Daily weather statistics and Daily BBC Reviews

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By Jo Farrow

When will it ever end

Another rather wet day for some parts of the UK, although other areas remained relatively fine. Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England had a lot of cloud and further rain. For Wales and the rest of England there was a lot of dry and bright weather except for a line of nasty thunderstorms.

During Wednesday night, there was still some very heavy rain about and some cracking thunderstorms, particularly for the northeast of England. By dawn on Thursday, there were heavy showers through the Bristol Channel and for the east coast of East Anglia. It was wet for Northern Ireland, Scotland, northwest England and north Wales whilst other parts of England and Wales having some lovely sunshine.

By lunchtime the heavy showers had spread into northeast England, with heavy downpours for the Cheviots and the Pennines. The south coast of England had seen some sharp showers with nasty downpours for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Through the afternoon a distinct line of showers developed stretching from the tip of Cornwall through south Devon across to Berkshire and away into Suffolk. This line of thundery showers drifted slightly north or south during the day, but always feeding hefty downpours northeastwards. The rest of central and southern England and Wales enjoyed the fine weather. Tenby in Pembrokeshire saw 12 hours of sunshine and Holbeach in Lincolnshire reached 25 Celsius (77F).

At lunchtime heavy showers began to creep into County Down. Scotland continued to see more wet and breezy conditions, although later in the day the weather did improve in the Hebrides and for western Scotland. Through the afternoon more rain fell over Northern Ireland, southern Scotland and along Irish seas coasts. Shetland had an appalling day. There were strong northerly winds gusting to 45mph. 77mm of rain fell at Lerwick, that is three inches and equal to the August monthly average

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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Nationwide extremes for 20-08-2004

WARMEST

Weather station Altitude Daytime Temperature

Marham 23 metres 23.9°C

Coltishall 20 metres 23.1°C

Bedford 85 metres 22.6°C

Holbeach 3 metres 22.4°C

Brize Norton 88 metres 22.1°C

Yeovilton 23 metres 22.1°C

London MET 5 metres 22.0°C

Weybourne 21 metres 22.0°C

Northolt 40 metres 21.9°C

Gravesend 3 metres 21.8°C

COLDEST

Weather station Altitude Overnight Temperature

Loch Glascarnoch 265 metres 8.2°C

Aviemore 220 metres 8.3°C

Tulloch Bridge 237 metres 8.5°C

Aboyne 140 metres 8.9°C

Wick 39 metres 9.1°C

Stornoway 9 metres 9.2°C

Castlederg 51 metres 9.3°C

Altnaharra 81 metres 9.7°C

Lough Fea 225 metres 9.9°C

Tain Range 4 metres 10.1°C

WETTEST

Weather station Altitude Total Daily Rainfall

Bedford 85 metres 51.0mm

Coleshill 96 metres 31.0mm

Capel Curig 216 metres 26.0mm

Shap 249 metres 24.6mm

Disforth 36 metres 23.0mm

Leek Thorncliffe 299 metres 22.2mm

Rhyl 77 metres 21.0mm

Linton-On-Ouse 16 metres 20.0mm

Manchester 78 metres 20.0mm

Keswick 81 metres 19.0mm

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By Jo Farrow

The end of a very wet week

Friday 20th August turned out to be a much better day for Northern Ireland and most of Scotland with some sunshine and just a few showers. England and Wales had more wet weather with thunderstorms thrown in as well.

To start Friday, it was very wet for northern England, especially for Cumbria and the Pennines. Cloud and showery rain were also over western Wales and the southwest of England. This band of wet weather continued to bombard northwest England though much of the day only slowly edging southwards, transferring the heaviest downpours to south Yorkshire and the Peak District. Leeds only reached 12 Celsius (54F) during the day.

There were also lots of heavy showers. One line began from the Isle of Wight across into the Home Counties. More showers and thunderstorms soon appeared. Coleshill near Birmingham recorded 31mm in 12 hours, of which 22mm fell in 2 hours. However, it was Bedford which recorded the most rain. 42mm in 1 hour, and 51mm (2 inches) in 12 hours.

Northern Ireland continued to see fine weather through much of the day although feeling cooler with a top temperature of 17 Celsius. Southern Scotland gradually brightened up as the cloud shifted southwards. By the late afternoon it was glorious in the sunshine. There were a few showers across the northern half of Scotland but nothing like the heavy rain from earlier in the week.

Not everywhere was wet. Much of southeast England escaped most of the showers for a good part of the day. Hastings in East Sussex had 11 hours of sunshine and Marham in Norfolk reached 24 Celsius (75F).

Later on another line of showers developed through Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and into Norfolk. By the end of the day the threat of torrential downpours from thunderstorms remained over the southeast of England and East Anglia.

