With the influence of the anticyclone decliing gradually in the W on the 2nd, there was a noticeable change in the weather in W parts. The day dawned with clear skies except in SW England, SW Wales and S Ireland. Under the clear skies there was also widespread freezing fog in E, Central and NE England around dawn, which cleared as the wind rose. As the cloud spread E into W Britain during the day, temperatures rose across Ireland and in the extreme W areas of Britain, although with a freshening SE wind it continued to feel cool in many places. It remained particularly cold in pats of Yorkshire where the fog lingered all day, and there was again disruption to the sports fixtures across Scotland. During the evening air frost again became widespread in the clear, E half of England and SE Scotland. (Falmouth 9C, Leeming -4C max, Fyvie Castle -14C min, St Marys 2mm, Folkestone 7.5h.)
There was rain in W Wales, Ireland S Scotland and Cornwall by dawn on the 3rd, accompanied by strong winds. Many other W areas started the day cloudy, while in NE Scotland 18 roads remained closed as a result of the recent snow, with 2m drifts in places. Blowing snow was reported from NE Scotland also. Mainly light rain fell at times over Ireland and in some W parts of Britain, while E and SE England remained mainly clear, and colder than in the W. (Valley 10C, Strathallan -1C max, Strathallan -10C min, St Angelo 6mm, Folkestone 6.4h.)
Cloud and rain in the W on the 4th continued to make only slow progress E during the day. It was very cold around dawn in E England, the Midlands and SE Scotland, while Ireland, SW England and much of Scotland had a cloudy start. Rainfall amounts across Ireland, W Scotland and in SW England were small. During the evening cloud spread across most of Britain, apart from E Scotland, accompanied by a rise in temperature in many areas and the formation of fog as lying snow and frost began to dissipate. At Newchapel, near Stoke-on-Trent, it was the coldest day in nearly 9 years of records, with a wind chill down to -22C. (St Marys 12C, Newchapel (Staffs) -4C max, Shepshed -11C min, St Angelo 1mm, Central London 6.7h.)
The front finally made headway on the 5th, moving SE across much of England and Wales by late evening. Early rain and cloud cleared across much of Ireland overnight, and the following fog patches generally cleared by midday. Much of England and Wales had a damp, foggy day, with mist and fog persisting under low cloud as the snow and ice melted. An exception was the N part of England, which brightened up after early cloud had cleared. Scotland and Ireland had a day of sunny spells. (St Marys 12C, Leeming 3C max, Redesdale -8C min, Cork 15mm, Kinloss 4.6h.)
The cloudy and foggy conditions continued into the 6th in S parts of Wales, Ireland and England. Further N the day dawned with less cloud, but with fog and frost in places. The cloud became more extensive during the day, and there was light rain and drizzle in places with the mist and fog persisting all day in some parts of S Britain. Offshore of Dover, two ferries collided in thick fog during the morning. The best of the sunshine was in the Channel Islands. (Culdrose 12C, Leeming -5C, Trawscoed 3mm, Guernsey 5.2h.)
Cloud and mist persisted across much of England throughout the 7th, with early fog in many places that persisted all day in some Cent. areas. The cloud also produced some light rain and drizzle in places, but amounts were small. Over Ireland and Scotland the cloud was more broken, with warmer temperatures than in the S. (Ballykelly 11C, Church Fenton -1C, Eskdalemuir 1mm, Fishguard 5.2h.)
The 8th had a rather cloudy start across the British Isles, with MSL pressure as high as 1033mb in East Anglia. Clear skies in E Scotland led to a sharp air frost in places there. Much of England had a misty/foggy/drizzly start and these mainly grey conditions persisted throughout the day, with only slight visibility improvements; in many parts of S England the temperature remained below 4C all day. Breaks in the cloud over coastal areas of scotland from mtime to time led to the best of then sunshine here. (Altnaharra 10C, Aboyne -4C, Aultbea 8mm, Leuchars 3.9h.)
Mainly cloudy conditions returned again overnight and into the 9th, albeit with a few temporary breaks in the cloud cover in places. There were early mist and fog patches inland over parts of England, E and S Scotland, along with some light rain and drizzle in some areas, notably in the S half of the British Isles. During the morning and through the remainder of the day an area of patchy rain moved E to affect S England and the Channel Islands - hail and thunder were reported in Torquay.. Away from W Scotland it remained misty all day in many areas. (Barra 10C, Shoeburyness -3C, Plymouth 7mm, Hunstanton 5.8h.)
The 10th dawned rather cloudy in most areas again, but the were breaks in the cloud across Scotland, Cornwall and NW England. Mist and fog was widespread across England and Ireland - it remained misty in many parts all day with fog persisting in areas of Yorkshire. E Scotland and SW England had a day with sunny spells, while rain in S England moved NE to affect E England and East Anglia. Brief spells of thunder were reported from East Berkshire shortly before dawn. and in Cornwall during late afternoon. During the evening rain also affected parts of N Ireland and W Scotland. (Penzance 10C, Redesdale -6C, St Catherines Point 12mm, Falmouth 7.8h.)
The 11th dawned with overnight rain persisting in W parts of the British Isles, and with fog patches in many parts of England. These thinned to mist in most areas during the morning, and a clearance in the cloud across S England (S of the River Thames) led to a sunny day here. Rain in W Scotland persisted for most of the day, and rain also moved E across Scotland and Northern England into the East Midlands during the afternoon and evening. Mild conditions moved across Ireland from the W, also affecting Cornwall and W Scotland. (Shannon and Falmouth 13C, Middle Wallop 2C max, Aboyne -5C min, Dundrennan 10mm, Exmouth 7.4h.)
It was cloudy overnight into the 12th in most areas, although a gradual clearance developed over much of Wales, the Midlands, S and SW England. Fog formed again in Cent. S England and in parts of NE England. Mild air in the W made gradual progress E during the day, extending to much of Scotl;and, NW England, W wales and SW england by midnight. Early rain in E England soon cleared, but rain in W and N Scotland corninued during the morning. During the afternoon further rain spread across Ireland and into SW England. (Aultbea 13C, Redhill -4C, Sella Ness 9mm, Hunstanton 5.1h.)
The 13th began cloudy in most areas, with rain over Ireland and SW England that pushed E across England and Scotland later in the day; the rain became more patchy as it spread E. The passage of the rain brought a clearance of the skies over Ireland, Scotland and Wales during the afternoon and evening, before more cloud spread to Ireland in the evening. (Kilkenny 14C, Leuchars 1C, Keswick 11mm, Guernsey 3.2h.)
The 14th was a cloudy day across Britain, although there was a partial clearance of the cloud over Ireland and W Scotland during the afternoon and into the evening. Overnight rain in W Scotland and Ireland spread SE during the day, becoming slow-moving across the SE corner of England during the evening. There were gusts to 50kn across parts of Scotland as the rain passed. A mild W airflow meant little in the way of ground frost early in the day, and it remained mild even in the showery airstream in the W, after the rain had passed. (Hillsborough, Dublin and Kilkenny 13C, Credenhill 1C, Capel Curig 22mm, Tiree 0.9h.)
The 15th began cloudy across much of England and Wales, and largely clear over Scotland and Ireland. Bands of rain over England and Wales soon cleared to the E, rapidly fading in intensity as they did so. Some sleet was reported from Chester on the back edge of the rain, and the Clwyd hills in N Wales then had a covering of snow above about 250m. Showers of rain and hail over W Scotland and W Ireland were followed by a more general area of rain that moved E across N Scotland during the afternoon. Much of SE Scotland and Ireland had a sunny day, conditions that spread to all parts of Wales and England later in the day. (Penzance 13C, Fyvie Castle 0C, Altnaharra 13mm, Falmouth 6.6h.)
An area of rain pushed E across Ireland and W Scotland overnight, to affect Wales and W England by dawn on the 16th. The E corner of Britain was still largely clear at dawn, leading to a widespread ground frost here. The rain area became mighter and more patchy as the day progressed, spreading slowly E and introducing milder W air4rflow to all areas during the day. During the evening another belt of heavier rain affected Ireland and SW Scotland, while lighter rain and drizzle continued to fall in parts of S England. (Penzance 13C, Redhill -4C, Lusa 12mm, Cromer 4.8h.)
The rain continued to make progress SE/E during the early hours of the 17th and by dawn extended through W Britain and much of Wales, with showers falling in the clearance over Ireland. The rain continued to move SE progress during the day, clearing Kent during the early evening. Clear skies and showers, accompanied by colder air, spread to much of Ireland and Scotland during the morning, and to the remainder of Britain by the evening; the showers gradually became confined to coastal areas of the NW. (Penzance 12C, Loch Glascarnoch 2C, Shap Fell 32mm, Belfast 5.7h.)
Mainly clear skies overnight led to an air frost in many places on the 18th, while thick fog formed across Cent. S England. By dawn the next band of cloud and rain had spread to W Ireland, with the W winds backing to S. By midday the rain covered much of Ireland and W Scotland, although E Scotland and most of England and Wales had a sunny morning. This rain and cloud spread rapidly across much of Britain by midnight, with heavy falls in places and accompanied by gusts to 50kn in N Scotland. Showers followed on W coasts in the clearance behind the rain. (Penzance 11C, Redhill -4C, Machrihanish 14mm, Herne Bay 4.4h.)
Despite the presence of only a little cloud overnight, the 19th dawned with no air frost at low levels. Showers fell overnight in Ireland, N and W Britain. These spread to parts of S England during the day, and became quite widespread across Scotland. Thunder was reported across W Ireland and parts of SW Scotland during the early morning, and across S England during the afternoon. After a mild day, more general cloud and rain spread E to affect Ireland and W Scotland by midnight, with Belmullet reporting 70kn gusts at 2400GMT. Sea swell reached 27 feet at the Sevenstones Lightship (off Land's End). (St Marys and Valentia 12C, Fyvie Castle 1C, Loch Glascarnoch 22mm, Herne Bay 6.5h.)
Rain moved E across the British isles on the 20th, introducing very mild Sw airflow to all areas. The rain was heavy and thundery across Cent. Scotland around dawn and strong gusts were widespread, with 72kn reported at Belmullet and 50kn gusts across much of Scotland. At 1200GMT lerwick was reporting MSL pressure down to 976.9mb. The rain turned to showers over Scotland during the afternoon. (Hawarden 14.7C, Aboyne 2C, Sloy 55mm, Aberdeen 4.3h.)
The 21st was another very mild day over much of the British Isles, with a widespread area of rain over W Britain making slow progress E during the day. There were again some heavy falls across Scotland, and strong gusts across n parts. Away from the Channel Islands it was generally cloudy, although there was a clearance across SE England during the evening. (Hawarden 14C, Sella Ness 3C, Lusa 39mm, Jersey St. Louis 6.9h.)
The 22nd dawned cloudy over much of Britain, although some clear araes were to be found over Ireland, Wales and NE Scotland. Minimum temperatures were generally mild for mid-January. Early rain over England soon broke up to leave rain showers in W areas of the British Isles, and more general rain in NW Ireland and W Scotland around dawn. This rain spread E across Scotland during the morning accompanied by gusts to 40kn in places, and followed by showers later in the day. Two days of near continuous heavy rain in the Kyle of Sutherland - 18 miles north of Loch Glascarnoch - led to rivers roaring down from the mountains around Glascarnoch and ground totally saturated. Much of E and N England had a sunny day, before more cloud and rain pushed into SW England and S ireland in the afternoon, before extending across much of Ireland, Wales, S and cent. England by midnight. (Falmouth 12C, Baltasound 3C, Loch Glascarnoch 35mm, Manchester 6.0h.)
The 23rd dawned without low temperatures at sea level, except in the far N of Scotland. Elsewhere generally cloudy conditions were accompanied by a large area of rain over Ireland and England that moved N to affect Scotland around dawn. Rain continued to fall, on and off and heavy in places, across the British Isles for most of the day with a blustery wind in all areas. The rain turned showery across Ireland during the afternoon. With a complex area of low pressure dominating conditions, winds gusted to 50-55kn from the Channel islands to N Scotland, while MSL pressure fell to 972.7mb at Belmullet at 1500GMT. Showers were accompanied by thunder in SW Ireland during the morning. (Guernsey 13C, Baltasound -1C, Valentia 43mm, Southsea 3.6h.)
A generally cloudy start to the 24th meant little in the way of early frost. Overnight rain in E Scotland moved E, while showers in W Britain gradually weakened. By midday showers in N Scotland, and over high ground in Cent. Scotland, were falling as snow; 1cm snow cover was reported from Lerwick, Aviemore and Glenlivet. Much of England remained generally cloudy during the day, but there was a clearance across S Scotland, NW England and N Wales later in the day. During the afternoon winds swung round to the E across S Ireland, ahead of further rain that pushed into SW Ireland in the evening, before spreading to much of S Ireland by midnight. Pressure rose 41mb in 32 hours up to 23GMt at Dun Laoghaire. (Guernsey 13C, Loch Glascarnoch -1C, Leuchars 19mm, Glasgow 4.7h.)
Cloud over W Ireland after midnight on the 25th spread E and N before dawn to cover much of S Britain. Thereafter, most of the British Isles had a cloudy day. Rain spread NE from W Ireland, turning to snow over many northern areas with several centimetres in places, before turning back to rain in most places. The rain was heavy across Northern Ireland during mid-morning, and by early afternoon had spread across most of the British Isles. There were reports of snow falling across much of N Britain by mid-afternoon, with some heavy falls across Scotland. 1 cm snow cover reported at Aberdeen, Glenlivet, Lybster, Carterhouse and Saughall. Between 10 and 15cm of snow fell across the Scotland causing severe disruption to several major routes. The worst affected area was Inverness, where high winds compounded the problems, with drivers stuck and tailbacks reported on many roads. After a cold start under partial cloud in the E and across Scotland, temperatures rose as the rain arrived, with readings still above 8C by midnight across England, Wales and Ireland. Later in the evening a clearance from the W across Ireland occurred as the rain gave way to showers, which were thundery in SW Ireland. At Penzance 8mm in fell 10 minutes as the cold front went through, ahead of these showers. (Torquay, Birr and Dublin 13C, Loch Glascarnoch -8C, Capel Curig 30mm, Norwich 0.4h.)
The 26th was another cloudy day in most places, with a fast-moving low tracking from NW of Ireland across Scotland during the afternoon. There were widespread thundery showers across Ireland during the morning, with some sferics reported from NW England and thunder from SW Wales. A tornado damaged up to 100 homes in Alsager near Crewe at 0730GMT. Shocked eyewitnesses in Alsager say a "wall of water" carved a pathway 20 yards wide through a housing estate in the Close Lane area. Rain affected S England for much of the day as a wave depression passed NE through the area, bringing strong gusts, including Alderney 61kn, Culdrose and Solent MRSC 62kn. Residents in Southampton narrowly escaped when a tree was brought crashing towards their flats. And in Cornwall two police officers braved fast-flowing icy water to rescue a pregnant woman and a seven-month-old baby stranded inside a car. Bands of rain and showers affected Cent. and N Britain and MSL pressure fell to 977mb at Tiree at 1500GMT. (Guernsey 13C, Lerwick 0C, Lerwick 41mm, Isle of Man 2.9h.)
The 27th was another wet and blustery day in most areas. Early rain across S Ireland and S England pushed N throughout the day, accompanied by 50kn gusts, introducing milder air to the British Isles. by midnight temperatures of 12-13C prevailed across S England. The rain was heavy in places, leading to the issuing of floodwarnings in parts of England and Wales. An observer at Porthtowan (Cornwall) reported large numbers of maggots have fallen in the rain in the past 24 hours; all the pools and water barrels were crawling with them. (Hawarden 15C, Altnaharra -3C, Eastbourne 31mm, Lerwick 2.5h.)
Weather on the 28th was dominated by a deep, but filling, low that moved NE just to the N of Scotland, before passing over the Northern Isles. Thje day began with lines of blustery showers moved SE across the British Isles accompanied by gales around the N coasts and gusts to 60kn in places around Scotland. Across Ireland, and into S wales and W Scotland these showers were thundery in places. Winds strengthened during the morning (86kn gusts at Malin Head at 1000GMT) with rain crossing over Scotland during late mkorning and into the afternoon. By the evening rain was confined to an area of S Scotland and N England; temperatures to the S were mild (10C across parts of England) but were lower over N and Cent. Scotland. MSL pressure fell to 963.9mb at Stornoway by 0900GMT before starting to rise. The rise in pressure during the afternoon was rapid in places, with three-hour rise of 15mb at Kinloss, 17.5mb at Stornoway, 18.4mb at Loch Glascarnoch and 18.7mb at Benbecula reported at 1600GMT. Other strong low-level wind gusts included 72kn at Tiree, Barra 70kn, South Uist 67kn, Newcastle Airport 66kn, Dundee 65kn, Mumbles 64kn, Machrihanish and Teeside Airport 63kn, Leuchars and Abbotsinch 62kn, Turnhouse and Boulmer 61kn, while an unofficial site at Abersoch reported 83kn gusts. Seven people were reported killed as a result of the storm. Thousands of people weren left without power and there there was widespread disruption for travellers, with trains, ferries and flights cancelled. Several people died as a result of lorries being blown over. Railtrack has suspended all its train services in Scotland, with the exception of the Glasgow to Stirling line and routes in the north. Winds of 120mph were recorded on the top of Ben Nevis, in the Scottish Highlands. Scottish Hydro-Electric said 40000 homes were left without power, mainly in the Western Isles, Argyll and Tayside. A driver was injured when a tree struck a GNER train at the Stanley junction between Pitlochry and Perth. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency issued 11 flood warnings across the country. Across Northern Ireland 35,000 customers suffered power cuts at variouss times. In County Donegal, more than 1,000 homes lost power and more people have been cut off in the west of the country. (Falmouth 14C, Fuvie castle 3C, Loch Glascarnoch 44mm, Falmouth 8.8h.)
