************************************************************************************** MONTHLY WEATHER REPORT OCTOBER 1999 TEXT-ONLY VERSION Hard copy versions of this report, including graphics, can be obtained from the weather station at the following address: Pitsford Hall weather station Pitsford Hall Moulton Lane Pitsford Northampton NN6 9AX Enclosing a stamped address A4 envelope. The full register can be downloaded separately to this report from this web site. If you encounter any problems in downloading data or viewing the files, please contact the station via the answerphone on 07967 438314. For official purposes, data entries should always be double checked with the station office. ************************************************************************************** Pitsford Hall Weather Station Office: Pitsford Hall Northamptonshire Grammar School Pitsford Northampton NN6 9AX Tel. 01604 880306 Fax. 01604 882212 E-mail weather@brixworth.demon.co.uk Web site http://www.brixworth.demon.co.uk/weather Registered member of the Climatological Observers Link Corporate Member of the Royal Meteorological Society Station grading: A Climatological Station No: 91012 Station Manager: M J Lewis, BSc(Hons), FRGS Observers: Christopher Cockrell Simon Fleming Benjamin Goodyear Alexander Jackman Andrew Sunderland Honorary Foundation Observers: Paul Dickens William Keggin Martin Sheehy Andrew Stanton Technician: Mrs S West Groundsman: Mr R Green Brief Climatological Summary October was a pretty average month. Both the mean temperature and rainfall totals showed no significant deviation from the October averages. Maximum daily temperatures fluctuated steadily above and below an average of 14.5C, never falling below 12C and with no notable extremes. Night-time minima showed a similar trend, although a couple of exceptionally mild nights were recorded on the 9th and 10th. Much of October saw little rain. Despite a couple of exceptionally high falls on the 1st and 7th, the month was dry until the end of the third week when several days recorded totals in excess of 5mm. Nationally, this October was the sunniest since 1959. This observation was generally born out at Pitsford Hall where daily sunshine hours remained high for much of the month. Only in the second half of the month was there an increased frequency of days without any sunshine. Statistical Analysis of Air and Ground Observations - October 1999 Temperatures: Mean Max: 14.5C Mean Min: 6.9C Mean Temp: 10.7C (mean comparison: +0.3C) Highest Max: 18.1C on 10th Lowest Max: 12.1C on 5th Highest Min: 12.8C on 10th Lowest Min: 2.5C on 5th Relative Humidity: Humidities observed at 0830hrs: Max: 99% on 29th Min: 63% on 11th Mean: 88.8% Lowest RH (hygrograph record): 40% on 11th Rainfall: Total for Month: 53.4mm (mean comparison: 99.4%) Max: 15.2mm on 1st Rain Days: 9 Wet Days: 11 Duration: 48.99 hours Rainfall acidity: Lowest pH: 6.2 on the 21st Winds: Max Max Gust: 35mph on 31st Max wind speed at observation: 13mph on 18th Mean wind speed at observation: 5.0mph Max mean 24 hour wind speed: 11mph on 19th Mean mean 24 hour wind speed: 4.7mph Directions: north 1, northeast 3, east 0, southeast 6, south 1, southwest 11, west 5, northwest 3, calm 1, variable 0 Pressures: Max: 1031mb on 12th Min: 975mb on 24th Mean: 1013mb Sunshine: Total: 93.4 hours Most in a day: 7.7 hours on 2th No of sunless days: 6 Cloud Cover: Mean cloud cover at observation: 56.3% (4.5 oktas) Ground Observations: Lowest Grass Min: -1.4C on 5th Highest Grass Min: 9.7C on 9th Lowest Concrete Min: 0C on 15th Highest Concrete Min: 11C on 9th Earth Temperatures: Bare Earth mean: 8.4C max: 13.6C on 10th,9th min: 2.6C on 5th 5cm mean: 8.5C max: 12.4C on 10th min: 5.4C on 5th 10cm mean: 9.8C max: 13C on 10th min: 7.1C on 18th 20cm mean: 10.7C max: 13.5C on 10th min: 8.7C on 20th 30cm mean: 11.4C max: 14.1C on 1st min: 9.4C on 20th 40cm mean: 11.8C max: 14.5C on 1st min: 10C on 21st 50cm mean: 12.4C max: 15.9C on 13th min: 10.3C on 22nd 100cm mean: 13.2C max: 15.5C on 1st,2nd min: 11.4C on 27th-31st Other observations: Days with fog recorded at 0830 hours: 2 Mean visibility: 6 (moderate, up to 7km) Days with air frosts: 0 Days with ground frosts: 3 Duration of air frost: 0 hours Days with snow falling: 0 Days with snow lying at observation: 0 Days with hail observed: 0 Days with thunder heard: 0 Days with lightning observed: 0 Gales: 0 Evaporation (tank): 54.11mm Register