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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Nationwide extremes for 21-08-2004

WARMEST

Weather station Altitude Daytime Temperature

Northolt 40 metres 21.4°C

Gravesend 3 metres 20.9°C

Great Malvern 46 metres 20.9°C

Solent M.R.S.C. 9 metres 20.9°C

Shoeburyness 2 metres 20.8°C

Charlwood 80 metres 20.7°C

Pershore 32 metres 20.7°C

Bournemouth 11 metres 20.6°C

London MET 5 metres 20.6°C

Thorney Island 4 metres 20.6°C

COLDEST

Weather station Altitude Overnight Temperature

Tulloch Bridge 237 metres 2.3°C

Shap 249 metres 2.6°C

Altnaharra 81 metres 3.2°C

Strathallan 35 metres 3.3°C

Redesdale 207 metres 4.2°C

Castlederg 51 metres 4.3°C

Eskdalemuir 242 metres 4.4°C

Topcliffe 25 metres 4.7°C

Loch Glascarnoch 265 metres 4.9°C

Sennybridge 309 metres 4.9°C

WETTEST

Weather station Altitude Total Daily Rainfall

Marham 23 metres 16.0mm

Filton 59 metres 8.0mm

Coltishall 20 metres 7.0mm

Thorney Island 4 metres 7.0mm

Holbeach 3 metres 6.2mm

Baltasound 15 metres 6.0mm

Wittering 84 metres 6.0mm

Yeovilton 23 metres 6.0mm

Cranwell 67 metres 5.2mm

Coningsby 7 metres 5.0mm

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By Matt Taylor

A feel good day...at last!

The sun was certainly shining on our Olympic athletes in Greece today, and for once it was also shining across the much of the UK. After a week of storms and instances of severe flooding, I’m sure I wasn’t alone in seeing the sunshine as a welcome sight.

The clearer skies began to push in from the north during the overnight period as an active, and thundery, weather front pushed across the southeast of England. As the rain pushed away there were still some torrential downpours, and we saw 15.9 mm (0.63 inches) of rain fall at Marham (Norfolk).

Under the clearer skies that followed, it was to be a very chilly night considering that it is mid-August. The temperature plummeted in rural areas of Scotland, northern England, and Northern Ireland. By the end of the night the air temperature at Katesbridge (County Down) had fallen to just 1 Celsius (34F). It may be Summer, but this sort of temperature is low enough for a grass frost to form. Shap (Cumbria) and Tulloch Bridge (Highland) were just two spots where a grass frost was actually recorded.

The morning dawned a chilly, but largely sunny one across a good portion of the country. There was a little cloud around, and that cloud bubbled up enough over parts of northeast Scotland, Northern Ireland, and eastern England to produce a few sharp showers. However, these were nowhere near as torrential as the showers earlier in the week. In between the showers, the sunshine returned fairly quickly.

On the Isle of Man the sunshine barely disappeared during the day. In all, 13.2 hours of glorious sunshine were recorded and in that sunshine it was still a little cool with the temperature reaching 17 Celsius (63F). It was a bit warmer on the mainland, and Torquay was the day’s warmest place with 22 Celsius (72F). On the other end of the scale, Fair Isle (Northern Isles) struggled at just 13 Celsius (55F).

Towards the end of the day, the cloud began to build in the west. Could this be the sign of a return to more turbulent weather again?

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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Nationwide extremes for 22-08-2004

WARMEST

Weather station Altitude Daytime Temperature

Northolt 40 metres 22.6°C

Charlwood 80 metres 22.5°C

London MET 5 metres 22.5°C

London/Heathrow 24 metres 22.0°C

Gravesend 3 metres 21.9°C

Bedford 85 metres 21.8°C

Chivenor 8 metres 21.5°C

Coleshill 96 metres 21.5°C

Marham 23 metres 21.5°C

Coltishall 20 metres 21.4°C

COLDEST

Weather station Altitude Overnight Temperature

Tulloch Bridge 237 metres -0.8°C

Altnaharra 81 metres 0.0°C

Loch Glascarnoch 265 metres 0.4°C

Strathallan 35 metres 1.6°C

Tain Range 4 metres 1.8°C

Aviemore 220 metres 1.9°C

Redesdale 207 metres 2.3°C

Aberdeen/Dyce 65 metres 2.4°C

Eskdalemuir 242 metres 2.6°C

Aboyne 140 metres 2.7°C

WETTEST

Weather station Altitude Total Daily Rainfall

Cork 153 metres 24.0mm

Scilly, St.Marys 31 metres 15.0mm

St.Angelo 47 metres 10.0mm

Valentia 9 metres 10.0mm

Lough Fea 225 metres 8.0mm

Ballykelly 2 metres 7.0mm

Castlederg 51 metres 6.2mm

Glenanne 161 metres 5.0mm

Roches Point 40 metres 5.0mm

Aviemore 220 metres 3.0mm

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By Matt Taylor

What season is it again?

If it was central or northern Scotland where you awoke this morning, you may have had to reach for the calendar. I too have been wondering where Summer had disappeared to, but the temperatures of the past two nights have been more akin to Autumn or Spring.

