from Worcestershire to London. (London 26.6C, Aboyne 0.1C, Filton 12.0mm, Lerwick 15.0h.)
The 10th saw thundery outbreaks throughout the day in several places. These included parts of N England before dawn, E Ireland and the Isle of Man during late morning, and NW London and S Scotland in the afternoon. The day began with mainly warm conditions and E Britain then had a mainly warm day. To the W of a front it was cooler, by up to 10C, during the afternoon over W Scotland, SW England and Ireland. (Herstmonceux 27.3C, Braemar 6.5C, Strathallan 21.6mm, Norwich Airport 15.1h.)
Parts of Scotland had a few showers overnight into the 11th and around some coastal areas of SW England and S Ireland there were fog patches by dawn. During the day there were a few showers over W parts of Wales and Scotland and NW England and across much of England and Wales (away from the onshore E'ly wind) it was a warm day. The Met Office reported isolated thunderstorms across W Wales and NW England later in the day, while fog patches affected some coastal areas of NE England and E Scotland in the evening; Loftus reported visibility below 50m at 2400GMT. The best of the sunshine was across England and W Scotland, with some areas of E Scotland remaining sunless. (Great Malvern 27.5C, Wick Airport 11.3C maximum, Baltasound 4.9C minimum, Tulloch Bridge 10.0mm, Norwich Airport 14.0h.)
Overnight into the 12th it was mainly dry apart from light frontal rain over N Ireland a W Scotland; around the coasts of NE England and E Scotland there was overnight mist and fog which lingered for much of the day in places. Boulmer remained sunless as a result and many other places fared little better. Away from the E coast most places had a day of sunny period or spells as the front in the N and W finally dissipated. However, 4.0mm of rain fell at Belmullet in the 6 hours ending 1800GMT as the result of a thunderstorm. (Lee-on-Solent 26.9C, Redesdale Camp 4.7C, Aboyne 2.4mm, Norwich Airport 14.5h.)
high pressure to the N of Scotland throughout the 13th meant an E'ly day for most areas. While the day was a mainly dry one, places in E Scotland and NE England bordering the North Sea had a rather dull or foggy day; elsewhere, there were long sunny spells with warm conditions. It felt cool along the English Channel with gusts to 30kn here. (Lee-on-Solent 25.1C, Carterhouse 2.3C, Hereford 0.2mm, Lerwick 14.3h.)
Despite widespread anticyclonic sunshine on the 14th, temperatures were generally a little lower than on the previous day. Low cloud persisted over NE England where it was another cold day. There were a few showers in parts of S England later in the day while in the evening some heavy frontal rain fell across the Channel Islands and Cornwall - 23mm of rain fell in the 6 hours ending 2400GMT at Cardinham. (Lee-on-Solent and Shannon Airport 23.6C, Loftus 9.6C maximum, Kinbrace -1.4C minimum, Cardinham 14.6mm, Aldergrove and Belmullet 14.6h.)
there were mainly light E'ly winds across the British Isles on the 15th, while a frontal system affected S parts of England and Wales. There was a ground frost in parts of N England and Scotland with some heavy falls of rain in SW England before dawn; St Mawgan reported 40mm in the 12 hours ending 0600GMT. The rain turned thundery during the morning over parts of Cent S England - as it moved N during the day it weakened in intensity, later reaching the Midlands and East Anglia. Much of N England, Ireland and Scotland had a dry day with sunny spells, although many E coast areas remained covered by low cloud. (Belmullet and Shannon Airport 19.1C, Liscombe 9.6C maximum, Kinbrace -0.1C minimum, St Mawgan 32.2mm, Stornoway 15.1h.)
Away from Ireland the 16th was a generally cloudy day. There were some thunderstorms on Jersey in the morning and an early air frost in a few parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland. Frontal rainbands across Scotland and S Britain grdaully moved towards each other giving rain in many places - after a bright start over Cent Britain. However, the heaviest rain tended to be in the south - there was some localised flooding in Cornwall. (Shannon Airport 19.1C, Katesbridge -0.1C, Cardinham 21.8mm, Malin Head 14.2h.)
The 17th was a cloudy day except across N Scotland and NW Ireland. by midday the effects of the frontal band over N Britain had largely cleared these areas, and the front was starting to decay. Further S frontal rain was a little more widespread and persistent, although falls were mainly slight except in SW England, and a shallow low pressure centre (around 1006mb) persisted over the English Channel. (Shannon Airport 18.2C, Altnaharra 2.5C, Camborne 18.0mm, Stornoway 15.1h.)
Overnight into the18th the rain in the S gradually cleared as a weak ridge extended S across much of the British Isles. It was a cold night in some sheltered areas of Scotland and N England. After some heavy rain in S parts of England and Wales the day was a mainly dry one - although Belmullet had some heavcy rain in the evening with 18mm of rain in the 12 hours ending 1800GMT. Most places had sunny spells although W Ireland was rather dull in places due to encroaching frontal cloud. There were also some light showers in places, these mainly in EScotland and NE England. (Lee-on-Solent 18.3C, Kinbrace -5.0C, Plymouth 5.2mm, Stornoway 14.6h.)
The high pressure ridge persisted during the 19th, with a small centre of 1022mb over NE England later in the day. Many places in Scotland, N England and N Ireland had a slight air or ground frost before dawn. The day was mainly dry, albeit with a few showers over Scotland, and varying cloud cover meant variable amounts of sunshine across the British Isles. Under clearing skies in the evening some N areas again had an air frost by midnight. (Belmullet 18.5C, Kinbrace -6.2C, Braemar 2.2mm, Stornoway 14.3h.)
The 20th began with ground frost across Scotland under clear skies, and continued mainly dry with sunny periods in all areas. However, 4mm of rain fell at Belmullet in the 12 hours ending 0600GMT, while in the evening some frontal cloud affected W Ireland. (Belmullet 17.3C, Altnaharra -3.4C, Braemar 1.8mm, Kirkwall 13.7h.)
Frontal cloud and rain spread across Ireland during the 21st, reaching parts of SW England in the late afternoon and evening. Much of Britain was dry as high pressure persisted over E Britain while at Valentia 12-hour rainfall totals included 15mm at 0600GMT and 24mm at 1800GMT. S Scotland and E England were rather cloudy, as was Ireland. (Charlwood 20.3C, Altnaharra -2.9C, St. Mary's 5.6mm, East Malling 13.1h.)
The front pushed NE across W Britain on the 22nd bringing rain to most W areas of Britain. Heavy falls were mostly confined to SW England and S Wales - here showers following the front turned thundery in places in the afternoon. Sunshine amounts were generally small except in E England and SW Ireland - and some fog formed in the moist air over SW England later in the day. (London 23.1C, Loch Glascarnoch 0.2C, Chivenor 22.6mm, Herstmonceux 10.5h.)
There was rain in E Ireland and W parts of Britain overnight into the 23rd - but this tended to fade in the morning to leave a few showers in places. Further E many places had a dry and sunny day - although much of mainland Scotland remained rather cloudy, as did parts of Cent England. During the afternoon some heavy, thundery showers affected parts of East Midlands, Cent S England and W Ireland. (London 22.1C, Aviemore 2.3C, Cottesmore 17.2mm, Lerwick 11.2h.)
The 24th dawned after a mainly dry night with minimum temperatures remaining above 10C across much of Ireland and Cent and S England and Wales. During the day precipitation amounts were generally slight although there were a few showers in some S parts of Britain. furthewr S over the Channel Islands a slow-moving frontal system helped to draw an fresh E'ly flow (with gusts to 40kn) over Britain and to give the Channel Islands a cloud day with some rain - this reached S England in the evening with 11mm of rain in 6 hours ending midnight at St Catherines Point. (lee-on-Solent 23.0C, Altnaharra -1.3C, St. Mary's Scilly 2.2mm, Stornoway 15.5h.)
The rain in S England at midnight 25th spread N during the day towards the Midlands, whereupon falls gradually reduced in intensity. 24mm fell in 6 hours ending 1200GMT at Little Rissington - but little rain fell from this front in the evening and it was a mainly sunless day over the Midlands. Ireland had a mainly dry day, except in the SE corner which was also affected for a while by this rain. N Britain and much of Ireland had a mainly dry and sunny day while S England turned brighter in the afternoon behind the rain - although there were some heavy showers in SW England. By mnidnight there was further rain falling in the Channel Islands. (Charlwood 21.2C, Shap 0.8C, Little Rissington 29.0mm, Tiree 15.8h.)
The 26th was a wet and rather cool day across S Britain and S Ireland as rain pushed N from the Channel Islands; daytime temperatures remained below 13C in many places. The rain was heavy in many areas; Liscombe reported 37mm (and Larkhill 25mm) in the 6 hours ending 1200GMT and 15mm fell at Cardinham during 1800-2400GMT - by which time the rain had reached the N Midlands. Winds accompanying the rain gusted to 40kn with 63kn reported at Mumbles at 1200GMT. Across N Wales, N Britain and N Ireland the day was mostly dry and sunny; the Midlands had sunshine ahead of the rain while S Britain had a sunless day. (West Freugh 19.2C, Liscombe 9.4C maximum, Braemar -0.2C minimum, Liscombe 49.4mm, Lerwick 15.8h.)
Further heavy rain fell in S Britain overnight into the 27th and moved N to the Midlands and Wales; at Manston 30mm fell in the 12 hours ending 0600GMT. During the day the rain pushed N towards N Ireland and S Scotland - but falls were much less intense and as the rain moved away there were some sunny intervals in SW areas. Scotland and NW Ireland was mainly dry, except in parts of S Scotland, and had sunny intervals in most areas - in NW Scotland the sunshine lingered longer, however. Much of Cent England had a sunless day. (London 19.9C, Bingley 9.7C maximum, Altnaharra 0.3C maximum, Wattisham 22.4mm, Stornoway 11.7h.)
A complex area of low pressure formed over the Midlands for a while during the 28th leading to a wet day across much of England and Wales, and a rather cloudy day everywhere. According to the Met Office some torrential rain affected parts of S England and the Midlands early in the morning - although this soon eased off. Mosst places saw rain at sometime during the day - except parts of Ireland - while in the evening the rain turned heavy again over parts of Scotland as the frontal system producing much of the rain migrated N. The rain was thundery to the W of London and over east Anglia before dawn, and across E and NE Scotland in the late morning and afternoon. (Weybourne 21.8C, Cassley 5.8C, Brize Norton 36.2mm, Belmullet 4.0h.)
Rain moved N across Scotland into the 29th with cloudy skies meaning no frost at low levels anywhere in the British Isles. Across S England there was widespread mist by dawn with fog patches in places. Most places saw some sunshine during the day; after some early sunshine over S England there was cloud and rain here by midday with outbreaks as far N as east Anglia by the evening. Parts of Hampshire, Sussex and Dorset experienced very heavy downpours and thundery showers in the late afternoon. Ahead of this rain, Ireland, N England and Scotland remained largely dry - although there were soime showery falls in parts of Ireland. The heavy rain later affected areas from Wiltshire to Devon with flash flooding reported, and the rain in East Anglia spread into N England. Firefighters evacuated homes in the worst hit areas of south Somerset after a sudden and heavy burst of rain on Thursday evening. Devon and Somerset fire service said Crewkerne, Ilminster, Shepton Mallet and Wells were most severely affected. Four people were rescued when their car became stuck in a flood at Langford Bridge near Honiton, in Devon. (Northolt 22.4C, Dunkeswell 5.7C, Tyndrum 31.4mm, Prestwick 10.3h.)
Rain pushed N from N England during the early hours of the 30th and it was generally a cloudy night - with mist and fog in many parts of England. Fog patches persisted around the Channel Islands for much of the day and the rain eased off as it moved through E Scotland. In parts of SE England it was a warm and hunmid night; temperatures rose rapidly but then eased off as cloud quickly developed here. After a bright start cloud developed in many areas and there were some afternoon showers in S areas of Britain - these were locally thundery and heavy in SW England. (Castlederg 23.5C, Altnaharra 2.5C, Okehampton 16.0mm, Stornoway 14.1h.)
There was only a little rain overnight into the 31st - but by dawn mist and haze was widespread and there was some for in SW England and East Anglia. According to the Met Office, some patches did persist around the coasts of the Devon and Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly and South Wales. Again, cloud soon developed in many areas and there were showers from N Ireland to SW England - 20mm of rain fell at Connaught Airport in the 12 hours ending at 1800GMT due mainly to a thunderstorm. Thunder also broke out in SW England in the afternoon. (Castlederg 24.5C, Braemar 2.7C, Plymouth 4.4mm, Valley 15.3h.)
On the 2nd the rain across N Scotland slowly became confined to the Northern Isles, but further frontal systems encroached into S and W parts of the British Isles. Lerwick reported thunder mixed with the rain during the morning. The former frontal system led to a cloudy and mild night in the Channel islands; at Jersey Airport the minimum temperature was 13.8C. Parts of SW England had a misty start to the day. Some heavy showers and isolated thunderstorms then affected SW England and S Wales during the afternoon while another area of showers and thundery activity moved through SE England and up to Yorkshire in the evening - giving torrential falls of rain. There was also some lighter frontal rain over W Ireland in the evening. (Castlederg 24.2C, Katesbridge 3.0C, North Wyke 17.6mm, Tiree 12.7h.)
The 3rd dawned following widespread rain across England. Many parts of Oxfordshire and Berkshire were hit by flash flooding as heavy rain continued to fall here during the day - part of a line of heavy rain that affected areas from E Scotland to Cent S England. Flash flooding was also reported near Swindon. After some early rain overnight much of Ireland remained dry during the day, and Wales was also fairly dry. Rain affected E Scotland with only slight falls in W areas. Across England the rain gradually moved E, continuing to affected E England in the evening. (Helens Bay 21.7C, Castlederg 6.5C, Benson 47.4mm, Dublin Airport 14.4h.)
The rain cleared most of E britain by mid-morning on the 4th although it did linger across the Northern Isles - where it turned foggy also. Some thunder was reported from Orkney. Another system brought frontal rain across Ireland during the morning and this rain then spread to W Scotland, SW England and Wales by early evening. A low centre developed along the front off SW Wales in the evening and it turned windy in SW England in the evening. Between the morning and afternoon rain areas many places in Cent England had a sunny daym while 17mm of rain fell at Johnstone Castle in the 12 hours to 1800GMT. (Kinlochewe 22.4C, Tyndrum -0.3C, St Angelo 16.4mm, Stornoway 14.4h.)
Frontal cloud continued to linger close to E Britain throughout the 5th while over W and Cent parts of the British Isles another area of frontal rain slowly diminished. There were some fog patches over parts of E England around dawn. Some heavy rain affected places from SW England to NE Ireland during the day, with some thunder over Wales in the afternoon. The Met Office also reported thundery showers in parts of S Scotland and N England, while as the front to the E advanced back towards E Britain some light rain fell in East Anglia in the evening. Although W and Cent Ireland had a mainly dry day, there were some thundery showers in the later afternoon. (London 23.0C, Altnaharra 1.7C, Milford Haven 21.8mm, Kirkwall 15.0h.)
During the 6th frontal cloud and rain continued to affect E Britain - with the rain affecting East Anglia and the London area in the evening in particular. W and Cent areas remained largely dry - apart from some showers in places. Ireland saw many of these showers with Casement Aerodrome reporting thunder in the late afternoon. Winds became lighter during the day as the pressure gradient weakened. (Lee-on-Solent 21.6C, Katesbridge 2.1C, Cottesmore 24.0mm, St Athan 14.7h.)
A weak ridge of high pressure menat mainly light winds on the 7th. The frontal rain in the E gradually faded, taking longest to clear SE England. Further W showers developed as the day wore on, particularly over Ireland and SW England. Most other areas of Britain had sunny intervals while in the later afernoon and evening frontal cloud and rain spread E across Ireland to give mainly slight falls. (Kinlochewe 22.6C, Sennybridge 2.6C, Wattisham 10.8mm, Camborne 14.9h.)
High pressure continued to give mainly dry and bright weather on the 8th in E Britain. There was some fog and drizzle overnight around East Anglia but this cleared during the morning - although it remained hazy in places here. Scotland and Ireland had some rain and cloud overnight and into the morning but the cloud thinned as the parent front moved S and dissipated. Across Ireland it remained rather cloud with some light rain, and with fog forming in the evening under a forming high pressure centre (1028mb in SW Ireland by 2400GMT). (Lee-on-Solent 26.9C, Sennybridge 3.9C, Lusa 4.8mm, North Wyke 16.0h.)
High pressure dominated the S on the 9th while low pressure brough cloud and rain over Scotland. Cloud and rain spilled across Scotland and N Ireland during the morning and tended to be persistent in the W. There were breaks in the cloud later in the E, while it turned windy across N Scotland as pressure fell to the N - down to 1010mb at lerwick by the evening. Over Ireland there was broken cloud during the day, with rain and drizzle in the N. The cloud from Scotland spread into N England later in the day, but generally conditions were dry across most of England throughout the day - and it was very warm in the S. (London 27.1C, Aboyne 3.5C, Lusa 4.0mm, Woodford 15.2h.)
Despite high pressure across the British Isles on the 10th, trailking fronts brought some light precipitation to places. N Scotland had some showers overnight before the winds eased a little there and pressure started to rise, while N Scotland had a cloudy start to the day. N Britain then remained rather cloudy with a N'ly airflow becoming established across Scotland - this flow brought some showers down across Scotland. Further S it was warm and sunny once some early fog had cleared SW England. During the evening some frontal rain and drizzle affected parts of Ireland. (Lee-on-Solent 25.1C, Loch Glascarnoch 8.5C, Loch Glascarnoch 7.2mm, Camborne 14.6h.)
Cold fronts pushed S across the British Isles on the 11th and the N'ly airflow pushed S'wards. Rain and drizzle soon started to affect N Ireland and this precipitation pushed S and E, but not reaching SE England until the evening. Rain and showers across N Scotland overnight spread S during the morning, reaching NE England by the evening. Ahead of the rain, E and S England had a bright and sunny day; elsewhere sunshine amounts were more variable with very little sunshine across Ireland and parts of Wales. (Lee-on-Solent 22.0C, Kinbrace 6.1C, Pembrey Sands 8.8mm, Guernsey Airport 13.7h.)