of Air and Ground Observations - October 1999 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th Temperatures Air Max (C) 15.2 14 13.7 12.4 12.1 14 13.7 17.5 Air Min (C) 10.7 7 6 5.4 2.5 3 4.5 7.9 Dry Bulb (C) 10.6 9.4 7.9 6.1 3.5 4.6 8.3 13.6 Wet Bulb (C) 9.2 8.4 7 5.3 2.9 4.1 7 13 RH (%) 82 87 87 88 90 92 82 93 Rainfall Total (mm) 15.2 tr tr tr _ _ 2.1 _ Duration (hrs) 6 0.13 0.15 _ _ _ 5 _ Acidity (pH) 6.22 _ _ _ _ _ 6.33 _ Winds (mph) Direction sw sw nw ne sw sw sw w Speed (0830) 4 11 9 7 2 1 2 6 Speed (24 hrs) 7 6 8 7 2 2 4 7 Max Gust 31 34 30 22 13 12 20 27 Pressure (mb) At 0830hrs 1002 992 998 1012 1026 1029 1025 1020 From 0600hrs 1 0 2 2 3 1 -1 0 Insolation Cloud types st ac ac clear clear ac sc cs Cloud cover 8 1 2 0 0 1 7 8 Sunshine (hrs) 0.2 7.7 6.2 7.3 7.5 6.9 0 2.6 Visibility 7 8 8 8 7 7 7 7 Other Ppt Snow/sleet falling _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Depth of snow _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Hail (<5mm) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Hail (>/=5mm) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Other Obs Thunder heard _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Lightning seen _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Ground Obs Grass Min (C) 6.6 6.5 3.5 2.5 -1.4 -0.6 2 6.2 Concrete Min (C) 7.6 8.3 4.6 4 0.6 1.5 2.7 6.9 Bare Earth (C) 9.9 8.5 6.6 5.4 2.6 4.3 7.7 12.3 Soil Temps 5cm 10.6 10 7.6 7.2 5.4 5.9 7.4 10.9 10cm 12 11.6 9.9 9.4 7.9 8.1 9.1 11.1 20cm 13 12.7 11.1 10.4 9.4 9.5 10.1 11.3 30cm 14.1 13.5 12.5 11.6 10.9 10.4 11.1 11.4 40cm 14.5 14.1 13.4 12.5 12.1 11.6 11.6 11.4 50cm 15 14.6 13.7 12.6 13.4 11.7 12.4 12.1 100cm 15.5 15.5 15.4 14.9 13.6 14.4 14.4 13.7 Slab 1 2 0 1 1 0 0 2 Ground Without snow 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 With snow _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th Temperatures Air Max (C) 16.4 18.1 13.9 14.6 15.2 17 15.1 15 Air Min (C) 12.7 12.8 7.6 4.4 4.1 4.6 5.5 8 Dry Bulb (C) 14.4 13.9 8 5.6 5.5 5.6 10.2 10.1 Wet Bulb (C) 13.5 12.9 5.3 5.1 4.9 5.3 9.8 9.4 RH (%) 90 89 63 92 91 95 95 91 Rainfall Total (mm) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Duration (hrs) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Acidity (pH) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Winds (mph) Direction nw sw w w calm w n se Speed (0830) 8 3 3 1 0 1 2 2 Speed (24 hrs) 4 4 3 1 1 3 4 4 Max Gust 22 25 21 9 9 20 21 21 Pressure (mb) At 0830hrs 1021 1021 1026 1030 1030 1028 1014 1024 From 0600hrs 0.5 0 1 1 0 0 -1 0 Insolation Cloud types ac sc ci ci clr clr st sc Cloud cover 4 8 2 3 0 0 8 8 Sunshine (hrs) 1.9 0.6 6.3 6.6 6.3 5.8 0.6 0.9 Visibility 7 7 7 7 6 5 6 5 Other Ppt Snow/sleet falling _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Depth of snow _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Hail (<5mm) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Hail (>/=5mm) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Other Obs Thunder heard _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Lightning seen _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Ground Obs Grass Min (C) 9.7 9 2.6 -0.3 0.9 0.4 _ 4 Concrete Min (C) 11 10.7 5.1 2.2 3.1 3 _ 5.6 Bare Earth (C) 13.6 13.6 10.3 5.5 5.3 6.2 10.3 10.2 Soil Temps 5cm 12.3 12.4 9.7 6.8 6.4 8.4 10.4 8.6 10cm 12.6 13 11.2 9 8.7 9.6 11.5 10.5 20cm 12.8 13.5 12.3 10.5 9.9 10.1 11.5 11.2 30cm 13 13.6 13.4 11.1 12.5 10.8 11.5 12 40cm 12.7 13.5 13.5 12.4 14.1 10.3 11.7 12.3 50cm 13.3 13.9 14 12.8 15.9 12.4 12.5 12.8 100cm 14.1 14.1 14.1 13.7 14 13.2 13.5 13.6 Slab 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 Ground Without snow 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 With snow _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 17th 18th 19th 20th 21st 22nd 23rd 24th Temperatures Air Max (C) 13.9 13.1 12.1 14 14.4 15 16.6 14.1 Air Min (C) 5.5 4.8 5.5 4.3 6 7 9 9.5 Dry Bulb (C) 7 5.5 6.6 6 7.5 9.7 11.6 11.2 Wet Bulb (C) 6.4 4.7 5.1 4.4 7 9.6 10.5 11 RH (%) 91 88 78 76 93 93 87 94 Rainfall Total (mm) _ _ _ 3.4 10 4.8 6.4 7.7 Duration (hrs) _ _ _ 6 7 2.7 4 10 Acidity (pH) _ _ _ 6.3 6.2 6.3 6.2 6.3 Winds (mph) Direction se se se se nw ne ne se Speed (0830) 7 13 9 12 2 1 2 6 Speed (24 hrs) 4 9 11 4 4 2 4 4 Max Gust 24 26 30 31 33 15 27 26 Pressure (mb) At 0830hrs 1021 1021 1016 1009 1001 995 990 980 From 0600hrs 0 -1 -2 -2 -2 1 -1 -5 Insolation Cloud types ci clear ci cu st cu st cb Cloud cover 6 0 2 7 8 