British Isles weather diary

January 2011
February 2011
March 2011
April 2011
May 2011
June 2011
July 2011
August 2011
September 2011
October 2011
November 2011
December 2011
(Note: figures in parentheses give an indication, from first reports, of the spread of daily max and min temperatures, min daytime temperatures (occasionally), rainfall and sunshine in the 24 hours ending 2100 GMT.)

British Isles weather, January 2011

A N'ly airflow on the 1st brought a S'ward-moving cold front through most areas as high pressure built to the W. There was little overnight ground frost due to widespread cloud. Rain and drizzle accompanied the front - over Scotland overnight and then across England and Wales. Temperatures failed to rise above 4C across much of N Scotland during the day - while only the Shetlands and parts of E Ireland had much sunshine. (Valley 8.8C, Dalwhinnie 0.2C maximum, Topcliffe -2.0C minimum, Keele 3.4mm, Lerwick 2.6h.)

High pressure remained centred close to Ireland during the 2nd - MSL pressure was as high as 1033mb over NW Ireland at 1200GMT. Skies were generally cloudy overnight and through the day - there was a widespread slight ground overnight but air frost was mainly confined to Scotland and N England. Light wintry showers affected N and E coasts of Scotland and NE England - while overnight rain and drizzle fell in S parts of England and Wales from a cold front. This turned to sleet in parts of SW England during the morning with snow over high ground here. Away from S coast areas of Ireland and Scotland temperatures failed to rise above 5C in the cool, N'ly airflow. (Isles of Scilly 7.9C, Warcop -0.2C maximum, Warcop -3.9C minimum, Camborne 5.6mm, Odiham 5.3h.)

During the 3rd high pressure gave way to frontal systems, both to the N and S. There was a widespread inland ground frost but by dawn there was rain and snow across N Scotland - while some frontal rain fell in Cornwall. The latter area of rain moved E and N a little during the day, while the snow and rain in N moved SE'wards during the day introducing milder air. A slight dusting of snow fell over a few areas of high ground in SW England. Other areas of the British Isles remained dry with some sunny periods in N and Cent Ireland, parts of Wales and the Midlands. (South Uist 8.7C, Liscombe -0.7C maximum, St Angelo -5.1C minimum, Aultbea 19.0mm, Connaught Airport 6.0h.)

It was a cyclonic day in N Britain on the 4th. England, N Ireland and Wales had a widespread air frost. By dawn rain, sleet and snow had spread from W and S Scotland into N England. Snow depths of 1-2cm were reported in parts of NE England and parts of S Wales. Rain turned to snow over high ground in Scotland during the day while showers in SW England spread E'wards into S Wales and other parts of S England. The N Midlands also saw some wintry weather for a time. Temperatures remained below 3C during the day in parts of the Midlands and E England. Most places were again almost sunless during the day. (Isles of Scilly 10.2C, High Mowthorpe 2.2C maximum, Sennybridge -7.1C minimum, Altnahinch Filters 23.4.mm, North Wyke 3.7h.)

Low pressure dominated the weather in N areas on the 5th but it was here that there was an overnight ground frost - with an air frost in N Scotland and parts of N Ireland. Precipitation fell in most places, apart from E and Cent England, overnight; the rain, heavy in places, moved from S Scotland towards East Anglia and Cent S England by the evening. An area of wintry showers, to the N of this rain area, affected N and W Scotland and N and NW Ireland - the showers then spreading into N England and S Scotland later in the day. Rain affected Se England in the evening. (Culdrose 9.6C, Tulloch Bridge 0.9C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch -5.2C minimum, Lake Vyrnwy 25.6mm, Dublin Airport and Belmullet 4.7h.)

At 0900GMT there were some reports of lying snow on Shetland on the 6th. Depths increased during the day - 6cm was reported lying at Lerwick by 2100GMT. There was a widespread ground frost away from S England before dawn; showers of snow and sleet affected Cent and N Scotland overnight while cloud and rain fell over S England. During the day snowfall was largely confined to the Northern Isles - while there was some heavy rain across S England due to a wave depression and a separate cold front in this area. Much of mainland Scotland and Ireland had a sunny day - elsewhere it was rather a dull day. (Jersey Airport 11.6, Dalwhinnie -1.7C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch -3.6C minimum, Goudhurst 24.0mm, Aldergrove 5.9h.)

Frontal systems in S Britain moved N during the 7th as an area of low pressure moved NE'wards towards Scilly - MSL pressure her at 2400GMT was down to 984mb. There was a widespread ground frost overnight with an air frost away from S areas of Ireland, Wales and England. Rain and snow falling in S Wales and SW England at first moved NE'wards to N England and SE Scotland by the evening, turning to rain and sleet as it did so. Over high ground in N England and Wales, there were some significant falls of snow. NW Scotland and the Northern Isles saw falls of snow - again with some significant falls in places. Parts of S and Cent Scotland remained below 0C during the day - while in S England temperature rose above 10C in most places. NW Ireland and Cent Scotland had sunny periods - elsewhere it was a mainly dull day although S coast areas of England had some sunshine later in the day. (Isles of Scilly 11.7C, Strathallan -3.9C maximum, Aboyne -10.5C minimum, Yeovilton 23.6mm, Kinloss 5.5h.)

The 8th was an unsettled day - MSL pressure was down to 976mb at 2400GMT at the centre of a depression over SE Scotland. Much of Ireland and Scotland had a ground frost overnight with air minima down to -12C in parts of N Scotland. Rain turned to wintry conditions over N England, Scotland and N Ireland with snow depths at 0900GMT including 9cm at Eskdalemuir. At first the precipitation area moved E'wards with some sleet and snow in E England. Later another area of sleet and snow affected fell over NW areas of Britain and NW Ireland. Parts of N Scotland remained below 0Call day while 10C was reached in SE England. Away from NE Scotland most places had some sunny spells. (Shoeburyness 10.7C, Cassley -3.1C maximum, Altnaharra -13.0C minimum, Lake Vyrnwy 23.0mm, Cork Airport 6.4h.)

During the 9th there was snow lying in E Scotland. Scotland, and a few places in Cent areas of England and Ireland had an overnight air frost. N Ireland and W parts of Britain had precipitation overnight, which fell as sleet and snow in parts of Scotland and NW England. During the day there was further wintry weather in Scotland and N England, with more wintry showers in the evening over N and W areas of Scotland. Elsewhere it was a mostly dry day - and sunny periods were widespread. (Isles of Scilly 9.5C, Loch Glascarnoch 0.6C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch -11.1C minimum, Aultbea 13.6mm, Odiham 7.5h.)

A ridge of high pressure over S Britain on the 10th gave way to an area of low pressure that became established from SW Scotland to SW England by midnight. England, Wales and E Scotland had an overnight air frost - further W there was overnight precipitation as frontal rain moved towards the E. As the rain fell into cold air it turned to sleet and snow in places - by the early evening only East Anglia and E areas of the Midlands and SE England remained dry - the rain continued to turn to snow over high ground in N England and Scotland - and for a time it was windy over SW England. It was a cloudy day during daylight hours as frontal cloud affected all areas ahead of the precipitation. (Valentia 11.2C, Loch Glascarnoch 1.1C maximum, Shoreham -5.0C minimum, Threave 40.8mm, Odiham 2.1h.)

Into the 11th there was an air frost across N Scotland - while over coastal areas of Cornwall the temperature remained above 8C. Unsettled conditions resulted in moderate to heavy falls of rain in E and S Scotland and across much of England and Wales. N Ireland also had rain overnight but parts of S Ireland were dry. The rain quickly moved E'wards and during the day was confined to E coastal areas of England and Scotland. A ridge of high pressure formed temporarily across W and then cent areas - but by the evening the next frontal system was spreading rain into W Ireland. The ridge led to sunny periods - but E England and the extreme W of Ireland remained cloudy. (Isle of Scilly 9.6C, Loch Glascarnoch -1.8C maximum, Altnaharra -8.9C minimum, Charlwood 20.2mm, Leuchars 5.7h.)

A warm sector crossed E'wards over S parts of the British Isles on the 12th; it lingered over S Britain for a time and then pushed N'wards over S Wales and S Ireland later. Associated with this frontal system was a large area of cloud and rain that gave widespread falls from Cent Scotland S'wards; ahead of the rain there was an air frost in Scotland and N England. Across Scotland there was a mixture of rain and snow - which then turned to rain as the main frontal system pushed out over the North Sea. Further rain fell across Wales and S parts of Ireland and England during the day with some heavy falls in places in SW Britain. Parts of N Scotland had some sunshine - elsewhere it was a dull day. (Exeter Airport 13.0C, Leuchars 3.2C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch -7.2C minimum, Mumbles Head 42.4mm, Dyce 2.3h.)

Overnight into the 13th air frost was confined to parts of Cent and E Scotland. During the day while a mixture of fronts affected N areas, a warm sector remained over - or close to - S areas. The result was widespread overnight across the British Isles with minimum temperatures above 10C in S parts of Ireland, Wales and England. The rain cleared to leave fog in places - with rain in parts of Scotland during the day. Rain and drizzle fell across S parts of Wales and England as the warm sector pushed S'wards. It was a generally dull day - with a few sunny intervals in parts of SE England and E England - away from the rain in the S. (Pershore College 14.5C, Cassley 2.9C maximum, Aboyne -3.4C minimum, Liscombe 30.0mm, Leuchars 2.4h.)

Cloudy and unsettled conditions meant that overnight ground frost was restricted to parts of N and NE Scotland on the 14th, while in Cent and S England minimum temperatures remained generally above 10C. E Ireland, NE Scotland and N England were mostly dry overnight - elsewhere there were spells of rain or showers. Showers fell across N areas during the day while outbreaks of rain affected S areas of England later; thunder was heard in the London area with this rain. Cent and SE England and East Anglia remained rather cloudy during the day - elsewhere there were sunny periods in between the showers. (Exeter Airport 13.0C, Dalwhinnie 5.5C maximum, Aboyne -2.5C minimum, Tyndrum 33.2mm, Valentia 8.3h.)

There was no air frost at low levels on the 15th. A SW'ly airstream introduced a warm sector to all but N Scotland by midnight. By dawn rain had spread from the W across much of Scotland, Ireland and into Wales - with strengthening winds in the N and W. During the day rain (heavy in places) was largely confined to Ireland, Wales and Scotland - falls over SE and S England were mainly slight throughout the day - but all areas were dull. It was a mild day with temperatures at low levels in the range 9-12C almost everywhere - despite gales in the NW and W. (Hawarden 13.5C, Eskdalemuir 7.9C maximum, Cassley 1.6C minimum, Capel Curig 111.6mm, Monks Wood 0.4h.)

Overnight rain into the 16th across Ireland and Scotland marked the N edge of the warm sector - which then pushed SE'wards during the day. It was a mild night everywhere - and during the day as the rain spread SE'wards there were some heavy falls in Wales and NW England that caused local flooding. Behind the rain, there were showers that blew from the W to affect cent and W areas of Scotland. There were also sunny periods here and over Ireland - which had a generally dry day. (Gravesend 14.1C, Dalwhinnie 6.7C maximum, Fyvie Castle 2.0C minimum, Tyndrum 39.4mm, Kinloss 6.1h.)

Shallow areas of low pressure in S parts meant a cloudy day here. Cent parts of Ireland and the W Midlands had ground frost around dawn on the 17th- by this time overnight rain had cleared S England. N ad W parts of Ireland had showers overnight - as did N Ireland. S England had a mild start to the day - then rain spread across all areas SE of a line Mumbles to The Wash. Rain and thundery outbreaks in SW England moved NE'wards into S Wales and cent S England later. Showers continued to fall across N and Cent Scotland during the day. (Jersey Airport 11.5C, Carterhouse 3.8C maximum, Katesbridge 1.9C minimum, Isles of Scilly 33.0mm, Aldergrove 6.5h.)

Overnight into the 18th there was some heavy rain in parts of Kent East Anglia that led to some flooding. Elsewhere, except in W Scotland where there were some showers, there was a widespread ground frost. N and W Scotland saw showers during the day - as did N Ireland. Once early mist and fog that followed the rain in the S had cleared it was a mainly sunny day - although N Scotland was rather dull. By 2400GMT MSL pressure had risen to about 1035mb in S Ireland as high pressure spread from the W. (Isles of Scilly 9.2C, Spadeadam 2.6C maximum, Katesbridge -5.8C minimum, Writtle 25.6mm, Filton 7.7h.)

Into the 19th there was an air frost in much of Cent Ireland, Wales and S England. W parts of Britain, and N Ireland, had some fog patches by dawn, while showers fell overnight in NW and N Scotland. E Britain had a little drizzle during the day in an onshore breeze - while in N Scotland the showers eased off during the day. E and N Scotland was rather dull - elsewhere there were sunny spells. (Chivenor 8.8C, St Angelo -0.1C maximum, Katesbridge -7.4C minimum, Kirkwall 4.8mm, Aberporth 8.0h.)

/p>High pressure centred over the British Isles on the 20th led to a mainly settled day. Away from East Anglia there was a widespread air frost - with mist and fog patches in places in England and Ireland. Most places remained dry all day - but there was some light rain in parts of East Anglia and SE England - and in a few places a few snowflakes were seen. Temperatures remained below 0C in parts of SW Scotland and N Ireland - especially where the early fog tended to linger. In most places it was a sunny day - a notable exception being much of East Anglia and SE England. (Isles of Scilly 8.8C, Castlederg -2.1C maximum, Katesbridge -9.8C minimum, Norwich Airport 1.2mm, Aberporth 8.3h,)

High pressure over Ireland on the 21st led to a mainly settled day; at 1200GMT Shannon Airport was reporting MSL pressure of 1042.7mb. Away from East Anglia, SE England, N Scotland and S Ireland there was a widespread air frost with temperatures down to -5C in many areas. Parts of N Scotland had a little overnight precipitation - elsewhere it was mainly a dry night with some mist and fog - especially over the Midlands. E Kent and N Scotland had further falls of rain during the day - elsewhere it was a dry day with sunny spells. In parts of Cumbria and N Ireland temperatures remained below 0C while in W parts of Scotland and Ireland and in N Scotland 8C was widely reported. (Lusa 10.8C, Spadeadam -2.2C maximum, Eskdalemuir -9.4C minimum, Cassley 6.2mm, Cork Airport 8.1h.)

An area of high pressure prevailed close to W Ireland throughout the 22nd. Many places had mist or fog by dawn - this was freezing in many places as an inland air frost was widespread. However, overnight cloud did give some light rain and drizzle in parts of E England, close to the E coast. With an E'ly surface flow this precipitation did spread inland a little giving a few falls of rain and sleet in parts of S Wales and Cent S England in the morning. The mist persisted in places during the day and the best of any sunshine was to be found in W and S Ireland, SW England and S Wales; in E Britain it was a rather dull day. (Tiree 9.6C, Glasgow 0.7C maximum, Shap -7.3C minimum, Nettlecombe Birds Hill 1.4mm, Camborne 6.8h.)

High pressure, MSL pressure reaching 1042.9mb at Belmullet at 1200GMT, prevailed on the 23rd. S Scotland and N Ireland were the main areas affected by an air frost before dawn - elsewhere there was a cool but cloudy start to the day - albeit a mainly dry start. During the day a little rain fell in parts of NW Scotland and there were also lesser falls in parts of SE England and Wales. Parts of W Ireland had a sunny day as did SW Cornwall, while other parts of SW England and S Wales had a little sunshine; generally, however, it was a dull day. (Belmullet 9.6h, Salsburgh 3.8C maximum, Tyndrum -4.3C minimum, Kinlochewe 6.8mm, Connaught Airport 7.9h.)

While high pressure continued to dominate conditions during the 24th there was some frontal cloud over N Scotland. Rather cloudy skies in other areas meant almost no air frost early in the day, except in parts of the Midlands and E Scotland. Some overnight rain and drizzle fell in parts of W Scotland and N/NW Ireland - this then spread towards the Midlands during the day. Frontal rain fell across N Scotland giving moderate falls in a few places - and giving some light falls in N England before midnight. Parts of SE England also reported light falls of rain. There was little sunshine - except for a few breaks in the cloud in parts of E England and SW Ireland. (Aboyne 9.7C, Leek 4.1C maximum, Strathallan -1.4C minimum, Loch Glascarnoch 17.8mm, Church Fenton 4.4h.)

As high pressure edged away W'wards on the 25th fronts pushed S'wards in a N'ly flow that developed over E Britain. Parts of Cent and S England had an air frost overnight - and there was some heavy rain over parts of N Scotland, N Ireland and from Wales to East Anglia. Extensive cloud during the day meant little sunshine during the day while there was widespread rain across Ireland and Wales, W Britain and N Scotland. (Leeming 10.9C, Okehampton 5.5C maximum, Charlwood -0.5C minimum, Kinlochewe 18.8mm, Manston 2.4h.)

A cloudy night into the 26th meant no low-level air frost although parts of S Scotland, in particular, had a slight ground frost. Overnight there was some slight rain in places, notably in Cent Ireland, S England, E England and NE Scotland. These falls tended to become confined to E England as the day developed, and NE'ly winds developed in strength in the afternoon. It remained generally cloudy all day in most E areas but brightened up in the W and across Ireland later. (Isles of Scilly 9.4C, Dalwhinnie 2.4C maximum, Dalwhinnie 0.6C minimum, Durham 8.8mm, Tiree 6.1h.)

High pressure persisted into the 27th and the NE'ly surface flow persisted. There was a widespread air frost across Ireland and in NW and N parts of Scotland - elsewhere many places escaped sub-zero temperatures due to cloudy skies. E Scotland and a few parts of E England and E Ireland had overnight precipitation - and in a few parts of E Scotland such falls continued at times during the day. W areas of Wales, SW England, Ireland and Scotland had sunny spells during the day - but further E there was more cloud and less sunshine, and in much of England and E Wales it was a cold day with most places failing to rise above 3C. (South Uist 7.0C, Lake Vyrnwy -1.0C maximum, Kinbrace -6.1C minimum, Edinburgh Gogarbank 3.4mm, Tiree 7.0h.)

High pressure was firmly established across the British Isles on the 28th with 1029mb over NE England at 0000GMT. Away from W Scotland and some S areas of England and Ireland there was a widespread air frost by dawn; there was also a little sleet near the coast in NE England at first with some freezing fog a little further inland. During the day there was a little light rain or drizzle in NW Scotland with E'lies providing some falls of light snow in places close to the English Channel. E and S Ireland, W and parts of S Scotland had a dull day - elsewhere there were sunny spells although it remained below freezing in parts of Cent Wales and over high ground in SW England. (Baltasound 7.1C, Okehampton -2.1C maximum, Braemar -7.5C minimum, Durham 2.4mm, Aberporth 8.6h.)

High pressure into the 29th meant a widespread air frost to start the day - except in some coastal areas and in the extreme SE of England. A decaying front brought a little rain early in the day to N Scotland and this then pushed S'wards towards S Scotland, giving wintry falls over higher ground. Elsewhere the day was generally a dry one - but cloudy skies meant that the best of the sunshine was restricted to S Ireland, Wales and parts of NW England. In the evening the wintry precipitation began to affect parts of N England. In Cent England daytime temperatures were widely below 1C with an ice day in parts of the SW Midlands and SW England. (Stornoway 9.2C, Lake Vyrnwy -2.2C maximum, Shap -9.4C minimum, Lusa 2.6mm, Aberporth 8.6h.)

Away from places in and close to Lincolnshire there was a widespread air frost into the 30th with grass minimum temperatures falling to -10C in Wales, the Midlands and SW England. It was generally dry overnight - apart from a few showers in parts of SE Scotland and NE England that were wintry in places. Rain fell in W Scotland from morning onwards, and later across the extreme N of Scotland, as frontal cloud spread E'wards here. S Ireland and parts of S Wales and S England had sunny spells during the day - elsewhere it was rather cloudy - but daytime temperatures remained below 5C in many places away from N and NW Scotland. (South Uist 8.6C, Spadeadam -0.3C maximum, Pembrey Sands -9.0C minimum, Lusa 11.6mm, North Wyke 8.5h.)

While high pressure continued to dominate conditions in the S on the 31st, frontal systems crossed N parts of Scotland. Consequently, many parts of N Ireland and Scotland escaped an early air frost - which was sharpest in S Wales and nearby counties. Scotland and N Ireland remained rather cloudy with some overnight rain in the W that made little progress into E Scotland during the day. England and Wales saw the best of any sunshine - but even here there were dull areas - temperatures remained close to 0C in parts of S Wales and in counties bordering the Bristol Channel with haze for much of the day here. (Cassley 10.8C, Dunkeswell 0.0C maximum, Sennybridge -10.4C minimum, Lusa: 30.0mm, Coleshill 8.4h.)

British Isles weather, February 2011

A cold front crossed SE'wards through E areas on the 1st. By 0600GMT the rain from this front had reached a line Whitby-SW Wales - ahead of the rain there was a widespread air frost. During the day, this weakening band of rain spread SE, giving only slight falls. Scotland, N and W Ireland and W areas of England and Wales had showers during the day and these were heavy in parts of Scotland. As the front cleared it introduced sunny intervals; but the SE corner of England remained mainly cloudy. (Cassley 11.6C, Dalwhinnie 5.0C maximum, Exeter Airport -5.5C minimum, Tyndrum 24.2mm, Aberporth 7.3h.)

Another frontal system crossed all areas on the 2nd, with the trailing cold front almost clearing SE England by midnight. Overnight, air frost was confined to parts of East Anglia and S England. By dawn frontal rain had fallen across much if N and W Scotland and NW Ireland. In S England there was early mist and fog in places - this was freezing in a few spots. During the day rain continued to fall in all areas except for Cent, and SE England and East Anglia. Rainfall was heavy over high ground in W Scotland and NW England. In the evening there were some thundery showers in W Scotland with wintry showers over high ground. Across Ireland there were sunny periods behind the colds front - elsewhere it was a dull day. (Murlough 13.4C, Langdon Bay 6.3C maximum, Hurn -3.8C minimum, Tyndrum 48.4mm, Shannon Airport 4.8h.)

The 3rd began with a generally W'ly flow in all areas; as a depression moved towards the Faeroes MSL pressure dropped to 968mb in N Shetland by midnight. Cent Scotland had an early air frost while overnight showers affected much of N Ireland and Scotland. These were wintry across Scotland with some heavy snow falling over high ground. The showers began to give way to rain in the N and it turned windy here as pressure fell. By the evening the rain had spread into N England and N Wales - the SE corner of England remained mainly dry during the day. W areas of Scotland and Ireland remained rather cloudy - further E and S there were sunny spells. (Valentia 11.9C, Kinbrace 3.4C maximum, Braemar -2.2C minimum, Tyndrum 39.4mm, East Malling 7.3h.)

A W'ly flow min a warm sector affected most areas on the 4th until a cold front edged SW'wards across Scotland and N Ireland later in the day. It was a mild night in S districts but there was a touch of air frost overnight in N Scotland. At Sherkin Island the overnight minimum temperature was 10.0C. Rain fell overnight across much of Scotland, Ireland, Wales and N England. The falls were heavy in parts of N Wales and N England and they were wintry over Scotland. It continued wet during the day across N Ireland and Scotland with snow turning to sleet and rain in the morning as temperatures rose. Away from N England most parts of England had a dry day. With low pressure close to N Scotland there was a strong SW'ly flow - especially in the N. According to the Met Office, the highest gusts on Cairngorm Summit with over 100kn here; in Wales, gusts of 71 knots were reported at Lake Vyrnwy, while in N England Loftus reported gusts to 70kn. There were sunny spells over the Isle of Man and in parts of N England; elsewhere it was a mainly dull day. (Murlough 14.2C, Tain Range 3.1C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch -0.2C minimum, Shap 79.2mm, Leeming 5.3h.)

With a warm sector persisting over S areas on the 5th it was a mild night here. At Sherkin Island the overnight minimum temperature was 11.2C and many parts of S and Cent England remained above 10C during the night. There were outbreaks of rain throughout the night across N Wales, N England and at times in Ireland and Scotland. It was windy along the S edge of the rain, the cold front, with the Met Office reporting 58kn gusts at Loftus and 68kn at Aberdaron. Heavy rain persisted through N Wales and S parts of N England through the day. Further S there was some light rain and drizzle with wintry showers in parts of Scotland. Maximum temperatures were above 10C to the S of the front, which became slow-moving and remained N of the Midlands. There were sunny spells over Scotland with dull conditions to the S of the cold front. (Monks Wood 14.4C, Braemar 4.7C maximum, Lerwick 0.3C minimum, Lake Vyrnwy 85.2mm, Kirkwall 4.3h.)

The cold front remained straddled across the N Midland and N England on the 6th. As a result rain affected parts of Ireland Wales, northern England and southern Scotland early in the day - and continued to fall here during the day. To the S of the front SW'ly winds remained strong and it was a mild day in this area also. A few showers fell across Scotland while another area of more general rain fell across W Ireland later in the day as a depression moved E'wards towards SW Ireland. Most places had a dull day - although across the extreme N of Scotland there were sunny spells. (Linton on Ouse 13.5C, Salsburgh 3.8C maximum, Aboyne -3.8C minimum, Lake Vyrnwy 44.2mm, Kirkwall 4.6h.)

The low centre close to SW Ireland headed quickly NE'wards towards SE England during the first half of the 7th. This led to a windy night for much of England and Wales with some light rain and drizzle - although Ireland, S Scotland and N England had the bulk of the rain. N and W Scotland had some showers during the day, including snow over high ground - elsewhere the rain eased off as pressure rose N'wards; the N edge of the frontal rain also fell as snow in places in Cent Scotland. Snow also briefly affected some parts of N Ireland. Gusts of 50-70kn occurred along the path of the low early in the day but these died out as pressure rose later. Ireland had a sunny day after the rain had cleared - and this sunshine then spread a little E'wards into England and Wales. (Monks Wood 13.9C, Dalwhinnie 2.9C maximum, Fyvie Castle -0.7C minimum, Shap 47.2mm, Leeming and Cork Airport 5.9h.)

While high pressure persisted in E areas on the 8th it turned unsettled across Ireland and W Britain later in the day. Under high pressure overnight there were clear skies that led to a widespread across England and Wales in particular and fog patches in places. N and W Scotland had some overnight showers - these died out during the day but by evening there were falls of rain across S Ireland and in SW areas of England and Wales. As the rain in the SW spread a little N'wards in the evening an air frost and some fog patches returned to parts of E England. This followed a widely sunny day across much of England. (Gravesend 11.3C, Dalwhinnie 2.9C maximum, Benson -5.6C minimum, Altnaharra 4.2mm, East Malling 9.4h.)

The 9th dawned wet across N England, S Scotland, Wales and Ireland - and in parts of N England. During the day W areas of the UK, and much of Ireland, had further spells of rain while in the E there were sunny intervals across parts of the N Midlands and N England. During the evening, the outbreaks of rain over Scotland, Ireland and W England turned heavier and more persistent and gradually started spreading eastwards as fronts edged W. Some central parts of Scotland remained cold and cloudy all day due to snow cover keeping temperatures down. (Rhyl 12.7C, Strathallan 2.1C maximum, Braemar -3.4C minimum, Eskdalemuir 26.6mm, Monks Wood 4.3h.)

The 10th was a mainly unsettled day across the British Isles. Overnight frontal cloud brought rain to most areas except in Cent and E England with Cent Scotland and N Ireland having an air frost in places. These drier parts of Cent and E England had rainfall during the day - and both here and in S Ireland it was a rather cloudy day. Across Scotland and N parts of England and Ireland it was a sunny day - although further cloud approaching from the W was noted in W Ireland in the evening and there was rain and drizzle here by midnight. (Exeter Airport 12.6C, Rosehearty 6.1C maximum, Castlederg -2.1C minimum, Goudhurst 18.6mm, Dyce 7.8h.)

Frontal cloud again dominated the weather on the 11th. Overnight, air frost was mainly confined to Scotland and the extreme N of England while other areas saw patches of fog/mist and some outbreaks of rain and drizzle. This precipitation spread a little N into S Scotland - while further S slight outbreaks continued during the day. In the afternoon and evening further frontal rain spread E'wards into W Scotland and across Ireland with some snow over the hills of Scotland in the evening. While most places had a rather cloudy day there were a few sunny intervals in the afternoon in Cent England and in some SW areas. (Pershore College 14.2C, Aviemore 3.1C maximum, Altnaharra -6.5C minimum, Port Ellen 12.2mm, North Wyke 4.3h.)

Frontal systems continued to bring dull and unsettled weather on the 12th. A few areas in Ireland had a touch of overnight air frost - across NE Ireland and much of Britain an area of rain moved E'wards during the night with some heavy falls, and some snowfall, across Scotland. The rain cleared the E coast shortly after midday - in the W of Britain and across E Ireland the day dawned with sunny periods and these then moved E'wards during the day. It clouded over from the W as the next fronts crossed Ireland bringing rain - which was to reach parts of England before midnight. (Monks Wood 12.0C, Loch Glascarnoch 3.4C maximum, Castlederg -3.3C minimum, Dyce 19.2mm, Tiree 7.3h.)

Frontal cloud and rain was slow to move E'wards on the 13th and shallow areas of low pressure became almost stationary across N Ireland. Rain fell in many W areas overnight while E Britain stayed largely dry. Ahead of the rain there was a slight air frost in some E parts of Scotland. By the evening it was still mainly dry in E parts of England and Scotland - while parts of Ireland had some heavy falls. Only Ireland and SW Scotland saw much sunshine once the rain cleared and temperature only touched 10C in a few places. (Scilly and Milford Haven 10.6C, Cluanie Inn 2.5C maximum, Drumnadrochit -1.5C minimum, Capel Curig 32.2mm, Aldergrove 6.6h.)

A weak ridge of high pressure and a S'ly airflow on the 14th meant a drier and more settled day than of late for some places. Overnight rain cleared E England but lingered in NE Scotland. By dawn there were showers in parts of Ireland S Scotland, some of which turned wintry on higher ground. Overnight minimum temperatures fell close to 0C in most inland areas. Despite high pressure across s England it there were spells of rain across Scotland and N Ireland during the day with falls of sleet and snow in places here. Some showers also affected areas from N England through Wales to SW England. In N Scotland it was windy with 60kn gusts at Sella Ness. Much of Ireland, Wales and England had spells of sunshine although Scotland remained mostly cloudy. (Gravesend 11.0C, Dalwhinnie 3.1C maximum, Cluanie Inn -1.7C minimum, Lerwick 22.0mm, Yeovilton 8.2h.)

Frontal cloud affected S areas at first on the 15th before moving N'wards. It was a largely dry start for much of the UK, with temperatures below freezing in parts of northern England and Scotland. Clear skies meant a widespread overnight air frost away from S England but by dawn there has been some moderately heavy falls of rain close to the S coasts of England, Wales and Ireland. W and N Scotland also saw the remnants of some frontal rain overnight. As the day progressed the rain in the S moved N'wards eventually reaching Scotland by the end of the day, where it turned to snow over higher ground. The rain was followed by showers (and a little sunshine in places) from the S; however, much of England and Wales had a dull day. In the N of the UK there were coastal gales from a S'ly or SE'ly direction. (Valley 10.2C, Dalwhinnie 3.1C maximum, Redesdale Camp -4.1C minimum, Okehampton 15.4mm, Stornoway 6.9h.)