A N'ly airflow persisted throughout the 12th. Rain was heavy at times across parts of S England before it cleared to the S by dawn. During the day the N'ly wind brought a mixture of showers and sunny periods - these wre haevy over parts of Cent S England and included hail and thunder in places there. Across Scotland there were few showers during the day, although it was generally cloudy except in the SW, but in the evening a cold front pushed rapidly S across Scotland to gives spells of rain and showers; elsewhere as temperatures fell the showers tended to die out. (Hurn 18.4C, Port Ellen 4.1C, Wisley 15.4mm, Guernsey Airport 12.6h.)
Overnight into the 13th precipitation was mainly confined to Scotland and Ireland, although falls were mainly slight. A few places in the NW Midlands, Wales and N Ireland had a touch of ground frost. During the day showers were mainly confined to Scotland, although a trough gave a band of heavy showers around midday between Lancashire and Norfolk; the Met Office reported thunder in Norfolk in the afternoon. In between the showers therev were sunny spells, with some coastal sites reporting over 10h of sunshine during the day. Once again, the shwoers tended to die down in the evening. (Lee-on-Solent 18.7C, Sennybridge 1.7C, Kinbrace 6.6mm, Camborne 13.0h.)
A ground frost occurred in some shelted parts of N Wales, N England and Scotland on the 14th, while parts of N Scotland had some rain by dawn. During the day it tended to stay cloudy across NE Scotland and in parts of SW England - the former areas was also affected by spells of rain or showers. Showers turned thundery later over NE England - however, much of the British Isles had a mainly dry day with sunny spells, but with a continuing N/NW'ly surface flow. (Heathrow 19.7C, Tulloch Bridge 0.0C, Fyvie Castle 9.0mm, Prestwick 14.0h.)
There were overnight showers into the 15th in parts of NE Scotland and W Ireland, with mainly dry conditions elsewhere. It was also a rather cool start to the day for the time of year. During the day, showers were mainly light and scattered over parts of E Britain and in parts of SW England and Ireland. There was some thundery activity over East Anglia in the afternoon and funnel clouds were seen on Humberside around midday. Areas away from the E coast tended to have the best of the sunshine by day - although across Ireland the day was rather cloudy. (Great Malvern 18.8C, Shap 0.2C, Fyvie Castle 3.8mm, Prestwick 12.5h.)
The 16th dawned after another cold night across N Britain and Wales, where ground frost again occurred in sheltered areas. Cloud soon developed across Scotland and N Ireland ahead of a frontal system that brought rain to N and W areas of Scotland and to N and N£W Ireland during the day. Elsewhere, high pressure continued to dominate, although some scattered showers fell across parts of E England; the Met Office noted some thunder in the SE corner of England later. (Heathrow 20.1C, Sennybridge -0.5C, Kinlochewe 6.2mm, Guernsey Airport 14.9h.)
Although cloud meant that the 17th began relatively mild across Scotland, it was a cool night across N and Cent parts of England and in Wales. Rain and showers affected much of Scotland during the day, with rain over N Ireland widespread showers later across Ireland generally. Precipitation also fell over Wales and W areas of England as the fronts moved across here - while the best of the sunshine was to be found in SE England and the Channel Islands as frontal cloud affected most other areas. The Met Office reported some thunder across N Ireland in the afternoon. (London 22.1C, Sennybridge 1.7C, Lusa 18.2mm, Guernsey Airport 15.2h.)
Low pressure remained close to NW Britain throughout the 18th, resulting in a generally unsettled and breezy day across the British Isles. MSL pressure fell to around 992mb by 2400GMT over the Western Isles. An area of persistent rain affected much of Wales and Cent and W England in the morning and this pushed N to S Scotland in the afternoon. A wave developed on the front in the evening (995mb over Cumbria by 2400GMT) and this then drove frontal raain SE to SE England by midnight. After some early rain it turned brighter over N Scotland during the day. (Boulmer 19.9C, Altnaharra 5.5C, Capel Curig 85.6mm, Belmullet 9.7h.)
With low pressure close to N Scotland on the 19th (MSL pressure fell to 990.9mb at Baltasound by 1800GMT) it was a rather cloudy day here. Rain cleared SE England by around 0600GMT and cloud cleared rapidly after the rain here. Showers continued through the day in W and N areas of Scotland, across Ireland and in some W-facing areas of England and Wales. Although the wind slowly eased during the day, it was a gusty day in most areas, giving the day a cool 'feel'. (Heathrow 21.6C, Loch Glascarnoch 1.7C, St Bees Head 27.4mm, Filton 14.1h.)
The 20th saw the British Isles sandwiched between rain-bearing systems to the N and S. Scotland had rain and showers overnight with some early thunder, with more persistent falls in the N. The showers continued during the day, also affecting parts of N Ireland and N England later. Rain fell over the Channel Islands during the morning and then spread N into SW England and later SE England and SW Ireland. Remaining areas of England, Wales and Ireland had a largely dry day with some warm, sunny spells. (Marham 20.4C, Katesbridge 3.0C, Baltasound 17.8mm, Valley 14.5h.)
The 21st saw the rain in S England making progress N, with an accompanying low centre becoming established near Belmullet (991mb) by 2400GMT. Cloud broke overnight across Scotland to give some sunshine here at first in places, but further S the day dawned rather cloudy - with rain already falling across the Midlands and Cent parts of Wales and Ireland. Parts of S Ireland had a wet day; 47.0mm of rain fell at Johnstown Castle in the 12 hours ending 1800GMT and it was a mainly dull day across Ireland. Rain spread N during the morning, with heavy falls over N Ireland and parts of N England in the afternoon. By the evening the rain had reached S Scotland - with cloudy and damp conditions continuing further S. According to the Met Office there were thunderstorms over parts of Wales and Northern Ireland and the heavy rain in Ireland was also thundery. (Shannon Airport 21.2C, Braemar -0.6C, Dundrennan 33.8mm, Kinloss 9.2h.)
The low centre moved NE across Scotland during the 22nd, giving some unusually strong winds on the southern flank. The Met Office reported 63mph at Blackpool and 61mph at Shawbury while 58mph at Casement Aerodrome was the highest speed in June since 1980. Across Ireland rain gradually gave way to showers; across the UK rain had largely cleared Wales and all but the N of England by midday - and by midnight many parts of Scotland were dry. As the rain pushed N it was followed by showers in places although these did die down in the evening. SE England remained manily dry after overnight rain had cleared. (Shoeburyness 22.5C, Fair Isle 9.5C maximum, Emley Moor 6.6C, Keswick 49.4mm, Camborne 13.6h.)
The cloud and rain across Scotland soon gave way to showers during the morning of the 23rd and most places across the British Isles then had a settled day - as pressure rose to about 1020mb generally. Showers continued throughout the day across Ireland and Scotland and in the evening from frontal rain affected SW Ireland. (London 22.5C, Katesbridge 3.7C, Redesdale Camp 7.4mm, Manston 14.1h.)
Overnight rain over W Ireland into the 24th was the forerunner of another low pressure system and frontal bands that gradually extended E and N to affect the W half of the British Isles. Clear skies ahead of the cloud led to an air or ground frost in many sheltered parts of Cent and N Scotland before sunrise. The frontal bands gave rain in the W, which by midnight was also affecting NE England and the Midlands. Falls were mainly light, but 9mm of rain fell at Valentia in the 12 hours to 1800GMT; E England remained dry. (Northolt 23.5C, Tulloch Bridge -2.3C, Lough Fea 6.6mm, Manston 12.4h.)
Frontal bands pushed E across all areas during the morning of the 25th, although precipitation was slight or non-existent from the Midlands southwards. During the remainder of the day Scotland, N England and N Ireland in particular, were affected by further spells of rain or showers; some of the rain was heavy in places. S areas had a mainly sunny or bright day. (Heathrow 22.9C, Baltasound 2.6C, Cassley 18.0mm, Camborne 11.5h.)
The 26th saw a continuation of the unsettled weather although overnight rain was mainly confined to NW/N areas of Scotland. During the morning further outbreaks of rain spread across N Ireland to NE England and E Scotland; this rain became widespread as it spread S across much of England; by 2400GMT there were two shallow low centres of 1003mb near Stornoway and 1006mb just E of Humberside. This latter centre led to increasing wind speeds over S England and S Wales - with mean speeds of 36kn at Mumbles at 1800GMT and 28kn at Sheerness at 2400GMT. Heavy rain in the evening led to some flooding in NE Wales, with fire engines called to properties in Denbighshire and Flintshire to help pump out water from several homes and businesses. There were reports of thunder during the afternoon and evening from E Ireland and S Scotland. (Gravesend 22.6C, Aboyne 5.3C, Capel Curig 66.4mm, East Malling 13.8h.)
A series of fronts pushed E across many areas of the British Isles on the 27th. This resulted in spells of rain in most areas at times during the day - although parts of NE Scotland did remain dry - with the rain tending to be light in SE England and there were sunny intervals in S areas between the falls. There was a spell of blustery gusts around coastal areas of S Wales and SW England which eased during the evening. These coastal areas also has some mist/fog, despite the wind speeds, in the evening. (Shoeburyness 21.6C, Aboyne 5.1C, Liscombe 17.6mm, Norwich Airport 8.2h.)
Fronts clearing towards the N of Scotland and E England gave some light rain and drizzle in N and E parts of Britain overnight into the 28th. Mist, fog and low cloud continued to affect SW Britain overnight although the visibility steadily improved during the day. A few showers fell during the day across parts of Scotland and N England while a nearby front made for a rather dull day over Ireland. The best of the sunshine tended to be over SE England - where it was also a warm day. (Manston 24.1C, Fair Isle 8.3C, Tyndrum 10.4mm, Manston 11.2h.)
Overnight rain into the 29th was mainly confined to NW Scotland although there were lesser falls in parts of England and Wales. While rain and showers affacted parts of Scotland during the day, an area of heavy rain crossed Wales and the N Midlands towards the E coast during the late morning and afternoon. However most other areas had a dry and bright day. (Gravesend 22.4C, Lough Fea 8.4C, Kinlochewe 22.4mm, Belmullet 12.7h.)
The month ended on the 30th with generally dry and bright conditions across most of the UK - under the influence of a weak ridge across SE Britain. Ireland and W Scotland fared differently, however. Frontal cloud and rain reached SW Ireland late in the morning and then made slow progress E and N - to affect all of Ireland by midnight and giving some rain in W areas of Scotland in the evening. (London 24.1C, Tyndrum 3.5C, Tyndrum 6.4mm, Guernsey Airport 15.0h.)
During the early hours of the 2nd thundery activity over E Britain moved E as a cold front cleared the area and temperatures fell a little. Showers than affected most areas at times, and there were some locally heavy/thundery downpours - particularly over parts of NE Ireland, Wales and SW England. This shower activity gradually died out in the evening, havign disrupted play at Wimbledon for a while. (London 21.5C, Shobdon 6.7C, Hereford 22.2mm, Belmullet 13.5h.)
The early hours of the 3rd saw some thundery rain pushing from SW England into S Wales, with lightning reported on Guernsey at 0000GMT. This rain continued to move N giving some heavy in N Ireland in the afternoon, by which time another area of thundery activity was affecting areas from Hampshire to S Scotland - albeit mainly around Yorkshire and Lincolnshire at 1500GMT. Many areas saw some scaattered showers during the day, with thunder also reported from Cork, while NE Scotland reported some frontal rain which led to misty conditions on some coasts of the Northern Isles. (Gravesend 22.8C, Katesbridge 2.9C, Portglenone 28.4mm, Guernsey Airport 14.0h.)
The 4th saw an area of low pressure gradually moving NE towards S Ireland by 2400GMT, at which time the MSL pressure was 997.6mb at Valentia. The Northern Isles and parts of NE Scotland had a rather cloudy day with frontal rain and drizzle and accoampnying fog patches; elsewhere, ahead of the low it was mainly dry - although the Met Office reported a few thundery showers across Scotland and some rain in N Ireland. Rain spread into SW England in the afternoon and by midnight was affecting many areas of Ireland, Wales and the W Midlands. 17mm of rain fell at Cork Airport in the 12 hours ending 1800GMT. (Gravesend 23.6C, Katesbrudge 3.0C, Culdrose 14.2mm, Waddington 13.4h.)
A depression over SW areas dominated the weather on the 5th. Overnight rain in W England and Ireland reached E England by dawn; 21mm of rain fell at Johnstown Castle in the 12 hours ending 0600GMT with 14mm in the following 12 hours. During ther day the rain gradually spread to S Scotland - and there were reports of thunder from Norfolk to N Yorkshire and at Shannon Airport during the day as showers followed the rain. It was a windy day in most areas with gusts to 60mph in some SW areas of England. Over N Scotland there was some mist and fog early in the day along with some light rain and drizzle in the Northern Isles; At Baltasound the temperature rose to a warm 20.1C, before falling sharply in the afternoon. (Norwich Airport 23.0C, Braemar 3.4C, Okehampton 26.6mm, Kinloss 15.3h.)
The low pressure area was slow-moving on the 6th; the morning saw some heavy rain moving from Wales and SW England across S England. Thunder was reported in the NW Midlands and at Cork by midday and this thundery activity spread towards London and Lincolnshire during the afternoon and evening. Many areas were affected by heavy showers and funnel clouds were seen in Lancashire and Yorkshire. N Britain was mainly dry and cloudy althougfh rain did affect S Scotland. 25mm of rain fell in the 12 hours ending 0600GMT at Dublin Airport. (Weybourne 21.3C, Dalwhinnie 7.3C, Sennybridge 31.5mm, Valley 10.4h.)
The complex low pressure area continued to persist over the British Isles on the 7th, giving unsettled weather everywhere. Rainfall and showers were widespread - with thunderstorms reported late morning at Belmullet and in the afternoon from London to Lincolnshire. These storms were accompanied by rainfall totals exceeding 10mm per hour in parts of East Anglia. It was a generally cloudy day everywhere - although over Ireland rainfall amounts were mainly slight. During the evening the showers tended to become lighter. (Heathrow 20.7C, Dalwhinnie 8.1C, East Malling 27.0mm, Prestwick 4.7h.)
Rain and showers continued in places into the 8th - with some heavy rain and mist patches in parts of NE Scotland. Showers then continued throughout the day - these were scxattered and heavy in places, with some thunder in parts of S Scotland and NE England. Under a weak and short-lived col many places escaped the showers during the day, but a further depression pushed NE towards S Ireland in the afternoon and there was rain across S Ireland and SW England in the evening. (Glasgow 20.3C, Tyndrum 3.4C, Fyvie Castle 21.0mm, Stornoway 12.2h.)
By dawn on the 9th the rain in the SW had spread across much of Cent and S Wales and towards the S Midlands. During the day there were heavy falls in places across England, Wales and Ireland with accompanying misty conditions - although much of Scotland and parts of N England remained largely dry with W Scotland generally having the greatest sunshine duration. The Met Office reported a fall of 72.4mm in 24 hours to 2100 at Llety Brongu in S Wales. E Scotland had a rather cloudy day and, by 2400GMT, the low was centred over N Ireland at 997mb. During the afternoon and evening the rain tended to ease off over S Ireland and Wales. (Threave 21.7C, Katesbridge 6.6C, Liscombe 57.4mm, Stornoway 11.6h.)
During the 10th the rain spread into S and E Scotland whereupon it became slow-moving as a wave depression formed along the rain-bearing front. N England and SW and Cent parts of Ireland also had a wet day with some heavy falls in parts of S Scotland and NW England. Parts of SW Scotland had a bright day, as did SE Ireland and much of S and E England, and it turned drier across Ireland later in the day as the frontal system pushed S'wards here. (Gravesend 22.2C, Loch Glascarnoch 8.6C, Eskdalemuir 47.6mm, Cork Airport 10.3h.)
The 11th saw the rain-bearing front pushing N into E Scotland, while moving SE across Ireland and later E over S England. As a result it gradually turned drier from the NW (although it remained rather cloudy), and many areas of Ireland and S England had little rain during the day. E Scotland had some heavy rain during the day and thunderstorms were reported over East Anglia in the later afternoon. There were some heavy showers across some Cent areas of England. (Gravesend 22.1C, Dalwhinnie 7.4C, Waddington 32.6mm, Manston 10.7h.)
During the early hours of the 12th some rain affected E Scotland and E England and there were a few showers across parts of Ireland and other areas of the UK. Rain continued to fall in E Scotland for much of the day, and rain also spread S into parts of NE and E England. Showers continued to fall across Ireland but many places had a dry day. (Gravesend 18.9C, Salsburgh 6.6C, Lerwick 16.6mm, Tiree 13.1h.)
The 13th dawned after a cool night under a weak ridge of high pressure, with a ground frost in some sheltered places. According to the Met Office at Wattisham in Suffolk the minimum temperature of 5.4C made it the coldest July night here since 1993. A sunny day then followed in E areas. By dawn, however, some rain had fallen in W Ireland as a frontal system pushed gradually E - this E'ward movement continued throughout the day and by 2400GMT the rain had reached Shetland, W Scotland and parts of E Ireland - with cloud affecting places further to the E. (Great malvern 21.4C, Katesbridge 0.8C, Baltasound 2.8mm, Dublin Airport 12.3h.)
As the rain pushed E into the 14th it introduced a cloudy warm sector. In E and SE areas of England, ahead of the decaying fronts, it remained generally sunny while in the warm sector there was some light precipitation, extensive cloud and relatively little sunshine. (Dyce 25.2C, Topcliffe 7.3C, Lerwick 6.0mm, Manston 14.0h.)
During the morning of the 15th a cold front pushed SW across Scotland, much of Ireland and into N England, introducing fresher conditions. It continued this movement in the afternoon and evening, lying along the S coast of England by midnight. Ahead of the front it was a warm day with some mist and fog around the English Channel. (Coningsby 26.4C, Lerwick 10.3C, Lusa 18.4mm, Valley 9.9h.)
N Scotland had some rain into the 16th with generally clearer skies further S. W Ireland, however, also had some cloud and rain. During the day most places had patchy or broken cloud with rain moving across Ireland into S England and rain or showers affecting Scotland. There was also some further rain across W Ireland in the evening. (Thorney Island 23.2C, Braemar 8.7C, Loch Glascarnoch 8.6mm, North Wyke 8.8h.)