2 8 7 Sunshine (hrs) 2.9 4.1 3.7 1.5 0 3.8 0 0 Visibility 5 6 5 5 5 5 5 6 Other Ppt Snow/sleet falling _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Depth of snow _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Hail (<5mm) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Hail (>/=5mm) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Other Obs Thunder heard _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Lightning seen _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Ground Obs Grass Min (C) 3 2.3 3.7 1.4 6.7 3 5 6.7 Concrete Min (C) 4 2.6 4.5 2.1 7.3 3.5 5.7 7.5 Bare Earth (C) 6.4 8.2 5.6 4.9 7.8 6 10.5 10.6 Soil Temps 5cm 7.2 6.2 7 5.9 7.8 8.4 8.8 10.5 10cm 9.2 7.1 8.6 7.4 8.5 9 10.3 10.7 20cm 10.5 9.4 9.4 8.7 9 9.5 10.5 11.2 30cm 11.5 10.1 10 9.4 9.5 10 10.7 11.2 40cm 12.1 11.1 10.9 10.1 10 10.2 11 11.3 50cm 12.5 11.5 11.6 10.4 10.7 10.3 11.3 11.5 100cm 12.5 12.1 13.1 12.7 12.5 13 12 12.5 Slab 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2 Ground Without snow 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 With snow _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 25th 26th 27th 28th 29th 30th 31st Temperatures Air Max (C) 14.2 14.1 14.5 12.4 13.3 16.6 14 Air Min (C) 9 8 6.7 8.1 8.4 8.4 7.8 Dry Bulb (C) 9.6 10.7 8.7 9.8 8.8 13.7 10.5 Wet Bulb (C) 9.4 10.2 8.1 9.2 8.7 13.4 8.9 RH (%) 93 94 92 92 99 97 80 Rainfall Total (mm) 0.1 tr tr 0.1 0.9 2.7 _ Duration (hrs) 5 _ _ 0.5 1.63 0.88 _ Acidity (pH) _ _ _ _ 6.56 6.42 _ Winds (mph) Direction sw w sw sw sw s sw Speed (0830) 4 6 5 3 1 11 12 Speed (24 hrs) 5 4 5 1 3 9 10 Max Gust 20 17 21 9 16 30 35 Pressure (mb) At 0830hrs 985 1010 1020 1020 1023 1004 1013 From 0600hrs 2 3 0.5 1 0 -1.5 4 Insolation Cloud types cb ac ci sc obs sc cc Cloud cover 7 5 2 8 9 8 1 Sunshine (hrs) 1.8 0.9 3.4 0 0 0.1 3.8 Visibility 6 7 7 5 3 4 7 Other Ppt Snow/sleet falling _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Depth of snow _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Hail (<5mm) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Hail (>/=5mm) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Other Obs Thunder heard _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Lightning seen _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Ground Obs Grass Min (C) 8 3.1 2.5 3.9 6.2 6.8 5 Concrete Min (C) 9 5.4 3.9 5.6 8.3 9 6 Bare Earth (C) 9.5 10.1 7.6 9.6 9.4 13.1 9.2 Soil Temps 5cm 9.6 9.1 7.7 8.1 9.4 10.3 7.6 10cm 10 9.9 9.2 9.2 10.3 11 9 20cm 10.5 10.4 10.1 10 10.6 11.3 10 30cm 10.8 11 11 10.6 11 11.5 10.9 40cm 10.8 11.2 11.2 11 11.1 11.4 11.3 50cm 11 11.8 11.6 11.5 11.6 11.7 11.7 100cm 12 12.5 11.4 11.4 11.4 11.4 11.4 Slab 2 1 0 1 1 1 0 Ground Without snow 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 With snow _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Cloud, Visibility and Ground Observation Codes Standard cloud types Cirrus Ci Cirrocumulus Cc Cirrostratus Cs Altocumulus Ac Altostratus As Nimbostratus Ns Stratocumulus Sc Stratus St Cumulus Cu Cumulonimbus Cb Visibility codes X Dense Fog <20m E Dense Fog up to 20m 0 Thick Fog up to 40m 1 Thick Fog up to 100m 2 Fog up to 200m 3 Moderate Fog up to 400m 4 Very poor visibility up to 1000m 5 Poor visibility up to 2km 6 Moderate visibility up to 7km 7 Good visibility up to 20km 8 Very good visibility up to 30km 9 Excellent visibility 40km Ground Observations Without snow Surface dry (without cracks) 0 Surface moist 1 Surface wet (with puddles) 2 Surface flooded 3 Surface frozen 4 Glaze on ground 5 Surface partly covered in dry dust 6 Surface covered in dry dust 7 Thick covering of dry dust 8 Surface very dry with cracks 9 With snow Ground mostly ice covered 0 Wet/compact snow covering < half 1 Wet/compact snow covering half 2 Ground evenly covered by wet/compact snow 3 Ground unevenly covered by wet/compact snow 4 Dry/loose snow covering < half 5 Dry/loose snow covering half 6 Ground evenly covered by dry/loose snow 7 Ground unevenly covered by dry/loose snow 8 Complete snow cover, drifting 9 Observations of the Concrete Slab Dry 0 Moist 1 Wet 2 Icy 3 Thunder Report No reports of thunder were received this month. United Kingdom Climatological Analysis - October 1999 The rain and showers died down overnight, but by dawn on the 1st active fronts were again pushing rain into S Ireland; this spread to affect most of England, Wales and Ireland during the day, with some heavy falls in places. N Scotland had sunny