Although only a few places close to Wales and the W Midlands had an air frost into the 16th many S areas of Britain and Ireland turned dry overnight as the rain edged N'wards - particularly into E Scotland. Low pressure centred to the S of Ireland drove a band of heavy rain into SW England and S Ireland during the day - but this made little further progress to the E or N. E and N Scotland had further outbreaks of rain during the day as fronts here continued to move N'wards. Most other areas of Ireland and England had a dry day with sunny spells - especially across Ireland. (St James Park 11.7C, Baltasound 2.5C maximum, Shobdon -2.2C minimum, Aboyne 11.4mm, Belmullet 9.1h.)

NE Scotland had some overnight rain into the 17th - as did places close to the Irish Sea. Elsewhere it was a mainly dry night with a slight air frost in N Ireland and parts of S and W Scotland. During the morning, the rain in the west moved N, towards SW Scotland; fog patches in the light winds in Cent and E England gradually cleared. Cent Ireland, N and Cent England and S Scotland remained rather cloudy and dull - elsewhere there outbreaks of sunshine and as winds remained light across much of England; in parts of cent Scotland persistent mist/fog/low cloud led to a cold day. (Lee-on-Solent 13.3C, Salsburgh 2.6C maximum, Dalwhinnie -3.5C minimum, Murlough 8.6mm, Kinlochewe 7.0h.)

SW and S Scotland had some light rain overnight into the 18th, as did parts of N Ireland. A few showers also affected parts of Wales and there was rain on Shetland - elsewhere it was a dry night with some pockets of air frost. During the day further frontal rain spread across Ireland and into parts of W Britain by the evening; elsewhere the day was dry but with widespread cloud. The best of the sunshine was generally in parts of N Scotland. (Valentia 11.6C, Bingley 2.5C maximum. Altnaharra -5.2C minimum, Camborne 12.0mm, East Malling 4.7h.)

By dawn on the 19th the frontal rain had reached all but the far E of England and Scotland. The rain was heavy in places in the N and in SW England. It turned to snow for a time over high ground in N England and Scotland. The rain died out from the W during the day but lingered close to the E coast of Britain with the sunniest conditions during the day to be found across Ireland and around the Irish Sea coasts. (Ballykelly 12.5C, Spadeadam 0.7C maximum, Carterhouse -0.2C minimum, Ballypatrick Forest 28.4mm, Casement Aerodrome 8.4h.)

Into the 20th the rain died out close to the E coast. N Scotland had an air frost in places but S parts of Britain had a cloudy start to the day with rather misty conditions. NE coastal areas of Scotland and England saw occasional drizzle due to the cloudy airstream off the North Sea as a SE'ly flow developed around high pressure to the NE. There was little rain during the day elsewhere, except in Ireland and SW England as a cold frost pushed NE'wards. Many places had a cloudy day but around the Irish Sea there were sunny periods ahead of the front. (Shannon Airport 11.7C, Bingley 1.7C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch -2.8C minimum, Camborne 6.2mm, Aviemore 5.7h.)

Overnight into the 21st rain affected places SW of a line from Hampshire to Tiree with cloud skies further E. Falls were mainly light and in N Scotland there was an air frost in places. As the frontal rain edged E'wards some snow fell across the hills of N England and Scotland, with the Met Office reporting accumulations of a few centimetres. A separate area of rain later affected SW England with some heavy falls here. As the main rain area cleared away to the NE it was followed by showers and sunny intervals - the latter mainly across Ireland. (Castlederg 13.1C, Spadeadam 1.1C maximum, Lentran -2.2C minimum, Liscombe 16.4mm, Shannon Airport 6.4h.)

Frontal cloud led to another rather cloud day on the 22nd. Light overnight rain affected many areas and there was a widespread formation of mist and fog patches across the UK by dawn. During the day there was little sunshine except in NE parts of mainland Scotland although rain was mainly confined to SW England and S Ireland - ahead of warm sector that covered much of Ireland by midnight. Rain also pushed E across N Ireland and Cent Scotland during the afternoon, with light drizzle affecting parts of England and Wales. (Valentia 12.2C, Tyndrum 3.9C maximum, Aboyne -4.1C minimum, Isles of Scilly 8.2mm, Kinloss 7.0h.)

The 23rd was a rather cloudy day - but warmer than recently with most places away from NE Scotland reaching 10-12C. By dawn frontal rain had fallen in many areas except E England with overnight minimum temperatures remaining above 10C in parts of Ireland. During the day the rain areas moved E with much of Britain having falls - although much of Ireland had a largely dry day. (Murlough 14.9C, Baltasound 6.7C maximum, Cassley 1.9C minimum, Lusa 31.6mm, Cork Airport 3.1h.)

The 24th was a mild day almost everywhere with a pleasant SW'ly airflow. Overnight, persistent rain affected NW Scotland, where it turned heavy at times. Outbreaks also affected Cumbria, and later E Scotland and NE England before dawn. As the rain cleared away to the E during the day most places had sunny spells - but Ireland remained rather dull as a cold front approached the W coast there during the evening. (St James' Park 15.3C, St Bees Head 8.0C maximum, Santon Downham 2.2C minimum, Lusa 21.4mm, Odiham 7.0h.)

The 25th saw an end to the mild conditions from the W as a cold front edged E'wards. SE England, remained in the warm sector by 2400GMT as a wave developed on the front and became slow-moving over Wales. Overnight the cold front gave persistent rain in W Scotland and over Ireland. Minimum temperatures in Ireland remained generally above 10C overnight and then widely climbed to 12-13C across the British Isles - in sunshine behind the front and under cloud skies ahead of it, as rain spread into E Scotland and Cent England by the evening; the wave brought persistent rain over S Wales and SW England during the afternoon before this moved E'wards. Heavy, thundery showers affected W Scotland throughout the day. (Writtle 15.5C, St Bees Head 8.3C maximum, Charlwood 1.7C minimum, Kinlochewe 45.4mm, Tiree 6.7h.)

The wave and cold front finally cleared to the E on the 26th to be followed by a ridge of high pressure across W areas. Scotland and Northern Ireland had showers overnight, whilst the wave and front gave some heavy rain across England. This persistent band of rain continued E'wards during the day; to its rear heavy showers developed with locally thundery outbreaks in S parts of England during the morning. The rain cleared S England later in the afternoon and the showers died out in the evening. Away from E and cent S England it was quite a sunny day. (Lee-on-Solent 12.1C, Dalwhinnie 6.4C maximum, Tulloch Bridge 0.6C minimum, Keele 20.4mm, Cork Airport 8.8h.)

High pressure continued to build in the W during the 27th - widely reaching 1032mb at MSL by midnight in Ireland. W Scotland had some overnight frontal rain while there was an air frost in NE Scotland. Later in night a band of showers began moving into Wales and northwest England, and quickly progressed south and east through the morning. By midday only SE England was dry with a little sunshine, while in Scotland and Ireland early showers then died out. Through the rest of the afternoon the showers continued SE'wards, bringing some heavy rain to parts of S England. Following the showers, Ireland and Scotland had a sunny day as pressure rose. (Stormont Castle 10.8C, Lake Vyrnwy 6.0C maximum, Aboyne -4.6C minimum, Thorney Island 8.4mm, Connaught Airport 9.0h.)

High pressure continued to dominate on the 28th. Scotland and much of Ireland had an overnight air frost followed by temperature of 10C or so. England and Wales had a rather cloudy day with a weak front giving some light rain and a cool NE'ly breeze off the North Sea. Later cloud spread across W Scotland and gave some light rain and drizzle here. In much of East Anglia temperatures failed to rise above 4C. (Helen's Bay 10.8C, Andrewsfield 2.8C maximum, Altnaharra -6.6C minimum, Waddington 3.8mm, Camborne 9.8h.)

British Isles weather, March 2011

Although high pressure dominated the weather on the 1st (1041mb between Wales and Ireland at 1200GMT), weak fronts gave a little rain to parts of Scotland and N England overnight. There was a widespread overnight ground frost and an air frost in NE England, E and S Scotland and in parts of E Ireland. During the day it remained cloudy and dull in Cent S and SE England, the Midlands and East Anglia. Elsewhere, away from the clyde Valley 6-10h of sunshine was widely measured. (Fyvie Castle 12.9C, Okehampton 2.9C maximum, Redesdale Camp -3.8C minimum, Lusa 1.6mm, Cork Airport 10.1h.)

High pressure continued to control the weather on the 2nd, with 1040mb being recorded across N England and S Scotland in the early hours. S Scotland, E Ireland, N Wales and parts of N England had an overnight air frost with many places away from E and S England recording a ground frost. It was dry overnight but a front brought cloud and moderate falls of rain to The Northern Isles, the Western Isles and parts of W Ireland by evening. Elsewhere as the day progressed the cloud tended to clear, giving sunny spells - especially in W Wales. While temperatures remained below 5C in parts of S England, across Ireland and Scotland temperatures at low-level sites were generally above 10C at their peak. (Aboyne 12.9C , Eskdalemuir 3.4C maximum, Katesbridge -5.2C minimum, South Uist 6.0mm, Aberporth 10.1h.)

The front in the N gradually faded during the 3rd as high pressure persisted, but it did leave rather cloudy skies from mainland parts of N Scotland down into the E Midlands. W parts of Scotland and Ireland had some rain overnight - but very little further rain fell after dawn. Away from N and Cent Scotland there was a widespread air frost and while in E England many places failed to reach 4C, across Ireland temperatures rose widely to 10-12C. It was a sunny day across S and Cent Ireland, and in Wales and SW England; in the evening cloud spread off the North Sea into E and cent areas of the UK. (Castlederg 13.6C, Lake Vyrnwy 1.3C maximum, Woodford -6.0C minimum, Lusa 2.4mm, Camborne 10.3h.)

High pressure continued to affacte all areas on the 4th. It was a rather cold and cloudy at first for many, with patches of mist and fog, particularly across N England.NE England and much of Scotland remained free of ground frost with an air frost mainly forming in W parts of England, Wales and a few places in Ireland. It was generally dry overnight but some frontal rain fell in W Scotland during the day. After the early mist and cloud cleared there were sunny spells in S parts of Ireland and the UK - but much of Scotland remained rather dull. (Strathallan 13.5C, Lake Vyrnwy 1.9C maximum, Okehampton -3.7C minimum, Aultbea 1.6mm, Aberporth 10.5h.)

A weakening cold front pushed S'wards under anticyclonic conditions on the 5th. Ahead of the cold front there was a widespread ground frost in England and Wales with an air frost in Wales and Cent and S parts of England. Only a small amount of rain fell from the front across Scotland overnight and there were further falls in N parts of England and Wales during the day. The day was a generally cloudy one with parts of N Scotland seeing the most sunshine. By the evening the light frontal rain was mainly confined to SW England - and it was a mainly cool day due to the cloud. (Belmullet 13.3C, Nettlecombe Birds Hill 3.4C maximum, Pershore -5.3C minimum, Sheffield 1.4mm, Kinlochewe 8.4h.)

High pressure again dominated the weather on the 6th but by the evening frontal cloud was edging into W parts of the British Isles. The day dawned after a cool night - but one in which there was only a little air frost. Frontal cloud during the day kept it rather dull in W parts of Ireland and Scotland - some SE parts of England were also dull in a cloudy onshore breeze. Later in the day there was some light rain in N and W parts of the Scottish Islands - which then spread to the mainland. (Lossiemouth 11.5C, Salsburgh 3.6C maximum, Aboyne -4.7C minimum, Lerwick 1.0mm, Aberporth: 9.6h.)

While high pressure continued to prevail in the E of England on the 7th, frontal condirtions meant a little rain in W and N parts of Scotland and Ireland during the day - and a freshening wind in the NW. England and E Scotland had a widespread air frost overnight - while cloud kept it milder further N and W. England and Wales, S and E Ireland and E parts of mainland Scotland had a sunny day - while the highest temperatures were to be found in parts of E Scotland, (Fyvie Castle: 13.0C, Dundrennan 4.3C maximum, Capel Curig -6.1C minimum, Stornoway 7.8mm, East Malling 11.2h.)

Overnight into the 8th there was frontal rain in NW Scotland and on Shetland. SE England had some fog patches by dawn and there was a widespread ground frost away from N and W parts of Scotland and W Ireland - and with a widespread air frost across England and Wales. During the day the rain in the N spread into N Ireland and to much of Scotland. In contrast, much of England and Wales had long sunny spells during the day - although it turned cloudy here in the evening. Later in the evening there were winbtry falls across N Scotland. (St James Park 12.7C, Dalwhinnie 5.6C maximum, Benson -7.0C minimum, Kinlochewe 38.8mm, East Malling 10.8h.)

A cold front crossed SE'wards across England and Wales during the morning of the 9th, and later in the day another frontal system, formed by a low to the W of Scotland, cross N Britain. There was little rain during the morning across the E Midlands, East Anglia and Cent and SE England - elsewhere most places had overnight falls. N Scotland had an overnight air frost - elsewhere it was rather too cloudy. Showers followed the cold fron t - these were wintry over N Scotland with a few centimteres of snow falling in places. In N England showers were generally of rain but with some snow over high ground. Most places had sunny intervals at times during the day, but by late afternoon an area of more persistent frontal rain spread into W Ireland, and then to Scotland by the evening. In northern Scotland it fell as snow, giving further accunmulations on the ground. (Langdon Bay 12.3C, Loch Glascarnoch 1.6C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch -1.8C minimum, Glasgow 17.0mm, Dyce 9.1h.)

Low pressure close to N Scotland for much of the 10th led to a mainly unsettled day across the British Isles with W'ly gales in the N. The Met Office reported widespread gusts of 50-60mph in Scotland, N Ireland and N England, with isolated gusts of 65mph to 75 mph. Leeming reported a gust of 77mph during the morning. The Northern Isles and parts of N Scotland had an early air frost and there were snow showers across Scotland before dawn. Showers continued to fall, as rain, across W and N Ireland and much of Scotland and parts of N England during the day; a cold front crossed all areas to the SE but gave little in the way of rain across England and Wales. Many places had sunny spells during the day; but in the evening showers turned to snow again in Scotland as the temperature fell. In E England those places that had sunny spells felt mild. (Weybourne 14.1C, Lerwick 1.9C maximum, Lerwick -2.2C minimum, Cluanie Inn 35.4mm, Leeming 9.2h.)

During the 11th a warm front pushed N'wards across England, Wales and S Ireland. Many palces had a ground frost overnight but air frost was largely confined to N and E areas of Scotland. W parts of Scotland and Ireland saw the majority of the overnight showers - the warm front brought very little precipitation although Wales and S Ireland were rather cloudy. Frontal rain affected N areas during the day; the rain turned to snow over hills and frequent snow showers continued in Cent and N Scotland into the evening. There were also a few wintry showers in N England and in parts of NW Ireland. (St James Park 12.6C, Salsburgh 2.8C maximum, Lerwick -2.7C minimum, Shap 20.2mm, Dyce 8.8h.)

A warm sector became stationary across England and Wales on the 12th - and a shallow low formed on the warm sector in E Ireland (central pressure down to 993mb). N Scotland had an air frost overnight while Ireland and S Scotland had spells of rain. The rain edged N during the day with some moderate to heavy falls of snow. By the afternoon the rain and snow reached N Scotland and there were also wintry falls during the day across parts of N England and N Ireland. Under the warm sector it was a mild day in E and Cent England - the SE corner of England and S Ireland had sunny intervals but elsewhere (except on Shetland) it was a rather cloudy day. (Monks Wood 14.7C, Dalwhinnie -0.5C maximum, Altnaharra -6.2C minimum, Charterhall 24.6mm, Lerwick 6.2h.)

S Ireland and the Northern Isles had an overnight ground frost and it was a cool night in S Ireland. Many places saw spells of rain or showers overnight into the 13th and rain persisted over parts of Cent and N Scotland and N Ireland during the day, with spells of snow over N and Cent Scotland. The snowfalls tended to fade in the evening. England, Wales and Ireland had a sunny day - elsewhere it was dull. A warm sector was slow to leave E England and it was a warm day here. (Norwich Airport 14.1C, Dalwhinnie 0.9C maximum, Gurteen -3.4C minimum, Kinloss 27.6mm, Camborne 10.8h.)

England, Wales and S Scotland had a widespread air frost into the 14th. Most of England, Wales and parts of S Scotland had a dry day - as did N Scotland. Other areas Scotland were mainly cloudy with outbreaks of rain, occasionally falling as sleet or wet snow over high ground. Parts of SE England were also cloudy - elsewhere sunny spells were widespread. Later in the day this cloud spread NW with some coastal fog. During the day the rain diminished across Scotland. (Northolt 13.0C, Braemar 1.7C maximum, Benson -5.9C minimum, Salsburgh 23.8mm, Monks Wood 9.9h.)

Parts of N Scotland and SW Ireland had a sharp air frost into the 15th while in S England temperatures remained above 7C overnight. During the early hours a band of rain, heavy at times moved north through the Irish Sea, affecting E Ireland and W Wales and SW England. During the day the rain extended N'wards into SW and later E Scotland. The rain turned to snow over high ground in Scotland while in S England temperatures reached 16C in places. (Leeon-Solent 17.8C, Salsburgh 1.9C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch -4.8C minimum, Inverbervie 29.6mm, Shannon Airport 10.5h.)

Scotland and Ireland had a widespread ground frost on the 16th with an air frost away from the coasts. Across England minimum temperatures were 6-8C in many places. Some rain and snow fell in E Scotland overnight; many parts of England and Wales stayed cloudy and misty overnight and E England was generally foggy, with dense fog in parts of Lincolnshire. Some rain spread into NW Scotland and Ireland in the evening. Scotland, Ireland and Sw England had a sunny day and SW England turned very warm in places away from the sea. (Cardinham 17.3C, Edinburgh Gogarbank 4.2C maximum, Tulloch Bridge -6.6C minimum, Rosehearty 5.8mm, Kinloss 11.0h.)

A cold front edged slowly E'wards across the British Isles on the 17th. E areas of Ireland, along with Cent Scotland and W parts of Wales had a ground frost before dawn while some rain fell in W parts of Ireland and Scotland before dawn. This rain spread slowly E'wards, becoming lighter all the while so that E areas had only light falls in places. Behind this rain, the cold front introduced wintry showers into N Scotland - these were mainly slight. Some light rain reached SW parts of England in the evening before starting to spread slowly E'wards. (Pershore 13.9C, Langdon Bay 5.5C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch -3.1C minimum, Baltasound 4.8mm, Tiree 9.2h.)

A ridge of high pressure gave a dry day for many on the 18th - by 2400GMT the MSL pressure had risen to 1032mb close to Scilly. Away from SW parts of England and Wales there was a widespread ground frost with a widespread air frost across Scotland and N parts of England and Ireland. Some light fell fell across S England overnight before spreading to other S areas of England during the day. Outbreaks of rain also affected NW Scotland for a time with some snow on Orkney before midnight. The extreme S and SE of England had a dull day - but elsewhere there were vlong, sunny spells. (Killowen 13.7C, Dalwhinnie 4.2C maximum, Braemar -7.5C minimum, Okehampton 11.4mm, Boulmer: 10.5h.)

High pressure was centred over S England for much of the 19th but as this moved away E'wards it allowed a frontal system to move into Ireland in the evening. Many places away from Cent and S Ireland had an overnight air frost. Many places had a sunny day with amounts in excess of 10h across much of Cent and S England. Some cloud developed across N England while Scotland was also rather cloudy in places. SW Ireland remained cloudy all day and this slowly spread NE'wards with rain falling in W Ireland by the evening. Maximum temperatures touch 12-13C in many Cent parts of England and Wales. (Hawarden 13.7C, Dalwhinnie 5.2C maximum, Santon Downham -6.7C minimum, Kinlochewe 4.0mm, Norwich Airport 11.5h.)

The frontal system across Ireland spread into W Britain by midday and then faded as high pressure again devbeloped in S parts on the 20th. There was some air frost before dawn in parts of SE England with a ground frost in other areas away from the rain - which fell across Ireland and in W Wales and SW Scotland before dawn. The rain made little further progress during the day - although there were some heavy falls in SW Scotland for a time. S England had a bright day - elsewhere varying amounts of cloud kept the sunshine duration low. During the afternoon and into the evening, areas of fog developed in the Irish Sea bringing damp conditions to W Wales and parts of SW England. (Helen's Bay 15.5C, Carterhouse 7.1C maximum, Santon Downham -3.4C minimum, Dundrennan 14.8mm, Dyce 8.8h.)

High pressure centred over Sreas on the 21st led to a generally dry day in all areas. There was a slight ground frost at first in SE England and some light rain in SW England, S Ireland and Wales from a weakening front. Parts of SE England also has some early mist and fog patches. Later in the day a cold front gave some light rain acxross NW and N Scotland; Scotland was also breezy with a strong southwesterly wind in N areas. Much of S Ireland, and a few areas bordering the Irish Sea had a dull day. By 2400GMT MSL pressure had risen to 1036mb across SW Britain and S Ireland. (Bridlington 17.0C, Aberdaron 8.4C maximum, South Farnborough -1.3C minimum, Kinlochewe 16.0mm, Church Fenton 10.8h.)

High pressure continued to prevail on the 22nd; by 2400GMT MSL pressure had risen to 1041mb on Anglesey. Parts of Ireland, Wales and England had a tocuh of ground frost before dawn, but across N Ireland and much of Scotland minimum air temperatures were around 6-7C. Frontal cloud gave some rain to NW and N Scotland overnight - this eased off during the morning, although one or two showers fell over S Scotland during the day. It was mild almost everywhere - but rather cloudy in N Ireland and SW Scotland. (Bridlington 18.3C, Lerwick 8.5C maximum, Sennybridge -1.0C minimum, Kinlochewe 12.0mm, Shawbury 10.2h.)

High pressure again prevailed on the 23rd, although N Scotland was affected by frontal cloud. Many parts of the UK and cent Ireland had an early grund frost - with an air frost in Cent Scotland. It was a mainly dry night, except for a few spots of rain in the W of Scotland. The same areas saw small amounts of rain during the day - elsewhere it was dry and warm, and very sunny in S parts of England, Wales and Ireland. In the evening some coastal fog formed on the coasts of SE England in the onshore E'ly flow. (Durham 18.7C, Fair Isle 9.8C maximum, Dalwhinnie -1.6C minimum, Cassley 2.0mm, North Wyke 11.8h.)

The high pressure area weakened, but persisted, on the 24th. The night gave a widespread ground frost and a slight air frost in a few sheltered places. It was generally a dry night but during the day some frontal rain fell across the Shetlands. After some early mist and fog cleared, temperatures rose to 16-17C widely across England and low-lying parts of Wales. Sea fog affected the coasts of Northern Ireland and W Scotland, but elsewhere (except in N Scotland) it was a sunny day. (Valentia 18.6C, Baltasound 7.3C maximum, Katesbridge -2.8C minimum, Baltasound 6.0mm, North Wyke 11.8h.)

High pressure finally gave way to a small wave depression over NW Scotland during the 25th. There was a widespread overnight ground frost and an air frost in many parts of N Ireland and Cent/S Scotland. Light rain continued to fall in the Northern Isles overnight and this spread into mainland areas of N Scotland during the day. Fog patches developed in places across England and Wales before dawn - an another sunny day followed across much of England and Cent and S parts of Ireland. S parts of Ireland and England had another warm day. (Charlwood 19.6C, Lerwick 4.0C maximum, Tyndrum -3.2C minimum, Wick Airport 2.0mm, St. Athan 11.2h.)

Except for N and E Scotland the 26th dawn dry with an air frost in places. During the day there was further frontal rain and drizzle across N Scotland - while another frontal system gave some sporadic falls in parts of E and S England. It was cool throughout the E of Britain - but warmer in the W and in Ireland. The best of the sunshine was to be found on Shetland. Hail and thunder was reported in Wiltshire in the afternoon during heavy showers - and these showers then affected areas to the S of here in the evening. (Middle Wallop and Charlwood 17.6C , Fait Isle 4.7C maximum, Katesbridge -2.0C minimum, Boscombe Down 10.8mm, Lerwick 10.0h.)

A weak area of high pressure and some fronts led to a mainly settled day on the 27th, but with some cloud and light rain. The day dawned mainly dry although showers fell in the morning across N Scotland. According to the Met Office, it was a rather murky day in Cornwall, while many other parts of S England were a little hazy. The Northern isles were cool in a W/NW'ly flow. Much of Ireland, in particular, had a sunny day. (Plymouth 17.3C, Baltasound 6.7C maximum, Katesbridge -4.5C minimum, Lerwick 1.6mm, Valley 10.8h.)

A weak area of high pressure across the British Isles on the 28th gave way later in the day to a frontal system that moved NE'wards into SW England and Cent Ireland. Away from S England there was a widespread early ground frost with an air frost in many areas. The night was a largely dry night, as was the day - except on Shetland where light rain fell. By dawn there were patches of dense fog, especially across the W Midlands and neighbouring areas. During the day, N and Cent Scotland northwards and parts of N Ireland were cloudy for most of the day, with some showers in the far northwest of Scotland. Elsewhere there were sunny spells although areas around Avon and S Ireland also remained rather cloudy. During the evening a few showers affected the far southwest of Britain as the front arrived. (Jersey Airport 16.8C, Dalwhinnie 6.6C maximum, Altnaharra -5.8C minimum, Baltasound 1.6mm, Valley 10.6h.)

Several fronts affected the British Isles during the 29th, leading to a mainly cloudy day for many areas. However, away from Ireland there was a widespread ground frost with an air frost in parts of N England and S Scotland before dawn. There were a few showers in SW Britain and S Ireland overnight - with further scattered showery outbreaks during the day in many W and Cent parts of the British Isles. The E of Britain remained mainly dry and had the best of the sunshine - with East Anglia and Se England having a warm day, away from the coasts. (Holbeach 17.1C, Lerwick 4.5C maximum, Redesdale Camp -2.5C minimum, Dunkeswell: 6.0mm, Manston 9.3h.)

Fronts again affected the British Isles on the 30th. Rather cloudy skies meant little ground frost overnight - and widespread rain and drizzle across Ireland and S and NW Scotland. Parts of SW England and N England also saw some overnight falls. By the evening many areas has seen some falls of rain - almost doubling the monthly total so far in parts of E England. Some of the rain turned heavy across SW England during the morning. After the rain, Ireland, Wales and SW parts of Scotland and England had a bright day. In the evening further rain fell across S Ireland and SW britain as the next frontal system pushed NE'wards here. (Murlough 16.1C, Baltasound 6.0C maximum, Baltasound -1.1C minimum, Redesdale Camp 13.6mm, Aberporth 4.1h.)

Low pressure headed NE towards Scotland on the 31st, with a shallow low (centre 987mb) sitting over Cent Scotland by 1200GMT. Cloudy skies meant a mild night - except in NE Scotland, and there was widespread overnight rain except in this area. By morning, drier conditions had moved into much of England, Wales and Northern Ireland; the wind then gained in strength in the W as the low headed towards Scotland. Gales developed across parts of Northern Ireland, S Scotland and N England, and the combination of a dry month and high winds picked up a lot of dust, reducing the visibility to just 1200 metres at Dishforth Airfield, according to the Met Office. During the day rain was mainly confined to Scotland and NE Ireland with a few showers across England and Wales. Some coastal parts of SW England and SW Wales remained misty and murky throughout the day, with some dense fog in places. (Santon Downham 18.8C, Lerwick 6.9C maximum, Aboyne -1.3C minimum, Capel Curig 19.2mm, Leeming 8.6h.)

British Isles weather, April 2011

A warm sector pushed N'wards across all areas by midday on the 1st although later in the day a following cold front nudged into W Ireland. S parts of Britain and Ireland consequently had a mild night with temperatures remaining above 10C in many places here. As the warm air moved N temperatures rose above 15C as far N as N Scotland. Frontal rain affected Ireland, Wales and S Scotland overnight - and this then spread to W and N Scotland during the day. In E Britain the warm front gave a mainly dry day albeit with some cloud. The warm sector did result in some fog patches close to the English Channel - elsewhere the day was rather cloudy in the W but produced some sunny periods in E areas. (Lossiemouth 19.4C, Inverbervie 9.3C maximum, Kinbrace 1.9C minimum, Capel Curig 26.4mm, North Wyke 6.1h.)

During the 2nd a cold front crossed E'wards over all areas. It was a dry and mild night in SE England - temperatures remaining above 11C in places - but locally heavy and showery rain moved into many N and W areas, with thunder spreading N'wards through SW England and Wales into NW England. The rain moved E'wards across Scotland but it made little further progress E across England. But, after some sunshine during the day there were showers in parts of E England in the evening. Further heavy and thundery showers crossed N Ireland during the afternoon. (Writtle 20.3C, Lerwick 8.5C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch 2.1C minimum, Altnahinch Filters 22.4mm, Aberporth 11.2h.)

There was a touch of ground frost early on the 3rd under a weak ridge of high pressure. Some showers fell overnight across Ireland and in a few W areas of Scotland and Wales. During the day, these showers spread further E dawn along by troughs; in the afternoon there were reports of some thundery outbreaks over parts of Wales and W England - these then spread a little further E. In between any showers all areas had sunny spells. (Gravesend 16.4C, Loch Glascarnoch 8.1C maximum, Katesbridge -1.9C minimum, Cluanie Inn 17.4mm,Valentia 9.7h.)

A ridge of high pressure soon gave way to bands of frontal rain on the 4th. This led to a mainly dry night with a touch of ground frost in places - but with some rainfall in W parts of Scotland and Ireland by dawn. The rain spread E and SE with places from NE England to S Wales seeing falls by the evening. Falls were heavy in places, notably over high ground in N Wales and S Scotland - although in East Anglia and SE England it remained mainly dry with sunny periods. Ireland and parts of Scotland also had some sunny intervals but it remained rather dull in NW England and Wales. Winds were strongest in NW Britain where they occasionally exceeded gale force over exposed coasts and higher ground. (Murlough 17.8C, Lake Vyrnwy 8.2C maximum, Topcliffe -0.2C minimum, Capel Curig 27.8mm, Herstmonceux 7.6h.)

It was a mild night into the 5th across Ireland with temperatures remaining above 11C in many places. Elsewhere inland temperatures at low levels did not fall much below 8C. Overnight rainfall affected many areas with further heavy falls in N Wales and over high ground in N parts of Ireland and England and in W Scotland. Rainfall amounts lessened during the day - and many E areas of England were dry but cloudy. E Scotland saw the best of the sunshine with sunny spells here. It was very windy with gusts to gale force over NW coasts and storm force gusts over hills in NW Scotland. (Dyce 17.9C, St Bees Head 9.0C maximum, Lerwick 6.8C minimum, Tyndrum 51.2mm, Braemar 9.0h.)

High pressure spread into S parts of England and Ireland on the 6th. It was a mild night in all areas with temperatures remaining above 12C in parts of E Scotland. However, there was some heavy rain overnight with rainfall across much of Ireland and from NW Wales to NW Scotland. Some thunder was reported over Ireland before dawn. Mist and fog patches were widespread in S parts of England and Ireland but this soon cleared. During the day rain was mainly confined to Scotland and the extreme N or England and Ireland. S parts of England and Wales had a very sunny day and elsewhere there were sunny intervals during the day, away from the rain areas. In parts of SE England and East Anglia 23C was recorded in the afternoon. (Santon Downham 23.9C, Fair Isle 9.5C maximum, Exeter Airport 6.9C minimum, Tyndrum 75.0mm, East Malling 12.6h.)