During the morning of the 17th rain spread from Ireland across Wales and into the Midlands< S Scotland and N England. By 1200GMT a low centre, 1007mb, was located over Fife - having developed along a front. N Scotland and S England had a mainly dry morning. Further rain fell later from N Ireland to Cent England - with dsome heavy falls in N England. SE England had some light rain while SW England remained largely dry. In the evening most places became dry, although Ireland continued to report rin and drizzle and there was some further rain over parts of N Scotland. (Thorney Island 20.4C, Kinbrace 6.9C, Spadeadam 17.2mm, Guernsey Airport 8.0h.)
With fronts persisting across N England and close to W Ireland, the 18th began with rather cloudy skies. Rain fell across Scotland, Ireland and N England. These generally cloudy conditions persisted during the day with rain and drizzle continuing across much of Ireland. Rain and showers also affected Scotland and N England with showers over Wales and S England. By midnight a complex centre of low pressure was centred at 995mb over Orkney. (Norwich Airport 21.3C, Baltasound 5.8C, Portglenone 12.8mm, Cork Airport 6.5h.)
Low pressure close to N Scotland throughout the 19th gradually drew a NW'ly surface flow across the British Isles. Overnight and into thew morning most places saw some precipitation, and a cold front swept rapidly SE across England introducing a cooler airmass. Showers followed the front - especially across Scotland and Ireland. The Met Office reported some thunderstorms close to E England. The showers started to die out later in the afternoon but it was a gusty day - particularly across N and E Scotland; in these areas the rain was a little more persistent and in some places in E Scotland the rain did not ease off until the afternoon. (Manston 22.6C, Loch Glascarnoch 8.6C, Baltasound 30.0mm, Camborne 12.3h.)
A weak ridge formed over the British Isles on the 20th (MSL pressure 1028mb at Valentia at 2400GMT) and most places had a dry day in a continuing NW'ly breeze. Showers were mainly confined to N Ireland and E parts of Scotland - with some more general rain aross N Scotland due to a nearby front. This rain persisted into the evening in parts of the Northern Isles. (Lee-on-Solent 20.7C, Spadeadam 4.6C, Kinlochewe 10.2mm, Malin Head 13.9h.)
The 21st dawned under a ridge of high pressure but later in the day frontal cloud and rain spread E into W areas of Ireland and Scotland. Most places had a dry and sunny day and it was not until the evening that rain tended to fall over Ireland. Under clear skies earlier in the day a few sheltered places from S Wales to W Scotland had a slight ground frost. (Aboyne 22.2C, Katesbridge 1.4C, Marham 2.4mm, Camborne 13.8h.)
High pressure into the 22nd meant broken cloud early in the day in S and Cent England, but frontal cloud and some rain occurred further N. Ireland and W Scotland continued clouidy with rain and drizzle in places at times. Further E there was broken cloud and sunny spells during the day as the high pressure centre moved slowly NE - and the hills led to a warm foehn wind in E Scotland. The cloud and dsrizzle in W areas was also accompanied by mist and fog patches. (Aboyne 26.4C, Benson 5.7C, Lusa 3.4mm, Guernset Airport 14.8h.)
The high pressure centre moved N on the 23rd, leading to the demise of frontal bands across the British Isles. There was overnight mist and fog over Ireland and SW England. NE Scotland, SW England and Wales had a sunny day, as did some E coast areas of England. Elsewhere, although remaining generally dry, it was a cloudy day. Thunderstorms were reported at Belmullet in the late morning and early afternoon, while in SE England it was a very warm day. (London 27.8C, Okehampton 8.8C, St. Bees Head 1.4mm, Kirkwall 14.7h.)
High pressure persisted during the 24th, but over Ireland there were rain-bearing troughs and low pressure to the SW. There was widespread mist and fog early in the day in NE England, E England, East Anglia and the E Midlands. Once the fog had cleared most places had a fine, dry day - and it was warm with the Met Office reportiong 27C at Valley and Aultbea. Ireland and SW England had some rain and showers during the day, while in the evening mist reformed across NE England. (Heathrow and Jersey 28.2C, Kinbrace 7.0C, St. Angelo 4.2mm, East Malling 14.0h.)
The 25th saw thundery conditions in W Britain resulting from N'ward-moving troughs; early in the morning there was thunder across SW England and parts of Wales, while in the late afternoon and evening outbreaks occurred over Lancashire and Cumbria. The troughs gave spells of rain as they pushed N, and also affected Ireland. There was some overnight rain and drizzle in parts of N and E Scotland, with widespread mist and fog in NE England before dawn. A few showers affected SW and Cent S England during the day, while some thundery outbreaks occurred later in the day over East Anglia as a shallow low centre (1012mb) formed over Humberside by 2400GMT. For most of SE and E England, the Midlands as as far N as S Scotland it was a warm day. 5mm of rain fell in the 12 hours ending 1800GMT at Connaught Airport. (Cranwell 29.1C, Braemar 8.9C, Sennybridge 4.8mm, Kinloss 13.1h.)
With slack pressure gradients giving mainly light winds, the 26th was another warm day with many areas having sunny spells. Troughs gave some heavy outbreaks of rain in W Scotland in the early morning - and also over parts of N Scotland later in the day. There was some mist and fog around coasts of N Scotland early in the day and these persisted in places on-and-off during the day. There was also patchy fog around the Channel Islands for much of the day. (Coningsby 28.0C, Altnaharra 8.9C, Altnaharra 12.6mm, Filton 13.7h.)
Mist and fog patches from N Scotland to the Midlands gave a slight fall of drizzle in places into the 27th. Further S it started dry and then turned hot or warm - the warmth also extending into S Scotland. N Scotland saw some rain during the day, with Kinloss reporting thunder around 1500GMT. The heat also generated some thunderstorms in SE England in the late afternoon and evening. E Scotland and NE England had some coastal mist or fog during the day, while a few showers fell over Ireland. (London Weather Centre 30.9C, Sennybridge 6.3C, Tain Range 16.2mm, Valley 14.2h.)
Overnight into the 28th there was mist and fog from N Scotland to the Midlands with most places experienceing a humid night. NE Scotland had some precipitation during the morning while showers affected SW England and SW Ireland as shallow los close to NW France pushed fronts N into S areas. Most places had warm sunny spells, but E coast areas from NE Scotland to E England were affected by coastal mist and fog. From early afternoon onwards there were thundery outbreaks over Cent S England and these spread to affect the W Midlands and E Ireland - with some heavy falls of rain in places. Most other areas, however, had a dry day - apart from the rain and showers across other areas of Ireland. (London Weather Centre 30.2C, Wick 14.9C maximum, West freugh 6.8C minimum, St. Athan 19.2mm, East Malling 13.9h.)
Thunderstorms and non-thundery heavy rain in the early hours of the 29th affected places from Cent S England to N Wales - this resulted in some localised flooding. Thunder was also reported during the morning in some E areas of Scotland while another area of rain moved NW into NW Scotland. The afternoon and evening saw a succession of fronts being pushed N over Ireland and W Britain, with spells of rain and showers resulting; thunder was also reported in the afternoon in Peterhead, Aberporth and Skipton. 32mm of rain fell at Valentia in the 12 hours ending 1800GMT and much of Ireland had a damp day. Mist and fog patches continued to affect E Scotland and there were widespread warm conditions across Britain in the afternoon. (Aultbea 26.7C, Altnaharra 10.4C, Pershore College 54.0mm, Lerwick 12.8h.)
Ireland and W Britain were plagued by frontal condition on the 30th, with a low centre of 1008mb forming close to Cork by 2400GMT. As a result Ireland had a mainly cloudy day with spells of rain and showers. The Northern Isles had rain during the morning before this died out as a front moved N. It remained cloudy with spells of rain in W Britain while the E, although cloudy at times in places, was mainly dry and warm in a S'ly flow. (Coningsby 27.8C, Leuchars 8.5C, Capel Curig 24.6mm, Manston 13.8h.)
Low pressure remained close to Ireland during the 31st and pushed a sequence of fronts and troughs E across W and Cent parts of the British Isles. Away from the Northern Isles it was a rather cloudy day - remaining sunless in many areas and humid. England had a warm and humid night - minimum overnight temperatures included 20.0C at London Weather Centre and 18.2C at Carlisle, with Guernsey Airport noting 17.0C. There was some heavy rain overnight in Ireland; 33mm of rain fell in the 12 hours ending 0600GMT at Johnstone Castle with 8mm in the following 12 hours. Heavy rain later affected SW England, as rain edged E across much of W and Cent Britain, and there were reports of thunder in the afternoon and evening from East Anglia, Lincolnshire and Hampshire. The rain introduced fresher conditions, but not before most E England had had another warm day. (Holbeach 29.5C, Redesdale Camp 11.7C, Ballypatrick Forest 46.4mm, Lerwick 11.8h.)
Low pressure persisted across Scotland on the 2nd and troughs and fronts brought spells of rain to many areas of the British Isles during the day. There was some light rain in S Britain in the morning, which slowly cleared from the W. Further N showers were widespread and heavy in places, with hail reported from Carterhouse later in the morning. The showers became thundery over NE England around midday, with thunder later heard in Fife. The low pressure produced troughs that gave some heavy rain over areas of W Scotland and N Ireland. Although many of the showers tended to die out in the evening, a further area of frontal rain moved across SW England and the Channel Islands in the evening. (Sutton Bonington 24.2C, Kinbrace 6.0C, Stornoway 25.0mm, Malin Head 10.1h.)
An increasingly complex area of low pressure gave a rather cloudy day across the British Isles on the 3rd. The cloud brought showers to many areas - and there was some mist and fog in English Channel coastal areas overnight. The showers were thundery in places, particularly over parts of E Scotland, while an area of more general rain pushed E across extreme S parts of England in the morning. Another area of rain followed here in the afternoon and evening and some heavy rain fell over NE Ireland and SW Scotland in the evening. Rainfall amounts on Jersey for the 24 hours beginning 0900GMT included 71.2mm at the Airport and 65mm at Howard Davis Farm; the former total made this the wettest day on record for any month since the station opened in 1951. (Holbeach 23.2C, Tulloch Bridge 7.1C, Guernsey Airport 34mm, Ronaldsway 7.4.)
The 4th began with unsettled weather across parts of Scotland and N England; this wet weather gradually pushed E'wards away from E Britain and the day was generally much drier across the British Isles. There were some some showers during the day although skies remained largely cloudy, with only some places around Glasgow having a very sunny day. During the evening an area of frontal cloud spread across Ireland and SW Wngland with some rain in Cornwall and SW Ireland before midnight. Another area of frontal rain also affected the Northern Isles in the evening. (Manston 22.4C, Loch Glascarnoch 7.0C, Ballypatrick Forest 16.0mm, Prestwick 14.1h.)
The rain in the SW spread to affect most areas in the S half of the British Isles by midday on the 5th with 12mm of rain falling at Johnstone Castle in the 12 hours ending 0600GMT. During the afternoon the rain was slow-moving and gave S Wales a wet day. By the evening rain was falling over S and Cent Scotland, although S parts of the UK continued to have heavy rain at times into the evening. The rain was accompanied by mist and hill fog. As a result of the rain, another area of which also affected N Scotland during the morning, the day was rather cloudy - the exception to this being parts of W Scotland. (Jersey Airport 23.2C, Fair Isle 13.6C maximum, Tulloch Bridge 3.6C minimum, Pembrey Sands 36.6mm, Tiree 11.2h.)
The presence of low pressure centres and fronts on the 6th over the British Isles meant another unsettled day. Minimum temperatures were high across much of England with reading above 17C in parts of Cent S England. Rainfall during the day was heavy in places across Scotland, Ireland, Wales and N England; 48mm of rain fell in the 12 hours ending 1800GMT at Shannon Airport. During the evening an area of heavy rain and thunderstorms affected areas from Sussex to Norfolk. Casement Aerodrome and Shannon also reported thunder at times in the late morning and afternoon. Away from this rain parts of NW Scotland and Cent S England had a largely dry day - it was warm in SE England and there were long sunny spells on Shetland. (London 27.3C, Dalwhinnie 8.4C, Strathallan 41.6mm, Lerwick 13.2h.)
Thunderstorms across East Anglia died out during the early hours of the 7th. Heavy rain continued to fall in places from Aberdeen to Ayr with flooding reported. There were reports of flooding problems at Edinburgh train station and many trains running through here being cancelled or suffering delays. There was also a problem with a dam in Ayrshire that had been damaged and the reservoir was being pumped. Around 10 houses near the Figgate Burn River were flooded when it burst its banks. Firefighters were using portable pumps to extract floodwater out of the houses. This rain slowly died out to the SE during the day but in the afternoon more thundery activity was set off over Lincolnshire and East Anglia. The Met Office reported a funnel cloud near Leeming area and a tornado around Abergaveny in south Wales in the afternoon. Elsewhere, there were showers across many parts of England and Wales, some locally heavy. The thundery activity later spread to the Midlands and torrential downpours led to muddy flood waters inundating homes and roads in parts of Cambridgeshire and Norfolk. The local fire services were called out to flooding incidents in Yarmouth, Bradwell, Mulbarton, Thetford and Fakenham. Across Ireland rainfall amounts were mainly slight, away from the N. N Scotland had a sunny day and there were sunny spells in some S areas of England; most places, however, had a rather cloudy day. (London 25.2C, Salsburgh 12.7C, Altnaharra 5.7C minimum, Edinburgh Gogarbank 35.6mm, Lerwick 12.3h.)
The thunder in E England died out in the early hours of the 8th and a weak ridge of high pressure developed across the British Isles during the day. There were some showers in the Midlands and later SE England in the morning and a few showers affected places close to the E coast of Britain during the day; most places, however, had a dry day with some sunny intervals, expecially across Ireland. During the evening the next area of frontal cloud spread across W Ireland in the evening, with rain in SW Ireland by midnight. (Hurn 22.2C, Kinbrace 3.1C, Marham 21.6mm, Dyce 9.4h.)
Low pressure to the W on the 9th pushed a succession of fronts and rainbands across the British Isles; by dawn there was rain in Cornwall and W Scotland and across much of Ireland. This was heavy in places with 24mm falling at Valentia in the 12 hours ending 0600GMT. Pulses of heavy rain affected many areas during the day as one low centre spread to Peterhead by midnight, centred at 991mb. 51mm of rain fell in the 12 hours to 1800GMT at Dublin Airport, with 20mm in the following 12 hours. The low pressure also resulted in windy conditions around some W and S coasts, while the cloud made for another dull day except in the extreme SE corner of England. In between the areas of more general rain there were showery interludes, and these were thundery over the Isle of Man and E Ireland in the afternoon and evening. (Killowen 24.3C, Tulloch Bridge 3.9C, Capel Curig 59.0mm, Manston 5.0h.)
Areas of low pressure persisted across N Scotland during the 10th and these led to some heavy rain across S and E Scotland during the early hours. This heavy rain cleared later in the morning and most places then had a showery day day in SW'ly airstream. The showers were thundery over Fife before dawn. It was a dull day over the Northern Isles under cloud from the low pressure but most other places had sunny intervals in between the showers, with the best of the sunshine in Kent. (Coningsby 22.7C, Altnaharra 7.2C, Rosehearty 30.4mm, Manston 11.2h.)
Areas of low pressure continued to affect the British Isles on the 11th with two centres close to Ireland by 2400GMT and one near Jersey at that time. Overnight showers were mainly confined to N and w areas but as frontal cloud spread E over England rain and showers spread to most areas with some heavy falls over Wales and Ireland. In E England the showers were mainly light - but, again, most places saw little sunshine. In the evening, as a front spread E across Ireland there was some heavy rain here - and also in Cornwall, SW Wales and the Channel Islands. A clear up operation in Fife was continuing after a weekend of torrential rain. Every firefighter in the area was called out to deal with incidents as many residents were forced to leave their homes and roads were closed. (Holbeach 21.4C, Wick Airport 8.0C, Lough Fea 26.2mm, Dyce 5.9h.)
A complex area of low pressure continued to affect the British Isles on the 12th; overnight several places in Ireland had falls in excess of 20mm in 12 hours and this wet weather continued during the day. The Met Office reported that during the morning a band of heavy rain moved northwards from Wales, the Midlands and S England, into N England and S Scotland, before becoming slow-moving over S and Cent Scotland in the afternoon and evening. Further S there were frequent blustery showers, although little precipitation fell over N Ireland. Showers turned thundery over the Channel Islands before dawn and this activity then spread into Cent S England, and later to East Anglia, Lincolnshire and the Midlands. At Buxton (near Norwich) 40mm of rain fell between 0900h and 1100h. (Aultbea 22.5C, Kinbrace 4.1C, Killowen 52.4mm, Stornoway 11.4h.)
During the 13th the depression centres slowly pushed NE into N Britain. Before dawn there was heavy rain in Cent and S Scotland and in parts of SW Britain; there was also rain and showery activity across much of Ireland. During the morning there were thundery outbreaks which then affected parts of Ireland, S Scotland the Midlands and Lincolnshire in the afternoon. N Scotland remained largely dry during the day - while there were heavy falls of rain over parts of E England and at Connaught Airport, where 31mm fell in the 12 hours ending 1800GMT. S England was windy in the afternoon and most S areas had some rain during the day. Parts of W Scotland and N Ireland had a sunny day, elsewhere sunny intervals were more prevalent. (Bridlington 21.1C, Sennybridge 7.6C, Okehampton 39.2mm, Stornoway 12.3h.)
A frontal band gave an area of slow-moving and, at times, heavy rain over N England and S Scotland, and over N and W Ireland during the 14th. Belmullet had 39mm of rain in the 12 hours ending 0600GMT - as the heavy rain continued to fall there was some flooding in parts of S and W Scotland. Away from the rainband falls were more showery and scattered - although there were thunderstorms in parts of Cent S England and East Anglia in the afternoon and evening. Thunder was also reported from Wales. Much of W Scotland, S parts of England and Wales, and S Ireland had a sunny day. (London 22.1C, Braemar 0.7C, Albemarle 18.4mm, Kinlochewe 12.5h.)
There was some rain and drizzle overnight into the 15th over W Scotland and parts of Ireland, while fog patches developed in S England under clear skies. Rain continued across Scotland during the day - and also across Ireland. By midnight there was a low pressure centre, 994mb, to the W of Ireland and frontal bands crossed Ireland from the W in the evening. Similar conditions affected SW England and SW Wales at the same time. Much of England, and also E Scotland, had a dry day while thunder was reported from Kinloss in the afternoon. Much of Scotland and Ireland had a cloudy day, while many parts of England had sunny spells. (Gravesend 22.5C, Altnaharra 0.5C, Kinlochewe 27.2mm, Waddington 11.8h.)