Overnight and into the 29th rain moved from Northern England into Southern Scotland and Northern England. These outbreaks continued to move N and affected Scotland until the late afternoon. To the N of the rain, after a widespread air frost, snow was reported from parts of Cent. and NE Scotland. Further S clearer skies gaave way to cloudy conditions with light rain and drizzle in many parts across England and Wales, while there were rain showers across Ireland. Showers during the afternoon across NW Ireland and W Scotland were thundery at times. It was quite mild for the time of year across much of England, Wales and Ireland. During the day, the death toll from the previous days storms rose to eight. (Guernsey 15C, Loch Glascarnoch -5C, Eskdalemuir 20mm, Scarborough 4.8h.)
Despite a mainly clear start to the day over much of N Britain on the 30th, there were no particularly low overnight temperatures. Bands of cloud and rain moved E across Ireland, Wales and England during the day, followed by blustery showers. Scotland remained much brighter with scattered showers. Sferics were reported across S Ireland in the afternoon, and later in SW England. (Gravesend 15C, Baltasound 1C, Capel Curig 30mm, Herne Bay 4.6h.)
Bands of rain and showers continued to progress E across Britain in the small hours of the 31st, with most areas otherwise having a mainly clear night. Further W cloud and rain spread into Ireland to become widespread there by dawn - this rain then moved into E Scotland, Wales and SW England by mid afternoon, with heavy falls in some parts of Scotland and Wales. The rain continued to move E, finally clearing NE Scotland and SE England during late evening. Ahead of the rain E and SE coast areas England had a sunny day, while gusts to 50kn accompanied the rain in parts of England. Showers fell behind the rain over Ireland and other W areas, with a general clearance of the cloud except in W Ireland by midnight. (Guernsey 13C, Fyvie Castle -1C, Capel Curig 40mm, Southsea 6.1h.)
Thundery activity continued over Ireland and Scotland at times, into the afternoon of the 2nd, with bands of showers continuing to affect W Britain throughout the day. England and Wales had a mainly cloudy night, with high minimum temperatures being reported. At Cheltenham the temperature never fell lower than 11.0C, making it the warmest February night in 20 years at one station there. The boundary between cooler conditions to the W and the mild air in the SE was marked during the day by some heavy falls of rain in Wales and SW England. It was another blustery day in all areas, although slightly less so than on the 1st, with gusts mainly less than 50kn. Later in the evening there was a general clearance of cloud and precipitation over Scotland, NW Wales and N parts of Ireland. By late afternoon flood warnings were still in place on rivers across NE Wales. Firefighters were called to a flooded home at Dinas Dinlle near Caernarfon, while at one point in the morning Crickhowell was nearly cut off by flooding. High winds forced the closure of the Dyfi Bridge at Machynlleth, mid Wales and the old Severn Bridge in south Wales. A 30mph speed limit and lane restrictions were place on the Second Severn Crossing. Railway services between Porthmadog and Pwllheli were cancelled. And there were no trains between Carmarthen and Llanelli after flood damage to the track at Burry Port. (Linton-on-Ouse 15C, Loch Glascarnoch 3C, Capel Curig 47mm, Folkestone 7.6h.)
Thunderstorms occurred in the early hours of the 3rd over the Western Isles and in NW Scotland associated with a trough. There was rain overnight across many parts of England and Wales with temperatures remaining around 10C across Cent England. SW Ireland saw heavy rain before dawn, followed by a fall in temperature (2C at Valentia at 0900GMT) with snow and sleet reported later in the morning at Valentia and Connaught. An area of low pressure moved N from Ireland during the morning, into Scotland; the snow area moved N (with around 8cm of snow falling in Co Fermanagh leading to poor driving conditions) with slightly milder air pushing N behind the snow. The rain and snow followed the low N into Scotland, followed there by showers later in the evening. Dublin airport cancelled all flights for a while during the morning after a Delta airlines plane was blown onto the grass verge as it touched down. After the morning rain cleared, Wales, N and Cent England had a mainly dry day. During the afternoon rain crossed E through S England, with heavy falls in parts of the Home Counties and thunder in the SE during the evening. Peak gusts that accompnaied the morning low in the NW included 54kn at Valley and 55kn at Ronaldsway, while Dublin reported 54kn at 1200GMT. 15 families had to leave their homes when a road collapsed onto the A465 at Clydach Gorge near Abergavenny. The Environment Agency Wales issued a severe flood warning for the River Wye at Monmouth with around nine other flood alerts still in place. (Southend 13C, Glenane 0C, Capel Curig 30mm, Prestatyn 6.1h.)
Rain continued in S England into the early hours of the 4th, with showers over W area of the British Isles. E Britain had a mainly clear start to the day, with a frost in parts of E Scotland. A large area of rain pushed E into W Ireland before dawn, and this then made rapid progress across the British Isles during the day, clearing all but SE England and the Channel islands by early evening. Falls were heavy over Wales and SW England, and more patchy across Scotland. There were gales along English Channel coasts and gusts over 60kn reported, with 61kn at Plymouth and 69kn at Alderney. Further bands of rain affected first Ireland, and later N Britain, during the afternoon and evening - these falls were also heavy in places. Yet another pulse of rain moved NE in the evening, affecting the Channel Islands and S England, while cloud cleared during the evening across much of Ireland, Wales and N England. There were new flood warnings for Wales, with two severe flood warnings on the River Wye at Monmouth and on the River Monnow. Around 20 families were evacuated from their mobile homes in Monmouth as the River Wye burst its banks, flooding three streets. In the south Wales Valleys, Torfaen council issued 700 sandbags to residents at Ponthir and Llanyrafon along the River Afon Llwyd where it was most at risk of flooding. Valley Lines brought in a bus to replace its rail service between Fernhill and Aberdare due to flooding on the line in the Cwmbach area. A number of schools in south Wales were been shut due to flooding and storm damage. (Chivenor 13C, Aboyne -2C, Capel Curig 36mm, Lerwick 3.8h.)
S England and NW Britain remained cloiudy into the 5th, with clearer skies in between. Rain in S England moved E before dawn; elsewhere cloud soon developed as bands of rain and showers moved generally E across the British isles during the day. A band of heavy showers with hail and thunder affected S Ireland during the morning, before moving E to affect S England in the afternoon. Thundery showers were also reported from NW England and W Scotland in the morning. One hour of sunshine today at Eskdalemuir followed 11 consecutive days with no sun. The showers persisted into the evening over N Britain, although the evening saw a clearance of the cloud over much of Cent and S England, and over East Anglia. During the day the final severe flood warning was lifted from the River Monnow, although 34 flood warnings remained by late afternoon. The death toll in Britain from a week of gales and flooding has reached 12. (Northolt 13C, Aviemore 1C, Baltasound 24mm, Kinloss 6.7h.)
Clearing skies led to an air frost on the 6th in parts of N Scotland, while showers continued overnight across S Scotland and in W Britain. Hail was reported from W Ireland. During the morning there were further showers in Scotland N England. These gradually became scattered throughout the day, and confined mainly to W coastal areas in the W to NW airflow. The evening saw a general clearance of the cloud, which became confined mainly to parts of E England (giving some light rain here), before further cloud spread E into Ireland by midnight. (Penzance 12C, Altnaharra -4C, Capel Curig 11mm, Falmouth 8.9h.)
This band of cloud, and rain, pushed across Ireland early on the 7th and then across much of England and Wales during the morning and afternoon, becoming confined to S England during the evening. Some sleet and snow was reported over high ground of N England for a while during the morning. The rain was followed by showers, and showers also affected parts of Scotland during the day. Temperatures rose across Ireland and S Britain, remaining around 9-10C by midnight. (Dun Laoghaire, Kilkenny and Colwyn Bay 14C, Hurn -3C, St Bees Head 18mm, Kinloss 5.4h.)
With a mild W airflow across the British Isles on the 8th there wewre no low overnight temperatures, despite clear skies across N Britain overnight. A band of frontal rain that pushed E across Ireland before dawn, was one of several that crossed the British Isles during the day, giving heavy falls across parts of N wales and N England. Showers followed the rain across Ireland later in the day, before a general clearance spread E to much of S Scotland and N England by midnight. Sferics accompanied some of the showers over Ireoland during the evening. Minimum temperatures in S England early in the day were around 10C, and temperatures then climbe4d to 13C across much of S England later in the day. (Dun Laoghaire and Bristol 15C, Fyvie Castle 2C, Capel Curig 42mm, Guernsey 2.7h.)
Minimum temperatures remained in the range 9-11C across much of cent and S England on the 9th, and there were no air frosts at low level over Scotland either. There were outbreaks of rain over Scotland and N England overnight. The rain cleared to the S during the morning, followed by showers. which were widespead and heavy in some W areas. The showers were thundery over Ireland and Wales from late morning onwards, and accomapnied by strong winds. Gusts to 60kn occurred in NW England and around coastal parts of Wales. (Guernsey 13C, Aviemore 2C, Eskdalemuir 26mm, Hunstanton 6.0h.)
Overnight showers cleared except in W Scotland and parts of N England. Elsewhere, the 10th dawned mainly dry, although rain soon spread into Ireland by mid-morning before spreading across remaining parts of Britain during the day. Falls were again heavy across Wales and in N England, but consisted of light rain and drizzle only, in parts of SE England (where there were sunny spells before the rain arrived). (Torquay 13C, Tulloch Bridge and Aviemore 1C, Capel Curig 54mm, Hunstanton 4.8h.)
Cloudy skies into the 11th were accompanined by widespread rain in Scotland, N and SW England and Wales. This swept E as a broad band across England and Wales during the day, clearing SE England during the afternoon. The rain was followed by a clearance in the cloud and then by bands of showers. These showers were mixed with thundery activity that was widespread over Ireland and W Scotland during the afternoon and into the evening. Across the Northern Isles snow and 50kn gusrts were reported, with 1cm of lying snow at Lerwick. Three severe flood warnings were by early afternoon, with the River Wharfe in west Yorkshire under the highest alert at two places - Ilkley and Otley; the third severe warning was for Llansantffraid to Shrawardine on the Wales-Shropshire border. More than 96 flood warnings were in place across the UK after heavy rain overnight. At Carlton-in-Coverdale the rainfall during the first ten days of the month amounted to 164.1mm which is 155% of the monthly mean. (Donna Nook 15C, Baltasound -2C, Capel Curig 73mm, Prestatyn 7.2h.)
Rain continued to fall on the 12th across Cent Scotland, with showery conditions across Ireland around dawn. During the afternoon and into the evening another rain area moved E along the English Channel, affecting S England and the Channel Islands. Further N, as the rain bacame confined to E Scotland, much of britain had a mainly bright day. The effects of the recent rains in the W continued to be felt over N and W England. Part of Shrewsbury was closed to traffic as the River Severn continued to rise. In Yorkshire, householders were bracing themselves with the River Ouse threatening to reach 4.5m above its normal level. West Country rail services were affected by a flooded tunnel. (Margate 15C, Altnaharra -1C, Tulloch Bridge 25mm, Scarborough 8.1h.)
Rain continued to affect the Channel Islands until mid-morning on the 13th. Further N, the rain across E Scotland moved slowly into N England before dissipating, with only showers later affecting Cent and S England later in the day. There was a reports of thunder over Berkshire during the early evening, associated with these showers. To the N of the rain area colder conditions prevailed across Scotland, with snow showers over the higher mountains there. Elsewhere, across Ireland and N Britain there was a gradual clearance of the cloud as pressure rose, reaching 1035mb over NW Ireland by midnight. (Great Malvern 12C, Kinbrace -2C, Jersey 9mm, Isle of Man 8.4h.)
The 14th was a dry day across the British Isles with pressure rising to 1036mb across S Ireland. A clear start to the day meant a widespread air frost across Scotland, N England and inland parts of Ireland. Frontal cloud then spread to N and NW parts during the morning, with rain moving into NW Scotland in the afternoon and later affecting NW Ireland and E Scotland before dissipating. (Lee-on-Solent 10C, Loch Glascarnoch -6C, Aultbea 7mm, Falmouth 9.7h.)
With an anticyclone centred to the SW of Ireland on the 15th, clear skies overnight over S and Cent England led to a frosty start here. Ireland and S Scotland dawned cloudy, with light rain falling from this cloud soon dissipating. Cloud spread to Cent England during the day, while there was some rain across Cent and N Scotland later in the day. MSL pressure rose to 1038.6mb at Valentia at 1200GMT, the high pressure giving a mainly sunny day to the extreme S of England. (Cardiff 13C, Benson -6C, Kirkwall 6mm, Falmouth 9.7h.)
High pressure persisted throughout the 16th across the British Isles. Clear skies led to a frosty start across S Wales and S England, while further N the day began generally cloudy. Fog was widespread across S England during the morning. Showers fell in NW Scotland in the morning, while N Scotland was affected by light during the afternoon. Much of the British Isles had a cloudy day, with fog persisting in parts of the S Midlands, while S England and east Anglia saw the cloud clearing and prolonged sunny spells. (Lee-on-Solent 13C, Pembrey Sands -4C, Lusa 6mm, Falmouth 9.8h.)
Most of the British Isles had a cloudy start to the 17th; a cold front across N Scotland produced early morning rain here, which moved S followed by showers to the N. Fog was again widespread across parts of Cent s England and the S Midlands around dawn. The rain continued to move S during the day, reaching Cent S England and the Midlands by midnight. To the N, the showers were wintry over N Scotland but by the evening there was a general clearance of the cloud behind the front. (Hawarden 12C, Honington -4C, Loch Glascarnoch 14mm, Folkestone 8.2h.)
The rain had cleared SE England by dawn on the 18th, while showers developed across N and W parts of the British Isles and contiued for much of the day. These were wintry in the N, with hail over Ireland and snow across N Scotland. At Kyle of Sutherland there was a full covering of snow at 0900GMT. The showers gave way to rain in NW Scotland in the afternoon; the rain moved S to reach the N Midland by midnight. Thunder was reported from parts of W Scotland in the afternoon and evening. There were unconfirmed reports of extremely strong winds, snow, lightning and orange-sized hail in Clydebank and Argyll, west Glasgow. A house window was blown through and a caravan in the garden next door was blown onto its side. (Lee-on-Solent 11C, Aviemore -1C, Ballypatrick Forest 14mm, Swanage 9.3h.)
The 19th started generally cloudy across the British Isles with widespread rain and showers; sleet and snow fell overnitght across N and Cent Scotland. The precipitation lessened towards dawn as cloud cleared across much of Scotland - the clearance was shortlived, however, as further cloud and rain pushed E across Ireland and into SW Scotland during the morning, before moving E across Britain, giving heavy falls in Wales. Some sleet and snow fell ahead of the rain across Scotland. Skies cleared later across Scotland as the rain gave way to showers; these were blustery during the evning and accompanied by gusts ot 50-60kn across wales, N England and Ireland. Elsewhere gusts of 30-50kn were widespread. (Torquay 13C, Lerwick -2C, Capel Curig 53mm, Cromer 5.1h.)
Rain gradually moved away from S England by dawn on the 20th and widespread showers then affected most of the British Isles. There was a windy start to the day across Scotland and ireland, and these blustery conditions transferred S and E to affect most areas at some time. An organised band of showers moved through Scotland and N England during the morning and afternoon giving hail and thunder in places. Showers across N and Cent Scotland fell as sleet and snow, During the evenining there was a general clearance of the showers, althoiugh they lingered across SE England and N Scotland. Gales blew down hoardings in Belfast and high winds caused damage to the Northern Ireland's electricity network leaving 4,700 homes without power during the afternoon. Some of the worst affected areas were Coleraine in County Londonderry to Ballymena in County Antrim, Craigavon in County Armagh and Downpatrick in County Down. (Jersey 12C, Aviemore -1C, Buxton (Derbyshire) 54mm, Falmouth 7.2h.)
Although the 21st dawned clear across many parts of the British Isles, cloud rapidly spread E by mid-morning to most areas. Rain across Ireland later affected most other areas, accompanied by blustery SW winds. Snow was reported for a time in parts of N Scotland, and on the Southern Uplands, before the temperature rose. By midnight temperatures were generally in the brange 6-11C across the British Isles. (Lusa 11C, Spadeadam -3C, Loch Glascarnoch 24mm, Jersey 2.9h.)