intervals and showers, while there were thunderstorms over W parts of Ireland and Scotland. Pressure fell to 977mb over Scotland. By early evening there was a capping of snow down to 650m visible from Kyle of Sutherland. (Poole 19C, Aboyne 3C, Bingley 41mm, Lerwick 6.4h.) Overnight, one man died when a fishing boat sank in gales off the Isles of Scilly. Gusts to 40kn were reported from many stations in Ireland, with 45kn in SW England. Later on the 2nd, one man died while trying to release floodwaters through a sluicegate in Herefordshire. Floodwarnings were issued for Herefordshire and Worcestershire; roads were 30cm deep in water in places. The A38 in Staffordshire was flooded. Around 0530 GMT a tornado affected an area just N of Slough for 6 seconds, reportedly being about 100m wide. By dawn an area of heavy rain had almost cleared SE England from the W, and the remainder of the day was mainly showery everywhere - some of the showers being thundery in S Ireland, SW England and Wales. Overnight, 30mm fell in about 6 hours at Solihull. Parts of Scotland experienced a ground frost under clearing skies. (Poole 17C, Aboyne 0C, Pershore 41mm, Oxford 9.2h.) The 3rd saw more bands of showers affecting many parts of the British Isles, some of these being thundery in the NE Midlands and parts of S England. A small tornado was reported early in the day at Towyn, N Wales. A lively thunderstorm moved ESE across Nottingham, Ruddington village church was struck by lightning at 1344GMT and the church clock stopped at this time; small hail also fell in the storm. Heavy rain and hail also fell in Leeds during mid-afternoon. The wind slowly backed around to a N direction, with gusts to 40kn over much of N Scotland, and introducing cooler air to the British Isles. (Poole 18C, Eskdalemuir 2C, Loch Glascarnoch 24mm, Eastbourne 9.3h.) An air frost occurred before dawn 4th over sheltered parts of Scotland in the cool NW airflow. There were some showers in coastal places exposed to the NW airflow, but in many places it was a dry and sunny day. Pressure rose to 1025mb in W Scotland later in the evening as a small anticyclone became established there. (Torquay 17C, Saughall -1C, Trawscoed 27mm, Morecambe 10.3h.) Clear skies before dawn led to widespread air frost over S Scotland and parts of N England, Ireland and Wales on the 5th, with a ground frost in many other inland areas. Air pressure rose to 1030mb in Sussex by late evening, following a day that was mainly dry and sunny, except in Scotland where it clouded over later in the morning. At Dun Laoghaire the air pressure has risen over 40mb in less than 3 days, with the first ground frost of the autumn. (Guernsey 17C, Tulloch Bridge 9C max, Biggar -4C min, Coltishall 4mm, Littlehampton 10.6h.) Clear skies overnight led to another air frost on the 6th in S Scotland and in N and inland areas of England and Wales, along with early fog patches over many parts of England. Cloud and rain spread to W Scotland overnight, and then pushed SE to affect most of Scotland and Ireland by midnight, while England and Wales remained dry with sunny spells. Air pressure again touched 1030mb, in parts of SE England and East Anglia during the morning. The frost hollow at Chipstead Valley recorded -2.8C, while the air frost at Reading University was the earliest in autumn since at least 1960. (Saunton Sands 19C, Redesdale -3C, Tiree 6mm, Guernsey 10.7h.) The rain reached Wales and N England by dawn on the 7th, with lowest temperatures being in Cent S England before cloud spread to S England. During the day bands of rain and low cloud affected most areas of the British isles from time to time. (Great Malvern 17C, Bournemouth 1C, Tiree 15mm, Aberdeen 7.0h.) The 8th was a generally cloudy day everywhere, with bands of rain and drizzle moving E during the day over Ireland, Wales and England, but being more persistent over Scotland. (Torquay 19C, Loch Glascarnoch 3C, Trawscoed 12mm, Teignmouth 4.8h.) The 9th was another day of widespread cloud. A mild SW airflow led to some high overnight minimum temperatures, with 12 hour minima ending 0600 GMT including Valley 13.9C and readings above 12C in many places outside Scotland. Overnight, and during the daym there were further spells of light rain and drizzle, especially over Ireland and Scotland. (Margate 19C, Baltasound 4C, Buxton 12mm, Swanage 2.9h.) The 10th also started with widespread cloud, and with light rain and