Low pressure remained centred over Ireland on the 16th and slow-moving fronts over Ireland led to a very wet day here. Parts of SW Scotland, Wales and Sw England had rain during the day, and thunder was heard in parts of E and S Ireland. E Britain remained largely dry. The rain finally cleared Northern Ireland by the end of the evening but heavy rain moved into northwest England. 12-hour rainfall totals ending 1800GMT included 50mm at Lough Fea, 62mm at Port Glenone, 55mm at Aldergrove and 44mm at Glennane. Across Ireland flooding reported from many areas, especially Belfast where the city council had to implement emergency plans and a landslide caused a train to derail. Torrential rain caused widespread flooding across Northern Ireland, with rivers bursting their banks, landslides and roads cut off. Police also said two bridges had collapsed and 37 major roads were shut down, including part of the M1 motorway. NI Water said its resources had been "overwhelmed" by the deluge. A section of the central barrier of the Westlink in west Belfast was cut with angle-grinders to allow traffic to be turned away from deep flood water. In Ireland rail services were severely disrupted following this morning's derailment of a passenger train south of Portarlington Station; the incident occurred after debris from a landslide on the line forced the engine off the track. (London 22.5C, Kinbrace 4.5C, Portglenone 73.2mm, Stornoway 9.1h.)
Another area of low pressure close to Ireland drove further rainbands across the W half of the British Isles on the 17th. During the early hours a band of heavy rain moved eastwards across central and eastern parts of England, finally clearing by late morning. Showers followed the rain although during the afternoon the next area of rain moved across Ireland - reaching Wales and SW England in the evening. Most places were rather cloudy during the day with sunny intervales during the showers. N Scotland had a mainly dry day. (Lusa 21.8C, Katesbridge 7.1C, Topcliffe 42.0mm, Lerwick 7.8h.)
An area of low pressure moved slowly E across Ireland on the 18th - centre 986mb over SW Ireland at 1200GMT. The fronts associated with this gave spells of rain to all areas - and mainly cloudy conditions as a result (except over N Scotland where the rain arrived late in the day). In between the main rain areas there were showery conditions, with some heavy thundery showers across parts of NW England during the evening. It was a windy day across S Britain. (Weybourne 22.3C, Redesdale Camp 6.1C, Ballypatrick Forest 41.0mm, Lerwick 9.7h.)
The low centre moved NE over N England during the morning of the 19th, and was followed by trailing fronts and rainbands. The day began with cloudy skies and some heavy rain across wales and NW England - this then moved E to leave most places having a showery day. These showers turned heavy in N England and S Scotland in the afternoon and persisted into the evening across S Scotland. Once again, there was widespread during the day although most places had sunny intervals. The Northern Isles, however, were fairly dry and sunny. (Glasgow 22.3C, Carterhouse 5.5C, Capel Curig 47.4mm, Lerwick 10.7h.)
Further low pressure systems affected N and S parts of the British Isles on the 20th. There was heavy rain at times across Wales, NE Ireland and parts of S and Cent Scotland. There were also some thundery showers in NW England in the evening and, apart fom on the Isle of Man and at a few places in Ireland, it was a dull day. (Heathrow 22.1C, Altnaharra 8.4C, Salsburgh 51.4mm, Ronaldsway 10.8h.)
There was heavy raininto the 21st over NW Scotland with overnight showers in many other areas. With low pressure centred over N Scotland throughout the day heavy rain continued to fall in places here - while showers fell further S as troughs and fronts moved around the country. Thunderstorms affected the Midlands in the afternoon - also affecting parts of N England; Shawbury had 28mm in the 12 hours ending 1800GMT. Hundreds of shops and businesses across Dundee were clearing up after some of the worst flooding experienced in the city. Parts of the city were left under 1.25m of water after heavy downpours fell during the afternoon. Sewerage and drainage systems were unable to cope, allowing floods to ravage much of the city centre. Shops were inundated with water forcing officials to close the city centre during the rush hour. (Sutton Bonington 23.2C, Kirkwall 6.8C, Lossiemouth 47.8mm, Wittering 7.3h.)
The 22nd saw the rain becoming confined to E areas of Britain as the fronts pushed E during the day. There was some heavy overnight in NE Scotland and some heavy shwoers in S England - 21mm fell at St Catherines Point in the 12 hours ending 0600GMT. During the day the rain was largely confined to NE England with varying amounts and sunshine, and mainly conditions, elsewhere. (Lee-on-Solent 22.5C, Katesbridge 3.6C, Edinburgh Gogarbank 21.6mm, Tiree 11.0h.)
Precipitation during the 23rd was mainly confined to Ireland, Wales and W parts of Britain as fronts crossed the British Isles from the W. Ireland consequently had a dull day while E Britain tended to have the best of the sunshine. According to the Met Office a dust devil was reported from North Weald Airport in around midday, causing a few problems around a market staged there. During the late afternoon and evening the rain continued to push E, reaching parts of E England by midnight. 11mm of rain fell at Belmullet during 0600-1800GMT with another 3mm in the next 12 hours. (Gravesend 22.1C, Tyndrum 1.5C, Killowen 11.8mm, Kirkwall 9.6h.)
Fronts drove the rain E during the morning of the 24th; then, after a drier interlude, further frontal rain crossed Ireland and W Scotland in the evening. The earlier rain was followed by showers and sunny periods - although some parts of S England had a rather dull day. (Gravesend 23.1C, Lough Fea 10.5C, St Bees Head 22.2mm, Dublin Airport 10.4h.)
A warm front, occluding across Scotland, moved E across Britain during the morning of the 25th, followed soon by a cold front across S Scotland and NW Ireland. This meant a spell of rain for most places during the morning - with heavy falls over some weastern hills but with only small rainfall totals across many Cent and S areas of England. Low cloud and drizzle persisted here - and it was a rather cloudy day under the warm sector. As the cold front cleared from the NW skies brightened here and by midnight the cold front lay across N England and Cent Ireland - with rain falling in these areas. (Sutton Bonington 24.9C, Topcliffe 8.8C, Lusa 26.8mm, Tiree 6.3h.)
The frontal band across Cent Ireland and N England stalled on the 26th, turned N and developed a wave which moved E towards SW Scotland. This led to a cloudy day across much of Scotland and in the warm sector to the S of the front. Along the front there was some heavy rain - especially later as the wave arrived. The exception to the widespread dullness was the Northern Isles. (Weybourne 22.4C, Aboyne 2.4C, Kinlochewe 9.4mm, Lerwick 11.1h.)
The 27th saw a continuation of the dull conditions - with more cloud also across the Northern Isles. The slow-moving front over the Scottish border meandered during the day but only produced small amounts of rain and drizzle, while a trough brought some heavier rain to NW Scotland during the early hours. MSL pressure over the Channel Islands reached almost 1025mb towards the end of the day. (Manston 21.7C, Kirkwall 9.5C, Cassley 14.4mm, Lerwick 6.8h.)
During the 28th the influence of the high pressure moved slightly N - as did the front. The heaviest rain confined to N Scotland with only small amounts of rain or drizzle during the day elsewhere. Most W and S areas remained cloudy, although S and E parts of Ireland had soime sunny spells. Over the hills cloud persisted and gave mist and fog patches. (Coningsby 23.9C, Baltasound 7.4C, Kirkwall 13.0mm, Leuchars 9.3h.)
High pressure took control of the weather on the 29th; away from NW Scotland it was a mainly warm night with Shoeburyness reporting an overnight minimum temperature of 17.4C. There was a little overnight rain - and this fell mostly in N and W Scotland. Despite the hight pressure cloud cover during the day was rather extensive (and sunshine amounts small except in E Scotland) but precipitation amounts were low and mostly confined to the Northern Isles. (Charterhall 23.9C, Aboyne 6.5C, Tiree 4.6mm, Leuchars 7.9h.)
High pressure continued to dominate the weather on the 30th - bright skies in SE England gradually pushed N during the day. There was some rain overnight in W parts of Ireland and Scotland - and it remained rather cloudy here as frontal cloud approached from the W. In fact, most of Ireland, Scotland and N England had a cloudy day, while mist and haze were widely reported in the evening in S England. (London 26.9C, Lerwick 14.6C maximum, Tain Range 12.0C minimum,South Uist 10.8mm, Manston 12.1h.)
Mist, haze and fog was widespread by dawn on the 31st, with the fog becoming dense in E England. A cold front moved E across Ireland and W Scotland during the morning giving rain, and there were some outbreaks of heavy and thundery rain from a trough in SE England during the morning. Many places remained misty and cloudy for much of the day - until the fresher conditions behind the cold front spread E, reaching E England during the evening. There were further thundery outbreaks in SE England in the late afternoon and evening, with reports of funnel clouds to the N of London. Exceptional rainfall caused the M1 and M10 motorways to close at around 2100GMTt after fire crews were first called to deal with flooding on the roads just after 1800GMT. But the fire crews had no where to pump the water to and the Highways Agency later took over, taking the water away in vans. At Buxton (near Norwich) 26mm of rain fell between 1730h and 1750h. (Wattisham 26.2C, Larkhill 9.6C, Rothamsted 33.4mm, Belmullet 7.3h.)
A cold front cleared SE England by early afternoon on the 2nd, while low pressure to the W of the British Isles drove troughs across N and W areas during the day. The cold front gave some heavy rain over the Midlands and S England before it cleared, while there was some early ground frost under clearer skies across e Scotland before dawn. Showers fell from the troughs, and in the afternoon showers were fairly widespread with heavy falls of rain in places. Thunder was reported across E Ireland in the morning, across Shet;and in the afternoon and from Oxfordshire to Lincolnshire/Norfolk in the afternoon and evening. The Met Office noted a report of a tornado near Stornoway, and a funnel cloud reported off Aberdeen (near Peterhead), both around 1330GMT. A waterspout was reported off Portrush (Northern Ireland) and marble-sized hailstones were reported in Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire early in the evening,a tlhough the showers generally weakened in the evening. (Holbeach 19.0C, Kinbrace 0.2C, Warcop 22.0mm, Belmullet 8.4h.)
Cyclonic conditions continued to prevail during the 3rd. Low pressure overnight near W Scotland led to some heavy rain in places in parts of W Scotland, while in E Scotland skies were clearer with a ground frost in places. There were some overnight showers over England while during the day an area of rain spread Ireland, Wales, N England and parts of Scotland to give some heavy falls in places; 33mm fell at Capel Curig in the 12 hours ending 1800GMT. Some areas of N Wales and E Ireland had thunder in the afternoon, with a few showers in other areas. The best of the sunshine was to be found across S England, SW and N Scotland and W Ireland; the showers tended to die down in the evening although some thunder occurred around Manchester later in the day. (London 20.1C, Altnaharra 0.4C, Keswick 36.0mm, Lerwick 9.4h.)
During the early hours of the 4th rain fell from N Devon to NE England, with some outbreaks of locally very heavy rain which lead to flooding in places. Further S and N there were some overnight showers, but clear spells across much of Scotland led to a ground frost in some sheltered inland areas. During the day the rain moved E across S and Cent England - accompanied by some thundery outbreaks in places. There were also showers over N Britain and over Ireland, with more persistent rain over parts of N Scotland. Much of Scotland and Ireland had a sunny day in between the showers, although in the evening frontal cloud brought another area of rain across S England and some heavier into SW England and S Ireland. (Strathallan 19.6C, Braemar 1.7C, Stonyhurst 25.8mm, Belmullet 11.0h.)
Into the 5th an area of locally heavy rain moved north-eastwards across Wales and the southern half of England, with some very heavy bursts pushing into Cornwall, Devon and Pembrokeshire later. The rain was associated with a depression that pushed NE towards SW Wales, before moving on to the Midlands by midnight. Under clearer skies parts of N England and E Scotland had a ground frost while S England was cloudy with soem rain before dawn. During the day rain continued to move N and E with moderate to heavy falls in many areas S of Cent Scotland. The sunniest conditions were consequently across N Scotland with much of N and cent England remaining dull all day. There were reports of flooding in places, especially across parts of southern Wales and also in parts of southwestern England, and then during the evening isolated flooding occurred across southeast England. Up to 60mm fell in parts of southern Wales and 25mm to 40mm fell over large areas, according to the Met Office. 24-hour totals in excess of 40 mm were reported widely in the 24 hours from 0900GMT; falls in this period included 80.7 mm at Morpeth (Cockle Park) - the highest recorded there in a record that begins in 1897, the previous record being 77.9mm on 26 October 1900. Thunder was reported in Hampshire in the evening. Parts of the town centre were evacuated and a refuge centre opened as rising flood waters threatened Tenbury Wells in Worcestershire. Many roads in Worcestershire and Herefordshire were swamped by floodwater. (Pembrey Sands 19.4C, Braemar -1.7C, Liscombe 73.6mm, Tiree 12.3h.)
The centre of low pressure was slow-moving over Cent England on the 6th. There were continuing heavy falls of rain overnight across N England, with much of England, Wales and S Scotland seeing rainfall. Over Ireland the rain slowly migrated E, although all areas of the British Isles were rather cloudy overight. During the day the sunshine was most prolonged over W Ireland, W and N Scotland as the rain continued to fall across much of England - especially heavy in N England. 82.1mm of rain fell in the 24 hours from 0900GMT at Chillingham Barns, Northumberland, following 76.2mm in the previous 24 hours. The River Wansbeck burst its banks and flooded Morpeth, forcing 1,000 people to leave their homes. A few showers continued to fall across N and Cent Scotland during the day, while over Ireland the rain slowly cleared towards the E. Thunder was heard around Malvern in the afternoon. (Weybourne 19.8C, Altnaharra 2.3C, Albemarle 61.8mm, Tiree 11.3h.)
The low pressure area slowly moved E away from E England on the 7th, taking much of the rain area with it. Overnight there were some clear skies across SW Scotland and N Ireland in particular, with a slight ground frost in a few places here. Across NE England and SE Scotland the rain continued during the early hors, giving further flooding problems. Further south across England and Wales there were some outbreaks of rain in places and these also gave rise to further localised flooding problems. During the day there was little rain away from E Scotland and E England - and there were sunny spells over E Ireland and SW Scotland. The rain in the E gradually weakened, athough thunderstorms occurred over N England, the east Midlands and East Anglia in the afternoon and evening. Six fatalities were reported from the floods across the UK over the past two days. (Coningsby 20.4C, Loch Glascarnoch 4.6C, Leeming 19.8mm, Tiree 12.3h.)
The
8th dawned with a touch of air frost in parts of N Scotland but with cloudy skies and warmer conditions across S areas. Most places were dry during the day, after some overnight rain over parts of the N Midlands - there was slight rainfall during the day over parts of N Ireland, N Wales and NW England. Across N and Cent Scotland, and N parts of England and Ireland, it was a sunny day; S Britain was cloudier, with thickening cloud and some rain spreading to SW England in the evening. (Shobdon 19.5C, Tulloch Bridge 0.6C, Hawarden 2.6mm, Kinloss 9.8h.)By dawn on the 9th rain had spread across much of Ireland, Wales, and SW and Cent parts of England with 35mm falling in the 12 hours ending 0600GMT at Cork. The rain was linked to a depression that pushed N'wards, to the W of the British Isles, reaching South Uist (993mb) by 2400GMT. During the day the rain area moved N, reaching ther Northern Isles in the evening. The sunniest conditions were to be found in E Kent (to the E of the rain), across N Scotland and in SW England (where it turned brighter as the rain cleared). The rain was heavy in places with thunderstorms in parts of NW England. (Manston 22.8C, Altnaharra 5.1C, Winterbourne (Gloucestershire) 27.4mm, Manston 7.4h.)
It was generally cloudy overnight into the 10th, with rain mainly across Wales, N Ireland, N England and E areas of Scotland. Further W there were showery outbreaks, and the rain here turned more persistent during the day as further fronts were pushed across Ireland and W Scotland. As a result, the sunniest places were in E Britain (and as far W as Wales in the south) - there was little rain in E England during the day although some rain fell for a while in E Scotland. It was also warm in E Britain with a maximum temperature of 18.2C at Peterhead. The rain in the W was accompanied by falling pressure, with Belmullet reporting 982.9mb at 2400GMT as the winds increased in speed across Ireland. (Norwich Airport 21.3C, Rochdale 7.7C, Tyndrum 21.4mm,St Athan 7.1h.)
The weather was very warm into the 11th, with minimum temperatures of 17.3C at London Weather Centre and 15.9C at Linton-on-Ouse, for example. It remained warm during the day in the E, with Altnaharra reporting 20.0C in the afternoon. Rainfall was widepread overnight across much of Scotland, Wales and Ireland with falls also in parts of W England. During the morning rain spread E into E England although falls were only slight here. Across W Britain it turned showery during the morning, while across Ireland the rain was rather more prolonged in places, especially in the N. After a windy start the windspeed slolwy decreased as the low to the W of Ireland moved N and filled. (Norwich Airport 23.4C, Okehampton 10.7C, Capel Curig 20.4mm, Kinloss 7.8h.)
Much of E Scotland and E England had a dull day on the 12th, the result of a lingering frontal system that moved onshore and developed a wave depression over NE England later in the day. Overnight there were some showers in W areas, with some mist and fog in places - especially across parts of S England. The W then had sunny intervbals and some showers - which turned heavy and thundery in places, especially across Wiltshire and Hampshire where some localised flooding was reported. According to the Met Office in the hour ending 1800GMT 28.2mm of rain fell at Larkhill and 21.0mm at Boscombe Down. (Killowen 21.1C, Larkhill 5.7C, Larkhill 32.6mm, Belmullet 6.5h.)
Rain continued to fall into the early hours of the 13th across E and S areas of Scotland and in N England. Elsewhere there were breaks in the cloud and it was a cool start to the day over NW Ireland and SE England. The rain in the N weakened during the day and became mainly confined to parts of Scotland, although in the evening another area of frontal rain moved E to affect W Ireland. Most of E Ireland, England and Wales had a sunny day. (Linton-in-Ouse 20.9C, Castlederg 4.7C, Okehampton 8.2mm, Casement Aerodrome 10.2h.)