Under largely clear skies overnight, we once again saw the temperatures plummet away in the north. At Tulloch Bridge (Highland), the mercury fell as low as -1 Celsius (30F). At a host of other spots around Scotland, including at Aberdeen and Edinburgh airports, a frost on the grass was also reported. Yes,…it is August!

Elsewhere across the country, there was more in the way of cloud around, and for the first part of the night a few showers continued in eastern England. However, it was out to the west where the main rainfall activity was beginning to develop. Towards dawn, some heavy showers began to scrape the extreme west of Cornwall and southwest Wales, and move into Northern Ireland. This signalled the start to what was to be a rather damp and disappointing day in the Province.

For much of England and Wales, the day was a reasonably pleasant one with some sunny spells but also a fair amount of cloud at times. When the sun shone, the temperature lifted into the low 20’s Celsius for many. Northolt (Greater London) was to see the day’s highest temperature of 23 Celsius (73F).

The sunniest of the weather, however, was to continue across a good part of Scotland. At Tiree (Inner Hebrides), there was almost 13 hours of sunshine, but out of the sunshine it was still rather chilly. Sella Ness (Shetland), for instance, only managed a maximum temperature of 13 Celsius (55F).

Later in the day, the cloud began to build more in the west, and the rain started to pep up. The rain began to push a little further east into Devon, Somerset and Dorset, and north, into southwest Scotland. The Isles of Scilly were to be day wettest area with 15.8mm (0.26 inches) of rain, but this is probably set to be eclipsed in the night ahead. Where has our Summer gone?

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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Nationwide extremes for 23-08-2004

WARMEST

Weather station Altitude Daytime Temperature

Gravesend 3 metres 22.3°C

Shoeburyness 2 metres 22.3°C

Northolt 40 metres 22.0°C

London MET 5 metres 21.9°C

Bedford 85 metres 21.7°C

Manston 55 metres 21.7°C

Jersey 84 metres 21.6°C

Wattisham 87 metres 21.5°C

Yeovilton 23 metres 21.5°C

Benson 63 metres 21.4°C

COLDEST

Weather station Altitude Overnight Temperature

Baltasound 15 metres 1.7°C

Aviemore 220 metres 5.1°C

Sella Ness 7 metres 5.2°C

Aboyne 140 metres 5.3°C

Fair Isle 59 metres 7.0°C

Lerwick 82 metres 7.2°C

Kirkwall 21 metres 7.3°C

Loch Glascarnoch 265 metres 7.6°C

Kinloss 7 metres 8.9°C

Rosehearty 4 metres 9.3°C

WETTEST

Weather station Altitude Total Daily Rainfall

Sennybridge 309 metres 44.0mm

Cardinham 200 metres 42.0mm

Pershore 32 metres 41.0mm

Shawbury 76 metres 40.0mm

Brize Norton 88 metres 33.0mm

Rhyl 77 metres 28.0mm

Trawscoed 63 metres 27.0mm

Liscombe 348 metres 26.0mm

Kenley 170 metres 24.0mm

Valley 11 metres 24.0mm

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By Susan Powell

Tell me why I don't like Mondays....

I work shifts - so it's not the fact that it's the start of the working week. Oh no, of late it's the fact that the weather seems to take a turn for the wild as soon as the weekend is over!

It's only one week since we saw torrential downpours bringing scenes of devastation to Boscastle.

Seven days later and once again we have been looking at huge thuderstorms dominating the weather scene across the UK.

The thunderstorms may have made the most noise but they were however only part of the day's story.

The day began with low pressure pushing cloud and a band of heavy rain across southern and central England, Wales, Northern Ireland and into western Scotland during the small hours.

The bands of rain was a weather front which began its day across Northern Ireland, Wales and the Midlands. Through the morning it then pivoted round, and whilst continuing to affect Northern Ireland, the majority of its rain was across northern England in time for lunch. The front then slowly crept towards the Scotish Borders by evening. It's persistence across Northern Ireland resulted in Killowen in County Down being the days wettest place with 47.8mm (1.88 inches) of rain.

To the north of the front there were some brighter and clear skies around during the early part the day, with some sunshine for northeastern Scotland. The best spot though for staying ahead of the game, or ahead of the cloud at least, through the period was Shetland. Here thanks to clear skies by night we had the lowest temperature, falling to just 2C (36F) at Baltasound, but also the bonus of the clear skies by day and 11.1 hours of sunshine for Lerwick.

To the south of the front though the story was far from quiet. Through the afternoon we saw lines of intense thunderstorms developing, particularly over the southwest peninsular, mid-wales, the Midlands and later northern England. To give you some idea just how intense the storms were - some spots saw close to a couple of inches of rain in the matter of a few hours. Shawbury in Shropshire recorded 23mm in 1 hour. There was even a tornado reported in Bramshall, near Uttoxeter, in the afternoon!

