British Isles weather diary

January 2021
February 2021
March 2021
April 2021
May 2021
June 2021
July 2021
August 2021
September 2021
October 2021
November 2021
December 2021
(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 2021

There was a N'ly surface flow across most areas on the 1st. this led to a locally sharp frost from S Scotland, S'wards, and some freezing fog in the Midlands, S England and East Anglia overnight. It was sunny over much of S Scotland and parts of Ireland, as well as the Channel Islands. Most of England and Wales was dull and misty with patchy mostly light rain or snow, and N Scotland had wintry showers. It was mostly quite cold. (Isles of Scilly 8.2C, Leek 1.1C maximum, Larkhill -7.3C minimum, Fylingdales 24.2 mm, Cork Airport 6.9 h.)

A N'ly flow led to a cool day on the 2nd; there was quite a sharp frost in many places overnight, chiefly away from the more E'ly and SE'ly districts where it was cloudy with patchy drizzly rain or showers. Many places - especially S Scotland - had some sunshine during the day, but there were showery outbreaks over England and Wales and parts of E and N Scotland; It was mostly quite cold - locally very cold over a broad swathe of central Britain, with some snow. Dozens of people, including a two-year-old child, had to be rescued when they became stranded on rural roads; police and volunteers came to the aid of people whose vehicles were stuck in the Derbyshire Peak District and there were similar scenes in Cheshire where 22 people, had to be rescued from stranded cars. At around 2000 GMT Derbyshire Police reported "sudden snow" had left dozens of vehicles and their occupants stranded in the Goyt Valley. (Belmullet 8.0C, Drumalbin 0.0C maximum, Eskdalemuir -7.9C minimum, Loftus 18.0 mm, Dundrennan 6.2 H.)

There was a widespread air frost inland on the 3rd. During the day there were sunny spells, especially in the N and W, and showers - especially in the E and S of the British Isles. It was mostly rather cold (locally very cold where there was still a snow cover). (Isles of Scilly 7.3C, Pennerley 0.8C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch -9.1C minimum, Chillingham Barns 18.2 mm, Cork Airport 6.3 h.)

High pressure on the 4th over N Scotland (above 1032 mb for much of the day) led to a cold, E'ly surface flow. Air frost was widespread across Ireland, Scotland and N England at first. There was some sunshine, chiefly in the N and W of the UK and Ireland, but most places were cloudy. There were showers, wintry in places, towards the E coast of the UK, and mostly light rain in S areas of England, especially the SW. It was mostly quite cold - locally very cold in some N areas. (Isles of Scilly 7.3C, Dalwhinnie -1.8C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch -8.5C minimum, East Malling 11.4 mm, Tiree 6.0 h.)

The high pressure centre (1035 mb close to Stornoway at 0000 GMT) moved slowly SW'wards on the 5th. There was a widespread air first across N England and Scotland, with a sunny day following across many parts of Ireland and W areas of the UK. The day was cold with showers (some of them wintry) close to the E coast of the UK and more general rain and drizzle in East Anglia and SE England. A snow depth of 11 cm was reported at Loch Glascarnoch. (Magilligan 6.5C, Kinbrace -2.9C maximum, Kinbrace -7.6C minimum, Charsfield 11.0 mm, St Athan 5.7 h.)

On the 6th outbreaks of rain with some snow, mainly on high ground, over S Britain slowly gave way to brighter skies. Otherwise, there was a widespread air frost across the British Isles, this being especially severe in parts of N and Cent Scotland. There were then sunny spells across many areas of Ireland, Wales, N England and Scotland while there a few coastal showers in E parts of UK. Rain and hill snow spread into NW Scotland during the afternoon and evening. (Jersey Airport 7.1C, Drumalbin -1.9C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch -12.3C minimum, Kenley 12.6 mm, Aberdaron 7.1 h.)

Into the 7th there was a widespread sharp frost overnight (even -2.0C at Camborne). Then there were some bright spots, but outbreaks of (mostly) snow - and some rain over Ireland - extended slowly SE'wards across N and W districts, and there were a few coastal showers in eastern England. Freezing fog also affected some districts for much of the day, especially across the Midlands, the West Country and parts of Cent S England. Snow depths reported during the day include 14 cm at Loch Glascarnoch, 10 cm at Aviemore, 5 cm at Eskdalemuir and Spadeadam and 1 cm at Sennybridge. (Isles of Scilly 8.0C, Astwood Bank -2.0C maximum, Redesdale Camp -9.5C minimum, Baltasound 12.6 mm, Camborne 6.7 h.)

The cold spell continued on the 8th with mostly grey skies; there were further outbreaks of (mostly) snow over N England and Wales, which slowly died out, and some wintry showers near N-facing coasts. A few patches of persistent freezing fog affected Cent and E England. There were sunny spells over Scotland, Ireland and the extreme SE of England. Snow depths reported during the day included 13 cm at Loch Glascarnoch, 10cm at Shap Fell and Aviemore, 9 cm at Drumalbin, 8 cm at Spadeadam and 2 cm at Bingley. (St. Helier, Jersey and Isles of Scilly 6.9C, Loch Glascarnoch -3.5C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch -8.2C minimum, Loftus 24.2 mm, Cork Airport 7.5 h.)

Into the 9th there was a widespread frost overnight; it was severe over parts of Scotland and the far N of England but tended to be limited in many other districts by areas of cloud. Freezing fog affected parts of the Midlands and S England and persisted through the day in places. Many districts had some sunshine, though, whilst cloudier, milder weather spread across Scotland, with some rain. Reported snow depths included 13 cm at Loch Glascarnoch, 9 cm at Aviemore and Shap Fell, 8 cm at Eskdalemuir and Drumalbin, 7 cm at Bingley and Spadeadam, and 1 cm at Lough Fea and Dunkeswell. (Stornoway 8.5C, Brooms Barn -1.3C maximum, Eskdalemuir -11.9C minimum, Kinbrace 18.0 mm, Cork Airport and Jersey Airport 7.5 h.)

Into the 10th there was some slight frost overnight in N Scotland, as patchy rain edged away S'wards, but it was England and Wales that caught the hardest frosts (it was -4.5C at Culdrose at 0600 GMT), with areas of freezing fog. A mostly grey day followed, though there were a few brighter areas. Some rain crossed from the W, affecting particularly NW Scotland. Temperatures were mostly not far from normal in the W and N, but it stayed cold, locally very cold, over SE Britain, where a few freezing fog patches lingered into the afternoon.(Achnagart 8.7C, Wiggonholt 1.0C maximum, Okehampton -5.8C minimum, Resallach 23.8 mm, Cork Airport 4.1 h.)

On the 11th rain spread slowly SE'wards across most of the British Isles on a blustery, milder day. It was dry for most of the day over much of S and E England, and N Scotland was drier and quite cold; the colder air drifted S'wards over Scotland during the day with some falls of snow later across N Scotland and the Northern Isles. The day was cloudy everywhere, albeit with a little sunshine for a while in parts of the Northern Isles and around Fife. (Leuchars 10.9C, Kinbrace 1.0C maximum, Baltasound -4.1C minimum, Achnagart 47.2 mm, Lerwick 1.4 h.)

Mild and wet weather slowly cleared to the S and SE on the 12th, introducing a cold N'ly flow. Much of Scotland and northernmost England became frosty overnight, and the colder weather extended S'wards during the day - but SW England stayed mild, grey and damp. Elsewhere there was often quite a lot of cloud, with a few wintry showers near N coasts, but there were sunny spells in the N and E. SE England did not turn colder until the evening. It was a dull day across much of Ireland and S England. (Exeter Airport 11.1C, Lentran 0.7C maximum, Tulloch Bridge -5.9C minimum, Okehampton 25.8 mm, Boulmer 6.2 h.)

The 13th saw a warm sector spread across W areas of the British Isles from the SW. Much of the N and E of the UK had a frosty start. Mild, wet weather overnight in the SW spread slowly NE'wards across S and W regions during the day, but Scotland and NE England stayed cold with the rain turning to snow in places at it moved NE'wards. S Britain became rather drier during the day. The marked temperature contrast across the warm front ahead of the warm sector is illustrated by the 6pm temperatures of 1.6C at Watnall and 9.7C at Shawbury. The day was cloudy in all areas. (Shobdon 12.4C, Strathallan -0.1C maximum, Dalwhinnie -6.4C minimum, Ballypatrick Forest 28.4 mm, Kirkwall 1.8 h.)

On the 14th much of the N and E of the UK was cold and wet, with some snow, heavy overnight and at first during the day in parts of N England and S Scotland. It became generally drier late in the day. After overnight rain in many places, S and NW districts became drier and quite mild. Reported snow depths during the day included 11 cm at Bingley, Spadeadam and Strathallan. Away from Ireland it was a mainly cloud day. Motorists faced difficult driving conditions after heavy snow across parts of Scotland caused road closures. The A9 at Dunblane was closed for a time due to snow, while driving conditions on the M90 and M8 were reported as difficult. There were also been problems in the Scottish Borders where up to 30 cm of snow fell overnight. In the Borders several lorries got stuck on the A7 between Selkirk and Hawick, while difficult driving conditions were also reported on the A68 at the Carter Bar and Soutra. A coronavirus vaccination centre in Yorkshire has closed along with hundreds of schools as heavy snow hit the north of England; patients awaiting a jab at the Priory Campus in Lundwood, Barnsley, were urged not to travel and await new appointments. (Cardiff Bute Park 11.9C, Emley Moor -0.5C maximum, Drumnadrochit -1.0C minimum, St Bees Head 31.8 mm, Shannon Airport and Cork Airport 5.1 h.)

After a rather frosty start (although SW areas of England and Ireland remained free of air frost) into the 15th, most places were dry and cold with some sunshine. A few patches of freezing fog were slow to clear (if at all in one or two places) over Northern Ireland, Wales, the Midlands and Lincolnshire. Rain spread into Ireland and W Scotland in the evening, whilst many eastern and central districts became frosty again. Measured snow depths during the day included 11 cm at Bingley and Spadeadam and 10 cm at Strathallan. (Valentia 10.3C, Redesdale Camp -2.4C maximum, Ravensworth -11.8C minimum, Strathallan 11.8 mm, Boulmer 6.1 h.)

Into the 16th rain spread across most areas overnight, and after the earlier frost there was snow for a time in most E and NE districts of the UK (3 cm of snow lay at Wattisham at 0900 GMT). Drier, brighter and milder weather followed to most places by early afternoon. There were some showers, chiefly in the west and north, with more persistent rain in N Scotland, and also a further spell of rain over the Channel Islands. Pressure rose slowly from the SW during the day to about 1024 mb in Valentia by the evening. (Gosport Fleetlands 11.4C, Fylingdales 3.8C maximum, Redesdale Camp -5.4C minimum, Achnagart 38.2 mm, Aberdaron 5.3 h.)

The 17th was a rather cloudy with the best of any sunshine tending to be over E areas of the UK. Temperatures were close to the normal for mid-January. Outbreaks of rain, with some hill snow, spread across N areas of the UK while pressure remained high across S areas. (Isles of Scilly 9.8C, Fylingdales 3.7C maximum, Aboyne -1.4C minimum, Achnagart 15.6 mm, Shoeburyness 5.6 h.)

Overnight into the 18th there was a slight air frost in parts of S England. The day was fairly cloudy generally, with patchy rain, chiefly in the W and (with some hill snow) north, and temperatures not far from normal. There was some sunshine in NE areas of the UK. (Isles of Scilly 11.1C, Braemar 3.6C maximum, Frittenden -2.2C minimum, Achnagart 15.4 mm, Leuchars 4.3 h.)

There was an air frost in E Scotland into the 19th although elsewhere the night was quite mild in places; the overnight minimum temperature was 10.3C at Valentia. During the day the N half of Scotland was mostly dry with a little sunshine. Most other districts had spells of rain or drizzle, which was heaviest and most persistent over Wales and Cent Britain, resulting in some flooding. It was mild and windy in the south, but quite cold on the N edge of the rain band, whilst, after the overnight frost, temperatures struggled to rise further over parts of Scotland. Storm Christoph brought flooding across parts of Northern Ireland. (Charsfield 12.5C, Aboyne -0.1C maximum, Aboyne -6.5C minimum, Capel Curig 76.6 mm, Stornoway 4.2 h.)

Much of N and Cent Scotland had an air frost into the 20th, while it was a milder night elsewhere. At Scilly the overnight minimum temperature was 10.7C. The driest weather (apart from wintry showers in the N) pivoted to cover W and N Ireland and much of W Scotland. The heaviest and most persistent rain was over SE Scotland, N England and Wales, with serious flooding resulting in several districts. On the cold side of the frontal surface there was some snow, mainly on hills. Snow depths included 6 cm at Aviemore and 7 cm at Drumalbin. (Bude 12.1C, Dalwhinnie -0.2C maximum, Dalwhinnie -5.9C minimum, Capel Curig 87.8 mm, Tiree 2.8 h.)

Low pressure over the North Sea (storm Christophe; centre 967 mb near Northumberland at 0000 GMT) on the 21st moved slowly N'wards during the day (centre 950 mb near SW Norway at 1800 GMT). A few inland areas of Scotland, N England and N Ireland had a slight air frost at first as widespread rain across E areas of the UK moved into Scotland. This rain (and some snow) continued to move N'wards during the day, with a further area of rain affecting S parts of the UK later. Between the two precipitation areas there were sunny periods during the day. Heavy rain led to multiple major incidents and flood alerts being declared across England and Wales. People were evacuated from a large number of homes in South Wales, as Storm Christoph brought widespread flooding across England and Wales. About 2000 homes in the Didsbury and Northenden areas of Manchester, Ruthin and Bangor-on-Dee, North Wales, and Maghull, Merseyside, were also affected overnight. One hundred homes are also being evacuated in Skewen, near Neath, in West Glamorgan, because of flooding related to mine works. Many rivers are at "dangerously high levels", the Environment Agency said. Homes were also flooded in Cheshire following heavy rain and snow showers, with roads disrupted. Earlier in the day, Cheshire Fire and Rescue said it was in the process of rescuing 21 people by boat from Lea Court nursing home in the town of Warrington. Evacuations have taken also place in Northwich, Chester, Ellesmere Port and Tattenhall, according to Cheshire Constabulary. Natural Resources Wales has issued severe flood warnings for the River Dee at Bangor-on-Dee, Wrexham, and the Lower Dee Valley from Llangollen to Trevalyn Meadows. The East Coast Main Line was affected by floods between York and Darlington, with LNER saying all lines are blocked in the surrounding area. The weather also disrupted CrossCountry and Transport for Wales routes in Wales. (Manston 9.6C, Dalwhinnie 1.4C maximum, Tulloch Bridge -3.8C minimum, Fyvie Castle 29.4 mm, Cork Airport 6.7 h.)

A deep low to the E of Shetland drew a cool N'ly flow across the British Isles on the 22nd. There was an inland air frost in parts of England, Wales and Ireland while cloudier skies across Scotland led to rain and some snow overnight. During the day there were many showers over Ireland and the W half of the UK with further falls of snow across N Scotland. There were sunny spells in most areas, especially in E areas of England. Snow depths rose to 11 cm at Loch Glascarnoch and 4 cm at Sennybridge during the day. (Swanage 10.C, Loch Glascarnoch 1.1C maximum, Pembrey Sands -3.4C minimum, Aviemore 17.4 mm, Wattisham 7.6 h.)

There was a widespread air frost across the British Isles into the 23rd, with a few freezing fog patches during the morning over England (and all day locally in parts of Cumbria). There were falls of snow in parts of N Scotland and N Ireland overnight with mist and fog forming in Cent areas of England by dawn. The River Severn breached temporary flood barriers in Worcestershire, flooding homes; flood defences at Bewdley "failed" due to rising water levels in the early hours, the Environment Agency said. It was rather cloudy during the day across East Anglia and the East Midlands but most other areas has sunny spells. Areas of rain moved E across the Channel Islands and also E into W Ireland (with some snow here) later in the day; rain showers over W and N areas of the UK also fell as snow over N and W Scotland. It was a cool day over the N half of the British Isles. Reported snow depths included 17 cm at Loch Glascarnoch and 8 cm at Aviemore. (Isles of Scilly 7.7C, Spadeadam -0.9C maximum, Braemar -7.7C minimum, Rhyl 17.2 mm, Boulmer 7.0 h.)

There was a widespread air frost, away from SW Ireland, into the 24th. Rain, preceded by snow as the rain met cold air, pushed NE'wards across S and Cent areas of Wales and England in the early hours and during the day. Across Ireland, N England and much of Scotland there were sunny spells with some rain and snow showers across N Scotland. It was a cold day in all areas and snow lay in many areas once it had fallen; at 2100 GMT snow depths included 18 cm at Loch Glascarnoch, 2 cm at Bingley, 3 cm at Cranwell, 5 cm at Sennybridge, 9 cm at Coleshill, 17 cm at Wittering, 9 cm at Bedford, 6 cm at Liscombe and 8 cm at Ballypatrick Forest. Severe weather warnings were in place across much of the UK after large parts of the country saw heavy snowfall. Several coronavirus vaccination and testing centres were closed in England and Wales due to the conditions. Highways England warned that the snow had caused collisions on the M3, M27 and M25 in southern England, with the agency urging drivers to only travel if absolutely necessary. In Devon, a gritting lorry overturned on Dartmoor. Devon County Council urged people to avoid travel unless it was absolutely essential and not to travel to find snow. (Isles of Scilly 7.5C, Lake Vyrnwy -1.2C maximum, Dalwhinnie -11.4C minimum, Milford Haven 20.8 mm, Boulmer 7.3 h.)

On the 25th, after a sharp frost, most places were quite sunny and rather less cold, although frost returned widely in the evening. There were a few coastal showers in the N, E and SW, and a patch of rain moved into SW Scotland late in the day. (Isles of Scilly 8.1C, Sennybridge 1.4C maximum, Katesbridge -10.4C minimum, Resallach 16.2 mm, Jersey Airport 8.2 h.)

Lying snow finally melted from many S areas on the 26th. Rain and drizzle moved NE'wards across the British Isles and, except in the NE, it slowly became milder after a sharp frost in many places. There was some snow in parts of Scotland and, away from Shetland, it was a dull day. (Isles of Scilly 11.0C, Braemar -1.8C maximum, Dalwhinnie -9.5C minimum, Isles of Scilly 15.6 mm, Lerwick 6.0 h.)

On the 27th N and E areas of Scotland were quite cold with some wintry showers. Elsewhere, it was mostly mild, but cloudy with patchy drizzle and areas of fog over the higher ground. Heavier rain spread from the SW of the British Isles late in the day. Snow depths at 2100 GMT includes 15 cm at Loch Glascarnoch and 9 cm at Aviemore, but only 0.5 cm at Lerwick. (Valentia 11.9C, Dalwhinnie 1.1C maximum, Baltasound -6.6C minimum, Gt Cumbrae Millport 9.2 mm, Lerwick 4.3 h.)

Into the 28th much of the northern half of Scotland was clear and frosty overnight, while a large area of often heavy rain moved NE'wards across other areas and into W and S Scotland; there was snow in some of the more N'ly locations. A weaker area of rain and snow continued N'wards across Scotland during the day, and further areas of rain, again often heavy, followed from the SW across the rest of the British Isles during the afternoon and evening - after a little sunshine in parts of the S. It was mild in the S, but mostly rather cold in the N and E. Snow depths at 2100 GMT included 19 cm at Loch Glascarnoch and 8 cm at Aviemore. (Pershore College 14.2C, Balmoral 0.3C maximum, Braemar -6.8C minimum, Killowen 33.2 mm, Lerwick 4.1 h.)

Into the 29th rain moved northeast across most places overnight; it was heavy in places, and there was some snow in the N. It then stayed fairly cloudy over much of the country, with further patchy rain; there were also brighter intervals. More general rain spread into the SW of the British Isles again in the evening. It was mostly rather cold in the north and rather mild in the south. (Gosport Fleetlands 12.1C, Dalwhinnie 0.5C maximum, Lerwick -4.6C minimum, Dyce 19.8 mm, Tiree 6.3 h.)

On the 30th two bands of rain initially moved NE'wards across S areas, with some snow in the northern one over the Midlands and Wales. As they gave up their N'wards push in the face of cold air and retreated S'wards during the afternoon they rapidly weakened, and most places were dry by evening. Apart from isolated wintry showers, and following a sharp frost, Cent and N areas of the UK were dry with some sunshine. Except in the most N and S areas. there was a very cold, blustery easterly wind over much of the country. Reported snow depths included 18 cm at Loch Glascarnoch and 9 cm at Aviemore. (Culdrose 11.1C, Balmoral -0.2C maximum, Altnaharra -10.1C minimum, Plymouth 26.8 mm, Tiree 6.4 h.)

Overnight into the 31st there was a widespread frost that was severe in some N areas of Scotland. A cold day followed for most, with locally persistent frost, especially over N Scotland. The most SW'ly regions were quite mild, both by night and day. The overnight minimum temperature at Valentia was 6.0C. Apart from a few wintry showers, mainly near E and N coasts, it was dry over most of NE England and Scotland, with some sunshine - the best of this over N Scotland. Rain, with a little snow in places, moved NE'wards across most other districts, but it became generally drier late in the day. Snow depths at 2100 GMT included 18 cm at Loch Glascarnoch and 10cm at Aviemore. (Valentia 11.6C, Aviemore -3.0C maximum, Braemar -13.0C minimum, Culdrose 18.4 mm, Loch Glascarnoch 6.7 h.)

British Isles weather, February 2021

The 1st dawned after a widespread air frost across Scotland and in parts of N and Cent England it was a very cold start to the day over N Scotland. Over N England and N Scotland it was a sunny day with some wintry showers in N Scotland. Ireland and S Britain was mostly dull and rather cold, but it was milder in the SW England. An area of rain spread from Ireland into SW Scotland during the day, and further rain spread into Ireland and the more W'ly and SW'ly parts of the UK late in the day, and moved steadily NE'wards in the evening. 11 mm of rain fell at Sherkin Island during 0600-1800 GMT while snow lay 18 cm deep at Loch Glascarnoch early in the day. (Isles of Scilly 11.3C, Dalwhinnie -0.6C maximum, Altnaharra -10.5C minimum, Camborne 9.4 mm, Waddington 7.8 h.)

Into the 2nd as the rain continued NE'wards overnight, it turned to snow over a previously frosty N England and S Scotland, whilst there was a locally very severe frost further north. Much of N England, Northern Ireland and Scotland then had a mix of rain and snow through the day - although much of it was light. N Scotland had just a few wintry showers, and a little sunshine. S Britain was mild with some sunshine and a few showers, but an area of quite heavy rain moved NE'wards during the afternoon and evening; parts of East Anglia and southern England only had a little rain. The persistence of fog led to a cold day in parts of the N Midlands. (Cardiff Bute Park 14.2C, Spadeadam 0.5C maximum, Altnaharra -12.1C, Capel Curig 35.6 mm, Lerwick 4.0 h.)

N Scotland had further wintry showers on the 3rd, but most of Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England had a blustery easterly wind and persistent rain or snow. Further S the winds were more W'ly in direction, due to a low centred over Ireland (984 mb to the W of Valentia at 1200 GMT). Another rain area affected central southern and southeast England for a few hours, but most of S Ireland and S Britain was quite mild with a little sunshine and a few showers. By the evening snow depths included 19 cm at Aviemore, 16 cm at Loch Glascarnoch, 10 cm at Aboyne and 17 cm at Spadeadam. (Rostherne 11.3C, Braemar 0.2C maximum, Altnaharra -3.9C minimum, Ballypatrick Forest 45.6 mm, Aberdaron 5.6 h.)

On the 4th further areas of occasionally heavy windblown rain and (mostly) hill snow affected central and northern districts - but Shetland had some more sunshine. There was patchy fog and frost at first in S areas of the UK, then it was still quite mild here with some sunshine, but bands of showery rain moved NE'wards here and across Ireland at times during the day. Thirty-two people were rescued after vehicles became trapped overnight in snow on the A835 in the Highlands. Highland Council and mountain rescuers assisted emergency services reaching the 22 vehicles at the scene at Loch Droma. Snow drifts of 2-3 m blocked the A835 between Ullapool and Garve. Snow depths reported in the evening included 17 cm at Loch Glascarnoch, 19 cm at Aviemore and 14 cm at Aboyne. (St Helier 11.6C, Loch Glascarnoch 0.5C maximum, Altnaharra -3.1C minimum, Logan Botanic Garden 51.0 mm, Aberdaron 7.3 h.)

Low pressure remained centred over or close to Ireland throughout the 5th. Rain and hill snow, and a blustery E'ly wind, continued over much of Scotland, especially the E and S, Northern Ireland and northernmost England. After an overnight ground frost in parts of the Midlands and Cent S England, further south it was showery, and it turned rather colder in the W, but E and S England were still quite mild and some places here and in S Ireland - were mostly sunny. (Kew Gardens 11.7C, Loch Glascarnoch 1.0C maximum, Shawbury -0.3C minimum, Tyndrum 46.6 mm, Guernsey Airport 8.5 h.)

On the 6th there was some sunshine in the W and S of the UK, but most of the British Isles was cloudy or dull. Fog and frost affected parts of Cent and E England overnight, and the fog persisted all day in parts of the Midlands. Outbreaks of rain occurred quite widely (although W Ireland remained mostly dry), with snow in the north; it was particularly wet over E and N England. It was a little on the mild side in the S, but mostly quite cold elsewhere, and blustery in the N. Evening snow depths included 15 cm at Loch Glascarnoch, 16 cm at Aviemore and 17 cm at Aboyne. (Plymouth 10.1C, Balmoral 0.1C maximum, Benson -3.6C minimum, Bingley 46.2 mm, Jersey Airport 7.1.h)

The 7th dawned after an inland air frost in Scotland and areas of N England. The day was cold, locally very cold, with a fresh NE'ly wind. After overnight rain in the E areas of the UK, there were outbreaks of snow over Cent and E districts, though much of it was light away from the E coast and hilly regions. W areas of the UK had the best of any sunshine. After some heavy snowfalls in Kent, evening snow depths included 15 cm at Loch Glascarnoch, 17 cm at Aviemore, 21 cm at Aboyne and 15 cm at Manston. (Sherkin Island 7.5C, Braemar -1.5C maximum, Braemar -2.7C minimum, St Catherine's Point 11.4 mm, Stornoway 3.9 h.)

The 8th was very cold with spells of snow, especially over Cent and E districts of the UK, where many places were frosty throughout the day especially in East Anglia and SE England. It was a sunny day over W Scotland. Heavy snow left 29 cm of snow on the ground in Aboyne by the evening, with 19 cm lying at this time at Loch Glascarnoch, 11 cm at Altnaharra, 18 cm at Aviemore, 10 cm at Spadeadam, 28 cm at Andrewsfield and 14 cm at Manston. There were several road accidents in Scotland as well as "significant disruption" to rail routes, including from Edinburgh to Glasgow. Some coronavirus vaccination centres were closed due to the conditions in Essex and Suffolk. More than 380 schools in Norfolk and 200 schools in Suffolk are closed to all pupils. Dozens of schools were also closed in Scotland, including more than 40 in the Aberdeenshire area. Snow and ice caused disruption across the Greater Anglia rail network, including between Norwich and London, while Southeastern closed some lines in England. The AA said "treacherous driving conditions" had caused "numerous" accidents, with some roads closed in Norfolk, Lincolnshire, Cumbria, Derbyshire and Hertfordshire. Police in Norfolk warned of "blizzard-like conditions" with snowdrifts and blockages on many roads. (Isles of Scilly 4.5C, Wych Cross -2.5C maximum, Fyvie Castle -7.8C minimum, Houghton Hall 4.6 mm, Dundrennan 7.6 h.)