The 22nd dawned cloudy in most areas, as a sequence of fronts and troughs pushed rapidly E across the British Isles during the morning, bringing rain - followed by showers and a drop in temperature, to most areas by midday. The W wind gusted to 50-70kn across N Scotland as pressure fell to 967mb across Shetland. Showers fell as snow over Scotland and N districts of Ireland and England, while hail was reported in the Midlands. Sferics occurred over Northern Ireland and NW Wales in the evening. By late evening the Environment Agency had issued 16 flood warnings and 11 flood watches, many of them in the Midlands and Wales. In the Peak District, a party of school children escaped serious injury after the minibus they were travelling in was hit by a falling tree. York railway station reopened on Friday evening after part of the roof fell onto power cables. Earlier in the day, both main railway lines between England and Scotland were closed due to damaged power lines, but services resumed in the evening. (Folkestone 15C, Loch Glascarnoch -1C, Sloy 50mm, Aberdeen 8.0h.)
Troughs and a polar low were responsible for a wintry day across many parts of Britain on the 23rd. There were widespread wintry showers overnight and into the morning, which sometimes merged into larger areas of precipitation, especially over Scotland. At Wishaw the snow depth at 0900GMT was 7cm. As the day progressed the showers moved S to affect many areas of E and SE England, where hail and light snow fell also. Thunder was reported across parts of E England and East Anglia during the afternoon - at Felixstowe thunder was heared during a snow shower at 1353GMT. At Newchapel (Stoke-on-Trent) squally showers with hail up to 12mm in diameter caused difficult driving conditions. It was againg very windy, with gusts including 59kn at Machrihanish and 56kn at Crosby and Port Ellen. Heavy snow falls and high winds have brought chaos across the UK's roads as blizzards caused treacherous conditions and a slew of accidents. As 6m snow drifts formed in some areas, roads were closed, people were advised to stay indoors and hundreds of homes were without power. A motorist was killed and his passenger injured when their car slid off the slush-covered A19 in Peterlee, Durham and hit a lamp post. In Scotland, police rescued 16 people, including a child, when they were trapped in their cars after snowplough crews were unable to reach them on the A9 Wick-to-Inverness road. On the A1 in North Yorkshire two RAF Sea King helicopters braved terrible weather, needing to land twice en route to airlifting casualties to hospital after a pile-up six miles south of Leeming. Another 23-vehicle collision involving cars, lorries and transit vans blocked the northbound carriageway near to Dishforth and injured 13 people, three seriously. Travellers faced further disruption on journeys to destinations including Edinburgh, Glasgow and London as train operator Virgin said less than half its normal service would be running. In Northern Ireland works teams struggled to restore power to 1,600 homes hit when power lines were brought down in gales. (Jersey 11C, Kinbrace -4C, Aspatria 18mm, Isle of Man 7.5h.)
Skies cleared overnight in most areas, temporarily. However, by dawn on the 24th cloud had again spread E across Much of W and Cent parts of the British Isles, with rain falling across Ireland. By midday rain was falling in most parts of England, Wales and Ireland, with snow and showers across Scotland. As the front bringing the rain pushed NE it bacame slow-moving leading to a wet day across parts fo Wales and Cent England. While temperatures rose to 10C under the rain, they remained close to freezing across much of Scotland throughout the day. Thawing weather and heavy rainfall triggered a series of flood alerts across England. In Cumbria, most high fell roads remained closed due to Saturday's snow and the main A6 over Shap was still considered passable only with extreme care. There were five flood warnings in the Midlands, including the river at Burton to Castle Donington, Cromwell to Weir and Rowsley to Ambergate, and six flood watches in the Anglia and north-west areas of England. (Torquay 13C, Tulloch Bridge -7C, Sennybridge 26mm, Aberdeen 5.9h.)
A cloudy start to the 25th across all areas apart from Scotland resulted in a strong north-south temperature contrast, with -10C and below in N Scotland, 0-3C in the Borders and 10C in S England at 0300GMT. Cloud and rain soon pushed E into N Scotland by dawn, lifting temperatures however, as pressure started falling due to a low centred to the W of Scotland. Rain moved NE over the British Isles early in the morning, followed by another broad area of rain that moved E (preceded by snow and sleet across Cent, E and S Scotland), affecting all areas during the day. There were heavy falls in Wales and NW England. MSL pressure fell to 968mb at Stornoway by 1800GMT, by which time the rain had cleared from S Scotland and N England - with heavy rain falling then across S Ireland and S England. Strong winds accomapnied by gusts over 50kn were reported in S England and across W parts of the British Isles. (Central London 13C, Kinbrace -13C, Capel Curig 66mm, Belfast 2.4h.)
A cloudy start to the 26th saw heavy rain across S England before dawn, with gusts of 50kn being widespread. The depression producing this moved from S Ireland across the Irish Sea and through N England during the morning, with MSL pressure down to 967mb. The rain and strong winds accompanying the low moved NE with heavy falls of rain over SW England, Wales and N England and gusts including 66kn at Culdrose and Donna Nook, 67kn at Aberporth and Colteshall, and 74kn at Mumbles. Roche Point recorded a gust to 72kn, and an unofficial site at Teggs Nose Country Park (near Macclesfield) reported an 85kn gust. Scotland was relatively dry during the morning, with showery activity; these fell as sleet and snow in places. Once the rain had cleared much of the British Isles was affected by showers. These consisted of hail and were accompanied by thunder across Ireland, NW and S England. In Standish marble sized hail and thunder was followed by blizzard conditions. In north Wales, the roof blew off a factory in Llangollen, with equipment damaged by subsequent rain. In south Wales, a prefabricated bungalow lost its roof in Newport. Welshpool was said to be virtually cut off by flood water and fallen trees. Cambrian line rail services were subject to severe disruption because of flooding which closed the line between Newtown and Machynlleth. Power supplies across Wales were also disrupted, with 8,000 properties in south east Wales being left without electricity from about 0300GMT. Devon and Cornwall were hit by flash floods and fallen trees blocked a number of roads. Two people had to be airlifted to safety after they were injured on a French ferry in the English Channel which was hit by gales. During the evening a band of rain across Scotland became slow-moving near the English-Scottish border, with heavy falls. (Herne Bay 13C, Fyvie Castle 0C, Torquay 39mm, Lowestoft 7.6h.)
Cloud cleared from many areas overnight and the rain in the borders cleared by dawn on the 27th. There were air frosts across N Scotland and in parts of S England, before cloud built up in most areas ahead of showers that pushed E across the British Isles throughout the day. These were prolonged in places, with thunder across S Ireland during the morning, and later in S England and East Anglia. Snow fall across N parts of Irelkand and England, and over Scotland, with frequent hail showers over W Ireland. Gusts of 50kn were again widespread over Ireland with 64kn at Belmullet at 1200GMT (when pressure had fallen to 974.8mb). At Penzance the maximum temperature of 8.5C made it the coldest day since 10 January. (Guernsey 11C, Aboyne -3C, Eskdalemuir 22mm, Buxton (Derbyshire) 8.8h.)
A band of rain and snow early on the 28th across S Scotland was slow moving, with showers of snow and hail to the N. Snow and sleet fell over Northern Ireland and NE England during the morning, and rain showers soon developed across S Ireland and SW England. Shwoers were then widespread throughout the day, with snow/hail over Scotland and rain/hail in S England; showers were noticeably widespread over the English Channel. 5cm of lying snow was reported from Eskdalemuir in the evening, with snow cover also reproted from Fair Isle, Lybster, Biggar, Lerwick, Carterhouse and Boltshope Park. During the evening thunder was reported from Kent and Essex. (Poole 12C, Kinbrace -1C, Ballypatrick Forest 27mm, Hunstanton 9.4h.)
Despite a weak ridge across the British Isles on the 2nd, fronts moved S and E across Scotland, and later S Britain, to give a cloudy day in many areas. Under clear skies there was a widespread frost over England by dawn although by early afternoon cloud had spread S to most areas. Overnight rain and showers across Scotland, wintry over high ground, pushed S during the morning. There were also outbreaks of light rain over England and Wales during the afternoon, that moved SE into the evening, feeding warm air across the British Isles. By midnight the temperature had risen to 8C in N Scotland but was only 3C in E England. (Danesfort 10C, Benson -6C, Loch Glascarnoch 7mm, Eastbourne 9.9h.)
The cloud and light rain in S Britain made slow progress S early on the 3rd, gradually breaking up as it did so. Clear conditions developed further N for a while before dawn, before rain pushed into NW Ireland and N Scotland around dawn. By midday cloud was widespread across the British Isles, with the afternoon seeing light rain across parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and N England. Falls were light, with some snow over the Highlands, and by midnight a clearance of the cloud had set in over N England and SE Scotland. (Mumbles 12C, Honington -2C, Loch Glascarnoch 16mm, Hastings 8.5h.)
A mainly cloud night, except in areas of Scotland, meant that the 4th saw little in the way of air frost. There was some light rain over N Scotland overnight but, later in the morning, a more general area of rain pushed SE into NW Scotland, continuing to move SE during the afternoon across Scotland and Northern Ireland, before breaking up. Showers developed over Scotland in the cooler air behind this frontal rain. Further S the day was mainly cloudy across England, Wales and S Ireland, with some light rasin and drizzle over S Ireland. (Dyce 12C, Dunkeswell 1C, Loch Glascarnoich and Baltasound 9mm, Leuchars 7.0h.)
Rain and showers con tinued over Cent and N Scotland in the early hours of the 5th, with some light falls over parts of N Ireland, W England and Wales. The rain was accompanied by some thunder in NW Scotland around dawn. by midday an area of heavier rain had pushed into W Scotland, followed in the afternoon by light rain in NW Ireland. During the afternoon and evening the rain spread to much of Scotland, N Ireland and N England. Further S, early cloud broke up to give a mainly dry day with some sunny spells. Across N Scotland there were gusts of 40-50kn. (Swanage 13C, Eskdalemuir -2C, Loch Glascarnoch 26mm, Tenby 9.2h.)
The rain are in the N was slowly moving early on the 6th, but by midday S Britain was generally cloudy, with rain falling in S Wales and the Midlands. The late morning and afternoon saw the rain in N Scotland giving way to showers and sunny intervals although gusts still reached 40kn here. Showers fell as hail over the Northern Isles with sferics reported across N and W Scotland during the evening. The evening saw outbreaks of light rain across S England, although amounts were generally small. S of the Central Lowlands, temperatures at midnight were generally around 10C, with 12C being widely reported across E England and East Anglia as the rain finally cleared. (Hawarden 14C, Lerwick 0C, Sloy 93mm, Aberdeen 8.5h.)
The 7th dawned with little cloud except across S England and with mild air across S Britain. There were showers overnight across Scotland, but these became more scattered as the dawn developed. Despite the NW airflow across most of the British Isles temperatures across England rose to 15C in many S areas with MSL pressure rising to 1029mb over the Channel islands by midnight. Away from SW Britain and S Ireland sunny spells made it feel like spring across much of S Britain, before temperatures bagen to fall sharply under cleaar skies in the evening. By midnight another area of rain had begun to affect NW Scotland. (Southsea 17C, Baltasound 0C, Aviemore 17mm, Leuchars 9.6h.)
Rain and showers continued across N Scotland before dawn on the 8th, along with light drizzle in S Ireland and fog patches in S Wales. After a claer start across much of N and Cent England, cloud soon spread to most areas as further frontal rain pushed into NW Scotland during the morning. Thsi rain, from a cold front, subsequently pushed into W Ireland and moved across most of the British Isles by midnight, followed by showers across Scotland. At Dun Laoghaire the temperature fall as the cold front passed, from 13C at 1600GMT to 6C at 1730GMT. The showers fell as hail in some W parts of Scotland and Ireland, with thunderstorms before midnight across N areas of Ireland and snow shwoers in S Scotland. (Northolt 15C, Redhill -1C, Loch Glascarnoch 21mm, Aberdeen 4.0h.)
The 9th dawned cloudy in the W and clear in the E, once the cold front had cleared SE England. Blustery conditions during the day were the result of a rapidly-moving low that tracked across Ireland and N England )central pressure around 996mb). Showers were widespread in W and S Scotland and NW England early in the morning, before more general rain spread NE, accompanying the low. The rain was preceded by some snowfall over hills of Northern Ireland and on the Isle of Man. The rain had cleared E England by early afternoon and was followed by widespread showers in W and N areas. It was a windy day, with strong gusts, mostly to the S of the low, included 64kn at Milford Haven and Pembrey Sands, 66kn at Aberporth and 68kn at Mumbles. There were reports of blowing sand in some of the afternoon METARS from East Anglia. Pea-size hail fell at Motherwell around 0900GMT, and there were scattered reports of sferics across NW England and W England during the day. Near Harborne (West Midlands) various trees were felled by the wind and a complete astro turf at a school was completely ripped up off its base and blown into the school fencing. One lady was killed by falling rubble from an old building in Rugby. In East Anglia up to 12000 homes lost power in East Anglia. Football fans narrowly avoided injury when part of Birmingham City's stadium roof was blown off, just before the end of their match. (Margate 13C, Redhill -1C, Capel Curig 29mm, Eastbourne 9.3h.)
The 10th dawned cold with little cloud, except across Ireland towards dawn as further rain pushed in from the SW. The rain was preceded by snow for a time across some of the hills of Ireland, N England and scotland. Rain moved into Wales and W England during the morning by which time showers were developing across Ireland. During the afternoon the rain moved E across England and Scotland, followed by showers in the W. These were thundery across W Scotland and in N parts of Ireland. MSL pressure dropped to 974.5mb at Stornoway at 1800GMT as a deep low pushed NE around Scotland. It was a windy day in most areas, with gusts including 103kn at Aonach Mor, 75kn at Belmullet, 73kn at South Uist, 72kn at Tiree, 68kin at Inverness and 67kn at Barra. Heavy snow falls caused hazardous driving conditions in parts of Scotland. The central belt, parts of Tayside and the south of the country appeared to be among the worst affected by snow. Two men died on Beinn Dearg, near Ullapool, after being hit by an avalanche. Ferry services between Belfast and Scotland were cancelled. (Jersey 14C, Redhill -4C, Eskdalemuir 30mm, Jersey 9.3h.)
The early hours of the 11th saw shwoers of hail and snow across N and Cent Scotland, thundery activity over N parts of Ireland, and light rain and drizzle in S England. Cloud in S England extended N during the day, and there was further frontal rain across S England later in the day. Thunder wasn heard across SW Scotland during the afternoon, with further snow in cent Scotland for a while in hilly parts of Northern Ireland. S England and parts of N EWngland had a sunny day. (Northolt 14C, Waterstein -1C, Tulloch Bridge 20mm, Leuchars 9.5h.)
Showers continued across N and cent Scotland into the 12th, while fog patches formed in the Midlands and Cent S England before dawn. Clear skies across much of Britain and Ireland led to an air frost in some inland areas. Light rain pushed into Wales later in the day, while later in the afternoon a large area of rain in the English Channel pushed N into S England and S Wales. (Saunton Sands 15C, Topcliffe -4C, St Marys 10mm, Glasgow 8.9h.)
Early hours of the 13th saw rain in S England with rain and snow showers in N Scotland. Clear skies in the intervening area resulted in a sharp air frost in a few places. Showers across N Scotland became more scattered as the day progressed and pressure rose, resulting in an easterly surrface flow everywhere. Most of S Scotland, N England, Wales and Ireland had a sunny day, while cloud and lighter rain continued to affect S England throughout the day. Later in the evening low cloud spread W into E England from the North Sea. (Jersey 10C, Shap Fell -7C, Exmouth 16mm, Belfast 10.7h.)
Early rain across S England had largely died out by dawn on the 14th, with cloud persisting across S and E England. Elsewehere, the day began generally bright and with an air frost in many areas. During the morning another area of rain, with hail, snow and sleet in places affected S England. Temperatures were kept below 5C in many parts of S England in the blustery E airflow, gusting to 40kn in places. During the afternoon and evening the rain moved N to the Pennines and the N Midlands, and sleet showers were also observed across Cumbria and S Scotland. By midnight only W Scotland and NW Ireland remained cloud-free, while MSL pressure at Lerwick ws 1027mb. (Falmouth 10C, Aviemore -5C, Poole 10mm, Tiree 10.3h.)
Widespread overnight cloud into the 15th was accompanied by rain across Ireland and the S half of Britain. This made slow progress N during the day, with sleet falling over Cumbria and S Scotland on the N edge. During the afternoon there was a gradual clearance of the rain in the SE. Ahead of the rain, much of N and NW Scotland had a sunny day. (Jersey 14C, Lusa 0C, Leeds 14mm, Lerwick 10.4h.)
The rain and drizzle continued to make progress N early on the 16th, with a partial clearance of the cloud to the S across parts of England. It remained mostly cloudy across Ireland throughout the day. The rain area gradually became limited to S Scotland later in the morning and dissipated in the afternoon. There were showers from SW England into Wales and NW England in the afternoon and evening. During the afternoon there were showery outbreaks, accompanied by thunder, in E England. (Colwyn Bay 16C, Eskdalemuir 1C, Lough Fea 11mm, Colwyn Bay 7.2h.)