drizzle over W Ireland and Scotland. Minimum temperatures included Preswick 13.5C, Ronaldsway 14.9C, Valley 15.0C, Cardiff 14.4C, Dun Laoghaire 16C, Long Kesh 14.7C, Casement 15.1C. The cloud persisted during the day in most places (although places along the E coast of England and Scotland saw the best of any sunshine) and light rain or drizzle fell in many areas at some time during the day. Precipitation over N Scotland turned showery later in the day, with hail seen at Stornoway and some sferics reported. (Herne Bay 21C, Baltasound 7C, Lusa 19mm, Cleethorpes 5.6h.) The 11th began with a few showers (some with hail) over W and N Scotland, while an area of light rain and drizzle cleared S England by mid-morning. Elsewhere there was little overnight cloud, giving a ground frost in places. Showers fell over W coasts of Ireland and over W and N areas of Scotland during the day, although elsewhere it remained mainly dry with sunny spells with an area of high pressure becoming established over S Ireland. Around 1000 GMT slushy snow was reported at Alness, Ross-shire, while a gust of 61kn was measured at Fair Isle, as gusty conditions affected much of N and W Scotland. Air pressure rose to 1031mb in SW England, SW Wales and S Ireland by midnight. (Southend 17C, Shawbury 3C, Loch Glascarnoch 14mm, Aberdeen 9.5h.) Small amounts of overnight cloud (except for extreme N and W districts of Scotland where there were a few showers) resulted in a ground frost in many sheltered places by dawn on the 12th, with a few fog patches from S Scotland to S England. Cloud cover over Scotland with rain moving E in the N; the remainder of the British Isles had a day of anticyclonic sunny spells. Pressure rose to 1032mb at times in S Wales and Cent. S England. (Saunton Sands 17C, Lerwick 10C max, Redhill and Chipstead Valley -1C min, Kirkwall 7mm, Falmouth 10.6h.) High pressure again domintaed conditions on the 13th, with pressure around 1030 to 1031mb over the Midlands for much of the day. NW Ireland and Scotland had a mainly cloudy day with widespread light rain and drizzle, although it cleared later in the evening. After early morning fog patches in places from S Scotland to Cent S England, it was mainly dry and sunny over England and Wales, while Ireland had a sunny start with cloud spreading E later. (Aboyne 18C, Eskdalemuir 11C max, Redhill -1C min, Lerwick 13mm, Hunstanton 10.5h.) Overnight cloud kept minimum temperatures generally above normal over Scotland, Northern Ireland and N England on the 14th, while there were scattered fog patches and some ground frost elsewhere. The British Isles then had a mainly dry day (although light drizzle and rainfell in parts of NE England and N Scotland), with sunny spells over Ireland, Wales Cent and S England; later in the afternoon cloud began spreading into SW Ireland and SW England. (Guernsey 18C, Spadeadam 11C max, Redhill -1C min, Newcastle 0.7mm, Anglesey 10.5h.) A SE airflow led to a cloudy start along E coastal districts and over Scotland on 15th, while troughs brought precipitation to SW England and S Ireland. This pattern continued throughout the day, with the rain in the SW extending to S Wales and Cent S England by midnight; drizzle also fell over parts of E Scotland. (Anglesey 17C, Baltasound 3C, Isles of Scilly 17mm, Littlehampton 8.2h.) Cloud persisted along coastal areas of Scotland, E and NE England for much of the 16th, due in part to a prevailing SE airflow. Troughs over Ireland, Wales and SW England resulted in cloud here, with some rain and drizzle and mist or fog (especially over Ireland). SE England and the Midlands was mainly sunny and dry, after some early fog patches. (Northolt 18C, Aviemore 0C, Teignmouth 11mm, Bognor Regis 9.2h.) The 17th brought a misty start to much of Ireland, conditions which persisted until mid-afternoon in many places. N Ireland and Scotland had a cloudy start, with rain over N Ireland and SW Scotland, although during the day the cloud became mainly restricted to N Scotland. The remainder of the British Isles (except for the extreme SW England where it remained cloudy) had a day of sunny spells, after a ground frost in places. (Penzance 17C, South Farnborough 2C, Ballypatrick 7mm, Skegness 9.9h.) Cloud cleared overnight from most areas of the British Isles, the exceptions by dawn on the 18th being parts of NE England, SW England and SW Ireland. There was a touch of ground frost in places, before cloud