Temperatures during the day struggled in the rain - Ballypatrick Forest (Moyle) only reached a maximum of 14C (57F). With some some long sunny spells Jersey faired rather better - this was the days warmest spot with a high of 23C (73F).

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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Nationwide extremes for 24-08-2004

WARMEST

Weather station Altitude Daytime Temperature

London/Heathrow 24 metres 22.6°C

Holbeach 3 metres 22.4°C

Gravesend 3 metres 22.1°C

Weybourne 21 metres 22.0°C

London MET 5 metres 21.8°C

Shoeburyness 2 metres 21.8°C

Coltishall 20 metres 21.7°C

Marham 23 metres 21.7°C

Omicron Persei 8 28 metres 21.6°C

Coningsby 7 metres 21.6°C

COLDEST

Weather station Altitude Overnight Temperature

Shap 249 metres 10.6°C

Baltasound 15 metres 10.8°C

Aviemore 220 metres 11.1°C

Redesdale 207 metres 11.3°C

Aboyne 140 metres 11.5°C

Sella Ness 7 metres 11.7°C

Lake Vyrnwy 360 metres 11.8°C

Warcop 227 metres 11.8°C

Leconfield 0 metres 11.9°C

Lerwick 82 metres 11.9°C

WETTEST

Weather station Altitude Total Daily Rainfall

Shoreham 2 metres 36.0mm

Walney Island 15 metres 34.0mm

Leuchars 12 metres 27.0mm

Capel Curig 216 metres 23.0mm

Shap 249 metres 23.0mm

Topcliffe 25 metres 17.0mm

Cardinham 200 metres 16.0mm

Ballypatrick Forest 156 metres 15.0mm

Herstmonceux 17 metres 14.4mm

Ballykelly 2 metres 14.0mm

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By Kirsty McCabe

August showers continue

To say summer has been a washout would be something of an understatement. In fact, July 2004 was the wettest month on record for Wittering in Cambridgeshire. However, that record has now been smashed by August’s rainfall totals. Many other parts of the UK are also reporting the wettest August on record. And there is still one more week to go!

There was plenty more wet weather around today. Across Northern Ireland, bands of slow-moving showers brought a lot of rain to the Province, causing flooding problems in Belfast and County Antrim.

Much of England and Wales also saw heavy downpours today, and the showers really got going in the afternoon. Brighton and Dover also reported flooding and there were flood warnings on two rivers in the Midlands.

The wettest place over the past 24 hours was Shoreham in West Sussex, which is near to Brighton, with 36.2mm (1.43 inches) of rain, 22mm of that falling in just three hours.

In between the showers we did enjoy some sunny spells. And when the sun was shining it did feel quite warm. Heathrow Airport in Greater London was the warmest place today with 23 C (73 F). Further south, the Isle of Wight led something of a charmed life and grabbed the lion’s share of the sunshine today – an enjoyable 9.1 hours worth.

Across Scotland we had the remains of the weather front that swept across the country yesterday. Today it was fairly weak, bringing cloud and showery outbreaks of rain to eastern parts as it gradually drifted northwards.

The cloud was enough to keep temperatures low across northeast Scotland, and Rosehearty in Aberdeenshire was the coldest place today with 15 C (59 F). The coldest place first thing this morning was Shap Fell in Cumbria, with 11 C (52 F).

Wednesday will see the return of yet more blustery showers, but fingers are crossed that Thursday brings somewhat drier and brighter weather to the UK.

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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Nationwide extremes for 25-08-2004

WARMEST

Weather station Altitude Daytime Temperature

Great Malvern 46 metres 22.0°C

Farnborough 65 metres 21.7°C

Gravesend 3 metres 21.4°C

Pershore 32 metres 21.3°C

Church Fenton 9 metres 21.2°C

Bournemouth 11 metres 21.1°C

Charlwood 80 metres 21.1°C

Glasgow/Bishopton 59 metres 21.1°C

London/Heathrow 24 metres 21.1°C

Thorney Island 4 metres 21.1°C

COLDEST

Weather station Altitude Overnight Temperature

Liscombe 348 metres -99.0°C

Altnaharra 81 metres 7.5°C

Shobdon 99 metres 9.0°C

Sennybridge 309 metres 9.2°C

Hereford/Credenhill 76 metres 9.4°C

Eskdalemuir 242 metres 9.9°C

Ballykelly 2 metres 10.1°C

Shap 249 metres 10.1°C

Spadeadam 285 metres 10.1°C

Lake Vyrnwy 360 metres 10.5°C

WETTEST

Weather station Altitude Total Daily Rainfall

Leek Thorncliffe 299 metres 23.0mm

Manchester 78 metres 19.0mm

Walney Island 15 metres 19.0mm

London MET 5 metres 17.2mm

Aberdeen/Dyce 65 metres 15.0mm

Marham 23 metres 13.0mm

Chivenor 8 metres 12.6mm

Plymouth Wc 50 metres 12.0mm

Liscombe 348 metres 11.2mm

Little Rissington 215 metres 11.0mm

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By Kirsty McCabe

Some sunshine, more showers

As I mentioned yesterday, early figures have confirmed this to be one of the wettest (if not the wettest) Augusts ever. And we still have a week left.