An area of rain, with mist and fog, affected E England early on the 17th. Ireland had clear spells overnight before rain and showers pushed NE into SW Ireland around dawn. Rain affected Ireland and SW England during the morning, gradually pushing NE across NW England and Cent England, before reaching East Anglia in the evening. (Colwyn Bay 16C, Redesdale 1C, Coltishall 14mm, Prestatyn 8.3h.)
Rain affected E and NE Scotland on the 18th, with sleet and snow in the Northern Isles later in the day. An area of rain moved into SW England early in the day before spreading NE during the day and eventually reaching NE England. Showers followed the rain across Ireland and S England. The rain and poor visibility were caused by the movement of a low across S Ireland and into E England. Strong gusts were reported to the S of the low, including Portland 51kn, Solent MRSC 53kn, Langdon Bay 54kn, Cardiff WC 55kn and Alderney 57kn. (Jersey 14C, Kinloss 0C, Teignmouth 21mm, Falmouth 8.1h.)
Rain, and snow over the high ground, continued into the early 19th across N Scotland. Cloud and rain further S gradually cleared in the E, but another area of rain reached SW England after midnight and spread E along the English Channel. This led to a wet day in the Channel Islands and parts of England. Rain also affected Cent and N England, Wales and Ireland during the day, with the best of the sunshine to be found in N parts of Ireland and W Scotland. By midnight rain was falling mostly across NE England and S Scotland. (Torquay 14C, Shap Fell -1C, Jersey 27mm, Belfast 9.0h.)
Clear skies under a gentle N airflow led to an air frost on the 20th across N Scotland. Further S the night was rather more cloudy, with some light rain and showers across SE England, SW Scotland and NE England. Further more general rain affected S Ireland, SW England and Wales during the morning and pushed NE - by the late evening there was fiirly widespread rain and drizzle from SW Scotland to E and SE England, with some heavy falls in SW Scotland and Cumbria. (Guernsey 15C, Aviemore -7C, Cardinham 20mm, Stornoway 10.4h.)
The overnight rain became confined to the SE corner of England and the NE corner of Scotland overnight, and by dawn on the 21st was affecting just E Scotland and the Channel Islands. There were also early falls of hail and snow across N and hilly parts of Scotland but S England saw temperatures around 10C by dawn, with fog across S Wales. Ireland had a mixture of sunshine and rain showers during the day, and precipitation across Scotland declined during the morning, to be followed by another burst of heavy rain in W Scotland in the evening. Most of England and wales had a warm and, in places, sunny day, but coastal fog remained widespread around Ireland. (Hawarden and Great Malvern 17C, Sella Ness -1C, Guernsey L'Ancresse 25mm, Lerwick 10.5h.)
High pressure dominated the weather on the 22nd, with COL conditions persisting around midday. A front brought rain to Scotland overnight, while further S the day also began cloudy. The rain in the N gradually became weaker during the day, but during the morning another area of rain pushed in SW Ireland and SW England, later making slow progress into Cent Ireland and parts of Wales. However, this frontal rain was rather patchy due to high pressure, as MSL pressure reached 1029mb in S England later in the day. Temperatures of 15C were reported from S England during the afternoon, while onshore winds along the E coast resulted in readings closer to 6-8C in E Scotland and NE England. (Littlehampton 17C, Sella Ness 0C, Tulloch Bridge 10mm, Lerwick 8.9h.)
Under high pressure, the 23rd was a genarlly dry day although frontal cloud peersisted for much of the day across Ireland, W and Cent Britain. The cloud was associated with a warm front that pushed mild air across SW and W parts; at midday the temperature at Malin Head was 14C, while due E in Northumberland 7-8c was more typical. Parts of S wales and cent s England had fog patches during the morning. MSL pressure rose above 1035mb across East Anglia during the evening, as the high over Scandinavia extended S and SW. (Lusa 16C, Fyvie Castle -2C, Charterhall 2mm, Hastings 10.6h.)
High pressure to the E and frontal cloud over W areas of the British Isles resulted in a S airflow in all areas on the 24th, with cloud in W and cent parts and some sunny spells in E and SE England. Rainfall amounts were small under the cloud with rain or showers mainly over W Scotland and across Ireland. MSL pressure declined slowly from a peak of nearly 1036mb in E England before dawn, to about 1033mb there by midnight. The S airflow made it feel springlike in W areas, but with more of an E component to the wind in the SE it did feel a little cooler there. (Prestatyn 16C, East Malling -1C, Lusa 5mm, Folkestone 9.4h.)
The frontal cloud in the W made progress E across tyhe British Isles on the 25th although amounts of precipitation were again small, due to the high pressure which by midnight was centred over Ireland (1034mb). The cloud was especially patchy across s England while later in the day cloud cleared in W areas, although there were some showers across Ireland and W Scotland. These showers included falls of hail in NW Scotland during the afternoonm with gusts to 30kn across N Scotland at this time. By midnigth cloud only lingered across E and SE England; elsewhere a clear evening resulted in a widespread inland ground frost by midnight. (Cent London 15C, Redhill -1C, Aultbea 6mm, Jersey 9.5h.)
By dawn on the 26th most of the British Isles was clear of cloud as high pressure persisted. An air frost was reported in many inland areas of Ireland and Britain but temperatures soon rose to reach at least 10C in all areas apart from N Scotland. Here, gusts to 30kn were again reported. MSL pressure hovered around 1032-1034mb across much of England and Wales as the high transferred from Cent Ireland to NE England during the day. (Torquay 16C, Shap Fell -5C, Lerwick 1mm, Glasgow 11.3h.)
The early hours of the 27th were mainly clear across the British Isles, with the exception of NW and N Scotland, with light rain and drizzle in parts of the NW. Cloud developed further S during the morning across Ireland, but remained generally patchy both over Ireland and in W Scotland later in the day. E and S areas had a sunny day with little cloud, after a frosty start in the Midlands and Cent s England. In Coventry 11.4h of sunshine made it the sunniest March day on record (dating back to 1894). (Leeds 16C, Benson -3C, Stornoway 1mm, Leeds 11.7h.)
With high pressure presisting to the E of the UK on the 28th, the day was generally a dry one. A clear start to the day in the E was accompanied by fog patches in many central areas of England, with 2 people dying on the M40 in Oxfordshire after 100 vehicles were involved in crashes in fog. The fog lingered until late morning in places. Early cloud in W parts of the British Isles retreated W during the day and most areas then had a very sunny day. (Aboyne 17C, Redhill -5C, No measurable rain, Anglesey 11.6h.)
The 29th was another dry day in most areas, the exception being NW Scotland where some frontal rain fell during the morning. Apart from cloud in the NW corner of Britain overnight the day began mainly clear, although some central areas again had fog for a while around dawn. A 30-vehicle crash in fog near Boroughbridge on the A1 in Yorkshire injured at least 6 people. Once the fog cleared most of the British Isles (away from the extreme NW) has a sunny day, although some cloud pushed E into W Ireland during the evening. (Cent London 18C, Shap Fell -5C, Waterstein 2mm, Clacton, Norwich and Hunstanton 11.7h.)
The 30th dawned with cloud, and some rain, in W Scotland and Ireland, but generally cloudfree elsewhere. Patchy cloud affected parts of S and E England at times during the day, while the larger area of cloud in the W pushed slowly E during the day, rain reaching E Scotland and W Wales by midnight. (Gravesend 18C, Kinbrace -4C, Tulloch Bridge 0.5mm, Torquay 11.7h.)
Bands of frontal rain and drizzle pushed E throughout the 31st across the British Isles, although amounts were small in many parts of E and SE England. Later in the afternoon and evening the rain gave way to showers in NW Britain. (Colwyn Bay 16C, Redhill 0C, Capel Curig 17mm, Clacton 5.6h.)
S Britain had a generally cloudy strat to the 2nd, while breaks in the cloud across Scotland allowed air frosts in some E areas. The cloud thickened later in the morning in the SW as rain spread NE across S Ireland, reaching Wales and Cent S England during the evening. (Northolt 19C, Aboyne -3C, St Marys 7mm, Stornoway 8.0h.)
Cloud spread to most areas of the British Isles early on the 3rd, ahead of a frontal system over Ireland and W Britain. Falls of rain were generally confined to W and Cent areas, however, with little in the way of rain in E England. During the morning the rain gave way to showers across Ireland, and by late afternoon cloud had cleared from many W and E parts of the British Isles - being mainly confined to Wales, SW England and parts of Scotland. (Cent London 23C, Cassley 4C, Yeovilton 10mm, Herne Bay 11.5h.)
The 4th began with clear skies in many areas, but some partchy cloud lingered in Wales and parts of Scotland, while fog formed for a while in S Scotland and parts of N England around dawn. Clear skies across much of England led to warm conditions here (despite a NE wind) although the patchy cloud further W resulted in some light falls of rain in places. (Lee-on-Solent 22C, Katesbridge -3C, Sennybridge 4mm, Clacton 11.7h.))
There was some rain over Ireland early on the 5th, with thunder in a few places. During the morning and afternoon any cloud further E generally cleared, with warm conditions in an E airflow across England. Humidity was low during the afternoon in E England (with temperatures around 15C and dew points of 0-4C). Ireland saw some light rain during the morning, and rain fell in SW England later in the afternoon. (Bournemouth 18C, Aviemore -4C, At Marys 1.5mm, Norwich 11.6h.)
Pressure rose from the N during the 6th, with 1024-1029mb across N Britain by midnight. Rain affected SW England and S Ireland before dawn, but by midday the British Isles was almost cloudfree. Dry air reaching E England in the E airflow had dew points of -10C across the East Midlands during mid-afternoon (with the air temperature around 10C there). A fresh wind with some strong gusts made it feel much cooler than recently; gusts included 49kn at Mumbles. By midnight an air frost had occurred in some sheltered parts of Scotland. (Lossiemouth 15C, Loch Luichart -2C, Cork 6mm, Aspatria 12.0h.)
The 7th was a mainly cloudfree day, the exceptions being across the extreme N of Scotland where some frontal rain fell, and in parts of E England where low cloud blew onshore in the E airflow. Many parts of inland N England and Scotland had a an air frost before dawn, but temperatures rose later in the day to 16-17C across S Ireland as high pressure persisted. At Aldergrove the temperature rose from a low of -0.6C to a high of 15.1C. It was also warm in some SW areas of England in the afternoon, although the wind again made it feel cool here (57kn gusts were reported at Culdrose). (Penzance, Valentia and Pembrey Sands 17C, Altnaharra -6C, Wick 0.5mm, Kinloss 12.7h.)
High pressure gave another mainly dry day on the 8th, although a weak front across Scotland resulted in some there , mainly in E areas. Clear skies in W areas around dawn produced an air frost in parts around dawn followed by sunny spells. After a clear start, it turned cloudy across Ireland during then morning. Cloud cleared across much of Ireland and E England later in the evening. 16.3C was recorded at Penzance (unofficial station). (Bournemouth 15C, Loch Glascarnoch -4C, Aboyne 0.8mm, Newquay 12.9h.)
Althouigh cloud spread to E Britain and Ireland by dawn, elsewhere the 9th dawned clear with an air frost in sheltered places. Mist and fog patches were present for a while in parts of the Midlands, around dawn. Cloud spread to most areas during the day, although rain and drizzle was mainly confined to E Scotland, where amounts were again small. The evening brought a clearance of this cloud across much of Ireland. (Plymouth 16C, Loch Glascarnoch -3C, Aboyne 1mm, Newquay 12.6h.)
With a high pressure ridge persisting, the 10th was another generally dry day, although frontal cloud across NW parts of Ireland and Scotland brought some light rain to these areas. Broken cloud across parts of N England led to a slight air frost here around dawn in places; cloud later cleared across much of England, Wales and S Scotland to give sunny spells. W and N Scotland, and much of Ireland remained cloudy throughout the day, the clearance not affected E Ireland until the evening. (Tain Range 15C, Leeming -1C, Folkestone 2mm, Torquay 12.6h.)
The W-E cloud split continued into the 11th, with an early air frost in some sheltered parts of N and E England. Cloud across W Ireland and Scotland spilled slowly SE during the day, with widespread rain and drizzle in Ireland and Scotland spreading into NW England by midnight. Much of England had a sunny day, while it turned cloudy across Wales after a sunny start. (Weymouth 15C, Shap Fell -5C, Baltasound 24mm, Torquay 11.8h.)
The frontal cloud continued to make SE progress during the 12th, with light rain and drizzle over NW England and W Wales by dawn. Light rain fell in SW England later in the morning, and while cloud spread to much of SE England the precipitation mainly dissipated across these W areas during the morning. The N airflow was accompanied by gusts to 30kn along the NE coast of England, while there was a general clearance of the frontal cloud by midnight. (Bournemouth 15C, Gloucester Airport -3C, Dyce 6mm, Jersey 11.5h.)
The 13th saw a mainly cvlear start in a N airflow across the British Isles, with some cloud and scattered showers overnight. Parts of inland Britain had a slight air frost by dawn, and there were some showers across S England during the morning, with falls of small hail reported. Cloud increased throughout the day in all areas, and the wind turned S across Ireland and W Scotland, with rain falling in these W areas during the evening. (Strathallan 13C, Altnaharra -7C, Loftus 2mm, Belfast 11.3h.)
There was a short-lived air frost in parts of Cent S England early on the 14th, while rain in W areas made progress E to affect SW Engkland, Wales and S Scotland by midday. Some snow fell over high ground in Cent Scotland. The afternoon brought a clearance across Ireland, while the rain largely dissipated as it moved across Cent and S England during the afternoon, with only small falls here. A cluster of showers crossed West Cornwall during the afternoon, with a few very local brief heavy bursts. Waterspouts were spotted off Porthcurno (between Mount's Bay & Land's End) during the afternoon. by midnight the clearance had spread to much of Wales and Scotland, with falling temperatures and a N wind. (Jersey 14C, Benson -3C, Tiree 9mm, Margate 10.0h.)
Cloud and light rain became restricted to E England by dawn on the 15th, while elsewhere clear skies led to an air frost in some W parts. Patchy cloud persisted in the E throughout the day, and there were a few showers in Cent Scotland and some light rain in SE England during the day. During the afternoon and evening cloud and light rain spread E across W Ireland, as cloud in other parts of the British Isles cleared. (Bournemouth 15C, Altnaharra -6C, Leuchars 6mm, Stornoway 13.4h.)
The 16th began dry in most parts, with the exception of rain in W Ireland. This rain made slow progress E during the day and remained mainly confined to Ireland, although the evening brought some light falls in W Scotland. Elsewhere, the day was generally bright and sunny. (London Weather Centre 17C, Aboyne -5C, Claremorris 9mm, Hunstanton 14.0h.)
The rain across Ireland and in W Scotland made slow progress E on the 17th. By midday there was rain in SW Wales and SW England with cloud spreading ahead of the rain across all but E England and East Anglia. The air ahead of the rain was quite dry - East anglian sites at 1200GMT were reporting temperatures around 13-14C and dew points of just -1C to 2C in places. During the afternoon the rain finally pushed E into Cent S England and the Midlands, although falls were small in much of this area; behind the rain skies cleared across S Ireland. (London Weather Centre 17C, Redhill -3C, Aldergrove 31mm, Eastbourne 11.0h.)
The clearance spread to much of S England and Wales by dawn on the 18th, with showers in the Channel Islands and rain across N parts of Ireland and in N England. Funnel clouds were reported from Jersey Airport around 0600GMT. During the morning showers developed across Wales and SW England; these turned thundery and affected parts of SE England and Essex during the mid- to late afternoon. At around the this time a thunderstorm in Gloucestershire brought pea-size hail to Dursley. Hail was also reported from the Midlands and NE London. Showers also affected Ireland during the afternoon, while Scotland remained rather cloudy but generally dry. (Coltishall 15C, Redhill -3C, Capel Curig 38mm, Kinloss 11.0h.)
A frontal system across NW Britain dissipated during the 19th, and with a trough over S England moving away into France the day soon turned dry across much of Britain by mid-morning, as overnight showers dissipated in Wales, the Midlands and SE England. Further frontal cloud moved E into S Ireland during the morning, soon followed by rain and drizzle; this precipitation moved into W Wales and SW England during the evening. (Great Malvern 17C, Topcliffe -2C, Church Lawford 6mm, Jersey 12.0h.)
The frontal rain made slow progress E over Wales, SW England and W Scotland early on the 20th, with light drizzle lingering over Ireland. E Britain remained largely dry, as the rain dissipated during the late morning and early afternoon over Cent Britain. Despite slowly rising pressure in the E (1034mb at Manston by midnight), further frontal rain pushed E across Ireland, and into Wales and W parts of Scotland and England during the evening, weakening all the while. (Northolt 19C, Redhill -3C, South Uist 7mm, Cromer 12.6h.)