again extended inland to affect NE England E Scotland and much of Ireland. There was some light precipitation in NE England and N Ireland; elsewhere away from the cloud there were sunny spells in an E breeze. Across many areas of S Britain and Ireland the past two weeks have been quite dry - at Dun Laoghaire only 1.3mm has fallen in this period. (Torquay 15C, Aviemore -1C, Ballykelly 1mm, Bognor Regis 9.9h.) The 19th saw a continuation of the cold E airflow over the British Isles. Many places had a sunny day, although SW England was cloudy at times, and there were several sharp showers in NE England, blowing in from the North Sea, giving an unpleasantly chilly, wet, dull day. Mainland Scotland was also rather cloudy with some rain in the SE, and gusts of 30 to 40kn were reported at times over costal areas of S England. (Guernsey 14C, Chipstead -1.4C, Newcastle 4mm, Ross-on-Wye 9.7h.) Cloud persisted in places overnight along the E coast of Britain, and by dawn on the 20th an area of frontal rain had started to affect SE and Cent S England and the Channel Islands. This spread N during the day, with rain eventually reaching the N Midlands and Dublin. An E wind brought gusts of 40kn along the E coast, and with cloud and showers also affecting much of Scotland the best of the sunshine was in W Scotland and W Ireland. Over S parts of England (and in other areas) the rain kept daytime temperatures to 10C in places; in Ireland the air was drier, and at Dun Laoghaire strong crepescular rays were seen through stratocumulus. (Guernsey 15C, Buxton 7C max, Hawarden 1C min, Aboyne 9mm, Stornoway 9.1h.) Much of England, Wales and Ireland had a damp day on the 21st as bands of rain moved N, introduing warmer air to S England by early evening. In many places in SE England mist, poor visibility and drizzle persisted for much of the day, although by midnight cloud had cleared from Cornwall. After mainly dry conditions overnight, E Scotland had a few showers before more general rain pushed N into S Scotland around midday, extending to all of mainland Scotland by midnight. Gusts to 45kn occurred in exposed E areas of Scotland. (Guernsey 16C, Buxton 7C max, Waterstein 5C min, Folkestone 17mm, Stornoway 8.9h.) Overnight rain over Scotland, N Ireland, NE and E England moved steadily N on the 22nd, with warmer conditions moving with it. There were gusts to 50kn over N Scotland, and althogh a general clearance followed the rain there were further bands of rain and showers, especially over S England, later in the day. (London 17C, Lerwick 6C, Isle of Wight 35mm, Edinburgh 7.8h.) Bands of rain and showers affected most areas on the 23rd, with gusts of 40kn occurring over exposed parts of N Scotland in the mild S airflow. Showers were thundery over most of England (except the extreme N and SW) during the afternoon. Later in the evening the wind increased over the Channel Islands, with gusts to 40kn. (Guernsey 18C, Colwyn Bay 7C, Southport 24mm, Bournemouth 7.0h.) Weather on the 24th was dominated by the brisk N/NE movement of a deep low over E Britain, with widespread heavy rain and poor visibility over England, Wales and S Scotland. Pressure fell to about 971mb and there were gales in the E, with gusts to 50 or 60kn along exposed coasts in the SE (66kn was reported from Jersey). Other gusts included 55kn at Walton-on-the-Naze, Lee-on-Solent and Southend. Bognor Regis pier (a grade II listed structure) was closed after 20m of the pier was washed into the sea. Red and yellow flood warning were issued in Dorset and West Sussex. At Selsey, a caravan park was evacuated when floodwater rose to 18 ins depth. Thousands lost power in Sussex and Kent when power cables blew down. In East Sussex bushes were uprooted and conservatory windows blown in. Ireland remained mainly dry, with scattered showers. (extremes not yet to hand) UK Meteorological Office analysis chart for 0000 GMT on the 25th. Overnight rain over England and E Scotland gradually became confined during the 25th to NE England and E Scotland, as the low remained slow-moving between Scotland and Norway. Pressure rose steadily during the day across much of the British Isles, and it truned brighter in W and S areas of Britain, with some showers over W coasts of Britain and Ireland in the N/NW airflow. There was some thundery activity over the E English Channel and Channel Islands during the evening. (Poole 18C, Redhill 4C, Capel Curig 55mm, Falmouth 