After a very severe frost in some N areas, the 9th was generally very cold with snow at times, heaviest in the E (Scilly had rain). Frost persisted all day in various districts, especially in the N - which also had the best of the sunshine. Low pressure to the S of the UK led to a brisk E'ly flow across all areas. Lying snow depths in the evening included 18 cm at Loch Glascarnoch. 17 cm at Aviemore, 12 cm at Lossiemouth, 40 cm at Aboyne, 12 cm at Dyce, 19 cm at Strathallan, 18 cm at Wattisham, 23 cm at Andrewsfield and 14 cm at Manston. (Isles of Scilly 5.3C, Altnaharra -5.5C maximum, Altnaharra -16.7C minimum, Charsfield 7.2 mm, Valley 7.9 h.)

The 10th was mostly cold or very cold with sunny spells, and further snow showers - especially over Cent and E England. It was particularly sunny across N and W Scotland. Scotland has faced another day of travel disruption after temperatures continued to plummet overnight. Further heavy snowfall and freezing conditions have caused problems on the roads and across the rail network. The disruption included HGVS stuck on the A720 eastbound between Calder and Baberton, and on the A92 at Lochgelly. Dozens of schools across Fife, Moray and the Highlands remain closed to all pupils - including the children of key workers and vulnerable children. In Edinburgh, waste collections were suspended so staff can help with the snow-clearing effort. Snow depths reported at 2100 GMT included 18 cm at Loch Glascarnoch, 17 cm at Aviemore and Strathallan, 10 cm at Lossiemouth, Dyce, Edinburgh Gogarbank and Marham, 35 cm at Aboyne, 13 cm at Redesdale, 11 cm at Albermarle, 16 cm at Wattisham, 20 cm at Andrewsfield and 14 cm at Manston. (Isles of Scilly 5.0C, Kinbrace -5.5C maximum, Altnaharra -17.1C minimum, Craibstone 4.4 mm, Kirkwall 7.7 h.)

Into the 11th a severe frost was widespread, with exceptionally low temperatures over many parts of Scotland. There were a few snow flurries in the SE corner of England. The day was mostly dry and bright or sunny with temperatures struggling to reach freezing point. It turned cloudier from the west across southern districts, with some rain and snow in the far SW of the UK. Braemar (with -23.0C) recorded the second lowest temperature recorded in the UK in February - only beaten by its own -25C on the 23rd in 1955. The reading today was also the UK's lowest temperature since 30 December 1995. ScotRail said the winter weather was causing major problems for its services. Malcolm MacIntyre, of the Braemar Mountain Rescue Team, told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland: "It is a beautiful morning actually and it is really cold. "The snow is squeaky, which always signifies that it is really cold." About 29,000 properties were left without water on Wednesday night in the east end of Glasgow after a mains pipe burst. Firefighters worked through the night to tackle a large wildfire in the Western Isles. The blaze on Benbecula was reported at 1530 GMT on Wednesday and extended across about 1 km at its height. Evening snow depths included 18 cm at Loch Glascarnoch, 17 cm at Aviemore, 31 cm at Aboyne and 18 cm at Andrewsfield. (Bridgefoot 5.4C, Braemar -6.3C maximum, Braemar -23.0C minimum, Balmoral 4.8 mm, Glasgow 8.4 h.)

Pressure remained high to the E of the British Isles on the 12th. The overnight frost was not quite as severe in N districts, and daytime temperatures rose above freezing nearly everywhere - but stayed below freezing in parts of England and Wales. Many districts were bright or sunny, but there were wintry showers in parts of the E and S, and there was a little rain or sleet in SW England. Heavy snow showers affected parts of eastern Scotland in the evening while rain fell across W Ireland later in the day. This area of rain and cloud also introduced milder air into W Ireland. Evening snow depths included 37 cm at Aboyne, 18 cm at Loch Glascarnoch, 17 cm at Aviemore and 16 cm at Wattisham. (Valentia 8.5C, Wych Cross -1.0C, maximum, Kinbrace -15.4C minimum, Leuchars 7.0 mm, Kinloss 7.9 h.)

High pressure to the E on the 13th (MSL pressure 1032 mb across Shetland) drew a S'ly flow into the British Isles. S Ireland and Scilly saw temperatures rising above 10C; otherwise, it was very cold, and some rain or snow, much of it light, spread E'wards, after a sunny start in the E. A strong wind added to the severity of the cold in the west and north e.g., at midday St Bees' Head had -0.5C with a 30 kn mean wind speed (and Gt Dun Fell -9.1C and 39 kn). Freezing rain was also reported from several districts. Evening snow depths included 32 cm at Aboyne, 23 cm at Dyce and 15 cm at Aviemore and Loch Glascarnoch. (Valentia 12.4C, Pennerley -3.1C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch -6.5C minimum, Culdrose 11.4 mm, Wattisham 6.7 h.)

The 14th was a rather cloudy day in a brisk S'ly airflow. At 1200 GMT pressure varied from about 988 mb at Belmullet to 1029 mb in E Kent. Bands of rain moved across from the W, and there was some snow and, locally, freezing rain for a time in the E and N. It gradually became milder (very mild over Ireland), but E England had a very cold day, exacerbated by a keen S'ly wind which was strongest in the N. Evening snow depths included 26 cm at Aboyne and 13 cm at Wattisham. (Gurteen 13.8C, High Mowthorpe 0.9C maximum, Dalwhinnie -4.9C minimum, Whitechurch 40.4 mm, Shannon Airport 3.7 h.)

Overnight in to the 15th conditions were frost-free at low levels; snow thawed rapidly as rain cleared slowly SE'wards. The day was mild and fairly cloudy with some sunshine. Showery outbreaks retreated N'wards over Scotland, whilst further rain moved into S areas of Ireland and England during the evening. Evening snow depths included 18 cm at Aboyne, 3 cm at Dyce and 2 cm at Aviemore and Loch Glascarnoch. (Kew Gardens 13.9C, Braemar 5.5C maximum, Albemarle 0.1C minimum, Wych Cross 14.4 mm, Casement Aerodrome 5.6 h.)

The 16th was fairly cloudy and mild with showery outbreaks, but became generally brighter and drier from the W during the day; the best of the sunshine was over E Scotland. It was quite windy in NW areas of the UK due to a low centred close to NW Scotland during the day. By 2100 GMT the snow depth at Aboyne had fallen to 9 cm. (Myerscough 13.6C, Braemar 6.4C maximum, Cassley 1.2C minimum, Achnagart 31.6 mm, Kinloss 7.9 h.)

On the 17th rain crossed the British Isles from the west overnight and at first. Patchy, drizzly rain never got clear of S counties, and rain then returned N'wards over S and Cent districts of the UK and Ireland during the afternoon and evening. This followed a bright period over much of Scotland, Ireland, N England and N Wales, although there were heavy, lengthy showers over W and N Scotland, with isolated thunder and some snow. SE Britain had a dry evening. It was breezy, and mild in the south with more seasonable temperatures in the north. (Pershore College 13.3C, Lentran 4.6C maximum, Fyvie Castle -0.7C minimum, Balmoral 32.8 mm, Dyce 6.5 h.)

Rain cleared E'wards during the morning of the 18th, with sunny spells following; there were some showers, especially in the N of the UK. It was mostly quite mild, and strong winds in the N and W eased. (Shoeburyness 11.6C, Dalwhinnie 4.3C maximum, Banagher Caugh Hill 0.7C minimum, Achnagart 37.4 mm, Guernsey Airport and St Athan 6.2h.)

The 19th was mostly cloudy and areas of rain drifted E'wards, affecting especially W and N areas of the British Isles. It became increasingly mild, but was windy due to low pressure to the W of Ireland. Away from parts of W Ireland and E Scotland it was a sunless day. (Edinburgh Botanic Gardens 13.2C, Inverbervie 6.6C maximum, Westonbirt 1.0C minimum, Keswick 65.4 mm, Kinloss 1.6 h.)

On the 20th many places had outbreaks of rain, with the Lake District and Wales particularly wet, but much of E and SE England was dry and it was quite sunny from London E'wards; there was also some sunshine over N Scotland. It was rather windy, but temperatures were mostly a few degrees C above normal, especially in SE England. Parts of the UK have been hit by a month's worth of rain leading to flooding in some areas. Railway lines were blocked in places. There was disruption on rail networks in Wales and south-west England due to flooding. Flooding of the railway at Roche in Cornwall meant Great Western Railway trains were unable to run between Newquay and Par. In Wales, flooded tracks between Abercynon and Merthyr Tydfil left all lines closed. Buses were expected to replace trains between Pontypridd and Aberdare until the end of the day due to flooding of the railway between these stations. Flooding between Hereford, in Herefordshire, and Newport, in Wales, was also causing disruption to journeys. 127.6 mm of rain fell at Llyn-y-Fan, Carmarthenshire, between 0600 GMT/19th 0800 GMT/20th, and 115 mm fell at Treherbert in Mid-Glamorgan. (St James Park 15.6C, Bridlington 7.8C maximum, Altnaharra -0.3C minimum, Libanus 70.0 mm, Shoeburyness 6.0 h.)

On the 21st patchy rain moved E'wards across England and Wales overnight, then back W'wards during the day; it mostly did not amount to much, and tended to die out, but parts of SW England were quite wet. There was some sunshine in SE England. Much of Scotland and Ireland was bright or sunny with a few showers, although parts of W Scotland had more persistent rain at first. (Weybourne 15.9C, Dalwhinnie 7.3C maximum, Cassley 2.1C minimum, Achnagart 13.8 mm, Cork Airport 7.4 h.)

On the 22nd rain moved E'wards across much of S and E Britain during the first few hours of the day, although much of it was light. It was slow to clear the extreme SE of England, but the clearer skies in the NW UK spread to most of the UK and Ireland, with sunny periods developing. It was mostly quite mild. In Kent there were reports of dust falls in the S'ly airflow. (Hawarden 13.4C, Dalwhinnie 6.7C maximum, Derrylin Cornahoule -1.3C minimum, Libanus 11.6 mm, Ronaldsway 8.4 h.)

On the 23rd rain returned to many W and N districts of the British Isles as low pressure centred W of Ireland pushed fronts E'wards, but SE Britain was dry and fairly sunny. It was mild, locally very mild, but windy. Dust from the Sahara caused colourful sunrises and sunsets across the UK. Red skies were seen over parts of the UK in the morning. (Rhyl 15.0C, Dundrennan 8.8C maximum, Kielder Castle -0.6C minimum, Keswick 59.0 mm, Shoeburyness 8.9 h.)

Much of the British Isles was cloudy on the 24th, and outbreaks of rain affected chiefly the SW peninsula, much of Wales and parts of Ireland, S Scotland and N England (especially the Lake District); there were some brighter intervals elsewhere, as well as a few patches of light rain. Some E districts of the UK were quite sunny. It was mild - warm over much of E England - and the blustery winds eased. In parts of the N Midlands Saharan dust was observed to fall. (Santon Downham 18.4C, St Bees Head 7.2C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch 4.1C minimum, Capel Curig 49.6 mm, Manston 7.0 h.)

On the 25th SE England was cloudy with some, mostly light, rain. During the day an area of high pressure built NE'wards into SW areas of the British Isles. Apart from some showers in the NW Scotland and W Ireland, most other districts were dry with long sunny spells. It was a fairly mild day. (Pershore 13.4C, Spadeadam 6.6C maximum, Fyvie Castle 1.7C minimum, Kinlochewe 10.8 mm, Aberdaron 9.8 h.)

On the 26th, apart from a little rain on Shetland, it was dry and most places were sunny and became quite mild, after a fairly widespread mostly slight frost, with one or two fog patches in S and Cent England and Wales. At 1200 GMT MSL pressure was centred at 1040 mb to the S of Cornwall. Low cloud and fog affected a few Irish Sea coastal areas. (Fyvie Castle 14.4C, Eskdalemuir 7.4C maximum, Benson -4.7C minimum, Lerwick 1.8 mm, Jersey Airport 10.1.h )

The 27th was mostly sunny (except across Ireland and SW Scotland), after the clearance of some fog and low cloud, mainly in the SW of the UK. There was an overnight frost over, chiefly, England and Wales, then it became generally mild - locally very mild in the E. At 1200 GMT MSL pressure was centred at 1043 mb over SW Wales. (Craibstone 14.9C, Cromer 7.3C maximum, Benson -4.1C minimum, Cassley 3.2 mm, Jersey Airport 10.2 h.)

Into the 28th there was a mix of cloud, frost and, over much of England, Wales and Ireland, fog overnight. Most places eventually became quite sunny with temperatures rising to near or rather above normal. At 1200 GMT MSL pressure was centred at 1040 mb just to the E of N Lincolnshire. (Chivenor 14.0C, Weybourne 6.1C maximum, Kinbrace -5.8C minimum, Tiree 0.4 mm, Aberdaron, Yeovilton and Camborne 10.2 h.)

British Isles weather, March 2021

High pressure centred over the North Sea led to a generally dry day on the 1st. S and E Scotland, much of the Midlands, N England, N Wales and E Ireland had an overnight air frost. There was fog at first in parts of Ireland, Cent and E Ireland and some places stayed misty or foggy for much of the day. Snow grains were reported from Bedford and High Wycombe. Many W areas of Ireland and the UK reached a mild 10C during the day with long, sunny spells in places here during the day. (Porthmadog 14.9C, Emley Moor 3.0C maximum, Shap -4.9C minimum, Lerwick 0.8 mm, Aberdaron 10.5 h.)

The area of high pressure declined across the British Isles on the 2nd, allowing an area of frontal rain to spread into the extreme SW of England in the later afternoon and evening. Inland areas of Scotland, N England, N Wales and E Ireland had an overnight air frost. During the day, some places, especially in the W of the UK, were fairly sunny and mild, otherwise it was quite cloudy and cold. Snow grains fell at Spadeadam. (Capel Curig and Jersey Airport 13.3C, Emley Moor 2.1C maximum, Altnaharra -6.6C minimum, Isles of Scilly 1.4 mm, Morecambe 10.0 h.)

While high pressure persisted into the 3rd, a cold front moved S into Shetland later in the day, and a shallow area of low pressure affected the SW of the UK. Many areas away from Ireland had an overnight air frost, mainly in the N half of the UK. There was also a fair amount of fog in the morning, especially over Cent and E England, with only a slow improvement in visibility for some. Generally, it was a grey, cold day, although temperatures were near or rather above normal over S England and S Wales. Outbreaks of rain drifted N'wards over S England and Wales, later moving into the Midlands and East Anglia. Patchy light rain also drifted SW'wards into N and E Scotland. The 7.6 h of sunshine at Shap Fell was very localised - presumably above the inversion. There was some light snow later in the day at Loch Glascarnoch. (Camborne 13.5C, Dalwhinnie 0.6C maximum, Braemar -7.6C minimum, Milford Haven 13.2 mm, Shap 7.6 h.)

On the 4th areas of rain and showers affected E areas of the UK, with falls across N Ireland later in the day. It was generally dull and rather cold although parts of N England and W Scotland did see some sunshine. (Jersey 10.8C, Dalwhinnie 2.2C maximum, Shap -2.6C minimum, Bedford 15.4 mm, Tiree 5.8 h.)

The 5th was mostly dry, fairly cloudy and quite cold, with an overnight air frost in parts of Scotland, NW England and N Wales in particular. There were some brighter spots in the extreme SE, W and N of the UK. (Valentia 10.4C, Lake Vyrnwy 2.9C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch -7.1C minimum, Lerwick 2.0 mm, Valley 8.6 h.)

High pressure persisted on the 6th, central pressure 1036 mb at 1200 GMT over NW England. There were still large areas of cloud and it was mostly quite cold following a widespread inland air frost, but many places had some sunshine; W Scotland and N England were rather dull, however. Patchy light rain moved slowly SE'wards into Scotland where it was generally less cold than of late. (Belmullet 10.3C, Dalwhinnie 2.9C maximum, Braemar -8.5C minimum, Stornoway 5.2 mm, Jersey Airport 10.4 h.)

Many places were frosty overnight into the 7th, then there was again a mix of cloud and sunnier patches, whilst outbreaks of rain moved SE'wards into Scotland. Temperatures were mostly rather higher than of late, but it was still quite cold in the south after a locally sharp overnight frost. (Killowen 12.7C, Okehampton 3.1C maximum, Sennybridge -7.7C minimum, Wick Airport 19.0 mm, Dublin Airport and Casement Aerodrome 10.0 h)

The 8th dawned after another frosty night in many southern districts of the UK, followed by a dry day with varying cloud cover; the best of the sunshine was in SW England and S Wales. Patchy rain moved SE'wards from Scotland and Northern Ireland across N and E England; drier weather followed, with some brighter intervals. Many places became quite mild, but there were still colder pockets, notably in Shetland and parts of the south - chiefly those areas which saw little of the sunshine. (Murlough 13.2C, Lerwick 4.8C maximum, Okehampton -5.5C minimum, Dunstaffnage 13.6 mm, Camborne 8.6 h.)

On the 9th, after some early frost, Cent and E England was mostly sunny and became quite mild. It slowly clouded over from the west over most of the British Isles, and wet and increasingly windy weather spread slowly E'wards across a mostly rather chilly W and N. Thousands of properties across Skye and North and South Uist were left without power after high winds due to a deep area of low pressure centred to the W of the Western Isles (about 964 mb) in the evening. Winds gusted to more than 70 mph over the Western Isles and west Highlands. (St James Park 14.4C, Lerwick 6.2C maximum, Benson -4.6C minimum, Tyndrum 20.6 mm, East Malling 10.2 h.)

Rain and drizzle spread to all areas overnight into the 10th, and during the morning, with copious rainfall in upland western regions. Scotland became brighter, although very showery. It was windy, and quite cold in the frontal rain; temperatures rose above normal behind the fronts. Away from the N half of Scotland it was a dull day. (Hawarden 13.7C, Dalwhinnie 6.0C maximum, Dalwhinnie 0.4C minimum, Capel Curig 80.2 mm, Kinloss 4.6 h.)

Into the 11th it was a very windy night over Ireland, England and Wales; there were gusts of up to 85 mph on the Lleyn peninsula. Winds eased only slowly on a showery day throughout the British Isles with some sunshine and mostly seasonable temperatures (after a very mild night in the south). There was snow on northern hills, hail in places and isolated thunder. The roof was blown off a block of flats in Oxford by gusty winds. Thousands of homes were left without power after strong winds and heavy rain hit Wales. Western Power Distribution said about 3,000 of its customers had been left without power on Thursday morning, but most were restored by the afternoon. (Writtle 13.2C, Lough Fea 5.3C maximum, Dalwhinnie 2.1C minimum, Lake Vyrnwy 32.6 mm, Guernsey Airport 6.8 h.)

The 12th was another blustery, showery day with snow the northern hills of Scotland and Northern Ireland, hail in places and isolated thunder. There was some sunshine, but it was mostly rather cold. Longer outbreaks of rain spread from the west across Ireland in the afternoon and into Wales and W areas of the UK in the during the evening. (Teddington Bushy Park 11.7C, Dalwhinnie 2.8C maximum, Dalwhinnie 0.1C minimum Lake Vyrnwy 29.4 mm, Kinloss 8.5 h.)

Rain spread across the UK overnight into the 13th, although the N half of Scotland stayed clearer with some showers and frost in places. A low centred at 979 mb at 0000 GMT over SW Scotland quickly moved away E'wards into the North Sea. It was then another mostly rather cold, blustery, showery day with some sunshine; once again there was hail, isolated thunder and snow on northern hills. There were also falls of light snow as far S as Yeovilton and Cork. Reported snow depths during the early morning included 3 cm at Tulloch Bridge, 0.5 cm at Cork Airport and 1 cm at Spadeadam. (St James Park 11.3C, Lake Vyrnwy 4.3C maximum, Aboyne -4.1C minimum, Blencathra 28.8 mm, Tiree 8.4 h.)

On the 14th, after a bright start in the south - and a few hours of sunshine east of the Greenwich Meridian - rain spread SE'wards across Ireland and Cent and S districts of the UK. Most of Scotland just had a few showers. Temperatures were near or rather below normal, and it was quite breezy a result of low pressure centred close to Shetland, 982 mb at 0600 GMT. (Cardiff Bute Park 12.5C, Salsburgh 5.0C maximum, Aboyne 0.4C minimum, Capel Curig 27.0 mm, Weybourne 7.5 h.)

On the 15th most places had some sunshine, but there was generally a lot of cloud with some patchy light rain or drizzle, especially at first in the south, whilst more persistent, mostly light, rain spread across Ireland and Scotland during the afternoon and evening. Temperatures were mostly well up for the time of year. Displays of the Aurora Borealis were visible from parts of Scotland overnight. They were seen from the Highlands and Moray. The displays were also powerful enough to be spotted further south than usual, including from North Berwick in East Lothian. (Roches Point 15.7C, Lerwick 6.2C maximum, Drumnadrochit -0.1C minimum, Winchcombe Sudeley Castle 12.6 mm, Weybourne 9.6 h.)

High pressure developed across the British Isles on the 16th, centred close to Belmullet at 1800 GMT, 1038 mb. Patchy, mostly light, rain moved southeast across the country overnight and at first. Variable cloud cover followed with some sunshine and above normal temperatures; some of the sunnier areas with good shelter to the northwest became warm. (Pershore 17.9C, Baltasound 8.3C maximum, Baltasound -2.8C minimum, Loch Glascarnoch 14.6 mm, Tiree 10.2h.)

High pressure remained centred, at about 1040 mb, close to the SW of Ireland during the 17th. An area of mostly light rain moved SSW across E, SE and Cent S England, where it was rather chilly. It was dry with sunny spells elsewhere, and after some overnight frost many places became quite warm. (Milford Haven and Plymouth 15.4C, Baltasound 7.1C maximum, Katesbridge -2.3C minimum, Lerwick 2.8 mm, Camborne 7.9 h.)

Pressure remained high across the British Isles on the 18th, due to a large centre to the W of Ireland. SE England was dull and rather chilly with spells of mostly light rain. Most other districts had some sunshine and it became warm in places; the best of the sunshine was over E and S Scotland where it was locally unseasonably warm. In parts of East Anglia the daytime temperature failed to reach 8C. (Edinburgh Botanic Gardens 19.0C, Cromer 6.4C maximum, Yeovilton -2.4C minimum, Weybourne 4.4 mm, Kinloss 9.9 h.)

On the 19th it was the turn of the SE corner of the UK to have sunshine, whilst many other areas were fairly cloudy with a patch of two of drizzle. Many places were quite chilly, but there were again some very warm, sunny spots over the S half of Scotland. (Tyndrum 17.4C, Fylingdales 6.0C maximum, Braemar -2.2C minimum, Wainfleet 2.8 mm, Shoeburyness 11.1 h.)

The winds turned NW'ly in most areas on the 20th. Many places were grey and rather chilly, but there were sunnier and locally very warm spots, especially over parts of N England and E Scotland - before patchy drizzle moved south over E Scotland late in the day. At Aboyne there was a diurnal temperature range of 20.9 degC. (Aboyne 17.6C, Okehampton 7.2C maximum, Aboyne -3.3C minimum, Baltasound 4.0 mm, Charterhall 10.5 h.)

Pressure remained high on the 21st, but many districts were fairly cloudy, but it was sunny over parts of S Scotland, N England and Wales. Temperatures were mostly not far from normal after an early air frost in parts of Cent, E and s Scotland. (Usk No.2 14.2C, Fair Isle 7.1C maximum, Braemar -3.9C minimum, Lerwick 1.2 mm, Glasgow 11.1 h.)

High pressure (centred close to the Channel Islands, 1029 mb, at 1200 GMT) continued to dominate the weather on the 22nd. Many inland areas of England, Wales and E Scotland had an air frost at first while in W Ireland minimum temperatures remained above 7C. Precipitation was generally confined to the Northern Isles; England, E Wales and E Scotland had a day with sunny spells, elsewhere it was mostly dull. The warmest conditions were to be found in the London area and in parts of E Yorkshire. (St James Park 15.0C, Spadeadam 7.2C maximum, Aboyne -5.1C minimum, Lerwick 2.0 mm, St Athan 10.8 h.)

Pressure fell on the 23rd, introducing a W'ly flow and allowing a cold front to spread rain across Ireland and Scotland later in the day. There was a misty start to the day in the SE corner of England with a slight air frost in places here. Rainfall amounts were mostly slight and the best of any sunshine was to be found SE of a line Hull-Cardiff and across N and Cent areas of Scotland. (Hereford 14.0C, Eskdalemuir 7.0C maximum, Santon Downham -3.2C minimum, Achnagart 6.6 mm, Jersey Airport 11.0 h.)

Slow-moving fronts gave areas of rain on the 24th, which moved SE'wards and tended to die out across England. Most places, except in parts of E Scotland and to the S of London, were free of overnight air frost while most areas saw spells of sunshine at times during the day. It was a mild day across most Cent areas of England. (Usk No.2 15.1C, Dalwhinnie 6.9C maximum, Kinbrace -1.0C minimum, Dunstaffnage 19.0 mm, Valley 9.6 h.)

Air frost at low levels on the 25th was confined to parts of Cent S England, but most places away from areas of E and NE England saw some rain (mainly light) as weak fronts moved SE'wards across the British Isles. The best of the sunshine was mainly confined to areas of E Scotland and to England and Wales (south of a line Liverpool-Hull). It was a mild day in the E half of England. (Hull East Park 15.3C, Eskdalemuir 7.0C maximum, Hurn -1.8C minimum, Capel Curig 20.0 mm, Manston 9.0 h.)

The 26th dawned after a mild night across England and wales, although it was cooler across Scotland and Ireland behind a cold front that gave overnight rain in these areas. The frontal rain continued to push E'wards during the day, with showers following the rain. Later in the day these showers turned wintry in parts of Ireland, Scotland and N England. (Cavendish 13.9C, Dalwhinnie 4.4C maximum, Lough Fea 0.9C minimum, Achnagart 35.6 mm, Aberdaron 7.8 h.)

Afyer some overnight showers into the 27th, and frost in the clearer areas, most places were bright or sunny for a time, but it clouded over from the west and rain spread to many western and northern districts during the afternoon and evening. Temperatures were near or rather below normal, and it was breezy due to a deep depression SW of Iceland. (Kew Gardens 12.7C, Dalwhinnie 5.3C maximum, Kinbrace -5.6C minimum, Tyndrum 15.6 mm, Boulmer 7.7 h.)

The 28th was predominantly wet over much of the W and N of the British Isles, although N and E areas of Scotland were drier and brighter for a few hours during the day. There was copious rainfall over Snowdonia and the Lake District hills. Southern Britain was mostly dry and cloudy. Temperatures were near or above normal, and it was windy. (Normanby Hall 16.2C, Lerwick 8.3C maximum, Dalwhinnie 2.3C minimum, Shap 109.4 mm, Lerwick 6.2 h.)