The 14th was a mainly dry day, except across Ireland and W Scotland. Here, a slow-moving frontal band gave rain overnight in W Ireland before giving falls further E during the day - these extended into SW parts of England and Wales later in the day. Cent, E and S England had widespread mist and fog patches by dawn, wlthough once these cleared much of S and Cent Scotland, England and Wales had sunny spells during the day. (Chivenor 21.3C, Shap 4.2C, Castlederg 16.2mm, Manston 10.3h.)
Frontal cloud across Cent Ireland and W Scotland on the 15th made only slow pregress E during the day; as a result there were heavy to moderate falls of rain during the day in E Ireland and W Britain - with a few showers and sunny intervals over W Ireland. Rain also fell over parts of NE Scotland but E England had a mainly dry day with sunny spells in the SE. (Lee-on-Solent 18.7C, Charlwood 6.3C, Ballypatrick Forest 32.8mm, Hurn 8.1h.)
Rain, heavy in places, continued overnight into the 16th across Cent and E Scotland, Wales and E Ireland. Elsewhere it remained mainly dry with some mist and fog forming over SW and Cent S England - where there was also a ground frost in places. The rain continued during the days across Scotland, Wales and in parts of E Ireland and N England - although falls were mainly slight in S Wales. Most of Cent and S England remained dry but cloudy, while the best of the sunny spells were to be found in W Ireland. (Plymouth 17.3C, South Farnborough 3.8C, Glasgow 34.0mm, Belmullet 8.6h.)
Rainfall into the 17th was widespread but light, and died out from most areas of Scotland and N England. It was a cool night in parts of NW Scotland and Cumbria, but in NW Scotland temperatures rose rapidly during the day. In many areas the day was a cloudy one, although some parts of NE Scotland and W Ireland were exceptions to this. A front that had given rain to parts of W Britin over recent days finally faded during the day, but not until there had been further falls over parts of Wales in particular. By the evening a weak ridge of high pressure was extending SE'wards across the British Isles. (Lee-on-Solent 19.1C, Altnaharra 4.0C, Valley 11.0mm, Valentia 10.3h.)
While high presure dominated the weather across most S areas on the 18th further frontal cloud affected Scotland during the day. Consequently N areas had a mild night with rain across NW Scotland before dawn - this then spread to affect much of N and Cent Scotland and N Ireland during the day. Elsewhere, after some early fog in places, the day was sunny and it was warm across S and Cent England. In the evening the rain pread into N England and some mist patches formed in parts of S Britain. (Liscombe 21.7C, Yeovilton 3.3C, Tiree 16.8mm, St Athan 10.3h.)
During the 19th MSL pressure rose above 1030mb across most of England and Wales, but a weak front drifted S through Scotland and into N Ireland. A few breaks in the cloud led to a ground frost in parts of S England but Scotland dawned cloudier and warmer. Falls of rain were widespread over Scotland overnght but falls diminished during the day as the front ran into the high pressure - and most places away from NW Ireland had a dry day. It was a warm day over Cent and S England and it was also sunny here - and as the rain cleared parts of N Scotland dad some sunn periods. Ireland and N England remained mainly dull, however. (Sutton Bonington 20.9C, Wisley 3.1C, Lusa 8.6mm, Shawbury 10.1h.)
High pressure during the 20th allowed the formation of early mist and fog across England and Wales overnight, and there was some ground frost in places here under clear skies. The lingerig front led to a cloudy night across N Ireland, S Scotland and N England and a warmer night here, while parts of N Scotland also had a cool start. There was some overnight rain in W Scotland and there were further falls here during the day. Most places remained dry, however, and it was a warm day everywhere with 20.7C recorded at Lossiemouth. With the exception of W, S and N areas of Scotland it was a sunny day. (Fyvie Castle 21.9C, Fair Isle 14.9C maximum, Charlwood 3.1C minimum, Lusa 7.0mm, North Wyke 11.7h.)
High pressure on the 21st meant a bright start to the day in most places, with some early mist and fog patches in England; the exception was in MW Ireland W Scotland where there was some overnight frontal cloud. This cloudy front opushed SE across most of Scotland and Ireland during the day, giving mainly light falls of rain. While N England turned cloudy later, most parts of England and Wales had a sunny day; behind the front there were sunny intervals. (Killowen 21.1C, Wisley 2.3C, Lusa 6.0mm, Yeovilton 10.9h.)
There was further light rain in SE Scotland, N Ireland and NE England overnight into the 22nd, but mainly dry conditions elsewhere. There was a cold start to the day across N and Cent Scotland, with a ground frost in places. Cent and S parts of England had some fog by dawn which soon cleared. Moderate falls of rain continued in E England during the day - elsewhere, under high pressure (1032mb across much of SW Scotland and W ireland throughout the day), it was a mainly and sunny day. (Lee-on-Solent 21.5C, Tulloch Bridge -2.1C, Waddington 6.8mm, Aldergrove 11.2h.)
Pressure remained high across the British Isles on the 23rd with the central pressure around 1033mb across NE Scotland in the afternoon. Light rain fell in parts of E and SE England; these falls faded during the day except over Kent, although both E and SE England had a rather dull day. Some inland areas od Ireland and Scotland had an overnight ground frost and away from E areas of Scotland and England it was a mainly sunny and dry day. W Scotland clouded over during the day. (Castlederg 18.5C, Braemar 11.5C maximum, Tulloch Bridge -1.6C minimum, Manston 11.2mm, Valley 11.2h.)
High pressure continued to give mainly dry conditions on the 24th, but there was extensive cloud with little sunshine across S England, N Ireland, N England and Scotland. Light rain fell in parts of SE England overnight and during the day, with some light falls further W as a weak front moved W over S England. There was some early ground frost over sheltered inland areas of Ireland and Wales where the cloud broke, with a little early mist and haze in the Midlands. (Great Malvern 19.1C, Castlederg 2.3C, Manston 4.2mm, Valentia 9.8h.)
Despite the continuing presence of high pressure on the 25th, skies tended to be rather cloudy in most places. There were some breaks in the cloud, but thicker cloud led to some light falls of rain in parts of N England and NW Scotland. There were also some early patches of mist and fog across N England and the Midlands. (Lee-on-Solent 20.3C, Shap 3.2C, Tulloch Bridge 3.8mm, Valentia 8.8h.)
By dawn on the 26th mist and fog was widespread across the British Isles. This cleared during the morning and for most areas a sunny day followed, although across Scotland and N Ireland there was thick low cloud that led to duller conditions here. In the sunshine it was generally warm, while in the evening mist re-formed, espceially across N England. Approaching frontal cloud in the evening led to some light rain in NW Scotland. (Great Malvern 20.3C, Shap 2.8C, Baltasound 4.6mm, Yeovilton 10.6h.)
Although high pressure again dominated the weather during the 27th, a cold front pushed SE across Scotland and Ireland during the day, reaching N England by midnight. Ahead of the front there was early mist and fog across many areas of England and Wales - and these areas were also affected by ground frost in sheltered areas. Across Scotland early cloud led to a relatively mild night in comparison; overnight rain in W Scotland spread SE during the day - showers and sunny intervals followed the rain, while across SE ireland and much of England and Wales it was a generally sunny day - with mist and fog returning to S and Cent areas in the evening. (London Weather Centre 21.5C, Sennybridge 0.7C, Cassley 10.4mm, Camborne 10.7h.)
The 28th dawned with a widespread ground frost, except over S Ireland and N England where frontal cloud led to a milder night with some light rain. Over S and Cent parts of England and Wales there was early mist and fog. The rain area moved slowly S during the day giving some light rain in the Midlands and SW England later; ahead of the rain it was a warm day with sunny spells across much of S and Cent England. Sunny periods prevailed to the N of the rain with some showery falls in W Scotland during the day, as a W'ly flow became established here. (Charlwood 20.1C, Lerwick 11.3C maximum, Dalwhinnie 0.0C minimum, Cassley 9.2mm, Manston 9.9h.)
Rain and showers affected N and W Scotland and NW Ireland into the 29th. Elsewhere it was mainly dry early in the day, with some mist in S England, but with a ground frost in parts of N and Cent England. During the day frontal rain and showers spread across most of Scotland, Ireland and into Wales and N England; further S there were sunny periods ahead of advancing cloud, while in N areas the showers were interspersed with some sunny intervals. There were reports of thunder mixed with the showers at Valentia before dawn and on Fair Isle at 1800GMT. (Lee-on-Solent 17.6C, Topcliffe 1.3C, Tyndrum 24.0mm, Guernsey Airport 9.1h.)
The frontal rain pushed S during the 30th and a wave developed on the front over S Scotland during the morning, then becoming slow-moving. The day dawned after a generally cloudy night that brought rainfall to many areas. During the day rain and showers were widespread, with some heavy falls over high ground in the strong winds; gales occurred along western coasts and gusts to 40kn were widespread inland across S Ireland and SW Britain. Although S areas were rather cloudy, there were some sunny intervals between the showers across Scotland and N England. (Scilly and Gravesend 15.9C, Baltasound 3.2C, Capel Curig 48.2mm, Kirkwall 4.9h.)
The N/NW'ly flow continued during the 2nd, giving a blustery and showery day, although some troughs did produce longer periods of rain as the showers merged in places. Parts of N and Cent Scotland had an overnight ground frost and most places say spells of rain - except across parts of SE England and S areas of East Anglia. N areas of mainland Scotland has sunny intervals, but there were sunny spells elsewhere. Around the coasts of N Ireland winds gusted to 55kn in places. Showers fell as hail at times over parts of N Scotland and W Ireland with Shannon and Jersey airports reporting some thunder during the day. (Lee-on-Solent 15.0C, Aboyne -1.6C, Hawarden 26.2mm, St Athan 7.9h.)
A ridge of high pressure pushed E across the British Isles on the 3rd; however, earlier there was widespread rain overnight, especially across E Scotland, N and SW England and Wales. There was an overnight ground frost in some sheltered areas of Scotland and N Ireland; then, as pressure rose the rain eased and turned showery with the showers later dying out. These showers fell as hail in Aberporth and Jersey. Later in the evening frontal clou spread into W areas of Ireland and Scotland - with some rain in the extreme W by midnight. (Great Malvern 14.4C, Spadeadam 0.9C, Capel Curig 41.6mm, Yeovilton 9.7h.)
The 4th was a rather unsettled day, although under clearer skies an air frost developed in some northern and eastern parts in the early hours. Rain in the W spread E to all areas - but it did not reach parts of SE England until the evening. Early in the day there was low pressure close to N Scotland, while a further low approached SW Ireland later in the day. Many places had a sunless day away from N Scotland and SE England. Gales affected some W and S coastal areas and during the day some of the rain was very heavy from SW Scotland to N Wales, while across the Northern Isles showers fell as snow and sleet during the day (Hawarden 16.0C, Baltasound 5.3C maximum, Topcliffe -1.9C minimum, Capel Curig 59.6mm, Stornoway 4.0h.)
Overnight into the 5th there were two areas of rain; one across N Scotland gave mainly small amounts of rain, while an area of more heavy and extensive rain affected areas from Cent Ireland and N England S'wards. In between, under clearer skies, N Ireland and Cent and S Scotland had a ground frost. The rain across N Scotland largely cleared by dawn, while in the S the rain cleared towards SE England. To the N of the rainit was a sunny day with a few showers while the S and SE of England was mainly sunless but warm. (Hurn 18.3C, Lerwick 10.1C maximum, Tyndrum -3.1C minimum. Monks Wood 39.6mm, Valentia 10.3h.)
Most of the British Isles dawned on the 6th under an area of high pressure; this led to a widespread inland ground frost except in S parts of England and Ireland. There was some light rainfall in parts of Ireland overnight and during the day this spread into W and S areas of Scotland. Away from this main area of rain it was a rather cloudy day with some outbreaks of light and patchy rain during the day. At Valentia 7mm of rain fell in the 12 hours ending 1800GMT. (Gravesend 17.9C, Kinbrace -2.7C, West Freugh 7.0mm, Durham 6.8h,)
During the 7th a depression pushed N across the British Isles, dragging fronts across most areas. With widespread cloud overnight, the night was mild while rain fell across S England, Wales. Ireland and W Scotland. The rain spread E during the day and fresh to strong Slsoutherly winds developed in some S and W areas. Showers fell in places and these were thundery in Fair Isle in the afternoon. During the evening, rain became confined to Scotland and N England (Weybourne 19.4C, Loch Glascarnoch 7.5C, West Freugh 39.4mm, Belmullet 5.6h.)
Into the 8th rain continued to fall across the N half of Scotland before clearing to the E by dawn. Further S the night was mainly dry under rising pressure - with some ground frost in sheltered parts of S England; there were also a few fog patches here by dawn. During the day it was generally dry everywhere, apart for a few scattered showers, and there were widespread sunny spells. MSL pressure rose to 1028.6mb over the Channel Islands by 2400GMT. (St James Park 17.8C, Lerwick 11.6C maximum, Katesbridge 0.3C minimum, Fyvie Castle and Aviemore 8.0mm, Camborne 9.9h.)
Most places had a dry night into the 9th, although high pressure led to widespread fog patches from the E Midlands to the Channel Islands and a ground frost in some sheltered parts from Cent Scotland S'wards. Frontal cloud spread into Ireland and W Scotland during the morning, before moving E bringing rain to most areas of Scotland, N and W Ireland by the evening. Ahead of the cloud it was a sunny day across England and Wales, while the rain spread into Wales and W England by midnight. (London 18.9C, Lerwick 11.3C maximum, Aboyne -0.7C minimum, Dundrennan 14.6mm, Norwich Airport 9.8h.)
A low pressure system to the W of Scotland drove frontal rain across Scotland and Ireland in particular for much of the 10th. Falls were heavy in many areas; the Met Office reported 52mm at Dundrennan in the 12 hours ending 1800GMT, after 26mm in the preceding 12 hours. Falls were less intense over Ne Scotland while Wales was not affected until after dawn. The widespread cloud meant a generally mild night, while during the day sunshine was mainly confined to E, Cent and SW England. Roads were closed on Friday after heavy overnight rain caused flooding in Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway. A small number of houses were also flooded near Prestwick and at Twynholm, near Kirkcudbright. The River Nith overflowed onto the Whitesands in Dumfries and the A714 had to be shut at Bargrennan due to the River Cree overflowing. (Aboyne 19.6C, East Malling 6.7C, Spadeadam 74.2mm, Yeovilton 9.1h.)
Heavy rain across S Scotland and N England moved into Wales and the Midlands overnight into the 11th, but became lighter and more intermittent. The rain was a result of a front with a small wave-development; to the S of the rain there were some early fog patches in parts of S England while a few showers fell overnight over N Scotland. The frontal rain was slow-moving during the day with further falls over Walea and Cent parts of England; to the SE of this the day was sunny and quite warm, while to the N there were a few showers with sunny periods. (Gravesend 20.5C, Charlwood 3.1C, Capel Curig 41.4mm, Norwich Airport 10.3h.)
The rain in Cent areas of England and Wales faded overnight as the front decayed during the 12th. Elsewhere, there were a few showers overnight in parts of N and NW Scotland, with a touch of ground frost in parts of Ireland and N Scotland also. Mist and fog were widespread around dawn over S parts of Britain and Ireland - to the S of the decaying front. During the morning frontal rain spread W Scotland although falls were mainly light away from the W as the fronts moved further E. Over S Britain it was warm day with sunny spells. (London 22.9C, Lerwick 10.6C maximum, Katesbridge -0.4C minimum, Glenanne 13.4mm, Waddington 9.5h.)
Overnight into the 13th rain was mainly confined to N and NW Scotland, and also to N and W areas of Ireland. Early mist and fog patches were widespread across E, Cent and S England by dawn. The cloud and rain in the NW pushed slowly SE during the day reaching N England and Wales - although falls were mainly light and the rain lesssed as the day wore on. Showers and sunny intervals followed the rain in N Scotland, while in S areas it was a rather cloudy and dull day. (Manston 21.4C, Cassley 11.7C maximum, Braemar 7.0C minimum, Aultbea 23.2mm, Lerwick 5.8h.)
Frontal cloud persisted through the 14th across much of England, Wales and Ireland. There was overnight rain in S Ireland and N parts of England and Wales, while during the day the area of rain expandeed across into S Scotland and SW England - there were some heavy falls over Cumbria, Lancashire, N Wales and E Ireland, and some slight falls later over parts of Se England. Scotland had a few showers during the day after an early ground frost in parts of E Scotland, with the best of any sunshine being across NW Ireland and Shetland. (Norwich Airport 17.3C, Dalwhinnie 9.2C maximum, Katesbridge 0.1C minimum, Capel Curig 54.8mm, Belmullet 6.8h.)
The 15thdawned cold across N Ireland, Scotlandf and N England, after a night with rainfall from Se Scotland to SW England. This area of rain slowly pushed Se during the day, weakening in intensity, to be followed by further frontal rain that affected much of Ireland, W and N Scotland by the evening. Further troughs rain SE over Scotland in the evening. As a result the day was rather cloudy, albeit it with suny spells between the rainbands across Scotland and Ireland. (Gravesend 17.6C, Salsburgh 9.7C maximum, Shap 0.7C maximum, Kinlochewe 13.6mm, Stornoway 4.9h.)
Frontal cloud and rain cleared SE England in the early hours of the 16th, although there were additional falls of rain and showers over Many areas from showers and trough-lines. Parts of N Ireland and Scotland had a ground frost in sheltered areas. The day was mainly sunny but with showers in a NW'ly airflow - which turned to gale force over NE Scotland. The showers were mainly confined to N and w areas while in the evening a warm front spread some cloud and rain into W Scotland. (Lee-on-Solent 15.2C, Dalwhinnie 8.6C maximum, Aboyne 0.1C minimum, Cassley 22.6mm, Church Fenton 8.6h.)
During the 17th a warm spread E across N Britain, but producing only light falls of rain. Many areas of England had a ground frost overnight, followed by sunny spells; there were some early fog patches in parts of Sw and Cent S England. Scotland and Ireland had rather more cloud, and there were some showers over Scotland in the afternoon - mostly in the W. In the evening some light rain developed across N England, and scattered light showers affected W Wales and SW England. (Hurn 15.8C, Carterhouse 9.6C maximum, Hurn -0.4C minimum, Lusa 5.8mm, Manston 7.8h.)