Across many southern parts of England and Wales the skies had cleared overnight, allowing temperatures here to fall. The coldest place first thing this morning was Shobdon in Herefordshire with 9 C (48 F), with most other places remaining in double figures.

During the afternoon, the showers got going across the UK, some of which were heavy and thundery in places. There were two main lines of showers across England. The first ran from the Birmingham area through to London and the south coast.

The second line of showers was further north and ran from northwest England to East Anglia. There were showers from the word go across the northwest of England, and Manchester was the wettest place today with 41.6 mm (1.64 inches) of rain falling in the past 24 hours.

In between the showers, the sun shone quite strongly and allowed temperatures to rise. Skegness in Lincolnshire and Great Malvern in Worcestershire were the warmest places today with 22 C (72 F).

Southwest England and Wales escaped most of the showers, as did the western side of Scotland. Today’s sunniest place was Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides with 10.9 hours of sunshine. But it was another cloudy and wet day for northeast Scotland with Rosehearty in Aberdeenshire yet again the coldest place with 14 C (57 F).

The heavy showers eased overnight with just a few persisting around the coasts, especially in the southeast.

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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Nationwide extremes for 26-08-2004

WARMEST

Weather station Altitude Daytime Temperature

Andrewsfield 87 metres 22.5°C

Thorney Island 4 metres 22.1°C

London MET 5 metres 22.0°C

Shoeburyness 2 metres 22.0°C

Bridlington Mrsc 15 metres 21.9°C

Gravesend 3 metres 21.8°C

Shoreham 2 metres 21.8°C

Bournemouth 11 metres 21.7°C

London/Heathrow 24 metres 21.6°C

Northolt 40 metres 21.6°C

COLDEST

Weather station Altitude Overnight Temperature

Altnaharra 81 metres 1.8°C

Eskdalemuir 242 metres 2.5°C

Tulloch Bridge 237 metres 2.6°C

Redesdale 207 metres 3.4°C

Aviemore 220 metres 3.7°C

Tain Range 4 metres 4.0°C

Aboyne 140 metres 4.1°C

Strathallan 35 metres 4.2°C

Shap 249 metres 4.3°C

Loch Glascarnoch 265 metres 4.9°C

WETTEST

Weather station Altitude Total Daily Rainfall

Barra 3 metres 19.6mm

Tiree 12 metres 19.2mm

South Uist Range 10 metres 19.0mm

Skye/Lusa 18 metres 17.2mm

Machrihanish 13 metres 11.0mm

Islay/Port Ellen 17 metres 9.0mm

Ballypatrick Forest 156 metres 8.4mm

Stornoway 9 metres 8.4mm

Ballycastle 68 metres 8.2mm

West Freugh 12 metres 8.0mm

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By Darren Bett

Mixed fortunes .... again.

The weather turned much quieter overnight and showers died away and the storms in Southeast England spiralled away into the near continent. Before the showers departed they left 31mm of rain in Clacton, Essex.

By morning the only showers left were bumping into the north coast of Northern Ireland and Western Scotland. Clear skies overnight meant it was an unusually chilly start to the day. The temperature at Alnaharra in the Highlands fell as low as just 2 Celsius, 36 Fahrenheit.

It was a suuny start for most then but cloud did increase through the day and rain fed across northern parts of the UK from the Atlantic.

During the morning rain spilled into Northern Ireland and Western Scotland. The rain then became heavier during the afternoon and we saw a few spots of rain in Northern England.

As a result of the rain and strengthening wind the temperature at Loch Glascarnoch in the Highlands struggled to 14 Celsius, 57 Fahrenheit. It was much warmer in the sunshine further south. 23 Celsius, 73 Fahrenheit was recorded at Andrewsfield in Essex but Jersey enjoyed the most sunshine, over 11 hours in total.

During the evening the rain turned particularly heavy in western Scotland over the hills. The rain cleared Northern Ireland but fed further in to Northern England and also Wales.