On the 29th rain in the northwest slowly retreated as sunny, warm (away from windward coasts) weather spread steadily from the southeast. However, it was the turn of the Western Highlands to catch copious rainfall. Maximum temperatures widely reached 17-19C across many E areas of England, away from the extreme SE. (Writtle 20.4C, St Bees Head 9.0C maximum, Okehampton 6.4C minimum, Achnagart 81.6 mm, Jersey Airport 12.2 h.)

On the 30th NW Scotland was very wet. Elsewhere, it was increasingly sunny SE'wards, and, especially in SE England, there was a very marked daily temperature range (of 22-24 degC) between some slight overnight frost and an unseasonably warm afternoon for many. According to the Met Office, the day saw the second highest March temperature on record, just behind 25.6C at Mepal, Cambridgeshire, in 1968. (Kew Gardens 24.5C, Lerwick 7.9C maximum, Santon Downham -1.7C minimum, Achnagart 73.4 mm, Shoeburyness 12.1 h.)

After a wet night in the northwest into the 31st, patchy rain and cold air edged S'wards across Scotland and N and W areas of Ireland. It was still warm or very warm over much of England and Wales, away from most S and W coasts - a few of which, especially in the southwest, were foggy. It was fairly cloudy in the south with the odd patch of light rain, but quite sunny elsewhere. Parts of the Midlands and E England were unseasonably warm. (Weybourne 23.9C, Lentran 4.4C maximum, Eskdalemuir -0.2C minimum, Lentran 26.6 mm, Ronaldsway 10.2 h.)

British Isles weather, April 2021

Despite an E'ly flow on the 1st, early air frost was mainly confined to NE Scotland. It was sunny over much of Scotland and Northern Ireland. Much of England and Wales was fairly cloudy, and there was the occasional light shower in the SW; there was some sunshine, especially in the S. It was generally colder during the day, but was still quite warm, although breezy, in much of the S and SW. (Jersey Airport 22.0C, Lake Vyrnwy 5.8C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch -3.0C minimum, Dunkeswell 1.4 mm, Loch Glascarnoch 12.2 h.)

High pressure centred to the W of Scotland on the 2nd led to a manly dry day across the British Isles. It was a very frosty night in many N districts. Much of E and Cent Britain (especially England) had a grey, chilly day, but many S and W areas were sunny with temperatures approaching, or even exceeding, normal. It was breezy in the S. (Valentia 16.6C, Baltasound 6.8C maximum, Tulloch Bridge -6.1C minimum, Kielder Castle 0.2 mm, Thomastown 12.5 h.)

Pressure remained high on the 3rd. SE Britain was mostly grey and chilly, though it did brighten a little in the afternoon. Most other districts were sunny, with temperatures mostly rising well up to normal, after some overnight frost across Scotland and in parts of Wales and E Ireland. Parts of Ireland, S and E Scotland became warm. (Drumnadrochit 17.6C, Fylingdales 6.1C maximum, Tulloch Bridge -5.8C minimum, Newton Rigg 0.2 mm, Glasgow 12.5 h.)

On the 4th, after overnight frost, many places were quite sunny, and away from windward coasts it became fairly warm, especially over Cent and E England. Cloudy weather with freshening winds spread across Scotland and Northern Ireland, where it became colder with outbreaks of rain. N Scotland was much colder in the evening with some snow: at 8 p.m., Kirkwall had a temperature of 0C with a wind of 31 kn gusting to 48 kn. (Pershore 17.9C, Fair Isle 7.4C maximum, Benson -5.2C minimum, Cassley 14.0 mm, Shobdon 12.2 h.)

Very cold weather spread to all areas by early afternoon on the 5th. The dawn period saw a widespread severe frost over N Scotland, with temperatures of -2C to -5C and 20 kn winds. There were a lot of showers, mostly of snow, over northern regions, and some snow flurries elsewhere on the leading edge of the cold air. However, many places with good shelter to the N became sunny. Snow was reported as far S as Dublin and the Midlands at times during the day, with depths across N Scotland including 5 cm at Lerwick and Loch Glascarnoch and 7 cm at Kirkwall. (St Helier 11.9C, Loch Glascarnoch 1.0C maximum, Aviemore -5.4C minimum, Kinlochewe 8.4 mm, Glasgow 12.5 h.)

After a widespread air frost (only coastal areas, and the extreme SW of England and Ireland were exempt), the 6th was very cold with some sunshine and widespread hail and snow showers, some of them heavy especially in the north. Snow fell as far S as the Channel Islands, with reported depths during the day including 5 cm at Capel Curig, 3 cm at Lough Fea and 11 cm at Loch Glascarnoch. (Pershore 9.8C, Braemar 0.6C maximum, Eskdalemuir -4.2C minimum, Kinlochewe 12.0 mm, Prestwick 10.7 h.)

The 7th, after a widespread sharp air frost, mainly stayed very cold; many places were sunny for a time, but it turned cloudier from the NW during the day. There were wintry showers in the N and W at first and a few patches of light rain and snow accompanied the frontal cloud which was associated with a warm front. The best of the sunshine was to be found in N Scotland and in E areas of the UK. (Shannon Airport 11.7C, Loch Glascarnoch 1.6C maximum, Benson -7.5C minimum, Scolton Country Park 4.0 mm, Wattisham 8.7 h.)

On the 8th, rain moved slowly SE'wards across N and Cent regions; rather brighter, showery weather followed over N Scotland where some snow fell in places. There was a little rain in S Britain, on a generally cloudy day, although there were brighter areas. It was still mostly quite cold, but temperatures were higher than of late, especially in E England. (Holbeach 14.2C, Loch Glascarnoch 5.8C maximum, Fyvie Castle -2.4C minimum, Achnagart 46.8 mm, Jersey Airport 12.0 h.)

Fronts moved slowly SE'wards on the 9th; associated rain areas moved very slowly SE'wards, affecting much of Wales, the Midlands and N parts of East Anglia for much of the day, although the rain was mostly light and eased from the W. Most of S Britain was dry with some sunshine. Northern regions behind the fronts were brighter, after overnight frost, but there were wintry showers; S Scotland was sunny. It was mostly cold, in many places very cold over Cent and N districts, but temperatures were not far from normal in the S. Reported snow depths included 5 cm at Loch Glascarnoch. (Writtle 14.7C, Loch Glascarnoch 1.5C maximum, Kinbrace -3.7C minimum, Kinlochewe 8.0 mm, Glasgow 13.0 h.)

Pressure remained high to the W of the British Isles on the 10th. There was a widespread moderate to severe frost at first over much of Ireland, Wales, the W Midlands, N England and Scotland. SE England was cloudy with some mostly light rain. Elsewhere, it was showery during the day; some of the showers were heavy with hail, as well as snow especially in the N. Loch Glascarnoch reported a snow depth of 10 cm for a while. Many places away from the Midlands, East Anglia and SE England were quite sunny. With a few exceptions in well-sheltered districts, it was cold or very cold. (Plymouth 13.6C, Loch Glascarnoch 3.5C maximum, Shap -7.8C minimum, Almondsbury 7.4 mm, Aberdaron 12.9 h.)

High pressure built from the W during the 11th. There was a widespread frost overnight over almost all the British Isles away from coastal areas; it was severe in some N districts. Most places then had another cold or very cold day with a fair amount of sunshine, but also showers, often of snow. There were three sferics in north Cambridgeshire around dusk. Heavy snowfall over parts of Teesside and North Yorkshire caused disruption for motorists. The A169 White Way Heads in the North York Moors was closed to traffic due to heavy snow, as was the A174 Apple Orchard Bank near Skelton after a lorry got stuck in icy conditions. Elsewhere, snow depths of 4 cm were reported from Leek and Loch Glascarnoch. (Plymouth 11.2C, Loch Glascarnoch 3.9C maximum, Tulloch Bridge -8.7C minimum, Rochdale 6.0 mm, Cork Airport 12.2 h.)

Most of England, E Wales, Scotland and N Ireland had an air frost in to the 12th, with a severe frost in many N districts. Wintry showers continued near many E coasts, whilst a warm-front wave brought an area of mostly snow SE'wards across Wales and S Britain, giving many places a covering for a time. A fairly sunny, cold day followed over most of the country with a few more wintry showers, but it stayed cloudy over parts of Ireland with patchy rain. Scotland recorded its coldest April night in eight years as temperatures at Tulloch Bridge fell to -9.4C overnight, while at 0300 GMT the snow depth at Lake Vrynwy was 7 cm. At 0900 GMT the snow depth in Reading was 4 cm. (Plymouth 12.5C, Loch Glascarnoch 6.1C maximum, Tulloch Bridge -9.4C minimum, Castlederg 12.6 mm, Stornoway 13.1 h.)

W coastal areas and the S half of Ireland were mostly frost-free into the 13th; elsewhere air first was widespread. During the day it became generally less cold; despite the prevailing high pressure a weak warm front pushed E'wards over N areas before fading. Much cloud developed as shallow instability was released by the rising temperatures under morning sunshine. There were showers in various districts, with rather more persistent frontal rain over parts of S Scotland. (Astwood Bank 14.6C, Fair Isle 6.3C maximum, Braemar -8.0C minimum, Salsburgh 11.2 mm, Kinloss 13.3 h.)

Pressure remained high on the 14th; central pressure was 1035 mb at 1200 GMT over W Scotland. Many inland areas away from SW parts of the British Isles had an early air frost but sunny weather then followed. There were a few showers in SW England while temperatures rose well up to normal in some W districts, especially across most of Ireland. (Castlederg 15.3C, Fylingdales 7.6C maximum, Braemar -6.0C minimum, Cardinham 1.6 mm, Aberdaron 13.2 h.)

Into the 15th overnight frost was widespread and locally quite sharp. Much of the British Isles was then fairly sunny, but East Anglia and the extreme SE became cloudier with some showers. It was mostly quite cold, especially in the SE, but parts of Scotland and Ireland became rather warm. (Glasgow 15.9C, Wych Cross 7.7C maximum, Aboyne -6.3C minimum, Cromer 1.8 mm, Kinloss 13.6 h.)

Away from most of Ireland and coastal areas of the UK, there was a widespread air frost into the 16th. Most areas had a sunny day although a front led to some cloudier skies across W areas of Scotland and Ireland. There were showers around the Wash in the morning, and some rain later in the Outer Hebrides and W Ireland. It was mostly quite chilly, except in some N districts. 4 mm of rain fell at Belmullet in the 12 hours ending 1800 GMT. (Aboyne 14.9C, Fair Isle 8.1C maximum, Aboyne -7.3C minimum, Wittering 1.6 mm, Dundrennan 13.1 h.)

Pressure remained high over the British Isles on the 17th and an inland air frost was again widespread, away from Ireland and W Scotland. A very sunny day ensued, away from W and Cent Ireland and N Scotland, where it was cloudier. There was some frontal rain over the extreme W of Ireland; Valentia reported 4 mm falling in the 12 hours ending 1800 GMT. (Preston Moor Park 15.5C, Lerwick 8.3C maximum, Sennybridge -5.6C minimum, Wiggonholt 0.2 mm, Hurn, Lyneham and Shobdon 13.1 h.)

Into the 18th overnight frost was less widespread than on recent nights, affecting more especially areas in the Midlands and towards the E of England. There was mostly quite a lot of cloud across Ireland and Scotland with some rain in W Scotland and over W and N Ireland. The rain edged a little E'wards across N Britain and Ireland during the day, but slowly petered out. The SE was mostly sunny and became rather warmer than of late. (St James Park 16.0C, Killylane 8.3C maximum, Woburn -4.2C minimum, Castlederg 8.8 mm, Shoeburyness, Weybourne and Waddington 12.9 h.)

There was an overnight frost into the 19th, and a few fog patches, over England and Wales, and in S and E Scotland, followed by a mostly sunny day. It was cloudier in W and NW Scotland and over Ireland, and patchy rain moved into W and N Scotland and across Ireland. Afternoon temperatures were mostly well up to normal; many sheltered localities became rather warm. (Northolt 18.3C, Weybourne 7.9C maximum, South Newington -4.1C minimum, Stornoway 10.0 mm, Jersey Airport and Rostherne 13.1 h.)

On the 20th there was some frost and a few fog patches over Cent and S districts at first, whilst W and N areas had some rain. A few patches of rain came rather further SE'wards during the day, but most of England and Wales was dry with some sunshine, especially in the S. It also brightened up over W and N Scotland and in parts of W Ireland, although with a few showers. It was mostly rather colder than of late over Ireland and Scotland, but many inland districts of England were quite warm. (Heathrow and Pershore 18.6C, Fair Isle 8.7C maximum, Hurn -1.7C minimum, Aultbea 7.8 mm, Jersey Airport 12.5 h.)

High pressure on the 21st, centred at 1026 mb close to Stornoway at 1200 GMT, led to a mainly dry day. N and Cent Scotland had an air frost at first with frontal cloud further S giving some light rain in S Scotland and N England that slowly moved S'wards, petering out as it did so. After some fog patches in S areas, it was a sunny day across Scotland and in areas of Ireland, but skies were cloudier elsewhere. (Bude 17.7C, Fair Isle 7.7C maximum, Tulloch Bridge -6.3C minimum, Charterhall 0.8 mm, Tiree 13.9 h.)

High pressure centred over E England on the b>22nd led to another mostly dry day. Much of England (away from the SW), E Wales and Scotland had an air frost at first. The day was very sunny across most of the British Isles, N and Cent areas of Scotland being an exception due to cloudier skies here at times that gave some light rainfall over Shetland. (Drumnadrochit 17.9C, Wick Airport 8.8C maximum, Kinbrace -6.3C minimum, Lerwick 1.4 mm, Ronaldsway 13.8 h.)

High pressure persisted on the 23rd with another air frost in many E and Cent areas of the UK. A dry and very sunny day followed in all areas, with W regions seeing the highest temperatures although there were cloudier skies across W Ireland. A fair amount of high cloud did spread SE'wards across the UK during the day (Porthmadog 20.8C, Wick Airport 9.7C maximum, Santon Downham -4.7C minimum, Wiggonholt 0.2 mm, Aberdaron and Guernsey Airport 13.8 h.)

As the high pressure centre migrated towards Shetland on the 24th, a SE'ly flow became established in most areas. There was a slight air frost in a few places, notably in E and Cent Scotland, while at Valentia the overnight minimum temperature was 12.5C. There was some light rain over Shetland; elsewhere it was generally very sunny although onshore-blowing cloud affected some coastal parts of E England. It was warmest in W areas of the British Isles with maximum temperatures close to the North Sea being around 10C. (Valentia 20.1C, Lerwick 7.3C maximum, Kinbrace -4.9C minimum, Baltasound 2.2 mm, Kinloss 13.9 h.)

Into the 25th there was an air frost in parts of NE England, E and N Scotland in East Anglia and E England. It was a warm day in some W areas of Scotland and Ireland, but rather cool in places elsewhere, despite it being a dry day. (Belmullet 19.5C, Fair Isle 8.7C maximum, Altnaharra -4.2C minimum, Several places trace, Cork Airport and Shannon Airport 13.8 h.)

An area of low pressure close to N Scotland on the 26th pushed rain SE'wards across N Scotland before dawn, and this then spread SE'wards across Scotland and into N England by the end of the day. There were pockets of air frost in parts of S Scotland, Wales, Ireland and England with a sunny day following across Wales and in S and Cent parts of England and Ireland. Except in parts of Ireland and Wales it was a generally cool day. (Armagh 17.5C, Fair Isle 7.2C maximum, Topcliffe -3.6C minimum, Fyvie Castle 8.8 mm, Cork Airport and Shannon Airport 13.7 h.)

The low centre slipped slowly S during the 27th - centre 1006 mb near Bristol at 1800 GMT. Areas of rain and showers spread S'wards during the day, being most extensive in parts of Cent and NE England. Ahead of the rain and cloud there were sunny spells across S districts, and it remained sunny throughout the day in parts of Essex, Kent and the Channel Islands. Further N it was a dull day. There was an early air frost in parts of East Anglia and SE England; it was then a cool day away from some sunny areas around London with temperatures across Scotland remaining below 10C in many areas. (Wisley 18.6C, Braemar 5.2C maximum, Santon Downham -2.8C minimum, Leek 9.6 mm, Jersey Airport 13.0 h.)

The 28th brought the first measurable rainfall of the month to parts of S England, earlier measurable falls having been only of snow. There was little air frost overnight, as cloudy skies brought frontal rain to most of the UK, with the exception of parts of SE England and East Anglia. Across Scotland and Ireland the day was mainly showery; much of E England remained until sunset while the rain further W across England and Wales slowly moved SE'wards reaching the dry areas of East Anglia and SE England in the evening. The best of the sunshine was to be found across Norfolk while much of Cent and W England remained dull. Some sferics were reported over S Dorset around dawn and at times in the afternoon. (Santon Downham 15.0C, Braemar 6.8C maximum, Altnaharra -3.6C minimum, St Athan 30.0 mm, Weybourne 11.4 h.)

A N'ly flow led to the widespread spreading of showers across the British Isles on the 29th; some of the showers over N Scotland were wintry. Sheltered areas as far S as S England and Dublin had an overnight air frost. It was particularly sunny in some W areas of Wales and Scotland and most other regions had sunny spells in between any showers. Many areas of S England remained dry while daytime temperatures were below normal in all areas; it was especially cool close to the North Sea coastline. (Usk No. 2 13.5C, Fylingdales 6.8C maximum, Kinbrace -4.5C minimum, Thomastown 6.4 mm, Aberdaron 12.6 h.)

Many areas across the UK had a slight air frost before dawn on the 30th. Widespread showers across the British Isles were slow-moving, and locally heavy; there was some very isolated thunder in S England. Up to 2.5 cm of snow fell during the morning in and around Clee Hill and Church Stretton in Shropshire. (Cardinham 13.7C, Balmoral 7.1C maximum, Tulloch Bridge -4.2C minimum, Gringley on the Hill 19.0 mm, Tiree 14.2 h.)

British Isles weather, May 2021

High pressure and light winds not the 1st led to a widespread air frost in many inland areas of the British Isles. A mostly cold day followed with sunny spells and a fair number of showers, some heavy with hail - and snow on northern hills. (Gosport Fleetlands 15.0C, Balmoral 7.1C maximum, Shap -5.8C minimum, Wainfleet 8.6 mm, Manston 13.0 h.)

The 2nd dawned after a widespread inland air frost in many areas. During the day widespread showers developed, these being wintry in some N areas of Scotland. The best of the sunshine was across SW, Cent S England and the Channel Islands with cloudier skies further N and W. In many areas it was a little warmer than on the preceding day. (Pershore 16.4C, Lerwick 7.0C maximum, Tyndrum -4.2C minimum, Goudhurst 8.0 mm, Jersey Airport 13.1 h.)

There was an air frost into the 3rd in some inland areas of Scotland and N England. Low pressure close to and later over Ireland (centred over Cent Ireland at 1800 GMT, 986 mb) pushed wet and increasingly windy weather across most areas although the extreme N of Scotland and SE England had some sunshine at first. Blustery showers followed over Ireland, S Scotland, Wales and, eventually, much of England (with thunder briefly over north Cheshire in the early evening). Mumbles recorded a gust of 74 mph. It was a cold day for most, with a few reports of snow in the north. Homes were left without power and travel was disrupted as the winds hit Wales. Flooding closed some roads while strong winds shut the M48 Severn Bridge and meant restrictions on the A55's Britannia Bridge. In Connah's Quay, the A548 Flintshire Bridge is closed in both directions due to strong winds. Train services were disrupted on the Conwy Valley Line between Blaenau Ffestiniog and Llandudno because of flooding, with rail replacement services put in place. Trains were also delayed on routes from Cardiff to Pontypridd, Swansea to Shrewsbury, Barry to Bridgend and Pontypridd to Treherbert. (St Helier 15.2C, Tyndrum 5.0C maximum, Kinbrace -5.9C minimum, Capel Curig 50.8 mm, Jersey Airport 8.5 h.)

The 4th dawned after the first frost-free night countrywide (at low levels) since 29 March but much of the country had a cold or very cold day, especially near a band of rain which drifted slowly S'wards from W and S Scotland into NW England across to northern parts of East Anglia. Either side of this it was a little brighter and showery with the best of the sunshine in W Ireland. There was isolated thunder, with some snow in the north - and a heavy hailstorm hit the centre of Manchester in the evening. However, it was quite sunny and only rather cold over much of S England. Strong winds eased slowly as the low centred crossed the UK and headed over the North Sea. (Shoreham 15.4C, Blencathra 5.7C maximum, Dalwhinnie 0.7C minimum, Blencathra 33.0 mm, Shannon Airport 12.7 h.)

Sheltered areas of Cent Scotland and N England, in particular, had a slight air first into the 5th. A N'ly flow resulted in a mainly showery and quite cold day, with some snow in Scotland, N England and N Ireland. Some places had hail, and there was also a fair amount of thunder. There were also sunny spells, especially in NW England and SW Scotland. Snow was lying on the Glenshane Pass early in the day was clearly visible on the hills around Londonderry. (Heathrow 14.4C, Loch Glascarnoch 6.2C maximum, Warcop -3.1C minimum, Swyddffynnon 12.6 mm, Morecambe 14.1 h.)

There was a fairly widespread frost overnight into the 6th, away from the coasts and N Scotland, whilst showers continued in various districts with some longer outbreaks of rain or snow in N Scotland; 5 cm of lying snow was reported near Inverness in the early morning. Another showery, cold day followed, especially in the E and N; there was local thunder in the afternoon, notably over North Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and north Norfolk. The best of the sunshine, and the fewest showers, was in S England, and across Ireland and W Wales, after a wet start to the day in Cornwall and the Channel Islands. Snowfall has brought disruption to parts of Scotland, with the Highlands under a thick blanket of snow at dawn. The A939 near Tomintoul in Moray was closed because a tanker was stuck in snow. Bear Scotland North West said it had seven gritters on the A9 between Drumochter and Inverness working to keep the road clear. A power cut affected the polling station at Gergask Primary School in Laggan, but Highland Council said the electricity supply was restored at 1000 a.m. (Plymouth 14.3C, Dalwhinnie 5.6C maximum, Eskdalemuir -5.5C minimum, Altnaharra 32.0 mm, Aberdaron 13.5 h.)

There was patchy air frost in inland areas, particularly Cent Ireland, into the 7th and a developing ridge then led to a day with sunny spells in most areas. There were further showery outbreaks in the N and E of the UK, with isolated thunder on the North Yorkshire Moors in the afternoon. Rain moved into S Ireland, SW England and the Channel Islands in the evening. It was a mostly rather cold day. (Heathrow 15.7C, Dalwhinnie 7.4C maximum, Topcliffe -4.4C minimum, Scarborough 9.6 mm, Morecambe 12.8 h.)

After an early air frost in parts of Scotland and N England into the 8th, most places had a few hours of wet and windy weather as rain spread from the SW overnight. Apart from a shower or two, Shetland stayed dry, and many other districts (except for the SW areas, Wales and N Scotland), became drier late in the day. It was cold in the north, and mostly rather cool elsewhere - but the extreme SE of England, the Channel Islands and parts of Ireland became warmer. (Jersey Airport 18.9C, Dalwhinnie 5.9C maximum, Tulloch Bridge -4.2C minimum, Libanus 52.2 mm, Jersey Airport 10.1 h.)

Low pressure to the W of Ireland during the 9th (MSL pressure down to 979.4 mb at Belmullet at 1800 GMT) led to flow from the S and an unsettled day in W areas. There was some sunshine, but it was fairly cloudy with showery outbreaks but many places, especially towards the SE, were dry. However, thundery outbreaks affected Kent and Sussex in the morning and evening and areas of NW Ireland in the afternoon. Temperatures were higher than of late, and parts of E England were warm. (Santon Downham 22.5C, Fair Isle 7.7C maximum Tain Range -0.1C minimum, South Uist 19.0 mm, Weybourne 8.0 h.)

A low pressure centre persisted close to W Ireland during the 10th. Rain moved NE'wards over the most SE'ly and E'ly regions of England overnight, and there were some showers elsewhere. The day soon became very showery, but the showers cleared N'wards away from SE counties during the afternoon to leave sunny, breezy weather. Elsewhere, some of the showers became heavy and, especially over N England, thundery, while more persistent rain moved NW'wards into the Northern Isles. Temperatures were mostly not far from normal. (Cromer 17.9C, Lerwick 8.0C maximum, Tain Range 3.2C minimum, Fair Isle 13.8 mm, Shoeburyness 9.8 h.)

On the 11th rain slowly cleared from northernmost Scotland, and much of Scotland and Northern Ireland was dry with sunny spells until showers moved into southern Scotland late in the day. Bands of showers moved north over England and Wales, with thunder in the afternoon away from the more SE'ly regions, where it again became mostly sunny and breezy. Some of the brighter areas were quite warm, but colder air moved in from the SW under a cold pool during the afternoon and evening - and thundery activity continued under it into the late evening over the north Midlands. A 9 year-old boy was killed by lightning at Blackpool shortly before 5pm. (St James Park 18.2C, Baltasound 8.9C maximum, Shobdon 1.7C minimum, Eskdalemuir 20.2 mm, Katesbridge 13.5 h.)

Pressure remained low across the British Isles on the 12th. Overnight, heavy and thundery showers drifted across the Pennines and out into the North Sea off the England/Scotland border. There were a few showers elsewhere, and a band of quite heavy rain drifted N'wards over Cent Scotland - and slowly away into N Scotland during the day. Further showers transferred northwards during the day, though there were fewer of them, with only isolated thunder in central regions. The more SE'ly areas again became sunny. However, a longer spell of rain affected much of Wales for a few hours at first, and another moved very slowly northeast across SW districts during the day. It was also a wet day across much of Ireland. The wetter areas were cold; elsewhere, temperatures were mostly not far from normal. (Santon Downham 17.9C, Inverbervie 7.9C maximum, Katesbridge -1.0C minimum, Aboyne 24.0 mm, Ronaldsway 12.1 h.)

Low pressure remained slow-moving over the English Channel on the 13th. Rain edged away slowly from N Scotland early in the day. Most N and Cent districts were then rather showery, whilst bands of rain moved slowly N, then NW, across Wales and S Britain. There were brighter areas (notably parts of S Ireland and Cornwall) where it was locally on the warm side, but most places were chilly. There was isolated thunder, especially over the Midlands. (Ballywatticock 17.2C, Okehampton 8.2C maximum, Katesbridge -2.2C minimum, Liscombe 41.2 mm, Cork Airport 12.2 h.)

Ob the 14th, after some overnight rain, much of the British Isles had a dry, cold and cloudy day. There were some brighter, warmer areas, especially in the west - which in turn led to some heavy showers breaking out, with thunder over N Ireland. Frontal rain spread into the S Ireland and SW areas of the UK later in the day. (Trawsgoed 16.6C, Fylingdales 7.6C maximum, Katesbridge -1.6C minimum, Swyddffynnon 19.2 mm, Tiree 7.9 h.)