High pressure maintained its grip on the 7th with MSL pressure rising to 1032mb over SW Ireland by 1200GMT. Cent Ireland had a mild night with 10C minimum temperatures but there was a ground frost in some S and Cent parts of England. NW Ireland and parts of W and Cent Scotland had some overnight rain - caused by a weakening front that faded as it ran into the high pressure. The front gave little rain during the day - with very sunny conditions to its S across S parts of England and Wales and also to its N. NW Scotland had a few isolated showers from time to time - while it was another warm day in SE England. (St James Park 22.7C, Fair Isle 8.7C maximum, Exeter Airport 0.4C minimum, Baltasound 3.2mm, East Malling 12.2h.)

High pressure remained firmly established throughout the 8th. Many areas had a ground frost although it was a generally dry night apart from some light drizzle in NW Scotland. Some mist ands fog patches affected parts of Wales and SW England but this soon cleared. Temperatures then rose widely above 20C across England with long sunny spells from S Scotland S'wards. It was cloudier in W Scotland with some showery rain - and the extreme W of Scotland had a rather cloudy day. The Met Office noted that a plume of Saharan dust passed to the west, giving many areas a good sunset. (Linton-on-Ouse 22.2C, Fair Isle 10.1C maximum, Katesbridge -1.4C minimum, Lerwick 1.2mm, East Malling 13.0h.)

High pressure again dominated conditions in the E on the 9th although frontal cloud led to a rather cloudy day in W Ireland. Some places had a touch of ground frost before dawn before temperatures again rose above the average in many areas - reaching 20C in parts of N Scotland. It was a dry day in most places and a very sunny one, except in W Scotland where there was patchy cloud and in W Ireland where it was rather dull. (Porthmadog 22.5C, Fair Isle 8.6C maximum, Santon Downham 0.4C minimum, Leuchars 2.0mm, East Malling 12.7h.)

The W-E boundary between frontal cloud in the W and high pressure in the E was places rather further E on the 10th. Inland parts of England had a touch of ground frost by dawn while in W Ireland and W Scotland minimum temperatures were in the range 10-12C in places. The frontal cloud failed to give very much rain and temperatures rose to 20C in parts of S England and even higher in E Scotland. Away from W parts of Scotland and Ireland it was a very sunny day with 10-12h in many S areas. (Fyvie Castle 23.3C, Harris Quidnish 10.2C maximum, Santon Downham -1.3C minimum, East Malling 0.2mm, Manston 12.6h.)

Frontal cloud spread rain across many places on the 11th but SE Ireland and most S parts of England and Wales remained dry. There was an early ground in parts of E England but by dawn the frontal; cloud had led to rainfall in W Scotland and N and NW parts of Ireland in particular. By the evening this rain had affected much of Scotland and also parts of Wales and N England. Showers then followed in many western parts, some quite heavy with thunder in places and some falling as sleet or hail over the hills of Scotland. In between the showers, and away from the rain, there were long sunny spells in many areas. (Shoeburyness 21.5C, Lerwick 8.9C maximum, Santon Downham -1.2C minimum, Kinlochewe 10.2mm, Cork Airport 11.8h.)

High pressure built for a while on the 12th - reaching 1035.2mb at Scilly by 1200GMT - but then gave way to some frontal activity over W Ireland later in the evening. There was a widespread ground frost to start the day and overnight most areas were dry - although a few showers fell in W parts of Scotland and NW Ireland. During the day, these showers remained, spreading a little further E with some falls over E England by the afternoon. England and Wales had another very sunny day with sunny periods elsewhere - except for the extreme SW of Ireland where it remained rather dull. (St James' Park 15.8C, Dalwhinnie 8.4C maximum, Katesbridge -0.6C minimum, Tyndrum 10.0mm, Yeovilton 12.6h.)

Overnight into the 13th temperatures locally fell below freezing in some E and Cent parts of the UK, but further W they remained a little higher due to advancing cloud cover. By dawn there had been falls of rain across Ireland and W parts of Britain and during the day this then affected areas as far E as E Scotland, Cumbria, Wales and parts of Cent S England, with generally dry conditions further E. It was quite breezy in W areas at times and for most places it was a rather cloudy day. (Castlederg 14.7C, Warcop 6.5C maximum, Santon Downham -2.7C minimum, Killowen 24.8mm, Casement Aerodrome 7.8h.)

Overnight into the 14th the rain in the W tended to die out with only Scilly having appreciable falls during the day (4mm). It remained rather cloudy due to a lingering pair of fronts - although E Scotland and some parts of W Scotland and Ireland were exceptions to this. Some places had early mist and haze that was slow to clear during the morning. (Aboyne 17.7C, Dundrennan 9.1C maximum, Topcliffe 2.3C minimum, Plymouth 4.8mm, Tiree 7.2h.)

Weak frontal bands meant a rather cloudy day for most places on the 15th. However, they also led to a rather cloudy and mild night - with some light rain in SW Scotland for a time. During the day most places remained dry with a few light showers breaking out across SW and E parts of England, while cloud gradually thickened across Ireland and W Scotland with some light rain and drizzle falling by evening - and some mist and fog patches developing in places also. (Killowen 17.7C, Okehampton 9.9C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch 0.7C minimum, Drumalbin 4mm (estimate) Casement Aerodrome 8.3h.)

High pressure reformed across the British Isles on the 16th, reaching 1026mb over NW Wales by 2400GMT. There was an early ground frost in a few sheltered areas by dawn with some overnight showers in parts of W Scotland and Ireland. N and W Scotland remained cloudy all day, as did parts of S England and East Anglia. These areas also saw some rain and drizzle (Scotland) and showers (East Anglia). Elsewhere there were sunny periods and light winds. (Astwood Bank 19.3C, Dalwhinnie 8.4C maximum, Bala 0.7C minimum, Lusa 2mm (estimated), Church Fenton 10.1h.)

Continuing high pressure led to a mainly settled day on the 17th. Under clear skies many areas had a touch of ground frost overnight while there was some rain on Shetland overnight. Mist and fog patches were widespread but soon cleared in most areas and away from W and N Scotland the day was a very sunny one - and a warm day overall, although around the Irish Sea coasts maximum temperatures were about 10-12C in places. (Wisley 21.1C, Harris Quidnish 10.9C maximum, Bainbridge -1.4C minimum, Lerwick 1mm (estimated), North Wyke 13.0h.)

High pressure to the E led to a S/SE'ly surface flow on the . Clear skies led to a widespread ground frost early in the day with a widespread mist and haze early in the day across England in particular. A few mist patches lingered for a time in the morning across some S parts of the UK, but otherwise it was a sunny morning. In the afternoon there were a few slight showers from N Ireland to S Scotland and N England - while prolonged sun shine continued across S parts of England and Ireland. (Blackpool 19.9C, Fair Isle 9.5C maximum, Katesbridge -0.9C minimum, no significant rainfall, Camborne 12.6h.)

There were mainly light winds on the 19th as the result of a col; these helped the development of another widespread ground frost by dawn - although some parts of Scotland had some overnight showers. During the day most areas remained dry and very sunny after a rather hazy/misty start to the day - but frontal cloud across N Scotland led to some rain here during the day, and rather dull conditions. In the London area 25C was reported - some 10C above the normal afternoon temperature for late April. (St James's Park 25.4C, Fair Isle 9.7C maximum, Exeter Airport -0.7C minimum, Aviemore 6.6mm, Dunstaffnage 14.2h.)

Mainly high pressure continued through the 20th although a weak front continued to affect N and W Scotland, and also W Ireland, during the day. A widespread ground frost was followed by daytime temperatures of 24C-26C in SE England. Shetland and the areas affected by cloud were cooler; there was a little light rain in NW Scotland overnight and in W Ireland during the day - but generally falls were slight. Early mist, haze and fog patches were widespread but these soon cleared in most areas. In addition, low cloud and sea fog in the North Sea affected coasts of NE England and E Scotland at times throughout the day - but away from these areas and away from the front it was another very sunny day in most places. (Heathrow 26.5C, Fair Isle 7.8C maximum, Ravensworth -0.7C minimum, Belmullet 4mm, Morecambe 13.0h.)

Overnight into the 21st high pressure maintained a SE'ly flow into E Britain that caused low cloud and sea fog to spread a little inland into E areas. Frontal cloud gave some light falls of rain in W parts of Ireland and in W and N areas of Scotland - these died out and there was little rain during the day. An onshore flow and some mist and fog kept it cool during the day in parts of NE England - elsewhere in England and Wales early mist and haze cleared to give mostly sunny day; much of Scotland also had sunny spells. However, the high pressure, SE'ly flow and light winds led to a pollution warning being issued for the weekend for high levels of PM10 particulate matter and ozone close to the ground. The met Office reported a few showers, some thundery, broke out across parts of England and Wales during the afternoon. (Heathrow 26.3C, Boulmer 8.7C maximum, Ravensworth -0.3C minimum, Baltasound 2.6mm, Coleshill 12.9h.)

A SE'ly airflow continued to affect E Britain on the 22nd but in the W of Ireland early cloud was to herald slow-moving fronts. Most parts of the UK had a dry night, although it was rather hazy for most. Fog returned once again to many NE coasts, as well as some inland areas of NE England and S Scotland. Overnight, there were a few showers across SW England, N Scotland and close to East Anglia. Away from the fog it was a rather hazy/misty start to the day. During the day, further showers and thunderstorms moved N'wards across SW England, Wales and N Ireland, spreading to NW England and parts of SW Scotland later. W Ireland had some frontal rain; elsewhere it was dry and sunny with 25C being reached in SE England. (St James Park 26.9C, Edinburgh Botanic Gardens 9.4C maximum, Braemar -0.6C minimum, Preston Moor Park 4.0mm, Manston 13.0h.)

Decaying cold fronts edged E'wards across Ireland and much of Britain on the 23rd. Showery rain fell overnight from NW Scotland to SW England and during the day spread into E Scotland but made little progress E'wards further S. Following the rain it turned cooler with maximum temperature of 12-15C across Ireland during the day. To the E of the rain, after a warm night in places, it turned very warm with temperatures of 25C and above in many places. In parts of Cent S and SE England this was the warmest April afternoon since 1949. The high temperatures did set off a few thundery showers in the afternoon and evening - the Met Office reported some locally torrential downpours and reports of flooding, for example in the Sheffield area. Many parts of S Ireland, S England and East Anglia had a sunny day. (Wisley 27.8C, Fair Isle 10.4C maximum, Aboyne 3.1C minimum, Santon Downham 20.6mm, Filton 12.8h.)

There was a widespread ground frost across Scotland into the 24th; for much of the UK the day dawned with mist and haze and there were some overnight showers in NE and E England. There was also some light overnight rain later in parts of W Ireland and W Scotland - which made a little progress E'wards into parts of cent Scotland during the day. Afternoon temperatures of 20C were generally confined to SE England; the Midlands had a cloudy day as a weak front lingered here while it was a sunny day across much of S England, SE Scotland and NE England. (Lee-on-Solent 25.3C, Fair Isle 9.6C maximum, Braemar -1.5C minimum, Waddington 4.2mm, Camborne 13.2h.)

High pressure built from the W during the 25th, with MSL pressure rising to 1032mb over NW Ireland and W Scotland by 2400GMT. There was a touch of ground frost in parts of N England and N Wales while in the morning there was some light rain in places across Scotland and N Ireland for a while. As pressure rose this rain cleared. Temperatures rose to 20C across many parts of S and Cent England. Away from S Ireland it was another sunny day - while a few showers fell in W Scotland in the afternoon. (Lee-on-Solent 24.0C, Lerwick 10.7C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch 0.6C minimum, Rosehearty 1.2mm, Norwich Airport 13.2h.)

High pressure persisted throughout the 26th with the central pressure of 1032-1033mb across N Scotland. There was a widespread ground across Scotland before dawn with an air frost in Cent areas here. There were some moderately heavy showers around Dublin and over NW Wales during the day - elsewhere the day was largely dry. Scotland, S England and much of W Ireland had a sunny day although some showers fell in parts of Cent Scotland. A weak front that caused the rain across N Wales moved slowly S during the afternoon and evening. There was a noticeable breeze close to the E coast of England and as a result it was a relatively cool day here compared to inland areas. (Lee on-Solent 20.7C, Loftus 9.5C maximum, Tulloch Bridge -5.4C minimum, Valley 1.6mm, Tiree 13.9h.)

Although high pressure maintained its hold during the 27th a weak cold front edged SE'wards across E and SE England during the morning, while later in the day a frontal system crossed into W Scotland and N Ireland. Scotland again had a widespread ground frost before dawn with many N and Cent places here having an air frost. W Ireland had some light rain overnight and there were some showers in S Wales and SW England before dawn. W Ireland had a mainly cloudy day ahead of the front - elsewhere it was a sunny but it was cold close to the E coast of England in the onshore flow. (Lee-on-Solent 19.8C, Inverbervie 9.4C maximum, Kinbrace -4.8C minimum, Chivenor 1.6mm, Prestwick 13.9h.)

A weak front affected NW Scotland on the 28th and another pushed W'wards into Se England as pressure remained mostly high. Away from these areas there was a widespread ground frost with an air frost in places. NW Scotland and NW Ireland were cloudy in the morning with a little rain in places; in parts of Scotland there were a few showers in the afternoon. Frontal cloud in the SE brought a few showers to East Anglia and SE England in the afternoon - away from the showery areas it was a sunny day although the E coast of England was again cold compared to nearby inland areas. (Castlederg 19.5C, Fair Isle 10.1C maximum, Sennybridge -3.7C minimum, Valley 8.2mm, North Wyke 14.3h.)

Many areas of Scotland dawned with a touch of ground frost on the 29th - most other places were dry except for some showers over the extreme N of mainland Scotland. During the day a noticeably gusty E'ly surface flow became established in most areas. After a cloudy start in most places cloud cover broke to give some sunny spells - although in much of Ireland, W and N Scotland there were long sunny spells. Some outbreaks of light rain spread across N England and into Scotland later in the day. An isolated thunderstorm developed just to the north of London in the afternoon before moving towards Wales. Other thundery showers occurred later affected S coast areas. (Lusa 22.1C, Fair Isle 10.3C maximum, Braemar -4.4C minimum, South Newington 4.0mm, Lerwick 14.5h.)

The brisk E'ly flow persisted into the 30th. As a result an early ground frost was confined to NE Scotland while the highest temperatures were in sheltered W areas of Britain and in W Ireland. Most places had a dry and very sunny day - except for parts of SW England. According to the Met Office a line of thunderstorms developed in west Dorset and south Somerset around midday and extended W'wards across Devon and Cornwall later. These thundery showers gave heavy bursts of rain and hail. (Hurn 22.3C, Fair Isle 10.9C maximum, Braemar -1.9C minimum, North Wyke 11.0mm, Dunstaffnage 14.8h.)

British Isles weather, May 2011

E'ly flow around high pressure to the N of the UK on the 1st meant a cold start to the day in some N and E parts with an air frost in parts of E Scotland. Frontal cloud gave some overnight rain S England, close to the S coast and this spread into other areas of SW England and SE Ireland during the day. Elsewhere the day was dry and very sunny although close to the front in SW England there was no sunshine. It was also rather windy across most areas - although N Scotland was rather calmer, being closer to the centre of the high pressure. (Portmadog 21.2C, Fair isle 11.1C maximum, Braemar -4.9C minimum, Culdrose 13.2mm, Tiree 15.0h.)

The brisk, mainly E'ly, flow continued on the 2nd with a touch of air frost around dawn in parts of E Scotland and NE England. Overnight, frontal rain fell across SW England as far E as Hampshire and there was also rainfall in S Ireland. During the day, with MSL pressure close to 1024mb over Shetland, rain was mainly confined to Scilly and S Ireland. Away from S Ireland and SW England it was another very sunny day once early coastal cloud had cleared from parts of E Scotland. In SW England there were a few thundery showers during the day. 20mm of rain fell at Cork Airport in the 12 hours ending 1800GMT, while the brisk wind made it rather cool during the day in some E coast areas. (Kinlochewe 20.4C, Cromer 10.7C maximum, Kinbrace -5.1C minimum, Camborne 8.2mm, Tiree 14.9h.)

MSL pressure tended to fall across the British Isles on the 3rd. It was a mainly dry and cool night across the UK under clear skies but slightly milder in SW England and S Ireland. There was a widespread ground frost in many inland areas of Scotland and England with some rain in W and SW Ireland. 7mm of rain fell at Shannon Airport in the 12 hours ending 0600GMT. The daytime was mainly dry everywhere with long sunny spells - although there was considerably less sunshine in S Ireland and Cornwall. (Porthmadog 17.9C, Fair Isle 9.8C maximum, Braemar -5.3C minimum, Plymouth 0.8mm, Kinloss 15.0h.)

Britain had another widespread ground frost to start the 4th under clear skies below a weak ridge. Many of these areas also experienced an air frost - as far S as the SW Midlands. It was cloudier in Ireland due to an advancing area of frontal rain which gave rain in SW Ireland overnight (26mm fell in 12 hours ending 0600GMT at Valentia) and in much of W Ireland during the day; there were also falls in parts of Northern Ireland in the evening. W and Cent Ireland had a cloudy day - elsewhere there were long sunny spells. (Porthmadog 19.9C, Fair Isle 9.2C maximum, Altnaharra -6.3C minimum, St Angelo 3.8mm, Dunstaffnage 14.9h.)

ground frost on the 5th was mainly confined to a few E parts of Scotland and England due to the presence of frontal cloud further W. Much of Ireland had overnight rainfall and this also affected the Isle of Man and some E coastal areas of the Irish Sea by dawn. By the evening this rain had affected much of W Scotland and Wales, and also some parts of N England and SW England. E England and parts of Scotland close to the E coast remained mainly dry with some sunny intervals - while there were sunny spells in W Ireland once the rain had passed. (Heathrow 21.5C, Fair Isle 9.3C maximum, Braemar -2.3C minimum, Dundrennan 16.4mm, Brize Norton 8.8h.)

Cloudy skies led to a mild night into the 6th across the British Isles with temperature in many places across Ireland, Wales and W England remaining above 10C overnight. Rain pushed into E and N Scotland overnight and there were showery falls across Ireland. During the day rain in N England and E Scotland gradually cleared with sunny spells developing for most places. There was some thundery rain in Cornwall and the Channel Islands in the afternoon and evening while much of Ireland had some showers at times during the day. In the evening the thundery conditions over the Channel Islands spread N'wards, to reach Wales, the Midlands and N England. (St James Park 25.3C, Lerwick 9.2C maximum, Santon Downham 3.2C minimum, Tiree 15.8mm, Odiham 11.4h.)

The 7th began with mild and wet weather overnight - although some extreme E parts of E and extreme W parts of Ireland remained dry. During the day the rainfall distribution also included W Ireland and there were slight falls in E England. Most places, however, had a mixture of sun shine and showers and some of these were thundery. Later in the day advancing frontal cloud spread rain into Ireland with 36mm falling at Valentia in the 12 hours ending 1800GMT. In the evening showers also spread from France into SE England, merging into a larger area of occasionally heavy rain, which then moved N'wards across much of England and Wales. With this widespread rainfall, sunshine amounts were mainly low. (Weybourne 25.4C, Fair Isle 11.6C maximum, Altnaharra 5.4C minimum, Boscombe Down 28.6mm, Manston 7.0h.)

A deep low off SW Ireland pushed a series of fronts NE'wards across the British Isles during the 8th. Overnight it was mild and wet almost everywhere - a few places in NE Scotland did remain dry. During the day the worst of the rain affected Scotland, NW England and Wales although there were lesser falls in other areas. Sunshine and sharp showers followed the early rain and these showers were thundery in places. MSL pressure was close to 996mb in SW Ireland at midday. (Norwich Airport 23.9C, Fair Isle 11.1C maximum, Cardinham 8.0C minimum, Braemar 32.4mm, Camborne 13.2h.)

A brisk S/SW'ly airflow covered much of the British Isles during the 9th. Wales, SW England and Ireland had a mainly mild night with some showers while further E across England there was a touch of ground frost in places. During the morning there were showers, some thundery in W parts of Britain and across Ireland. This distribution continued into the afternoon - with much of E England remaining dry; there were also some showers across (mainly Cent) parts of Scotland during the day. Consequently, E England saw the highest temperatures and the best of the sunshine. (Norwich Airport 22.5C, Lerwick 10.0C maximum, Redesdale Camp 4.0C minimum, Lough Fea 19.2mm, Kirkwall 13.0h.)

Low pressure to the W of Ireland maintained the mostly S'ly flow on the 10th. Any remaining evening showers soon died out and for most place sit was a dry night. By the early hours a front was giving some rain in W Ireland and this turned more persistent for Northern Ireland, then spreading to NW Scotland. Cloud developed to produce showers to W areas of Britain - mainly Wales and NW England. E and Cent England remained largely dry during the day and the rain diminished in some W areas later in the afternoon. SE England and East Anglia had a sunny day. In the evening a trough continued to mean some showers for parts of W Scotland. (Gravesend 22.4C, Fair Isle 11.0C maximum, Redesdale Camp 3.0C minimum, Tyndrum 24.4mm, East Malling 13.3h.)

Into the 11th there were showery falls in parts of W Ireland and W Scotland. S England also had a cloudy start to the day with some mist and fog patches on the coasts - beneath a weakening front. Scotland and N Ireland in particular continued to have showery outbreaks during the day and these also affected parts of Wales and NE England. Parts of SE England remained rather cloudy throughout the day - elsewhere there was a mixture of cloud and sunny intervals. (Bridlington 19.3C, Harris Quidnish 11.3C maximum, Frittenden 3.2C minimum, Tyndrum 21.8mm, Dyce 9.1h.)

Low pressure centred close to N Scotland during the 12th kept MSL pressure here down to about 1008mb, and pushed bands of rain E'wards, particularly across N areas. Showers continued in Scotland, N England and Ireland throughout the morning becoming persistent and heavy in some places. There were also some thunderstorms over Scotland during the afternoon. Elsewhere there were a few falls of light rain in parts of Wales and SW England - but most of England and Wales remained dry. S parts of England and Wales had long spells of sunshine. (Heathrow 19.3C, Cluanie Inn 10.4C maximum, Aboyne 2.9C minimum, Kinlochewe 27.6mm, Herstmonceux 10.7h.)

A continuing W'ly flow on the 13th brought spells of rain to many areas during the day. Many sheltered areas of inland England, Wales and E Scotland began the day with a ground frost - while cloud gave spells of rain and showers to N and W Ireland and to N and W Scotland. In parts of S England minimum temperatures were in the range 1-2C. During the day rain and showers affected most places NW of a line Swansea-The Wash. Some of these showers turned thundery in the evening, mainly over N Wales. The SE corner of England had a very sunny day - but elsewhere there were rather cloudy skies - even in the dry areas. (Gravesend 19.8C, Dalwhinnie 9.8C maximum, Santon Downham 0.5C minimum, Spadeadam 13.8mm, Wattisham 12.0h.)

High pressure built slowly during the day, to reach about 1031mb in SW Ireland by 2400GMT. Overnight into the 14th many inland parts of England and Wales again had a slight ground frost; across N Scotland there was some rain and showers overnight with heavy falls in places. NW England and N Ireland also had morning showers after dawn and by early afternoon further showers had developed in parts of NE England and SE Scotland - and these turned thundery in places. Most of S England remained dry throughout the day with sunny spells - while some heavy showers affected parts of Ireland and N Scotland. (Lee-on-Solent 18.9C, Loch Glascarnoch 9.2C maximum, Aboyne 0.0C minimum, Loch Glascarnoch 29.8mm, Wattisham 16.0h.)

Despite high pressure in the S, there were falls of rain overnight into the 15th in N and W parts of the British Isles. Cloud soon spread SE’wards from W Scotland and N Ireland with rain then falling as far S as Wales and the Peak District by the evening. There was, as a result, almost no sunshine N of a line Valentia-Newcastle, with the exception of the Northern Isles, while further S there was sunny periods. By the evening much of the rain over England, Wales and Ireland had died away with only N and W areas of Scotland continuing to have falls. (Hurn 17.3C, Leek 10.1C maximum, Benson 2.9C minimum, Cluanie Inn 19.4mm, Lerwick 10.4h.)

Away from NE Scotland, minimum temperatures on the 16th were generally around 10-11C. Overnight rain across Scotland, parts of N Ireland and N England was to continue all day in places. Elsewhere across Ireland, Scotland and N England the day remained cloudy but drier with almost no sunshine. S and cent parts of England were also mostly dry and cloudy, but with some sunny intervals. It felt cool in the rather windy conditions - winds gusted to 50kn in places. In the evening there was some light rain in Cent parts of England. (Frittenden 21.2C, Lerwick 10.1C maximum, Baltasound 5.0C minimum, Dunstaffnage 34.0mm, Hurn 7.3h.)

England, Wales and Ireland had a rather cloudy and mild night into the 17th with falls of rain across N Ireland, N England and S Scotland. To the N of this rain it was a cooler night - with a slight ground frost in some sheltered parts of E Scotland. The day was a mainly dry one - although advancing frontal cloud from the W gave rain later in W Scotland and parts of W Ireland. This rain then spread SE'wards through Scotland in the evening. Although E parts of Britain remained generally dry during daylight hours, there was little sunshine here except on Shetland. (Shoeburyness 19.5C, Fair Isle 10.3C maximum, Aboyne 4.3C minimum, Stonyhurst 10.0mm, Lerwick 6.1h.)

Much of England had a mild night into the 18th, underneath a warm sector. This cleared during the day as a cold front crossed SE’wards through all areas by 2400GMT. Overnight rain and showers affected much of Scotland and Ireland, and also parts of N England, Wales and SW England. As the front progressed towards the SE it weakened and there was little rain as a result in East Anglia and SE England. Showers followed the cold front, blown in on a stiff W'ly wind - and the best of the sunshine was across Ireland and Scotland.(Norwich Airport 20.6C, Loch Glascarnoch 9.9C maximum, Kinbrace 5.9C minimum, Cassley 12.2mm, Leuchars 8.7h.)

Although a weak ridge formed across S England on the 19th, by the late evening a cold front had pushed in from the Atlantic across W parts of Ireland and Scotland. There was a widespread ground frost in E Wales and W parts of England, away from the coasts. Showers fell overnight in W Scotland and these continued during the day with falls also in N Scotland. During the evening cloud spread across Wales and W Britain from Ireland - and rain began falling in W Scotland and W Ireland. Ahead of the cloud and showers, it was quite a sunny day in E and S England and in parts of S Wales. (Charlwood 21.5C, Dalwhinnie 10.7C maximum, Santon Downham 0.5C minimum, Cluanie Inn 9.0mm, Hurn 13.1h.)

A weakening cold front pushed across the British Isle son the 20th. Overnight, frontal rain affected W parts of Ireland and Scotland with England remaining generally dry. As the front weakened the rain spread SE'wards - and the front also introduced cooler conditions from the W. The front was also followed by showery conditions, especially across W areas of Scotland and in W Ireland. In the N the showers turned thundery - Fait Isles reported a thunderstorm in the early afternoon. Into the evening the showers tended to die out except in NW Scotland. (Shoeburyness 20.1C, Cluanie Inn 9.4C maximum, Aviemore 2.1C minimum, Kinlochewe 21.6mm, Herstmonceux 12.3h.)

An area of low pressure approached Ireland from the W (MSL pressure down to 996.4mb at Belmullet by 2400GMT) and this brought some rain here later on the >b>21st. The day began with dry conditions in most areas with some mist and fog in S England later - but with rain across W Ireland and W Scotland by dawn. There was also patchy ground frost in some inland areas of England before dawn. During the afternoon rain spread across Ireland and into Wales - with heavy falls in parts of Ireland and W Scotland. It was a warm day in some E parts of England - where there were also long, sunny spells. (Santon Downham 23.1C, Dalwhinnie 10.4C maximum, Exeter Airport 0.4C minimum, Cluanie Inn 53.4mm, Wattisham 13.8h.)

Areas of low pressure remained centred close to NW parts of the British Isles throughout the 22nd. Most places had overnight rainfall that eventually cleared SE England soon after dawn. This rain was followed by frequent showers drawn across the British Isles on a brisk W'ly flow - although these mainly fell N of the Midlands and Cent Ireland. SE Ireland and S parts of England and Wales had a sunny day - but there were also sunny periods between the showers further to the N. In the late afternoon further frontal cloud pushed across Ireland from the W, with some rain in Ireland in the evening. (Heathrow 20.0C, Cluanie Inn 8.7C maximum, Drumadrochit 3.4C minimum, Eskdalemuir 26.8mm, Aberporth 11.7h.)

Overnight into the 23rd frontal rain spread across Ireland and W Scotland and into parts of NW England, driven W'wards ahead of a deepening are of low pressure that resulted in MSL pressure down to 979.9m at Stornoway by 1200GMT. By early evening this frontal rain had reached SW England, the Midlands and The Wash - with all areas seeing an increase in wind speed. There were severe gales around the coasts of N Ireland in the morning and these then transferred E'wards into S Scotland and NE England during the afternoon and evening. The Met Office reported a gust of 73kn in Edinburgh during the late afternoon. In parts of N Ireland Scotland thousands of homes lost power and there were problems with the transport network. Ahead of the rain it was a very sunny day in parts of Kent and East Anglia. Flights in and out of Scotland were cancelled for Tuesday 24th as a volcanic ash cloud from Iceland's Grimsvotn volcano headed towards the UK. The threat of further disruption led US President Barack Obama to fly out of the Republic of Ireland a day early to get to London for a state visit. (Norwich Airport 21.9C, Dalwhinnie 9.8C maximum, Kinbrace 4.3C minimum, Tyndrum 65.8mm, Manston 13.1h.)

Very strong winds across parts of Scotland and the far north of England eased overnight into the 24th although it remained windy, according to the Met Office. Later in the day pressure rose in SE England reaching 1030.4mb at Guernsey and Jersey airports by 2400GMT. Showers fell overnight in W Ireland and across much of Ireland and these continued in places here during the day. It remained generally windy in the N although most of England, Wales, S Ireland and E Scotland had a sunny day. (St James' Park 19.8C, Dalwhinnie 8.2C maximum, Dalwhinnie 3.5C minimum, Cluanie Inn 22.0mm, Filton 14.8h.)

The 25th began with high pressure in SE England but ended with a low centred at 1010mb over Northern Ireland. England and S Scotland had a widespread ground frost in sheltered areas - most places in the British Isles were dry overnight except for parts of N Scotland where there were a few lingering showers. Most of England and E parts of Wales and Scotland then had a dry day with East Anglia and SE England also being very sunny. Elsewhere it soon turned cloudy as rain spread from the W. The outbreaks of rain became more widespread by the afternoon and evening, eventually reaching NW England, W Wales and SW England by the end of the day. (Santon Downham 21.8C, Stornoway 9.1C maximum, Santon Downham -0.5C minimum, Harris Quidnish 28.0mm, East Malling 14.0h.)

The weather on the 26th was dominated by low pressure -as this moved away to the E a N'ly flow became established in most areas. Before dawn there was rain across the W half of the British Isles - with some heavy falls in parts of Scotland. During the day the rain spread E'wards - with showers following the rain from the W. W Ireland had a mixture of showers and sunshine and was the brightest area. In the afternoon the showers became persistent, heavy and thundery in parts of England but started to ease in Ireland, Wales and W parts of England as high pressure built from the SW. With a low centre crossing the British Isles it was a generally windy day. (Hurn 18.1C, Dalwhinnie 8.7C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch 6.3C minimum, Capel Curig 20.6mm, Belmullet 9.3h.)