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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Nationwide extremes for 27-08-2004

WARMEST

Weather station Altitude Daytime Temperature

Brize Norton 88 metres 22.0°C

Pershore 32 metres 21.9°C

Holbeach 3 metres 21.2°C

Bedford 85 metres 21.1°C

Great Malvern 46 metres 21.1°C

London/Heathrow 24 metres 21.1°C

Cardiff Weather Centre 9 metres 21.0°C

Farnborough 65 metres 21.0°C

London MET 5 metres 21.0°C

Northolt 40 metres 21.0°C

COLDEST

Weather station Altitude Overnight Temperature

Loch Glascarnoch 265 metres 9.9°C

Aviemore 220 metres 10.4°C

Tulloch Bridge 237 metres 10.5°C

Castlederg 51 metres 10.8°C

Glasgow/Bishopton 59 metres 10.8°C

Lough Fea 225 metres 10.8°C

Drumalbin 245 metres 10.9°C

Lerwick 82 metres 10.9°C

Spadeadam 285 metres 10.9°C

Lossiemouth 13 metres 11.0°C

WETTEST

Weather station Altitude Total Daily Rainfall

Baltasound 15 metres 37.0mm

Capel Curig 216 metres 34.0mm

Loch Glascarnoch 265 metres 25.0mm

Sella Ness 7 metres 25.0mm

Kirkwall 21 metres 22.0mm

Altnaharra 81 metres 21.0mm

Lerwick 82 metres 19.0mm

Skye/Lusa 18 metres 19.0mm

Cardinham 200 metres 18.0mm

Chivenor 8 metres 18.0mm

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By Dan Corbett

Most of the weather at the top and bottom of the country

Most of the weather today took place across the top or bottom of the country while in the middle it was mostly dry. There were gales in Scotland and it was wet all day across parts of southern England.

At the top, across the far north of Scotland, it was wet and windy for most of the day thanks to an area of low pressure to the northeast of the British Isles. The winds gusted to near 70mph across the northern Scotland. Patchy rain and showers hung in across the northern and western parts of Scotland for most of the day. The Shetlands had quite a soaking with Baltasound receiving 37.4mm (1.47 inches) by the evening. The winds were quite a factor as well with gusts to near 70mph across the northern Scotland for a good part of the day. Cairngorm in the Highlands even recorded a wind gust over 100mph at lunchtime. The afternoon high was not too high at Loch Glascarnoch at only 12C (54F) under the persistent cloud and rain. It wasn’t all bad news across Scotland. Aberdeen recorded 8.9 hours of sunshine to win the prize for sunshine for the day.

At the bottom of the country a band of rain on a slow moving cold front kept southern England wet for most of the day. This band of rain had moved across most of the British Isles during the night but made it a wet rush hour in places like Bristol and London. The band of rain moved south through the day and was off the south coast by the late afternoon.

In the middle it was quite a reasonable day. It was a cloudy start for much of Northern Ireland, northern England and Wales. This cloud moved south during the day and good sunny spells developed during the afternoon. In the pleasant weather Brize Norton (Oxfordshire) reached 22C (72F) by afternoon.

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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Nationwide extremes for 28-08-2004

WARMEST

Weather station Altitude Daytime Temperature

Gravesend 3 metres 21.7°C

Charlwood 80 metres 21.0°C

London MET 5 metres 20.8°C

Northolt 40 metres 20.6°C

Shoreham 2 metres 20.2°C

Cardiff Weather Centre 9 metres 20.1°C

Boscombe Down 124 metres 20.0°C

London/Heathrow 24 metres 20.0°C

Shoeburyness 2 metres 20.0°C

Brize Norton 88 metres 19.9°C

COLDEST

Weather station Altitude Overnight Temperature

Benson 63 metres 5.5°C

Leeming 40 metres 6.5°C

Topcliffe 25 metres 6.5°C

Lough Fea 225 metres 6.7°C

Castlederg 51 metres 6.8°C

Yeovilton 23 metres 6.9°C

Larkhill 132 metres 7.1°C

Bournemouth 11 metres 7.2°C

Glenanne 161 metres 7.3°C

Wainfleet 5 metres 7.3°C

WETTEST

Weather station Altitude Total Daily Rainfall

Aultbea 11 metres 6.2mm

Baltasound 15 metres 6.0mm

Altnaharra 81 metres 5.2mm

Aviemore 220 metres 4.0mm

Fair Isle 59 metres 3.0mm

Guernsey 102 metres 3.0mm

Lerwick 82 metres 3.0mm

Loch Glascarnoch 265 metres 3.0mm

Tulloch Bridge 237 metres 3.0mm

Sella Ness 7 metres 2.4mm

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By Victoria Good

A day of promise.... Has summer finally returned?

After a fairly atrocious week as far as the weather was concerned, today was promising to be a bit of an oasis! It was rather misty at first in the far south west of England. Wiltshire, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall soon got rid of their patchy fog in the early morning, and elsewhere it was a pretty fine start to the day, with sunny spells just about everywhere. It was a cool start though, early morning temperatures in Katesbridge, County Down, were just above freezing – 1 Celsius (34F).

It did soon become rather more cloudy for many areas, but it remained bright and mainly dry too. There were a few showers around, mainly across north and west Scotland. Temperatures in Sella Ness, Shetland, reached 13 Celsius (55F).

There were some scattered in the far southwest and the odd one in the southeast, but really, it was a pleasant enough day. The top temperature of the day was in Gravesend, Kent, which reached 22 Celsius (72F), and the most sunshine was recorded in Skegness, with 11 ½ hours in all.