Into the 15th, rain moved NE'wards across S and Cent areas of the British Isles, but became lighter and patchy in its journey. Scotland just had a few showers, and it turned a little brighter over England and Wales, although with a lot of showers - some of them very heavy with localised hail and thunder. It was chilly, and occasionally squally near the showers. (Achnagart 16.5C, Fair Isle 8.5C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch 0.2C minimum, Swyddffynnon 25.8 mm, Stornoway 12.6 h.)

The 16th was generally chilly and showery, with some thunder over Wales and N England - whilst longer outbreaks of rain affected parts of the south. There was some sunshine, and it was locally on the warm side in those areas that missed, or had the fewest, showers. A couple living in a bungalow were forced to flee their home following a lightning strike that caused a fire; the roof collapsed as a result of the blaze and Lyn and Trevor Ellis, from Kidderminster, Worcestershire, lost all possessions. (Myerscough 18.1C, Stornoway 10.2C maximum, Aboyne -0.7C minimum, Okehampton 31.6 mm, Tiree 12.8 h.)

The 17th was showery, with some sunshine. The showers tended to transfer from W to E districts during the day; quite a few of them were heavy, and there was hail and thunder - the latter especially over N Pennine regions around the middle of the day, and the S Midlands, Cent S England and the London area during the afternoon and early evening. It was mostly rather cool. (Pershore College 18.0c, Lerwick 10.1C maximum, Katesbridge -0.9C minimum, Wych Cross 16.4 mm, St Athan 11.2 h.)

The 18th was another showery day with hail, and thunder in places (especially in the E and SE of the UK), but also some sunshine. Pressure remained low just to the W of Ireland. Temperatures were mostly not far from normal but fell sharply in the showers, some of which were accompanied by squally winds. (Hull East Park 17.9C, Fair Isle 9.8C maximum, Katesbridge -1.1C minimum, Coleshill 22.0 mm, Morecambe 13.3 h.)

On the 19th, after overnight rain in the S, it was again a tale of sunshine and showers, with temperatures mostly not far from normal. There was a fair amount of thunder over Cent and E England. (Heathrow and Pershore 18.3C, Inverbervie 9.1C maximum, Eskdalemuir -1.7C minimum, Aboyne 12.6 mm, Aberdaron 12.5 h.)

On the 20th, rain spread NE'wards across Ireland and then spread from the SW across the UK, although NW Scotland and SE England had very little rainfall. It was chilly and became very windy; there were gusts of up to 70 mph over Wales late in the day. Trees came down in the Cathays area of Cardiff, while a roof was severely damaged in Bridgend. Later in the evening, a surfer had to be rescued by the RNLI at Trearddur Bay in Anglesey. The winds were due to an unusually deep area of low pressure for May, that was centred at 982 mb over W Ireland at 1800 GMT. The best of any sunshine was to be found in E areas of the UK. (Chertsey Abbey Mead 15.3C, Lerwick 7.7C maximum, Ravensworth 0.7C minimum, Capel Curig 44.2 mm, Boulmer 4.2h.)

Low pressure moved slowly across N England during much of the 21st, with a central pressure of 983 mb over Lancashire at 1200 GMT. Consequently, it was generally dull, cold or very cold, and wet and windy. Shetland was dry and generally sunny. (Myerscough 15.4C, Dalwhinnie 6.5C maximum, Baltasound 3.4C minimum, Capel Curig 66.2 mm, Lerwick 10.2 h.)

As the low centre moved away E'wards, the 22nd saw a weak NW'ly flow develop over most areas. After some overnight rain, it was a quieter, fairly cloudy and rather cool day. Brighter intervals developed, in turn leading to a scattering of showers breaking out. (Kew Gardens 15.9C, Braemar 8.5C maximum, Braemar -0.1C minimum, Okehampton 22.0 mm, Prestwick 11.9 h.)

On the 23rd frontal rain spread slowly from the west across Ireland and then across most of the UK by the evening; it was preceded (over Cent and E England) and followed (over W Britain and Ireland) by showers. It was quite windy and chilly - and distinctly cold for late May in the wetter areas. There was an early air frost in sheltered inland areas of Scotland. (Coningsby 15.2C, Lake Vyrnwy 7.9C maximum, Altnaharra -3.2C minimum, Capel Curig 26.6 mm, Lerwick 11.7 h.)

Low pressure over the UK on the 24th gave a day that was mostly cloudy and chilly with showers or longer outbreaks of rain, with some weak thundery activity towards the SE. There were some drier, brighter and warmer spots, especially over N England. (Hull East Park 16.7C, Dalwhinnie 7.2C maximum, Castlederg -0.5C minimum, Dalwhinnie 30.2 mm, Ronaldsway and Thomastown 10.6 h.)

On the 25th, although some places had sunny intervals, it was a mostly cloudy day. An area of rain moved slowly E'wards across S Ireland and then S England, whilst a band of showers drifted S'wards from Scotland into N England with isolated thunder, especially in East Yorkshire. It was generally chilly, especially in the wetter areas. (Pershore 17.1C, Okehampton 10.5C maximum, Castlederg 3.5C maximum, Leconfield 21.2 mm, Katesbridge 12.0 h.)

On the 26th there was some sunshine, the best of it in parts of the S and W of the UK and Ireland, and it was generally somewhat warmer than recently - though it was still mostly on the cool side for late May with a lot of cloud. Showers fell chiefly in the N and E of the UK. (Killowen 18.6C maximum, Fylingdales 9.0C maximum, Machrihanish 1.0C minimum, Drumalbin 10.6 mm, Valley 15.4 h.)

High pressure became centred over S parts of the UK later on the 27th although weak fronts spread across Ireland and (later) some W areas of the UK. The day was mostly sunny, though some areas of cloud developed. Rain edged into the far W late in the day. It was generally on the warm side, especially in the SE of the UK. 14 mm of rain fell in the 12 hours ending 1800 GMT at Roches Point. (Wisley 22.0C, Lerwick 9.4C maximum, Sennybridge -0.5C minimum, Derrylin Cornahoule 4.2 mm, Hurn 14.7 h.)

On the 28th there were large areas of cloud across the British Isles, giving a few patches of mostly light rain (particularly in Ireland and Wales). Temperatures were mostly well up to the seasonal normal, and some places (especially in the E) were sunnier and warm - notably parts of northern Scotland. (Achnagart and St Helier 22.1C, Fair Isle 10.1C maximum, Kinbrace 0.8C minimum, Lough Fea 7.2 mm, Lerwick 15.2 h.)

On the 29th there were sunny spells, but mostly a fair amount of cloud, with a few light showers in the W and N - but increasingly sunny weather spread from the SE across much of England during the afternoon. It was mostly quite warm, except near some coasts (e.g. Aboyne and Aviemore recorded 21.8C but Inverbervie only 9.8C). (Chivenor 22.9C, Fair Isle 9.5C maximum, Balmoral 2.1C minimum, Sennybridge 2.0 mm, Weybourne 15.1 h.)

High pressure was centred close to the E of the British Isles on the 30th. There were again some rather persistent areas of cloud, but most places were quite sunny, and it became fairly warm well away from windward coasts - and very warm in parts of Scotland. There were again some cool areas close to the North Sea due to the low cloud. (Achnagart 24.0C, Fair Isle 8.4C maximum, Altnaharra 1.6C minimum, Ryhill 0.2 mm, Stornoway 15.9 h.)

High pressure to the E on the 31st again led to some onshore cloud in E areas at first but most places had a very sunny day. It was a warm day inland across much of the UK but W Ireland was cooler and cloudier due to an approaching front. The temperature rose to 25.1C in Kinlochewe and 24.8C in Northolt (just in time to prevent 24.5C at Kew Gardens on 30 March being the highest temperature in the UK this spring). (Kinlochewe 25.1C, Fair Isle 8.7C maximum, Shap 2.2C minimum, Manston 0.2 mm, Morecambe 15.8 h.)

British Isles weather, June 2021

On the 1st, although there were a few cloudier areas, it was mostly sunny and many places became warm or very warm. The cloudier skies were mostly in W areas of the British Isles, with some frontal rain falling over W Ireland in particular. 4 mm of rain fell at Valentia during 0600-1800 GMT. (Cardiff Bute Park 26.1C, Boulmer 10.9C maximum, Aboyne 3.6C minimum, South Uist 0.8 mm, Lerwick 15.6 h.)

It was quite warm in places overnight into the 2nd; minimum temperatures remained above 15C in parts of W Wales and the Channel Islands, with 17.0C being the lowest recorded overnight at St Catherine's Point. The day was mostly very warm or hot, and sunny in the E and N, ahead of a band of rain that moved very slowly NE/wards over Ireland, Wales and the S half of England; the rain was patchy towards the SE, and the SW brightened a little behind it. Aside from the rain band, there were a few sharp showers. It remained rather cloudy all day in W Ireland; 14 mm of rain fell at Valentia in the 12 hours ending 1800 GMT. (Northolt 28.3C, Fair Isle 10.7C maximum, Aboyne 3.0C minimum, Milford Haven 8.6 mm, Weybourne 15.2 h.)

Minimum temperatures into the 3rd remained above 15C in parts of the Midlands and the London area. There was overnight rain over Ireland, NW and Cent England while, during the day there were sunny spells, but mostly a lot of cloud. Patchy light rain affected the Outer Hebrides, and further rain later drifted N'wards across Cent S England and the Midlands. Temperatures were mostly back to the seasonal normal, though it was warm in the SE; maximum temperatures during the day in SW Ireland were close to 13C. (Santon Downham 24.7C, Fair Isle 12.4C maximum, Braemar 3.4C minimum, Stormont Castle 15.8 mm, Kirkwall 15.5 h.)

It was a cool night into the 4th in some areas, with a ground frost in parts of Wales. It was a wet and chilly day over SE England, the E Midlands, East Anglia and Lincolnshire. There was also some light rain overnight and at first during the day over W Ireland. Elsewhere, most places were dry, fairly sunny and quite warm; there were one or two showers, chiefly in NW Scotland. (Fyvie Castle 21.2C, Harris Quidnish 13.3C maximum, Swyddffynnon 1.8C minimum, Brooms Barn 28.8 mm, Valley 15.7 h.)

Overnight into the 5th there was some rain over East Anglia that quickly moved away towards the E. Many places were sunny and quite warm, but Ireland and extreme W districts of the UK had some rain and less sunshine. A probable funnel cloud was seen in Aberdeenshire in the early evening and there was thundery activity over NE Scotland in the evening. (St James Park 24.0C, Fair Isle 13.1C maximum, Eskdalemuir 1.5C minimum, Thomastown 5.2 mm, Dyce 15.8 h.)

On the 6th many places were dry and fairly warm with sunny spells, but there were some showers over England and Wales, with thunder in a few districts late in the day - chiefly over mid-Wales and the West Midlands. A funnel cloud was seen over Bristol at about 1800 GMT. (St James Park 23.4C, Fair Isle 12.8C maximum, Katesbridge 4.0C minimum, Llysdinam 13.4 mm, Morecambe 14.8 h.)

The 7th dawned after a cool night in Cent Scotland with a ground frost in places here. The day was fairly sunny and quite warm in most places, but the parts of W Ireland and NW Scotland had a little rain, and showers broke out over parts of Cent and NE England. There was a good deal of thundery activity over a small area in the afternoon - viz. Lincolnshire and Yorkshire. The sunniest locations were close to the Thames Estuary. (Coningsby 24.6C, Fair Isle 12.8C maximum, Tyndrum 0.9C minimum, Waddington 12.6 mm, Manston 14.4 h.)

A SW'ly flow on the 8th drew some frontal activity across parts of Ireland and Scotland, leading to rather cloudy skies here. Rainfall amounts were small but 3-4 mm fell between 0600 and 1800 GMT in parts of SW Ireland. In the UK, northern districts were fairly cloudy, with some rain in westernmost regions. It was generally sunny over England and Wales and mostly quite warm, especially in the south-east. (St James Park 24.8C, Lerwick 13.0C maximum, Okehampton 4.3C minimum, Dundrennan 1.2 mm, Shoeburyness 15.0 h.)

E'ward-moving fronts affected W areas of the British Isles on the 9th, a warm front leading to a warm night across Ireland but a following cold front giving a cool day in W areas here. Central and E England was sunny and warm, locally very warm. Most of the W and N of the UK was cooler, cloudy and quite breezy with some rain, especially over Scotland; it was warm over parts of E Scotland, N Wales and NE England. (Hull East Park 26.4C, Harris Quidnish 12.2C maximum, Hurn 5.3C minimum, Achnagart 18.4 mm, Wattisham 15.2 h.)

Fronts were slow-moving over W areas of the British Isles on the 10th. It was fairly cloudy as a result, but mostly warm with some sunshine, especially in the E and S of England. Patchy rain affected parts of Ireland and W areas of the UK. (Heathrow 24.7C, Harris Quidnish 13.4C maximum, Harris Quidnish 11.0C minimum, Capel Curig 15.8 mm, Shoeburyness 12.9 h.)

The weakening fronts made a little further progress E'wards on the 11th but precipitation amounts were generally small. It was generally a mild night, especially in the E half of the UK; overnight minimum temperatures included 17.6C at Linton-on-Ouse, 17.2C at Topcliffe and 16.9C at Brize Norton. The best of the sunshine was generally to be found in extreme E areas of England, where it remained largely dry, while the temperature reached close to 25C in the London area. (Heathrow 25.6C, Fair Isle 12.6C maximum, Stornoway 10.7C minimum, Capel Curig 11.2 mm, Cork Airport 9.3 h.)

A ridge of high pressure on the 12th led to a generally dry day across the British Isles. Nearly everywhere was fairly sunny, although it was cloudier and cooler in the more NW areas of the UK and Ireland. (Kew Gardens 24.8C, Fair Isle 11.9C maximum, Spadeadam 6.2C minimum, Baltasound 2.6 mm, Almondsbury 14.5 h.)

High pressure dominated over S areas on the 13th, but fronts affected Ireland and N and W areas of Scotland, giving rather cloudy conditions with some rainfall. Most other districts were quite sunny; many places were very warm, and it was locally hot in the Midlands, East Anglia and SE England away from the coasts. (Heathrow and St James Park 28.0C, Fair Isle 12.3C maximum, Santon Downham 6.4C minimum, Achnagart 12.6 mm, Weybourne 15.7 h.)

Overnight into the 14th rain moved SE'wards across N and Cent districts of the UK and Ireland, before dying out as it moved into England. Brighter weather followed over Ireland and Scotland, and most of S Britain was sunny, although some SW coasts were grey and misty. Temperatures were not far from normal in the N, whilst it was warm in the S - locally hot in some places here. Overnight minimum temperatures included 16.9C at Scampton and 16.8C at Waddington, Cranwell, Watnall and Weybourne. (Teddington Bushy Park 29.7C, Fair Isle 12.1C maximum, Altnahinch Filters 7.6C minimum, Dunstaffnage 16.0 mm, Guernsey Airport 14.8 h.)

On the 15th most places were sunny and warm, but an Atlantic low spread frontal cloud and rain slowly into Scotland and Ireland. Some sheltered areas of E Scotland had an early ground frost, while daytime maximum temperatures remained below 15C in parts of W Ireland and in W Scotland. 13 mm of rain fell at Belmullet during 0600-1800 GMT. (Heathrow 26.6C, Lerwick 10.9C maximum, Aboyne 1.9C minimum, Dunstaffnage 14.2 mm, Weybourne 14.8 h.)

On the 16th a band of patchy and mostly light rain lay from S Scotland across the Irish Sea (fringing NW Wales) for much of the day; it was brighter with seasonable temperatures to the NW of it and quite sunny over much of England and Wales, where many places were very warm, locally hot. It turned cloudier later in the S, and especially SE, and outbreaks of rain became widespread in the evening. Two bands of thundery activity moved NE'wards to the SE of London, one across E Kent from 9 p.m. to midnight, the other across East Sussex, west Kent, east Essex and the Suffolk coast from 11.30 p.m. to 3.30 a.m. on the 17th. 42 mm of rain fell at Manston between 9 p.m. and a.m./17th. (Heathrow 29.2C, St Bees Head 12.7C maximum, Exeter Airport 6.8C minimum, Gt Cumbrae Millport 19.0 mm, Ross-On-Wye 12.8 h.)

On the 17th it was a sunny day from SW Scotland to W Wales, and across S Ireland, although there were a few showers over Ireland and W Scotland. While E areas of Scotland were also mainly sunny with some cloud, the greater part of England was dull with patchy rain, especially in the S; there was further thundery activity from mid-Kent to east Suffolk from 3-6 a.m. Temperatures were mostly not far from normal, but it was still quite warm - and humid - in the SE, after a warm night in the SE corner of England. The overnight minimum temperature at St James's Park was 18.7C. (Manston 24.0C, South Uist 13.8C maximum, Katesbridge 3.0C minimum, Manston 47.8 mm, Valley 15.0 h.)

On the 18th there were sunny spells and just a few showers over most of the N and W, although Ireland, Wales and most of W and N England was generally dry. From Dorset through the West Midlands and across to North Yorkshire south-eastwards it was mostly dull - and often very wet. Some of the brighter spots had seasonable temperatures, but many places - especially the wetter areas - were cool. Rainfall totals for the 24 hours ending 1800 GMT included 65 mm at Odiham and 61 mm at South Farnborough. (Plymouth 23.3C, High Wycombe 12.1C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch 1.7C minimum, Otterbourne Water Works 67.6 mm, Valley 15.1 h.)

There was some sunshine over Ireland and in N and W areas of the UK on the 19th, but it was generally cloudier than of late with rather lower temperatures and some showers. SE Britain was grey and chilly with patchy drizzle. Rain moved north across much of England and Wales during the evening; there was also some rain later in the evening in W Ireland. (Blackpool 22.4C, Fair Isle 12.1C maximum, Katesbridge 0.4C minimum, Exeter Airport 9.8 mm, Leeming 9.4 h.)

Several fronts over the British Isles on the 20th made for a rather cloudy day, but rainfall amounts were mostly small. Overnight rain area petered out over Cent Britain, leaving most places quite cloudy and rather cool with a few showers, especially over Scotland. The brightest weather was over and around the northern Irish Sea, and it was warmest over Northern Ireland. It was distinctly chilly over central England. (Armagh 21.7C, Pennerley 11.9C maximum, Shap 4.7C minimum, Dunstaffnage 14.8 mm, Valley 13.1 h.)

Rain moved NE'wards from the English Channel on the21st to affect most if England by midnight, although the heaviest falls were across S England. After a cool start across parts of Cent Scotland, the best of the sunshine during the day was over Ireland and W Scotland; areas of N Scotland had a few showers. It was a cool day in the wet areas across S England. It was southern England's coldest Summer Solstice since at least 1990 (and compares with temperatures of up to 34C four years ago). (Gogerddan 20.8C, Wych Cross 11.8C maximum, Drumnadrochit 1.1C minimum, Plymouth 21.6 mm, Aldergrove 15.2 h.)

Overnight into the 22nd, rain across the SE corner of England moved away SE'wards, clearing Kent later in the morning. A ridge of high pressure led to clear skies and an air frost in parts of N and Cent Scotland and the Lake District. During the afternoon and evening some light frontal rain was slow-moving E'wards across Ireland and W Scotland. Away from the rain areas it was a sunny day in E Scotland, N England, Wales and SW England. It was a warm day in E Scotland. (Aboyne 21.4C, South Uist 12.8C maximum, Altnaharra -2.4C minimum, Goudhurst 10.0 mm, Morecambe 15.5 h.)

Areas of rain moved slowly SE'wards on the 23rd from Ireland and Scotland into Wales and N England, the rainfall intensity decreasing during the day. Ahead of the rain there was a ground frost in some inland areas of England and Wales. It was a cloudy day, except across S, Cent and E England where sunny conditions led to a warm day; it was also a warm day in E Scotland. (Leuchars 23.4C, Aberdaron 12.2C maximum, Ravensworth 1.0C maximum, Ballypatrick Forest 8.6 mm, Weybourne 15.2 h.)

The 24th was a mainly cloudy day across the British Isles as a series of fronts brought cloud, and some rain to most areas although falls across England and Wales were generally slight. It was a cool day across W Ireland and in W and cent Scotland with some heavy falls of rain in places here. It was warm, locally very warm (although with little sunshine), in the warm sector over parts of the Midlands, NE England and E Scotland. The best of the sunshine was in the extreme southeast. (Alnwick and Chillingham Barns 25.7C, Baltasound 10.2C maximum, Santon Downham 5.2C minimum, Portglenone 20.4 mm, Jersey Airport 12.3 h.)

A weak low pressure system and numerous fronts over the British Isle son the 25th led to a mainly cloudy day in most areas. An area of rain over Wales and W England overnight moved away SE'wards during the morning in S areas, but persisted across N England for much of the day. There were heavy, thundery outbreaks of rain over the Midlands and Essex later in the day. Homes and roads, including a section of the M42 motorway, were hit by flash flooding during a thunderstorm at about 1900 GMT; standing water between junctions five and four made travel unsafe. Rain and high winds damaged houses, roads and vehicles in Barking; police were called to the Hulse Avenue area at about 1820 GMT after what officers described as a "weather-related incident". Residents reported damage to electrical equipment, street furniture and some surrounding roads, with some residents describing it as a "tornado" on social media. Many areas across Ireland, Wales, N England and Scotland remained below 15C all day. (Wisley 23.1C, Aviemore 9.6C maximum, Dalwhinnie 6.9C minimum, Winterbourne No.2 32.4 mm, Tiree 11.1 h.)

Pressure remained lowest close to, or over S England, on the 26th. It was a sunny day in parts of W Scotland, Wales and Kent, but it was a rather cloudy day in most other areas. Areas of Wales, SW England and E Scotland had some light rain overnight while during the day there was some rainfall in the Channel Islands and E England, with the former spreading into SW England during the evening. Inland areas of England reached 20C in places but many areas of E and N Scotland remained below 15C. (Heathrow 23.6C, Fair Isle 11.1C maximum, Machrihanish 4.1C minimum, Chillingham Barns 17.8 mm, Tiree 12.6 h.)

An area of low pressure centred close to Brest on the 27th brought rain to S England and the Channel Islands. This was patchy over S England until the late afternoon and into the evening, when there were some short-lived heavy falls in places. Scotland had a rather cloudy day away from the SW with some light rain in N areas; it was sunny across Ireland and N Wales, while S Wales and most of England was rather cloudy. Rainfall in the 12 hours from 1800 GMT included 33 mm at Heathrow and 25 mm at St James' Park. (Porthmadog 23.4C, Fair Isle 12.4C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch 2.4C maximum, Isles of Scilly 35.4 mm, Valley 14.7 h.)

Low pressure to the S brought bands of rain, and thundery outbreaks later in the day, across the Channel Islands and S and Cent areas of England and Wales on the 28th. Falls were heavy in places close to the S coast in the late afternoon and evening. Flash-flooding damaged several homes and properties after heavy rainfall in the evening near Chard. Avon Fire and Rescue said it received around 80 calls and two people had to be rescued by boat after their car got stuck on a flooded road. Following heavy rainfall on the Isle of Wight in the evening, two flood alerts were issued for the Isle of Wight; officials said that the water level in the Monktonmead Brook in Ryde was high and rising. 53 mm of rain fell in the 12 hours from 1800 GMT at St Catherine's Point, with half of that falling by 2400 GMT. Elsewhere it was a mainly dry day with the best of the sunshine to be found across parts of Ireland and mainland Scotland. After a mild night across parts of S England and S Wales, the warmest areas during the day were generally across parts of Scotland. (Drumnadrochit 24.8C, Fair Isle 12.3C maximum, Tulloch Bridge 2.7C minimum, Otterbourne Water Works 30.4 mm, Altnaharra 14.8 h.)

The 29th was a generally sunny day over S and E Ireland, SW and Cent Scotland, but rather cloudy elsewhere. Parts of NW England and S Scotland were warm, but it was cooler and mainly cloudy across much of S and Cent England, and in areas close to the North Sea along the E coast of the UK. There were some early, heavy falls of rain overnight in parts of Sussex and Hampshire. Overnight minimum temperatures remained above 15C in parts of Sussex. Rain and showers affected parts of East Anglia and Cent S and SE England and falls were heavy in places. (Carlisle 25.3C, Fair Isle 11.3C maximum, Tulloch Bridge 4.0C minimum, St Catherine's Point 43.0 mm, Cork Airport 15.2 h.)

At first on the 30th there was still patchy rain for some time to the east of London. Otherwise it was dry and most places had sunny spells, although there were large areas of cloud. As a result, temperatures were very variable with many places chilly, but some of the sunnier spots (mostly in the W) warm. (Cardiff Bute Park 25.0C, Fylingdales 11.6C maximum, Shap 5.6C minimum, Manston 2.0 mm, Lerwick 14.6 h.)

British Isles weather, July 2021

On the 1st most of Scotland was sunny after a cool start to the day. Elsewhere, there was some sunshine but it was often quite cloudy. A few showers developed, notably affecting much of Hampshire and West Sussex for a few hours late in the day. There was sea fog near many Irish Sea coasts in the morning. Temperatures were mostly not far from normal. (Strathallan 24.3C, Aberdaron 13.2C maximum, Braemar 2.6C minimum, Weybourne 1.2 mm, Tulloch Bridge 14.7 h.)

Pressure gradients were slack for much of the 2nd across the British Isles. This led to widespread mist and some fog around dawn across Cent Ireland and in S and Cent areas of England. There were also some early in parts of N Scotland and in E areas of the UK. During the day sunny spells developed in most districts but in most places it was a rather cloudy day. Showery outbreaks moved NE'wards into S Britain during the afternoon and evening. Most of the brighter areas became warm. (Cambridge NIAB 24.9C, Fair Isle 12.6C maximum, Braemar -0.1C minimum, Drumalbin 12.4 mm, Manston11.5 h.)

On the 3rd outbreaks of frontal rain moved slowly NE'wards across much of the British Isles. Rather more showery weather followed across Ireland, England and Wales, with a good deal of thundery activity from Devon and the West Country across the Midlands and N England during the afternoon and evening; there was also thunder over parts of Wales and East Anglia. It was mostly quite warm - but few places saw more than a couple of hours of sunshine. A number of homes were flooded after a series of storms in part of Somerset. Residents in Norton Fitzwarren said three thunderstorms on Saturday afternoon saw water levels rise rapidly, cutting off roads. Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said it received calls from residents throughout Saturday afternoon and evening. (Weybourne 23.8C, Fair Isle 13.0C maximum, Redesdale Camp 8.1C minimum, Waddington 27.4 mm, Stornoway 7.0 h.)

Cloudy skies into the 4th led to a generally mild night across the British Isles with falls of rain a=or showers in most areas. Showers or longer outbreaks of rain affected much of the British Isles during the day, with thunder in places away from the S. Temperatures were mostly not far from normal. Edinburgh received nearly half of its average July rainfall in under an hour, with storms caused flooding across the city. Trains in and out of the city were stopped and there were numerous flooded streets, affecting homes, bars and businesses. Fire crews attended a number of incidents, including a bridge in Chesser, where they could be seen helping vehicles stuck in the water. Edinburgh council said up to 37 mm of rain had fallen - beyond the capacity of the city's drains and sewerage system. (Leconfield 24.6C, Wick Airport 13.2C maximum, Ravensworth 9.2C minimum, Plymouth 55.4 mm, Stornoway 10.7 h.)