9.2h.) Pressure continued to rise during the 26th, with rain in E Scotland largely clearing by midday. Most of the British Isles had a day of sunny spells after the clearance of early morning mist and fog over Cent. S England. (Penzance 18C, Redhill 1C, Guernsey 9mm, Falmouth 9.2h.)) The 27th was a cloudy day over much of Ireland, Scotland and N England, with rain at times, this being particularly heavy and persistent in W Scotland. Clearing overnight skies in S England led to fog patches and ground frost in places there; most of England and Wales then had a sunny day. Gusts to 40-50 kn continued to blow over N and W Scotland, and NW Ireland; Belmullet reported 49kn at 1500 GMT as a cold front approached W Ireland. (Falmouth 18C, Bournemouth 0C, Isle of Skye 47mm, Penzance 9.4h.) Clearing skies before dawn on the 28th over Northern Ireland and Scotland heralded a day of sunshine and showers here. There were fog patches over Cent. Ireland and Cent. S England around dawn, and light rain and drizzle in other areas of S England and East Anglia during the day; fog patches formed again by midnight over Cent. S England and parts of the Midlands. Most of Wales and N England had a sunny day. (London 19C, Castlederg 2C, Baltasound 15mm, Aberdeen 8.5h.) There was widespread fog around dawn on the 29th over S Ireland, the Midlands, East Anglia and S England, which was slow to clear in places leaving mist in many areas for much of the day. Low minimum air temperatures occurred in places, with a slight air or ground frost. It remained cloudy in most places, with some precipitation over W and N parts of Ireland and Scotland and later in the day over S England. (Herne Bay 18C, Capel Curig -1C, Lerwick 2.4mm, Folkestone 7.2h.) UK Meteorological Office analysis chart for 0000 GMT on the 30th. fter early mist and fog in the Midlands and parts of S England, the 30th was cloudy in most places, with gales in exposed W districts as a strengthening airflow became established. Bands of rain spread quickly across the British Isles, associated with a strong cold front that resulted in a 5C temperature drop in 1 hour at Wigan, and gusts to 60 kn occurred in exposed W coastal districts (eg. 51kn at Malin Head at 1500GMT). At Dun Laoghaire air pressure fell 31mb in the 24 hours ending 06GMT on the 30th, following a night with a min temperature above 13C. On the 31st a mild but showery SW airflow covered the British Isles, although more extensive rain affected W parts of Scotland and Ireland later in the day. Gales and gusts over 40kn were widespread in W districts, with a report of 63kn at Stornoway at 0900 GMT. 976.0mb was the MSL pressure at Stornoway at 0300 GMT. (Guernsey 17C, Aviemore 5C, Loch Glascarnoch 37mm, Margate 8.7h.) A UK Meteorological Office analysis chart for 0000 GMT on the 31st. Information contained in the Climatological Summary supplied courtesy of Roger Brugge, Climatological Observers Link. Notable Weather Events in Northamptonshire The following report is taken from the weather station's web site 5 October First ground frost of the autumn recorded at Pitsford Hall, -1.4C. Overnight air minimum 2.5C. Earth temperatures falling fast. Comparison of temperatures between 1st and 5th October: 10.6C to 5.4C at 5cm; 15.5C to 13.6C at 100cm. 24 October Five consecutive days of heavy rain: 3.4mm (20th), 10mm (21st), 4.8mm (22nd), 6.4mm (23rd), 7.7mm (24th) result in widespread localised flooding across the county. Reports from Northants Weather Watchers Reports received from Pitsford Hall weather station's network of weather enthusiasts across Northamptonshire. The weather station is not responsible for any inaccuracy contained in these reports. They are supplied for interest only. From Jeremy Borrett : WILBY'S OCTOBER 1999 MONTHLY WEATHER REPORT =========================================== Report from 8th October 1999 to 31st October 1999. Wind direction -------------- North: 0 days South: 3 dayS East: 0 dayS West: 2 days North-west: 1 day North-east: 0 days South-west: 2 days South-east: 0 day Variable: 7 days Calm winds: 6 days Total: 22 days Wind speed ---------- Average wind speed (mph): 5mph Highest wind speed (mph): 40mph (30th) Lowest wind speed (mph): 0mph Temperature ----------- Average temperature: 12.8°C Highest temperature: 17.4°C (10th) Lowest temperature: 3.8°C * * Lowest temperature recorded between 01/10/1999 and 07/10/1999. Rainfall -------- Total rainfall (mm): 59mm