Rain affected Ireland and W parts of Britain early on the 21st, but again the rain area made only slight progress E into the high. The rain continued in N Wales, NW England, SW Scotland and Ireland during the morning (with lighter falls as far E as Newcastle), but by mid-afternoon was confined mainly to Ireland and the SW corner of Scotland. To the E there was patchy sunshine, with 19C being reached widely over inland parts of S and E England, and the Midlands. By midnight the rain area was mainly confined to areas adjacent to the Irish Sea, albeit with heavy falls in SW Scotland. (Cent London 21C, Redhill 3C, Eskdalemuir 27mm, Folkestone 12.1h.)
There were outbreaks of rain and drizzle across parts of S and W Scotland, NW England and W Wales early on the 22nd. These diminished in intensity into the morning, except across W Scotland. This rain area pushed SE during the day, clearing E Scotland during the afternoon, and accompanied by lighter rain and drizzle across Ireland. The rain over Ireland had largely cleared by the evening, while a another small area of rain pushed N over W Scotland before midnight. Patchy cloud affected other area of the British Isles during the day, with temperatures reaching 17-22C across a large area of E and SE England during the afternoon. (Gravesend and Margate 22C, Redhill 1C, Tulloch Bridge 25mm, Jersey 12.2h.)
Patchy rain continued in places before dawn on the 23rd across W and Cent Scotland, before retreating N to the Northern Isles during the late morning. Falls here during the afternoon were acompanied by a wind gusting to 40kn. Elsewhere, the day dawned with patchy cloud, mist and fog across parts of S Ireland, SW England and coastal Wales. Visibilities of around 100-200m were reported from a few sites in W and S Wales at 0900GMT. Temperatures rose steadily during the morning and late afternoon across S parts of the British Isles, with afternoon maxima of 19C in inland Ireland (19C at Dun Laoghaire made it the warmest April day for seven years) and 20-22C across much of East Anglia and SE England. Cloudy conditons along coastal parts of Wales kept the maxima here to 11-13C, with offshore fog in places. During the evening fog patches reformed in parts of SW and Cent S England. (London 23C, Benson and Redhill 6C, Lerwick 9mm, Herne Bay 10.8h.)
Overnight rain and drizzle was slight across W Scotland in parts of SW England early on the 24th; dawn say fog patches across much of Cent and SW England. Low cloud gradually cleared in most areas by midday and temperatures of 17C were then widespread across England during the afternoon. It was slightly cooler in E Scotland despite being a sunny day here, and around the welsh coasts temperatures failed to rise much above 12C. Outbreaks of rain reached W Ireland during mid-afternoon, and W Scotland in the evening. Cloud affected much of Cent England and Cent Scotland by midnight, while there was a clearance across Ireland during the evening. (London 23C, Aboyne 1C, South Uist Range 2mm, Aberdeen 12.9h.)
Overnight rain in Scotland and W Wales was short-lived into the 25th; by mid-morning there were a few showers across Ireland while early drizzle and fog around the Channel Islands had given way to mist. Scattered/broken cloud affected much of the British Isles during the day, and a W wind kept temperatures lower in the S than on recent days. Showery rain continued over W Scotland during the day, while the late afternoon and evening saw frontal cloud and then rain pushing E across Ireland and into E Scotland and SW England by midnight. (Hurn 19C, Castlederg 2C, Tulloch Bridge 7mm, Aberdeen 13.3h.)
Large area of rain moved E early on the 26th over Scotland and Northern England with rain also falling over SW England. This latter area of rain crossed England during the morning, and was followed in all parts of the British isles by bands of showers. These were heavy and squally in places, with reports of thunder in parts of SE England in the afternoon. There was a report in the Oxford Mail of a small-scale tornado in the Oxford area around 1330GMT. At Boughton-under-Blean a gust of 70mph was recorded as a squall line passed at 1415GMT. There was also a report of an extremely lively hailstorm in Wigan around 2000GMT, with a oprolonged fall of hail. (Poole 17C, Tulloch Bridge 4C, Shap Fell 32mm, Falmouth 11.0h.)
Showers continued into the 27th in N and NW Scotland, Ireland, Wales and N parts of england with a low near Belmullet at 0000GMT. These slowly weakened during the day, but further rain reach Ireland from the W by midday, before pushing across Wales, W England and Cent S England by later evening. There was a severe gale in the Northern Isles overnoight, with gusts including 68kn at Fair Isle and 61kn at Sella Ness. At Fair Isle this was the windiest April gust since 1974 (the previous high being 66kn in April 1982), and heavy showers of snow and hail continued overnight and into the early morning. Snow was seen on the North Yorkshire hills from Leyburn at 0700GMT, with the snowline around 1800 feet. Snow also fell in Cumbria. (Heathrow 15C, Tyndrum 0C, Baltasound 19mm, Leuchars 13.0h.)
There was a cloudy start in all areas on the 28th, except in parts of NW and N Scotland, with a resulting early air frost in sheltered inland areas here. This followed snowfall shortly after midnight at Kyle of Sutherland. Snow also fell in parts of N England and N Wales. The cloud to the S acconmapnied a large rain area that crossed England and Wales overnight, which cleared by dawn, to be followed by showers from the W. Rain moved NE across Scotland during the morning and into the afternoon. Elsewhere there were widespread showers, some heavy and accompanied by hail and thunder. The thunder was quite widespread across Cent and N England and ireland during the late afternoon and early evening. (Poole 16C, Altnaharra -3C, Capel Curig 38mm, Isle of Wight 9.0h.)
Showers continued to fall during the early hours of the 29th across Ireland, Wales and W Engkland, with rain in parts of N Scotland. This rain area spread S during the morning into N England, later heading out to the North Sea. Showers affected all areas during the day, these were blustery and with hail in places. Gusts included 68kn at Mumbles and 64kn at Aberporth. Snowfall was reported in parts of N England. Thunder was heard in N Wales before dawn, and across parts of the Midlands and NW England during the late afternoon. During the evening an area of rain pushed NE into S Ireland, reaching SW wales and SW England by midnight, and giving some heavy falls in places. (Guernsey 15C, Aboyne -1C, Loch Glascarnoch 52mm, Ross-on-Wye 10.5h.)
The rain in W areas pushed steadily E across the British Isles on the 30th, giving heavy falls in places. By midday it had the rain had cleared much of N England and Ireland, but rain to the N across Scotland continued to affect parts of that country for the remainder of the day. Further S the main rain area did not clear SE England until late evening. The rain was associated with a complex low pressure area that was slow-moving across Ireland and N Britain during the day. Showers followed the rain across Ireland, Wales and England. Thunder was reported over some E areas of Ireland during the afternoon, and over North Yorkshire later in the evening. Snowfall was reported in parts of N England during the day. Windy conditions afain brought some strong gusts - 53kn was reported from Mumbles and Alderney. (Bridlington 15C, Spadeadam 0C, Capel Curig 30mm, Lerwick 9.0h.)
After a mainly dry night, except in parts of N and W Scotland, showers began breaking out during the morning of the 2nd. A few plcaes in S Scotland an Cent S England had a short period of fog before dawn. Showers were widepsread during the day, and haevy in places. During a hailstorm at Wishaw hail up to 4-4.5cm in diameter was observed. Two funnel clouds were seen over Pinchbeck and Gosberton Clough in South Lincolnshire during a line of storms passing over the area at approximately between 1630 to 1730GMT. There was thunder in SE Wales during the late morning, andr during the late afternoon and early evening over SE Scotland, down E England and in S England. News reports spoke of tornadoes in Monmouthshire and Wiltshire. The one at Caldicot in Monmouthshire did not cause significant damage but touched the ground, lifted rubbish from a skip into the air and covered cars in dust. (Leeds 17C, Katesbridge -2C, Charterhall 13mm, Belfast 13.0h.)
A weak ridge on the 3rd led to clear skies in many areas to start the day, with an air frost in parts of N England. Cloud soon developed and showers affected many ares of the Britain, the S in particular, during the afternoon, with thunderstorms during the late afternoon and evening across much of Cent and SE England. An unofficial station at Warlingham recorded 21.4mm, mainly from one of these storms. By midnight the showers had maergely died out, except across NE Scotland, and cloud became largely confined to the E coast of Britain. (Bournemouth 17C, Shap Fell -1C, Shoeburyness 12mm, Isle of Man 14.1h.)
A few shwoers continued across NE Scotland early into the 4th; cloud spread slowly W inland from the E coast of Britain early in the day, but clear skies further W resulted in a groiund frost in many inland areas. Cloud developed during the day, with a few showers in Wales, NW England, SW England and the Midlands during the afternoon. S winds prevailed across Ireland, leading to higher temperatures here than in England (at 1500GMT 16C in Cent Ireland and 11-12C in the Midlands). By midnight much of the rain and cloud had cleared. (Castlederg 18C, Kinbrace -3C, Redhill 14mm, Isle of Man 14.2h.)
Despite the prevailing high pressure, a N airflow led to low cloud across much of E England by mid-morning on the 5th, with a few showers developing as the wind picked up to 30kn gusts by midday. The rest of the day saw cloud spreading to most ares of England, with showers in SW England during the afternoon. Elsewhere, the day was mainly bright and sunny, although some frontal cloud did affect parts of W Scotland and W Ireland during the evening. (Dalmally 18C, Altnaharra -3C, Lerwick 4mm, Aberdeen 13.8h.)
Much of England had a cloudy start to the 6th, while clearer skies to the W led to an air frost in NW Scotland by dawn. The low cloud across England spread W to Wales and E Ireland during the day, and there was scattered rain and drizzle in E England during the morning. This precipitation spread slowly W to Wales and SW England during the day, gradually dissipating as it did so. Despite the cold start, clear skies in W Scotland led to a warm day here with very low humidities; at 1500GMT Altnaharra reported a temperature of 19C and a dew point of -3C. (Dalmally 21C, Aviemore -3C, High Wycombe 4mm, Stornoway 15.4h.)
Low cloud persisted overnight across much of England and Wales, into the 7th with light rain and drizzle in S England and patchy fog in some parts of E England. These outbreaks of rain spread to Wales and NW England during the morning, but by midnight were affecting S Scotland and Ireland - a clearance in the cloud having pushed E into the SE corner of England. This clearance led to some mist patches by midnight. Conditions were again warm in W Scotland. (Tulloch Bridge 21C, Altnaharra -1C, Plymouth 9mm, Tiree 14.6h.)
Overnight rain over Scotland died out early on the 8th, except for some light falls in the extreme W. Clearing skies in parts of W and S England led to ground frost in some sheltered areas, while a few fog patches occurred around dawn across much of inland England. Much of the British Isles had a cloudy day with sunny intervals, although there were long sunny periods near some S coast areas, with temperatures reaching 17-19C. Rain showers affected W Ireland during the afternoon. (Bournemouth 19C, Bastreet 0C, Poet Ellen 12mm, Eastbourne 12.4h.)
Breaks in the cloud overnight over W England and in parts of Scotland led to the 9th starting with ground in sheltered areas of N Scotland. Ireland had a mainly cloudy night with light rain in the W and fog patches in the S. During the morning light rain and drizzle affected N and E Ireland, with further light rain in N parts of Ireland in the afternoon and showers in W Scotland in the evening. While most of the British Isles had another cloudy day, SW England and S Wales saw the best of the sunshine with temperatures up to 17-19C, and during the evening cloud cleared from most of Ireland. (Bournemouth and Walney Island 19C, Aboyne 1C, Ballykelly 8mm, Falmouth 12.2h.)
Rain continued to fall during the early hours of the 10th across W Scotland, before moving slowly E and dying out during the early afternoon. Mist and fog patches were quite widespread across E Ireland and NE England around dawn, with cloudy conditions over much of E England at this time. It remained cloudy in the E area throughout the day, with poor visibility in many areas and drizzle in parts of East Anglia. Brighter conditions in areas neighbouring the Irish Sea, but with showers in parts of W Ireland. (Leeds Weather Centre 21C, Moyola 3C, Bishopton 8mm, Torquay 14.3h.)
The 11th dawned cloudy again across much of E England, although after a cloudy start most cloud had cleared Scotland by 0600GMT. Thunderstorms occurred over Cornwall and Devon around 0600GMT - followed by spells of mist and showers until early-to-mid afternoon. By this time the clearance in the cloud across Scotland had spread SE to give all but the SE corner of England a sunny day. The evening, however, saw a return to cloudy conditions down the E side of England by late evening. A few showers affected W Scotland later in the day. (Thorney Island 19C, Kinbrace 2C, Plymouth 25mm, Isle of Man 13.1h.)
Apart from E and SE England, the 12th began with mainly clear skies, although by mid0morning cloud had spread E into W Ireland and W Scotland. This pushed E during the morning, with rain falling across both countries during then afternoon. After showers around midday across parts of SE England, clearing skies prevailed here until late evening when advancing cloud from the W arrived. The evening saw rain across S Ireland, W Wales and SW England, but clearer skies across NW Scotland. By miudnight MSL pressure had falled to 996.9mb at Valentia. Heavy falls wof rain occurred in the evening across S Ireland and S Wales. (Jersey 19C, Eskdalemuir -2C, Redhill 8mm, Leuchars 14.2h.)
The 13th bagen with mainly cloudy conditions across the British Isles, and generally remained so throughout the day. By dawn overnight rain had affected most of the British Isles, and there were outbreaks in all areas during the day. Around midday and into the afternoon rain was especially heavy in parts of S England, while rain turned to showers in Ireland during the afternoon, these showers spreading to S Wales and SW England later. (Margate 18C, Loch Glascarnoch 1C, Cork 29mm, Margate 4.0h.)
The early hours of the 14th saw rain in S and E England and E Scotland moving E out to the North Sea. This rain was followed by showers across Ireland and W Britain that spread E during the morning to affect many E areas throughout the day. It turned brighter and drier in E Scotland and E England during the evening. (Lossiemouth 19C, Loch Luichart 5C, Folkestone 31mm, Torquay 10.3h.)
Showers continued in W areas during the early hours of the 15th, while rain and drizzle in Northern Ireland pushed E across N England. By midday it had turned drier across much of Scotland, with rain and drizzle being widespread over Ireland, W Wales and N England. During the afternoon the extent of this rain area decreased as it pushed N into S Scotland, and by midnight much of England and wales was largely free of cloud. (Cent London 21C, Salsburgh and Eskdalemuir 6C, Capel Curig 25mm, Hastings 12.2h.)
Clear skies led to some fog patches in Cent S England by dawn on the 16th, with a few low temperatures in sheltered spots. There was early rain across Scotland, which gradually moved NE during the morning to clear all areas by mid-afternoon. A mainly S airflow and little cloud helped temperatures to rise above 23C in many areas of England, although Ireland (after a mainly cloudy day) had widespread thunderstorms showers in the evening. (St Helier 29C, Redhill 3C, Kinloss and Aberdeen 3mm, Littlehampton 14.3h.)
With cloud advancing from the W, the 17th saw some quite high minimum temperatures, including 16C at St Athan, Aberporth and yeovilton, and 17C on Guernsey. Rain and thunderstorms continued to affect Ireland until around dawn, with thunderstorms also in SW England and S Wales from before dawn until the early afternoon. During the afternoon and into the evening there were further thunderstorms in the Channel Islands, SW England and Wales, moving N. With a generally E airflow across Britain, temperatures were lower than yesterday despite the warm start to the day in the S. It remained generally dry across Scotland, while rain spread to parts of Cent and N England during the evening. Mildford Haven had its wettest May day since 1965 as 45mm of rain fell. 47mm of rain in Dun Laoghaire made it the wettest May day there for 9 years. (South Farnborough 25C, Lerwick 5C, Dun Laoghaire 47mm, Clacton 12.9h.)
Rain continued to affect Ireland, Wales and England early on the 18th, becoming more scattered in the S (after further heavy falls in S Wales) but extending into Scotland during the morning. It remainded cloudy in most areas throughout the day, even once the rain had cleared from E areas. Showers continued SW Britain into the evening, with some thunder in Dorset, and by midnight the rainfall was mainly confined to N Scotland. (London Weather Centre 19C, Aviemore 2C, Mumbles 42mm, Lerwick 12.1h.)
The 19th began cloudy in most areas, with rain across N Scotland and in W Ireland. SE England and East Anglia had variable cloud and sunny spells during the morning, but elsewhere there was a gradual increase in cloud as the rain over Ireland and Scotland pushed E into Wales by mid-morning, affecting N England and the West Midlands later in the afternoon. After this the rain made little further progress to the E. Another area of rain reached SW Ireland during the evening. (Marham 21C, Loch Glascarnoch 4C, Dundrennan 11m, Hastings and Jersey 11.3h.)
The 20th began generally cloudy before dawn with rain at times across much of Britain except Scotland. As the rain moved E it was followed by blustery showers with S'ly gusts to 50kn over some W coastal areas. During the evening the rain turned heavy and thundery across Cent S England, before clearing skies pushed E across S Ireland, S Wales and SW England. Parts of the Northern Isles had a dull day with fog and mist for most of the time. Heavy rain during the evening resulted in a fall of 21.6mm at Harborne (West Midlands) - maing it the wettest day since 17 July 2001. (Jersey 21C, Loch Glascarnoch 2C, Capel Curig 22mm, Clacton 11.2h.)