Outbreaks of rain moved NE'wards overnight into the 5th and at first, continuing into Scotland during the day. Rather brighter weather with some showers followed across England, Wales and Ireland - before more rain moved N'wards during the evening and night associated with a low pressure area over the W end of the English Channel.. It was mostly rather cool. (Tibenham Airfield 22.2C, Wick Airport 13.7C maximum, Libanus 9.0C minimum, Achnagart 34.0 mm, Casement Aerodrome 13.1 h.)

During the 6th an area of low pressure moved from S Devon towards Northumberland and over the North Sea. Associated rain moved N'wards overnight and at first, moving into E Scotland during the day. Rather brighter, but very showery, weather followed and it was blustery in the S. It was generally chilly, except in parts of the NW Scotland. (Dunstaffnage 21.6C, Spadeadam 13.0C maximum, Katesbridge 4.0C minimum, Alice Holt Lodge 27.8 mm, Tiree 14.4 h.)

Low pressure close to N Scotland on the 7th drew fronts and quite a lot of cloud across the British Isles. Showers fell in various districts - notably on a track from Devon and Somerset through the Midlands to Norfolk, Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire, with thunder at the NE end of this track. Temperatures varied around the seasonal normal. (Linton on Ouse 23.6C, Resallach 14.5C maximum, Shap 4.4C minimum, Dunkeswell 25.8 mm, Dundrennan 13.3 h.)

The 8th was a rather cloudy day in most areas, with some showers - mainly towards the SE of the UK, especially over East Anglia. The best of the sunshine, and warmest weather, was over Wales, W and N counties of England; otherwise temperatures were near or rather below normal. A funnel cloud was seen from Honiton in the early afternoon. (Cardiff Bute Park 24.1C, Fair Isle 12.8C maximum, Eskdalemuir 4.9C minimum, Tibenham Airfield 8.4 mm, Aberporth 11.4 h.)

The 9th was fairly cloudy, and there were showers, especially over E Scotland and NE England, and in the E Midlands and (with isolated thunder) East Anglia. The far SW of the UK and Ireland were also wet as a frontal system pushed NE'wards here. The best of the sunshine, and warmest weather (highest temperatures very dependent on exactly when the sun shone), was chiefly in the more SE'ly regions; otherwise temperatures were near or rather below normal. Flash flooding across Peterborough in the evening and overnight caused road closures and led to water having to be pumped from several streets. Torrential rain from about 1700 GMT also saw Peterborough United's ground damaged by the flooding. At the height of the downpours the fire service was asking the public to avoid the centre of Peterborough. Some flooding also affecting parts of Norfolk. (Wisley 24.9C, Kirkwall 13.3C maximum, Sennybridge 7.0C minimum, Balmoral 12.4 mm, Leconfield 8.3 h.)

On the 10th frontal rain in the S slowly cleared eastwards. Overnight it was warm in parts of NE England with minimum temperatures close to 15C here; during the day most places were fairly cloudy and on the cool side. There were showers, locally heavy and prolonged in northern areas. (Levens Hall 23.1C, Fair Isle 14.5C maximum, Altnaharra 8.5C minimum, Cardinham 44.4 mm, Aberdaron 12.4 h.)

The 11th was a fairly cloudy day, especially in W areas. There were showers over N England and Scotland, with thunder in and around the Cairngorms. Rain spread NE'wards across Ireland, England and Wales during the afternoon and evening. Temperatures were mostly not far from normal - it was locally warm in parts of Scotland and chilly under the advancing rain in the SW England. (Kinlochewe 22.7C, Cardinham 14.1C maximum, Sennybridge 8.6C minimum, Altnaharra 23.6 mm, Herstmonceux 5.6 h.)

On the 12th there were outbreaks of rain across the British Isles, with some drier, brighter intervals - mainly in the NW of the UK. Thunderstorms developed in parts of SE England in the afternoon, and were slow-moving so that severe flooding affected some areas; the worst-affected areas were from N to SW London, parts of W Surrey and Southampton. There was also isolated thunder in parts of the W of the UK. Where the sun shone for a few minutes it was locally warm, but most places were on the cool side. Heavy rain caused flooding in parts of Dorset; Dorset's fire service said it received 20 emergency calls in two-and-a-half hours in the morning, mostly about surface water and flooding in Poole. In Bournemouth, vehicles were partially submerged in Braidley Road. Parts of London received a month's worth of rain later in the day, causing flash floods. 47.8mm of rain fell in a 24-hour period in Kew, most of it in just one hour, making it the wettest day there since 6 July 1983 and the third wettest day on record. Residents were evacuated from their homes and train services cancelled, while cars were submerged in water. London Fire Brigade said it had taken more than 1,000 calls related to flooding. Underground stations, including Chalk Farm, Hampstead and Wimbledon, closed due to extreme flooding. A lightning strike has also damaged signalling at Epsom, affecting trains between London Waterloo and Dorking. Some reported rainfall totals included 70 mm at Sunbury, 59 mm at Hampton and 57 mm at Weybridge. There was also a report of 102 mm at Hammersmith, with 80mm in two hours. (Dunstaffnage 23.9C, Loftus 15.5C maximum, Dalwhinnie 7.7C minimum, Topcliffe 55.0 mm, Tiree 7.9 h.)

After a warm night into the 13th - temperatures remained above 15C in parts of S England - there were sunny spells and just a few showers, with mostly seasonable temperatures. It was, however, slightly cooler around the coasts and over Ireland and skies were rather cloudy at times across many areas of the British Isles. (Pershore 24.6C, Lerwick 15.6C maximum, Kinbrace 6.3C minimum, Bramham 5.0 mm, Ronaldsway 13.6 h.)

Pressure rose slightly during the 14th from the SW, although a frontal system brought cloudy skies across many parts of Ireland and Scotland it was a relatively cool day here in extreme W areas. Further E, most places were quite sunny and warm, although there were also some cloudy areas in Kent and East Anglia. (Gosport Fleetlands 25.5C, Fair Isle 15.5C maximum, Balmoral 7.1C minimum, Morecambe 1.8 mm, Hawarden 14.0 h.)

High pressure dominated the weather on the 15th - 1028 mb over SW Ireland at 1200 GMT although frontal cloud affected Ireland and W Scotland during the day. Most areas away from W Scotland and W Ireland were sunny and warm although there was also some cloud and lower temperature in parts of E England. (Castlederg 25.7C, Harris Quidnish 14.1C maximum, Balmoral 7.8C minimum, Machrihanish 0.8 mm, Eskdalemuir 15.3 h.)

High pressure dominated the weather on the 16th (centred at 1031 mb over W Ireland at 1200 GMT), although some frontal cloud led to some light rain during the day across the Northern Isles and in parts of NW Scotland. Away from areas of N and W Scotland it was a sunny day and generally warm or very warm, locally hot. (Coton-In-The-Elms 28.7C, Fair Isle 15.6C maximum, Santon Downham 6.4C minimum, Stornoway 0.6 mm, Aberdaron 15.0 h.)

On the 17th, apart from a little rain in the far N of Scotland, most places were sunny and very warm or hot. Temperatures in Northern Ireland reached record-breaking with Ballywatticock, near Newtownards in County Down, recording a temperature of 31.2C. Previously, 30.8C was the highest temperature recorded in Northern Ireland, reached on 12 July 1983 and 30 June 1976. E and SE Scotland, and most inland areas of Ireland, Wales and England reached 25C and above during the day. (Ballywatticock 31.2C, Lerwick 13.1C maximum, Santon Downham 8.4C minimum, Lerwick 2.4 mm, Morecambe 15.4 h.)

High pressure on the 18th led to a mostly sunny and very warm or hot day over England, Wales and Ireland, but cloudier, and hence rather cooler, conditions over Scotland, with a little rain in W Scotland. Overnight minimum temperatures remained above 17C in parts of England including 18.8C at Mumbles, 17.7C at Cranwell and 17.6C at Waddington. (Heathrow 31.6C, Fair Isle 12.2C maximum, Katesbridge 9.3C minimum, Resallach 2.2 mm, Aberdaron 14.9 h.)

Into the 19th it was a very warm night across areas of S and Cent England, and in some coastal areas of Ireland. Overnight minimum temperatures included 20.1C at Portland, 18.8C at Kenley and 18.1C at Heathrow. During the day Orkney and Shetland were grey and damp, but most other districts were sunny and very warm or hot. One or two mostly short-lived but sharp showers developed over England and Wales, but in the extreme SE of England there were lively thunderstorms during the afternoon. (Heathrow 31.4C, Fair Isle 13.4C minimum, Dalwhinnie 4.8C minimum, Goudhurst 9.0 mm, Aberdaron 15.0 h.)

It was again warm into the 20th across Wales and in S and Cent areas of England and Ireland, where overnight minimum temperatures remained above 15C in many places. Except in a damp and grey N Scotland, it was again mostly sunny and very warm or hot, but there were heavy, thundery showers with hail in places during the afternoon and early evening within a broad zone centred from Lincolnshire to Kent - and isolated showers further W. Parts of Norfolk were hit with heavy thunderstorms following the high temperatures, with dozens of homes losing power. Western parts of the county such as King's Lynn and Swaffham were worst affected by the storms. Hail the size of golf balls fell in a thunderstorm damaging cars and smashing windows as extreme heat warnings stayed in place across England; in Kibworth Beauchamp, Leicestershire, some cars were a "total write-off" and were "covered in big dents". The hailstorm hit Leicestershire at about 1715 GMT. (Heathrow 32.2C, Baltasound 12.3C maximum, Altnahinch Filters 6.9C minimum, Marham 43.8 mm, Ronaldsway and Dublin Airport 14.7 h.)

High pressure persisted across the British Isles on the 21st and the generally hot weather continued to prevail. There was overnight mist and fog in the E half of England by dawn with minimum temperatures remaining above 15C in many parts of S Ireland, S Wales and E and S areas of England. The heat led to some thundery outbreaks over areas of N Ireland and N England during the afternoon and early evening with isolated showers elsewhere. Northern Ireland provisionally recorded its hottest day on record for the second time in five days, with 31.3C reported at Castlederg. (Castlederg 31.3C, Fair Isle 12.6C maximum, Machrihanish 7.0C minimum, Portglenone 2.4 mm, Valley 14.5 h.)

It was a very warm night across Ireland, Wales and England into the 22nd. Overnight minimum temperatures included 19.5C at Mumbles, 19.2C at Scilly and 19.1C at St Athan. It was provisionally the first 'tropical night' in Ireland for 20 years, with Valentia Observatory not observing any temperatures under 20.5C. Tropical nights (shade air temperature above 20C all night) are a rarity for Ireland, having only occurred around 6 times in the digital record. Away from the E coast of Scotland, where there was some onshore cloud, it was a sunny and hot day with 25C reached in parts of Cent Scotland and 30C in parts of N Ireland, Wales and England. The hottest areas over England tended to be further to the SW than in recent days, with some E areas of inland England only just reaching 25C. There were thundery outbreaks in the afternoon over parts of SW Scotland, W Wales, the N Midlands and NW England. Northern Ireland has provisionally recorded its highest ever temperature for the third time in less than a week with 31.4C at Armagh. (Armagh 31.4C, Fair Isle 12.5C maximum, Tulloch Bridge 5.4C minimum, Sutton Bonington 6.0 mm, Eskdalemuir and Ronaldsway 14.1 h.)

The overnight minimum temperature at Valentia was above 20C for the second consecutive morning (20.2C) as the 23rd dawned following a warm night across much of Ireland, Wales, England (away from the extreme E) and S Scotland; minimum temperatures were widely above 16C, including 19.4C at Mumbles, 19.2C at Scilly and 18.7C at Aberdaron. It was a sunny day across NW England and W areas of Scotland but cloudier elsewhere; thunderstorms affected areas of Cent Ireland and SW Wales during the early afternoon with further outbreaks across Ireland, SW Scotland and the Channel Islands that lasted into the evening. It was a hot day across inland areas of Ireland, Wales, Cent and SW Scotland and W areas of England. At Mace Head 33 mm of rain fell in the 12 hours ending 1800 GMT. (Castlederg 30.1C, Fair Isle 13.4C maximum, Altnaharra 7.3C minimum, Isle of Portland 3.6 mm, Tiree 14.2 h.)

The 24th began with an area of thunderstorms pushing N'wards into Cent S and SE England, these storms later died out over SE Wales and Kent. Lightning damaged homes in Hampshire as the thunderstorms also brought some torrential rain. Two women escaped unharmed after a pair of houses in Andover were partially destroyed in the early hours of the day. There were also some storms in Devon during the morning with some scattered storms over S England and East Anglia in the afternoon and evening. The day dawned after a warm night across much of England, Wales and Ireland, It was a sunny day over W Scotland and Ireland, but cloudier further E. Temperatures rose above 25C over many inland areas of Scotland and Ireland. (Castlederg 27.6C, Fair Isle 13.1C maximum, Tulloch Bridge 8.2C minimum, Boscombe Down 29.4 mm, Tiree 14.5 h.)

The 25th dawned warm across S and cent areas of England and East Anglia. There were showers in some S areas of England resulting from fronts associated with an area of low pressure that moved E'wards along the English Channel during the day. The showers were thundery from late morning onwards in places, primarily in Hampshire, SE England and East Anglia. Heavy downpours and thunderstorms caused severe flash flooding in parts of London. There were reports of vehicles becoming stranded as water quickly rose to block dozens of roads and affected underground lines. Many roads in the capital were closed because of the flooding, including the Blackwall Tunnel, the A12 and parts of the North Circular. Eight Tube stations and one Overground station were also closed. Around 100 inpatients at Whipps Cross Hospital in east London were evacuated as a result after the NHS declared a "major incident" when the hospital lost power due to flooding. London Fire Brigade said it had taken more than 1,000 flooding-related calls across London. It was a warm day across Ireland; it was sunny here and in W Wales and many parts of Scotland. Places E of a line Hull-Exeter were mostly cloudy. (Armagh 28.2C, Aultbea 16.3C maximum, Shap 4.2C minimum, St James Park 41.6 mm, Tiree 14.6 h.)

It was a warm night into the 26th across much of S England and S Ireland and in a few parts of E England and E Scotland. There were showers during the day across parts of England and Scotland, with more persistent frontal rain over W Ireland later. Some rain also fell over the Northern Isles. The showers were thundery in parts of S England and S Wales in the afternoon, those in the latter area moving into the Midlands before dissipating. It was a warm day over most inland areas of England and in E Scotland. 10 mm of rain fell at Cork Airport in the 12 hours ending 1800 GMT. (Wellesbourne 27.3C, Ballypatrick Forest 14.7C maximum, Shap 5.9C minimum, Baltasound 9.8 mm, Dundrennan 11.1 h.)

Outbreaks of rain moved east across southern districts overnight into the 27th; there was thunder near the S coast, especially over the Isle of Wight. There was also a thundery outbreak in the Aberdeen area, and for some time at the end of the night over Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. W Scotland also had some rain. The day was generally showery, and there was thunder away from most of S England, Wales and SW Scotland. It was generally cooler than of late. Heavy rainfall caused flooding in some parts of Northern Ireland this afternoon; man-hole covers lifted on Belvoir Road and Upper Knockbreda Road in Belfast due to the rainfall. A lightning strike destroyed part of the roof of a home in the south of the Isle of Man; police and fire crews were called following the strike in the Ponyfields estate in Port Erin. The house was empty at the time and nobody was injured. Thunder and lightning was spotted across Scotland from later in the day; more than 100 calls were made to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service's north east control overnight with 53 being related to flooding alone. (Benson 24.8C, Fair Isle 14.2C maximum, Chillingham Barns 9.4C minimum, Liscombe 35.2 mm, Boulmer 9.8 h.)

The 28th was cooler, and very showery, with widespread thunder over England and Wales away from the most southerly districts. A fire broke out at Trafford General Hospital in Greater Manchester after it was struck by lightning during heavy thunderstorms. Fire crews were called to the hospital at 1320 GMT after the fire began in the two-storey building. Rescuers say two women are "very lucky" to be alive after they were hit by lightning on the summit of Snowdon, Wales' highest mountain. The pair were in a five-strong group by its 1085 m peak when they were struck just after 1230 GMT. (Holbeach 23.C, Lerwick 13.0C maximum, Banagher Caugh Hill 9.1C minimum, Aldergrove 50.0 mm, Guernsey Airport 9.2.h.)

On the 29th many places were dry with sunny intervals, but there were areas of rain over NE Scotland, parts of NW England - and the SW peninsula, where it became windy during the evening as the early effects of Storm Evert were noticed. Temperatures were mostly not far from normal. (Heathrow 23.3C, Loch Glascarnoch 13.3C maximum, South Newington 7.3C minimum, Altnahinch Filters 21.0 mm, Heathrow, Manston and Shoeburyness 10.4 h.)

On the 30th storm Evert moved NE'wards across S and Cent areas of England and Wales; there were outbreaks of rain that spread NE'wards across Ireland, England and Wales, with some thunder over the NE Midlands and Lincolnshire for a time in the afternoon. It became somewhat drier and brighter during the day in the S, but was breezy here. Scotland and Northern Ireland were mostly cloudy with some showers. It was generally chilly. A coastguard rescue helicopter airlifted people from at least four yachts off SW England today, and there were also reports of fallen trees blocking some roads in Cornwall. Some campsites had relocated guests to try to protect them against the elements, while others were prompted to pack up and leave. The highest gusts were on the Isles of Scilly at 69 mph; Bryher Campsite on the Isles of Scilly was forced to move some campers into a community hall overnight. (Weybourne 21.3C, Emley Moor 12.7C maximum, Aboyne 9.0C minimum, Cranwell 37.6 mm, Guernsey Airport 6.7 h.)

On the 31st there were a few brighter, warmer spots, but many places were cloudy and rather cool. Some light drizzly rain drifted S from E Scotland into N England, whilst the Se area of half of England became showery; some of the showers were heavy, and they became increasingly slow-moving, so giving some localities large rainfall totals to end an already very wet month. There was thunder in parts of SE England. (Cavendish 23.1C, Ballypatrick Forest 13.1C maximum, Wick Airport 9.0C minimum, High Mowthorpe 12.2 mm, Guernsey Airport 9.9 h.)

British Isles weather, August 2021

The 1st was mostly quite cloudy and chilly. An area of showers moved slowly SE'wards across England and Wales from overnight; the showers became heavy at times in the S and were slow-moving, with isolated thunder, in the more SE'ly areas during the afternoon and evening, giving large rainfall totals in places. It became generally dry and somewhat brighter elsewhere during the day although it was a dull day across many parts of N Scotland. (Ross-On-Wye 21.9C, Loch Glascarnoch 12.1C maximum, Achnagart 6.3C minimum, Frittenden 25.8 mm, Glasgow 9.9 h.)

On the 2nd most districts were again quite cloudy and rather cool. There were some showers, locally heavy and slow-moving especially in the south; there was thunder over parts of SE Wales and the West Country in the late afternoon. There were also a few sunnier, warmer areas, mostly over N England and S Scotland. Across Ireland, an E'ward moving weak front led to a cloudy day with spells of rain. There was serious flooding in the east of the Isle of Wight in the morning, but no 'official' readings are available. Amateur observing sites give 135 mm at Bonchurch and 73 mm at Ryde. A couple were rescued, and roads damaged on the Isle of Wight after more than a month's worth of rain fell in two hours. On Pondwell Hill in Nettlestone, firefighters rescued an elderly couple from their car which was submerged under 1.2 m of water just after 0700 GMT. South Western Railway said flooding between Ryde Pier Head and Shanklin meant replacement buses would be delayed until the end of the day. (Hull East Park 21.3C, Fair Isle 11.9C maximum, Katesbridge 1.8C minimum, Pershore College 18.6 mm, Morecambe 13.2 h.)

Slack pressure gradients into the 3rd led to some early-morning mist and fog patches across Ireland, Wales and England while the was a slight ground frost in parts of Cent Scotland and NW England. During the day there was some sunshine and a scattering of slow-moving showers, with thunder briefly over north Lincolnshire in the early evening. Temperatures were mostly not far from normal. (Heathrow 23.8C, Lerwick 13.1C maximum, Ravensworth 2.0C minimum, Helens Bay 17.2 mm, Leeming 13.8 h.)

There was rain overnight into the 4th in W areas of Ireland which spread to other areas of the island during the day Elsewhere, it was fairly sunny, with showers mainly in the N and W. Thunder was reported over N Scotland, N England and Northern Ireland. Many places were quite warm. (Nantwich 24.0C, Fair Isle 14.7C maximum, Shap 3.7C minimum, Killylane 20.4 mm, Morecambe 13.3 h.)

Low pressure, centred over W Ireland in the afternoon, pushed fronts across the British Isles, on the 5th. It was bright, and quite warm, for some time in the E and N, but outbreaks of rain and blustery winds spread NE'wards across most of the British Isles during the day. At Mullingar 53 mm of rain fell in the 12 hours ending 1800 GMT. It was chilly in the wetter areas, and also rather dull away from E coast areas of the UK. (Weybourne 23.9C, Killylane 13.9C maximum, Redesdale Camp 7.0C minimum, Porthmadog 30.2 mm, Tibenham Airfield 8.9 h.)

Overnight and during the 6th outbreaks of rain or heavy showers were widespread, with short sunny spells, mainly in the S where it was quite windy. It was a mild night in many areas of the UK with overnight minima remaining above 15C. There was thunder over E and NE England and parts of S Scotland as one of the bands of showers moved NE'wards in the afternoon, as well as in showers coming off the SW moors across Wiltshire, Berkshire, Surrey, London and Essex. Temperatures were mostly not far from normal. Parts of Scotland were hit by heavy rain, flooding and thunderstorms. In Greenock, a section of the A8 dual carriageway was entirely flooded, while heavy traffic was also reported on the M8 through Glasgow and on the approaches to the Queensferry Crossing. A number of streets in Glasgow, including in the Pollokshields area, were left submerged by the thundery downpours. ScotRail put speed restrictions on a number of its routes as a result of the heavy rain. (Heathrow 23.8C, Lake Vyrnwy 15.4C maximum, Drumnadrochit 12.2C minimum, Threave 40.6 mm, Cork Airport 10.3 h.)

Low pressure centred to the N of Northern Ireland early on the 7th gave a wet night across much of Ireland, S and W Scotland. The centre was slow-moving and it was a very showery day over most of the British Isles, with a few longer outbreaks of rain - notably in the SE at first; there was a thunder in a few districts. It was blustery in the south, and mostly quite chilly, although parts of Scotland and eastern England were on the warm side. Flooding continued to affect areas in and around Glasgow from recent heavy rains. Network Rail said there was 1.5 m of floodwater in the twin tunnels at Dalmuir, north-west of Glasgow. On Glasgow's Great Western Road, cars had to be driven through floodwaters. (Hull East Park 23.2C, Okehampton 13.1C maximum, Westonbirt 9.1C minimum, St James Park 35.6 mm, Weybourne 6.8 h.)

The low pressure centre made slow progress E'wards across Scotland on the 8th. The night and day were again generally showery, with mostly short, brighter intervals. The showers merged into longer periods of rain in some districts, and there was thunder in parts of the E and N, especially over north Norfolk. It was mostly rather cool. (Loftus 23.0C, Lough Fea 14.6C maximum, Aviemore 9.7C minimum, Spadeadam 66.8 mm, Stornoway 13.9 h.)

The 9th, for most places, was another day of showers and some sunshine. There was a longer spell of often heavy rain over S and SE England and East Anglia at first, and rain was persistent (with a very slow S'ward drift) for much of the 24 hours over SE Scotland. There was thunder in places, especially over northern parts of East Anglia, Northern Ireland and Cent Scotland. Temperatures were mostly not far from normal. (Heathrow 23.0C, Lerwick 14.2C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch 6.0C minimum, Wiggonholt 41.2 mm, Leeming 10.2 h.)

There were showers overnight into the 10th, especially over N England and Scotland. Much of Cent and E Scotland (north of the Forth) then had a wet day, and there were a few more showers elsewhere, chiefly over NE England. Most other districts were dry, and it was sunny and rather warm over southernmost Scotland and much of Cent and E England. (Wellesbourne 25.3C, Fair Isle 12.8C maximum, Exeter Airport 6.9C minimum, Leuchars 22.8 mm, Shoeburyness 13.4 h.)

Frontal rain moving E'wards affected W Ireland into the 11th (20 mm fell at Belmullet in the 12 hours to 0600 GMT), before spreading into Wales, N England and Scotland during the day. It was a mainly sunny day in East Anglia and SE England and quite warm in East Anglia, but cooler elsewhere under the cloudy skies. AS the rain cleared during the morning, it turned sunny across W areas of Ireland and Scotland. (Cavendish 25.8C, Baltasound 14.1C maximum, Kinbrace 5.1C minimum, Dunstaffnage 17.8 mm, Shoeburyness 11.8 h.)

Frontal cloud associated with an area of low pressure to the W of Ireland during the 12th led to another cloudy day in some places. Areas of Cent Scotland had a ground frost, while overnight rain (mostly small amounts) was mainly confined to E Scotland, N England, Wales and SW England while SE of a line Dorset-The Wash the temperature remained above 15C in many areas. During the day rain was mainly confined to Ireland, W and Cent Scotland with lesser falls for a while across parts of S and SE England and East Anglia. (Holbeach 24.7C, Fair Isle 15.0C maximum, Kinbrace 2.5C minimum, Machrihanish 12.2 mm, Waddington 10.8 h.)

Low pressure remained centred close to W Scotland during the 13th with most areas, away from W Wales, having a rather cloudy day. Overnight, rain affected many W areas of Scotland and Ireland while it was a mild night in parts of S England. The majority of the rain remained confined to Ireland and Scotland during the day although there were some showery falls over Wales and SW and Cent S England. Daytime temperatures were mostly slightly below normal due to widespread cloud. (Coningsby 24.1C, Dalwhinnie 13.9C maximum, Braemar 7.0C minimum, Achnagart 43.6 mm, Valley 10.9 h.)

Frontal cloud and soe rain led to a mainly mild night into the 14th with minimum temperatures remaining above 15C in many parts of England and Wales. During the day it was mostly bright over Scotland with a few showers. Ireland, much of Wales and the northern half of England were mostly cloudy as areas of rain or drizzle moved north. It became increasingly sunny and warm over the more SE'ly regions of the UK. At Connaught Airport the maximum temperature during 0600-1800 GMT was 14.2C. (Cavendish 25.6C, Fair Isle 15.0C maximum, Katesbridge 6.9C minimum, Achnagart 21.8 mm, Jersey Airport 13.0 h.)

There was widespread cloud on the 15th associated with a weakening area of low pressure to the SW (centre 1010 mb off S Ireland at 1200 GMT. After a mainly mild night across the British Isles with light rain in many areas, the day was fairly cloudy generally, with various areas of drizzly rain or sharp showers. There was some sunshine. It was on the warm side over Lincolnshire and SE England, including East Anglia, but mostly rather chilly in the N and W. (Cavendish 26.4C, Lerwick 12.1C maximum, Port Ellen 5.6C minimum, Baltasound 10.0 mm, Manston and Shoeburyness 11.9 h.)