A cold front pushed E and S across much of the British Isles on the 18th; there were overnight showers in N and W areas of Britain and Ireland and a ground frost and some mist/fog in S areas of England. During the day there were sunny intervals across the British Isles, with showers over W and Cent Scotland, W Ireland and Wales; showers fell as hail over the Northern Isles. Later in the evening, a warm front nudged cloud and a little rain into W Ireland. (Manston 16.1C,Loch Glascarnoch 8.9C maximum, Hurn 2.1C minimum, Kinlochewe 23.8mm, Manston 8.1h.)
A deepening area of low pressure headed NE towards the Faeroes on the 19th, turning mainly settled conditions overnight into stormy ones in the NW later. Some showers fell overnight in W Britain and E Scotland. Rain fell over Ireland and Scotland during the day, later spreading into Wales - but even elsewhere the day was a rather cloudy one. MSL pressure fell to 978.1mb at North Rona by 2400GMT and as pressure fell the winds picked up - to 49kn at 2400GMT at North Rona, for example, with gusts to 64kn. (Gravesend 16.5C, Charlwood 3.1C, Tyndrum 35.8mm, Guernsey Airport 8.5h.)
The 20th was a generally blustery day due to low pressure to the N of Scotland. Nowhere was it a cool night to start the day, and in S Britain and S Ireland it was a mild one. Overnight rainfall was widespread across Scotland, Ireland, Wales and W England, especially over the higher ground in the W. Gusts of 50kn occurred across N Scotland for much of the day, although wind speeds did decrease slowly in the afternoon and evening. The day was generally cloudy as the main rain area transferred SE to affect Cent and S England during the afternoon - with some heavy falls in SW England in particular. Further N the day turned more showery, with hail in N Scotland and also some thunder in the N, according to the Met Office. Heavy rain overnight caused problems for commuters on many of Scotland's roads. Drivers heading into Glasgow on the M8 faced lengthy delays caused by flooding in the city centre at the Charing Cross junction. The heavy rain and gusting winds slowed traffic on the A90 Forth Road Bridge. High wind warnings were also in place for a time on the Tay and Kessock Bridges. (Coningsby 18.2C, Dalwhinnie 5.7C, Isles Of Scilly 57.2mm, Dyce 5.0h.)
Many places saw precipitation overnight into the 21st, although the heaviest of this rain, frontal in nature, cleared SE England before dawn. Elsewhere, there were showers overnight, especially in the W and N; these showers continued during the day in the brisk W'ly flow; hail fell in parts of W Ireland and N Scotland and the Met Office reported some thunder. Over 600m on the Scottish mountains falling snow accumulated on the ground. maximum temperatures consequently showed a marked north-south divide, although most areas saw sunny periods - with the longest sunny spells being over S parts of the British Isles. (Lee-on-Solent 14.1C, Aviemore 5.1C maximum, Aboyne 1.0C minimum, Stonyhurst 23.2mm, Cork Airport 9.4h.)
Showery rain fell across Ireland, Scotland and parts of Wales and N England into the 22nd, while E areas of Scotland and much of Cent and S England had a ground frost by dawn - under mainly clear skies and relatively high pressure. E Ireland, E Scotland and much of England and Wales then had a sunny day, although some showers fell in SW England, Wales and parts of N England. N Ireland and W Scotland were duller with more extensive showers, and in the afternoon and evening wind speeds increased across Ireland and Scotland as the next frontal system moved in from the W, giving some rain in W Ireland and W Scotland before midnight. by this time gusts had risen to 50kn in parts of NW Scotland. (Lee-on-Solent 15.4C, Dalwhinnie 8.4C maximum, Aboyne -1.7C minimum, Tyndrum 15.0mm, Wattisham 8.5h.)
Fronts pushed E across the British Isles during the 23rd, giving spells of rain in most areas - with the exception of some S parts of East Anglia and SE England. Rainfall amounts were also small, or non-existent in parts of NE Scotland. There was a touch of ground frost in parts of East Anglia and Cent S England, but cloud soon spread across these areas and most of the British Isles had a rather cloudy day. Rainfall was heavy across W Scotland and over high ground of NW England and N Wales during the day. It was a windy day across Ireland and Scotland and around the Irish Sea, with gusts in excess of 50kn. Showers followed the main rainfall bands, especially in the N and W of the British Isles. (Lossiemouth 17.4C, Charlwood 1.3C, Lusa 79.6mm, Guernsey Airport 3.4h.)
Rain or showers affected most areas of the British Isles overnight into the 24th. Before the rain cleared it was a mild night in the SE of Britain - elsewhere it was cooler although a brisk wind prevented much ground frost. The day was showery, particularly across Scotland and W Ireland, while in SE England the rain did not clear Kent until late morning. The showers included hail and thunder in the Northern Isles during the day - but between the showers there were sunny intervals. Across much of S Ireland, Wales and England it was a sunny and mainly dry day. Over Ireland and N Britain it was a windy day, with gusts to 70kn in parts of N Scotland. (Thorney Island 15.7C, Braemar 7.1C maximum, Braemar 1.4C minimum, Cassley 44.4mm, Dublin Airport 8.3h.)
Frontal rain affected N and W Scotland into the 25th, and by dawn the next front was giving further rain over NW Ireland. Thunder was reported on Fair Isle and Shetland before dawn. Under clearer skies over England and Wales there was a moderate ground frost in some places by dawn. But skies soon clouded over from the W as the fronts over (and to the W) of Ireland moved quickly E and only the SE corner of England saw much sunshine during the day. By midday there was a large pressure gradient across the British Isles, with readings of 977.3mb at North Rona and 1030.8mb at Jersey Airport. As a result it was a stormy day over N and W parts of the British Isles; according to the Met Office Lerwick recorded a wind gust of 93mph and North Rona a gust of 111mph. During the day there were some very heavy falls of rain over Ireland, Wales, Scotland and NW England; places in Cumbria and W Scotland reported local flooding during the day. By sunset hundreds of people taking part in a run in in the Original Mountain Marathon near Keswick were stranded by flooding and torrential rain. About 12 people were taken to hospital with hypothermia and minor injuries, Northwest Ambulance Service said. Shap Fell recorded 73.8mm of rain from around lunchtime to the early hours of Sunday, according to the Met Office. As vast amounts of rain flowed over the saturated ground, rivers across the Lake District rose to dangerous levels - notably the River Cocker, which burst its banks overnight into Sunday. (Kinloss 15.7C, Leek 10.8C maximum, Hurn -2.1C minimum, Shap 65.0mm, Manston 6.4h.)
Cold fronts cleared Ireland, Wales and England during the 26th, introducing a colder NW'ly airflow to all areas by the evening. During the night rain across Wales, N England and the N Midlands moved SE'wards with some heavy falls over high ground in Cumbria and N Wales. The SE corner of England stayed dry overnight and it was a warm night over most of Cent and S England. To the N of the rain there were widespread showers. Firefighters dealt with flooding in several areas of Wales after the heavy rain. At Felin Fach, Lampeter, they helped to help rescue 20 sheep which were stuck in flood water and several properties in Dolgellau, Merthyr and Aberystwyth were also affected by floodwater. Showers continued in the N during the day, turning to hail, sleet and snow in the Northern Isles and over the Scottish mountains during in the day; hail was also rep[orted from Valentia. The bulk of the showers fell over N and W parts of Scotland and Ireland, with E areas remaining drier. It felt cold in these showers as they were accompanied by a blustery W/NW wind. As the rain over England moved SE it weakened in intensity. Most places, apart for S and SE England saw some sunshine during the day. (Gravesend 15.3C, Dalwhinnie 5.9C maximum, Kinbrace 3.6C minimum, Trawsgoed 47.8mm, Dyce 7.4h.)
the 27th saw cold air gradually pushing down across the British Isles in a NW'ly airflow. MSL pressure rose in the W during the day, reaching 1020mb at Valentia by 2400GMT. There was a widespread ground frost in inland areas from N Scotland to Cent S England and overnight showers affected many areas of N and W Ireland, N and W Scotland and Wales. These continued during the day, also affecting SW England and parts of coastal E England - with a few also penetrating further inland. Ronaldsway reported thunder in the afternoon, and showers fell as sleet and snow over N Scotland and on high ground in Cent Scotland; Lerwick reported a slight snow cover at midnight. Hail was reported as far S as SW England. There were a few sunny intervals in NE Scotland between the showers, but widespread sunny spells elsewhere. (Lee-on-Solent 12.4C maximum, Dalwhinnie 4.5C maximum, Topcliffe -0.8C minimum, Cassley 21.8mm, Norwich Airport 8.6h.)
Precipitation overnight into the 28th was mainly confined to N and W Scotland, N and W Ireland, and Wales and SW England. In Scotland and N Ireland showers fell as snow with the Met Office reportinbg accumulations of several centimetres on higher ground. Areas of Cent and E Scotland and some inland areas of England as far S as Hampshire had an overnight air frost. During the day wintry weather continued across N Scotland with precipitation also across W Ireland, Wales and SW England. Showers and an area of more general rain moved SE from N Wales across the Midlands to SE England, turning to snow as the temperature fell and giving lying depths of 1-3cm in the Birmingham area, 4cm in Bracknell and as much as 7cm at Whipsnade. Snow also fell in Cent London reported flakes of snow during the evening. In the Wokingham-Maidenhead area this was the first October snowfall since 1941. Two League One football matches, at Northampton and Walsall, were postponed owing to heavy snow and another at Wycombe was abandoned at half-time. Heavy snow affected driving conditions in the Highlands. Caithness, Inverness, Nairn and Aviemore were hit by significant flurries. (Lee-on-Solent 11.1C, Dalwhinnie 0.9C maximum, Benson -4.1C minimum, Hawarden 31.0mm, Manston 8.0h.)
During the early hours of the 29th there was some snow around Hampshire and Wiltshire, but the main area of precipitation gradually cleared to the SE with some heavy rain in Kent. Under clearing skies, the wet snow on the ground in the SE corner of England froze; at Reading University the 'day with snow lying' reported was probably the first in over 100 years in October. Under the clear skies temperature fell sharply across E England. Overnight showers, many wintry, also affected N- and W-facing parts of the British Isles. During the day a low system moved S from N Ireland to SW Wales, and gave a prolonged spell of sleet and snow to Northern Ireland in the late morning and afternoon; several centimetres of snow lay on the ground there. The maximum temperature of just 3.3C at Aldergrove was the lowest October maximum temperature there since 1931. As the low moved SE there was rain, turning to snow, over S Wales in the afternoon and evening. Precipitation was widespread across Ireland during the day with showers also affecting NE Scotland and coastal parts of NE England. (Isles of Scilly 11.3C, Lough Fea 1.1C maximum, Topcliffe -6.6C minimum, Manston 30.4mm, Wattisham 7.4h.)
The low centred pushed into France early on the 30th and a N'ly flow became established across the British Isles; embedded troughs gave bands of precipitration to many areas during the day. Shortly after midnight there were localised and intense thunderstorms over parts of E Devon. Devon and Somerset Fire Service described the situation after 30cm of hail fell in the Ottery St Mary area as "absolute chaos". Floodwater rose up to 1.2m with precipitation falls of 60mm and over being reported during the storm. Some people in remote houses were airlifted to safety. Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said 25 people were rescued from flooded homes in Ottery St Mary and Feniton. Susanne Reed, from the fire control centre, said it was the worst flooding she had seen in 25 years. "It got worse and worse and one crew got stuck in a 6ft [hail] drift," she said. During the morning and afternoon the precipitation in the SW moved away S (giving some thunder in the Channel Islands) to leave a mainly cloudy day; the bulk of the showers affected E coast areas of Britain during the day. Four thunderstorms occurred during 1500-1900GMT at South Darenth (Kent); none were severe in this locality. The occurrence of thunder is unusual in October (even as a single storm) and the observer does not recall so prolonged an outbreak in October in the last 50 years. (Isles of Scilly 9.4C, Dalwhinnie 3.1C maximum, Altnaharra -6.4C minimum, Dunkeswell 67.0mm, Tiree 7.5h.)
A mainly N'ly flow on the 31st made for a rather cool day everywhere. Showers affected NE-facing coasts, partcularly in N Scotland and E Britain, with some hail in places. After a sharp ground frost in some parts of SW Scotland and NW England - a result of clear skies - away from the E coast it was a sunny day, especially across Ireland. (Yeovilton 10.4C, Carterhouse 3.4C maximum, Woodford -3.1C minimum, Charterhall 30.6mm, Connaught Airport and Cork Airport 9.0h.)
The frontal cloud and rain in the S initially spread N during the 2nd and then started to break up, although some persistent rain affected the NE Midlands and E England during the day. Cloudy skies meant little air frost except in E Scotland. Other frontal cloud and rain affected parts of N Scotland; elsewhere in Scotland, and across Wales and E Ireland, it was a mainly bright day. In the evening the rain eased off in NE England leaving damp and misty conditons over the hills, but the rain spread into NW England. (Shoeburyness 13.9C, Okehampton 5.6C maximum, Braemar -3.5C, Cranwell 27.4mm, Valley 8.0h)
There was an air frost into the 3rd across inland areas of Scotland, while across S England minimum temperatures fell below 8C in only a few places. There was some patrchy rain across England overnight - but slightly heavier frontal rain in NW Scotland. This rain continued to affect NW Scotland and W Ireland for a while - but pressure rose over NW britain reaching 1024mb across N Scotland by midnight. It was a sunny day ahead of this rain area - from E Scotland to SW Ireland and SW Wales - but under decaying fronts much of E and S England had a dull day. The overall result was little variation in maximum temperatures during the day. In the evening some light rain affected SE England. (Rosehearty 13.3C, Aboyne -6.4C, South Uist 5.2mm, Cork Airport 8.3h.)
The 4th dawned after a night with an air frost in parts of Cent Scotland (and fog or mist in other areas of that country), but with warmer conditions in much of England and Wales; at London Weather Centre the overnight minimum temperature was 10.9C. Decaying fronts gave some light rain overnight in E England - but during the day this rain migrated to NE England. Most of England, S Scotland and E Ireland had a dull day, with sunny intervals elsewhere. (Marham 14.8C, Spadeadam 6.9C maximum, Katesbridge -2.5C minimum, Leconfield 4.0mm, Tiree 5.8h.)
A mainly E'ly surface flow affected most of the British Isles on the 5th. Away from parts of NW Scotland, SW England and S Wales it was a dull day. Any areas had some overnight mist or fog; during the day, fog across N Scotland was rather persistent. There was some light rain and drizzle in parts of E England and E Scotland, with some falls in parts of SE England in the evening. Early morning air frost was largely confined to N and NE Scotland - while under thicker cloud further S the temperature varied little during the day. (Kinlochewe 13.1C, Kinloss 6.3C maximum, Braemar -4.4C minimum, Cottesmore 4.0mm, Kinlochewe 6.0h.)
Dull weather continued across most areas on the 6th - overnight temperatures were consequently above freezing everywhere at low levels. Overnight and daytime precipitation was mainly confined to NE England and E Scotland where an E'ly flow persisted around a frontal system. In the afternoon frontal rain reached Ireland before spreading E in the evening into W areas of Britain. 14mm fell in the 12h ending 1800GMT at Valentia. Some of the rain in the W, and also that over E Scotland turned heavy at times. (Isles Of Scilly 12.7C, Lake Vyrnwy 7.3C, Aultbea 3.6C, Isles Of Scilly 10.2mm, Malin Head 2.7h.)
Frontal cloud spread rain E across all areas on the 7th - and introduced a W'ly flow; with low pressures centres to the W of Ireland there was also an increase in the wind speed. Overnight temperatures remained above freezing. Scotland and Ireland had a rather dull day - and it was particularly wet in W Ireland with 28mm in the 24 hours ending 1800GMT at Shannon Airport. Much of England saw some sunny spells with rather small amounts of rainfall here. (London 13.7C, Hereford 4.0C, Eskdalemuir 15.4mm, Yeovilton 7.1h.)
The 8th was an unsettled day with fronts crossed W to E through most areas to give spells of rain. Overnight temperatures were above freezing and there was widespread rain across the W half of the British Isles. Pressure remained low as a low centre moved N to the W of Ireland; by 2400GMT MSL pressure had fallen to 980.7mb at North Rona. There was some heavy rain during the day over Ireland and parts of Wales and W Scotland, with showers following the main rain areas. A tornado was reported in Waterford, causing damage to two dozen houses. Trees and properties in the Lincolnshire village of Benniworth have been damaged by high winds, eyewitnesses said. The winds, which seemed like a tornado, ripped through a 400m area of the village near Market Rasen at 2230GMT. Other properties in the village were damaged, including greenhouses and farm outbuildings. There were also reports of damage in Boston, where one of the sails on the Maud Foster windmill was blown off. (Hurn 14.7C, Cassley 2.3C, Capel Curig 42.2mm, Filton 3.9h.)
Low pressure located throughout the 9th to the NW of Scotland made for a blustery and showery day almost everywhere. The wind kept minimum temperatures higher than they might otherwise have been, and there was rainfall in most areas overnight - falls being heavy in places. During the day there were further heavy falls over Wales as organized showers moved E across many areas. Across Wales the Met Office reported some severe gales. At 1200GMT North Rona reported gusts to 60kn and Mumbles reported 64kn at 1800GMT. The rain caused some localised flooding as it moved E'wards across S England. Snow fell above 350m in Scotland for a time with maximum temperatures across Scotland being widely 6-8C lower than in S England. The highest gust reported (according to the Met Office) was one of 68kn at 1300 GMT at Pembrey Sands. Hail fell in showers across W and N parts of Ireland and thunderstorms occurred here too, and also at Leeming in the late evening. (St Catherines Point 13.3C, Dalwhinnie 2.8C maximum, Aviemore 0.4C minimum, Sennybridge 37.8mm, Holbeach 5.7h.)
Frontal cloud thickened during the 10th across S England and much of England and Wales had a rather dull day as a result. Many parts of Scotland and N Ireland had a ground frost, and falls of rain were widespread elsewhere - and also in W Scotland. Heavy rain and strong/gale force winds affected N Scotland overnight and winds were also strong over S England. Heavy rain in SW England spread E during the day with over 20mm falling in many places. Elsewhere there were showers and sunny intervals during the day; some heavy hail fell in Cumbria around midday and sleet or snow fell in parts of NE England, N Scotland and over the higher ground of Scotland and Cumbria. A low pressure centre persisted throughout the day close to NW Scotland. (Shoreham 14.3C, Dalwhinnie 5.0C maximum, Fyvie Castle -2.2C minimum, Loch Glascarnoch 53.4mm, Dublin Airport 6.9h.)