Overnight rain across Britain largely cleared the E coast by mid-morning on the 21st, and clearer conditions pushed E across W parts. However, further rain reached SW Ireland by mid-morning, thereafter pushing E and NE to affect most of Britain (except for N Scotland) by midnight. W Scotland had a sunny morning, while sunny spells affected E England during the morning and W Scotland in the afternoon. (Lossiemouth and Marham 21C, Lough Fea 5C, Boscombe Down 21mm, Stornoway 12.3h.)
The rain continued to move NE early on the 22nd, followed by showers in the SW. These showers became widespread during the day, being heavy and blustery in many areas in a generally S'ly airflow. During the late afternoon and evening thunder was reported across E Scotland and parts of NW England and Northern Ireland, although the showers had largely cleared from E England by mid-evening. Poor visibility again prevailed across much of the Northern Isles during the day. (Lossiemouth 20C, Kilmory 8C, Tulloch Bridge 34mm, Leuchars 9.4h.)
Showers continued to fall across W areas of the British Isles before dawn on the 23rd, and then spread E to affect most areas during the day; a clearance of the showers followed in E Britain during the evening. There was thunder with heavy rainfall around 1115GMT in Cent London. More general rain reached W Ireland during mid-afternoon, pushing E to affect W Wales and SW England by late evening. The showers were again blustery, while the poor visibility across the Noerthen Isles had largely cleared by mi-morning. (Coningsby 19C, Corgary and Lough Fea 7C, Port Glenone 16mm, Margate 13.4h.)
An area of rain over Cent parts of the British Isles pushed E early on the 24th, clearing E Britain during the late morning, after some heavy falls in places. Widespread showers affected all areas during the day, with gusts to 50kn around some exposed areas of S and W Wales. Showers/rain were especially persistent across parts of Cumbria, SW Scotland and Northern Ireland, where there were also isolated reported of thunder. Thunder was wodespread across NE England during the late afternoon. The showers died out across E Scotland and E England during the evening. (Coltishall, Shoeburyness and Gravesend 18C, Cassley 5C, Shap Fell 43mm, Torquay 13.4h.)
After a mainly dry night in E areas, showers in the W spread E during the morning of the 25th. There was further prolonged rain overnight near the English-Scottish border. More general rain fell across W Ireland and W Scoptland during the late morning moved E into Wales by the evening, later affecting the Midlands and Cent S England. There were scattered sferics across the Midlands during the late morning and into the early afternoon. (Bridlington 17C, Glenlivet 5C, Shap Fell 44mm, Cromer 13.6h.)
Rain moved E across S England during the early hours of the 26th, and there were lesser amounts and shwoery falls across many other parts of the British isles overnight. Low pressure, moving from near Scilly at 0000GMT to Northumberland by 2400GMT, was accompanied by bands of showers, many of them heavy and prolonged, and with hail in parts of S England, throughout the day. Thunder was reported from parts of E England and the S Midlands, and also in S Ireland. A funnel cloud was seen around 1100GMT over Surfleet (near Spalding, Lincolnshire), and there were reports of a small tornado in the Haywards Heath area (which reportedly felled an oak tree and killed a cow. Showers were lighter across Scotland and Ireland. In South Nottinghamshire thunderstorms gave enough hail to cover lawns. (Jersey 17C, Glenanne 3C, Redhill 27mm, Belfast 13.0h.)
Skies cleared across East Anglia, the Midlands and SE England early on the 27th, leading to the formation of fog patches in places. Elsewhere, the night was mainly cloudy with rain and showers across Scotland and Ireland in particular. By mid-morning showers were breaking out in many SW areas of England also, and across Wales and these continued into the afternoon. Around 1315GMT a funnel cloud was observed from Warrington, while there were there were isolated thunderstorms over Northern Ireland and NE England during the afternoon. During the evening an area of rain pushed into S Ireland. (Cent London 19C, Shobdon 1C, Clacton 19mm, Isle of Wight 12.3h.)
The rain in S Ireland soon extended N and W to affect most of Ireland, Wales and SW England by dawn on the 28th. The rain made progress to the E during the morning, finally clearing E England around late afternoon. Shwoers followed the rain over Ireland, and these pushed into England during the afternoon. There were a few falls of rain/rain showers over Scotland during the day, mainly in the W. Gusts to 50kn were reported in S Wales during some of the heavier showers in the afternoon, and there were sferics in E Ireland and W Scotland during the afternoon; Rosyth (Fife) had a thunderstorm with heavy rain around 1045GMT. (Aultbea 19C, Aboyne 4C, Pembrey Sands 16mm, Lowestoft 10.9h.)
The 29th began with some light rain in some light rain in parts of E and Cent England which moved mainly E. Heavier rain in Northern Ireland and North Wales moved into N England and S Scotland during the morning and early afternoon, with widespread showers across Scotland, and other W and N areas of the British Isles during the remainder of the day. The late afternoon and evening saw a clearance in the cloud across the SE corner of England, but with showers persisting across Ireland. Showers were thundery during the late afternoon and evening across parts of Ireland and E Scotland. (Lowestoft 18C, Biggar 6C, Capel Curig 28mm, Jersey 12.3h.)
Showers occurred early on the 30th across Ireland and W Scotland, with rain around dawn across S Wales and SW parts of England. This rain pushed NE followed by showers, which affected many areas of the British Isles during the day; hail was reported from Malin Head at 2100GMT. Thunder was widely reported across N and E England in the afternoon, and around the Moray Firth. An area of more widespread rain crossed E through Northern Ireland, N England, S and Cent Scotland during the evening, by which time a general clearance of the cloud was taking place across much of S Ireland, Wales and S and Cent England. (Gravesend 19C, Kinbrace 3C, Sennybridge 19mm, Jersey 13.5h.)
High pressure over S Britain on the 31st resulted in a sunny day across much of England, Wales and S Scotland, although early cloud over much of Ireland was followed by showers and some frontal rain during the afternoon and evening, with some falls in SW Scotland later in the evening. By midnight cloud had again cleared from most of England and Wales. N and Cent Scotland had variable amounts of cloud during the day, with some rain at times in the N and W. (Jersey 21C, Wick 3C, Norwich 11mm, Torquay 14.4h.)
Pressure fell slowly across the British Isles 2nd, with the weather being dominated by the moved of thunderstorms from S Ireland before dawn to S and E Scotland by late evening. Much of S and SE England had a sunny day although cloud affected Cent S England during the afternoon. Temperatures rose to 28C across Jersey; at 1300GMT Jersey St Helier was reporting 25C with a moderate SE wind, but by 1400GMT the temperature had fallen to 14C with a 15mph NW wind and fog - later thunder was reported. Following the thunderstorm passage, another band of rain affected W Ireland and W Scotland during the afternoon, with moderate to heavy falls in places. Isolated thundery showers also occurred during the evening over parts of Cent S England. (Jersey 28C, Monkswood 6C, Point of Ayre 22mm, Folkestone 14.7h.)
The 3rd dawned after a generally cloudy night, with thundery outbreaks across E Scotland and E England before dawn that slowly moved out across the North Sea. Further rain over W Scotland and Ireland moved E into Cent Scotland and Cent England by mid-morning, before breaking up as it moved into E England. Showers of rain fell across Ireland and NW England during the afternoon and evening. (Southend 21C, Glenanne 6C, Boulmer 20C, Be3lfast 9.5h.)
Skies cleared temporarily overnigth across Cent Ireland, N England and E Scotland to give some low temperatures in sheltered parts of E Scotland on the 4th. There were a few overnight showers in W Scotland and NW England. Rain affected the Channel Islands by dawn and then the Sussex coast shortly after dawn. Widespread rain and shwoers over ireland during the morning moved into Scotland later in the day, while rain affected parts of S na dCent S England, and the Channel Islands, throughout the day. The evening brought a clearance of the cloud to much of Ireland and Wales by midnight. (Skegness 19C, Aboyne 0C, Jersey 16mm, Aberdeen 15.4h.)
There was some light rain around Irish Sea coasts early on the 5th, which gradually faded during the morning. This left much of Ireland, W Wales and Scotland under clear skies by mid-morning, before showers broke out over Ireland. Meanwhile cloud and rain had pushed NW into SE England and East Anglia, with another band of rain pushing into E Scotland. While the latter area was slow moving and largely dissipated during the evening, the rain area over England pushed W during the afternoon and evening to affect Wales, Dorset and Dublin by midnight. There were heavy falls across parts of S Engkland with some localised flooding. Thunderstorms occurred over Kent, Surrey and Sussex during the evening. (Great Malvern 19C, Shap Fell 3C, Kenley 21mm, Stornoway 12.9h.)
Mainly cloudy conditions prevailed into the early hours of the 6th, with rain continuing to push W over much of England and Wales. There were increasing amounts of clear skies over W Ireland and W Scotland, with minimum temperatures remaining above 10C across many areas of Scotland. While the rain area tended to move W and SW during the day, leaving humid conditions with mist and light rain/drizzle in places over England and Wales by the evening, sunny spells over Scotland led to quite high temperatures in Cent Scotland. Ireland saw cloud spreading W during the day, with some light rain and showers later in the day. (Aviemore 25C, Wick 7C, Bognor Regis 29mm, Tiree 14.5h.)
Low pressure over S parts of the British Isles, along with associated frontal systems, on the led to a N-S split in the weather on the 7th. Scotland, apart from some S parts, dawned mainly clear and much of that country had a sunny day with fairly warm conditions in the N despite an E airflow. Remaining parts of the British Isles had a generally cloudy day with light rain and drizzle affecting many areas. The evening saw an increase in cloud cover over cent Scotland, with declining rainfall amounts over Ireland and England. (Lusa 26C, Fyvie Castle 7C, Lyneham 13mm, Lerwick 16.2h.)
The entire British Isles had a mainly cloudy day on the 8th, the notable exception being the Shetland Islands where almots 17h of bright sunshine were measured. A weaking area of low pressure over S Britain resulted in rain and drizzle over much of the British Isles, although there were bright intervals from time to time along parts of the E coast of England. Thunder was heard in places in SW Scotland in the mid-afternoon. (Lusa 22C, Andrewsfield 6C, Aberdeen 17mm, Lerwick 16.9h.)
Low pressure to the W of Ireland resulted in the 9th being another rather unsummery day. The day dawned cloudy in msost areas apart from areas of Kent and East Anglia, with rain crossing Ireland to reach W Britain by dawn. Shwoers followed the rain across Ireland, while some heavy frontal falls were reported in parts of SW England and S Wales. The rain continued to push E across Britain, although Shetland remnained mainly sunny. Falls over E England were benerally light and there was an evening clearance of the cloud here. (Durness and Kinloss 19C, Herstmonceux 8C, Tulloch Bridge 23mm, Lerwick 14.6h.)
Overnight rain across Northern Ireland, NW England and S Scotland weakened on the 10th and turned to showers during the morning. Overnight showers across Ireland, S Wales and SW England soon became widespread across most areas, being heavy and blustery in places. Thunder was reported over parts of E England and East Anglia in the late afternoon and early evening, although cloud then cleared from much of East Anglia and the Midlands, Wales and E Ireland by midnight. At Grasby (Lincolnshire) frequent thunder was heard from about 1045GMT to 1700GMT. (Lossiemouth 19C, Glenlivet 4C, Capel Curig 53mm, Morecambe 10.1h.)
Rain continued overnight across S Scotland and the extreme N of England, with with showers over W Ireland and some other W-facing coastal belts early on the 11th. Much of E England and E Scotland had a clear start to the day, but most areas soon clouded over with showers becoming widespread over Ireland, Scotland and parts of SW England. During the late afternoon an area of more general rain pushed into the Channel islands and SW England, affecting S Wales and Cent S England by midnight. Thunderstorms were reported during late morning across Cent. Ireland. (Lossiemouth 19C, Fylingdales 5C, Eskdalemuir 12mm, Oxford 13.6h.)
While showers became mainly confined to W Ireland early on the 12th, rain across S England pushed away SE to clear much of England by dawn. During the morning showers broke out across W Ireland and W Scotland, moving E into E Scotland during the late morning. Showers also affected parts of N England before an area of frontal rain pushed into NW Ireland and W Scotland in the early afternoon - this rain reacheed E Scotland during the late afternoon, while further rain and drizzloe affacted S England and the Channel islands during the evening. (Herne Bay 19C, Glenlivet 2C, Guernsey Airport 18mm, Lerwick 12.2h.)
While the rain across Scotland, which had extended S into N England, died out early on the 13th, falls across S England continued until late morning, resulting in mist, fog and poor visibility in places for a while. The afternoon saw a return of the light rain to S England with falls across S Ireland; these rain areas pushed N during the remainder of the day to affect Northern Ireland and S Scotland by midnight. Further N, there were also some light falls of rain or showwers across Cent Scotland, although the Northern Isles had a clear afternoon and evening. (Herne Bay 21C, Kinbrace 1C, Sloy 20C, Lerwick 12.7h.)
The 14th dawned cloudy across s Britain with rain in places, and foig around some coastal parts of SW England and S Wales. Another area of rain pushed E across Ireland during the morning and most remaining areas of Britain during the day; meanwhile the original frontal rain reached Shetland by midnight leaving all but parts of N Scotland mainly dry at midnight. At Lerwick, however, over 16h of sunshine was reported since yesterday evening. During the evening there were reports of torrential, thundery rain in Lancashire, in the Blackburn, Accrington and Ribble Valley areas, that lead to localised flooding. The thunderstorms moved NE across NE England later. (Gravesend 23C, Wick 2C, Lough Fea 30mm, Lerwick 16.7h.)
The 15th began mostly dry, albeit with some light rain in the Northern Isles and Cornwall, and some showers in SW Ireland. While the rain in the N cleared, that in the S and SW pushed NE across Ireland, Wales and SW England during the day - later affecting the Midlands and Cent. S England. E districts remained mostly dry with sunny spells. (Lowestoft 23C, Fair Isle and Capel Curig 14C max, Wick 7C min, Castlederg 23mm, Cromer 10.5h.)
Rain in the S and W continued to push N on the 16th, although falls in most areas were slight. During the afternoon heavier rain pushed NE across Ireland ahead of a low to the SW (centre 971mb at 2400GMT). By midnigth rain was falling across much of Ireland SW and Cent Scotland. The day was generally a cloudy one, with the best of the sunshine across NW England; the evening was warm, ahead of the rain in the W. (Jersey 23C, Altnaharra 5C, West Freugh 18mm, Manchester 8.9h.)
The 17th began with mild conditions across much of Britain, despite the clear skies over much of E England. With MSL pressure at 990mb at Belmullet at 0000GMT, there were gusty winds across W areas earely in the day - with Belmullet reporting 62kn gusts at 0300GMT. The rain area (associated with a cold front) weakened over Ireland and Scotland and made only slow progress E during the day, allowing temperatures to reach 26-27C over a large area of E England before cloud advanced from the W. Across Ireland maximum temperatuyres were about 10C cooler with the strong gusts transferring N with the low. Stornoway reported 62kn gusts at 1200GMT. (Coltishall 29C, South Uist 15C max, Larne 9C, Barra 14mm, Hastings 12.4h.)
There were scattered showers in N England and W Scotland early on the 18th, while by 0300GMT there were reports of thunderstorms developing across London and parts of East Anglia. These developed NEwards and then moved SE to affect much of East Anglia and the SE corner of England by midday, giving heavy falls of rain in places. Rain and showers continued across W Scotland and W Ireland during the day, with gusts of 40kn in places. Skies cleared over much of England and Wales during the late afternoon, and later E Scotland and SE Ireland, as pressure rose from the W. (Gravesend 23C, South Uist 9C, Norwich 18mm, Bournemouth 12.1h.)
There was patchy cloud overnight across much of Britain, and the 19th began with showers continuing across W Ireland and W Scotland. These showers continued throught the day, extending across much of Cent Ireland. Elsewhere, it remained dry with sunny spells. (London 23C, Fylingdales 6C, Lusa 17mm, Hunstanton 16.3h.)
Rain pushed NW to affect parts of coastal Sussex and Kent by dawn on the 20th, and there were also a few showers across W Scotland and N England by mid-morning. The rain in the S soon petered out, although during the afternoon further rain pushed E across S Ireland, later extending N into SW Scotland. E areas again remained mostly dry. A dust devil wreaked havoc at the third day of Royal Ascot, whisking a gazebo, chairs and ladies' hats 30m into the air. Two men were taken to hospital; one with a suspected heart attack, the other with cuts and bruises. (London 23C, Aboyne 4C, Sloy 8mm, Weymouth 14.0h.)