The 16th was quite cloudy and rather chilly over much of the British Isles in a NW'ly flow. A band of rain, patchy in nature, drifted S'wards, affecting (during the day) especially areas bordering the North Channel and northern Irish Sea and into the N Midlands. The best of the sunshine was behind the rain band in the NE. (Strathallan 21.8C, Altnahinch Filters 13.0C maximum, Kinbrace 4.9C minimum, Fyvie Castle 5.8 mm, Kirkwall 10.8 h.)

On the 17th some mostly light rain moved SE'wards across the UK overnight and at first. It stayed grey and chilly with a little rain or drizzle at times in many places, but S Scotland was brighter and warm and in places elsewhere, where there was good shelter to the NW, it brightened a little and quickly became quite warm (e.g., at Hurn 1.9 h of sunshine, maximum temperature 22.7C). (Strathallan 23.9C, Altnahinch Filters 13.6C maximum, Baltasound 7.1C minimum, Altnahinch Filters 10.0 mm, Glasgow 8.2 h.)

Into the 18th there was patchy rain or drizzle overnight, with a few briefly quite sharp bursts in the London area shortly after midnight. It was a mainly mild night in the S half of England with minimum temperatures remaining above 15C in many areas. Many places stayed fairly cloudy, and it was chilly and damp at times in areas exposed to the NW surface flow. Some sheltered districts, especially in SE Scotland and NE England, became quite sunny and warm. (Bridlington 24.8C, Resallach 13.1C maximum, Balmoral 7.5C minimum, Altnahinch Filters 6.4 mm, Boulmer 10.9 h.)

The 19th was fairly cloudy, and showery outbreaks drifted E'wards with isolated thunder over the Midlands and West Country. There was some sunshine, especially over parts of E Ireland and in Cent and E England, where it was locally quite warm. (Wellesbourne 23.6C, Fair Isle 13.4C maximum, Redesdale Camp 4.5C minimum, Boscombe Down 12.2 mm, Shoeburyness 6.3 h.)

The S half of the British Isles had a mild night into the 20th with ran spreading across Ireland from the W. During the day it was bright and quite warm for a time in the E of the UK, but all districts clouded over as the rain spread slowly into the W and parts of the N of the UK. 24 mm of rain fell at Roches Point in the 12 hours ending 1800 GMT. (Cavendish 23.8C, Lerwick 12.5C maximum, Tyndrum 6.7C minimum, Derrylin Cornahoule 10.0 mm, Shoeburyness 8.7 h.)

The 21st was a mainly cloudy day, away from Ireland, due to the presence of fronts that brought rain to S Scotland, Wales, Ireland and W areas of England overnight with further falls (heavy in places) to most places during the day. There were thundery falls across parts of E Ireland and SW England in the afternoon, then in SE Ireland and Cent S England in the late afternoon and early evening that moved NE'wards into the Midlands. There was a clearance later in the day across W Ireland. The day followed mild night with minimum temperatures widely above 15C from S Scotland S'wards - but many places then failed to rise above 20C during the day. (Yeovilton 22.7C, Fair Isle 13.1C maximum, Baltasound 40C minimum, Eskdalemuir 39.6 mm, Cork Airport 8.7 h.)

The 22nd followed a warm night in most areas and there were some mist and fog patches in E areas of the UK around dawn. Overnight rain in E parts of the UK (that was thundery for a while in the Midlands before it moved away E'wards to East Anglia and Kent by dawn) turned showery during the day with most other areas remaining largely dry - with the main track of showers edging westwards during the day; the showers were heavy in places. Despite the rather cloudy skies, most places had some sunny periods. (Hurn 24.6C, Lerwick 13.3C maximum, Aviemore 9.3C minimum, Leek 22.4 mm, Tiree 11.3 h.)

With high pressure prevailing on the 23rd, the day was largely dry with sunny spells. MSL pressure was centred at 1032 mb close to NE Scotland at 1200 GMT and the resulting NE'ly flow brought some cloud on to E coasts of the UK. It was a warm day in some inland areas, but generally cooler around the coasts. (Castlederg 24.3C, Fair Isle 14.3C maximum, Altnaharra 6.1C minimum, Pennerley 0.8 mm, Tiree 12.3 h.)

High pressure led to a mainly dry day on the 24th. The centre at 1200 GMT was 1033 mb over W Scotland. Most places saw some sunshine although parts of the Northern Isles, N England and N Wales remained rather cloudy as cloud drifted across from the NE; this was thick enough to give some light rain or drizzle at times in some places. (Strathallan 26.3C, Fair Isle 14.2C maximum, Kinbrace 5.3C minimum, Houghton Hall 0.6 mm, Tiree 13.3 h.)

High pressure remained over the British Isles on the 25th. There was some frontal cloud and a little light rain in parts of N and E Scotland overnight, along with E England. The day was largely dry but also rather cloudy across N Scotland and in many E areas of England and Scotland due to cloud advecting off the North Sea. The best of the sunshine was to be found over Ireland and SW Scotland (here it was also quite warm) and in the Channel Islands and parts of SW England. (Tyndrum 27.2C, Fair Isle 13.9C maximum, Shap 6.2C minimum, Weybourne 1.4 mm, Prestwick 12.5 h.)

Pressure remained high across the British Isles on the 26th, but a W'ward-moving cold front led to a rather cloudy day in some E areas of the UK, and cooler conditions than in Ireland and W areas of the UK. There was a little overnight rain in some E areas of England, but this largely died out as the front weakened. It was a cool day in extreme E areas of the UK. It was warm in the W. (Carlow, Oak Park 26.0C, Fair Isle 13.3C maximum, Swyddffynnon 6.6C minimum, Houghton Hall 1.6 mm, Casement Aerodrome 13.3 h.)

The high pressure centre persisted to the N of Scotland on the 27th. There were some spots of light rain in NE England and N areas of East Anglia overnight, but these became fewer during the day, when there were also some very slight falls in areas of SW England and W Ireland. There was widespread cloud across much of England during the day, with the best of the sunshine to be found over Ireland, Wales and Scotland. It was a rather cool day away from these sunny areas with much of inland England remaining below 19C. (Kinlochewe 24.2C, Fair Isle 13.0C maximum, Braemar 1.3C minimum, Fylingdales 1.2 mm, Stornoway 12.8 h.)

Despite high pressure again prevailing on the 28th, it was a rather cloudy day across N and W Scotland, East Anglia and SE England. Where skies did clear for a while overnight it was a cool night by dawn there were widespread mist and fog patches in many parts of the British Isles. During the day there were patches of light rain that pushed SE'wards across parts of East Anglia and SE England. (Strathallan 24.4C, Fair Isle 14.2C maximum, Shap 1.9C minimum, Brooms Barn 1.4 mm, Morecambe 12.5 h.)

It was a cool night into the 29th in some inland areas of England and Scotland as far S as Cent S England. There were a few outbreaks of light rain in parts of Ireland and NE Scotland overnight these continued during the day, extending S'wards towards East Anglia. Extensive cloud clover meant a rather dull day, except in the Channel Islands and in parts of SW England and W Wales. It was a rather cool day away from the sunnier areas. (Plymouth 24.1C, Fair Isle 12.6C maximum, Shap 4.8C minimum, Fyvie Castle 1.2 mm, Guernsey Airport 12.7 h.)

High pressure centred to the W of Scotland continued to prevail on the 30th. Widespread cloud brought some light rain to some E areas of the UK and led to a rather cloudy day across most of the British Isles, except across parts of W Scotland and Northern Ireland. It was a cool day generally. Scottish Water urged customers to help conserve supplies after levels at some reservoirs dropped to their lowest in 18 years. The company said some parts of Scotland were experiencing their second driest summer in 160 years. It said demand remained high at up to 100 million litres per day higher than average, after falling from a spike in demand during hot weather in July. (Castlederg 21.3C, Libanus 13.2C maximum, Whitechurch 6.0C minimum, Durham 2.4 mm, Tiree 7.7 h.)

High pressure centred to the W of Scotland on the 31st led to the August all-time British Isles MSL pressure record being broken as 1037.0 mb was recorded at 0900 GMT at Stornoway. Later in the day 1038.4 mb was reported at Altnaharra at 2300 GMT and 1038.5mb at Stornoway at 2400 GMT. The previous record was 1036.7 mb at Pembroke on 12 August 1949. The day was mostly dull and cool, with patches of drizzly rain, chiefly in the north and east. Sunshine was largely restricted to a few NW areas. (Tyndrum 20.2C, Pennerley 12.9C maximum, Braemar 0.3C minimum, Fylingdales 4.2 mm, Tiree 11.2 h.)

British Isles weather, September 2021

High pressure remained centred to the NW of Scotland during the 1st; consequently, MSL pressure at Stornoway reached 1038.5 mb at 0000 GMT and 0100 GMT. Much of mainland Scotland and parts of Northern Ireland were sunny, but elsewhere the E'ly flow let to a cloudy day. Much of England and Wales was chilly, with some drizzly patches in the E. (Tyndrum 24.6C, Kirkwall 13.4C maximum, Braemar 2.2C minimum, Durham 1.0 mm, Tiree 13.1 h.)

The 2nd was mostly quite cool with a fair amount of cloud, but some sunshine - with a few warmer spots: However, many areas remained sunless despite the anticyclone centre remaining close to NW Scotland. There was some early mist and fog patches over parts of E Ireland, and some light drizzle in parts of E England. (Braemar 21.8C, Wick Airport 12.5C maximum, Katesbridge 3.4C minimum, Frittenden 0.2 mm, Jersey Airport 12.3 h.)

The 3rd saw a slight veer of the wind (as the high pressure centre moved towards Orkney) that brought some changes to the weather pattern of recent days: southernmost Britain had the best of the sunshine and the highest temperatures, whilst Cent and N regions were mostly grey and chilly with some drizzle. Early in the day there was mist across many parts of E Ireland. (Gosport Fleetlands 24.3C, Inverbervie 12.0C maximum, Katesbridge 4.2C minimum, Baltasound 2.2 mm, Jersey Airport 11.6 h.)

As the high pressure centred moved away to the E of Shetland on the 4th, much of the British Isles was cloudy and rather cool, with some drizzle in the E. It was sunnier and warmer in the SW. Overnight minimum temperatures on the Channel Islands, Scilly and the Thames Estuary remained above 15C. (Bude 24.1C, Dalwhinnie 13.5C maximum, Kinbrace 2.7C minimum, Leuchars 5.6 mm, St Athan 10.1 h.)

After a bright start on the 5th in parts of E and S Scotland, rain spread across most of Scotland and N Ireland - clearing in the NW later. The cloud spread into N England by the evening. There was a cloudy start in places elsewhere, but over most of England and Wales it was sunny and became warm - locally hot in the SE. (Wiggonholt 27.1C, Resallach 15.0C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch 4.7C minimum, Giants Causeway 15.0 mm, Manston 11.4 h.)

On the 6th the band of rain weakened as it moved into N England overnight, whilst thick fog formed ahead of it over parts of S Britain. It turned brighter and quite warm over much of Scotland and was mostly sunny over S parts of Ireland and Britain in S Britain it became very warm or hot. It stayed mostly cloudy over Northern Ireland, N England and southernmost Scotland. (Larkhill 28.9C, Lerwick 15.7C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch 8.2C minimum, Altnahinch Filters 7.0 mm, Camborne and Jersey Airport 11.9 h.)

There was patchy fog at first on the 7th - and some very variable minimum temperatures, including 16.7C at Kinloss and Edinburgh, 16.0C at Wick, but 7.3C at Aboyne and 7.1C at Shap Fell. The minimum was 17.1C at Weybourne, 12.2C at Holbeach; 18.3C Kenley, 12.5C Charlwood. Guernsey Airport reported 18.6C. The variations were partly due to some cloud cover (in the far NE and SW) - but also a very low inversion. Much of the country was sunny and very warm or hot, although there were some large areas of cloud in the N and far SW. (St Helier 30.9C, Lerwick 16.3C maximum, Shap 7.1C minimum, Harris Quidnish 3.4 mm, Almondsbury 12.1 h.)

On the 8th, after a few early fog patches, much of the UK was sunny and very warm or hot, but the far NW was cloudy with some rain, and it gradually clouded over elsewhere from the W. Much of Ireland was rather cloudy and relatively cool with rainfall during the day. Thunderstorms affected Cornwall and Devon in the morning, and there was some thundery activity in the evening (mainly in the SE, and NW Wales) amongst a disorganised area of rain that drifted NE'wards over England and Wales. The early thunderstorms caused flash-flooding and travel disruption in some parts of Devon. By midday South Hams was the worst affected area, with police saying torrential rain had affected a number of businesses in Salcombe. Several roads in Kingsbridge, West Alvington and Plymouth also became impassable due to flood waters, and a Plymouth school was hit by lightning. Later, Scotland's highest September temperature in 115 years was recorded in the Scottish Borders as Charterhall reached 28.6C. The Met Office said this made it the warmest September day in Scotland since 1906 when Gordon Castle in Moray hit 32.2C. Three properties in Jersey were struck by lightning. Jersey Fire and Rescue said it was called to separate incidents as a result of "simultaneous lightning strikes" at about 0745 GMT. The first fire in St Brelade involved a commercial garage where fuel was ignited by the lightning strike, Jersey Fire and Rescue said. At a private property near Les Quennavais School in St Brelade, a chimney exploded following the strike, spreading debris over the surrounding area and damaging the property's roof and loft. In St Ouen, a third property suffered "significant internal and electrical damage" as a result of the strike, fire teams said. (Northolt 30.3C, Fair Isle 16.8C maximum, Braemar 7.9C minimum, Plymouth 33.4 mm, Weybourne 12.1 h.)

On the 9th outbreaks of rain or showers moved northeast across the British Isles. There was some thunder in the early hours over N Wales, N Scotland and around The Wash, and briefly in the late morning around the Humber and over the Outer Hebrides. Thunder broke out in the early afternoon over parts of W and N Wales and the N Midlands, becoming more widespread as the associated showers moved across much of N England (except Cumbria). SE England had a mostly dry day. It was warm over much of E England, which had the best of the sunshine; temperatures were mostly not far from normal elsewhere. (Santon Downham 26.6C, Lerwick 12.4C maximum, Redesdale Camp 10.0C minimum, Banagher Caugh Hill 39.8 mm, Manston 8.8 h.)

After some heavy falls of rain overnight in N Wales and SW Scotland, the 10th was mostly cloudy with occasional showers; thunder occurred in places towards the E coast of the UK in the afternoon. Many E districts of the UK were warm. (Cranwell 25.0C, Baltasound 13.5C maximum, Ravensworth 11.3C minimum, Glasgow 22.8 mm, Manston 3.9 h.)

The 11th dawned after a cloudy and very warm night across the British Isles. There was some rain across N and Cent Scotland, and lesser falls in some other places to the S, and some mist by dawn across Cent and E areas of England. Overnight minimum temperatures included 16.1C at Walney Island, 17.1C at Northolt, 17.2C at Benson, 17.3C at Heathrow 17.4C at Shoreham and 17.8C at Shoeburyness. During the day, northern, especially northernmost, Scotland was wet and chilly. Apart from areas of N Ireland, most of the rest of the British Isles was dry with some sunshine, and it was warm over E England; there were, though, a few patches of rain in the west. (Cavendish 24.6C, Lerwick 11.9C maximum, Exeter Airport 9.9C minimum, Stornoway 34.2 mm, Camborne 9.6 h.)

Rain spread over S Ireland by dawn on the 12th. It then became increasingly persistent (though mostly light) over Wales and parts of Cent England. 12 mm of rain fell at Roches Point in the 12 hours ending 1800 GMT. Most other districts were dry, though fairly cloudy, after some rain overnight and at first over parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland. It was locally on the warm side in the SE; many N and W districts were rather cool. (Cavendish 23.2C, Balmoral 12.2C maximum, Libanus 6.1C minimum, Whitechurch 10.0 mm, Manston 8.6 h.)

The 13th was mostly cloudy and rather cool. There was rain at times over Wales, and occasionally some other W and N districts, notably in S Ireland. It was a little brighter and warmer in the SE of the UK, and parts of Scotland had sunny spells. The rain extended across SW and Cent S England during the evening. 15 mm of rain fell in the 12 hours ending 1800 GMT at Cork Airport. (Santon Downham 21.9C, Spadeadam 12.6C maximum, Redesdale Camp 1.7C minimum, Milford Haven 13.8 mm, Kirkwall 8.4 h.)

On the 14th outbreaks of rain moved NE'wards across much of the country overnight and at first. It was heaviest towards the SE of the UK and was slow to clear from E England during the day. Most other districts became rather drier but stayed quite cloudy; parts of the SW of the UK and northernmost districts were quite sunny. Ireland remained rather cloudy with frontal rain in the W. It was mostly rather cool, except locally in the sunnier spots. Cambridge railway station's entrance and ticket hall was flooded after heavy rain fell in a short period of time. Torrential rain left Tower Bridge and some London Tube lines flooded. (Gosport Fleetlands 23.8C, Pateley Bridge Ravens Nest 12.7C maximum, Kinbrace 6.8C minimum, Cambridge NIAB 51.6 mm, Aberporth 10.6 h.)

A slow-moving front over Ireland and W areas of the UK on the 15th led to a little rain here at times. Overnight there was some light rain in parts of NE England. During the day there was some sunshine over E and S Scotland. Most of England and Wales was dry with sunny spells. Temperatures were generally seasonable, but it was warm locally in S England. (Usk No.2 23.1C, Fair Isle 13.3C maximum, Shap 2.3C minimum, Durham 11.0 mm, Morecambe 10.6 h.)

On the 16th much of the country was fairly sunny and quite warm, after some overnight rain in areas of N Scotland. There was some rain in areas of Ireland during the day; rain spread into NW areas of UK later. (Heathrow and Shoeburyness 23.7C, Fair Isle 13.7C maximum, Katesbridge 4.2C minimum, Kinbrace 6.6 mm, Shoeburyness 10.4 h.)

On the 17th there was patchy rain in the SW of the UK, and outbreaks of rain moved from Ireland across much of Scotland during the afternoon and evening. Elsewhere it was mostly dry and quite warm with some sunshine. (Blackpool and Charlwood 22.3C, Fair Isle 14.2C maximum, South Newington 6.0C minimum, Killylane 15.8 mm, Leeming 8.4 h.)

On the 18th many places were dry and warm with some sunshine, but there were showery outbreaks in places, and parts of west Wales and the England/Scotland border area turned out quite wet. Rain spread from the W across Ireland overnight and into W Scotland later in the day. (Northolt 25.3C, Fair Isle 13.3C maximum, Braemar 3.2C minimum, Porthmadog 12.8 mm, Leuchars 9.9 h.)

On the 19th narrow bands of rain crossed from the west. There was thunder, and some torrential downpours, in parts of East Anglia and Kent - where it had previously been bright and warm - in the afternoon and evening. Brighter, drier weather spread slowly from the west during the day. Further W, the fronts were followed by showery conditions across Ireland during the day. Police said officers were called to a number of vehicle crashes in N Essex during a period of heavy rain. (Cavendish 22.6C, Fair Isle 13.6C maximum, Katesbridge 7.7C minimum, Andrewsfield 41.2 mm, Aberdaron 9.1 h.)

On the 20th there was some rain and rain showers overnight and during the day across Ireland due to slow-moving, decaying fronts. Elsewhere, there were a few patches of rain over East Anglia and W Scotland. Otherwise, after a foggy start in parts of Wales and NW England, many places were sunny. It was, though, cloudier in the SE of the UK. (Cardiff Bute Park 22.4C, Fair Isle 13.8C maximum, Braemar 0.2C minimum, Weybourne 23.2 mm, Almondsbury and Jersey 11.4 h.)

On the 21st it was relatively cool inland compared to coastal areas overnight. During the day high pressure resulted in it being mostly sunny and quite warm in the E and S, and cloudier and cooler in the NW of the UK and over Ireland. (Fyvie Castle 23.5C, Fair Isle 14.7C maximum, Shap 4.6C minimum, Achnagart 0.8 mm, Camborne 10.2 h.)

High pressure prevailed in S areas on the 22nd but rain spread into N and W Scotland overnight. It became slow-moving and falls were mainly slight during the day, in areas of Scotland and Ireland. Areas of E Ireland, E and S England were sunny during the day, after some early fog in places, with temperatures widely reaching 20C in these areas. Much of Wales and W England was rather cloudy. (Heathrow 23.0C, Loch Glascarnoch 12.9C maximum, South Newington 4.8C minimum, Achnagart 29.6 mm, Shoeburyness, Wittering 11.2 h.)

Many areas had a rather cloudy day on the 23rd, especially in W Scotland, N Ireland and SW England. There was overnight rain across Scotland (especially in the N), Ireland and NW England but during the day much of the rain across Scotland weakened, while another frontal system brought some falls to SW England. It was a warm day across East Anglia and Cent England. (Wellesbourne 23.5C, Lerwick 10.4C maximum, South Newington 6.5C minimum, Cassley 29.0 mm, Tibenham and Wattisham 10.6 h.)

Weak fronts lying across the British Isles on the 24th brought falls of rain, although mostly slight, to many areas with the heaviest falls being across the Northern Isles. There was some patchy fog in parts of S Britain by dawn. Minimum temperatures remained above 15C in a few coastal locations, and it was warm during the day in many Cent and E areas of England. Many areas close to the E coast of the UK had a sunny day with cloudier conditions further W. (Brize Norton 25.3C, Lerwick 12.9C maximum, Swyddffynnon 5.0C minimum, Baltasound 14.6 mm, Manston 11.4 h.)

The 25th was a rather cloudy day across the British Isles. Overnight temperatures remained above 15C across many areas of Ireland, Wales and England as a result although N Scotland was much cooler. There was a foggy start in some southern districts, while overnight minimum temperatures included 17.2C at Waddington and 17.1C at Crosby and Cranwell. Falls of rain, where they occurred during the day, were mostly slight. (Tibenham Airfield 23.9C maximum, Lerwick 14.6C maximum, Aboyne 3.0C minimum, Achnagart 9.2 mm, Jersey Airport 6.5 h.)

Early on the 26th about a dozen people were evacuated after properties were damaged by a lightning strike overnight. The strike on a property in St Brelade caused a large fire at about 0400 GMT. Nobody was hurt but a number of properties were damaged and residents were forced to flee to the parish hall. There was patchy fog at first in the south of the UK, whilst showery rain moved N'wards over areas east of the Greenwich Meridian, and also affected some NW districts. Much of E Scotland, England and Wales was then warm with sunny spells, but the more N'ly and W'ly regions slowly clouded over - as rain spread across Ireland and later much of Scotland and the most W'ly districts of England and Wales. There were also one or two more showers over East Anglia in the afternoon, with thunder briefly near Colchester. (Monks Wood 23.5C, Lerwick 13.9C maximum, North Wyke 8.2C minimum, Tyndrum 26.2 mm, Kirkwall 7.0 h.)

On the 27th rain and blustery winds associated with a pronounced cold front crossed the country overnight and at first, and was slow to clear NE Scotland. Most districts, though, became fairly sunny, with showers especially in the W, where there was also some thunder. It was mostly a few degrees cooler than of late. Freak winds, described as a "mini tornado" damaged houses and overturned vehicles in Humberston, near Cleethorpes, and in Thorngumbald, near Hull. (Hurn 18.9C, Wick Airport 10.1C maximum, Castlederg 6.4C minimum, Kinloss 38.8 mm, Aberdaron 8.8 h.)

The 28th was mostly cloudy and showery. A longer outbreak of sometimes heavy rain moved very slowly E'wards across S Ireland, Wales and England from late morning to late evening. There was thunder locally in the S and W of the UK. N Scotland had the best of the sunshine. It was mostly quite cool. (Coningsby 19.4C, Eskdalemuir 9.9C maximum, Redesdale Camp 3.2C minimum, Okehampton 39.8 mm, Kirkwall 8.8 h.)

On the 29th the frontal rainband continued its very slow progress into the North Sea during the early hours, with showers following it - although these were well scattered during the day when most places were quite sunny. There was isolated thunder - mainly overnight in the SW of England, but there was a (credible) sferic near Tunbridge Wells around 1600 GMT. It was rather cool, with some early air frost in N Scotland. (Isles of Scilly 17.0C, Dalwhinnie 10.5C maximum, Kinbrace -0.7C minimum, Myerscough 25.8 mm, Guernsey Airport 10.0 h.)

The 30th was mostly cloudy, rather cool and blustery with rain or drizzle at times the result of fronts associated with a deep area of low pressure between Scotland and Iceland. Parts of E Scotland had an early air frost, while the first ground frost of the season occurred as far S as parts of Cent S England. In parts of W Ireland overnight minimum temperatures remained above 13C. (Maison St Louis Observatory (Jersey) 18.4C, Lerwick 11.5C maximum, Aboyne -1.4C minimum, Capel Curig 45.6 mm, Jersey Airport 4.4 h.)

British Isles weather, October 2021

Into the 1st, overnight rain cleared into the North Sea, leaving sunny spells and some showers for most places; the showers were frequent and heavy over W Scotland, with thunder in places here in the afternoon. It was windy and chilly in the northwest, but temperatures were near normal in the SE of the UK. The best of the sunshine was to be found across Ireland and in W areas of Wales and England. (Santon Downham 19.0C, Tyndrum 9.5C maximum, Kinbrace -0.1C minimum, Achnagart 38.0 mm, Aberdaron 9.0 h.)

Complex areas of low pressure affected the British Isles on the 2nd. Overnight, rain affected most of Ireland. As it moved E'wards during the day if fell for several hours in most areas, while Ireland was showery and sunny. The rain did not reach Shetland until after dark. It was cold, except briefly in the warm sector late in the day in the extreme southeast (there was a low centre of 983 mb close to London at 1800 GMT), where it also became windy for a time. (Jersey Airport 18.3C, Dalwhinnie 8.3C maximum, Drumnadrochit 1.6C maximum, Milford Haven 39.2 mm, Shannon Airport 7.1 h.)

Low pressure moved slowly E'wards on the 3rd to the N of Scotland; at 0600 GMT the centre was located close to Shetland at 968 mb. After overnight rain in N Scotland, SE areas of the UK and over parts of Ireland, there were sunny spells and showers, with isolated thunder over England. A further area of prolonged, quite heavy, rain crossed N Scotland during the afternoon. It was breezy and, away from the SE UK, generally chilly after an early air frost in a few parts of Cent Scotland. (St James Park 18.2C, Dalwhinnie 9.5C maximum, Resallach -0.9C minimum, Kinlochewe 30.6 mm, Edinburgh Gogarbank 8.2 h.)

AS the low pressure centred pulled away N'wards from the Northern Isles, wind speeds dropped across the British Isles on the 4th. Areas of showers affected (mainly) areas of Ireland, S England and W Scotland overnight, soon becoming more widespread during the morning over the British Isles. There was thunder in a few parts of Cent England in the afternoon and near the SE England coast in the evening. A longer spell of often heavy rain spread eastwards across S Ireland in the afternoon and over S and Cent regions of the UK during the evening and night. It was rather cool, except in parts of the Channel Islands and E England. (Jersey Airport 18.3C, Libanus 11.2C maximum, Aboyne 2.3C minimum, Levens Hall 52.0 mm, Kirkwall 8.3 h.)