Most places remained dry overnight into the 27th but there were a few scattered showers. As the N'ly flow migrated E'wards a few showers continued across East Anglia and Yorkshire, eventually dying out during the evening. Much of England and Wales had sunny periods and broken cloud but frontal rain affected W Ireland and N and W parts of Scotland - this moved into N England later in the day. Some showers also fell across places in SW Wales and SW England. (Frittenden 17.3C, Dalwhinnie 8.9C maximum, Salsburgh 4.5C minimum, Kinlochewe 12.4mm, Guernsey Airport 14.4h.)

There was an unsettled W'ly flow across the British Isles on the 28th. Overnight rainfall was mainly confined to Scotland, Ireland and few places in Wales and N England. Much of Ireland turned drier during the day as a weak front moved SE'wards across England and Wales, giving patchy rain in places, mainly over western hills. It was a rather cloudy day over W Scotland, much of W Ireland and in S England; elsewhere there were sunny periods with a few showers although in the evening rain moved across N Wales and NW England. (Coningsby 19.7C, Cluanie Inn 9.3C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch 4.5C minimum, Cluanie Inn 21.4mm, Leuchars 11.9h.)

It was a warm night into the 29th across most of England, Wales and S Ireland - but cooler to the N behind a cold front. The front gave an area of rain with showers in W Scotland. N Scotland remained rather cloudy with rain during the morning (brightening up later) and the best of the sunshine during the day was to be found from W Ireland towards NE Scotland. SW England and S Wales was also rather dull with some light rain here during the day; mist and fog also developed around windward coasts here. It was windy in N Britain with gales in parts of Scotland, according to the Met Office. (Charsfield 22.5C, Loch Glascarnoch 9.6C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch 4.4C minimum, Cluanie Inn 24.4mm, Manston 9.6h.)

England and Wales had another mild night into the 30thwith some mist and fog in the SW. N Ireland and much of Scotland were cooler with a touch of ground frost in parts of N Scotland. Fronts gave an area of rain to Wales, SW England and the Midlands - and rain also fell in W Scotland for a time. The rain in the SW then spread across much of England and Wales during the day - but it decreased in intensity as it moved E'wards. N and W parts of Scotland and Ireland had sunny spells and showers with NE Scotland and W Ireland being very sunny. It was a cool day across much of England and Wales in the rain - with maximum temperatures widely around 12-14C there and in S Ireland. However, E of a line London-The Wash it was a warm day. (Norwich Airport 23.7C, Tulloch Bridge 10.3C maximum, Kinbrace 1.7C minimum, Winterbourne 17.4mm, Lerwick 13.7h.)

The 31st began with a widespread inland ground frost in Britain although there were a few showers in Ireland and W Scotland. Most places had a dry day as high pressure developed from the SW with 1030.6mb being the MSL pressure at Jersey Airport by 2400GMT. However some showers did form across parts of England for a time with these turning thundery over NE England and East Anglia. (Warcop 19.4C, Fair Isle 11.4C maximum, Braemar -2.7C minimum, Rosehearty 6.8mm, Aberporth 14.1h.)

British Isles weather, June 2011

A ridge over S areas and frontal systems in the N led to a N-S split in the weather on the 1st. A few places in S England had an early ground frost while further N and W minimum temperatures were close to 10C. There was overnight rain in N Scotland and W Ireland in NW Scotland the rain was heavy at times and low pressure led to windy conditions here. During the day rain was mainly confined to N Scotland as the fronts weakened as they ran into the ridge further S. NW of a line Durham-Scilly it was generally a cloudy day but SE England and parts of East Anglia had long, sunny spells with little cloud during the day. (East Malling 22.4C, Fair Isle 11.3C maximum, Santon Downham 0.2C minimum, Kinlochewe 48.4mm, Wattisham 14.4h.)

High pressure eventually the weather on the 2nd with MSL pressure reaching 1037mb in parts of S Ireland by 1200GMT. Apart from some early light rain overnight in parts of N Scotland it was a dry day everywhere - although there was some coastal mist and fog in a few W areas, and also some mist and fog patched in NE England early in the morning. Shetland had a little rain and drizzle in the morning and it remained dull here during the day. However, most places had long sunny spells during the day, especially in E parts of Britain, with temperatures close to 25C in E Scotland. (Dyce 25.4C, Lerwick 12.1C maximum, Cavendish 6.2C minimum, Lusa 2.8mm, Dyce 15.9h.)

High pressure maintained its grip on the 3rd although in the evening a cold front pushed S'wards into N Scotland. Across much of England, Wales and S Ireland the temperature remained above 10C all night but there were lower readings in some N areas when the cloud broke. NE England had some fog patches before dawn and there were mist patches for a time in many other areas. In all areas there was prolonged sunshine with durations in excess of 15h being widely reported, except in N and W Scotland and NW Ireland. By midnight the front had brought some light rain and drizzle to parts of the Northern Isles. (Lee-on-Solent 27.4C, Donna Nook 14.6C maximum, Katesbridge 3.7C minimum, Lerwick 0.6mm, Waddington 15.2h.)

A cold front made slow progress S'wards on the 4th towards S parts of England and Ireland, but it weakened as it did so. The front gave very little precipitation anywhere - there was a little rainfall, while in Cent S England showers developed later in the day and spread a little N'wards - with Lyneham reporting a thunderstorm in the late evening. The position of the front by early afternoon marked the boundary between 20C+ temperatures to the S and cooler air to the N. It was also cooler close to the North Sea in NE England. The greatest sunshine durations were to be found in the extreme S parts of Ireland and in places along the S coast of England; elsewhere the presence of cloud led to a day with sunny intervals. (Lee-on-Solent 28.1C, Carterhouse 10.0C maximum, Lentran 5.0C minimum, Pershore 1.0mm, Aberporth 13.8h.)

It was a cool night into the 5th across N Scotland, with a touch of ground frost reported in places here. Overnight showers continued to affect parts of Wales and W England with some heavy, thundery falls. Some E areas of England had slight, overnight drizzle. Further showers moved into S parts of England, subsequently spreading N'wards during the rest of the day. A slow-moving front over Ireland gave some heavy and persistent rain in the morning that then moved across parts of Scotland. Some rain and showers affected NE England, but in general E areas of Britain were, otherwise, mainly dry. It was a generally cloudy day although parts of SW Ireland and East Anglia had long, sunny spells. (Charlsfield 19.7C, Altnahinch Filters 8.4C maximum, Lentran 1.6C minimum, Ballypatrick Forest 28.4mm, Valentia 10.7h.)

Frontal systems across Britain gradually faded on the 6th although low pressure close to W Ireland pushed frontal rain across Ireland later. Parts of W Ireland had a touch of ground frost before dawn while over Scotland and in the extreme NE of Northern Ireland most places had some rain early in the night. In SE England there were overnight showers and falls of rain which were very heavy in places. These cleared to the E by early afternoon although for most of Britain it was then a dry day - but by the evening many parts of Ireland had seen falls of frontal rain. Away from East Anglia and W parts of Scotland and Ireland - where it remained rather cloudy - there were sunny periods during the day. (Shobdon 19.2C, Lerwick 9.7C maximum, Katesbridge 0.6C minimum, Wisley 29.8mm, Camborne 11.6h.)

Low pressure was slow-moving on the 7th over Ireland (994mb MSL pressure at 1200GMT over NW Ireland) and associated fronts led to an unsettled day in W areas. There was a touch of ground frost in a few inland areas of England and E Scotland before dawn although by then frontal rain had fallen overnight across W Scotland, Ireland, Wales and parts of SW England. By the evening there had been falls everywhere except in parts of Se England and East Anglia. These falls were thundery and heavy at times in parts of Ireland, NW England and in both S and N Scotland. Across Scotland and Northern Ireland it was a rather cloudy day but, elsewhere, there were sunny periods between the showers with longer sunny spells in SE England. (Norwich Airport 21.2C, Inverbervie 9.9C maximum, Ravensworth 0.6C minimum, Banagher Caugh Hill 24.6mm, Herstmonceux 11.3h.)

A low pressure centre persisted close to/over W Scotland during the 8th. Parts of Cent and E Scotland had an early ground frost despite overnight rainfall across much of Scotland, Ireland, Wales and SW England. It was a windy day across S parts of Britain and Ireland before the low migrated N'wards and there were widespread showers during the day - these were thundery in parts of S Scotland and England. In between the showers there were sunny periods and the winds gradually eased during the day as the low centred filled a little. (Norwich Airport 21.1C, Banagher Caugh Hill 10.4C maximum, Ravensworth 0.6C minimum, Machrihanish 18.4mm, Kirkwall 12.3h.)

The 9th was another showery day; after becoming confined to W areas overnight these showers tended to spread E'wards during the day. In places the showers banded together as troughs and in N Ireland the showers turned thundery for a time. It was a cool day for the time of year. (Charlwood 19.4C, Altnahinch Filters 9.5C maximum, Aboyne 2.6C minimum, Altnahinch Filters 16.0mm, Aberporth 13.2h.)

Light winds due to a slack pressure gradient in most areas meant a cool start to the 10th - with an air frost in parts of N and cent Scotland and a fairly widespread ground frost in inland parts of Ireland, Scotland and N England. Over W Ireland and SW Scotland, and in places close to the Bristol Channel, there was rather more cloud and some overnight rainfall. Sunshine and showers followed during the day - particularly S of a line Glasgow-Edinburgh. Many of the showers merged to give prolonged spells of rain, with hail and thunder locally - and there was thunder later in the evening in E Ireland also. Ireland and much of Scotland had a very sunny day - across England and Wales there was rather more cloud cover. (Weybourne 17.6C, Liscombe 10.8C maximum, Altnaharra -1.9C minimum, Eskdalemuir 18.2mm, Stornoway 15.0h.)

There was a widespread ground frost overnight into the 11th with a slight air frost in parts of N Wales and E Scotland. There were early fog patches in parts of Scotland and some rain in SE England and East Anglia before dawn. The morning brought rain to E Scotland and NE England and also showers soon developed in N Ireland, Wales and other areas of England - with thunderstorms in places. In between the showers there were sunny periods - although E Scotland and NE England remained cloudy with rain until the evening for many here. The evening also brought advancing frontal cloud to SW England with some rain falling here and in SW Ireland. (Gravesend 19.4C, Braemar 9.3C maximum, Dalwhinnie -0.9C minimum, Charterhall 15.0mm, Stornoway 15.2h.)

Many inland areas had clear skies overnight into the 12th with a widespread inland ground frost as a result. However, areas SW of a line Belmullet-Hampshire were cloudy as a depression brought frontal rain NE'wards during the night. There was also some frontal rain in E Scotland. The cloud and rain in the SW spread rapidly NE'wards to affect all areas from N Ireland and S Scotland, S'wards, by the evening. Falls were heavy in many W areas of Britain with the depression being centred close to the Isle of Man (1000mb) by 2400GMT. Some rain also fell for a while in E Scotland during the day and it was, consequently, W Scotland that had the best of the sunshine - with little cloud here all day in some areas. (Norwich Airport 18.8C, Fair Isle 11.0C maximum, Bala -0.6C minimum, St Athan 43.8mm, Stornoway 15.2h.)

An area of low pressure crossed N areas during the 13th although by the evening a weak ridge was forming over SW areas. Away from the Northern Isles it was a mild night with minimum temperatures as high as 14C in parts of S England. Overnight rain had largely cleared to N Scotland by dawn - although there were some heavy falls here in places during the day. Much of Cent and S Ireland had a sunny day - elsewhere there were sunny intervals away from the rain in N Scotland. (Norwich Airport 23.0C, Loch Glascarnoch 9.9C maximum, Baltasound 6.1C minimum, Cassley 22.2mm, Valentia 13.0h.)

While weather in the E on the 14th was the result of a transient ridge of high pressure, across Ireland the next set of fronts was feeding rain to most areas by midnight. Sheltered inland areas across the British Isles (but not in Scotland) had a touch of ground frost by dawn - in Scotland cloud (and rain in the Northern Isles) lingered a little during the night. Rain continued to affect Shetland during the day - elsewhere E Ireland and Britain had a sunny day before cloud arrived in SW England and SW Ireland. There was rain in SW Ireland by the evening, and falls in SW England and SW Wales by the end of the day. (Charlwood 23.4C, Baltasound 10.3C maximum, Katesbridge 0.1C, minimum, Baltasound 10.8mm, Leconfield 14.1h.)

An area of low pressure to the W of Ireland spread fronts across all areas during the 15th. This meant a mild night underneath cloud for all but NE Scotland and rain from SW Scotland to SW England (and in places further W) by dawn. The rain and drizzle also resulted in mist and fog in SW England by dawn. As the rain spread E it lessened in intensity and became patchy and there were sunny spells in places - especially across Ireland with the fronts clearing E Ireland by late evening. Across England the sunshine to the development of showers that then died out in the evening. (Norwich Airport 23.6C, Fair Isle 11.5C maximum, Baltasound 5.1C minimum, Rochdale 9.0mm, Belmullet 11.3h.)

The 16th dawned with some clear skies across Ireland and parts of Scotland - there was a touch of ground frost in a few sheltered parts of NW Scotland - but with rain in SW England, S Wales and S Ireland. It was also a wet start to the day in NE Scotland. The rain in the SW steadily moved NE'wards into East Anglia and S England - with thunderstorms in places. Showers later fell in NE England where thunder was also heard while the rain in NE Scotland, especially the Northern Isles, was to continue for much of the day. Showers also fell across Ireland with Casement Aerodrome reporting thunder in the afternoon. In between the showers there were long sunny periods - notably in W parts of Ireland and Britain. (Bridlington 20.4C, Fair Isle 11.0C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch 1.0C minimum, Wisley 18.8mm, Tiree 12.9h.)

Centres of low pressure were never far from the British Isles on the 17th. There was some mist and fog in N Scotland shortly after midnight with a ground frost in places here also. Across S England minimum temperatures remained above 12C in places while in W England, Wales, Ireland and SW Scotland there was a cloudy start to the day with some rain. During the day rain affected many areas - turning heavy in parts of S and SE England later. There was also some heavy rain around SW Scotland and the Isle of Man. Much of N Scotland remained dry and the rain soon cleared from Ireland in the morning. However, only NE Scotland and the extreme W of Ireland were particularly sunny. (Topcliffe 19.5C, Liscombe 11.5C maximum, Aboyne 0.6C minimum, Killowen 34.6mm, Lerwick 15.5h.)

Low pressure continued to dominate the weather on the 18th. Most areas, apart from N Scotland had rainfall overnight although across Ireland and SE Scotland falls were light and scattered. A band of persistent rain moved from S England into the East Midlands and Yorkshire during the morning, later moving into the SE quarter of Scotland. N Scotland remained generally dry with the best of the sunshine on the Western Isles and Northern Isles. Elsewhere, in the W and across Ireland, there was less sunshine and showery falls. These turned showery in places as far E as Cent S England. (Murlough 19.1C, Braemar 10.5C maximum, Katesbridge 3.3C minimum, Dundrennan 30.2mm, Stornoway 14.8h.)

N parts of mainland Scotland had a cold start to the 19th with a ground frost in places. There were also one or two low temperatures in inland parts of Ireland. Rainfall before dawn was mainly the result of a frontal system across S Scotland and N England - with further falls here during the day. Later in the day there were some thundery outbreaks in parts of E Scotland and NE England. E England also had some showers during the day, as did NE Ireland. Elsewhere, the day was mainly dry - albeit rather cloudy with few places having long, sunny spells. In the evening some rain started to fall in SW England after affecting the Channel Islands. (Writtle 19.9C, Lerwick 12.1C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch 0.7C minimum, Boulmer 12.4mm, Valley 11.5h.)

The 20th dawned with a touch of ground frost in the Midlands and N Ireland - and with some slight rain along the S coast. The clear skies that led to the ground frost also caused some fog patches. Cloud in the S moved N'wards with the rain affecting the Dublin area and N Wales by the evening - but with only minor falls in E England. One or two showers fell across Scotland - and it was generally a cloudy day here with the best of the sunshine around the N Midlands and E England ahead of any rain. (Santon Downham 22.1C, Loch Glascarnoch 12.1C maximum, Sennybridge 1.7C minimum, Mumbles Head 12.2mm, Waddington 12.6h.)

Overnight into the 21st a slow-moving band of rain affected parts of Ireland, N England and much of Scotland. Much of N Scotland remained dry, however. During the day there was some persistent rain across Ireland, Scotland (but not in the N), and lesser amounts in Wales and N England. Across Wales and England the rainfall was more showery in nature. In the even8ng more general rain spread into W areas of Britain - associated with a frontal system and a low centred at 1001mb over NE Ireland at 2400GMT. The sunniest places during the day were to be found in S and E parts of England, although even here there was a fair amount of cloud. (Norwich Airport 22.9C, Braemar 10.2C maximum, Dunstaffnage 5.3C minimum, Strathallan 32.4mm, Yeovilton 8.8h.)

As the low centred over Ireland moved across Scotland on the 22nd, a N'ly surface flow was introduced. Ahead of this it was a generally mild night but with rain across Cent and S Scotland, Wales and E England and also in parts of Ireland. The rain was heavy over some hills. The organised rain died out during the day but showers then affected many areas - across S Scotland these were heavy and thundery and thunderstorms also affected places in S and E England later. Lighter showers fell in parts of Ireland during the day. Much of mainland Scotland remained cloudy throughout the day with the best of the sunshine to be found in some SW parts of Ireland and Britain. (Holbeach 20.6C Braemar 10.1C maximum, Cork Airport 7.8C minimum, Glasgow 22.0mm, Filton 7.7h.)

The N'ly airflow gradually declined on the 23rd and later in the day a weak ridge formed over SW areas. There was some overnight frontal rainfall from S Scotland to the Midlands and with low pressure close by to the E the heaviest showers during the day tended to be close to the E coast from NE Scotland to Kent. Showers turned thundery during the morning here from Fife to East Anglia and some thunder persisted until the evening in E Scotland. Bands of showers also developed in other areas, notably in N Ireland, Wales and S England, although these tended to die down later as pressure rose. (Shoeburyness 20.3C, Lerwick 11.3C maximum, Cassley 5.6C minimum, Carlisle 28.6mm, Belmullet 12.3h.)

Light winds and a little cloud in many areas into the 24th enabled a touch of ground frost to form in a few sheltered inland locations before dawn. Cloud in E areas was accompanied by a few showers at times. However, the next set of fronts soon spread cloud NE'wards with rain falling by the evening across Ireland, Wales and SW England. W Ireland had a dull day with rather misty conditions in many parts of Ireland as the rain fell. The rain was mainly light to moderate, although there were some heavier bursts over W Ireland with Valentia recording 29mm in the 12 hours ending 1800GMT. The rain continued to push E'wards in the evening - although much of N and Cent Scotland had a dry day except for a few light showers in NE Scotland. (Gravesend 20.1C, Lerwick 10.6C maximum, Altnaharra 1.1C minimum, Milford Haven 16.0mm, Kinloss 9.4h.)

The 25th was an unsettled day with fronts bringing rain to all but N and Cent Scotland overnight - and also warmer air by day to S England. Associated cloud meant a mild night except in the Northern Isles - although in the morning the tended to ease off into areas of drizzle. It was a rather gusty day everywhere - albeit it misty in places where the drizzle was persistent. The best of any sunshine was to be found in E areas of Britain and Ireland - some W parts of both Ireland and Britain remained sunless. (Cambridge NIAB 24.3C, Fair isle 11.5C maximum, Baltasound 3.9C minimum, Lake Vyrnwy 23.0mm, Yeovilton 6.6h.)

High pressure and a warn sector in SE Britain led to a warm day here on the 26th - in contrast to W areas of Ireland and Scotland. Most places had a mild night but with mist and fog patches for a time in some places - notably in S England. Frontal cloud gave some light rain in parts of N and W Scotland and NW Ireland overnight. This rain became more widespread across much of Scotland (apart from the S and SE) and in W Ireland during the day. England and Wales were generally dry with long sunny spells here and in SE Ireland. As temperatures rose a line of heavy showers developed across N England. Away from the coasts and SW England temperatures rose above 25C in most parts of England and Wales. (St James's Park 29.2C, Fair Isle 13.3C maximum, Kinbrace 7.4C minimum, Cluanie Inn 27.4mm, Camborne 15.4h.)

The 27th dawned after a warm night in much of England, Wales and E Scotland with minimum temperatures remaining above 17C as N as north Yorkshire. Parts of NE, cent Scotland and N Ireland had some cloud and a little overnight rain. This frontal rain then spread SE'wards during the day to affect E Scotland (which had some heavy falls in the afternoon) and parts of SW England and S Wales during the day. Some of this rain was reported to be thundery. Prolonged sunshine led to temperatures rising above 30C in many parts of E England as far N as the Humber - although even here cloud gradually increased. A few heavy and thundery showers also developed across the N Pennines before moving out across the North Sea. Ireland and most of Scotland had a cloudy day. (Gravesend 33.1C, Fair Isle 12.1C maximum, Tiree 7.3C minimum, Craibstone 18.6mm, Wattisham 12.0h.)

On the 28th there were a few thunderstorms in parts of S England and East Anglia. It was a mild night here with minimum temperatures remaining above 17C in many places. Thunderstorms developed more widely during the morning in SE England and the Channel islands - becoming more widespread during the day. Lightning proved to be a problem in some places; in Maidenhead some homes were damaged after being struck - a similar fate occurred in Orford and Felixstowe to two houses. Houses in Ashford, Gillingham, Tonbridge and Gravesend were hit as thunder, lightning and even hailstones occurred in Kent. In places lightning also disrupted transport. Elsewhere it was a mainly dry day apart from some showers in parts of Ireland and SW Scotland. (Frittenden 27.9C, Loftus 13.8C maximum, Tyndrum 1.5C minimum, Cambridge NIAB 13.0mm, Aberporth 15.0h.)

There was a ground frost in some sheltered inland areas on the 29th as far S as the S Midlands. Scotland and Ireland had a few showers overnight and in the afternoon showers became a little more widespread - with some heavy falls in parts of N England and S Scotland. In a NW'ly flow it remained mainly dry in S England and many places had long sunny spells. (Gravesend 21.9C, Fair Isle 14.0C maximum, Katesbridge 0.5C minimum, Eskdalemuir 20.6mm, Morecambe 15.0h.)

The 30th dawned after a cool night with a ground frost in places. There were some overnight showers in parts of Ireland and W Scotland but further S, under developing high pressure; it was mostly a dry night. During the day there were scattered showers across northern parts of the UK while later some thunderstorms developed for a while in some E parts of England and Scotland. The Met Office reported that several waterspouts were reported around 100 miles east of the Aberdeenshire coast. (Gravesend 21.0C, South Uist 12.9C maximum, Exeter Airport 3.8C minimum, Craibstone 11.0mm, St Athan 15.1h.)

British Isles weather, July 2011

The 1st dawned after a mainly dry night except in a few parts of NE England and E Scotland. It was drier by day with almost no rainfall anywhere - although cloud did affect W Ireland and then spread into W Britain. Some E parts of the Highlands had quite a cold start to the day. Despite sunshine daytime temperatures remained below 20C in most places. E and Cent parts of England had long sunny spells - elsewhere smaller amounts of sunshine were a reflection of the advancing area of cloud. (Cavendish 21.0C, Harris Quidnish 13.2C maximum, Kinbrace 0.9C minimum, Fyvie Castle 4.4mm, Morecambe 15.5h.)

Sheltered areas had a ground frost early on the 2nd in parts of N England and the Midlands, although across NW Ireland approaching frontal cloud made for as milder night. It was, however, dry overnight and these dry conditions then persisted throughout the day. It was cloudy on Shetland and in parts of Cent Scotland but most areas had sunny spells. (Charlwood 23.3C, Lerwick 12.8C maximum, Katesbridge 1.7C minimum, Cardiff Bute Park 0.8mm, Morecambe 15.7h.)

A weak area of high pressure persisted across the British Isles on the 3rd, leading to a generally dry day. It was cool overnight in some parts of Cent Scotland . in W Ireland there was some very light overnight frontal rain . but the front made no further progress E.wards due to the high, and only a few places in W Ireland had any (slight) rain during the day. It was rather cloudy here and in W and N Scotland . and also in parts of the S Midlands. In E parts of Scotland and Ireland, and in some s parts of England, there was almost unbroken sunshine during the day. According to the Met Office the far NW of Scotland was rather cloudier with occasional light showers over the Highlands. (Church Fenton 25.1C, Fair Isle 14.0C maximum, Shap 2.6C minimum, Cardiff Bute Park 0.8mm, Morecambe 16.4h.)

The 4th was another mostly dry day . following a mild night across most of England, Wales and S and cent Ireland. Frontal cloud gave some light rain overnight to Valentia and Scilly . with Valentia reporting another 0.9mm in the 12 hours ending 1800GMT. Frontal cloud meant a dull day in W Ireland and there were also large amounts of cloud in the Midlands and N England. Elsewhere it was a sunny day . while rain spread N.wards through Ireland in the evening. (Cambridge NIAB 26.0C, Fair Isle 13.9C maximum, Braemar 3.8C minimum, Valentia 1.1mm, Manston 14.7h.)

The dry start to the month in many places ended on the 5th as frontal cloud spread across the British Isles from the W. Parts of S Scotland, Wales and N England had minimum temperatures of 15-16C . with widespread rain across Ireland and also in parts of SW Scotland, SW England and SW Wales. By the evening the rain had fallen as far E as W London, Shropshire and Inverness . although in Ireland many places only had a couple of light showers. Temperatures reached 25-27C in East Anglia and the London area before the sunshine here started to turn rather hazy. Showers in western parts occasionally turned thundery, although the cloud did break in many parts to give some sunny spells. (Gravesend 27.3C, Fair Isle 12.5C maximum, Alice Holt Lodge 6.5C minimum, Glenanne 20.0mm, Manston 10.4h.)

The 6th was a rather unsettled and showery day, with a depression centred at about 992mb crossing S Ireland later in the day. Overnight an area of widespread rain affected much of England, Wales and E Scotland . with some showers further W. This rain area became slow-moving across E Scotland with persistent and occasionally heavy rain here for much of the day. Showers affected most other areas, away from E Scotland, during the day with some thunder reported. The evening low brought a further area of rain across Ireland and into W parts of Britain. Much of Scotland had a rather dull day, as did SW Ireland. (Marham 21.7C, Braemar 12.8C maximum, Okehampton 8.6C minimum, Braemar 38.0mm, Belmullet 14.6h.)

Low pressure centred dominated the weather on the 7th leading to a rather cloudy, wet day. Away from some parts of Cent Scotland it was a mild night with only E Britain remaining mainly dry. The rain areas spread E.wards during the day and while parts of N Ireland and S Scotland were very wet, a few places in England had a mainly dry day. The best of the sunshine was to be found across N Scotland during what was a rather cloudy day in many areas . and a dull one in W Ireland. (Cranwell 21.7C, Fair isle 14.4C maximum, Aboyne 5.5C minimum, Lough Fea 28.4mm, Kirkwall 9.5h.)

A centre of low pressure moved slowly across Ireland and then N England during the 8th. Parts of Cent Scotland and N England had a chilly night but elsewhere at low levels is was generally mild. Ireland and the SW corner of Britain had some overnight rain . showery in nature but with some heavy falls. This rain then tracked NE.wards, following the low, with lesser falls of rain during the day to the N of the low. During the day some of the heaviest falls were across Edinburgh where local surface water flooding caused significant disruption. In S England the showers were thundery in many places. The Met Office noted tornadoes at Bognor Regis and Bolton. They were strong enough to rip off roof tiles and cause damage to fences. It was a rather dull day across England, Wales and E Ireland. (Cambridge NIAB 21.0C, Lake Vyrnwy 14.0C maximum, Shap 4.0C minimum, Walney island 35.4mm, Tiree 13.0h.)

Low pressure remained centred close to NE Britain during the 9th - resulting in some scattered overnight showers. During the day precipitation was mostly confined to NE England and E Scotland . although falls here were heavy in places. The Scottish Open Golf Tournament suffering disruption due to flooding and landslides associated with the heavy rain. A few heavy showers did fall further S, although these were generally scattered and localized . particularly N of London and in Norfolk. (Coleshill 23.0C, Baltasound 14.6C maximum, Tulloch Bridge 5.1C minimum, Lentran 33.4mm, Aberporth 13.5h.)

Pressure gradients weakened during the 10th although a light N.ly surface flow was maintained. N and E Scotland continued to report some overnight showers and during the day many areas had a mix of sunshine and showers . gradually spreading E.wards during the day. A few showers were thundery and although they eased off in the evening most places had partly cloudy skies during the day then reduced sunshine totals. (Gravesend 24.2C, Baltasound 12.6C maximum, Sutton Bonington 7.2C minimum, Cassley 20.8mm, Herstmonceux 11.2h.)

Winds turned E.ly during the 11th as the British Isles found itself between an anticyclone centred off NW Scotland and low area across France. Heavy showers drifted SE.wards during the early hours from parts of central and eastern Scotland, with some turning thundery. There were a few patched of fog in W Britain for a while before dawn. The showers in E Scotland moved into NE England during the day and a few places further S had light showers later triggered by deepening cumulus clouds. However, away from Scotland it was a mainly dry day with sunny spells; E Ireland and E Scotland remained rather cloudy, however. (Heathrow 24.6C, Lerwick 12.8C maximum, Eskdalemuir 4.5C minimum, Drumnadrochit 23.6mm, Prestwick 14.7h.)

A frontal system over France was never too far away from Se England during the 12th leading to a rather cloudy day for the Se corner of the UK. The night and day were both generally dry . some early mist occurred over Cent England while the fronts over France gave some heavy falls over the Channel Islands. Some thundery falls affected SW Wales in the afternoon and another area of rain affected NE Ireland and SW Scotland. By early evening some places in S England had also seen some falls of light rain . although this tended to ease off in the evening. The best of the any prolonged spells of sunshine were to be found in the extreme W of both Scotland and Ireland. (Plymouth 21.7C, Baltasound 12.4C maximum, Dalwhinnie 4.3C minimum, Killowen 7.6mm, Valentia 15.2h.)

Parts of NE and N Scotland had a ground frost on the 13th with the minimum air temperature at Altnaharra falling to 1.0C and an air frost at Kinbrace. S Wales had some overnight showers but during the day conditions were generally dry. East Anglia, the E Midlands and parts of Se England had a dull, cloudless day . while parts of Scotland and Ireland had prolonged sunny spells under a ridge of high pressure . with MSL pressure peaking around 1022-1024mb in places here. An area of rain reached East Anglia by midnight. (Castlederg 23.3C, Lerwick 11.9C maximum, Kinbrace -0.8C minimum, Cardiff Bute Park 2.0mm, Leuchars 15.4h.)

Overnight into the 14th there was some rain in East Anglia and SE England . which continued into the day . although falls were mostly slight. A few central areas of England and Wales had a touch of ground frost . but high pressure meant a generally dry day for most places. However, as the high declined, frontal cloud brought rain into W Ireland before the evening . with some light falls on the Hebrides also by the evening. Away from the rain in the E and the cloud in the W it was a sunny day . especially in Wales and the W Midlands. (Pershore 24.2C, Lerwick 14.1C maximum, Sennybridge 2.0C minimum, Houghton Hall 7.8mm, Aberporth 15.0h.)