The 21st dawned mostly cloudy, with outbreaks of rain over Ireland and Western Scotland. By dawn this had spread to Wales and parts of S and Cent S England. The day remained mainly cloudy, except in some E areas of Britain and in the Channel Islands, with rain and drizzle becoming largely confined to Wales, NW England and W Scotland. The late afternoon and evening saw another pulse of moderate to heavy rain affecting SW England before it moved across S England. Rain turned to showers across Ireland during the afternoon and evening, with reports of thunder from E areas of Ireland and SW Scotland. Heavy rainfall caused problems in counties Antrim and Down, while Rathcoole, on the outskirts of north Belfast, was worst affected with 70 homes flooded. Thunderstorms also caused part of a roof at the Quality Inn hotel in Carrickfergus to collapse, while cars heading out of Belfast on the M2 were unable to leave the motorway at Greencastle because of a landslide at Arthur Bridge. (London 23C, Altnaharra 2C, Cardinham 11mm, Guernsey 9.7h.)
Light rain in S England cleared early on the 22nd, leaving fog patches around dawn in the Channel Islands. Rain and showers affected Ireland, S Scotland and NW England into the morning, with rain and showers continuing to affect W and N Scotland, Ireland and SW England through the morning and into the afternoon. There were reports of thunder in parts of NE and SW Scotland and in E Ireland, during the afternoon, and rainfall totals of over 10mm were widespread across Northern Ireland. Not until the late evening was there a clearance across Ireland, by which time much of Cent and E England was also clear of cloud, MSL pressure having reached 1022mb in the Channel Islands. (Lowestoft 22C, Altnaharra 7C, Glennane 21mm, Southend 12.5h.)
Much of Ireland and S Britain was clear of cloud for a while under high pressure, early on the 23rd, although there was some rain across Cent Scotland and a few showers across W Ireland by dawn. During the day showers were mostly confined to Ireland and W Scotland with parts of Wales and S England having long sunny spells. Skies again cleared across S Ireland and S Britain during the evening, although N Scotland remained cloudy. (Gravesend 22C, Eskdalemuir 6C, Dyce 17mm, Ross-on-Wye 12.5h.)
Clearing skies extended into SE Scotland very early on the 24th, before cloud and rain pushed E into W Scotland and W Ireland by mid-morning, spreading cloud SE across N England, Wales and SW England. The rain crossed Scotland during the morning and into the afternoon, breaking up as it did so, and turning to drizzle as it lingered over Ireland. The evening saw a general drying out almost everywhere, with clear skies across Cent and E England by midnight, and the rain and drizzle confined to a few areas around the Irish Sea and W Ireland. (Gravesend 23C, Benson 4C, Dyce 13mm, Weymouth 15.3h.)
Light rain and showers early on the 25th were mainly confined to N and W Scotland and W Ireland. Cloud soon spread to SE England after dawn, although the precipitation in the W largely cleared by early afternoon; a few showers were still reported from the Northern Isles and the Hebrides. As cloud in the SE moved into the continent and cleared, leading to a fine start to the night across much of England, Wales and E Ireland, more extensive rain pushed E into W Scotland and Northern Ireland by midnight, with 30kn gusts in W Scotland. (Lowestoft 23C, Redhill 5C, Baltasound 6mm, Folkestone 15.0h.)
The 26th began with patchy cloudy across S England and Wales, and rain in N Scotland. By dawn rain was affecting much of NW Ireland and W Scotland, with falls across S Scotland and parts of N England. Rain and showers became more widespread during the morning, although falls were mostly light, across Scotland, Ireland and N England. Despite increasing cloud, much of SE England had a dry day with sunny spells and temperatures reaching 23C. By mid-evening the rain area had moved SE to affect parts of Cent S England, East Anglia and the Midlands, the associated cold front having introduced cooler air to areas to the NW. The late evening saw a clearance behind the front, but showers continued to fall in NW Scotland. (London 25C, Shobdon 4C, Lusa 13mm, Tenby 14.8h.)
Light rain in parts of East Anglia and Cent S England soon died out early on the 27th, although rain and showers over N and NW Scotland persisted into the evening, by which time they were confined to NE Scotland. A N to NW airflow was accompanied by gusts to 40kn across N Scotland throughout the day. Further S there were a few showers over NE England and East Anglia into the afternoon, while patchy cloud across most S and W parts of the British Isles had largely cleared by midnight, as pressure (reaching 1030.2mb at Valentia at that time). (Lee-on-Solent 20C, Topcliffe 5C, Loch Glascarnoch 19mm, Isle of Wight 13.6h.)
A ridge of high pressure extending across the British Isles from the SW gave a generally dry day on the 28th. Low pressure to the E gave some early rain in Norfolk and parts of E England, and there were a few showers over W-facing coasts of Scotland and Ireland. After a clear start it became generally cloudy except in the Channel Islands, while during the evening frontal cloud pushed E into W Ireland and W Scotland. 1031mb was the reported MSL pressure at Valentia around midday. (Lee-on-Solent 21C, Shap Fell 4C, Cranwell 5mm, Guernsey and Jersey 14.1h.)
Skies cleared across much of England and Wales early on the 29th, leading to a ground frost in some sheltered areas. However, frontal rain across W parts of Ireland and Scotland pushed E into Wales and E Scotland by late morning, with cloud spreading to most of the British Isles. Rain was mainly confined to Ireland and N Britain, with only light falls in SW England in the afternoon and evening. (Barbourne 21C, Benson 3C, South Uist Range 16mm, Jersey 14.3h.)
Mostly cloudy conditions prevailed overnight and into the morning of the 30th. There was early rain in NE Scotland and SW England, which spread into the Channel Islands. Heavier rain began to affect W Ireland and W Scotland by mid-morning, and spread NE to affect most of Scotland during the afternoon, with late afternoon seeing falls in Wales and SW England moving into the Midlands and SE England. (Lowestoft 22C, Redhill 6C, Eskdalemuir 17mm, Folkestone 11.0h.)
A generally cloudy start to the 2nd was accomapanied by widespread early rain and showers, which became quite widespread over N England during the morning. An area of widespread rain reached SW England and SW Ireland around midday, moving E and NE to affect much of S Ireland, all of Wales and S England by the evening. Falls were heavy across some of the higher ground in these areas. Across scotland there was a slight clearance of the cloud during the afternoon, and this clearance spread to much of Ireland as the rain in the S moved further E, with falls in SE England and East Anglia by midnight. Isolated sferics were reported from E England during the afternoon. (Coningsby and Coltishall 19C, Tulloch bridge 6C, Spadeadam 16mm, Clacton 9.5h.)
MSL pressure fell to 991.4mb at Heathrow by 0300GMT on the 3rd, before rising as the rain across S and Cent England continued to move E into the North Sea by midday. This left a bright and showery N-NW airflow across the British Isles; these showers turned thundery in SW Scotland and NW England during the afternoon. Thunder was also reported from Buckinghamshire during the late afternoon with very large raindrops in Chesham. As the showers died down during the evening, cloud cleared from most of the British Isles, except N and Cent Scotland, by midnight. (Glasgow 20C, Katesbridge 5C, Isle of Wight 42mm, Isle of Man 9.1h.)
The 4th dawned with rain in parts of E Scotland and showers in W Scotland. Cloud soon increased E across Ireland with rain pushing into much of W Ireland by mid-morning. The cloud soon affected most of Britain while the rain advanced into Wales by late afternoon before spreading across much of England and S Scotland by midnight. (Gravesend 21C, Waterstein and Preston 5C, Leuchars 11.5h, Torquay 14.3h.)
Low pressure brought rain across England and Wales early on the 5th, the rain pushing into S Scotland by dawn. By midday the rain was mostly confined to N England with cloud and drizzle further S. Keele University recorded 20 consecutive hours of measurable rain ending 1400GMT, with a total fall of 25.2mm. The rain cleared to the E during the afternoon. Most of Scotland had a generally bright day with sunny spells, these conditions spreading S into Ireland during the afternoon, and into N England during the evening. S wales, and other parts of England, had a cloudy end to the day. Thunder was reported around the Home Counties late in the afternoon. (Torquay 22C, Altnaharra 0C, nantmor 25mm, Tiree 13.8h.)
Much of S and E England remained cloudy early on the 6th; Wales, N England, Ireland and scotland had breaks in the cloud with showers in N Scotland at first. Another area of cloud and rain pushed E into Ireland and W Scotl;and by dawn, before moving across Ireland, Scotland and N England during the morning. Ahead of the rain, teher were some reports of low temperatures across NE England. Further rain affected Ireland and later Wales, Scotland and W England during the afternoon and evening. (Torquay 23C, Fylingdales 1C, London 11mm, Falmouth 10.2h.)
A cloudy start to the 7th heralded a generally cloudy day across the British Isles. There was some light rain early in the day over NW Scotland and also in Wales and S England. These areas had mostly cleared by midday, by which time another belt of rain had pushed into W Ireland, before moving into Wales, Cent S England and E Scotland by midnight. Rainfall during the day was generally heaviest in SW Ireland. (Coningsby 22C, Aboyne 4C, Valentia 10mm, Dyce 6.9h.)
The rain areas moved E during the 8th, clearing Scotland by late morning but lingering longer, and turning to drizzle, across S England and into east Anglia. Poor visibility in the Channel Islands included some fog during the morning. As the rain cleared there were sunny spells across much of Scotland, N England and N Ireland by late morning. Further rain pushed into SW England during mid-afternoon before spreading to the Midlands and East anglia by late evening. Showers affected Ireland and W Scotland during the later afternoon and evening. (Coningsby and Donna Nook 23C, Baltasound 8C, West Freugh 16mm, Buxton (Derbyshire) 9.2h.)
Rain continued to affect S England and East Anglia during the morning of the 9th, with heavy falls in places. Rain and drizzle also affected the Midlands and NE England, before moving the North Sea during the afternoon and into the evening. Across Ireland, Scotland and later Wales and W England conditions were much brighter, with long sunny spells and a few showers; the evenign, however, brought rain and drizzle to NE Scotland. (Bedford 22C, Redesdale Camp 3C, Holbeach 37mm, Aberdeen 12.5h.)
The 10th saw a general clearance in the cloud across much of the British Isles before dawn, except for light rain across NE England and NE Scotland at first. By dawn showers were breaking out across Ireland, Wales and SW England and these became more widespread during the remainder of the morning. Showers affected most parts of the British Isles in the W airflow during the afternoon, accompanied by thunder in the S Midlands and Cent S England. Sferics were also reported in S wales and SW Scotland. The showers gradually died back during the evening, especially in E Britain. (Coningsby 21C, Redesdale Camp 4C, Eskdalemuir 13mm, Eastbourne 14.8h.)
Rain showers continued over SW England before dawn on the 11th, and also in parts of the Midlands and NW England. Elsewhere, cloud cover was patchy overnight, but soon increased during the morning as showers again became widespread. These were heavy in places, with thunder across the Midlands, East Anglia and parts of N England from mid-afternoon onwards. During the evening there was a gradual clearance of the cloud in many areas of the British Isles although showers lingered in places. A funnel cloud was seen off the East Sussex coast at Saltdean at 0840GMT, while at Bracknell (Tawfield) a rotating water-droplet column (land devil) was seen at 1230GMT. (Preliminary data only: Gravesend 21C, Altnaharra 3C, Herstmonceux 13mm.)
After a mainly clear start, except for some showers in parts of Scotland and Ireland, it soon turned cloudy in most parts on the 12th as rain reached S England. This rain lingered in places throughout the morning, before retreating S. Rain also affected NW England and S Scotland, with thunder during the morning in places. During the afternoon there were some showers across Scotland and around the Irish Sea, before a clearance of the clooud occured across much of Ireland, Wales and W England by midnight. (Leeds 21C, Redesdale 4C, Keswick 18mm, Morecambe 13.3h.)
Although the 13th dawned clear in most areas, there was cloud with some showers in E England and SW Wales, while fog patches affected S Ireland around dawn. Despite increasing cloud during the morning, rising pressure meant a mostly fine day across the British Isles, albeith with a few showers in the SW and over N Ireland. The evening saw light rain and drizzle across W Ireland and parts of W Scotland. (Eastbourne 23C, Kinbrace 1C, Manston 6mm, Aberdeen 15.6h.)
Cloud affected much of Scotland and Ireland in the early hours of the 14th, with light rain and drizzle in W Ireland and N Scotland. This cloud and rain spread to SW Scotland and parts of W Wales by midday, before the rain lifted. The afternoon saw the cloud becoming mainly restricted to Scotland, with fog patches around the Irish Sea and in SW Scotland. Most of England and E Wales had a sunny day, with MSL pressure rising (to 1031.5mb at Valentia by midnight). (Great Malvern 26C, Redesdale 5C, Falmouth 3mm, Exmouth 15.0h.)
Cloud and light rain returned to Ireland early on the 15th, with light falls across Scotland too. Although the rainfall mainly died out during the morning, the cloudy conditions across Scotland, N England and Ireland persisted throughout the day, with mostly warm and fine conditions across Wales and remaining parts of England. However, during the evening cloud advanced into Wales and W England, leaving only parts of SE England and the Channel Islands clear of extensive cloud by midnight (although cloud had by then cleared from much of S Scotland). (Lee-on-Solent and Bournemouth 27C, Sennybridge 7C, Tiree 6mm, Weymouth 15.6h.)
Cloud cover continued to be quite extensive in the N airflow into the 16th, with light rain in parts of E England before dawn. The late morning saw clear conditions across NW England and SE Scotland, which spread S during the afternoon. N Scotland had light falls of rain and shwoers during the afternoon and into the evening, while cloud spread back across E England during the evening. (Poole 26C, Shap Fell 4C, Stornoway 3mm, Folkestone 15.1h.)
Rain and drizzle continued across NE Scotland in the early hours of the 17th,and continued there for much of the day in a few places. Elsewhere, despite the high pressure the day was rather cloudy in a NW-N airflow, although there were some clear patches from time to time. These occurred notably across Ireland and SW Scotland during the evening, extending into Wales and SW England by midnight. Light rain fell from the low cloud in coastal NE England during the morning. (Torquay 26C, Sennybridge 5C, Aberdeen 11mm, Guernsey 14.0h.)
By dawn on the 18th cloud was mostly restricted to Scotland and E and Cent parts of England with some rain falling in NE England, and with some low minimum temperatures occurring over Wales. Advancing cloud from the W then spread E across Ireland to bring rain to W Ireland by late morning, as the wind turned to a NE direction over much of Britain. While England and wales had sunny spells once the cloud thinned a little, the rain over was Ireland was slow-moving and by midnight had affected only Ireland and W Scotland. (Exmouth 24C, Trawscoed 4C, Loftus 9mm, Isle of Man 15.6h.)
There was a cloudy start to the 19th across much of the British Isles, as rain spread across N Ireland, N England and Scotland from the W. However, clearer skies across S and Se England spread to Cent England by midday. This cloud-clear divide remained for most of the day with further falls of rain across N areas but warm and sunny conditions in the extreme S of the British Isles, including the Channel Islands. Penzance had it's highest temperature of the year so far with 24.2C being reached; with the last weeks' prolonged sunshine and light winds the sea temperature near the beaches there are now a lot higher than a mile or so out - the temperature about 1 foot below the surface off the Battery Rocks at Penzance, a popular spot for swimming amongst locals, was 18C. (Jersey 27C, Redhill 8C, Lossiemouth 24mm, Isle of Wight 14.5h.)
Rain across Scotland, N England and the Midlands moved slowly E during the early hours of the 20th, with widespread cloud developing over most other parts of England by mid-morning. Rain continued to fall across E Scotland and NE England throughout the morning and into the afternoon, heavy at times, but becoming weaker in the afternoon. There was some thunder through Wales and into the Midlands early in the morning, but widespread thunderstorms then affected N England and the Midlands during the afternoon and evening, with some storms in SE England and East Anglia. In the 24 hours ending 2100GMT Keyworth (Nottingham) had 47.3mm of rain in at least 3 torrential bursts, with thunder at 0800GMT and thunder and hail at 1700GMT on the 20th. Farm buildings were destroyed by lightning near Oakham around 0800GMT and many parts of the east of Nottinghamshire suffered flash flooding twice during the day. 50.9mm fell at Penistone in the 24 hours to 1800h, and a tornado was reported at Brightlingsea. It was a very poor July day in E Scotland; with prolonged periods of rain and a cold N to NE'ly flow in the wake of a low moving off into North Sea in afternoon. Tiger Woods, the favourite to win, hit the worst score of his career at the Open Golf Championship at Muirfield (near Gullane, East Lothian). In an interview, he has just used the term "brutal" at least twice to describe the conditions yesterday. Great luck befell those who went out on the course. The friendly football match between Brechin (Angus) and Plymouth was postponed until the 21st due to the poor conditions. Across Ireland, most places had a dry and sunny day, although there were a few showers on coasts exposed to the N winds. (Guernsey 24C, Shap Fell 5C, Sutton Bonnington 52mm, Bournemouth 14.1h.)
Cloud cleared across Ireland, Wales and SW England before dawn on the 21st, although an area of rain over SE Scotland and NE England failed to clear until mid-morning. With a N-NW airflow persisting across the British Isles there were a few showers down the E coast during the day. The afternoon saw the wind backing to the SW across Ireland, ahead of advancing cloud from the W that brougfh light rain and drizzle to NW Ireland and W Scotland by midnight. Away from the E coastal areas much of Britain nhad a sunny day, with the clearance spreading E across much of England and E Scotland by midnight. (Guernsey 24C, Loch Glascarnoch 5C, Scarborough 17mm, Jersey 14.0h.)