On the 5th bands of intense rainfall accompanied the rain area as it moved into SE districts of the UK during the early hours. Although it cleared slowly into the North Sea from here, it curled back into E and S Scotland and N England where it persisted for most of the day and was occasionally very heavy. There were brighter spells and some showers elsewhere. The rain was associated with a low centre over N Wales at 0000 GMT (995 mb) that moved slowly towards NE England by the evening. Flooding hit parts of London after heavy rain overnight, causing disruption on the roads and railways. Shops and offices in Knightsbridge were hit by a deluge, leaving some unable to open for work as motorists tried to navigate waterlogged roads. Two Tube lines and sections of the London Overground were closed. The downpours affected other parts of the UK, with part of the M23 in Sussex closed. Flooding caused major disruption on the Tyne and Wear Metro system with a number of services suspended and passengers advised to delay travel; Hilton Castle Primary School in Tyne and Wear was evacuated with parents told to collect their children due to flooding, but they would not be able to drive nearby. There were incidents at Kidwelly, Neath, Pyle, Porth and Kenfig Hill, according to South Wales Fire and Rescue Service; fire crews dealt with flooded roads and water in houses. (Shoreham 16.5C, Spadeadam 8.4C maximum, Altnaharra -0.8C minimum, Chillingham Barns 73.6 mm, Shannon Airport 9.2 h.)

Pressure rose slightly on the 6th and the British Isles lay under a weak ridge for a time. After some overnight rain in the N and E of the UK, most places were sunny for a time, although grey skies towards the coast from Norfolk to Kent. It clouded over in the W and N, with rain across Ireland in the morning moving E'wards during the afternoon and evening, principally across Northern Ireland, Scotland and the Lake District. Temperatures were well up to normal in many of the sunnier areas, but otherwise mostly rather below normal; Ireland was noticeably rather dull. (Gosport Fleetlands 18.4C, Fair Isle 10.5C maximum, Braemar 0.7C minimum, Fylingdales 27.4 mm, Reading University 9.7 h.)

The 7th was mostly cloudy away from a few coastal areas of E England; there was further rain over Scotland, Ireland, Wales and the Lake District, and a few patches of light rain or drizzle in S England. Temperatures were mostly above normal, and in a few localities sunnier interludes turned it warm. (Hawarden 21.8C, Baltasound 13.3C maximum, Baltasound 3.2C minimum, Dunstaffnage 33.0mm, Weybourne 7.1 h.)

Cloudy skies into the 8th led to a mild night across much of Ireland and in areas off E Scotland and NW England where overnight minimum temperatures remained above 15C; at Edinburgh Gogarbank the minimum was 16.4C. The day was mostly cloudy; there was rain in many northern areas, especially in N and W Scotland, and drizzle at times in the south. W Ireland saw some heavy falls of rain during the day after a wet night; Shannon Airport record 14 mm in the 12 hours ending 0600 GMT, with 41 mm at Valentia in the following 12 hours. There was patchy fog at first over Cent and E England. Temperatures were mostly above normal - with, again, the few brighter spots (chiefly over northern England) turning out warm. (Ryhill 21.7C, Little Rissington 14.2C maximum, Tain Range 8.1C minimum, Killowen 17.4 mm, Leconfield 8.4 h.)

Overnight into the 9th frontal rain was widespread across Ireland and W Scotland. It was a particularly mild night across Scotland with minimum temperatures overnight of 15.9C at Kinloss and 15.5C at Prestwick. Much of SE Britain was sunny and rather warm, after the rather slow clearance of fog from some localities. Two steadily weakening bands of rain drifted SE'wards across the rest of the country (gradually weakening from the S), with brighter/clearer weather following. By mid-evening, there was just a narrow, broken band of light rain from about Redcar to Plymouth. (Herstmonceux 21.1C, Fair Isle 13.3C maximum, Frittenden 3.6C minimum, Harris Quidnish 25.6 mm, Jersey Airport and Shoeburyness 9.7 h.)

On the 10th a few patches of mostly light rain continued SE'wards to clear the SE England coast during the afternoon. Sunnier weather followed, but there were showers over N and W Scotland. It was mostly rather cool in the north and rather warm in the south. Rising pressure reached 1035 mb over W Ireland by 1800 GMT. (Cardiff Bute Park 20.7C, Dalwhinnie 10.5C maximum, Aboyne 1.0C minimum, Cassley 10.4 mm, Cork Airport 9.7 h.)

High pressure persisted across the British Isles on the 11th. Frontal systems meant that N Scotland was cold and wet, and some rain affected E Scotland and NE England, especially near the coast. Many other districts were cloudy, but the more S'ly and SW'ly districts were fairly sunny though mostly a little on the cool side. (Pershore 18.0C, Baltasound 9.1C maximum, Swyddffynnon 1.6C minimum, Resallach 30.0 mm, Camborne 8.1 h.)

Despite continuing high pressure on the 12th (centre 1030 mb over SW Ireland at 1200 GMT), there was mostly a lot of cloud with brief sunny spells especially in the south. Frontal rain fell overnight in parts of Scotland, and patchy rain moved SW'wards across E and Cent England during the day. Temperatures were mostly not far from normal, while the best of the sunshine was across N areas of Scotland and in S England and the Channel Islands. (Cardiff Bute Park 18.3C, Fair Isle 9.5C maximum, Wick Airport 1.2C minimum, Altnahinch Filters 13.8 mm, Jersey Airport 7.3 h.)

On the 13th conditions were similar to those of recent days; fairly cloudy conditions continued, with some sunshine and mostly seasonable temperatures. In East Anglia the days began rather cold with a ground frost. A few places, mainly in N Scotland, had a little rain - whilst where the sun shone for any time (chiefly in the extreme SE and SW of the UK) it became quite warm. (Exeter Airport 18.7C, Dalwhinnie 11.3C maximum, Marham 0.1C minimum, Lerwick 6.6 mm, Camborne 10.0 h.)

On the 14th, rain, followed by showers, moved slowly SE'wards across Scotland, and eventually into Northern Ireland and N England. It was preceded by a lot of cloud, but there were sunny spells in S England, where it was quite warm; elsewhere, temperatures were mostly near normal. (Heathrow 19.3C, Spadeadam 11.2C maximum, Yeovilton 4.1C minimum, Kinlochewe 18.4 mm, Camborne 7.3 h.)

Although pressure remained high on the 15th, a S'ward-moving cold front gave some early rain across N Ireland and N England that spread slowly S, weakening all the time. Ahead of the front there was mist and fog in places across S England and S Ireland. There was a slight air frost in parts of Cent Scotland, while there were long sunny spells during the day over N and Cent England, S Scotland and E areas of Ireland. It was a warm day across S England but showery in areas of Ireland. (Cardinham 18.3C, Loch Glascarnoch 7.0C maximum, Tyndrum -1.1C minimum, Loftus 6.6 mm, Dundrennan and Morecambe 9.8 h.)

Areas close to the Scottish-English border had an air frost into the 16th with a ground frost as far S as the SE Midlands and East Anglia, while it was a mild night along the S coast of Ireland, England and in the Channel Islands. Overnight rain across W Scotland and Ireland became heavier and more widespread during the day. There were a few showers in parts of E and SE England while the best of the sunshine was largely confined to N and E Scotland, SW England and the Channel Islands. (Cardiff Bute Park 18.3C, Kielder Castle 7.4C maximum, Redesdale Camp -3.6C minimum, Dunstaffnage 13.2 mm, Guernsey Airport 7.4 h.)

Pressure remained low over Ireland on the 17th. The day dawned after a mild night across Ireland and S England and, following some heavy falls of rain across S Scotland and NW England. Rain across Cent Scotland moved away N'wards, weakening as it did so, during the day while rain over N England moved away SE'wards. The sunniest conditions were to be found in W Scotland, S Wales, SW England and the Channel Islands. It was a mild day everywhere due to the S'ly flow. (Cardiff Bute Park 19.5C, Lerwick 9.1C maximum, Baltasound 1.0C minimum, Eskdalemuir 25.0 mm, Guernsey Airport 7.6 h.)

A brisk but mild S'ly flow affected all areas on the 18th. Low pressure W of Ireland pushed an area of rain across Ireland before dawn, then E'wards across the UK during the day. 19 mm of rain fell at Valentia in the 12 hours ending 0600 GMT. Ahead of the rain it was a mild night in all areas except in and around Surrey; during the day it was mild everywhere with temperatures reaching 19C in parts of Ireland. Away from Ireland there was very little sunshine. (Gurteen 19.7C, Lerwick 11.2C maximum, Wisley 4.4C minimum, Plymouth 17.6 mm, Shannon Airport and Casement Aerodrome 2.6 h.)

The S'ly flow (rather blustery) continued into the 19th, although E'ward-moving cold fronts crossed Ireland during the morning, and W Wales and much of Scotland by early evening. It was very mild overnight with minimum temperatures above 15C across much of the Midlands, S England and the Channel Islands. 41 mm of rain fell at Belmullet in the 12 hours ending 0600 GMT with heavy rain across N Wales during the day. Ahead of the fronts it was a very warm day for mid-October with the best of the sunshine being in East Anglia and W Ireland; most other areas were rather dull. (Santon Downham 21.0C, Lerwick 12.3C maximum, Fyvie Castle 9.2C minimum, Dunstaffnage 45.2 mm, Jersey Airport 7.5 h.)

The 20th dawned after a mild night in most areas, especially in East Anglia, Cent S and SE England where temperatures remained above 15C in places. There was some heavy rain overnight in S Ireland, S Wales, East Anglia and S England. Rain and showers were widespread, and heavy in many places, across England and Wales during the day. Most other regions had showery spells. Away from N Scotland and N England there were sunny spells in most places. Four people were rescued from a bus stuck in floodwater and homes were flooded after heavy rain swept across Wales. Parts of the Midlands had two or three thundery showers during the day, while during the late afternoon and evening there was isolated thunder in SE England as heavy rain moved E'wards across S Britain. Flash flooding hit parts of Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire, Gorseinon, Swansea, and Neath. Firefighters rescued three young people and a man from a bus in Aberdulais, Neath Port Talbot at around 0800 GMT. Homes were also flooded in SW Wales following the heavy rain. Later in the day a tornado hit Widnes at about 1125 GMT; there were reports of walls being brought down and car windows being smashed by the winds. Four people had to be rescued from a car stuck in floodwater as heavy rain and wind caused disruption across the SW England. Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service received reports of people trapped inside a vehicle in St Kew, Cornwall, at about 1900 GMT. The driver and three passengers managed to get on to the roof of the car and were rescued using throw lines. Devon County Council's Highways Control dealt with over 80 incidents; these included flooding on Weycroft Bridge in Axminster, Station Road in Broadclyst and a number of fallen trees. There were gusts of up to 70 mph in the Channel Islands in the late evening. (Heathrow 19.1C, Baltasound 7.1C maximum, Katesbridge 3.5C minimum, Wiggonholt 52.0 mm, Brize Norton 6.1 h.)

SE'ward-moving low pressure centres and a cold front brought rain across E, SE and S areas of England into the 21st. The rain was heavy and accompanied by strong winds; it led to flooding of homes and businesses, and the closure of roads and rail lines across parts of SE England. The M23 was closed in both directions between Crawley and Pease Pottage for a while. No trains were running in the morning between Crowborough and Uckfield, and through Greenhithe following landslides. Parts of Cent and S Scotland had a slight air frost overnight. The rain cleared during the morning. N and W areas of the UK, and Ireland, had showers during the day in a brisk NW'ly flow; long sunny spells were also widespread in most areas. (Jersey Airport 13.7C, Lerwick 6.4C maximum, Aviemore -1.4C minimum, Charsfield 23.4 mm, Cork Airport 9.4 h.)

Pressure rose from the SW during the 22nd. It was a generally cool night, and a showery one across Scotland. The showers spread S into Ireland, Wales and England during the day although rainfall amounts were most light. The day was rather cloudy everywhere, but with sunny intervals. (Pershore 15.7C, Lerwick 7.5C maximum, Benson 0.9C minimum, West Freugh 6.4 mm, Leuchars 6.2 h.)

Weather on the 23rd was dominated by high pressure and S'ly winds, but a cold front brought rain across Ireland and into W Scotland and Wales later. 21 mm of rain fell at Valentia in the 12 hours ending 1800 GMT. It was a cloudy day in all areas only in the Channel Islands did the sunshine duration exceed 1.5 h during the day with most places remaining sunless. (Herstmonceux 15.5C, Tredegar Bryn Bach Park 9.6C maximum, Aboyne -3.1C minimum, Dunstaffnage 20.2 mm, Guernsey Airport 4.0 h.)

Rain across E Ireland and W areas of the UK at first on the 24th spread steadily E'wards during the day, followed by showery conditions from the W. Cloudy skies meant that minimum temperatures overnight remained above 10C in most areas while during the day temperatures reached 15C as far N as N Scotland. Most places saw some sunny spells during the day. (Chivenor 17.5C, Fylingdales 10.5C maximum, Alice Holt Lodge 7.0C minimum, Threave 38.4 mm, Casement Aerodrome 7.5 h.)

The 25th brought sunny spells but also showers, some of which were heavy. There was thunder, briefly, over NE Kent in mid-afternoon. Temperatures were not far from normal in the north, whilst it was quite mild in the south. (St James Park 17.7C, Dalwhinnie 7.9C maximum, Fyvie Castle 4.7C minimum, Achnagart 27.4 mm, Kinloss 7.0 h.)

On the 26th, although there was a little sunshine in coastal areas of East Anglia and in SE England, and locally to the NE of hills, most places were cloudy. Areas of rain crossed Northern Ireland and Scotland. Patchy rain affected England and Wales overnight, and there was still some light drizzly rain in places during the day. Temperatures were mostly above normal, but it was quite breezy. (Exeter Airport 17.7C, Fair Isle 12.3C maximum, Kielder Castle 2.1C minimum, Achnagart 73.4 mm, Manston 2.7 h.)

On the 27th N Scotland was mostly bright with a few showers. S Scotland, Ireland, N England and Snowdonia had outbreaks of rain. Further to the SE it was dry with some sunshine, especially in the extreme SE and over the Channel Islands. It was mild, but breezy. In 24 hours ending 0600 GMT on the 28th rainfall totals included 86 mm at Keswick, 78 mm at Eskdalemuir and 75 mm at Shap). Overnight minimum temperatures into the morning were widely 14-15C across Ireland, Wales and England. (Chillingham Barns 18.4C, Okehampton 12.7C maximum, Fyvie Castle 6.7C minimum, Shap 69.2 mm, Guernsey Airport 7.3 h.)

On the 28th rain cleared from SE Scotland and, for a time, N England, but it was mostly wet over Wales and SW England, and the rain returned to N England in the evening. A further area of rain moved into SW Scotland, but it was mostly dry with a little sunshine over N Scotland and SE Britain; it was sunny to the east of the Greenwich Meridian. Temperatures were mostly rather above normal. A major incident was declared in Hawick, amid fears that up to 500 properties could be affected by flooding, as torrential rain shut schools and caused travel disruption in the S and W of Scotland. A number of schools shut in Dumfries and Galloway as a result of flooding on surrounding roads, while a landslide led to the closure of the B725 near Bankend, about 10 km from Dumfries. Heavy rain hit Cumbria with some 40 homes flooded and road and rail travel disrupted. Some roads, including the A591 between Rydal and Grasmere and the A592 Patterdale Road, were flooded. Several properties in Dalbeattie were inundated while two footbridges in Annan collapsed as waters rose in the evening. The rail line between Carlisle and Dumfries was closed while Network Rail carried out safety checks on the Annan viaduct. In Wales the A499 road between Pwllheli and Llanbedrog has been closed due to flooding. At Honister Pass 362 mm of rain fell in 36 hours to 1230 GMT. (Santon Downham 17.3C, Loch Glascarnoch 11.0C maximum, Altnaharra 4.4C minimum, Eskdalemuir 84.8 mm, Manston 8.8 h.)

Many places had rain overnight into the 29th. During the day, the main area of rain cleared slowly NE'wards from Cent and N regions. Then it was mostly rather showery with some sunshine. The rainy NE areas were cold, elsewhere temperatures were mostly near or rather above normal, with the warmest weather around The Wash. A road was damaged by a landslide after heavy rain fell in parts of Wales; North Wales Police shut the route in Nefyn, Gwynedd, after severe weather conditions caused the slip at Lon Gam. In south Wales, the Severn rail tunnel between Wales and England was closed in the evening due to flooding. (Kew Gardens 16.5C, Dalwhinnie 7.5C maximum, Tain Range 3.2C minimum, Whitechurch 45.6 mm, Guernsey Airport 5.5 h.)

Into the 30th rain crossed from the W overnight and at first during the day. It was slow to clear NE areas of the UK districts, but most places had spells of sunshine, with showers chiefly in the west and south. Temperatures were mostly near or rather above normal. (Kew Gardens 15.8C, Killylane 8.6C maximum, Aboyne 1.9C minimum, Porthmadog 36.2 mm, Aberdaron 7.5 h.)

Two-thirds of the way through the season, the first autumnal gale brought many trees down over England and Wales on the 31st - perhaps as much due to localised squalls, rather than especially strong winds. Maximum gusts in the most exposed areas were of the order of 70 mph. Rain spread across the British Isles overnight and at first, followed by brighter, showery weather over S and Cent districts. Organised bands of showers affected N areas of England and Wales. There was hail in places (e.g. Surbiton) and isolated thunder. It was rather cold in the north but on the mild side in the south. The strong winds and an unconfirmed tornado brought down trees and caused travel disruption on roads and railways. Hundreds of people, many travelling to Scotland for the COP26 climate summit, were left waiting at Euston station after fallen trees caused all trains to be suspended. The disruption came as a result of damage to overhead electrical wires between Rugby and Milton Keynes on the West Coast Main Line. Unconfirmed tornado reports in Northamptonshire included reports at Althorp House and at a church in Finedon. (Kew Gardens 15.9C, Loch Glascarnoch 7.9C maximum, Fyvie Castle -1.0C minimum, Machrihanish 58.0 mm, Exeter Airport 5.9 h.)

British Isles weather, November 2021

An area of low pressure moved E'wards across N Scotland on the 1st (centre 969 mb over N Scotland at 0000 GMT). It was showery near windward coasts - and some way inland from them in places, especially over N England. The more sheltered areas, especially in the inland S, were quite sunny. Temperatures were well up to normal in the S, but it was rather cold in the N. (Heathrow 14.9C, Loch Glascarnoch 6.7C maximum, Fyvie Castle 2.8C minimum, Stonyhurst 47.0 mm, Wattisham 8.2 h.)

Light winds on the 2nd led to some fog patches in S and Cent England. After these cleared many places were quite sunny. There were some showers, more especially near and a little way inland from north-facing coasts. Temperatures were mostly not far from normal, after the first air frost of the season in parts of England and Wales. Many parts of England, Wales and S Ireland had long, sunny spells. (Gosport Fleetlands 15.0C, Loch Glascarnoch 7.5C maximum, Benson -1.8C minimum, Kinlochewe 21.2 mm, Wattisham 8.2 h.)

There was a N'ly flow across the British Isles on the 3rd. Showers affected N-facing coasts in the west and moved S'wards across eastern counties; ahead of the showers it was sunny in SE England, and there was some sunshine elsewhere, especially where there was shelter from the N'ly wind. It was a mainly sunny day across much of Ireland. It was rather cold, after some early frost and a few fog patches in parts of England and Wales. (Chivenor 12.9C, Dalwhinnie 6.3C maximum, Hurn -2.5C minimum, Aberdaron 27.6 mm, Cork Airport 7.9 h.)

Pressure rose slowly during the 4th from the W, reaching 1026 mb in W Ireland later in the day. A N'ly flow meant it was rather cold and fairly cloudy, with showers towards E and W coasts, and the best of the sunshine in the more sheltered areas. (Maison St Louis Observatory (Jersey) 12.0C, Balmoral 6.0C maximum, Bridgefoot -1.7C minimum, Fylingdales 21.2 mm, St Athan 8.3 h.)

Pressure was high across the British Isles on the 5th - around 1030 mb in SW Ireland at 1200 GMT. After an air frost in many areas of England and Wales, SE England was rather cold but sunny for some time; otherwise, it was cloudy and generally milder, and there were a few showers near W coasts. (Durham 14.1C, Benson 8.9C maximum, Benson -4.9C minimum, Resallach 15.0 mm, Shoeburyness 8.8 h.)

Low pressure to the N of Scotland on the 6th led to a breezy day across N areas of the British Isles. Bands of frontal rain weakened as they moved steadily SE'wards, with little or no rain when they reached SE England in the evening. Brighter/clearer weather followed, with showers in N Scotland. It was mild. (Drumnadrochit 15.3C, Lerwick 10.4C maximum, Benson 4.2C minimum, Cassley 48.8 mm, Camborne 2.2 h.)

The 7th was mostly quite sunny, but there were a few showers in N areas of the UK. Temperatures were not far from normal, and blustery winds in the N slowly eased. Earlier in the day winds gusted to 105 mph at Cairnwell. (Chivenor and Jersey 13.7C, Dalwhinnie 7.0C maximum, South Newington 3.4C minimum, Cassley 16.2 mm, Liscombe 6.5 h.)

Frontal rain crossed Ireland overnight into the 8th. During the day E England was sunny for some time. Otherwise, it was cloudy; rain spread across N and Cent regions, and there was the odd patch of light rain in S England. After a touch of air frost in places, temperatures rose to at least the normal, and in Ireland and in many W districts became mild, locally very mild. (Shannon Airport 17.1C, Fylingdales 9.6C maximum, Topcliffe -1.6C minimum, Achnagart 29.6 mm, Wattisham 5.3 h.)

A series of fronts crossed the British Isles on the 9th, although the resulting rainfall was generally slight. After a widespread mild night (minimum temperatures remained above 12C in much of S Ireland), the day was mild, locally very mild over Ireland, England and Wales, but fairly cloudy; there was some sunshine, especially over Northern Ireland, S and E Scotland and E England, and rain at times in the W and N. (Nantwich 17.6C, Dalwhinnie 9.7C maximum, Aboyne 2.4C minimum, Spadeadam 26.2 mm, Tibenham Airfield 6.1 h.)

Overnight into the 10th it was widely cloudy and mild. During the day there were some brighter areas, especially in areas of Scotland, but many places were cloudy. Showery outbreaks affected parts of NW Scotland, and in many areas of England and Wales where it was mild; temperatures were mostly seasonable in the north. (North Wyke 16.0C, Killylane 7.0C maximum, Balmoral -0.2C minimum, Cardinham 10.6 mm, Boulmer 4.8 h.)

An area of low pressure approached W Ireland during the 11th, with MSL pressure down to 997.8 mb at Belmullet by 2400 GMT. Overnight there was some patchy rain in NW Scotland with mist and fog patches in areas of Ireland, Wales and England. During the day there was some sunshine in the E and S of the UK, whilst heavier rain spread slowly into Ireland and into N and W areas of Britain. It was mostly quite mild. (Kew Gardens 16.1C, Baltasound 7.2C maximum, Kinbrace 1.5C minimum, Lough Fea 10.6 mm, Guernsey Airport 8.0 h)

The low centre moved from NW of Ireland across N Scotland during the 12th. Areas of rain and showers crossed all areas, although rainfall amounts were small over many areas of England away from N England. It was mostly cloudy and mild. (Teddington Bushy Park 15.9C, Loch Glascarnoch 9.0C maximum, Baltasound 4.4C minimum, Tyndrum 40.2 mm, St Athan 3.3 h.)

The 13th was mostly cloudy and quite mild. During the day there was a little rain in NW areas of Ireland and Scotland, a few showers over Norfolk and Suffolk and the odd patch of drizzle elsewhere. A few places had a little sunshine, and a small area of central Britain was sunny. (Chivenor 14.6C, Loch Glascarnoch 9.2C maximum, Dalwhinnie 1.6C minimum, Harris Quidnish 5.8 mm, Morecambe 8.0 h.)

The 14th was cloudy in most areas; there were some showers, mostly light and chiefly in the SE of the UK, whilst frontal rain spread slowly to in W areas of Ireland and Scotland. Parts of southwest and northwest England were quite sunny. After an early air frost in parts of E Scotland, it was mostly rather mild, locally very mild in N Scotland and Ireland. (Shannon Airport 17.7C, Strathallan 8.1C maximum, Braemar -1.7C minimum, Tiree 12.8 mm, Hawarden 7.4 h.)

Early on the 15th there were a few fog patches under clear skies from Lincolnshire to Devon at first. It was mostly quite bright over Scotland and Northern Ireland, but cloudy elsewhere, although there were a few brighter areas. A dying, narrow belt of slight rain edged SE'wards overnight across Ireland and Scotland, and during the day across central regions, and there was a little rain again later in the far NW of Scotland. Fog reformed in the evening in some places where skies were clear, chiefly over the Midlands and West Country. (Holbeach 14.4C, Fylingdales 8.1C maximum, Rostherne 1.4C minimum, Resallach 11.8 mm, Kirkwall 5.3 h.)

Into the 16th there was an air frost in parts of Cent S England, although in many areas it was mild night. Fog patches over the Midlands and West Country cleared during the morning. There was a little rain along a weakening font over Cent England at first, with another area of heavier rain affecting W and N Scotland and W Ireland in the morning. This affected most of Scotland later and spread into Wales and N England by the evening. Away from parts of East Anglia and the Home Counties it was a cloudy day although daytime temperatures were mostly above normal. (Jersey Airport 14.6C, Dalwhinnie 8.5C maximum, South Farnborough -1.1C minimum, Achnagart 21.6 mm, Wattisham 4.6 h.)

There was a little rain across S England into the 17th due to a SE'wards moving front, followed by some mist in places. The day was largely dry, although there were a few showers across parts of Ireland, Scotland and N England. It was a cool night in many areas, albeit without much air frost while temperatures during the day were slightly above average. There were some sunny spells over much of England, Wales and E Scotland. (Jersey Airport 13.8C, Baltasound 7.1C maximum, Aboyne 0.1C minimum, Kinlochewe 12.4 mm, Shoeburyness 6.9 h.)

Overnight into the 18th there was some frontal rain across W and N Scotland and across Ireland; most falls were slight, and it was a mild night over Ireland. Mace Head reported an overnight minimum temperature of 12.1C, while places in Cent S England and the S Midlands had a ground frost. As the front moved away SE'wards it continued to weaken, and any daytime rainfall amounts were slight. Heavy rain continued to affect NW Scotland during the day, while the best of the sunshine was to be found over SE England and East Anglia. It was particularly mild in parts of E Scotland and NE England. (Dyce 16.3C, Tredegar Bryn Bach Park 10.6C maximum, Frittenden 0.6C minimum, Altnaharra 12 mm, Manston 5.8 h.)

High pressure continued to dominate on the 19th; MSL pressure was 1032 mb over the Channel Islands at 1200 GMT. However, a slow-moving front over N Scotland gave some persistent and heavy rain in places here overnight and during the day, along with windy conditions. After a mild night in most areas, a rather cloudy day followed in most places. The best of the sunshine was over parts of E England and E Scotland, where it was also rather mild in an offshore flow. (Dyce 16.8C, Okehampton 9.7C maximum, Cavendish 5.7C minimum, Aultbea 20 mm, Boulmer and Tibenham Airfield 5.8 h.)