The 15th dawned with frontal cloud across Ireland and brighter conditions towards the E. There was some light rain overnight across Ireland and in parts of SW England . where there was some drizzle. During the day, cloud and rain spread E.wards to affect all but the far E of England by nightfall. The rainfall was mainly slight. It was a cloudy day over Ireland but quite sunny in SE England ahead of the rain. In the evening, low cloud and coastal mist spread around many western coasts and hills of the UK. (Heathrow 25.3C, Tiree 14.8C maximum, Santon Downham 4.3C minimum, Stonyhurst 8.6mm, Manston 11.8h.)

Low pressure initially close to N Scotland pushed a sequence of fronts across the British Isles on the 16th although by 2400GMt there were low centres over NE Scotland (985mb) and the Irish Sea (990mb). Frontal cloud meant a mild night everywhere with temperatures remaining above 10C at low levels. Rain affected most areas overnight with some heavy falls across S Scotland. During the day the heavier rain spread E.wards, particularly to SE England and also across Scotland where it became slow moving and thundery, leading to some localised flooding. Showers followed the rain from the W on the strong NW.ly airflow. (Killowen 21.3C, Inverbervie 13.5C maximum, Lentran 10.6C minimum, Eskdalemuir 58.4mm, Stornoway 9.2h.)

Low pressure over NE England and E Scotland led to a cloudy, blustery and unsettled day on the 17th. After a mild night in some places temperatures then failed to rise to average levels during the day. W Scotland and areas bordering the Irish Sea saw persistent rain during the day, with brisk NW.ly winds . although in S and Cent Ireland falls were much lighter. Parts of NE mainland Scotland were largely dry during the day . elsewhere there was rainfall. According to the Met Office the best of the brighter conditions were across NE parts of the UK but even here there were scattered heavy and thundery showers, as the winds were fairly light here, they were rather slow moving, causing some localised flooding. In most places it was quite a dull day. (Glasgow 21.4C, Altnahinch Filters 12.3C maximum, Coningsby 8.9C minimum, Capel Curig 64.8mm, 8.3h.)

Low pressure close to E Scotland continued to provide an unsettled, NW.ly flow on the 18th. The day dawned after a cloudy night with widespread falls of rain . there were some very heavy falls in N Wales and NW England. Widespread rainfall continued during the day across the British Isles . although some places remained mainly dry during daylight hours. Some of the rain was heavy across NE England for a time and also around parts of outer London, where there was some thunder. SW Scotland had the best of the sunshine . but again many places remained almost sunless. (Glasgow 21.8C, Okehampton 10.8C maximum, Kinbrace 6.1C minimum, Capel Curig 43.8mm, Glasgow 8.1h.)

The NW.ly flow persisted at first on the 19th, then weakened in all areas as a shallow low approached SW Ireland the W. It remained largely cloudy overnight with light rain in many areas . later the cloud broke in S England allowing patches of mist and fog to develop. In the morning there were showers, some of them thundery, in the E midlands and E England. E Scotland and NE England also had rain during the day (some of this the result of heavy and slow-moving thunderstorms) . while later in the day some frontal rain started to affect SW Ireland. Parts of SE England also saw heavy showers in the evening... (Gravesend 22.3C, Loch Glascarnoch 11.8C maximum, South Newington 7.2C minimum, Levens Hall 20.6mm, Herstmonceux 9.6h.)

An area of low pressure moved from SW Ireland into France on the 20th re-introducing the N.ly flow to most areas. E Scotland and NE England had overnight rainfall, as did parts of S Ireland, and SW England. The rain in the N was showery and spread as far S as the Humber by the evening . which many parts of S England, along with the Channel Islands, had rain during the day associated with the low. Elsewhere it was a mostly dry day with the best of the sunshine in W parts of Ireland and Wales. However, it continued to feel cool in the N.ly flow. (Writtle 20.0C, Altnahinch Filters 11.4C maximum, Katesbridge 6.3C minimum, Albemarle 30.8mm, Valley 9.6h.)

Dry conditions and a light N.ly flow led to a cool night into the 21st in N Scotland with a touch of grass frost in some sheltered parts. N and Cent parts of England had some overnight rain and showers and these also affected some E parts of Ireland. These rain areas then pushed S.wards into S England by the evening with falls of as much as 10mm in 12 hours ending 1800GMT in the Dublin area. E Ireland, East Anglia and parts of SE England had a sunless day. (Exeter Airport 21.6C, Lerwick 12.2C maximum, Altnaharra 2.6C minimum, Cranwell 12.0mm, Tiree 11.7h.)

A weak area of high pressure developed across the British Isles on the 22nd but not before a weakening front across parts of Ireland and S Britain had given some further light falls of rain. Inland areas of Scotland and Ireland had a cool night . as did parts of NE and E England. As the showers moved E.wards during the day they turned heavy in places. Most places had rather cloudy skies during the day . although parts of SW Scotland and W Ireland were exceptions to this rule. (Lee-on-Solent 21.3C, Baltasound 12.1C maximum, Dalwhinnie 2.6C minimum, Astwood Bank 21.6mm, Tiree 15.2h.)

W Ireland, S coast areas of England and SE England had minimum temperatures close to the average on the - elsewhere it was a rather cool night with localised ground frosts sin sheltered areas. Showers over SE England cleared during the early morning and a mostly dry day then followed for all places. According to the Met Office the only exception was the coastal parts of East Anglia, where there was a little rain later in the day. N Scotland and the W half of Ireland had a cloudy day . elsewhere there were long sunny spells . although again a N.ly wind in E areas made for a cool feel to the temperature. (Exeter Airport 21.5C, Lerwick 12.4C maximum, Shap 1.4C minimum, Coventry 10.8mm, Glasgow 15.8h.)

Away from the coasts there was a chilly start to the day on the 24th, with the exception of S and Cent Ireland where cloudy skies led to a mild night, but with some light frontal rain in the W. SW England was also affected by cloudy skies and some mist and fog as this frontal rain reached here. These conditions spread into Wales during the day . while on Shetland some falls of heavy rain spread S.wards. Away from these rain areas the bulk of England, and especially S Scotland, had a sunny day with warm conditions in parts of the Midlands. (Pershore 24.0C, Lerwick 11.0C maximum, Tulloch bridge 1.8C minimum, Baltasound 15.6mm, Glasgow 15.8h.)

Fronts affected mainly W and S parts of the British Isles on the 25th. Parts of Cent Scotland and the Midlands had a touch of ground frost early in the day while across Cornwall and SW England grass minimum temperatures were as high as 15C; these areas also saw some light overnight rain as did the Northern Isles. During the day the cloud was thick enough to produce the odd spot of rain especially across Ireland. Elsewhere it was a mainly dry day although rain in the Northern Isles moved S to affect E Scotland. It felt warm and humid in S England . while the best of the sunshine was to be found in an area from the Western isles through to Sussex. (Hurn 25.0C, Inverbervie 11.6C maximum, Tulloch Bridge 1.7C minimum, Lerwick 5.0mm, Odiham 12.3h.)

Fronts in W areas weakened during the 26th but one close to E Britain persisted. However, it was mainly dry overnight although some measurable rain fell in W Ireland and more widely in NE England, and in parts of S Wales. The latter area of rain moved S.wards across Cent S England in the morning. E areas of England remained rather cloudy with a little rain for a while in NE England; W and SW Scotland and parts of Wales and S Ireland had a sunny day . elsewhere there was broken cloud at times. (Exeter Airport 24.1C, Baltasound 12.6C maximum, Tyndrum 2.9C minimum, Warcop 2.4mm, Tiree 16.0h.)

Despite the presence of high pressure across the British Isles on the 27th (1020-1022mb at 1200GMT) the frontal system in the E moved W.wards early in the decay before dying out, while another set of fronts crossed E.wards through much of Ireland in the afternoon and evening. It was a cool start to the day in N and Cent Scotland with a touch of ground frost here. East Anglia and parts of E England had a little overnight rain with more measurable amounts in Kent during the day. W Scotland was cloudy from dawn and this cloud, followed by rain; spread E.wards to affect W Scotland by the evening. Ahead of the rain the highest temperatures were to be found in parts of Scotland. (Aviemore 25.0C, Lerwick 12.4C maximum, Kinbrace 2.1C minimum, St Angelo 4.0mm, Kinloss 15.8h.)

Fronts nudged E.wards across W and N areas of the British isles, followed by rising pressure, on the 28th. By 2400GMT MSL pressure was around 1029mb over NW Ireland. Overnight, rain was largely confined to E Ireland and W parts of Wales and Scotland . with lesser falls in some W parts of England by dawn. During the day there were further, light, falls further E in Scotland and Wales . for many the front meant a cloudy day although SW Ireland soon turned brighter and there were sunny spells in E and Cent parts of England (once early mist and fog patched had cleared from these parts). A few isolated light showers did develop across SE England in late afternoon. (Sutton Bonington 26.0C, Aviemore 13.6C maximum, Ravensworth 4.4C minimum, Strathallan 10.4mm, Valentia 10.7h.)

A frontal zone spread across N and W parts of England and Wales early on the 29th moved SE.wards and gradually broke up. Ahead of the front there were early fog patches in SE England while across Cent Scotland there were reports of a ground frost in sheltered areas. The front gave little rain but mostly cloudy skies across Much of England, Wales and E Ireland. It was also a cloudy day across N Scotland. Some slow-moving heavy showers affected Devon in the afternoon although these eased off into the evening. (Chivenor 22.7C, Fair Isle 13.3C maximum, Tulloch Bridge 0.9C minimum, Chivenor 8.4mm, Glasgow 11.3h.)

A weak area of high pressure dominated the weather in E areas on the 30th although later in the day a series of fronts affected Ireland and W Britain. It was a chilly night across Scotland while SW England had some early mist and fog patches. During the day, an old front gave some rain to S Wales and S England but this later dissipated. By the evening frontal rain had fallen in W Ireland and most of Ireland had a generally dull day . as did areas of S Wales and parts of SW England, although Camborne had 10.8h of sunshine. (Crosby 23.9C, Lerwick 12.2C maximum, Eskdalemuir 4.4C minimum, Cambridge NIAB 2.6mm, Morecambe 14.1h.)

Frontal cloud into the 31st led to a mild night across Ireland and W Britain while in the E clear skies led to more of an overnight temperature fall . followed by sunny conditions and a warm afternoon. There was rain overnight across W eland and also in W Scotland . during the day this rain spread a little E.wards into E Ireland and some e areas of Scotland although falls remained mainly slight. The best of the sunshine was to be found in E England, East Anglia and Cent S and SE England; elsewhere it was a rather cloudy day. (Sutton Bonington 26.8C, Fair Isle 12.4C maximum, Santon Downham 3.0C minimum, Killowen 6.0mm, Heathrow 12.5h.)

British Isles weather, August 2011

It was rather cloudy overnight into the 1st and this led to mainly high minimum temperatures . except . in parts of E England and East Anglia. Fronts brought some light rain overnight across Ireland and in W and N parts of the UK. During the day the rain made little progress towards the E, although it remained cloudy in W Britain as waves developed along the fronts. East Anglia and Se England had a sunny day . and there were some sunny intervals across W Ireland. The rain eventually became more widespread across Wales and NW England during the afternoon and spread into S and E areas of Scotland. The sunshine in the SE led to a very warm day here. (Gravesend 29.1C, Lerwick 13.8C maximum, Frittenden 9.1C minimum, Loch Glascarnoch 11.4mm, Wattisham 13.2h.)

For most of the British Isles it was a warm night into the 2nd although cooler conditions prevailed in NW Scotland and parts of W Ireland. Rainfall was heavy and persistent in places, falling from NE Scotland to NE Ireland and in W England and Wales. The rain continued to fall in E Scotland and N England during the day . further S the frontal system gave little precipitation and by the evening only NE Scotland was affected. There were sunny spells in E England and Se and Cent S England . and later across Wales. E England, S of the Humber, had a warm day despite some showery outbreaks here. A few of these showers turned thundery later in the day. (Monks Wood 28.8C, Lerwick 13.1C maximum, Cluanie Inn 7.9C minimum, Inverbervie 25.0mm, Lyneham 10.2h.)

As one frontal system faded across Britain another approached Ireland from the SW on the 3rd with MSL pressure down to 1006mb in W Ireland by 2400GMT. The day began with widespread cloud after some overnight rain in parts of NE Scotland and E England. However, except in NE Scotland and the Northern Isles and in SW Ireland there were sunny spells during the day as the cloud cover broke a little. There were scattered thunderstorms across Cent England, from Oxfordshire to Yorkshire with some heavy falls of rain in places. East Anglia and E England also had some heavy thunderstorms which lasted into the evening. E and Cent England had a very warm day and this warmth helped to trigger the storms. By evening it had clouded over across Cornwall and Ireland with some rain here by late evening . along with some coastal mist and fog in SW England. A clear-up operation got underway in parts of Yorkshire after torrential rain caused flash flooding. North Yorkshire and East Yorkshire were badly affected, with some homes and businesses being evacuated. Humberside Fire Service received 135 calls in three hours as heavy rain fell on Goole and the aftermath left the town college closed. In Dunnington, near York, trees came down in high winds and hailstones damaged the Britain in Bloom entry. Between 0600BST and 1800BST Howden received 41.9mm of rain while Leconfield had 24mm, with 22.6mm falling there over a one-hour period. In the York area, a Tesco supermarket at Askham Bar was evacuated after the roof began leaking. North Yorkshire's fire service said crews were called to a house in Stepney Road, Scarborough, after a fire broke out as a result of a lightning strike. (Gravesend 30.3C, Fair Isle 13.9C maximum, Katesbridge 3.8C minimum, Leconfield 26.2mm, Herstmonceux 11.5h.)

An area of low pressure moved across Ireland and W Scotland on the 4th as associated fronts crossed most parts of the British Isles. Falls were heavy overnight in SW England and this heavy rain then transferred E.wards across S England during the day. It turned mainly dry and brighter across Ireland during the day with the best of the warmth to be found in E Ireland. In contrast, W Scotland and E England remained mostly dull. (Ashford, Co. Wicklow 23.6C, Wick Airport 14.5C maximum, Carterhouse 8.7C minimum, Wych Cross 28.4mm, Dublin Airport 5.3h.)

Overnight into the 5th there were a few falls of light rain across parts of Ireland and in E England, while N Scotland and the Northern Isles had some heavy falls overnight. This was the result of low pressure over and close to N Scotland during the day . with the result that heavy falls continued on Shetland during daylight hours. There were also a few light showers over Ireland, NW England and W Scotland during the day. W Ireland had a mainly dull day while Wales had long sunny spells. (St James Park 25.6C, Fair Isle 14.0C maximum, Katesbridge 6.6C minimum, Baltasound 34.6mm, Aberporth 10.8h.)

Several centres of low pressure on the 6th led to an unsettled day across the British Isles, after a cool start to the day in NW Scotland. Overnight rain affected mainly W Ireland . this rain then spread E.wards and during the morning heavy, thundery showers broke out over N England, bringing some torrential downpours across Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Cumbria and NE England. Emergency services across NE England received hundreds of calls after heavy rain caused localised flooding. Darlington, Durham, Consett and parts of Northumberland were the worst-hit areas, with some homes flooded. Durham and Darlington Fire Service said conditions were "severe". Newcastle United's friendly match against Italian side Fiorentina at St James' Park was called off after 64 minutes due to torrential rain. There were also been at least two incidents where properties were struck by lightning. The A1058 Coast Road to Tynemouth was also partially flooded. The showers merged to give more locally very heavy rain in the NE and this then spread in to S Scotland. The rain persisted in S and Cent Scotland during the evening and into the night but it turned drier further S. Sunshine amounts were generally on the low side . an exception being parts of W Scotland. (Weybourne 21.9C, Warcop 12.6C maximum, Kinbrace 3.2C minimum, Albermarle 37.2mm, Stornoway 11.5h.)

Much of the Northern Isles, Cent and E England was dry overnight into the 7th; elsewhere there were areas of widespread and heavy rain . especially in E Scotland. It remained wet in E (and also Cent) Scotland during the day with falls spreading into the Northern Isles . while another widespread area of rain moved E to affect much of S Wales and S England by the end of the evening. There were some showers over N Wales and NW England . and across Ireland. The best of the sunshine was to be found in SE England, ahead of the rain, and in W Ireland. Heavy rain across Scotland sparked travel chaos and localised flooding. A number of roads were closed in Angus, Fife and the Borders, and in the Highlands, water stopped traffic on the A9 at Drumossie. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency issued flood warnings for Dundee and Angus, and the River Isla in Tayside. And lesser alerts were also called for Aberdeenshire, central and west central Scotland, Edinburgh and Lothians, Fife, and the Scottish Borders. There was overnight flooding in part of the campsite for the Belladrum music festival near Beauly, in the Highlands, and Red Cross volunteers provided assistance for campers. The Montrose Highland Games was also cancelled, with organisers saying that the conditions meant it was impossible to hold any competitions. (Gravesend 22.2C, Loch Glascarnoch 10.8C maximum, Katesbridge 4.5C minimum, Lentran 61.4mm, Manston 9.9h.)

Low pressure close to NE Scotland on the 8th drew a N/NW.ly flow across all areas during the day. Rain continued to fall across E Scotland overnight . being heavy in the NE. Some rivers overflowed as rain persisted here during the day, E Ireland and parts of Wales and England also had overnight rain . during the day there were scattered showers in E areas and in parts of Ireland and from N Wales to E Yorkshire. In other areas it was mainly dry . but also cloudy. Red Cross staff moved 46 people out of The Meadows care home in Huntly, Aberdeenshire, as the water level of the nearby River Deveron became dangerously high. Parts of Inverness were flooded and a section of the A9 was closed southbound for about three hours after heavy rain. (Writtle 22.3C, Fair Isle 11.7C maximum, Bala 6.0C minimum, Fyvie Castle 30.6mm, Camborne 10.2h.)

High pressure affected S parts of the British Isles on the 9th but its presence was short-lived as fronts crossed Ireland in the evening. After a cool start, it was a mostly fine and dry day across the UK with a gentle north westerly breeze. There was a cool start to the day in some places . although overnight rain was mostly confined to parts N Scotland and E England, with some falls in Wales, and by day was mostly restricted to N Scotland. Away from W Ireland and N Scotland it was a mostly sunny day. However, cloud and persistent rain began to affect Ireland and W Scotland during the evening onwards. (Lee-on-Solent 22.4C, Loch Glascarnoch 11.7C maximum, Shap 3.9C minimum, Leconfield 3.2mm, Morecambe 13.9h.)

Cent and E parts of England had a cool night into the 10th under the influence of high pressure. However, frontal rain spread to many northern areas overnight and heavy rain then continued to fall across much of N and cent parts of Ireland the UK during the day. Heavy falls in N England and N Wales led to some flood alerts. NE Scotland and S Britain remained largely dry . although it felt breezy almost everywhere. (Cavendish 24.4C, Loch Glascarnoch 10.2C maximum, Santon Downham 4.6C minimum, Millport 56.6mm, Charlwood 11.2h.)

The 11th dawned after a mild night in many places with minimum temperatures in excess of 15C as far N as N Ireland and N England. Rainfall was widespread everywhere overnight except in the Midlands, Cent S and SE England and in S parts of East Anglia. The rain was especially heavy from N Wales to the Pennines. During the day it turned drier in many areas . but falls continued across N England and S Scotland, and rain spread SE to affect parts of East Anglia and SE England. Heavy rain across Cent Scotland became less intense and moved southwards during the day. Train operators worked to fully restore services after heavy rain caused disruption in Glasgow and Edinburgh. News reports (unconfirmed) mentioned that that Glasgow saw one of the wettest 24-hour periods since records began. Elsewhere, in Rosyth, water was pumped from homes and a school at Park Road. There were also reports of small problems in Wellbank near Dundee, and at Ceres and Kilmany near Cupar. Perth and Kinross Council announced that the Perth Highland Games, due to take place on Sunday, had been cancelled. The authority said this was because of the current bad weather conditions and the forecast of further rain. Across N Scotland it was a sunny day . elsewhere skies were rather cloudy, (Pershore 24.3C, Salsburgh 10.9C maximum, Altnaharra 6.7C minimum, Preston Moor Park 43.0mm, Stornoway 10.6h.)

N and E Scotland had a chilly night into the 12th with a ground frost in some parts of E Scotland. Elsewhere the night was mostly mild . and rather humid with rainfall affecting places from N Ireland to NE England. Low pressure to the W of the British Isles brought spells of frontal rain across Ireland and to much of W Britain . with some persistent rain moving from N Ireland into SW Scotland. E Britain, away from the Anglo-Scottish border) and much of S England had a mostly dry day . although cloudy conditions remained widespread and only NE Scotland was particularly sunny. (Frittenden 23.8C, Dalwhinnie 14.0C maximum, Fyvie Castle 2.1C minimum, Dundrennan 19.4mm, Lerwick 7.4h.)

A band of rain pushed eastwards across much of the UK overnight into the 13th and this was flowed by further light rain and showers during the day - although falls were mainly slight. However, across the Northern Isles there was heavy rain during the day. There was a tendency during the day for the showers, and cloud, to affect W parts of Britain and Ireland . with E areas seeing rather more sunshine. (Gravesend 24.9C, Lerwick 13.3C maximum, Dalwhinnie 11.3C minimum, Lerwick 22.4mm, Kinloss 5.8h.)

Cloudy skies into the 14th prevented minimum temperatures from falling particularly low and there were a few overnight showers in W parts of Scotland and Ireland associated with a slow-moving front. During the days showers spread E.wards across Scotland and Ireland . with some of then turning thundery. One or two showers also fell in parts of N England and S Wales/SW England. The showers died down in the evening in most areas. (Writtle 23.4C, Fair Isle 15.3C maximum, Kinbrace 5.0C minimum, Blencathra 7.4mm, Cork Airport 11.3h.)

A weak ridge of high pressure across S districts overnight into the 15th (1016mb at Scilly at 0000GMT) meant that overnight rain fell mainly across W Ireland and W/N parts of Scotland. It was a cool night in parts of E and SE Scotland. However, as the high pressure migrated E.wards frontal cloud spread into W areas of the British Isles with rainfall across much of Ireland and Wales, SW England and W Scotland by the evening. 12mm of rain fell at Valentia in the 12 hours ending 1800GMT. E areas (but not E Scotland) remained largely dry although Shetland had the best of the sunshine. (Cavendish 23.5C, Fair Isle 14.6C maximum, Braemar 2.4C Castlederg 10.0mm, Lerwick 14.5h.)

There was another cool night in E Scotland into the 16th. Overnight rainfall was widespread across England, Wales and Ireland . N of a line Devon-The Wash. There was also rainfall in W Scotland before dawn. During the day it turned brighter from the W as the low centre bringing the rain moved from Belmullet at 0000GMT to SE Scotland (1007mb) by midday. The rain made little progress E.wards across England but did fall in parts of E Scotland . and showers developed once the rain had cleared in the W as the air warmed up. The best of the sunshine was to be found in W Ireland where it remained mainly dry during the day. (Cambridge NIAB 23.3C, Stornoway 13.4C maximum, Braemar 2.3C minimum, Walney Island 17.8mm, Belmullet 11.9h.)

Into the 17th there was a slight ground frost in parts of Cent Ireland, NE England and Cent Scotland . with only Scilly and some E and W coast parts of Scotland having any rainfall. The rain on Scilly spread across much of S England during the day . further N there were a few showers, mainly in N Ireland and W Scotland. However, even in the dry regions there were widely varying amounts of cloud . and sunshine. (Gravesend 22.7C, Altnahinch Filters 13.9C maximum, Katesbridge 1.6C minimum, Braemar 4.4mm, Morecambe 14.1h.)

Overnight into the 18th there were a few showers in N and Cent parts of Scotland while Cent S England had some rainfall by dawn. This latter area of rainfall turned heavy and thundery as it moved from Portland towards E Berkshire and then further N.wards giving some localised flooding. The main rain area was quite narrow in extent although it gave falls of 54mm at Portland in the 12 hours ending 1800GMT . and in the Reading-Wokingham area the day was one of the wettest on record for August with in excess of 65mm falling. Showers affected Wales and then N England . and also Cent and E parts of England. Vehicles broke down, homes were flooded to "waist deep" and roads were closed after flash floods hit Dorset. The worst-hit areas were Lulworth to Bournemouth, where an air show had been due to begin, and on to Christchurch. Patients had to be evacuated from a private hospital after a ceiling was damaged because of the water. Several people were rescued from vehicles stuck in flood water. Bournemouth's Lower and Central Gardens were also submerged. The Met Office said 53mm of rain was recorded in the Springbourne area of Bournemouth between 0300GMT and 1200GMT, and 57.8mm of rain fell in Portland during the same period. Drains and manhole covers lifted in a number of streets, including Magna Road and Coniston Avenue in Bear Cross, Nuffield Road in Poole, Commercial Road in Bournemouth and Burts Hill in Wimborne. Organisers of the four-day Bournemouth Air Festival, which was due to begin earlier on Thursday, said all daytime flying displays would be cancelled to maintain public safety. Similar flooding conditions occurred in parts of E Berkshire . where it was a cool day. (Jersey Airport 21.8C, Nettlecombe Birds Hill 12.0C maximum, Shap 3.3C minimum, Isle of Portland 58.6mm, Belmullet 10.7mm)

The 19th followed a rather cool night with temperatures widely falling to below 5C in sheltered inland areas. There was some rainfall overnight in E areas of Britain but elsewhere the low temperatures led to mist and fog formation before dawn. The next band of frontal cloud soon spread E.wards across Ireland with rain in W Ireland by the evening. This rain also fell in the extreme W of Scotland. Ahead of the cloud it was a sunny day in Cent and E parts of England . and in E Scotland although it was a dull day in much of S Ireland and around Irish Sea coasts. (Sutton Bonington 23.5C, Banagher Caugh Hill 13.5C maximum, Katesbridge 1.1C minimum, Wick Airport 14.0mm, Wattisham 11.3h.)

The 20th was a rather unsettled day with low pressure centred close to W Scotland. It was a mild night, except in some E areas of Britain as a band of rain made slow progress E.wards across Wales and Scotland. Showers affected SW England and parts of Ireland before dawn. During the morning, the showers in the southwest became heavier and more organized. The showery rain slowly moved towards the NE and reached London by midday. Parts of S Scotland and East Anglia had rain later in the day and there were also falls across the Northern isles and W Scotland. Despite this, many places in Scotland and Ireland had a sunny day. (Cranwell 24.5C, Harris Quidnish 14.4C maximum, Katesbridge 6.3C minimum, Harris Quidnish 13.0mm, Glasgow 11.3h.)

The 21st dawned following a night of rain and showers across Wales and N England with some falls also in parts of S Scotland and Ireland. These spread E.wards during the morning . with some showers becoming thundery around the Wash; further thundery showers occurred later along the S coast of England. Most areas had a dry day NW Scotland had a little rain but there were sunny spells almost everywhere. (Shoeburyness 26.4C, Tulloch Bridge 15.0C maximum, Braemar 4.6C minimum, Durham 13.0mm, Camborne 10.3h.)

During the 22nd high pressure developed across the British Isles with centres of 1020mb over N Ireland at 1800GMT and 1021mb off the coast of NE England at the same time. Clear skies across cent England meant a cool night here with some mist and fog patches at dawn. N Scotland had a little rainfall overnight and there were a few light falls here in places during the day. Elsewhere, it was generally dry during the day. Frontal cloud pushed NW.wards into SE England in the afternoon and there some rainfall in the extreme SE by nightfall. A large part of Cent and S Scotland had a rather dull day . by contrast there were long sunny spells in parts of Cent and S England. (Cambridge NIAB 23.8C, Lerwick 13.6C maximum, Katesbridge 3.5C minimum, Stornoway 6.4mm, Leconfield 11.9h.)

While N Scotland had a cold start to the 23rd; across S and Cent England the day dawn relatively mild with some heavy and thundery showers here moving N.wards. There were some heavy falls in parts of the London area and Essex . before the rain moved further N into East Anglia. In the rain area temperatures hardly rose during the day . resulting in a cool day for the time of year with daytime maximum temperatures failing to reach 15C in parts of Cent S England. Elsewhere there were a few showers in N Scotland and there was some rain in NE England during the day . while by the evening an area of frontal rain had reached W Ireland. (Gogarddan 22.2C, Tyndrum 13.9C maximum, Katesbridge 1.1C minimum, Frittenden 16.4mm, Lerwick 10.7h.)

The 24th was an unsettled day in many places following a cool start in some sheltered inland parts of the British Isles. Rain fell across Ireland and SW Scotland overnight while E England had some early mist and fog. Frontal rain spread E.wards during the day as far as the Midlands and Cent Scotland by nightfall. The Shetlands had some heavy falls of rain during the day and there were some showers in SE England during the morning. The organized rain was followed by showers from the W . these became thundery over parts of N Ireland and W Scotland. In W Ireland it was a very sunny day. (Cranwell 24.1C, Fair Isle 13.0C maximum, Aboyne 2.0C minimum, Kinlochewe 23.2mm, Cork Airport 11.1h.)

Parts of Scotland, N Ireland and N England had a cold start to the 25th. Elsewhere, according to the Met Office it was a very wet start across many parts of England as a band of heavy and persistent rain moved up from the SW during the early hours. A line from Bristol to East Yorkshire saw the worst of the rainfall. This band of rain along a cold front cleared most of England by midday but further pulses of rain fed across the British Isles from the W organized by an area f low pressure located of SW Ireland. Some of this rain turned heavy and thundery, especially across SW England, Wales and Ireland where there was also some hail and gusty winds. These showers continued throughout the day with another area of rain then affecting SE England before midnight. (Manston 21.9C, Fair Isle 13.5C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch 1.4C minimum, Winchcombe Sudeley Castle 26.0mm, Stornoway 11.8h.)

N England, Ireland and Scotland had a cold start to the 26th with a ground frost in some sheltered places. Other parts of England had a rather cloudy night with widespread rain as a frontal wave affected the area. As this wave moved away E.wards a complex area of low pressure developed over W parts of the British Isles leading to a wet day across Britain . but with drier conditions over Ireland. Ireland and W Scotland had the best of the sunshine. Parts of Port Talbot, Neath and Baglan were hit by flash flooding. Two supermarkets in Neath were closed temporarily. Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said it had seven crews out dealing with flooding incidents at Port Talbot, as well as the town's Sandfields estate, Neath and Briton Ferry. Bank Holiday traffic along the M4 in south Wales was hit by driving rain, causing treacherous conditions in places. Environment Agency Wales had issued a warning to south and mid Wales of possible surface flooding. It was a cool day with 20C not being reached, according to the extremes to hand by 2100GMT. (Langdon Bay 19.8C, Dunkeswell 12.0C maximum, Altnaharra 1.8C minimum, Redesdale Camp 39.0mm, Casement Aerodrome 11.1h)

Overnight rain gradually stopped into the b>27th except for some heavy rain across NE Scotland. This rain slowly cleared during the morning although showers then became quite widespread with some of these also turning heavy and thundery at times, particularly across East Anglia. Into the late afternoon and evening the showers became gradually confined to W areas . although some thundery falls continued across N England. An area of low pressure close to Shetland at 2400GMT resulted in some rain later across N Scotland. (Pershore and Shoreham 19.7C, Fair Isle 11.7C maximum, Altnaharra 4.5C minimum, Fair Isle 24.4mm, Morecambe 9.5h.)