The cloud began to thicken in the far northwest during the evening, bringing some rain into parts of Northern Ireland and the western fringes of Scotland by dusk. The weather fronts bringing in the rain were being pushed into the UK no some very strong winds, so it became very windy in the northwest especially. The cloud, rain and strong winds pushed further across the UK during the first part of the night.

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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Nationwide extremes for 29-08-2004

WARMEST

Weather station Altitude Daytime Temperature

Holbeach 3 metres 20.8°C

Donna Nook 8 metres 20.4°C

Gravesend 3 metres 20.0°C

Northolt 40 metres 20.0°C

Bournemouth 11 metres 19.9°C

Marham 23 metres 19.7°C

Coleshill 96 metres 19.6°C

Church Lawford 107 metres 19.5°C

Farnborough 65 metres 19.5°C

Wainfleet 5 metres 19.5°C

COLDEST

Weather station Altitude Overnight Temperature

Redhill 63 metres 6.3°C

Bournemouth 11 metres 7.5°C

Farnborough 65 metres 8.4°C

Spadeadam 285 metres 8.7°C

Baltasound 15 metres 8.9°C

Coningsby 7 metres 9.1°C

Benson 63 metres 9.2°C

Shobdon 99 metres 9.2°C

Wattisham 87 metres 9.3°C

Albemarle 141 metres 9.4°C

WETTEST

Weather station Altitude Total Daily Rainfall

Skye/Lusa 18 metres 22.0mm

Loch Glascarnoch 265 metres 19.0mm

Aultbea 11 metres 17.0mm

Tulloch Bridge 237 metres 13.0mm

Stornoway 9 metres 11.0mm

Altnaharra 81 metres 9.0mm

Aviemore 220 metres 9.0mm

Barra 3 metres 9.0mm

Islay/Port Ellen 17 metres 9.0mm

Ballypatrick Forest 156 metres 8.0mm

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By Victoria Good

Blustery Day in the NW

As the winds picked up through the night, the day started on a rather blustery note across the northwest of the UK in particular. Northern Ireland and Scotland had blustery showers from the word go, especially for western Scotland, where showers packed in one after another, giving some heavy downpours at times.

With the wind and all those showers, it certainly felt pretty cool outside for the most part. Temperatures in Loch Glascarnoch (Highland) struggled up to 13 Celsius (55F). Lusa, on the Isle of Skye, recorded the highest amount of rainfall with 22mm falling up to 6pm.

Northern Ireland had a better afternoon, as the showers here eased off into the afternoon, and many southern sheltered spots had more sunshine to end off the day here. And across Scotland, the showers gradually eased into the eastern side of the country through the evening.

For England and Wales, the showers were fewer and further between than in the northwest. It was a rather cloudy start to the day with a bit of rain in the southeast, but then things brightened up later. A line of showery rain formed from the far northeast of England down to Wales, which brought a few heavy burst of rain through the remainder of the day as it slowly moved south-eastwards, reaching the far southeast corner by dusk.

The best of the day’s sunshine was in Prestatyn (Denbighshire) with nearly 8 hours in total, and temperatures rose to 21 Celsius (70F) in Holbeach (Lincolnshire) in the afternoon.

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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Nationwide extremes for 30-08-2004

WARMEST

Weather station Altitude Daytime Temperature

Solent M.R.S.C. 9 metres 20.9°C

Pershore 32 metres 20.6°C

Shoreham 2 metres 20.5°C

Bournemouth 11 metres 20.3°C

London/Heathrow 24 metres 20.2°C

Thorney Island 4 metres 20.2°C

Great Malvern 46 metres 20.1°C

Holbeach 3 metres 20.0°C

London MET 5 metres 20.0°C

Northolt 40 metres 19.9°C

COLDEST

Weather station Altitude Overnight Temperature

Aboyne 140 metres 7.2°C

Wick 39 metres 7.8°C

Aviemore 220 metres 8.1°C

Inverbervie 134 metres 8.7°C

Leuchars 12 metres 8.9°C

Spadeadam 285 metres 9.1°C

Loch Glascarnoch 265 metres 9.2°C

Redhill 63 metres 9.2°C

Redesdale 207 metres 9.3°C

Altnaharra 81 metres 9.5°C

WETTEST

Weather station Altitude Total Daily Rainfall

Loch Glascarnoch 265 metres 10.0mm

Aberdeen/Dyce 65 metres 9.8mm

Aultbea 11 metres 9.0mm

Aboyne 140 metres 6.0mm

Altnaharra 81 metres 6.0mm

Capel Curig 216 metres 5.0mm

Leek Thorncliffe 299 metres 5.0mm

Wattisham 87 metres 5.0mm

Scampton 61 metres 4.6mm

Inverbervie 134 metres 4.0mm

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By Kirsty McCabe

Sunny intervals and a few showers for Carnival

August may have been very wet, but it will end on a somewhat drier note.