A cold front pushed S'wards on the 20th, crossing all but the extreme S of England by the end of the day, and introducing colder air from the N. It was a rather cloudy day in most areas although, away from N areas of Scotland, rainfall amounts were mostly light. Many S areas of the UK had only a few spots of drizzle. Across N areas of the UK the frontal rain was followed by showery conditions. (Durham and Leeming 13.7C, Loch Glascarnoch 7.7C maximum, Wainfleet 4.4C minimum, Aultbea 25 mm, Boulmer 3.7 h.)

The cold front cleared S England before dawn on the 21st, with a N'ly flow then affecting all areas during the day as pressure remained high to the W of the British Isles. There was a slight air frost in parts of Scotland overnight. There were outbreaks of rain and blustery showers across Scotland overnight with showers falling on N-facing coastal areas of the British Isles during the day. W Ireland, SW England, S Wales and the Channel Islands reached 10C during the day; elsewhere it was a cold day relative to recent dates, despite prolonged sunshine in many areas from S Scotland S'wards. (Mace Head 10.8C, Balmoral 4.4C maximum, Bridgefoot -1.3C minimum, Fyvie Castle 12.2 mm, Casement Aerodrome and Cork Airport 7.5 h.)

The 22nd dawned after a widespread inland air frost across much of Scotland, Ireland and Wales and a widespread ground frost elsewhere. Overnight showers affected many E areas of the UK, and also areas adjacent to the E end of the England Channel. During the day there were a few further showers over the English Channel, which reached the Channel Islands, and on N-facing coasts across N and E areas of the UK. It was cool day away from the coasts, despite prolonged sunshine over much of England, Wales and Ireland. N and Cent Scotland was generally dull. (Porthmadog 11.3C, Spadeadam 4.2C maximum, Benson -4.8C minimum, Manston 6.8 mm, Shannon Airport 7.9 h.)

High pressure dominated the weather on the 23rd; MSL pressure at 1200 GMT was 1037 mb near Mace Head. The day was mainly dry except for a few showers over N and NW Scotland during the night and at times during the day. Air frost was widespread in many areas of Cent Ireland, Wales and England although locations close to the sea remained above freezing. After widespread mist at first across England, there was some sunshine in E and S areas of the UK, and also across S Ireland, but many W districts of the UK had a dull day. (Scolton Country Park 11.7C, Llysdinam 4.1C maximum, Sennybridge -3.8C minimum, Resallach 6.6 mm, Tibenham Airfield and Weybourne 7.4 h.)

Into the 24th a cold front brought some rainfall to W Ireland, and to W and N Scotland. There was some mist and fog across S and E areas of England by dawn, with some air frost SE of a line The Wash-Portland. During the day the frontal rain spread slowly SE'wards to reach SW England, Wales and the West Midlands by late evening, with mist forming ahead of it across England by midnight. It was rather cold and showery (with snow over the hills) over W and N Scotland. Ahead of the front much of England had a cloudy, cool day. (Mumbles Head 11.1C, Lentran 4.8C maximum, Writtle -2.4C minimum, Achnagart 19.4 mm, Shannon Airport 3.4 h.)

Air pressure fell during the 25th as a depression moved towards N Scotland; at 1800 GMT MSL pressure was down to 1001.6 mb at Baltasound while Valentia reported 1025.4 mb. There was a scattered, mainly slight, air frost in many areas overnight with some showers across N Scotland. Another area of patchy rain associated with a cold front cleared SE England during the morning. Further rain and showers fell across Scotland, Ireland and W areas of Britain during the day; the showers fell as snow at times over high ground in Scotland and across N Scotland. Once early cloud had cleared most of England had a sunny day. (Scolton Country Park 9.8C, Braemar 2.6C maximum, Levens Hall -4.4C minimum, Kinlochewe 17.2 mm, Wisley 7.4 h.)

The low pressure centre of Storm Arwen moved over the N of the North Sea by 0600 GMT on the 26th, with MSL pressure down to 982.1 mb at Lerwick by then. By 1800 GMT the centre (977 mb) was located to the E of Edinburgh on the Greenwich Meridian. Falls of frontal rain were widespread during the day, moving rapidly SE'wards. Into the evening wind speeds increased across E Scotland and NE England with damaging gusts in many places. It was a cold day in E areas of the UK as a result of the N'ly flow, but it was milder towards the W. It was generally cloudy across N and Cent Scotland, but there were some sunny intervals elsewhere. As the temperatures fell with the passing of the fronts, wintry showers became widespread across Scotland and on higher ground in N England with sleet reported as far S as Bedford into the evening. Increasing wind gusts led to most sailings across the Irish Sea being cancelled. A head teacher died after a tree fell onto his car in Antrim; another man was hit by a falling tree in Cumbria and one person died in Aberdeenshire. In Scotland, 80,000 people lost power. Gusts reached speeds of 98 mph at Brizlee Wood in Northumberland. LNER advised customers not to travel until Monday as it stopped trains running beyond Newcastle in the evening. ScotRail also withdrew services between Aberdeen, Perth and Inverness on Friday and there was disruption on other lines; some passengers were stuck in north-east Scotland after trees blocked the line. The strong winds extended southwards during the evening and overnight. (Isles of Scilly 11.7C, Dalwhinnie 1.6C maximum, Topcliffe -1.8C minimum, Aboyne 32.4 mm, Glasgow 6.0 h.)

Gusts overnight into the 27th resulting from Storm Arwen affected a wide swathe of the UK. At about 0230 GMT 120 lorries became stuck in snow near Rochdale on the M62 after one of them jack-knifed. Over 300,000 homes in Scotland and N England began the day without power and some remained without power into December. Periods of snow fell across Scotland, N and E England overnight and during the day; snow depths reported by 1500 GMT included 5 cm at Loch Glascarnoch and 4 cm at Spadeadam. Elsewhere, away from high ground, falls were mostly of rain and drizzle, with the best of any sunshine being found across Ireland and in W areas of the UK. The day was generally cold and windy; there was thunder over parts of N England during the early hours, off Thanet in mid-morning and on the North Yorkshire coast in the late afternoon. (Cromer 8.5C, Dalwhinnie -0.2C maximum, Dalwhinnie -1.3C minimum, Bainbridge 31.8 mm, Eskdalemuir 6.1 h.)

Into the 28th there was a widespread inland air frost over Britain, away from SW England. A N'ly flow led to falls of snow in many areas of the UK, with lying snow as far S as Berkshire and Hampshire by early evening. There was some rain and drizzle in W areas of the British Isles. Although temperatures failed to rise above 0C during the day in parts of N England and S Scotland, it was relatively mild over the W half of Ireland with maxima over 10C. It was sunny at first across the S half of England, but dull over Ireland and with sunny intervals elsewhere. A few centimetres of snow accumulated over parts of NW England and the Midlands (11 cm at Leek at 2100 GMT). (Sherkin Island and Valentia 11.5C, Warcop -0.9C maximum, Shap -6.4C minimum, Bridlington 14.6 mm, Shoeburyness 6.6 h.)

Overnight into the 29th a warm front led to some rainfall across Ireland and N and W areas of Scotland. Elsewhere there was a widespread moderate, locally severe, air frost, although in Valentia the overnight minimum temperature was a mild 9.5C. Rain moved across Scotland during the morning with wintry falls over high ground. It was fairly sunny in the SE of the UK, before mostly cloudy weather spread from other districts. Patchy rain - affecting mainly northern regions where it was preceded by snow in places - moved in from the NW. It was cold, locally very cold, ahead of the rain, but turned milder in the N and W, and most of the snow melted rapidly. (Sherkin Island 11.8C, Levens Hall 1.0C maximum, Shap -8.7C minimum, Achnagart 14.2 mm, Wattisham 6.6 h.)

On the 30th it was mostly cloudy with patchy rain, especially in the N; there was snow in parts of N Scotland. Heavier rain (and snow in the N) spread across N regions of the UK during the afternoon and evening, and a band of rain moved across Ireland during the day and then into England and Wales after dark. Away from N Scotland it was mild. (Nantwich 14.2C, Lerwick 2.8C maximum, Lerwick 0.0C minimum, Port Ellen 23.8 mm, Cork Airport 2.5 h.)

British Isles weather, December 2021

Low pressure over the North Sea on the 1st drew bands of rain and showers S'wards across most areas in a N'ly flow, with the showers being persistent across N Scotland. The showers fell as snow in parts of Scotland and N England. After a relatively mild night across the S half of the British Isles - the overnight minimum temperature was 10.2C at Jersey Airport - temperatures rose little during the day as it turned colder from the N. (St Helier 11.1C, Lerwick 1.6C maximum, Lerwick -0.1C minimum, Capel Curig 39.4 mm, Cork Airport 5.9 h.)

The N'ly flow on the 2nd turned W'ly later across Ireland as frontal rain reached here and W Scotland during the afternoon and evening. Away from the coasts an early air frost was widespread over Britain, reaching as far S as Cent S England. Rain and showers continued to affect N Scotland and E coastal areas of Britain with overnight wintry falls as far S as Hampshire; there was a covering of snow for a while in places. During the day snow again fell over high ground in Scotland and N England. It was a cold day in most areas, except across W Ireland, despite it being a sunny day across much of England and Wales. (Belmullet, Mace Head and Valentia 10.6C, Warcop 0.8C maximum, Tulloch Bridge -5.7C minimum, Bridlington 13.0 mm, Wisley 7.2 h.)

Frontal rain (accompanied by snow in places) soon cleared E areas of Britain on the 3rd, to be followed by cloudy skies and misty conditions across many parts of England and Wales during the day. Further frontal rain pushed E'wards to affect S Britain and the Channel Islands in the afternoon and evening, associated with a wave depression located over Cornwall at 1800 GMT. Rain and showers also continued to affect N Scotland during the day with snow over high ground. It was generally cloudy and dull except across E Scotland. (Isles of Scilly 12.6C, Eskdalemuir 5.2C maximum, Hurn -3.5C minimum, Culdrose 28.4 mm, Dyce 5.0 h.)

An area of low pressure moved SE'wards from N Scotland over the North Sea on the 4th. It was a mild night across S England and the Channel Islands while rain moved E'wards across much of the British Isles overnight, followed by showers across Ireland. There were some wintry falls across Scotland during the morning and in parts of N England and the Midlands during the day. It was a cloudy day across Scotland with further areas of rain that also spread into N England along with some snow in E Scotland. There were sunny spells elsewhere across much of England and Wales once early rain had cleared - although further rain and showers affected Ireland and, later, S Wales and SW England. (Jersey Airport 10.4C, Dalwhinnie 2.8C maximum, Santon Downham -1.0C minimum, Stonyhurst 33.2 mm, Lyneham and Odiham 6.2 h.)

There was widespread rain across E and Cent areas of England into the 5th due to S'wards-moving fronts from a depression over the North Sea. Less cloud led to a cool night across Ireland where there was a ground frost in places. Further rain and drizzle affected E areas of Britain during the day, but it was largely dry across much of mainland Scotland and Ireland. It was a mostly sunny day over SW Scotland, Ireland, W Wales and SW England - however, in the evening rain spread across much of Ireland from the W. (Valentia 10.1C, Balmoral 2.9C maximum, Prestwick -1.4C minimum, Chillingham Barns 31.2 mm, Liscombe 7.3 h.)

Overnight into the 6th frontal rain spread from the W across Ireland, much of Scotland, SW England and W Wales. This turned to snow in parts of N Scotland. Elsewhere, it was a cloudy night with some mist and fog in the E half of England and a slight frost in some areas. During the day rain affected E areas of the UK, slowly moving away E'wards; there were also some falls of snow in parts of N and E England and East Anglia. Precipitation in W areas of the British Isles was more showery in nature; it was cloudy in E areas but there were some sunny intervals across Ireland, Wales and in parts of W England. There was isolated thunder in the west, especially western Scotland. (Exeter Airport 11.8C, Fylingdales 2.5C maximum, Braemar -6.6C minimum, Tyndrum 17.0 mm, Cork Airport 4.4 h.)

Pressure fell rapidly across W areas on the 7th as storm Barra approached W Ireland; it deepened rapidly and then moved across Northern Ireland by the end of the evening. MSL pressure readings at Belmullet included 1000.7 mb at 0000 GMT, 978.4 mb at 0600 GMT, 960.7 mb at 1200 GMT, 971.6 mb at 1800 GMT and 981.1mb at 2400 GMT. Parts of Scotland, N England and Ireland suffered wind damage as a result. Areas of rain, followed by showers, affected all areas during the day with the rain turning to snow across parts of Ireland and Scotland in particular. It felt cold due to the windy conditions, widespread cloud and a general lack of sunshine. Some schools in Dumfries and Galloway were forced to close because of the weather; Stranraer Academy was shut after the wind caused structural damage to the roof, the council said, and Drummore School closed after trees were blown down. The West Coast Main Line was shut for a time near Lockerbie after a fallen tree damaged overhead lines. Dorset Council said South Walks House council building in Dorchester was damaged by the weather in the afternoon. Train operator LNER warned passengers speed restrictions would be in place for part of its route through the North East and Scotland, with alterations to a number of services. Further south, with strong winds and heavy rain forecast across the South Western Railway network, a blanket 50 mph speed restriction was imposed in areas expected to be worst affected, amid concerns about trees or other debris being blown on to the tracks. Ferries to and from the Isle of Wight were also cancelled. North West Ambulance Service said a man and woman were taken to hospital when a tree reportedly fell on them at Fitz Park in Keswick, Cumbria. In Manchester, an indoor ski centre closed after its roof was partly ripped off due to strong winds. The storm caused TV signals from the temporary Bilsdale mast in North Yorkshire to cut out for almost an hour, before it was restored at 1450 GMT; Operator Arqiva said the storm meant "ice formed quickly" and as a result, a safety measure to protect antennae on the temporary mast was tripped, which then caused the loss of service. ESB Networks said on Tuesday morning, approximately 59,000 customers were without electricity, while 26,000 customers across Donegal, Cork, Wexford and Kerry have been issued with a boil water notice because of the storm, meaning drinking water from the public mains is considered not safe unless it is boiled and cooled beforehand. There was also a red warning, the Republic's highest level, for storm force winds off the north-west coast, between Erris Head to Malin Head. The rough weather caused widespread disruption across Ireland, with hundreds of homes and businesses going without power for a time in Northern Ireland. The region's strongest recorded gust was 76 mph at Orlock, County Down. On the north coast, 70 mph gusts were recorded at Magilligan, County Londonderry. Sherkin Island recorded a wind gust of 84 mph and a mean wind speed of 69 mph, just shy of its all-time station record of 70 mph on 12 February 2014. (Isles of Scilly 11.5C, Loch Glascarnoch 2.5C maximum, Aboyne -3.8C minimum, Port Ellen 41.8 mm, Camborne 1.4 h.)

The 8th storm Barra moved E'wards across Scotland; was fairly cloudy with showery outbreaks in many places (with very isolated thunder), but there were drier and brighter interludes. Temperatures were mostly seasonable, and the strong winds eased slowly. It was a rather cloudy day in most inland areas. (Herstmonceux 9.5C, Balmoral 3.3C maximum, Drumnadrochit 0.2C minimum, Llysdinam 52.0 mm, Cork Airport 5.1 h.)

On the 9th, after overnight rain in places, especially over N Wales, the N Midlands and Lincolnshire, E and Cent districts of the UK were bright and dry for much of the day. There was an overnight air frost in Cent and N Scotland. However, rain across Ireland spread across the UK during the afternoon and evening. It was rather cold in the N and E, but quite mild in the S - especially the SW - and over S Ireland. It was a rather cloudy day across Ireland. (Valentia and Isles of Scilly 12.0C, Dalwhinnie 3.4c maximum, Altnaharra -4.7C minimum, Nottingham 14.2 mm, Wisley 4.6 h.)

Rain cleared slowly E'wards overnight into the 10th, then many places were quite sunny, with some showers in the W and N. Except in SW areas of the UK, it was mostly rather cold. (Isles of Scilly 10.1C, Aviemore 2.5C maximum, Drumnadrochit -2.4C minimum, Marham 15.8 mm, Odiham 6.4 h.)

A frontal system associated with a deep depression SW of Iceland on the 11th spread frontal rain across most areas during the day, with temperatures rising from the SW as a result. It was a cloudy day in all areas. (Valentia 13.5C, Strathallan 4.7C maximum, Topcliffe -4.3C minimum, Dundrennan 21.8 mm, Tibenham Airfield 0.7 h.)

The 12th was mostly cloudy and mild or very mild; there was some rain or drizzle, especially in the NW, associated with a N'wards-moving warm front. There were a few brighter areas, mainly in E England. (Hawarden 14.7C, Resallach 7.1C maximum, Aboyne -0.7C minimum, Capel Curig 15.6 mm, Waddington 4.5 h.)

On the 13th England and Wales were mostly cloudy, with some drizzle in the S and spells of heavier rain in the N and W. Further N, it was brighter, but NW Scotland was showery. Temperatures were on the cool side across Ireland, near normal in the N of the UK, whilst it was mild in the S of the UK. (Coningsby 13.1C, Killylane 4.7C maximum, Spadeadam 2.1C minimum, Whitechurch 21.6 mm, Kinloss 4.0 h.)

A generally SW'ly flow persisted in all areas on the 14th. It was mostly cloudy, although there were a few brighter areas. There was a little rain in places, with some heavier rain in W Scotland, especially the far NW of the UK. It was mostly mild, after a touch of air frost in parts of NE Ireland and in some Cent and N districts of Britain. It was sunny in places around the Thames Estuary and from the Isle of Man through Cent Ireland. (Hereford 14.6C, Fylingdales 6.7C maximum, Castlederg -2.2C minimum, Kinlochewe 37.2 mm, Shannon Airport 6.8 h.)

MSL pressure rose to above 1032 mb across S England by the evening of the 15th. The day was mostly cloudy and mild, locally very mild; there was some rain in N and NW Scotland. There were some brighter spots, notably over the N half of England and in Cent Ireland. (Hawarden 14.0C, Spadeadam 8.3C maximum, Topcliffe 3.9C minimum, Achnagart 32.2 mm, Waddington 6.3 h.)

On the 16th much of the British Isles was cloudy and mild, and there was a little rain in N and Cent Scotland. However, skies were clearer over E and NE England overnight, leading to fog and a touch of frost in places; some of the patches of fog were slow to clear and reformed in the evening. Despite this, many place here - and in W Cornwall - had a sunny day. (Bude 13.2C, Topcliffe 7.8C maximum, Topcliffe -0.7C minimum, Achnagart 5.8 mm, Tibenham Airfield 6.8 h.)

High pressure dominated the weather on the 17th with a central pressure of 1043 mb in the second half of the day close to the coast of NE England. It was rather less mild today; there was an early air frost in parts of SE Scotland, NE England and East Anglia. Most of the W and S of the UK was cloudy, but much of Cent Ireland, NE England and E Scotland was quite sunny. There was, however, fog and frost at first in some of these E districts, and in a few places the fog was quite persistent. There were also areas of drizzle, especially over East Anglia. (Loftus 11.5C, Balmoral 0.7C maximum, Topcliffe -4.9C minimum, Wattisham 1.0 mm, Boulmer 6.1 h.)

High pressure remained dominant over the British Isles on the 18th. Overnight, air frost was widespread across E and S Scotland and in N England close to the Scottish border. Some W and NW districts of the UK were sunny and mild, whilst there were areas of persistent fog and some drizzle, especially in the E. Otherwise it was cloudy with seasonable temperatures. Cairnwell, a 3000 ft mountain south of Braemar, reported a dry bulb temperature of 14.1C and dew point of 13.2C at 1500 GMT - quite plausible above the inversion. (Gogerddan 12.8C, Balmoral -0.5C maximum, Aboyne -6.3C minimum, Tibenham Airfield 1.0 mm, Guernsey Airport 7.3 h.)

On the 19th the high pressure slipped away to the N of the British Isles. There was widespread persistent, and often thick, fog, though some of the more S'ly and N'ly regions were clear of it. Parts of W Wales were sunny and very mild for a few hours - before turning foggy in the evening. Many inland areas of Scotland, N England and N Wales had an overnight air frost. It was also sunny and quite mild in some other W districts of the UK. Many places were frosty at first, although cloud cover kept frost away from southern counties. Fog at Heysham port (Lancashire) meant sailings today and yesterday were unable to dock and had to return to Douglas (Isle of Man). (Whitechurch 15.1C, Dalwhinnie 0.0C maximum, Braemar -9.1C minimum, Durham 1.2 mm, Aberporth 7.0 h.)

The 20th was mostly cloudy with temperatures near or rather below normal, after some overnight frost - which persisted all day in parts of Scotland. Fog in areas of E England cleared fairly readily, but there were a few persistent patches in Scotland. (Isles of Scilly 10.7C, Aviemore -1.4C maximum, Braemar -5.5C minimum, Stornoway 1.8 mm, Aberdaron 1.4 h.)

Under high pressure, the 21st was mostly cloudy, dry and rather cold; parts of Scotland had sunshine - but also persistent frost. There were just a few brighter areas elsewhere - notably the Channel Islands - and there was some rain across N areas of Shetland. (Valentia 9.8C, Balmoral -5.2C maximum, Braemar -9.3C minimum, Baltasound 4.0 mm, Jersey Airport 6.1.h.)

Frontal cloud and precipitation spread across Ireland into the 22nd - and then into many E areas of the UK during the day. Away from W areas, the UK had a widespread inland air frost at first. There was some snow in the N of Scotland, but NE Scotland was dry until the evening and SE England largely dry throughout, with a little sunshine. (Valentia 12.5C, Aboyne -0.9C maximum, Braemar -10.2C minimum, Killowen 27.2 mm, Manston 3.3h.)

Into the 23rd there was patchy rain overnight, but also frost and a few fog patches in parts of the N and E of the UK. NE Scotland and SE England were then mostly dry, but rain or drizzle moved NE'wards across most other areas; snow fell in some N areas, but it became much milder, and later drier, over S and Cent regions. There was some hill and coastal fog in the SW of the UK. (Exeter Airport 13.7C, Balmoral 1.5C maximum, Aboyne -0.9C minimum, Machrihanish 22.8 mm, Shannon Airport 3.9 h.)

The 24th was a rather cloudy day due to several frontal systems that affected the British Isles. Many places had patchy rain or drizzle; more prolonged rain moved slowly NE'wards over S and Cent England, Wales and Ireland. It was mostly on the mild side, except over N Scotland (where snow fell in places). (Isles of Scilly 12.2C, Balmoral 1.1C maximum, Aboyne -0.5C minimum, Achnagart 17.2 mm, Shannon Airport 2.5 h.)

On the 25th the rain area ground to a halt overnight across East Anglia, the Midlands and NW England - with a few patches of rain elsewhere, although skies were clearer over parts of N and E Scotland and NE England leading to some frost. The rain petered out during the morning; most of the British Isles was cloudy, but there was some sunshine in the N and E, especially N Scotland. Another rain area followed slowly from the SW during the day. Many places were rather cold (with some snow in the north), but it was mild in parts of the SW of England. (Isles of Scilly 12.3C, Lentran 0.3c maximum, Drumnadrochit -4.1C minimum, Liscombe 40.4 mm, Kirkwall 4.1 h.)

On the 26th the slow-moving frontal boundary across the SE of England during the early hours led to the unusual occurrence of London being a degree colder throughout that period than places not far to the southwest (e.g. St James's Park compared to Claygate). There was plenty of rain in the vicinity of the front (and some thunder around dawn in the Reading area), as it edged slowly NE'wards across the country; snow fell in parts of the N, where there had earlier been some frost. Once again, the rain slowly petered out - though some showers followed - but there was little change in the temperature distribution, with only the S and SW mild (with a little sunshine). There was also some fog, especially in the evening in the S of the UK. Parts of the NE of England and Cumbria woke up to snow as others braved the sea for the Boxing Day dip. The trans-Pennine A66 was closed between Brough and Scotch Corner, North Yorkshire, due to heavy snowfall but it reopened after ploughs were deployed. Earlier, in Consett, County Durham, 1,600 homes and businesses lost power. (Swanage 13.2C, Pateley Bridge Ravens Nest 1.9C maximum, Baltasound -3.3C minimum, Ballypatrick Forest 34.0 mm, Cork Airport 5.1.h.)

Normality returned overnight into the 27th with St James's Park 5 degC warmer than Claygate. Further bands of rain crossed S Britain, where it was mild, and there were a few patches of rain over Cent and N regions, where temperatures were mostly not far from normal. The Radwell bridge over the River Great Ouse, near Bedford, was unpassable due to flooding and three other bridges in Bedfordshire were being monitored. River levels were expected to remain high in Buckinghamshire, Essex, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. There was an alert in place for the River Tove in Northamptonshire, from Towcester to Cosgrove, near Milton Keynes, and also along the River Rhee in Cambridgeshire, from Guilden Morden, near the border with Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, to Haslingfield, near Cambridge. In Essex, heavy rainfall affected Middle River Roding, particularly around Loughton and Abridge. (Chivenor 13.6C, Balmoral 2.3C maximum, Tain Range -4.5C minimum, Stornoway 13.4 mm, Aviemore 2.1 h.)

Into the 28th outbreaks of rain crossed most places from the west overnight and at first - especially England and Wales where it was also windy for a time. Most places became dry and a little brighter during the day - before more rain spread from the SW at night. NE Scotland was clear and frosty overnight, and stayed cold with a sharp frost quickly returning in the evening, but most of the country - especially the south - was mild. (Maison St Louis Observatory 12.5C, Resallach -0.3C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch -5.6C minimum, Morpeth Cockle Park 18.6 mm, Tiree 4.4 h.)

On the 29th rain spread NE'wards overnight and at first. Drier weather followed during the day, although there were still a few patches of drizzly rain in the S and W. Most places became very mild, although after a sharp frost it took until the evening for this in N Scotland (where snow fell in places earlier). (Exeter Airport 15.7C, Cranwell 6.9C maximum, Kinbrace -6.6C minimum, Port Ellen 24.8 mm, Cork Airport 3.5 h.)

On the 30th areas of rain crossed most W and N districts, with particularly large totals over the Welsh and Lakeland hills. SE Britain and most of E Scotland were largely dry. It was mild or very mild, but breezy. Overnight minimum temperatures included 13.6C at Exeter Airport and 13.2C at Chivenor. (Santon Downham 15.7C, Lerwick 8.9C maximum, Rochdale 5.1C minimum, Capel Curig 90.2 mm, Charterhall 2.1 h.)

On the 31st, after outbreaks of rain in many places overnight, there was some further rain during the day in the W and N, but the SE of the UK was mostly dry. A few districts, chiefly in East Anglia and the Midlands, had sunny spells. It was mostly mild or very mild, but temperatures were nearer normal over N Scotland. Overnight minimum temperatures were near 13C widely over England and Wales. By 0900 GMT on the 1st 16.5C was reached at Bala in Wales; the previous record for New Year's Eve was 14.8C in Colwyn Bay, Wales, in 2011. (Nantwich 15.8C, Fyvie Castle 6.3C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch 0.7C minimum, Capel Curig 35.4 mm, Reading University 3.5 h.)


Last updated 3 January 2022.