Parts of SE Scotland and S Ireland had a cool night into the 28th but elsewhere temperatures were generally as might be expected in late August. There was widespread rain across W Ireland and N Scotland in particular overnight . during the day this was more generally confined to N Scotland. There were strong winds here also; according to the Met Office winds here reached gale force quite widely, with the strongest winds recorded at Wick and Rosehearty, both of which saw gusts of up to 59kn. Elsewhere conditions were quieter with some scattered showers. In some low-level parts of N Scotland maximum temperatures failed to reach 10C during the day. (Cavendish 20.3C, Loch Glascarnoch 8.0C maximum, Carterhouse 6.3C minimum, Wick Airport 65.6mm, Leconfield 9.7h.)

Showers affected places N.wards of N Wales and N Ireland overnight in to the 29th but further S, and in E and Cent parts of Scotland skies cleared at times to give a cool night. Parts of Cent and S Ireland reported a ground frost. During the day most places remained dry albeit with scattered light showers in some W parts of the UK on a NW.ly flow. This flow meant a rather cool day for some . with some area, particularly N Ireland and N Scotland, seeing little sunshine. (Lee-on-Solent 19.6C, Loch Glascarnoch 10.2C maximum, Spadeadam 4.6C minimum, Baltasound 11.0mm, Camborne 10.2h.)

The 30th dawned after a mainly dry night . except across N Scotland where there were heavy overnight showers. Parts of N Ireland and N England had a little overnight precipitation . and minimum temperatures remained above 10C for most places due to cloud cover. A band of showers moved SE.wards across N parts of the UK during the morning with an area of scattered showers in W area . as far S as N Wales and N England. Elsewhere it remained generally dry - but cloud cover meant a rather cool day with most of England having under an hour of bright sunshine. (Jersey Airport 18.7C, Fair Isle 11.5C maximum, Topcliffe 5.7C minimum, Loch Glascarnoch 12.6mm, Guernsey Airport 7.7h.)

The 31st was another cloudy except across SW parts of England, Wales and Ireland. Further to the N many areas had a sunless day. N Scotland and a few area of E Britain had some overnight showers while during the day almost everywhere was dry. Winds were light across most of the UK, with the exception of the south coast of Cornwall, where there was a moderate easterly breeze. Parts of Wales and Ireland had a cool start to the day . and during the day it was generally cooler than normal. (Jersey Airport 20.9C, Fair Isle 11.4C maximum, Castlederg 2.5C minimum, Aultbea 1.8mm, Guernsey Airport 6.0h.)

British Isles weather, September 2011

A weak front brought a cloudy start to the 1st in many areas; there was some patchy mist and fog across much of central and southern England at first and some low grass minimum temperatures in parts of E Wales and the SW Midlands. The cloud gave almost no rain and most of England and Wales, except for parts of N England, then had a sunny day. Scotland remained rather cloudy and largely dry - but later in the afternoon and evening a frontal system over the Atlantic pushed frontal rain across W Ireland and later the Western Isles. At Valentia 4mm of rain fell in the 12 hours ending 1800GMT. (Chivenor 23.1C, Lerwick 12.4C maximum, South Newington 2.8C min, Castlederg 2.0mm, Wittering 12.3h.)

E'ward progression of frontal cloud led to a cloudy band mild night in most places away from parts of the Midlands with rain into the 2nd overnight in W Ireland, and W and Cent Scotland. In S England some early mist and fog was slow to clear but as the front broke up from the S, most of England and Wales had a dry, sunny day. There were a few isolated showers later in S England while Wales had a rather cloudy, if mainly dry, day. Scotland and Ireland were rather cloudy during the day with some light falls of rain mainly in the W and in N Scotland. In the afternoon and evening there were more persistent falls of rain, some of which were heavy, spread across N and NW Ireland and later in S Scotland. In East Anglia, Cent S and SE England and the E Midlands the temperature reached over 25C in places. (Heathrow 27.0C, Dalwhinnie 14.0C maximum, South Newington 6.8C minimum, Dunstaffnage 24.4mm, Brize Norton 11.6 h.)

The 3rd dawned after a cloudy, mild night, during which the minimum temperatures dropped below 10C in only a few places. A wave depression over W parts of the British Isles gave rain overnight in Ireland and Scotland and this then made a little progress E'wards during the day under a slow-moving cold front. By the evening rain had fallen W of a line from Devon-Northumberland during the day - with another area of rainfall across N Scotland. The rain eventually reached parts of Cent S England before midnight - while a trough gave some thundery rain in parts of SE England by this time. Most places saw some sunny intervals . with rather more sunshine in a few places in East Anglia. (Manston 26.7C, Lerwick 13.0C maximum, South Newington 7.6C minimum, Walney Island 32.2mm, Wattisham 8.7h.)

Behind the cold front it was a cool night into the 4th with some ground frost in NE Scotland. Overnight rain fell mainly across Wales, SW England and in parts of Cent S England - while Valentia reported some rain around dawn due to the next advancing depression from the W. In the S the rain turned heavy in a few places as it moved E/N'wards towards Yorkshire. Behind the rain there was a brighter start to the day - but the rain across SW Ireland soon moved NE'wards as a filling depression moved NE'wards across Ireland during the day (centre 999mb filling to 993mb by midnight). The rain was accompanied by strong winds over Ireland, Wales and SW England after midday. Across England and Wales this rain was followed by showers but it remained rather cloudy with some rain across Ireland. The best of the sunshine was to be found during the day across N and E parts of Scotland. (Shoeburyness 21.5C, Lough Fea 11.9C maximum, Katesbridge 1.6C minimum, Monks Wood 14.6mm, Lerwick 10.9h.)

Low pressure across Ireland and then Scotland on the 5th made for an unsettled day . and by midnight a further warm sector driven by a deepening low to the W of Scotland had brought a brisk SW'ly flow to most areas. There was widespread overnight rainfall although parts of SE Ireland, E England and the Northern Isles did remain dry. The early depression brought some heavy showers to many areas during the day with some thunderstorms in NE England - these then gave way to warm frontal rain although SE parts of England and East Anglia had little rain from this front. By midnight the following cold front was giving further rain across W Ireland. (Shoeburyness 20.6C, Lerwick 12.1C maximum, Katesbridge 1.2C minimum, Capel Curig 44.2mm, Guernsey Airport 10.3h.)

An early warm sector on the 6th soon gave way to a showery N'ly/NW'ly flow as the cold front crossed all areas. It was wet by night and day in all areas although falls in E England and E Scotland were mainly slight - the heaviest falls tended to be over W hills. West to southwesterly winds were generally very strong according to the Met Office, reaching gale-force along exposed southern and western coasts. The strongest gust was recorded at The Needles, late in the morning with 76kn. The best of the sunshine was to be found across Ireland and in E Scotland. (Holbeach 19.6C, Salsburgh 12.1C maximum, Aboyne 4.9C minimum, Capel Curig 66.4mm, Leeming 8.5h.)

The 7th was generally rather windy and cloudy throughout. Showers and longer spells of rain affected Ireland, Wales and mainly W areas of England and Scotland – with some thundery outbreaks. Much of Scotland had spells of sunshine – with some sunny intervals in E England; elsewhere, the day was rather a dull one. (Santon Downham 18.5C, Liscombe 12.3C maximum, Kinbrace 6.9C minimum, Cluanie Inn 28.4mm, Leuchars 6.9h.)

The strength of the W’ly flow weakened during the 8th and the weather became dominated by a sequence of fronts across S areas. Across N areas of England and Ireland and in S Scotland there was some showery rain overnight and some rain in the evening in SE Scotland and NE England. Further N there were some showers during the day – especially on the Northern Isles – but with long sunny spells in most areas. Wales, and Cent and S parts of England and Ireland were generally cloudy; early rain and drizzle moved slowly N’wards and was mainly confined to W areas. (Exeter Airport 24.0C, Resallach 12.8C maximum, Fyvie Castle 4.4C minimum, Resallach 22.4mm, Lerwick 8.1h.)

Warm fronts moving N on the 9th made for a rather cloudy day in all areas. England, Wales, Ireland and S Scotland had a mild night with rainfall mostly across Ireland, Wales, W England and S Scotland. This rain then spread across most remaining areas of Scotland during the day. Some heavy bursts of rain also moved eastwards, mainly affecting SE England, W Midlands and N Wales overnight but as the fronts edged N’wards it turned dry from the S with only Wales and SW England having some slight falls during the day. Around midday thundery showers moved into SW England according to the Met Office – while later in the day and during the evening a pair of cold fronts brought rain to W parts of Ireland from the SW. (Wainfleet 24.8C, Lentran 10.8C maximum, Braemar 5.9C minimum, Cluanie Inn 9.0mm, Aldergrove 4.7h.)

It was very mild overnight into the 10th - with minimum temperatures over 17C in parts of E Ireland and in areas of Wales and England. The humid air led to widespread mist and fog patches and there were overnight falls of frontal rain across Scotland – moving N’wards – and over Ireland – moving E’wards. Later in the morning, whilst the heaviest spells of rain eased eastwards from most of Scotland, pulses of heavy and thundery rain affected S England. The E’ward moving fronts cleared E Britain in the evening but they were followed by a few troughs that gave organised areas of showery rain – especially in W areas. It was a warm day with 20C being exceeded as far N as N Scotland – but generally rather cloudy. (Leconfield 25.0C, Baltasound 13.1C maximum, Baltasound 5.8C minimum, Tyndrum 19.0mm, Casement Airport 6.3h.)

Low pressure centred close to NW Scotland gave a blustery day on the 11th in W areas. Overnight rain affected many areas although E Scotland, East Anglia and SE Ireland remained mainly dry. N Ireland had a wet start with rain largely clearing in the afternoon. This rain area spread across Scotland during the day although some NE parts of Scotland stayed mainly dry. W parts of England and Wales had some showers but many Cent and E parts of England had a dry day with sunny spells. S and cent Ireland had little rain – but in the evening a warm front from former tropical storm Katia spread N across most of Ireland, Wales and SW England – giving S’ly gales here and some rain. (Gravesend 22.1C, Eskdalemuir 12.1C maximum, Drumnadrochit 9.4C minimum, Tyndrum 55.8mm, Wittering 7.6h.)

Former tropical storm Katia moved from the Western Isles at 1200GMT on the 12th (centre 972mb) across N Scotland and the Northern Isles – to be located just E of Shetland at 976mb by 2400GMT. It’s warm sector meant a mild start to the day with minimum temperatures widely above 13C. According to the Met Office Capel Curig saw the strongest gust of wind, 82 mph, at 0600GMT. A motorist was killed by a falling tree; the hospice ambulance driver died and his passenger was badly injured on the A688 in County Durham. Nearby, a collapsed roof crushed a dozen cars. Further north, in Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway, several hundred homes lost without power. Worst-hit were southern and central parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland, and N England and Wales. A catering marquee being used on the set of the TV series Game of Thrones was ripped into the air near the Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge on the north coast of Northern Ireland. The weather caused the cancellation of stage two of cycling's Tour of Britain, through Lancashire and Cumbria. In Cornwall, the RNLI was warning surfers of the dangerous conditions caused by strong winds as a body boarder was rescued after being swept onto rocks. East Coast train services between London King's Cross and Newcastle were seriously affected with some services cancelled after a tree fell on to the track between Durham and Darlington. Other travel disruption included the cancellation of some Irish Sea ferry crossings, while in Scotland Caledonian MacBrayne cancelled some ferries. During the day rainfall was mainly confined to Scotland with S Ireland and E England having a mainly dry day with sunny spells. W and NW Scotland were notably wet, with heavy and persistent rain for much of the day. (Wattisham 22.9C, Carterhouse 12.3C maximum, Lentran 9.6C minimum, Tyndrum 61.8mm, Boulmer 8.5h.)

The 13th dawned after a mild night. N Ireland and much of Scotland (away from the E coast) had a cloudy night with rain and these conditions continued during the day as a meandering front edged slowly S’wards. Elsewhere, after a mainly dry night showers began to fall across S Wales and S England – the result of an E’ward moving trough. Some showers also fell across Cent and N parts of England and Wales – while frontal rain followed showers from the N across Ireland. Away from Scotland and N Ireland there were long sunny spells in most areas. (Manston 20.5C, Salsburgh 10.4C maximum, Altnahinch Filters 8.6C minimum, Cluanie Inn 68.8mm, Nottingham 9.9h.)

NW’ly winds and slow-moving fronts led to unsettled conditions on the 14th across Scotland – although strong winds in the E did slowly ease off a little. Most of the rain during the day was confined to Scotland and N Ireland – in cent S England there were long spells of sunshine in places. Thick cloud and some rain affected N England and N Ireland – while much of S Ireland was rather cloudy. Later in the day a weak ridge spread N’wards towards SW England – centred at about 1022mb at 1800GMT close to S Devon. (Kew Gardens 20.3C, Loch Glascarnoch 9.9C maximum, Kinbrace 5.5C minimum, Cluanie Inn 21.6mm, Boulmer 11.7h.)

A short-lived area of high pressure across S and E parts of Britain on the 15th led to a ground frost in sheltered inland areas from Cent Scotland to Cent S England. Clear skies also meant very little in the way of rain – despite a decaying front that straddled parts of NE Ireland, Scotland and N England at times during the day. Later in the afternoon another front gave some rain in SW Ireland; Valentia recorded 2mm in the 12 hours ending 1800GMT. Except in SW Ireland and on the Northern Isles there were long sunny spells in most areas. (Charlwood 21.3C, Lerwick 9.6C maximum, Tyndrum -0.4C minimum, Gogarddan 1.4mm, Glasgow 11.5h.)

On the 16th an early ground frost was generally confined to N Scotland. There were a few showers overnight in parts of S England but the main rainfall was the result of a front across W Ireland – some 16mm fell at Valentia in the 12 hours ending 0600GMT. This rain area spread E’wards and NE’wards across much of Ireland, N Wales, N England and into S and E Scotland. It was preceded by some showers in many areas – the Met Office reported that these turning increasingly heavy and thundery as they reached E England. SE of a line Hull-Exeter it remained mainly dry during the day although in the evening further thunderstorms affected places in E Britain. The best of the sunshine during the day was to be found in parts of S England. (Gravesend 23.4C, Loch Glascarnoch 10.6C maximum, Aboyne 0.3C minimum, Killowen 21.8mm, Herstmnonceux 8.4h.)

Cloudy skies meant a mild start to the 17th and the same fronts that gave the cloud also produced widespread rain – except in East Anglia, Cent S and SE England - overnight. During the morning the rain across northwestern England turned increasingly heavy and thundery. Elsewhere, with an area of low pressure becoming slow-moving across Cent Scotland (centre close to 996mb) there were widespread showers – with some thunder in S England later in the day. Across N and NE Scotland it was a generally dull day – elsewhere there were sunny intervals between the showers. (Gravesend 19.8C, Eskdalemuir 11.6C maximum, Newton Rigg 8.1C minimum, Morecambe 48.0mm, Leconfield 8.5h.)

Low pressure, close to or over E Scotland on the 18th, led to an unsettled day – with associated fronts and troughs giving widespread falls of rain. A few areas, notably parts of the Midlands and East Anglia, did remain largely dry, however. Some thunderstorms were reported from Cent S England northwards towards the Pennines and most places had some sunny intervals. (Glasgow 18.9C, Okehampton 11.5C maximum, Wainfleet 2.6C minimum, Yeovilton 22.4mm, Tiree 8.6h.)

The 19th saw a warm front cross from the W towards W parts of Briatin by midday; ahead of this it was a cool night in parts of E Scotland but by dawn any rainfall was largely confined to Ireland. Much of England and E Scotland remained dry during the day with places close to the E coast having the best of the sunshine. Further west it tended to remaine cloudy and dull throughout the day with more spells of rain across many areas, especially in W and N Ireland; S Scotland had some heavy rain in the evening. (Killowen 20.4C, Cluanie Inn 12.6C maximum, Eskdalemuir 3.1C minimum, Spadeadam 10.2mm, Lerwick 9.5h.)

It was a mild night into the 20th across England and Wales – although during the day the warm sector that had caused was moved away to the E by a following cold front. During the night, a band of sometimes heavy rain close to the Irish Sea moved slowly SE’wards – this frontal rain moved through SW England and the Midlands by 1800GMT – to be followed in some W areas by showers. In the evening another frontal system began to give some rainfall over NW Scotland and the Western Isles. (Cambridge NIAB 21.1C, Dalwhinnie 10.5C maximum, Aboyne 3.9C minimum, Sennybridge 18.4mm, Kinloss and Leuchars 7.7h.)

Grass minimum temperatures on the 21st were quite variable, according to official reports. There was a touch of ground frost in parts of the W Midlands but with values as high as 9C close by. A cold front cleared SE England by late morning with much of S Wales and S England seeing rain overnight and into the morning. Overnight rain in NW Scotland then spread rapidly to affect N and cent Ireland, Scotland, and N parts of England and Wales by 1800GMT. There were then sunny intervals in the Se after the rain had cleared – and elsewhere ahead of the next rain area. But nowhere did this amount to much. Blustery showers developed in NW Britain after the second rain area had cleared – after some large totals across the higher ground in W Scotland. (Manston 21.2C, Carterhouse 10.1C maximum, Shawbury 3.6C minimum, Cluanie Inn 63.4mm, Camborne 7.9h.)

After overnight rain from a trough in W and N Scotland in to the 22nd, W and N Scotland had a mixture of sunshine and showers during the day. Showers affected parts of SW England, Wales, NW England and parts of Ireland – both overnight and during the day. Elsewhere the day was generally dry with sunny spells. (St James Park 20.1C, Cluanie Inn 10.6C maximum, Fyvie Castle 5.4C minimum, Cluanie Inn 39.6mm, Boulmer 8.6h.)

A ridge of high pressure edged into S England during the 23rd. N Britain had a cloudy start to the day with overnight rain across N and W Ireland and in W Ireland. During the day this spread E’wards across much of Scotland while a cold front later brought another area of rainfall to W Ireland. Elsewhere the day was a mainly dry one after some early mist and fog patches in S England. W Scotland and W Ireland had a mainly dull day – elsewhere there were sunny periods, especially in SE England. (Donna Nook 20.1C, Lerwick 11.7C maximum, Hurn 4.1C minimum, Lusa 25.4mm, Wattisham 9.7h.)

A cold front meant a rather cloudy start to the 24th across Ireland and much of W Britain, with some rain in places here. Clear spells under an area of high pressure led to some early mist and fog patches in East Anglia and SE England. During the day rain affected Wales and SW England - with further falls across Scotland. Most places had some sunny intervals – although not much of Wales, N England and SE England. (Gravesend 21.6C, Lake Vyrnwy 12.7C maximum, Santon Downham 4.1C minimum, Eskdalemuir 14.4mm, Glasgow 8.8h.)

A slow-moving cold front overnight into the 25th gave some rainfall across Wales and SW England while W Ireland had some overnight falls from another system. At Belmullet 17mm fell in the 12 hours ending 0600GMT. During the day the first area of rain moved a little E to give falls from E Yorkshire, the Midlands and Dorset. The second system then spread E’wards to give widespread falls across Ireland and Scotland – heavy in places. By 2400GMT MSL pressure had fallen at the centre of a low just to the W of the Western Isles to 994mb and associated strengthening winds led to a gust of 70mph on Cairngorm in the afternoon, according to the Met Office. Parts of East Anglia and SE England had a sunny day – elsewhere, amounts of sunshine were rather low. (Gravesend 23.0C, Dalwhinnie 12.6C maximum, Redesdale Camp 5.2C minimum, Cluanie Inn 39.4mm, Herstmonceux 8.1h.)

Frontal systems early on the 26th gave a wet start to the days across much of Britain, although it was drier in the E. By mid-morning most of this rain had cleared to the E and SE and many places had a day with sunny intervals. However, a number of heavy showers developed in a line from Somerset through Wiltshire to London later in the afternoon and moved into Essex during the evening, according to the Met Office. Across W Ireland a front gave a little rain in the evening.(Gravesend 24.0C, Resallach 12.5C maximum, Katesbridge 5.2C minimum, Resallach 25.0mm, Dyce 9.4h.)

Frontal rain in W Ireland early in the night moved into W Scotland on the 27th with some heavy falls reported here. Elsewhere it was mostly dry - with some mist and fog in S England. Scotland had more rain during the day but with MSL pressure close to 1028mb over SE England for much of the day there was little in the way of precipitation elsewhere. However, parts of the English Channel in SW England did have some drizzle. (Gravesend 24.3C, Fair Isle 13.3C maximum, Ravensworth 3.9C minimum, Cluanie Inn 31.6mm, St Athan 10.1h.)

High pressure continued to affect E Britain on the 28th - with a long S’ward fetch of air. Later in the day a frontal system began to affect Ireland. Minimum temperatures early in the day were high in most places – with parts of Wales seeing temperatures not falling below 16C. N Scotland had a little overnight rain but during the day it was generally dry everywhere until the fronts across Ireland gave some light falls later in the day. Early fog andf mist in S England soon cleared and a very warm day was reported except across W parts of Scotland and Ireland. 24C was recorded in N Scotland and 25C was widely noted away from the coasts in England and Wales. Only in NW Scotland and SW Ireland was it a dull day. (Gravesend 27.1C, Fair Isle 15.0C maximum, Redesdale Camp 6.3C minimum, Stornoway 2.0mm, Lyneham 11.3h.)

There was frontal cloud overnight into the 29th across Scotland and N Ireland – and with a little rain here also. Elsewhere it was a dry night although fog patches gave some raingauge deposits. The fog and early mist soon cleared to give a warm day for late September across E Scotland and a very warm day across much of England and Wales, away from the coasts and SW England. Across much of Cent and S England and Wales it was also remarkably sunny. According to the Met Office temperatures at Kew Gardens set a new highest temperature for the 29th since 1895. (Kew Gardens 28.8C, Fair Isle 14.6C maximum, South Newington 7.2C minimum, Tiree 8.0mm, Wattisham 11.0h.)

The 30th dawned with patchy mist or fog across parts of S England and S Scotland. W Ireland had overnight rainfall (21mm at Sherkin Island in the 12 hours ending 0600GMT) – but elsewhere it was a dry night. Another dry and exceptionally warm day followed across England and Wales. Further W some rainfall affected W Ireland and later parts of W Scotland. By the evening, the rain had spread across much of N Scotland and into Wales. A maximum temperature of 29.2C was recorded at Cambridge and Sutton Bonington – the highest for this date on record. In Wales 27.5C was observed at Colwyn Bay.(Cambridge and Sutton Bonington 29.2C, Tiree 15.4C maximum, Altnaharra 6.6C minimum, Glenanne 30.6mm, Yeovilton 10.8h.)

British Isles weather, October 2011

The 1st began with a mild night, especially across wales and W England - ahead of an area of rain across E Ireland and much of Scotland. Minimum temperatures in parts of S Wales were as high as 17-18C. Any early mist or fog soon cleared and England and Wales then had a very warm, if not hot, day. Many places here had almost unbroken sunshine with 8-10.5h duration in most areas. The extreme N of England, Scotland and Ireland were cooler with rain in S and E Ireland and in much of Cent and NE Scotland. This rain was heavy in places. Provisionally, the highest temperature of the day was 29.9C, recorded at Gravesend. According to Met Office this surpassed the previous October UK temperature record of 29.4C recorded at March on 1 October 1985. Wales also has a new national record; 28.2C at Hawarden passed the previous record of 26.4C at Ruthin, also on 1 October 1985. (Gravesend 29.9C, Lentran 11.7C maximum, Altnaharra 6.0C minimum, Murlough 30.4mm, Lyneham 10.6h.)

Away from N Scotland the 2nd dawned after a generally mild night with minimum temperatures in a few places in Rngland and Wales in excess of 16C. However, aa slow-moving front gave widespread and, in places, heavy rain across Ireland and S and E areas of Scotland - with lighter falls in parts of N England. This rain spread S'wards into N Wales and NW England and also cleared away from much of Ireland. In the Western Isles a further front brought another area of rain in the evening. S parts of England and Wales had early mist and fog but this soon cleared to give another wwarm and sunny day here and in E England and East Anglia. Although the Western Isles and Shetland had some sunshine - it was a mainly dull day away from the warm areas of England and Wales. (Coningsby 29.3C, Wick Airport 12.5C maximum, Stornoway 3.7C minimum, Helen's Bay 23.4mm, Wattisham 10.8h.)

With frontal cloud being slow-moving into the 3rd across Cent England it was a mild night here with minimum temperatures above 17C in places. The cloud gave only small amounts of rain, however, while another system gave some falls across N Scotland by dawn. After some early mist and fog, it was another dry, very warm and sunny day across S districts of England and Wales. Further N there were a couple of cold fronts - one that gave some rain in N Ireland, Scotland and NE England and one that gave some rain in W parts of Scotland and Ireland before moving SE'wards. It became windy in the NW due to a deep low off NW Scotland - MSL pressure dropped to 994.1mb at 1200GMT. To the Se of these fronts it was another very warm day in E parts of England with cent S and Se England having a sunny day. (Coningsby 28.3C, South Uist 13.3C maximum, Aboyne 5.5C minimum, Cluanie Inn 13.4mm, Yeovilton 9.9h.)

Frontal cloud lying across S England into the 4th marked the boundary between a mild night to the S and a cooler one to the N. There was a only a little rain from this cloud but further N ,showers were more widespread across NW and N Scotland. The front in the S gave some mist and fog at first but this soon lifted to give a mostly dry day in S England. The showers across Scotland turned heavier in places during the day, while cloud increased in the W as the front in the S now moved N'wards. Away from Cent England and East Anglia there was little sunshine while across Scotland and Ireland there was more general rainfall in the evening. (Cavendish 21.7C, Salsburgh 10.1C maximum, Katesbridge 5.1C minimum, Cassley 27.8mm, Shawbury 8.1h.)

The 5th was a generally rather cloudy day. Across S parts of England, Wales and Ireland this helped to keep minimum temperatures above 15C in places with most parts of Ireland, Wales, W England and Scotland having some overnight rain. The rain made only slow progress E'wards during the day - turning heavy over high ground. Not until the evening did the rain reach SE England. According to the Met Office winds reached gale force over many hills and exposed coasts from N Wales N'wards. A gust to 61mpg was reported at Aberdaron in the late afternoon. (Bridlington 22.1C, Lerwick 12.4C maximum, Dalwhinnie 8.2C minimum, Capel Curig 45.8mm, Edinburgh Gogarbank 3.6h.)

A sequence of fronts cleared SE England during the morning of the 6th with rain clearing from here by dawn. A showery NW'ly airstream followed - this had given some showers overnight in Scotland and Ireland that then spread SE'wards to many parts of England and Wales. These gave thundery outbreaks in places - although SE England was mainly dry during the day. Gales occurred in W coastal areas and the Met Office reported gusts of 57kn at Machrihanish and at St. Bees Head. (St James Park 16.0C, Dalwhinnie 7.1C maximum, Braemar 1.8C minimum, Cluanie Inn 37.2mm, Filton 7.8h.)

A NW'ly airflow over the British Isles on the 7th slowly weakened as pressure rose from the SW - rising to about 1030mb in SW Ireland by 2400GMT. Overnight showers affected places as far SE as North Devon to Essex. Showers continued to fall in some W parts of the UK and became heavy and thundery across the far SE of England later in the day. Across S and Cent Ireland the day was mainly dry and it was also a fairly sunny day here. (St. James Park 17.1C, Lerwick 8.5C maximum, Carterhouse 2.1C, Loch Glascarnoch 18.4mm, Glasgow 9.2h.)

During the 8th two warm fronts spread across most areas. Overnight there was some light rain in parts of W Scotland and W Ireland - and N Scotland experienced another area of rain. During the day much of Scotland, N England and parts of Ireland and Wales had some rain - but S and SE England remained mainly dry during the day. With the exception of the Northern Isles and the Dublin area it was a mainly dull day. (Killowen 19.0C, Fair Isle 8.6C maximum, Kirkwall 3.4C minimum, Cluanie Inn 21.0mm, Lerwick 5.5h.)

For much of the 9th the British Isles was under a warm sector - this retreated S'wards away from Scotland by midnight. As a result it was a mild night in S England and S Ireland with minimum temperatures above 13C in many areas here. Overnight rain fell in many area - although Cent and S Ireland were dry, as was much of S England; the rain was heavy at times across Cumbria, N Wales and W Scotland. It remained rather cloudy for much of the UK throughout the day, with some rain and drizzle, mainly in the west. (Frittenden 22.6C, Resallach 11.0C maximum, Baltasound 6.1C minimum, Stonyhurst 28.6mm, Herstmonceux 4.2h.)

During the 10th a front meandered N'wards and S'wards through Cent parts of Ireland and England - with warm conditions to the S and cooler air to the N. Overnight minimum temperatures were as high as 15C in S England. The front gave rain throughout the and an area of rain showers affected N Scotland. These showers faded later in the day. It was a mainly cloyd day in most areas with the best of any sunshine to be found in SE England. (Charlwood 21.1C, Loch Glascarnoch 9.7C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch 6.3C minimum, Banagher Caugh Hill 34.6mm, Manston 6.2h.)

The front in Cent areas hardly moved on the 11th. There was another warm night in S England with a ground frost in parts of E Scotland. Overnight rain was widespread across N England and N Ireland - this turnd lighter and patchier during the day. Across N Scotland there were showers in a cool NW'ly flow - and also the best of the day's sunshine. Later in the day the rain became heavy again across N Ireland. (Manston 20.7C, Tulloch Bridge 8.8C maximum, Aboyne 2.2C minimum, St Angelo 16.4mm, Kirkwall 6.9h.)

Overnight into the 12th there was some heavy rain associated with an active weather front in N Ireland, S Scotland and N England while in S parts of England and Ireland minimum temperatures were around 14C in places. A cold front then rain E'wards along this front - pushing SE'wards across Ireland and into SW England by the evening. It was a bright and sunny day in N Scotland as an area of high pressure developed here - MSL pressure 1025mb on Shetland by 1800GMT. After an early air frost in parts of NW Scotland, it was a cool day across N Scotland with maximum temperatures below 10C in places. (Cambridge 20.7C, Salsburgh 8.6C maximum, Altnaharra -0.7C minimum, Bainbridge 32.8mm, Stornoway 9.1h.)

Despite the pressure of high pressure, frontal cloud led to a rather cloudy day in most areas on the 13th. Overnight mist and fog were widespread in places - especially in parts of the Midlands and SW England where it was a alo a mild night. Frontal cloud also gave a little overnight light rain and drizzle - and this continued for much of the day in places with extensive drizzle just to the E of S Wales. (Otterbourne Water Works 20.8C, Dalwhinnie 10.9C maximum, Altnaharra -1.1C minimum, Hereford 5.4mm, Dublin Airport 6.1h.)

High pressure remained to the E of the Uk on the 14th; at 0000GMT MSL pressure was 1032.2mb at Wattisham. The resulting S'ly flow led to another mainly mild and dry night although in W Ireland a warm front gave rainfall before dawn with 7mm at Valentia in the 12 hours ending 0600GMT. This front moved E'wards during the day - but as it tended to weaken falls elsewhere were slight except in parts of W Scotland and Cent Ireland. The high pressure gave sunny spells in parts of NE Scotland and in areas SE of a line Bridlington-Cornwall; elsewhere it was a cloudy day with early mist in many areas that was followed by hazy conditions during the day. (Altnaharra 18.9C, Lerwick 11.7C maximum, South Newington 2.5C minimum, Eskdalemuir 4.2mm, Lyneham 10.0h.)