The frontal rain across S England early on the 11th cleared to the E before dawn, while showers affected W areas of the British Isles. The overnight minimum temperature was 10.7C at Valentia. However, the low centre to the NW of Scotland moved across Scotland during the morning bringing an area of rain E'wards here as it did so. The showers across Ireland were accompanied by a thunderstorm at Shannon before dawn. The rain in the N spread as far S as N England and N Britain was consequently rather dull. However, remaining areas of England, together with Wales and Ireland, had a mainly sunny an mostly dry day - with the winds gradually easing (although there was a spell of windy conditions over N Britain with some gusts over 50kn reported. (Isles of Scilly and Guernsey Airport 12.6C, Kinbrace -2.3C, Keswick 27.0mm, Filton 7.6h.)
Clearing skies in places led to a ground frost early on the 12th in parts of S Scotland, Ireland and Cent S England, although there were further showers overnight across N Scotland and in parts of N England. The showers soon died out and most places had a dry day with sunny spells. However, it remained dull across N Ireland and W and N Scotland. W parts of Ireland and Scotland had thickening frontal cloud in the afternoon and evening with some rain falling here in the evening. (Aldergrove 13.0C, Hurn -0.3C, Lusa 8.6mm, Guernsey Airport 7.8h.)
E Scotland and many areas of England had a ground frost on the 13th before frontal cloud spread E to gives falls of frontal rain during the day. By 1800GMT only E parts of East Anglia and SE England had missed the rain - and these were about the only places to see any sunshine. The rain was heavy in places over SW England and W Scotland but it did herald the arrival of a warm sector. N Scotland became increasingly windy during the day with 40kn gusts in places in the evening. But at 2400GMT air temperatures were widely in the range 9-11C at low levels. (Kinlochewe 13.7C maximum, Lerwick 9.1C maximum, Hurn -0.6C minimum, Cassley 20.8mm, Manston 4.4h.)
A warm sector persisted across much of the British Isles on the 14th, although later in the day a cold front pushed SE across N and W parts of Scotland. MSL pressure reached 1029.8mb at Guernsey Airport by 2400GMT. Overnight, minimum temperatures were widely above 10C but NW Scotland continued to be affected by some persistent rainfall. Elsewhere, precipitation was patchy and light. During the day this rainfall pattern continued - with the rain moving further SE in the evening. It was a mild day everywhere, especially to the lee of hills due to local foehn effects. However, sunshine was mainly confined to E parts of England. (Hawarden 16.0C, Okehampton 9.3C maximum, Benson 6.9C minimum, Cassley 47.2mm, Little Rissington 4.3h.)
During the 15th the cold front edged slowly S'wards, reaching W Ireland - East Anglia by midnight. The accompanying rain also edged S, but amounts were mainly small across England, Wales and Ireland. In the colder air behind the front there were showers in a fresh NW'ly flow, and these fell as hail in N Scotland. The best of the sunshine was to be found in E England and in Cent and E parts of Scotland; across Wales it was a rather cloudy day with light drizzle or rain. (Monks Wood 15.3C, Dalwhinnie 7.7C maximum, Fair Isle 5.4C minimum, Cassley 17.4mm, Little Rissington 5.1h.)
During the 16th the cold front lingered across S Britain but pushed N'wards over Ireland. High pressure built up across the British Isles with a centre of 1036 over the NE Midlands by midnight. The front was, consequently, mainly cloudy with little light rain and drizzle. To the N of the front it was generally a dry and sunny day, although there was some overnight rain in NE Scotland and the Northern Isles. Ireland, Wales and Cent and S parts of England had a mainly dull day. Although there was only a slight ground frost in parts of Scotland before dawn, by the evening skies here were much clearer and temperatures fell quickly here and in N England in the evening. (Wisley 15.0C, Dalwhinnie 4.6C maximum, Kinbrace 0.8C minimum, Cassley 7.6mm, Leuchars 5.8h.)
During the 17th high pressure rapidly gave way to a series of fronts that crossed the British Isles during the day. Clear skies overnight led to a widespread air frost in inland areas Scotland and in parts of E England. By dawn, however, cloud had spread E with rainfall across SW Scotland and N Ireland - and there was some patchy light rain or drizzle in parts of Wales and SW England. The advancing cloud meant a dull day in all areas - except for Shetland. Rain affected all areas during the day although falls were light in E England, and it was across Ireland and W Britain that daytime temperatures were the highest. As the warm air met the cold air in the E there was some freezing rain for a while in E Scotland shortly around dawn. (Isles of Scilly 12.7C, Boulmer 6.6C maximum, Braemar -6.0C minimum, Capel Curig 22.2mm, Lerwick 1.3h.)
Cloudy skies into the 18th meant little chance of a frost. The cloud was associated with fronts that produced mainly light amounts of rain or drizzle - mainly across Cent and S England and N Scotland. N NW'ly flow followed these fronts. N Scotland remained rather cloudy during the day with some light rain in places; elsewhere there were sunny periods - especially to the E of high ground. A few showers affected W-facing coastal areas during the day; while a further (decaying) frontal system brought some light rain to Ireland parts of S Scotland in the evening. (London 12.9C, Baltasound 6.9C maximum, Spadeadam 2.6C minimum, Capel Curig 12.0mm, Church Fenton 6.8h.)
A NW'ly flow dominated the weather on the 19th with a succession of fronts affecting most places. Early in the day a decaying front across Wales, S Ireland and Cent England produced little more than cloud and patchy light rain/drizzle. A day with sunny periods the followed in E and S parts of England, SE Ireland and S Wales. Another pair of fronts gave light rain overnight over the Northern Isles - this rain later spread into N Ireland and W Scotland, but amounts remained small except over NW Scotland where it turned heavy. The fronts did create cloudy skies and there was little sunshine over most of Ireland and W and Cent Scotland. (Lee-on-Solent 15.1C, Spadeadam 9.4C maximum, Benson 1.3C minimum, Cassley 25.4mm, Cork Airport 7.3h.)
A S'ward-moving pair of cold fronts merged into one on the 20th as they pushed S, introducing colder air in a NW/N'ly flow - before the movement stalled over SW Britain and S Ireland. Overnight there were small amounts of light rain across S Scotland and NW England with some heavy bursts across parts of N Scotland. By midday snow showers were being reported on Fair Isle and these continued throughout the day across N Scotland - while the frontal precipitation in the S continued to diminish. Most parts of England and Wales had sunny intervals, but most of Ireland and Scotland remained cloudy - and daytime temperatures were much lower across N Scotland than in S England; there was an air frost in parts of N Scotland by midnight. (Shoreham 14.9C, Baltasound 2.7C maximum, Lerwick 0.8C minimum, Loch Glascarnoch 24.0mm, Shobdon 5.0h.)
There was an overnight air frost in parts of Scotland (mainly in the Northern Isles and on high ground) into the 21st - but many parts of Scotland had a cloudy night with spells of rain, hail or snow. These showers spread into E England later in the night while many parts of Ireland, Wales and W England had some patchy rain before dawn. Reported snow depths at 0900GMT included 2cm on Fair Isle and 4cm at Aviemore. During the day the rain in W areas spread further SW and another front brought a spell of wintry weather to E Scotland and E England - as far S as East Anglia. However, across SW and Cent S England and S Ireland daytime temperatures rose above 12C in many places. (Valentia 12.8C, Lerwick 0.2C maximum, Lerwick -2.7C minimum, Capel Curig 17.0mm, Glasgow 4.5h.)
There was a widespread ground frost on the 22nd in the E half of Scotland and England, although falls of snow continued to affect high ground across Scotland as well as coastal areas of E Scotland and NE England. The W half of Britain, and most of Ireland, remained cloudy throughout the day; there was rain and drizzle overnight across Wales and N Ireland. The rain moved W and then returned slowly E'wards across Ireland as further fronts arrived from the W. Snow showers continued to affect E coast areas during the day as far S as east Anglia with moderate accumulations in places. Reported snow depths by 1500GMT included 8cm on Fair Isle and 6cm at Aberdeen Airport. Under clear skies in the evening the temperature fell rapidly in E Britain. (Isles Of Scilly 12.6C, Dalwhinnie -1.3C maximum, Lerwick -3.6C minimum, Weybourne 13.8mm, Holbeach 7.4h.)
There was a widespread air frost in the E half of Britain on the 23rd. However in W Ireland minima were widely in the range 8-10C. These areas lay in a warm sector that spread across most of the British Isles during the morning, followed quickly by a cold front. The fronts were associated with an area of low pressure that crossed N Scotland (MSL pressure was down to 979.3mb at Sule Skerry at 1200GMT). As rain from the warm front moved E in rain into the cold air in the E and turned to freezing rain and snow - especially in N areas with icy roads across parts of E England and East Anglia. Heavy overnight snowfalls have made driving conditions treacherous across much of northern Scotland. In Aberdeenshire parts of the A939 were closed while the A93 was shut at the Spittal of Glenshee due to heavy snowfall. Snow was also noted as far S and parts of Cent S England. Lying now depths during the day included 14cm at Aberdeen Airport, 10cm in parts of E Yorkshire and 5cm around N Norfolk. Showers and sunny intervals followed the rain, and these showers remained wintry across N Scotland with hail in parts of N and W Ireland. As the low crossed N Scotland the wind speed increased to gale force in places with gusts in excess of 50kn in places. (Isles Of Scilly 11.7C, Dalwhinnie 3.2C maximum, Shap -6.1C minimum, Loch Glascarnoch 30.0mm, Boulmer 4.5h.)
A brisk N'ly flow developed from the W during the 24th, making it feel cold; MSL pressure rose to 1028mb at Belmullet by midnight. Many areas of the British Isles had a ground frost before dawn and there were spells of rain or showers in most places. Aviemore continued to report 7-8cm of lying snow during the day and snow showers fell in places down the E coast of England as far S as Suffolk. Hail was reported from the Northern Isles to S Wales and gusts of 30-40kn were widespread during the day. In between the showers most places also had sunny intervals. (Isles Of Scilly 10.9C, Dalwhinnie 3.0C maximum, Kinbrace -0.8C minimum, Aldergrove 18.8mm, Connaught Airport 6.0h.)
Pressure rose slowly during the 25th, with Valentia reporting 1033.6mb by 2400GMT. A few places reported an overnight air frost and a ground frost was widespread in inland areas of the British Isles. Some light snow was reported over E Yorkshire during the day and scattered showers affected other E areas of England until the afternoon. Some frontal rain affected the Northern Isles and NW Scotland during the day and there were also slight falls over NW Ireland. SE Ireland, Wales, England and S and SE areas of Scotland had some sunshine, but from the Northern Isles to W Ireland it was a dull day - but temperatures did rise in the these dull areas in the evening. (Tain Range 11.0C, Warcop 3.6C maximum, Trawscoed -3.4C minimum, Loch Glascarnoch 11.2mm, Shobdon 8.3h.)
The warm air over NW parts of the British Isles spread SE to all areas during the 26th, but not before much of E and Cent England had a widespread air frost. At Valentia, the overnight minimum temperature was 10.3C. The cloud soon spread across all areas and it was a mainly cloudy day - a notable exception being over E Scotland. However, rainfall amounts were light almost everywhere. (Ashford, Co. Wicklow 13.7C, Manston 7.3C maximum, Benson -4.9C minimum, Cassley 11.4mm, Dyce 5.7h.)
The 27th was a day with a brisk W'ly surface flow; a cold front moved E during the day to give a spell of rain to all areas by might. There was a tocuh of early ground frost in the Midlands - but by dawn the rain had reached a line Shannon Airport - Fife, with some falls also overnight across parts of Wales. During the day showers followed the band of rain, these falling as snow in parts of N and Cent Scotland and N Ireland. As the rain moved SE it lessened in intensity (there were some heavy falls across n Scotland early in the day); there was some sunshine ahead of the rain in Cent and E England, and sunny interval between the showers over E Scotland; other areas had a rather dull day. (Yeovilton 12.6C, Dalwhinnie 4.2C maximum, Kinbrace 2.7C minimum, Cassley 40.0mm, Casement Aerodrome 5.5h.)
Overnight into the 28th fog formed in parts of E England and the Midlands. There was a widespread ground frost across the British Isles and some sharp frosts in E Scotland, with snow showers continuing to fall over N Scotland. Scotland and Ireland had a fairly sunny day, except in the W of Scotland, but elsewhere the day was rather cloudy. Showers continued to fall in the W with some snow over N Scotland. The fog was slow to lift in parts of Yorkshire and thickened later in the evening in many parts of N, cent and Cent S England. (Isles Of Scilly 9.7C, Lough Fea 1.1C maximum, Aboyne -7.4C minimum, Herstmonceux 20.4mm, Cork Airport 6.6h.)
In the early hours of the 29th fog became widespread across England and parts of Wales; at 0600GMT Sennybridge was reporting snow grains in fog. There was a widespread air frost everywhere except in east Anglia and Sw England. During the day there were also some falls of snow across parts of N and NW Scotland. During ther day frontal cloud gave some rain in the SE corner of England, associated with a low centred over Biscay and another area of frontal rain affected W Scotland and NW Ireland. Scilly also say some heavy rain for w hile during the day. In a few places fog lingered for much of the day - at Dublin Airport persisted for much of the day once it formed at the maximum temperature was -0.4C. (Weybourne 7.8C, Braemar -2.6C maximum, Braemar -9.5C minimum, Isles Of Scilly 32.6mm, Leconfield 6.3h.)
Away from S England and SW Ireland the 30th began with a widespread air frost, with temperatures falling below -10C in sheltered parts of Cent Scotland. With such low temperatures there was also some freezing fog in parts of N England and Cent Scotland. Some frontal precipitation affected araes near W and E parts of the British Isles overnight, and this tended to persist throughout the day. As a result the best of the sunshine occurred across E Scotland, N England, Wales and Ireland. Snow affected parts of N Scotland and there were also wintry showers in NE England and on higher ground in parts of SW England. In parts of N England and S Scotland freezing fog persisted all day. The temperature in Glasgow remained below -2C all day, making it the coldest November day here since 1985. (Isles of Scilly 7.8C, Warcop -3.0C maximum, Braemar -12.1C, Stornoway 18.0mm, Charterhall 7.4h.)
In the early hours of the 2nd a band of sleet and snow spread S'wards across N Britain, with wintry showers following on behind. Rain moved S through N Ireland in the morning, while the area of sleet and snow moved S through the Midlands and into SE England in the afternoon - although with slightly higher temperatures here the snow soon turned to sleet and rain. During the day snow showers continued to fall, especially in the north - but also widely as far S as parts of the N Midlands and N Wales. In the evening a low pressure system pushed E into SW England with outbreaks of rain here and across S Ireland. Many schools in Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Cumbria shut due to the heavy falls. Rossendale, Rochdale, Bury, Bolton and Oldham were worst affected with up to 10cm of snow that also led to hazardous driving conditions on roads. The day as a whole was rather dull across Ireland. (St Mary's, Scilly 9.3C, Dalwhinnie -0.6C maximum, Kinbrace -7.8C minimum, Dunkeswell 14.6mm, Manston 4.8h.)
Early on the 3rd there was some rain in SW England that cleared away to the SE, while wintry showers continued to affect N and E Scotland and E coast areas of N England. Away from S England there was a widespread air frost. The snow showers soon dissapeared in the E as a weak ridge developed from the SW - ahead of a low system that spread rain from the W across Ireland in the late afternoon and evening. While the rain brought warmer air later across Ireland, it was generally a cold day - especially over E Britain. As the rain met this cold air there were some falls of snow and sleet for a while over Ireland and later in W Scotland and W Wales. Schools across north-west England were closed for a second day because of snow and ice - the snowfall of the previous day having frozen. (St Mary's, Scilly 9.1C, Braemar -1.1C maximum, Tulloch Bridge -12.7C minimum, Culdrose 6.8mm, Shobdon 7.5h.)
Air frost on the 4th was mainly confined to E Britain - ahead of cloud cover that spread from the W introducing rain. As the rain ran into the colder air it turned to sleet and snow, especially from N England N'wards. The snow was accompanied by strong S to SE'ly winds which led to blizzard conditions over higher ground. The precipitation cleared E Britain by midday leaving depths of 17cm at Redesdale and 15cm at Eskdalemuir by 1200GMT. Snow caused traffic delays, closed schools and left people stranded across NW England. Lancashire, Cumbria and Greater Manchester had some schools shut for a third day in succession. Soldiers in Blackburn helped free about 70 people stranded in their cars in freezing conditions. 20mm at Johnstown Castle in 12 hours ending 0600GMT before the rain cleared to the E. Remaining wintry showers generally cleared to the NE in the afternoon - although rain showers fell in many areas in the afternoon and evening. Lying snow, and wet ground, led to a cover of ice in parts of NE England and S Scotland in the evening as skies cleared and temperatures fell. Once the early rain had cleared it was a bright and sunny day across most of S and Cent England and in East Anglia. Thunder was reported on Guernsey and at Belmullet in the late afternoon. (Thorney Island 11.0C Dalwhinnie 1.0C maximum, Fyvie Castle -6.8C minimum, Capel Curig 34.2mm, Dublin Airport 5.2h.)
Low pressure close to Scotland (975.7mb at Dyce at 0000GMT) dominated the weather on the 5th. There was a an air frost overnight across Scotland and in N parts of Ireland and England, with some snow over high ground here and mist and fog in NE England. Jersey reported thunder during the morning and snow showers fell over high ground in S Scotland and NE England for a time during the day. Frontal rain and sleet fell across NE Scotland overnight - but during the day precipitation was generally lighter and showery (including snow showers as far S as East Anglia down the E coast of Britain). Much of Scotland, away from the SW, remained dull but elsewhere there were sunny intervals. Lying snow across S Scotland and N England slowly melted during the day but depths remained greater than 10cm in places. (St Mary's, Scilly 10.7C, Dalwhinnie 2.6C maximum, Eskdalemuir -4.0C minimum, Inverbervie 27.2mm, Yeovilton 6.2h.)