It was a dry and bright start to Monday in many places. It also felt fairly cool, especially where clear skies overnight had allowed temperatures to fall. Fylingdales in North Yorkshire was the coldest place this morning with 5 C (41 F). However, most other places in the UK did manage to stay in double figures, and in Skegness temperatures only dropped to 16 C (61 F) overnight.

There were some showers around today, mainly across northern and eastern areas of the UK, where it was also pretty breezy. As the day went on, the showers also squeezed their way through the Cheshire Gap and formed a line that ran from northwest England through the Midlands into East Anglia. There were also some showers at the Notting Hill Carnival in London, but luckily they didn’t put too much of a dampener on things.

The heaviest showers were around the eastern coasts of the UK, with the odd rumble of thunder heard near Lincolnshire and Norfolk. Today’s wettest place was Lowestoft in Suffolk with 12 mm (0.47 inches) of rain.

If you were further west, it really was best today with the most sunshine and the highest temperature. Both honours went to Devon, with Exmouth seeing 11.9 hours worth of sunshine and Torquay reaching 21 C (70 F). Lee-on-Solent in Hampshire was just as warm, again with 21 C.

There was more in the way of cloud across Scotland, however, and for the second day in a row Loch Glascarnoch in Highland was the coldest place. Temperatures here peaked at a paltry 14 C (57 F), which was lower than the overnight temperature at many of England’s coastal resorts.

As a ridge of high pressure pushed in from the west, the showers eased overnight, although some persisted around eastern coasts, especially in Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex.

Underneath the clearing skies and with the winds easing, it was going to be a chilly night, with ground frost possible in the Highlands of Scotland.

And after what has been a very wet August, the last day of the month was set to be dry and bright with plenty of sunny spells.

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website

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Nationwide extremes for 31-08-2004

WARMEST

Weather station Altitude Daytime Temperature

Castlederg 51 metres 25.9°C

Lough Fea 225 metres 23.6°C

Bournemouth 11 metres 20.6°C

Gravesend 3 metres 20.5°C

Great Malvern 46 metres 20.4°C

London MET 5 metres 20.3°C

London/Heathrow 24 metres 20.3°C

Andrewsfield 87 metres 20.2°C

Boscombe Down 124 metres 20.2°C

Charlwood 80 metres 20.1°C

COLDEST

Weather station Altitude Overnight Temperature

Tulloch Bridge 237 metres 0.2°C

Strathallan 35 metres 4.3°C

Aviemore 220 metres 4.4°C

Preswick rn 6 metres 4.7°C

Altnaharra 81 metres 5.1°C

Lough Fea 225 metres 5.1°C

Llanbedr 0 metres 5.3°C

Ballykelly 2 metres 5.6°C

Loch Glascarnoch 265 metres 5.7°C

Redhill 63 metres 5.7°C

WETTEST

Weather station Altitude Total Daily Rainfall

Shap 249 metres 2.0mm

Andrewsfield 87 metres 1.0mm

Newcastle Weather Centre 30 metres 0.8mm

Cranwell 67 metres 0.6mm

Loftus 58 metres 0.6mm

Charterhall 112 metres 0.4mm

Marham 23 metres 0.4mm

Redesdale 207 metres 0.4mm

Sella Ness 7 metres 0.4mm

Albemarle 141 metres 0.2mm

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By Kirsty McCabe

Last gasp attempt at summer

Typical isn’t it? You wait months for some summery weather and on the last day of August, we finally get some.

Many of us awoke to clear and sunny skies this morning. It was a little bit nippy first thing in places, for example at Tulloch Bridge in Highland, where the overnight temperature fell to a frosty 0 C (32 F) underneath the clear skies. But when the sun got shining things soon warmed up.

Not everywhere had a sunny start to the day. A large clump of cloud hung over northern and central England but it broke up as it moved southeastwards during the day, clearing East Anglia during the afternoon. So despite the cloudier start, much of the country enjoyed sunny spells later on.

For many of us it was also a dry day, but there was the report of a light shower of rain at Coltishall late in the afternoon. The wettest place over the past 24 hours was Shap Fell in Cumbria with a paltry 2 mm (0.08 inches) of rain that fell at 9pm last night.

With plenty of sunshine on offer, especially towards the southwest, it was a battle of the coastal resorts as to who was the sunniest.

Sea breezes kept temperatures along the eastern coastline down, but on the south coast they rose to a pleasantly warm 21 C (70 F) at Falmouth in Cornwall. Torquay and Teignmouth in nearby Devon also reached 21 C. The south coast also grabbed the lion’s share of the sunshine today with Bournemouth in Dorset enjoying 13.4 hours worth.

Further north, latitude and a bit of cloud kept a cap on the thermometer and temperatures at Wick Airport peaked at 14 C (57 F).

During the evening the cloud was slowly thickening across the Western Isles of Scotland and the far west of Northern Ireland. A few spots of showery rain fell here during the night, but for many the day ended as dry and clear as it began.

Information thanks to the BBC Weather Website