Grass minimum temperatures on the 15th showed a large variation - from about 12-13C in SW Ireland to -4C in parts of cent S England. This was again due to high pressure in the E and frontal cloud in the W of the British Isles. Much of England had a sunny day once early mist and haze had cleared although there were cloudy skies for time from Devon to the SW Midlands. W Scotland and many parts of Ireland had some rain overnight and this became heavier and more persistent across E Ireland and W Scotland during the day. Later in the day there was a clearing of this rain from the NW in some W areas - as the rain moved into NW England and W Wales. (Chivenor 18.7C, Salsburgh 11.4C maximum, South Newington -2.0C minimum, Port Ellen 16.0mm, Manston 10.2h.)

There was a widespread ground frost on the 16th across England, except in the SW. In England, away from W areas, there were also widepread early mist and fog patches. SW England, Wales, W Midlands and N England were rather cloudy at first with some rain here and in Ireland and in S and W areas of Scotland. The fronts giving this rain spread cloud SE'wards during the day but there was little rain except in W areas as the fronts rapidly dissipated. NW Scotland had sunshine and showers during the day and most areas saw sunny periods as the frontal cloud began to break up. The Met Office reported some thunder in NW Scotland in the evening. (Brize Norton 18.9C, Cluanie Inn 10.7C maximum, Santon Downham -1.9C minimum, St Bees Head 21.2mm, Wattisham 9.2h.)

The was some patchy ground frost in S England early on the 17th. W Wales, W and N Ireland and the W half of Scotland had some overnight rain and this became more extensive during the day with some heavy falls in S Scotland and N Ireland. The rain also became more widespread during the day over Wales and spread to affect N England. S and most E parts of England had a mainly dry day with sunny intervals. Temperatures dropped quite markedly behind the frontal rain in the N with some snow reported over the tops of the Scottish Highlands. Across Northern Ireland the heavy rain led to some flooding. In the colder air behind the rain there were some scattered heavy showers with some hail and thunder across Ireland, Scotland and N England. In the evening the frontal rain moved into SE England. A tornadso left a trail of destruction when it tore through Whitehaven. The tornado that hit Mirehouse ripped off roofs, smashed windows and left debris scattered in roads and gardens in a 20-second blitz. A group of nursery children had to be rescued from Tamalder Childcare, on Meadow Road, after the freak weather caused the roof to cave in. Whitehaven Theatre Group lost tens of thousands of pounds worth of props and costumes when part of the roof was blown off its rehearsal room. Witnesses to the tornado, which hit around 4.40pm, described its devastating impact. The path of destruction ran for around 500 yards; from Meadow Road, over the railway track and through Esk Avenue on the other side.(Gravesend 18.4C, Salsburgh 5.5C maximum, Hurn 1.2C minimum, Cluanie Inn 40.6mm, Manston 6.5h.)

A W'ly to NW'ly flow brought a cool and blustery day for the 18th. Frontal rain soon cleared in the early hours from SE England while Scotland and N areas of Ireland and England had some overnight showers whiuch merged in places to give longer periods of rain. Heavy and blustery showers affected Scotland and N Ireland during the morning, falling as snow over the highest hills. In the afternoon an area of more general rain, with snow over the mountains, developed over N Scotland and this was accompanied by gales around the coasts. NW England had some thundery showers in the afternoon - while S parts of Ireland, Wales and England remained mainly dry with sunny spells. (St James's Park 14.5C, Carterhouse 6.5C maximum, Tyndrum 1.1C minimum, Cassley 38.8mm, Dublin Airport 9.6h.)

A cool start everywhere on the 19th allowed the formation of ground frost in sheltered areas. The NW'ly flow persisted during the day but gradually eased in strength as high pressure pushed into SW Ireland. Valentia and Cork Airport reportd 1030.1mb at 2400GMT. W and N areas of Britain - and at first Ireland - had showers at times; these were thundery in places with hail. There were falls of snow over the Scottish mountains and in parts of the Welsh mountains and Pennines. However, the showers did decline in frequence in the afternoon as pressure rose. Parts of S and E England remained dry but thunderstorms did affect Norfolk later in the day. As skies cleared in the evenig the temperature fell with places as far S as Benson reporting an air frost at 2400GMT. (Lee-on-Solent 14.7C, Loch Glascarnoch 4.3C maximum, Tyndrum -0.4C minimum, Altnahinch Filters 17.6mm, Glasgow 8.6h.)

Most areas away from the coasts (except in W and S Ireland) had a ground frost on the 20th with an air frost in parts of E England, SE Scotland and Cent S Scotland. Showers affected W areas of the UKand a MSL pressure of overnight; then, high pressure dominated the weather in S areas but frontal systems gave cloud and rain in the N. An area of low pressure associated with the fronts gave strong S'ly winds later in the day around coasts of Scotland; the Met Office noted a gust of 59mph at Bealach during the evening. (Isles of Scilly 13.9C, Dalwhinnie 7.1C maximum, Santon Downham -3.3C minimum, Tiree 14.0mm, Manston 8.3h.)

East Anglia, Se and Cent S England had a slight ground frost on the 21st. Scotland, and N parts of England and Ireland, had a wet night as low pressure close to NW Scotland continued to push frontal rain across these parts. The rain eased off a little during the day in Scotland, especially in S areas - but further rain from a cold front affected W Ireland later in the day. S areas of England and East Anglia remained largely dry - and these regions had the best of the little sunshine that appeared during the day. (Lossiemouth 16.5C, Tredegar Bryn Bach Park 10.1C maximum, Frittenden -2.2C minimum, Dunstaffnage 30.4mm, Guernsey Airport 7.2h.)

The coolest conditions overnight into the 22nd were to be found in Cent S and E England - with milder and cloudier weather elsewhere. Overnight rain affected W parts of Ireland and Scotland in particular and this made only slow progress E'wards during the day under a cold front. As a result there were sunny spells in England and Wales, and in E Scotland - with some sunshine later in the day in W Ireland once the rain had cleared from here. (Isles of Scilly 15.5C, Salsburgh 9.4C maximum, East Malling 0.9C minimum, Cluanie Inn 57.0mm, Wattisham 9.4h.)

It was a mild night across Wales and SW England into the 23rd, ahead or a large area of rain over Ireland, N Wales and W Scotland. A general S'ly airflow intensified during the day as a low pressure center moved towards W Ireland; Belmullet reported 975.6mb at 2400GMT. During the morning a band of heavy rain over W Wales moved into NW England, and later into S Scotland and Ireland. Northern Ireland had a very wet afternoon with flooding in places. Most of England and Wales stayed dry after early rain in the SW eased off. As pressure fell the wind speed increased - with a 50kn gust on Scilly later. Away from the E half of England it was a mainly dull day. (Pershore College 20.3C, Resallach 10.7C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch 3.0C minimum, Killylane 33.2mm, Manston 8.9h.)

The 24th dawned mild everywhere - following a night of widespread rain across Ireloand and W parts of the UK. Although it turned drier in Scotland it became wetter across Ireland, Wales and SW England - as a frontal system in the W moved slowly E, and then NE across England and Wales in the evening. Rainfall totals in the period 0600-1800GMT included 78mm at Dublin Airport and 55mm at Casement Aerodrome - with 58mm at Cardinham and 50mm at Milford Haven. Much of England and E Wales and Scotland had a mainly dry day. However, rain moved into SE England and the Midlands during the late evening. Heavy rain caused flooding and problems for drivers in various parts of Ireland. The Belfast to Dublin Enterprise train service was suspended due to flooding at Clontarf in north County Dublin. Roads were closed as rivers overflowed their banks with vehicles having to be towed from the flood water. The worst-hit areas include Ballyclare, Cushendall and north and west Belfast. Eighteen people, including two children, had to be rescued by boat in County Tyrone as flooding affected many parts of Northern Ireland. Dublin City Council activated its major emergency plan as a result of widespread flooding in the city. Sustained rainfall led to major roads, houses and one of the city's main shopping centres going under water. An off-duty Irish police officer missing in County Wicklow was one of two people who died as a result of the floods in Ireland. There were three-hour delays on some major routes out of Dublin, and the Dublin Dart train service has been suspended. Two rivers which run into Dublin, the Dodder and the Camac, overflowed. In SW England more than 80 people were involved in a major search operation for a 13-year-old girl who went missing during a storm near St Agnes, Cornwall. Annie Thomas was found with a head injury, having slipped down an embankment, more than seven hours after going out for a walk with the family dog. Residents in the Cornish village of Par demanded action after sewage washed into the streets at the height of floods. South West Water apologised for delays in dealing with the incident as heavy rain overwhelmed drains and lifted off manholes. Elsewhere in the region, Torquay seafront was shut to traffic. Several roads in Torbay were also closed. In Wales, homeowners in Pembrokeshire were hit by flooding. Pembroke Dock and Milford Haven were worst hit as fire crews attended 30 flooding incidents on Monday evening. (Lusa 18.5C, Dalwhinnie 10.8C maximum, Pateley Bridge Ravens Nest 8.6C minimum, Cardinham 67.2mm, Manston 7.2h.)

The 25th dawned cool across Ireland, behind a cold front, but milder elsewhere. There was widespread overnight, except in N Scotland and W Ireland. As the front pushed N'wards, the rain slowly edged NE into NE Scotland and parts of N Scotland, occasionally turning heavy over the Grampians. Low pressure centres over or close to Ireland allowed the formation of troughs - meaning that areas of showery activity became rather more extensive locally. Scattered heavy showers and thunderstorms developed across parts of southern Britain, giving some locally torrential downpours, according to the Met Office. Through the evening, these heavy showers and thunderstorms spread north into N England, turning especially heavy across parts of NE England. Away from the rain in NE Scotland most places had sunny spells in between any showers. (St James's Park, London 17.9C, Banagher Caugh Hill 10.1C maximum, Okehampton 4.3C minimum, High Mowthorpe 17.6mm, St Athan 6.2h.)

A S'ly airflow with some embedded troughs behind a cold front meant an unsettled day on the 26th. Many places began dry with a slight griund frost in parts of S Ireland, the West Midlands and parts of SW and Cent S England. There were also early mist and fog patched in parts of E Scotland, NE England and the Midlands. Much of England had some overnight showers, as did S Scotland. These showers became heavy and thundery at times during the day, giving some places along the south coast of England a period of very heavy rain for a time. At Thorney Island 50mm fell in the 12 hours ending 1800GMT. Many E areas of England, Ireland and Scotland remained dry during the day, however. Only N Scotland was dull as there were sunny intervals between the showers elsewhere. In the evening an area of warm frontal rain began to push N'wards acrss the English Channel. (Shoeburyness 15.3C, Eskdalemuir 9.2C maximum, Pershore 0.1C minimum, Thorney Island 53.4mm, Lyneham 7.0h.)

Low pressure centres close to W Scotland and SW England at first on the 27th meant unsettled conditions at first. However, later in the day a weak ridge pushed NE'wards into SW areas. N Ireland (and to a lesser extent the remainder of Ireland) and Scotland had sunny spells and showers, while much of England and Wales had persistent rain. The showers were heavy across Scotland at times with hail and thunder at Lerwick before dawn. Most of these showers fell in N and W areas of Scotland. The rain in S Wales and SW England was heavy at times in the morning - and as the rain cleared from England in the evening mist and fog formed in many areas. (Shoreham 15.3C, Dalwhinnie 9.0C maximum, Redesdale Camp 0.2C minimum, Exeter Airport 30.2mm, Cork Airport 7.1h.)

A weak ridge of high pressure led to a widespread inland ground frost on the 28th, away from E England where some light rain lingered for a time. A mainly dry day followed, except across the Northern Isles, with sunny spells over the UK (with the exception of W Scotland where a weak warm front brought some cloud and a little rain). By midnight further fronts in the W had pushed rain into W Scotland and across much of Ireland. The extreme SE corner of England also remained rather dull due to a lingering occlusion that gave little more than cloud. (Northolt 16.8C, Dalwhinnie 9.4C maximum, Aboyne -0.9C minimum, Cluanie Inn 8.6mm, Camborne 9.2h.)

Frontal cloud in the W pushing against high pressure in the E meant that the 29th began with a ground frost in many Cent parts of England - and with widespread rain and drizzle across Ireland and Scotland. E England had only small amounts due to a lingering occlusion and much of Ireland and W Scotland remained rather cloudy and wet. E Scotland had some sunshine before more rain arrived from the W while much of England (away from the SW) remnained dry. The rain bands fragmented and became lighter as they moved east across across Cent and E areas of England. It was a mild day due to the mainly S'ly winds. (Gravesend 17.3C, Spadeadam 10.6C maximum, LLysdinam -0.8C minimum, Tyndrum 58.4mm, Wattisham 4.6h.)

The S'ly flow and cloud cover meant a mainly mild start to the 30th with fronts giving bands of rain through W Scotland-NW Ireland and from SE Scotland/NE England to SW England. These areas saw further, mainly lighter, rain during the day - as fronts in the W pushed E'wards they tended to lose their intensity. However, the Midlands had some persistent light rain and drizzle for a time in the morning. W Scotland and W Ireland had a cloudy day as did much of E England. Elsewhere there were short sunny intervals at times. In the afternoon it became very misty with extensive hill fog down to quite low levels in Devon and Cornwall according to the Met Office. (Gravesend 18.7C, Lerwick 11.2C maximum, Rochdale 5.8C minimum, Tyndrum 16.8mm, Woodford 4.5h.)

The 31st dawned with much of the British Isles under a warm sector - leading to a cloudy but mild night. There was rain overnight across Ireland and many W and N parts of the UK with clearer spells further E. It was a rather cloudy morning in most areas with occasional rain and drizzle, particularly in the west. There was some heavier rain over Ireland and W Scotland during the day as a cold front pushed E'wards Shannon reported 10mm in the 12 hours ending 1800GMT. But the S'ly flow led to another mild day - as far N as the N of mainland Scotland - albeit a mainly cloudy one. (Kinloss 19.3C, Lerwick 11.8C maximum, Topcliffe 8.5C minimum, Cluanie Inn 22.8.mm, Valentia 3.0h.)

British Isles weather, November 2011

Overnight into the 1st a cold front pushed E'wards across E Britain giving falls of heavy rain in places. Mild air in the E gave way to cooler conditions. There were a few showers in W areas overnight and during the day and most areas had sunny intervals during the day. Later in the day a trough gave a spell of rain to parts of NW and Cent Scotland - although many places had a mild day for early November. (Gravesend 16.7C, Loch Glascarnoch 8.8C maximum, Katesbridge 3.4C minimum, St Athan 19.2mm, Aldergrove 8.2h.)

A SW/S'ly flow gave another mild day on the 2nd. There was an overnight ground frost in parts of E Scotland and NE England and there was some early fog in NE England. Frontal cloud gave overnight rain to parts of W Scotland and W Ireland with 49mm reported at Valentia in the 12 hours ending 0600GMT. The rain spread E across much of Ireland during the day and in the afternoon another area of rain spread N into parts of SW and cent S England; as this latter area spread in to Wales it turned heavy. E areas of Britain remained dry and most places here had some sunny periods. Road users in parts of Ireland had to contend with excess surface water in parts of Ireland after the heavy rain. (Northolt 16.5C, Braemar 10.6C maximum, Redesdale Camp 0.2C minimum, Whitechurch 8.2mm, Leconfield 6.7h.)

An extensive area of low pressure to the W of Ireland on the 3rd resulted in a brisk S'ly flow. The day dawned after a mild night that saw widespread rain and showers - although some E areas of Britain remained dry. Frontal systems gave some heavy rain that ran N'wards through the day. In the afternoon and evening there was an area of heavy and thundery rain in E England with some local flooding. MSL pressure was down to about 978mb at 0000GMT in W Ireland. Although winds eased during the day, there was some further heavy rain in SE England in the evening. It was a mild day in most areas despite it being a rather dull day. (St James's Park 18.0C, Lerwick 10.5C maximum, Dalwhinnie 8.9C minimum, Wych Cross 22.2mm, Shannon Airport 4.0h.)

Although the 4th dawned cool with a little ground frost across Ireland, elsewhere it was a mild night with widespread rain across England and W Scotland due to frontal systems. The rain was accompanied by mist and some fog patches, especially in NE England and the Midlands. In parts of E, SE and Cent S England the rain was very heavy in places during the morning. Elsewhere, there were a few showers after dawn; showers spread NE'wards in W parts of England and Wales - giving more general rain in places where they merged together. As winds turned lighter during the day, the best of the sunshine was to be found across Ireland and W Scotland - but it then turned cool here in the evening. (St James Park 16.9C, Lerwick 10.5C maximum, Castlederg 3.4C minimum, Alice Holt Lodge 55.8mm, Magilligan 7.7h.)

While frontal cloud affected E areas on the 5th, in W parts of the British Isles a weak front pushed in from the S. Ireland and Scotland had a widespread overnight ground frost - with a touch of air frost in places - while Wales, the Midlands and N England had some early rainfall. This moved into E areas of England during the day with most of England having a rather dull day as a result. There was also widespread mist and fog before and around dawn across much of England; in East Anglia mist persisted for most of the day. Across Scotland and Ireland it was a mainly sunny day. (Gravesend 15.0C, Salsburgh 8.0C maximum, Braemar -2.5C minimum, Dunstaffnage 17.6mm, Casement Aerodrome 8.2h.)

A ridge of high pressure developed over the British Isles on the 6th with MSL pressure rising to 1030mb over the Laker District by 2400GMT. Away from E and S England there was a widespread overnight ground frost with much of Cent Scotland having an air frost. Many places had early mist or haze but the day was a generally dry one once a weak front close to E England dissipated. A few parts of cent England and Cent Scotland had some early thick fog. Due to frontal cloud East Anglia and SE England had a cloudy day - elsewhere there were sunny spells. Glasgow Bishopton reported snow grains falling in dense fog at 0600GMT. (Killowen 13.7C, Newton Rigg 4.5C maximum, Braemar -5.1C minimum, Manston 1.2mm, Aberporth 8.7h.)

The high pressure slipped away N'wards during the 7th. Places Se off a line Hull-Weymnouth avoided overnight ground frost due to cloudy skies and the extreme W and N of Ireland and Scotland also had a mild night. However, for many places in Wales, N England and S Scotland there was touch of air frost. Parts of S and Cent Scotland had early fog and many places elsewhere reported mist around dawn. After a mainly dry night there was a little rain and drizzle during the day in parts of cent S, SE and E England - elsewhere it remained mainly dry. Some dense fog persisted around the central belt of Scotland for much of the day. Away from these foggy areas most of Ireland and Scotland had a sunny day - but across England it was rather a dull day. (Kinlochewe 14.9C, Threave 5.0C maximum, Redesdale Camp -6.1C minimum, Waddington 1.4mm, Belmullet 8.8h.)

High pressure to the E receded a little on the 8th. which was a rather dull, overcast and drizzly day for most of the UK. While S parts of England and Ireland had a mild start to the day, there was some overnight air frost across N Scotland. The SE'ly flow brought drizzle to many areas overnight and during the day with some heavier falls in S parts of Britain - and the mist was accompanied by mist and fog patches. In the evening a frontal system pushed an area of more general rain into SW Ireland. Only parts of NW and Cent Scotland, and W Ireland ahead of the frontal cloud, had any sunshine. (Isles of Scilly 13.5C, Lentran 6.5C maximum, Braemar -3.3C minimum, Andrewsfield 3.4mm, Aviemore 6.6h.)

During the 9th frontal cloud brought rain across Ireland into W Britain. Cloudy skies overnight meant a mainly mild start to the day with rain in many areas of Irekand overnight - and there was also some extensive rain and drizzle in some S and E parts of the UK, especially. However as the frontal rain moved E'wards it gave heavier falls across NE Ireland, Wales, and SW England during the day. E England and NE Scotland had a mainly dry afternoon with a little sunshine - although sun shine amounts were generally small. (St James Park 16.1C, Dalwhinnie 9.0C maximum, Aviemore 2.8C minimum, Helen's Bay 22.4mm, Valentia 5.0h.)

Cloudy skies due to a front that lay through W and Cent parts of the UK on the 10th meant a mainly mild night with rainfall overnight in the W half of Britain. Some heavy rain affected SW England overnight but as the front declined so to did the rain - with little at falling after dawn. Cent and E parts of the UK had some early mist and a few fog patches - with hazy conditions during the day. Ireland and W Scotland had a sunny - but sunshine amounts decreased towards E areas of the UK. (Herstmonceux 16.7C, Pateley Bridge Ravens Nest 10.4C maximum, Santon Downham 4.1C minimum, Threave 11.6mm, Tiree 7.1h.)

A cloudy, SE'ly flow dominated the weather into the 11th - although away from SW Ireland it did remain mainly dry, but with widespread mist and some fog patches. Some heavy rain fell later in SW Ireland with Valentia reporting 13mm in the 12 hours ending 0600GMT. This frontal rain then spread NE and E during the day, around an area of low pressure to the W of Ireland, affecting Ireland, Wales, SW parts of Scotland and England and a few parts of NW England by evening. It was a dull day - except for a few parts of NW Ireland - and in parts of W Ireland once the rain had passed. Some showers followed the main rain areas - but the day was anothe mild one. (Bridgefoot 16.8C, Carterhouse 8.2C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch 2.1C, Banagher Caugh Hill 28.4mm, Shannon Airport 4.5h.)

A cloudy and S'ly flow gave another mild night into the 12th with many areas seeing some rainfall as a cold front moved slowly E'wards. It decayed later in the day - by 2400GMT MSL pressure was around 1032mb in E England. Many parts of England had overnight mist and a few fog patches. It was much drier during the day with a few showers in some places. Most places had some sunshine although East Anglia and some E parts of England remained rather cloudy. (Wiggonholt 17.8C, Dalwhinnie 9.9C, Hawarden 5.3C, Dalwhinnie 12.4mm, Kinloss 6.8h.)

A mild S'ly flow was maintained during the 13th as a warm front pushed N'wards during the day giving some (mainly light) falls of rain and drizzle. Cent and S parts of England and Wales had a sunny day and precipitation was mainly confined to E areas. Many areas had overnight mist and fog that was slow to clear from NE England - and this also affected parts of E Scotland during the day. (Otterbourne Water Works 18.1C, Lentran 8.4C maximum, Kinbrace -1.1C minimum, Pateley Bridge Ravens nest 1.8mm, Wattisham 7.3h.)

While SW England and S Ireland had a warm start to the 14th, there was some ground frost in sheltered parts of N Scotland and NE England. The day was a generally mild one due to a SE'ly flow behind a warm front. Many areas of the British Isles had mist and fog patches overnight which persisted during the day as mist or haze. Light rain and drizzle fell in parts of Cent S and SW England, and in afew places close to the E coast of Britain. Most places, however, had a dry day although sunshine was confined to W areas of Britain and some places in Ireland. (Aultbea 15.6C, Lake Vyrnwy 6.8C maximum, Kinloss -0.3C minimum, Okehampton 1.6mm, Tiree 7.1h.)

A mild, damp and SE'ly flow continued throughout the 15th. Parts of Cent Scotland had an air frost in what was, otherwise, a mild night. Many areas were dry overnight, but mist and fog patches did accompany a few pockerts of light drizzle in parts of England and Wales before dawn. It continued mainly dry during the day with the best of any sunshine to be found across England and Wales. Mist and haze continued to persist across many areas of the British Isles during the day. (Bridgefoot 14.8C, Pennerley 6.8C maximum, Aviemore -2.2C minimum, Lake Vyrnwy 0.6mm, Valley 7.5h.)

During the 16th a cold front edged slowly NE across Ireland and into SW parts of England and Wales. An inland ground frost was widespread away from S and W areas of Ireland S Wales and SW England. These areas had increasing cloud overnight with Valentia reporting 2mm of rain by 0600GMT. Early mist, haze and a few fog patches were widespread with some drizzle in Cornwall overnight. The morning brought some drizzle to Cent S England before the cold front brought some heavier falls of rain to places in S and Cent Ireland and to SW England and S Wales. W and Cent Scotland had a sunny day, as did parts of East Anglia - elsewhere it remained rather dull. (Swanage 13.6C, Lake Vyrnwy 4.3C maximum, Tain Range -3.9C minimum, Culdrose 14.6mm, Kinloss 6.9h.)

Some sheltered parts of N Scotland had an air frost on the 17th with scattered pockets of ground frost elsewhere. Overnight and during the day Ireland and W areas of Britain had spells of rain as fronts moved N'wards here, introducing a SW'ly to all areas by the end of the day. Mist and fog was again a problem in many areas overnight - during the day, although rain and showers continued to affect Ireland and Scotland, Wales and SW England tended to dry out. At Valentia 41mm of rain fell in 12 hours ending 1800GMT, after 6mm in the previous 12 hours. Not surprisingly, the best of the sunshine was to be found in England and E Scotland, with Ireland remaining rather dull. (Gravesend 16.2C, Braemar 9.1C maximum, Tain Range -2.6C minimum, Port Ellen 27.6mm, Yeovilton 6.8h.)

Minimum temperatures across Ireland into the 18th were a very mild 11-13C, and nowhere in the British Isles was the night a cool one - except for parts of East Anglia. A warm day followed with 14C being reported as N as N Scotland. Ireland, Scotland, and also parts of W Wales and W England had some rain overnight - the same districts were affected during the day but to a lesser extent. Valentia reported 27mm of rain in the 24 hours ending 1800GMT. It was a generally cloudy day except for E parts of Kent. (St James Park 15.9C, Pennerley 10.9C maximum, Writtle 2.5C minimum, Tyndrum 42.6mm, Manston 7.0h.)

A S'ly flow continued on the 19th, which saw a frontal system straddling W parts of Ireloand and Scotland. In the W, under cloudy skies, it was a mild night while a few places in E England and E Scotland had a touch of ground frost. W Scotland and W and Cent Ireland had further overnight rain and this continued during the day - albeit easing off across Ireland. There was some overnight fog on Shetland, and mist and fog patches in many E parts of Britain before dawn. The fog persisted throughout the day in some parts of E England - before mist and fog again became widespread in the evening. Away from the mist and rain many areas had sunny periods during the day. (Otterbourne Water Works 15.9C, Leconfield 7.6C maximum, South Newington 0.0C minimum, Harris Quidnish 7.6mm, Wattisham 7.8h.)

Many E and Cent parts of England had a touch of ground frost on the 20th under the influence of high pressure - but W areas of the British Isles had a milkder, and cloudier start to the day. Northern Ireland and parts of W Scotland had some overnight rain - in E areas of England and in the Midlands fog was widespread before dawn, and then persisted throughout the day in some areas of E England and East Anglia, helping to keep temperatures low here. Scotland had a little rain durting the day but most areas were dry apart from some slight drizzle. However, many areas escaped sunshine, either due to cloud (in the W) or fog an mist (in the E). (Chivenor 15.4C, Scampton 5.9C maximum, Redesdale Camp -1.4C minimum, Tyndrum 10.0mm, Manston 6.9h.)

Overnight temperatures into the 21st showed a W-E split with mild conditions in W and Cent areas but with some ground frost in E areas of the UK. Frontal cloud in the W led to rain here and across N England overnight - the day dawned with mist and fog in many E parts of Britain, and this lingered until the afternoon in some places. Rain continued to fall in the W of Britain, and in parts of Ireland, during the day as the fronts became slow-moving here. Mist and fog reformed again in the E of the UK in the evening. Most places had a cloudy day - although places in E Scotland and SE England had a 1-2 hours duration in places. (Edinburgh Botanic Gardens 14.6C, Little Rissington 8.4C maximum, Santon Downham 0.5C minimum, Whitechurch 28.4mm, Herstmonceux 3.0h.)

Weak frontal systems moved from W to E across Britain during the 22nd. Parts of Ireland and W Scotland, behind a cold front, had a ground frost to start the day. Elsewhere it was a warmer start to the day with bands of rain affecting most of the UK (except for some E parts of England) before dawn. There was widespread fog in Cent S and Se England, and in East Anglia and in E and NE England before dawn. Some of this fog lasted until mid-afternoon before the visibility increased in the cold air behind the rain. It remained rather cloudy until the evening in E areas, even once the rain had cleared from here, so the best of the sunshine was to be found across Scotland and Ireland. (Isle Of Portland 14.8C, Dalwhinnie 6.6C maximum, Katesbridge -1.4C minimum, North Wyke 12.2mm, Cork Airport 7.1h.)

A week ridge of high pressure affected S parts of the British Isles on the 23rd, while further N a cold front spread cooler air S'wards during the day. Cloud ahaed of this front meant a relatively mild start to the day across Ireland and W Scotland - but E Scotland and much of England and Wales had an overnight ground frost. N and W Scotland and NW Ireland, and the Western Isles in particulra where falls were heavy, had rain before dawn. By the evening this raion had spread as SE as N Wales; elsewhere cloud spread quickly across the sky and the day was a generally dull one everywhere, following the disspiation of early mist and fog across much of the Midlands and E parts of England. (Isles Of Scilly 13.7C, Frittenden 8.2C maximum, South Newington -2.3C minimum, Cluanie Inn 47.6mm, Manston 5.0h.)

Conditions on the 24th were dominated by a deep low pressure centre that passed close to NW Scotland; the front across N England and I Ireland moved N'wards as a warm front, before an active cold front moved SE'wards through Scotland and Ireland by the evening. The low gave strong winds and gales in N and W areas - with MSL pressure down to around 991mb close to N Scotland or over the Shetland from mid-afternoon onwards. The day dawned mild across Ireland but with a ground in N Scotland. Rain across W and N Ireland and in S Scotland soon moved N'wards while by the evening the cold front had brought further rain E across Ireland and W Scotland - with some heavy falls in the winds that reached mean speeds in excess of 45kn in places around N coasts of Scotland. Showers fell as hail at times on Shetland early in the day. E and cent England had some sunny spells early in the day - elsewhere it was a mainly cloudy day in the warm sector. (Lossiemouth 14.7C, Leek 10.1C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch -1.2C minimum, Capel Curig 26.8mm, Woodford 4.0h.)

A cold front cleared most E areas by midday on the 25th, having introduced a cooler W'ly flow across the British Isles. Showers fell as sleet and snow across N Scotland and the Northern Isles early in the day and these then spread as far S as S Scotland. It was a cool night and a cool day across N Scotland - the front gave some heavy falls over high ground of N Britain overnight but only slight falls over Cent and E parts of England and Wales. Hail and thunder was reported on Fair Isle during the day and some of the showers across N Scotland turned heavy at times. There were sunny intervals in kost areas during the day - but longer sunny spells in most E and Cent parts of England. (Swanage 13.2C, Aviemore 2.8C maximum, Cluanie Inn 0.4C minimum, Cluanie Inn 28.6mm, Wattisham 6.1h.)

There was a wide range in MSL pressure on the 26th, from 1033.1mb at Jersey Airport at 0000GMT to 977.7mb at Foula at 2400GMT. There was a ground frost in sheltered places in most districts from the S Midlands to NE Scotland but further W frontal rain fell before dawn across W Scotland and parts of Ireland. Some showers fell of rain and hail in N Scotland ahead of this rain. Further rain fell during the day across W and Cent Scotland, Wales and N and NW Ireland; falls were very heavy across high ground in W Scotland. Despite remaining dry across much of England and Wales it was generally cloudy everywhere during the day. By the evening it was windy in all areas with mean speeds in excess of 40kn in exposed places around Scotland. (Fyvie Castle 15.9C, Tredegar Bryn Bach Park 9.4C maximum, Aviemore 1.2C minimum, Cassley 88.0mm, Kinloss 3.3h.)