Highest rainfall (mm): 12½mm (21st) Air pressure ------------ Average air pressure: 1014mb Highest air pressure: 1031mb (12th) Lowest air pressure: 977mb (25th) From Jim Bennett, with reply from Steve Jackson: 5 October 1999: Coldest night here in Northampton since 19th April 99 at 2.8C Reply from Steve Jackson: My thermometer at home recorded -1C this morning in Crick, Northants - the village was white as I drove to work in Coventry, On the journey along the M1/M6 the thermometer on my car registered a gradual rise of 3.5C by the time I reached my weather station near the city centre - a classic case of an urban heat island transect by car!! -- Station Notes The weather station wishes to acknowledge with gratitude the work of the following observers who have recently retired from duties at the weather station to concentrate on their A-level studies. Alexander Jackman, Andrew Sunderland, Benjamin Goodyear, Christopher Cockrell, and Simon Fleming have steered the weather station on an even keel for the past 12 months and, during their year in office, have seen a dramatic expansion in the instrumentation of the station and the range of services offered to the general public. These diligent individuals will remain on call for the next 6 months to step in if required. The weather station requires a great deal from its staff in terms of both expertise and natural enthusiasm and the departing crew have demonstrated these qualities throughout their term of office. Over the past six weeks, a new generation of observers have been undergoing training in the guise of Charlie Cockrell, Michael Franklin, Richard Carruthers, Robert Illingworth and Thomas Gutteridge. The new met team takes over from 1 November 1999 to continue the high standard of observation and recording that now characterises the operation at Pitsford Hall. During October, the school's IT network was expanded to incorporate the weather station. In time, this will enable weather data from the planned automatic weather station to be viewed at any PC terminal on the school site. The link should also enable the station to greatly increase the number of subscribers for daily and monthly weather reports as access to the network's ISDN line should speed up dispatch times dramatically. Further work on the station's direct BT phone line will continue in November, with the possibility of installation an answerphone service for forecasts and observations. Parts of the ground enclosure underwent re-seeding in October and a small paved walkway was introduced to combat soil erosion which was becoming a problem towards the end of the month. Part of the enclosure has been taken out of commission as an erosion control measure. These measures do not interfere with the normal round of observations. The 3 angle-type soil thermometers (5cm, 20cm and 30cm) returned to Casella due to pre-mature erasure of the graduations have now been re-installed at the ground enclosure. The station incurred no additional cost for replacement. Appendix Weather Station Inventory (including equipment in active use as of 1 November 1999) Rooftop Enclosure and Office Standard Stevenson screen containing Mahogany mounted maximum and minimum thermometers (Casella type) Wet and dry bulb hygrometer Large pattern Stevenson screen containing Sheathed pattern maximum and minimum thermometers (UK Met Office with calibration certificates) Sheathed pattern wet and dry bulb thermometers (UK Met Office with calibration certificates) Thermograph (UK Met Office) Hair Hygrograph (UK Met Office) Campbell-Stokes Sunshine Recorder (UK Met Office MKII) Snowdon-type pattern raingauge (UK Met Office) British Association pattern raingauge (for recording rainfall acidity) Tilting syphon rainfall recorder (UK Met Office MKI) Wind vane (UK Met Office) Totalising Cup-Counter Anemometer (UK Met Office, mounted on 5m mast) Digital wind direction system (Digitar, for determination of maximum gust) Fortin-pattern mercury barometer Open-scale micro-barograph (UK Met Office) High resolution digital pH meter (Hanna) Two PC's with modem links and dedicated fax/phone line Ground Enclosure Soil thermometers (5cm, 10cm, 20cm, 30cm, 40cm, 50cm, 100cm) (Negretti and Zambra) Grass and concrete minimum thermometers (UK Met Office with calibration certificates) Hook Evaporimeter (Negretti and Zambra, used periodically) Bare Earth thermometer (Negretti and Zambra) Bare Earth Plot and Concrete Slab