High pressure on the 6th led to a fairly quiet day, with widespread sunny spells away from N Scotland. There were some light showers during the day near the E coast of Britain and some mist and fog around dawn in Cent England. MSL pressure rose to 1025mb over SE Wales by 2400GMT and temperatures fell sharply after sunset under clear skies in most areas. (Valentia 10.3C, Tyndrum 0.7C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch -7.6C minimum, Redesdale Camp 4.6mm, Thorney Island 7.7h.)
A temporary ridge brought a mostly dry day on the 7th. The day began with a widespread frost away from N Scotland - with grass minimum temperatures below -10C in places from S Scotland to Cent S England. Mist and fog affected places S'wards from S Scotland by dawn. There was a little rain overnight in N and W Scotland - during the day this area was again affected by rain - with some sleet or snow reported in S Scotland before the temperature rose. Most of England, Wales and E Ireland had a sunny day - elsewhere it was rather cloudy - with a cold front pushing further rain SE in the evening into W Scotland and NW Ireland. Also in the evening, under clear skies, frost and fog returned to parts of S England. (St Mary's, Scilly 10.8C, Rochdale 3.0C maximum, Topcliffe -8.5C minimum, Kinlochewe 15.4mm, Thorney Island 7.9h.)
The cold front pushed slowly SE through the British Isles on the 8th. With increasing amounts of cloud from the NW an early air frost was mainly confined to the Midlands, East Anglia and some S areas of England; there were also patches of freezing mist and fog here too by dawn - and some of the fog was dense. Advancing cloud meant little sunshine during the day, and the frontal rain was heavy in places - reaching Lincolnshire-Devon by 1800GMT. Behind the front colder conditions spawned showers of hail and snow over high ground and in N Scotland - while pressure rose from the SW to reach 1029mb at Valentia by 2400GMT. (Nottingham 10.7C, Tyndrum 2.6C maximum, South Farnborough -4.3C, Loch Glascarnoch 15.4mm, Wisley 3.6h.)
High pressure to the SW of the British Isles helped to maintain a mainly N/NW'ly flow on the 9th. Overnight rain moved gradually SE in the early hours over England, clearing Kent by dawn. Showers of rain and wintry precipitation affected N and W parts of Scotland and Ireland overnight - while other parts of Scotland and N areas of Ireland and England had an air frost by dawn. During the day there were widespread sunny spells across the British Isles - except over N Scotland and W parts of Ireland and Scotland. Here, and also over Wales and in some E coast areas of England, there were further showers which were wintry in the N - although hail fell as far S as the Channel Islands. (Valentia 9.4C, Spadeadam 1.9C maximum, Katesbridge -3.5C minimum, Loch Glascarnoch 12.8mm, Durham 7.0h.)
Showers continued to fall overnight around N-facing coasts of Britain into the 10th while most inland areas of England and Wales had a widespread air frost. England and S Scotland then had a sunny day - showers continued to affect N-facing coasts as far S as Devon. Some of these showers were wintry - with snow also reported inland during the day over high ground in N England and as far S as High Wycombe. In the evening a trough gave further showers to E England while a decaying warm front brought rain, mist and fog to Ireland. (Belmullet 9.7C, Dalwhinnie 2.4C maximum, Benson -5.5C minimum, Fyvie Castle 7.4mm, Holbeach 7.3h.)
Away from a cloudy W Ireland there was a widespread ground frost on the 11th with an air frost in most inland areas away from E England. Scattered wintry showers affected E areas of England and Scotland with light rain and drizzle in W Ireland and a few rain showers in SW England. During the day there were further rain and sleet showers E areas of England and Scotland. Over Ireland and in W parts of Wales and Scotland frontal cloud gave further rain and sleet - which cleared later over W Ireland as a cold front pushed E. Elsewhere the day was mostly dry with sunny periods once early mist and fog had cleared from Cent parts of England. (Valentia 9.2C, Braemar -1.2C maximum, Tulloch Bridge -7.0C minimum, Norwich Airport 6.2mm, Holbeach 7.7h.)
E Scotland, and much of England, had an air frost on the 12th with freezing fog in parts of Cent England. Further W an area of rain spread E across W Scotland and areas around the Irish Sea overnight and this turned increasingly to light sleet and snow giving some icy surfaces. Snow and snow grains fell as far S as Oxfordshire in the morning. With the decaying front giving cloudy skies the day was generally sunless - during the morning further rain spread into W Ireland. This rain reached E Scotland, NW England, Wales and SW England by early evening - introducing warmer air across Ireland in particular. 28mm of rain fell at Valentia in the 12 hours ending 1800GMT. The front was associated with falling pressure - MSL pressure down to 978mb at Stornoway by 2400GMT - and later in the day there were gales in exposed western and southern areas as a result. (Valentia 12.0C, Dalwhinnie 2.3C maximum, Benson -5.3C minimum, Killowen 31.0mm, Norwich Airport 2.9h.)
Wet and windy weather affected much of the United Kingdom into13th, especially parts of Devon, Somerset and Dorset where there were areas of widespread flooding by dawn. In E England there were smaller falls of rain - and it was air frost-free everywhere at low levels. The frontal system associated with this rain then stalled over E Britain - there were moderately heavy falls of rain here as a result under sunless skies, and the best of the sunshine during the day was over Ireland. As the front moved E sleet was reported at times across E and NE England - this turned to snow later in the evening with falls also in parts of East Anglia and as far south as the Chilterns. Hail showers were reported during the day around the NW coast of Ireland. Trains running through Swindon, Westbury and Castle Cary were affected by flooding, and services to SW England were also affected by floodwaters. Somerset and Devon were especially badly affected by flooding, with roads submerged and people trapped in their homes. A young woman died in Dorset when her car crashed off the road during a heavy rain storm. At Crawley in East Sussex, dozens of residents of a care home had to be led to safety at one point during the day. Overnight the Environment Agency had 258 floods warnings in place, 100 in the South West, 48 in the Midlands, and 30 in Wales. In Somerset, an 86-year-old man died after his car became caught up in flooding in a country lane near South Petherton. Swansea Coastguard has reported that a helicopter had been deployed to flooded areas in the county. Six people were rescued from their homes in Weymouth in Dorset after a river burst its banks and in Wiltshire, fire crews attended 80 flooded homes and answered a total of 200 calls requesting help. In Cheshire, fire crews rescued a woman from the roof of her car shortly before 0700 GMT after she became stranded because of floodwater in Crewe. Firefighters pumped out properties in Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire after heavy rain overnight. The most calls were from Fishguard with others coming from Newcastle Emlyn, Llanelli, Haverfordwest and Pontardawe. (St Catherines Point 8.6C, Lough Fea 2.2C maximum, Castlederg 0.4C minimum, Shap 42.2mm, Cork Airport 5.0h.)
Overnight rain fell for a while across E Britain and N Scotland, before dying out into the 14th. There was also some sleet and snow over Lincolnshire and on higher ground in these E areas. Overnight there was also fog from NE England to Cent S England - although mainly cloudy skies meant little by way of an air frost. During the day the best of the sunshine was across Ireland and Wales; hail and snow showers were reported from Camborne and there was some light rain in E Scotland with snow over the hills here. In Penzance the 48-hour rainfall total to 1500GMT was 53mm as rain and sleet fell during the day, but probably 65-70mm on the moors behind the town. Mist and fog reformed in E England in the evening. (Malin Head 8.7C, Redesdale Camp 0.3C maximum, Sennybridge -3.8C minimum, Inverbervie 15.2mm, Cork Airport 6.1h.)
A warm front gave some overnight rain into the 15th in NW Ireland but elsewhere the night was generally dry - except across Shetland where rain also fell. Mist and fog patches were widespread by dawn across England and there was a widespread air frost across Wales, N Ireland, N England and SE Scotland. During the day the warm front brought rain E to E Scotland and W Wales; further E it was mainly dry with Wales and N England having sunshine ahead of the rain. Cent and SE England remained dull and misty during the day. (Stornoway 11.0C, Spadeadam 3.1C maximum, Redesdale Camp -6.4C minimum, Lusa 12.4mm, Thorney Island 6.8h.)
Fog, some of it freezing, was widespread early on the 16th over S and SE England, with mist and fog patches also across NE England, East Anglia and the Midlands. Air frost was also, largely, confined to these areas. Rain fell overnight across parts of Scotland and N England; it spread Se during the day to affect most of Ireland and Wales by sunset. Maximum temperatures in SE England remained widely below 4C during the day, and it was a dull day everywhere. Across Wales, Ireland and Scotland temperatures rose above 10C during the day, before a cold front edged a warm sector E; the cold front introduced some wintry showers across Scottish hills. (Valentia 11.9C, East Malling 1.9C maximum, Shobdon -2.4C minimum, Capel Curig 29.6mm, Guernsey Airport 6.4h.)
England and Wales had some light rain into the 17th as an area of frontal precipitation moved SE across the area by dawn. There was also rain and showers overnight across W and N parts of Scotland and Ireland - some of the showers were wintry over high ground. With extensive cloud, there was little air frost at low levels. During the day England, Wales and much of S Ireland was largely dry, but a warm front spread rapidly E in the afternoon and evening to cross most places by midnight - it gave only small amounts of rain in the S but with heavier falls across Scotland and N Ireland. (Machrihanish 12.1C, Leek 4.6C maximum, Topcliffe -1.4C minimum, Kinlochewe 24.4mm, Thorney Island 7.7h.)
A centre of low pressure passed to the NW of Scotland on the 18th, introducing an area of windy conditions from the NW that affected places as far S as N Ireland later. MSL pressure fell to 982.6mb at Baltasound at 0600GMT. Overnight there was some heavy rain in NW Scotland while ground frost was mainly confined to S and SE England. A warm sector spread E across Ireland after dawn - the trailing cold front then crossing remaining parts of the British Isles in the afternoon. Behind the cold front there were wintry showers across N Scotland and on the Scottish mountains, with thunder at Lerwick in the evening. It was a mild afternoon across much of England, Wales and Ireland - but it felt colder across Scotland as winds gusted to 50kn or more here for a while in the N. (Valentia 13.3C, Loch Glascarnoch 4.7C maximum, Shoreham -0.6C minimum, Tulloch Bridge 31.4mm, Monks Wood 3.4h.)
There was a widespread inland ground frost behind the cold front into the 19th but the wind stirred the lower atmosphere for much of an air frost to develop. Showers, some of them wintry, affected N and W Scotland and N Ireland. Another area of low pressure passed N Scotland during the day, giving some heavy rain over Scotland and N England, with local flooding resulting. A warm sector over Ireland by midday moved quickly E, with a trailing cold front following to lie Galway=Hull by midnight. The Se quarter of England had the best of the day's sunshine - but S of the cold front there was only light precipitation. MSL pressure dropped to 976mb over Shetland by 2400GMT and wind gusts reached 80kn at North Rona at 1800GMT - with windy conditions across N Scotland in particular at this time. Across high ground in Scotland there was some snow in the afternoon. (Kinlochewe 12.9C, Baltasound 7.6C maximum, Topcliffe -1.6C minimum, Tyndrum 39.0mm, Manston 6.3h.)
S parts of Ireland and Britain had a mild start on the 20th with the temperature remaining above 11C at Valentia overnight. N Scotland began the day with gales. The cold front moved NE during the day - giving light falls of rain across Ireland and NW England in particular. Most places had a cloudy day, but there were sunny spells in E Scotland before the returning front arrived. MSL pressure rose to 1035mb over the Channel Islands in the evening and it was a mild day across S parts of Ireland and England. (Hereford 13.9C, Loch Glascarnoch 4.3C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch 1.4C minimum, Stonyhurst 17.2mm, Dyce 4.4h.)
Overnight and through the morning it was windy across Scotland 21st with 75kn gusts at North Rona at 1200GMT. This was the result of a low pressure system that crossed E into Norway later in the day. Further S high pressure dominated conditions with 1037mb being reported as the MSL pressure in the Channel Islands in the evening. Between the two systems a frontal system led to a mild day in the S but to colder conditions in the N of Britain. During the day outbreaks of rain across N Ireland and Scotland moved away SE to introduce a showery flow from the NW. England and Wales had a mainly cloudy day, and the best sunshine was generally to be found in the E of England and Scotland - rainfall during the day was largely confined to N and W Scotland. (Ashford (Co. Wicklow) 14.3C, Loch Glascarnoch 7.9C maximum, Braemar 0.3C minimum, Kinlochewe 35.6mm, Bedford 6.3h.)
A high pressure centre persisted to the S of England on the 22nd and there was widespread cloud throughout the day. There was consequently no low-level frost to start the day - across much of Wales and Cent and S England the minimum temperature remained above 10C. There was some showery rain across N Scotland which lasted into the day, and beneath the persistent cloud it was misty during the day in parts of the British Isles; around the Irish Sea there was also fog during the day (Hawarden and Ashford (Co. Wicklow) 13.5C, Baltasound 7.0C maximum, Inverbervie 4.1C minimum, Lerwick 6.6mm, Charterhall 4.8h.)
The 23rd dawned after a mainly cloudy night in most places that kept temperatures above average, except for E Scotland where an air frost occurred. Despite high pressure reaching 1037mb across S England it remained mainly cloudy - although parts of NE England and E Scotland had some sunny intervals. There was some frontal rain in NW Scotland in the afternoon, although the front that brought this then broke up. (London 11.9C, Leek 5.1C maximum, Aboyne -4.7C minimum, Aultbea 4.6mm, Durham 6.1h.)
The 24th was a mainly dry day under continuing high pressure although mainly cloudy skies persisted as a decaying front lay over much of E Britain during the day. There were mainly misty conditions to start the day, with some early fog in NE Scotland. A light SE'ly wind affected most places by midnight as the high centre transferred to the NE of Scotland by then. (Ballypatrick Forest 11.1C, Aboyne 4.1C maximum, Topcliffe -3.1C minimum, Tyndrum 1.2mm, Woodford 5.5h.)
MSL pressure rose to 1041mb over NE England and E Scotland by 2400GMT on the 25th and, apart from a SYNOP report of 'past snow' at Aviemore at 0900GMT, this was not a 'White Christmas'. It was another cloudy day, with the highest temperatures being mainly in the W due to a surface flow off the North Sea. A few localised falls of light rain or drizzle developed from thicker cloud in places, mainly in the E. (Valentia 10.6C, Aviemore 0.8C maximum, Kinbrace -3.7C minimum, Lerwick 1.2mm, Tain Range 3.5h.)
The 26th was another mainly dry day as high pressure continued to prevail; MSL pressure rose to almost 1044mb over NE England by midnight. Scotland and Ireland had a mostly cloudy day but there were widespread sunny spells over England and Wales as cloud cleared towards the E. However, these clear skies also led to the formation of air frost in the evening in many inland area of England, as well as across parts of Scotland; however, at Foula at 2400GMT the temperature remained at 8.0C. (Valentia 8.3C, Lake Vyrnwy 1.6C maximum, Aviemore -2.6C minimum, Inverbervie 0.8mm, Thorney Island 7.6h.)
Pressure remained high on the 27th with a dominant E/SE'ly flow across the British Isles. Temperatures fell sharply overnight in some places - Casement Aerodrome reported a grass minimum of -11C by dawn - and there was a widespread air frost inland. It was a mostly dry day, although low cloud gave some light precipitation in places. This cloud was mainly confined to areas close to the North Sea, and across parts of E England and the N Midlands. Elsewhere, it was a very sunny day. (Valentia 9.7C, Aviemore -1.5C maximum, Aviemore -7.9C minimum, Larkhill 0.4mm, Thorney Island 7.8h.)
Continuing high pressure led to a very cold start to the 28th across Scotland and N Ireland with many other inland areas having an air frost. In parts of Scotland the frost was accompanied by freezing fog by dawn. The day was mainly dry, away from the E coast where there were some showers blown onshore. According to the Met Office patches of freezing fog persisted across parts of N Scotland e.g. Lossiemouth and Inverness, and here the temperature remained below freezing all day. Away from N and E Scotland, and NE England, it was another sunny day. (Valentia 8.6C, Kinloss -2.3C maximum, Aviemore -10.6C minimum, Bridlington 1.0mm, Aberdaron 7.6h.)
Temperatures fell below -10C in parts of N Scotland into the 29th; many inland areas began the day with temperatures close to, or just below, freezing and there was a widespread ground frost. Freezing fog continued to affect Kinloss and Lossiemouth at dawn and many other areas also dawned misty. The day was generally dry although the Shetland Isles had some light rain and freezing fog again persisted around the Moray Firth. It was a sunny day from SE England to NW Ireland, and across parts of NW England and S Scotland. Air temperatures again fell quickly in the evening on the persistent light SE'ly wind. (St Mary's Scilly 8.5C, Kinloss -3.3C maximum, Aviemore -10.6C minimum, Baltasound 2.8mm, Kenley 7.5h.)
The 30th dawned with a widespread air frost that was particularly sharp in parts of Scotland and S England. Aviemore reported a grass minimum temperature of -16C. Freezing fog continued to affect Kinloss and Lossiemouth at 0600GMT with a widespread nmist or haze elsewhere. Parts of E Britain remained above freezing due to low cloud. E parts of mainland Scotland and the S half of England and Wales had the best of the sunshine - with cloudy skies persisting in many other areas during the day. Maximum temperatures remained below freezing during the day in many parts of Cent and N Scotland - and temperatures again fell sharply in the evening. SW Ireland saw from frontal cloud push NE during the day with 5.0mm of rain falling at Valentia during 0600-1800GMT. At 0600GMT Cairngorm was reporting +0.6C - was this an inversion or instrumental error? (Valentia 9.6C, Cassley -4.6C maximum, Aviemore -12.9C minimum, Herstmonceux 0.4mm, Kenley 7.4h.)
There was widespread freezing mist and fog across England by dawn on the 31st. Across Ireland, W Scotland and SW England minimum temperatures remained above freezing but there was a cold start to the day elsewhere. During the day much of inland England, S and E Scotland remained below freezing and although the fog cleared it remained misty. Sennybridge reported snow grains in fog/mist during the day, and Albemarle reported snow in the mid-afternoon. Mist and cloud reduced the sunshine amounts and the best sunshine was to be found over Wales and E Ireland and in parts of E Scotland. Fog reformed again in parts of Cent England in the evening while a weak front gave some light rain to Shetland during the day. (Valentia 9.9C, Warcop -5.2C maximum, Altnaharra -12.5C minimum, Baltasound 2.6mm, Aberdaron 6.6h.)