Low pressure centred off N Scotland on the 27th quickly drove a cold front across all areas - with pressure rising in the S in the evening. England and Wales had a mild night - further N there was widespread rain with some heavy rain across Scotland overnight - falls here during the day were lighter and more showery in nature; the front gave only slight falls over most of England. In the cooler air behind the front there were sunny spells, especially across England and Wales. (Langdon Bay 14.7C, Braemar 4.8C maximum, Braemar 2.6C minimum, Kinlochewe 39.2mm, Yeovilton 6.7h.)

There was a widespread ground frost across England and E Scotland on the 28th - with a widespread air frost away from the coasts in East Anglia, Cent S and SE England and the S Midlands. Rain and showers fell across N and W Scotland overnight and there were some localised fog patches in Cent S England. During the day frontal cloud gave rain in SW England, S wales, W Ireland and W Scotland - with much of England and wales being under a warm sector by midnight. It was a cloudy day everywhere, except for some sunny intervals in E England ahead of the warm sector. (Yeovilton 13.8C, High Mowthorpe 6.3C maximum, South Newington -4.2C minimum, Tyndrum 27.2mm, Wittering 3.3h.)

The 29th dawned after a mild night everywhere and one that sawe widespread heavy rain across Scotland and Ireland. Smaller totals also fell across parts of Wales and S England overnight - while during falls were widepread but cleared from the W as a cold front rapidly crossed all areas. Snow fell on Orkney behind the front and as skies cleared there were some sunny spells later across W Ireland. Flooding caused problems and disruption across much of Cent, W and S Scotland after a night of torrential rain. Homes and businesses were flooded and roads badly hit. Firefighters rescued 27 children from Abington Primary in South Lanarkshire after a burn burst its banks and water flooded the building. In some areas people were stuck in their cars for hours as the emergency services worked to clear floodwaters. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency issued 32 flood warnings across parts of Central Scotland, Dumfries and Galloway, Tayside and the Borders, with a further 14 other areas on flood alert. Strathclyde Fire and Rescue said crews were dealing with a wide range of flood-related incidents across the region, with Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire and Inverclyde among the worst affected areas. The A8 was closed between Dellingburn Street in Greenock and Main Road in Langbank and the A761 Kilmacolm to Bridge of Weir road was also shut due to flooding. In Glasgow, where 42mm of rain fell during a 24-hour period, parts of the underground network were closed for some time. In Central Scotland, many roads were closed. The M9 near Stirling was earlier shut to all traffic between Junction 9 and 10. Gusts of more than 60mph were recorded on the Forth Road Bridge earlier, with restrictions put in place for high-sided vehicles. Trains were also disrupted, with no services between Paisley Gilmour Street and Gourock, Paisley Gilmour Street and Wemyss Bay, Largs and Ardrossan South Beach and Dalmuir and Springburn. The Kilmarnock to Dumfries trains were disrupted because of a landslip.Snow fell on OPrkney during the day. A tornado was reported from Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, with roof tiles being ripped off buildings during the passage of active cold front. (Leeming 14.9C, Banagher Caugh Hill 5.8C maximum, Altnaharra 5.0C minimum, Glasgow 59.4mm, Valentia and Cork Airport 2.4h.)

The 30th was a cool night everywhere with rain and showers across Scotland, Ireland, Wales and SW England. These fell as hail on the Northern Isles during the day as showers continued in W areas. E England remained largely dry and had the best of the day's sunshine, although across Scotland the showers were heavy and merged into more extensive areas of rain at times. (Gravesend 13.3C, Dalwhinnie 6.6C maximum, Dalwhinnie 0.7C minimum, Cluanie Inn 43.2mm, Wattisham 6.4h.)

British Isles weather, December 2011

Frontal systems associated with a deep low off N Scotland on the 1st (MSL pressure 980.1mb at Sule Skerry at 0000GMT) meant a cloudy, mild night with widespread rain with some heavy falls over high ground in Scotland. This had cleared from much of England and Wales by dawn - but it remained windy across N Scotland where showers during the day fell as hail, sleet and snow in places. Some snow fell as far S as S Scotland - while across some S areas of S England the early rain lingered for much of the day in places; there were also some heavy falls in the Channel Islands during the day. Rain also fell across W Ireland later in the day - and S Ireland along with S EWngland and N Scotland had a rather dull day. Elsewhere, there were a few sunny intervals although skies did clear a little into the evening as pressure rose from the SW. (Gravesend 12.7C, Carterhouse 3.6C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch 0.3C minimum, Cluanie Inn 38.8mm, Dyce 5.1h.)

There was a widespread ground frost into the 2nd with an air frost in places, particularly in N and E Scotland. Rain continued to affect S and SE England overnight with some heavy falls in parts of Kent and Essex, and W areas of Scotland and Ireland also had some rain/showers. A few fog patches formed before dawn in Cent S and N England. During the day precipitation spread across W areas of the British Isles from the W, preceded by some falls of snow in parts of N Scotland, to affect much of W Scotland, Wales and SW England by the evening. 14mm fell at Valentia in the 12 hours ending 1800GMT. E and Cent England had sunny spells ahead of the frontal cloud abd there were some sunny intervals for a while in E Scotland. The rain was associated with another area of low pressure off W Scotland with MSL pressure down to 968.5mb at Foula and Benbecula by 2499GMT. (Isles Of Scilly 11.5C, Bingley 4.8C maximum, Kinbrace -5.7C minimum, Capel Curig 21.4mm, Manston 5.1h.)

The rain made slow progress E'wards into the 3rd, with most places seeing some falls overnight - more particularly across Wales. Although the fronts cleared most areas during the morning a brisk W'ly surface continued throughout the day bringing showers from the W, most noticeably across N Ireland and W Scotland. These fell as snow and sleet, initially across the Northern Isles but soon spreading across many N and Cent parts of mainland Scotland. Rain and drizzle continued for much of the day in the Channel Islands and in parts of SW England - SE and E England and Se Scotland along with EW areas of Ireland had sunny spells - but other W areas of Britain and Ireland remained rather cloudy. (Frittenden 13.0C, Dalwhinnie 3.5C maximum, Salsburgh 1.2C minimum, Capel Curig 22.8mm, Lyneham 6.1h.)

The 4th dawned after a cold and breezey night across Scotland but following milder conditions across S England and S Ireland - where minimum temperatures remained above 10C in places. There were hail and snow showers in places across N Scotland overnight and further S there were rain showers across parts of Ireland, Wales and W England. During the day the showers became more widespread in these areas as troughs brought organised bands of precipitation in from the W. Snow was seen as far S as Cumbria and in parts of NW Ireland during the morning and by midnight had fallen as far S as parts of N Ireland and the N Midlands. Although it remained dry in some E areas it was a generally cloudy day with only a few exceptions. (Swanage 11.4C, Dalwhinnie 0.7C maximum, Dalwhinnie -1.0C minimum, Capel Curig 26.6mm, Dyce 5.5h.)

There was a widespread ground frost on the 5th with an air frost in N and E Scotland, and also in parts of N England. Overnight showers were mainly confined to W parts of Ireland and Britain with snow in many parts of Scotland and as far S as the N Midlands in England. The showers pepped up during the day and affected many W parts of Ireland and Britain although SE Ireland and many areas of England and Scotland remained largely dry. At 0900GMT reported snow depths included 15cm at Eskdalemuir and 7cm on Shetland and there was also a slight coverning on some high ground in N England. Showers continued to fall as hail and snow as far S as Staffordshire during the day with rain and drizzle further S and some hail in W Ireland. A lorry driver was killed as heavy snow caused problems on roads across Scotland. The worst affected areas have been the Highlands, Central Scotland and South Lanarkshire. Snow also caused disruption in Northern Ireland and the north of England. On the trains, a landslide near Thornhill in Dumfries and Galloway meant services between Kilmarnock and Dumfries disrupted. The A9 between Perth and Inverness was particularly badly affected by the snowfalls. A few schools were closed in parts of Scotland. Cairngorm mountain, Glencoe, Glenshee and Lecht Ski Centre all reported a "dusting" of snow but said it was not enough for winter snow sports yet. E Scotland and most of Cent and E England had sunny intervals during the day. (Isle Of Portland 9.5C, Fyvie Castle -0.4C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch -6.8C minimum, Sheffield 13.8mm, Lyneham 6.1h.)

Various troughs and fronts cropssed many areas of the British Isles during the 6th as a depression moved towards NW Scotland by 2400GMT; MSL pressure fell to 982.6mb at Stornoway by 2400GMT. There was a widespread overnight ground frost with an air frost in many parts of Scotland with wintry falls before dawn in many places here. Some snow also fell in N England as far S as Lincolnshire. W Ireland and other parts of W Britain also saw overnight rain showers - while during the day more general areas of frontal rain affected these places as snow continued to fall in Scotland and in N England. At 2100GMT Eskdalemuir reported a snow depth of 14cm. E parts of England and Scotland had sunny intervals ahead of the fronts - elsewhere it was a cloudy day. (Isles Of Scilly 11.0C, Tyndrum -0.3C maximum, Tyndrum -4.7C minimum, Dunstaffnage 16.8mm, Leconfield 3.3h.)

A low pressure system crossed Scotland early on the 7th pushing frontal systems across area areas. E and NE Scotland had an early ground frost air air frost - most places saw falls of precipitation overnight with some snow falling over parts of Scotland. Scotland and N England had further snow showers during the day with some rain showers in places furthewr S - these showers slowly died out as the day progressed and pressure rose slightly. Away from N Scotland there were widespread sunny spells. (Isles Of Scilly 11.6C, Spadeadam 2.2C maximum, Altnaharra -6.0C minimum, Cluanie Inn 35.4mm, Dublin Airport 6.5h.)

During the early hours of the 8th there was a widespread touch of ground frost ahead of frontal rain that spread across W parts of the British Isles by dawn. This was a ssociated with a deep area of low pressure that paidly crossed N Scotland; MSL pressure readings included 0300GMT 998.3mb Sule Skerry, 0600GMT 979.9mb South Uist Range, 0900GMT 967.8mb Stornoway, 1200GMT 960.3mb Stornoway, 1500GMT 958.2mb Kirkwall, 1800GMT 956.7mb Fair Isle, 2100GMT 959.5mb Fair Isle, 2400GMT 969.0mb Baltasound. Rain and showers spread E to all areas during the day (although falls were very slight in parts of East Anglia and SE England) There was a little sunshine in E Scotland and also in parts of W Ireland; but in most places it was dull. N Scotland had some snow showers before dawn, and parts of N England and N Scotland had some slight snow showers during the day. But in most places the precipitation fell as rain - and falls were heavy across N Scotland with 50mm in places. However, the main feature of the weather was the dangerous wind. Police told people in Scotland not to travel, as winds gusting up to 165mph affected the country, leaving more than 50,000 people without power. Three people were rescued by helicopter after their car was swept into a swollen river in Swaledale, North Yorkshire. In Cumbria, heavy rain caused flooding in the Windermere area, with road closures and reports of vehicles stuck in water. More than 300 passengers were stranded on the Rotterdam-Hull ferry off the East Yorkshire coast. The Pride of Hull, was unable to dock, after fears that high winds could damage the P&O ship as it entered port. North Wales was hit by wind, with the strongest gust of 81mph recorded at Aberdaron. A gust of 91mph was recorded in Tiree. The ski area at Aonach Mor, just outside Fort William in the Highlands, reported a wind gust of 130mph. The Met Office said winds at Cairngorm Summit had reached up to 165mph. Two hospitals - Belford in Fort William and the Victoria in Rothesay - had to switch to back-up generators after they lost power, and patients were evacuated from Kirkcaldy's day surgery after the roof blew off. The Forth Road Bridge was closed to all traffic, after a gust of 84mph was recorded, but has now reopened to cars only. Train operator ScotRail said it had been forced to cut services, with a temporary timetable coming into force, as Network Rail imposed a 50mph (80km/h) speed restriction. All double-decker buses were withdrawn by First Glasgow. A much-reduced service will run using single-decker vehicles. And there were strong wind warnings for the M6 in Cumbria and the A66 in County Durham was closed to high-sided vehicles. (Hereford 13.7C, Kinbrace 4.3C maximum, Fyvie Castle -1.8C minimum, Loch Glascarnoch 64.8mm, Leuchars 1.8h)

A mixture of cloud and wind meant little overnight frost on the 9th. There was r ain overnight across S parts of England and Wales with another area of precipitation over Scotland and NW Ireland - the latter also gave some falls of snow that affected some of the hills of N England. The rain in the S moved away S'wards and most of Englna,d Wales and s Ireland then had a dry day - but a slow-moving front across Scotland and some N parts of England and Ireland gave falls here. These N areas as far S as N England also had falls of snow, heavy in places, with Aviemore reporting a depth of 5cm at 2100GMT. It was a windy day in N Scotland with gales around the coasts and a 42kn mean speed at VBaltasound at 1800GMT; daytime temperatures here remained below 3C in many inland areas. The dry parts of England, Walesa and S Ireland had sunny periods. (Isles Of Scilly 10.1C, Tulloch Bridge 0.3C maximum, Usk No.2 -1.4C minimum, Giants Causeway 15.4mm, Wattisham 6.4h.)

There was a widespread ground frost on the 10th with grass minimum temperatures of -8C and below as far S as Hampshire. Away from thew coasts there was also an air frost in most areas. Some rain and drizzle fell on the Northern Isles overnight - with falls also in N and W Ireland. Snow fell across N and Cent Scotland with lesser amounts in N England and as far S as Hampshire. During the day there were further falls of rain and showers in parts of Scotland, N England and N Ireland - although only small amounts of snow fell. Later in the day frontal cloud spread rain across Ireland, and into W areas of Scotland, Wales and England - preceded by small amounts of snow in the N at first. E and Cent England ahd some somme periods, as did parts of E Scotland - elsewhere it was a cloudy day. (Isles Of Scilly 9.4C, Braemar 0.0C maximum, Braemar -7.8C minimum, Machrihanish 9.6mm, Wattisham 6.1h.)

Bands of frontal cloud and precipitation affected most places during the 11th. Overnight, ahaed of the rain, a ground frost was confined to E parts of England and Wales. By dawn the rain had reached E Wales and parts of NE England and then spread further E during the day so that only parts of East Anglia and E Scotland remained dry by the evening. Showers followed the rain, and these fell as snow later over high ground in parts of N and Cent Scotand. It was a cloudy day in most places - although there were a few sunny intervals once the early fronts had cleared from W parts of Scotland and Ireland. The evening brought another area of rain into W Scotland and W Ireland. (Isles Of Scilly 11.1C, Dalwhinnie 2.7C maximum, Frittenden -3.0C minimum, Capel Curig 35.4mm, Tiree 2.4h.)

The early of hours of the 12th saw frontaql rain clearing from E England. Under a weak ridge of high pressure there was a widespread slight ground frost although W Ireland and W Scotland had some rain from a separate front that pushed NE'wards here. The ridge was short-lived and by midday the next system was producing rain in W and SW Ireland. By the evening only E areas of Scotland and England were dry - but rain reached these parts by midnight. N parts of Scotland had some wintry falls before the first (warm) front lifted the temperature - while as the fronts cleared in the evening some snow fell in N Scotland. E areas of Scotland and England had long sunny spells ahead of the frontal cloud - elsewhere it was a dull day. (Chivenor 12.5C, Dalwhinnie 2.3C maximum, Fyvie Castle -2.6C minimum, Okehampton 26.0mm, Wattisham 6.2h.)

A deep low close to NW Scotland created a widespread, windy day on the 13th. MSL pressure fell as low as 946.9mb at Stornoway at 1500GMT. Overnight it was cloudy with widespread frontal rain which cleared to give a cool day in a W'ly surface flow. Some overnight snow fell in parts of Scotland, N England and N Ireland - mainly showery in nature. Most places had showery conditions during the day - although few of these reached E parts of England. A more general area of rain affected Scotland, however, accompanied by coastal gales here and around Ireland. Further falls of snow occurred across Scotland with reports of snow later in the day from high ground in SW England and W Ireland. Gusts included 65kn at Inverbervie at 1800GMT. Rail services were severely disrupted, with one passenger being injured after a train travelling from Wick struck a fallen tree at Inverness. Weather conditions were reported to be the cause of a seven-vehicle collision on the A9; the snow gates were closed on the A9 at Blair Atholl in Perthshire. Scotrail said train services in the west Highlands and north of Perth were particularly disrupted by the weather. Line speeds there have been restricted to 50mph by Network Rail for safety reasons. The Tay Road Bridge was also closed with diversions via the Friarton Bridge in Perth. However, this was also closed to high-sided vehicles. (St Catherines Point 10.1C maximum, Altnahinch Filters 1.9C maximum, Dalwhinnie -0.2C minimum, Tyndrum 54.2mm, Leconfield 5.3h.)

Much of Scotland and N Ireland had rain into the 14th associated with fronts wrap[ped around a low to the N of Scotland - while another area of rain affected parts of S Ireland, S Wales and S England. During the day areas of rain and showers spread E'wards in a contuning brisk W'ly flow; these fell as sleet and snow in many parts of England as far S as Wiltshire and Hampshire - with Yeovilton reporting recent sleet following thunder by 1200GMT. In many palces the showers merged to give longer spells of rain and it was generally cloudy away from E England. By 2400GMT a deepening low had reached SW Ireland with MSL pressure down to 989.2mb at Belmullet. Snow depths at 1800GMT included 3cm at Aviemore and 6cm at Lough Fea. (St Catherines Point 9.2C, Killylane 1.1C maximum, Leek -0.2C minimum, Banagher Caugh Hill 33.8mm, Waddington 4.5h.)

There was a widespread ground frost on the 15th although many parts of S England and S Wales escaped a frostry start. An area of low pressure crossed E'wards over Britain overnight - to be follwoed by a second low (centre down to 978mb off Weymouth) by 2400GMT. Parts of E Scotland, N Ireland and NE England had an early air frost - while further S the low brought an area of rain and cloud across S Ireland, Wales and S England - although falls were slight in E England. To the N of the low, parts of NE and E Engla nd had some snow showers. In Penzance it was a stormy night and gave the strongest winds of 2011 so far there as the winds funneling around the Land's End peninsula. Hail and thunder were reported at Penzance overnight, where the three-day rainfall amounted to 52.4mm by 0900GMT. Thunder was also heard on Jersey. During the day there were showers in W parts of the British Isles while much of E and Cent England and Scotland had a day with sunny spells. (St Catherines Point 9.9C, Dalwhinnie 1.4C maximum, Katesbridge -4.7C minimum, Capel Curig 19.0mm, Glasgow 5.5h.)

Away from the S half of England and wales on the 16th there was a widespread air frost. In Seas it was a cloudy night due to an area of low pressure that swiftly moved along the English Channel and into Germany. This system brought rain and also some, mainly slight, falls of snow in the N and NW flank. Behind the low a NW'ly flow soon developed across all areas - with widespread showers especially in coastal areas. These fell widely as snow and sleet - as far SE as Suffolk and the Chilterns. After much debate in previous days about the track of, and damage from, the low it passed the UK with little damage on a more S'ly track than had earlier been thought likely. (Camborne 7.9C, Aviemore -3.0C maximum, Braemar -8.7C minimum, Machrihanish 22.0mm, Hurn 4.9h.)

There was a widespread air frost on the 17th although not in the SW half of Ireland and in S Wales and and SW England. A weak front pushed across the British Isles during the day from the W and pressure then rose - to 1023.6mb at Valentia by 2400GMT. W parts of Britain and Ireland had some showers overnight - as did places down the E coast of England and Scotland. Snow depths at 0900GMT included 5cm at Glasgow Bishopton, 2cm at Hereford and 3cm at Lough Fea. As the front moved E'wards it gave some small amounts of precipitation which turned to sleet or snow in some places as far S as Berkshire. Snow showers fell widely across Scotland and parts of N England during the day. (Culdrose 8.4C, Loch Glascarnoch 0.1C maximum, Dalwhinnie -6.0C minimum, Capel Curig 14.2mm, Dublin Airport 6.7h.)

Inland areas away from SW Ireland and SW England had an widespread air frost on the 18th under a ridge of high pressure. High pressure persisted throughout the day but a copule of troughs meant than any showers becaome organised into longer spells of precipitation in places. N Scotland in particluar had widespread snow showers - but these also fell in parts of the E Midlands, Norfolk and N England at times. Elsehwre there werew falls of rain and drizzle in parts of Wales, Ireland and SW England. Snow depths at 2100GMT included 5cm at Aviemore, 4cm at Glasgow and 3cm at Leek. Many E parts of England and Scotland had long sunny spells during the day. (Cardiff Bute Park 9.0C, Kinbrace -0.7C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch -9.4C minimum, Altnahinch Filters 18.4mm, Lyneham 6.2h.)

Frontal cloud brought rain across Ireland during the morning of the 19th. As a result Ireland, Wales and much fo SW England and W Scotland escaped an air frost overnight, while in parts of E Scotland grass minimum temperatures dipped down to -12C. By dawn rain had fallen in these frost-free areas - and then spread E'wards across the whole of Britain by midnight. Showers followed the rain, while ahead of the rain there were falls of snow across many parts of Scotland with icy surfaces following the overnight frost. It was a cloudy day everywhere, albeit with a few sunny intervals, after the main area had cleared, across Ireland. (Ashford (Co. Wicklow) and Isle of Portland 11.0C, Baltasound 2.0C maximum, Altnaharra -8.7C minimum, Altnahinch Filters 37.6mm, Aldergrove 1.2h.)

overnight into the 20th there was little frost - with rain and showers across NW Ireland and in W and N Scotland. A little snow fell over high ground in Scotland overnight and there wqas also some rain in East Anglia and in parts of Wales and NW England. A weak ridge followed in E ares of Britain - while in the W a pair of warm fronts spread rain across Ireland into W England by midnight. A few showers fell across N Scotland - as snow in places - but only the SE corner of England had much sunshine. (Milford Haven 10.3C, Braemar 2.7C maximum, Kinbrace -0.9C minimum, Cassley 15.0mm, Heathrow 3.1h.)

Ahead of the approaching rain, only NE Scotland had a groiund frost on the 21st; elsewhere rainfall was widespread overnight - bringing also a rise in temperature. During the day N England and Scotland were the rainfall-affected areas - although it was dull everywhere with only parts of S Ireland and Midlands seeing any sunshine. Pressure rose from the S, with 1028.0mb being the MSL pressure at Guernsey Airport at 2400GMT. It was a very mild day in some places. (Asford, Co. Wicklow 14.6C, Braemar 8.1C maximum, Kinbrace -1.4C minimum, Resallach 14.8mm, Filton 2.4h.)

A warm sector dominated conditions on the 22nd. It was mild overnight with minimum temperatures remaining above10C as far N as Stornoway. There was some light rainfall overnight on the Northern Isles and in parts of W Scotland but most places remained dry. During the day there was further light rain in these areas while in the evening a cold front pushed across W araes of Ireland and Scotland to give further falls or rain and drizzle. Only in a few places was the maximum temperatyre below 10C - with 13-14C reached as far N as E Scotland. E and Cent England had sunny spells, along with the Aberrdeen area; elsewhere it was a cloudy day with the warmth SW'ly source of the air. (Rosehearty 14.1C, Carterhouse 8.7C maximum, Fyvie Castle 3.5C minimum, Lusa 18.0mm, Manston 5.8h.)

By dawn on the 23rd frontal rain had spread SE'wards to affect all of Ireland and Scotland - and also a few parts of Wales and NW England. Falls were heavy over some of the hills - although much of E Scotland had only small amounts. Ahead of the rain minimum temperatures were widely in the range 9-10C. As the front pushed SE'wards during the day it brought a spell of rain to all ares of England and Wales - including ome heavy falls across parts of Wales and N England. Ahead of the front it was a cloudy day - but there were sunny spells behind the front across Scotland anmd Ireland; in these areas there were also some showers during the day. These showers fell as snow in parts of N Scotland. (Yeovilton 12.4C, Dalwhinnie 2.9C maximum, Aboyne 0.9C minimum, Capel Curig 42.6mm, Kinloss 4.5h.)

During the early hours of the 24th there were falls of rain across parts of N Ireland and NW Scotland. A few parts of E Scotland had an early air frost but for most places cloud prevented the temperature from falling too far. Elsewhere it was a mainly dry night once frontal rain had cleared East Anglia. High pressure in S areas led to MSL pressure reaching 1035mb over the Channel Islands by 0600GMT. Temperatures warmed in W parts of the British Isles as a mild SW'ly flow developed here - bringing rain, particularly across NW Scotland where there were some heavy falls. It was a cloudy day everywhere, with just one or two exceptions where the sun broke through for a couple of hours. (Kinlochewe 11.7C, Charsfield 6.2C maximum, Aboyne -2.4C minimum, Cluanie Inn 35.2mm, Camborne 2.5h.)

It was a mild start to the 25th everywhere with minimum temperatures remaining above 10C in parts of W Ireland - 10.6C at Valentia. This was caused by cloudy skies and a SW'ly flow in a warm sector; rain fell in many W areas and also in a few E areas where there was light rain and drizzle from the warm front. The deepening low that brought the warmse sector headed rapidly NE to the W of Scotland with MSL pressure down to 986,4mb at Foula at 1200GMT and strong to gale force winds across N Scotland in particular. Gusts reported at 1200GMT included 59kn at Stornoway while Aonach Moor was reporting a 60kn mean wind speed at that time. The winds eased later in the sday as preessure rose across N Scotland but a cold front brought some heavy falls of rain to NW Scotland later also. It was a warm day everywhere with 14C reported at Tain Range. News reports suggested that Northern Ireland experienced its warmest Christmas Day since records began as Murlough, Co Down, reached 14.3C. In Eire 14.6C at Piltown, Co. Kilkenny in 2002 was the highest recorded temperature on Christmas up to 2011; this year 15.0C was measured at Ashford, Co. Wicklow and 14.4C at Moorepark (Fermoy) in Co. Cork. It was a dull day everywhere except in a few parts of SE Ireland, E Scotland and E England. (Dyce 15.1C, Okehampton 9.1C maximum, Fyvie Castle 2.3C minimum, Tyndrum 39.2mm, Ashford, Co. Wicklow 1.7h.)

MSL pressure rose during the 26th, reaching 1037.2mb at Jersey Airport 1200GMT. Except across N Scotland where temperatures dropped to about 6C it was a mild night everwhere with minimum temperatures above 12C in a few places. A front gave some rain across SAcotland overnight and there were a few overbight falls of light rain in parts of Wales and SW England. Some of this rain was heavy in NW Scotland and there were further heavy fdalls here during the day - with lesser falls in other parts of Scotland, Ireland, Wales and SW England. A few E parts of Ireland, Scotland and England had some breaks in the cloud - but for most it was a dull day - albeit warm to the S of a cold front that pushed S'wards slowly later in the day to lie Galway-Edinburgh by 2400GMT. (Fyvie Castle 15.5C, Okehampton 8.3C maximum, Wick Airport 5.5C minimum, Kinlochewe 89.0mm, Leconfield 3.9h.)

Parts of Scotland had a ground frost into the 27th - behind a cold front that gave falls of rain overnight to Scotland, N Ireland and N England. By midday this front had reversed direction and was pushing N'wards across N Ireland and N England as a deep low headed towards W Scotland. MSL pressure was down to 999.9mb at South Uist Range by 2400GMT. As the front pushed N'wards it gave little rain - but by the evening another area of frontal rain had started to move E across the Western Isles and W Ireland. It was another mild day for the time of year but with only parts of the Midlands and E England seeing much sunshine. (Hawarden 12.3C, Cassley 4.5C maximum, Braemar -2.4C minimum, Capel Curig 9.0mm, Nottingham 3.6h.)

A cold front pushed rapidly E'wards across the British Isles during the morning of ther 28th, giving a spell of rain to many areas. Cent and E areas of England had opnly smasll amounts - while there were some heavy falls in parts of W and N Scotland. As an area of low pressure pushed quickly E'wards just to the N of nmainland Scotland during the day, MSL pressure fell to 970.7mb at Kirkwall at 1500GMT. Winds increased across N parts of Britain and Ireland - and were accomanied by another band of rain, especially across Scotland and Ireland where there were some heavy falls over high ground. Gusts included 62kn at South Uist Range and Port Ellen at 1200GMT and 63kn at Stornoway at 1800GMT. Motorists in the seaside resort of Cleveleys in Lancashire had to contend with three-foot drifts of foam blown in off the Irish Sea. The sea foam - or spume - is caused by waves whipping up seawater containing the offshore breakdown of algal blooms. Winds gusts topped 100mph in the Scottish Highland; gusts as high as 87mph on the Tay Bridge led to closure of the structure. Parts of S England and S Ireland had some rain during the day - but most places away from N and Cent Scotland had some sunshine. (Manston 11.6C, Carterhouse 4.4C maximum, Dalwhinnie 1.9C minimum, Cluanie Inn 75.2mm, Dublin Airport 5.1h.)

Minimum temperatures into the 29th were low across N Scotland, albeit with little air frost, and rather higher further S. It was cold in N Scotland during the day, failing to reach 4C in many places - and with falls of sleet and snow during the day here and in Cent Scotland. Earlier, rain had been widespread across Scotland, N and Cent Ireland and NW England - this then turned to sleet and snow in N areas. During the day the rain pushed S'wards on a cold front across most S areas of the British Isles - although mnay places had only slight falls. Places close to the E coast of Britain had the best of any sunshine. (Exeter Airport 10.8C, Aviemore 2.6C maximum, Aboyne -1.3C minimum, Lake Vyrnwy 29.4mm, Leuchars 3.2h.)

E'ward-moving fronts again gave unsettled weather across the British Isles on the 30th. Much of inland Scotland, and a few parts of Wales and N England had an overbight ground frost. There was a little rain and some sleet across parts of N Scotland and rain further S, especially across Ireland and W and S parts of England and Wales. During the day rainfall was widespread, and led to mist and fog patches in places as temperatures changed. Some snow fell across Cent and S Scotland during the afternoon for a while. Most areas remained dull as a result of the widespread frontal cloud and by the evening temperatures had risen above 10C across Ireland, Wales, and SW parts of Scotland and England. (Ashford Co. Wicklow 13.7C, Fyvie Castle 2.2C maximum, Aboyne -3.6C minimum, Gt Cumbrae Millport 23.8mm, Leconfield 1.3h.)

Away from Cent and E Scotland it was a mild night into the b>31st - although the mildest airt was to be found in W areas with temperatures not falling below 10C across Cent and S Ireland, and across low-level parts of Wales and SW England. Most places had some frontal rainfall overnight and there was further rain during the day and into the evening - initially from a front close to the E coast of Britain and later from cold fronts that crossed E'wards from Ireland. However, falls in E areas were slight. It was a mild day with many places seeing maximum temperatures of 10-12C, albeit a dull one. (Hereford, Ashford (Co. Wicklow) 14.1C, Inverbervie 8.8 maximum, Aboyne -0.5C minimum, Stonyhurst 21.2mm, Kinloss 1.2h.)
Last updated 1 January 2012.