By mid-morning on the 22nd cloud had spread E and SE to affect all but parts of Essex and Kent, with light rain and drizzle reaching parts of N England and E Scotland. Falls were mostly light and many parts of S England and S wales remained dry until the evening. The late afternoon saw an area of heavier rain pushing E into N Ireland, before affecting much of W Scotland and N and Cent Ireland by midnight. Light falls of rain and drizzle fell across parts of S Wales and S Wales, with most parts of Britain have a rather cloudy day. (Poole 23C, Redhill 4C, Scarborough 8mm, Jersey 14.5h.)
The 23rd began generally cloudy with rain and drizzle across many areas of the British Isles. The rain areas moved E throughout the day, clearing most of Ireland by midday, Scotland by late afternoon, and wales by early evening. By midnigth falls were confined to East Anglia, although showers were affecting N Scotland. Skies cleared across much of Ireland and over W parts of England during the evening. (Pershore and Holbeach 24C, Loch Glascarnoch 9C, Edinburgh 20mm, Jersey 6.4h.)
The clearance in W areas was shortlived, as cloud rapidly spread E across Ireland beforte dawn on the 24th. As rain cleared East Anglia, further light rain pushed across Ireland although this soon faded out. Showers continued across N Scotland during the morning, although the afternoon brought mainly dry weather to this area. There was further light rain over Ireland during the afternoon, which also affected W and N Scotland in the evening. (Herne Bay 22C, Shap Fell 7C, Buxton (Derbyshire) 4mm, Exmouth 10.0h.)
A cloudy, SW airflow resulted in a mild night into the 25th, with light rain early in the night across W Scotland moving E and S into parts of N England by mid-morning. During the afternoon a band of rain pushed E across N Scotland, giving moderate falls as far S as Fife. Much of the British Isles has a mostly cloudy day, with fog forming late in the morning around coasts of S Wales and SW England, persisting for the remeinder of the day in some places. During the evening, however, there was a clearance in the the cloud across much of E Ireland. (Wattisham 24C, Fylingdales 9C, Lerwick 6mm, Clacton 10.0h.)
With a ridge of high pressure across the British Isles giving a SW airflow to all areas on the 26th, the day was mainly dry and with no early low minimum temperatures. A mostly cloudy start was accompanied by rain across W Ireland and W Scotland, with drizzle and fog patches in SW England. Skies cleared over much of England during the day, leading to high temperatures in much of East Anglia and SE England, but persistent cloud in the W resulted in lower maxima across Ireland and Scotland, with further light rain and drizzle in places. (Honington 29C, Sella Ness 14C (max), Leuchars 10C (min), Lerwick 5mm, Scarborough 11h.)
Most W areas of the British Isles had a cloudy day on the 27th, with sunny spells confined mostly to NE and E areas of Engkland. There was light rain overnight in NW Scotland and some drizzle in SW England and W Ireland. The rain and drizzle moved across Ireland and Scotland during the day with small amounts also in NW wales. The evening saw a clearance in the cloud across E Scotland and in E Ireland. Afternoon temperatures again showed a marked W-E contrast, with 16C in W Scotland and w Ireland, 17C around coastal areas of Wales and 25-28C in East Anglia, away from the coast. (Coltishall 28C, Fair Isle 15C (max), Redesdale Camp 6C (min), Aultbea and Lusa 3mm, Cromer 11h.)
Rain truned heavy across W Scotland before dawn on the 28th, and most areas started the day with rather cloudy conditions. Rain and drizxzle affected much of Ireland during the morning, and rain also spread E across W and N Scotland by midday. Cloud cleared from the E across most of England and wales during the day, with 25C or above being widespread across Cent and E England during the afternoon. Weakening rain continued to fall across E Ireland, S and E Scotland into the evening, with some thundery activity in east Anglia during the evening. (Herne Bay 32.2C, Lerwick 14C (max), Pershore 11C (min), Lusa 37mm, Hastings 14h.)
Rain and drizzle continued to fall across E and S Scotland and across parts of Ireland during the early hours of the 29th. Humid conditions led to fog formation in SW and Cent S England; as this burnt off in the sunshine during the morning, thunderstorms developed across East Anglia. The afternoon saw thunderstorms developing across the east Midlands, affecting parts of Cent S England and NE England later in the afternoon and evening. Rain and drizzle continued to affect Scotland and Ireland, with light falls in S Wales and SW England. After thunderstorms, temperatures fell from about 28-29C in east Anglia during the afternoon to 18-19C by midnight. A whirlwind was seen at Chalfont St Giles at 1630GMT. Rain from thunderstorms in the Chesham area (Buckinghamshire) produced 5-7cm diameter splash marks on the dry ground. It sounded like melted hail; The rain soon became torrential with slight (marble-sized) hail at times, with the visi9bility down to 500-1000m. As well as temperature contrasts across the British Isles again, there were huge variations over just a couple of miles in West Cornwall; from around 19-20C in areas that stayed foggy for much of the day, to at least 25C in favoured spots. Flash floods closed roads and swamped some homes in Nottingham during the evening; roads in the Old Basford area of the city were under four feet of water in places and part of Arnold Way was reported to have collapsed. (Northolt 32.6C, Wick 13C (max), Baltasound 7C (min), Wattisham 31mm, Folkestone 12.6h.)
Rain continued to fall over Scotland in the early on the 30th, and there were thunderstorms over NE England during this time. Further S, despite some clear skies in SE England, minimum temperatures were over 17C in places (Wittering and Langdon Bay 17.5C, Watnall 18C, Heathrow 18.8C, Waddington 19.2C). Fog patches occurred around dawn in Cent S and SW England and in coastal areas of Wales; in the Northern Isles fog persisted all day in places. By dawn rain was falling across parts of E Ireland and Wales, and the late morning saw thunderstorms forming over East Anglia, N England and S Scotland, with heavy rain in S Scotland. These storms continued into the afternoon and evening, with further heavy rain in Scotland, while the evening saw a clearance in the cloud over much of Ireland. The storms caused localised flooding; entry into Glossop was impossible after floods in late afternoon. Earlier in the morning flooding occurred in the Bulwell area of Nottingham. A Railtrack official described conditions on the Scottish network as "the worst in years". Some residents in Shettleston in Glasgow had to be evacuated from their homes in the city as flooding occurred there. Householders in Elgin were also among those affected by flooding and about power to about 1,700 homes was lost at one stage. (Honington 29C, Sella Ness 10C, Marham 45mm, Cromer 10.6h.)
Although the early hours of the morning saw clear skies over Ireland, by dawn on the 31st rain was again affecting much of Ireland; further E rain fell across most parts of Britain before dawn, with thunder in SE England, East Anglia, NE England and SE Scotland. Rainfall was again heavy in some areas, although quite localised; fog patches occurred in places around dawn. By mid-morning heavy rain had pushed W over the Midlands and Cent S England; this rain area continued to move W but weakened as it did so. Heavy rain over N France pushed into SW England early in the evening, before moving slowly W. Rainfall amounts across Ireland and Scotland were mostly light to moderate. There were reports on the radio of a unconfirmed tornado occurring at Leatherhead. At Stratfield Mortimer, West Berkshire 49.4mm fell during the rainday commencing 0900GMT; this is the highest daily rainfall total in July since local records commenced in 1971, the previous wettest July day being 43.6mm on 6 July 1989. (Herne Bay 23C, Aberporth 14C max, Moyola 11C min, Waddington 58mm, Guernsey 10.4h.)
The 2nd dawned with rain falling across N England, S and E Ireland and parts of E Scotland, with heavy rain over Yorkshire. Fog patches developed across Cent S England for a while around dawn. Rain continued to fall in these areas for much of the day, although the evening saw a clearance of rain and cloud over N England, and falls across S Scotland. Despite some cloud in S England during the day, most of W Scotland and S England had a dry day. Floods affects large areas of Yorkshire, with Leeming reporting its wettest day (ending at 0900GMT) as 91.2mm fell; 122mm had fallen there in 3 days by the evening. (Weybourne 25C, Benson 8C, Leeming 86mm, Folkestone 14.4h.)
The 3rd began cloudyb in S Britain, Scotland and across Ireland, with rain in E and S Scotland and over Ireland, and a few showers in coastal areas of S England. Fog patches formed across some damp areas of N England. Despite the clearance of the rain from N England, there were still 33 flood warnings in operation by dawn in N England and Scotland. Showers fell throughout the day in parts of S England, while the rain across Ireland and Scotland weakened and became confined to E Scotland and SW Ireland. Thunderstorms affected parts of S England and the Midlands during the evening, and one person was reported killed after a tree he was sheltering under during a thunderstorm in Leicestershire was struck by lightning. At Penzance, only 9.6mm of rain has fallen since 12 July (with 7.5mm of that during one evening in late July). (Shobdon 25C, Trawscoed 7C, Aberdeen 43mm, Saunton Sands 13h.)
Cent S and SE England had further rain early on the 4th, and light rain and drizzle also affected E Scotland and SW Ireland during the time. Fog forme3d around dawn across E and S Scotland, and there were also further falls of light rain over N England by mid-morning. Much of England had a rather cloudy day with thunderstorms during the afternoon across parts of East Anglia and SE England. Parts of N England and E Scotland had further rain during the day, as did W Ireland. Sunshine during the afternoon in parts of W Scotland helped temperatures to rise to above 24C here. (Greenock 26C, Sennybridge 8C, London Weather Centre 29mm, Ronaldsway 12.3h.)
Rain affected parts of the Midlands, Wales and Sw England during the morning of the 5th, with scattered falls in parts of |NE England and NE Scotland. Fog patches were again widespread over Cent s England. Showers developed during the morning over SE England and East Anglia before spreading E later, with thunder in Berkshire during the afternoon. Once early cloud and mist had cleared from Ireland, much of that country had a warm day with temperatures over 23C in many places;p SW Scotland was also warm during the afternoon. By midnight, however, cloud and light drizzle had spread E into W Ireland. A tornado was reported just off A13 near Orsett Golf course (junction with A128) at 1620GMT. (Castlederg 26C, Katesbridge 8C, Eastbourne 17mm, Anglesey 13.4h.)
There was some light rain in parts of S and E England early on the 6th, while rain spread steadily E across Ireland. By dawn there were fog patches across S Wales, SW and Cent S England, S Scotland, and E and NE England. These cleared by mid-morning in most areas but generally poor visibility prevailed across Ireland as light rain and drizzle continued to fall there. By late afternoon the rain in Ireland had almost cleared, but Scotland and N England had bands of thundery rain during the afternoon, with locally heavy falls. Once early rain had cleared from England, much of England and Wales (except for some N areas) had a warm day with sunny spells, although fog did linger around some coast in SW England. (Bournemouth 27C, Redesdale 9C, Altnaharra 11mm, Jersey 12.6h.)
The 7th began with mostly cloudy conditions across the British Isles with rain across parts of Scotland and Ireland, and a some clear sky in Cent England allowing fog patches to form by dawn. Fog was also present in parts of NE England, although this soon cleared, while rain and showers spread E into Wales and N England later in the morning. There was flash flooding in parts of Cent Scotland in the early hours. The Inchs at Perth became flooded, while there are reports of the railway line between Perth and Inverness being washed away near Pitlochry. Houses were submerged by mudslides. It was a warm and humid day in SE England, and as the showers continued to move E across England and Wales they turned heavy and thundery in the late afternoon and evening in E England, the Midlands and Cent S England. 63mm fell in about an hour at Olney (near Milton Keynes), and with over 25mm falling in 30 minutes in London there was disruption due to flooding of several N London underground and mainline railway stations. At Hampstead the 24-hour fall was 71.5mm, of which 59.6mm fell in the hour ending 1700 GMT. (Heathrow 27C, Redhill 9C, Wittering 27mm, Folkestone 13.5h.)
The 8th brought another cloudy start to most of the British Isles, with widespread rain and showers over Ireland, England and NE Scotland before dawn. Widespread rain continued through the morning in NE Scotland, Wales, England and Ireland, with some heavy falls over Ireland where the rain did not clear until late evening. Parts of Kent and East Anglia saw the best of any sunshine, until thunderstorms broke out over East Anglia and SE England during the afternoon. By midnight rain was continuing to fall across much of Cent England, as drier conditions pushed E into Wales. (Margate 24C, Eskdalemuir 5C, Bedford 35mm, Clacton 11.1h.)
The 9th began with wwidespread cloud over Britain but only a patchy cover over Ireland, and with a low centred over S England. Rain was widespread over England and E Scotland during the morning, with several waterspouts seen 10km due south of Bournemouth during the early hours of the morning. Rain continued to fall over Cent S and N England, and the Midlands and E Scotland for most of the day, as the low moved slowly to the Sussex coast by midnight, while Ireland and W Scotland had a showery day in a N airflow. A funnel cloud was seen at Cottesmore during the late afternoon, and another was sighted near Bridport. At Stratfield Mortimer, West Berkshire 21.4mm fell in 30 minutes commencing 1738GMT. This is the highest 30 minute fall recorded at this site since records commenced in April 1987, the previous highest fall for this duration being 18.4 mm on 3 July 1999. Four consecutive minutes commencing 1747 GMT reached 120 mm/h or more, the highest 1 minute intensity (at 1750 GMT) being 144 mm/h. There were only two or three weak claps of thunder at the inset of the storm. At Brookmans Park (Hertfordshire) 44mm fell in the 24 hours beginning at 0900GMT. Thunder was heard at a few places in S England during the afternoon. (Charlwood 22C, Stornoway 7C, Edinburgh 35mm, Tiree 8.4h.)
The low over SE England gradually filled during the 10th, leaving most areas in a N-NW airflow. By dawn rain had cleared from most parts of S England, but there were localised heavy falls in NE England around dawn that led to disruption there. About 150 homes were evacuated in Cayton bay and Filet after avout 75mm fell in just three hours; in the worst-affected area in Filey, Parish Fields, the water reached reached three feet and the Fire and Rescue Service was inundated with emergency calls. After a clear start cloud spread E across Ireland during the morning, and thundery rain fell around London and in parts of SE England during the late morning and early afternoon. A funnel cloud was observed near Colchester about 1030GMT today, just west of Eight Ash Green; one was also seen near Stansted Airport. A cloudburst in Southend during the day was followed by a landslip at Chalkwell Cliffs and some flooding. Light rain spread across Ireland during the afternoon, while the evening saw a clearance of the cloud over parts of SE and S England. (Coltishall 23C, Altnaharra 4C, Southend 54mm, Tiree 11.6h.)
There was light rain and drizzle early on the 11th over Ireland and in parts of SW Scotland, while showers affecetd W Wales. Fog affected parts of E England and Norfolk around dawn, and in most araes the day began with generally cloudy conditions, as cloud spread back to much of SE and S England. As the wind backed to the SW across the British Isles, rain and drizzle spread to SW England, W wales and W Scotland by midday with showers breaking out further to the W over Ireland. At 1500GMt blowind sand was reported, with 29kn gusts, from the Donegal Bay area. By midnight the rainband had crossed much of Scotland, with heavy falls in a few places, but had petered out across Cent S England with only light falls here and in the Midlands. (Holbeach 23C, Baltasound 8C, Dundrennan 15mm, Hastings 8.7h.)
The 12th dawned with cloud across much of Britain and W Ireland, but a clear area around Irish sea coasts and light drizzle reported in parts of the N Midlands and W Ireland. Cloud soon spread E across Ireland as the cloudfree area moved E to Wales and NW England by midday. Light rain fell in parts of E England during the morning, and in W Ireland and N Scotland. The clearance continued to spread E and by evening most of England was cloudfree, but light rain had spread E from Ireland to affect SW wales and parts of Scotland. Fog formed around the coasts of SW England by midnight, and the evening saw some heavier falls of rain in SW Scotland. (Lee-on-Solent 25C, Katesbridge 6C, Dundrennan 11mm, Tenby 12.8h.)
Overnight rain continued to affect Scotland early on the 13th with falls also in W wales and Ireland. Mist and fog patches were widespread by dawn over Cent. S and SW England although these cleared by late morning in most parts. After a clear start cloud spread to cover much of E England by midday although much of Kent and Sussex remained mostly sunny. Rain fell across Ireland for much of the day, and also across S Scotland and N England; however, the evening saw a clearance of the cloud from the NW across W Scotland. (Lowestoft 27C, Redhill 8C, Spadeadam 22mm, Hastings 14.0h.)
Although E England remained fairly clear of cloud early on the 14th, further W cloud redeveloped and there was rain across Ireland, S Scotland and WQales before dawn. Fog patches again formed in Cent S England. It remained cloudy in most areas during the morning, with rain over Scotland, Ireland, Wales and SW England, although clear conditions over E England during the morning spread W during the afternoon to all parts of England except for extreme N and SW corners. By the evening light rain was mostly confined to Scotland and SE Ireland, as clearer conditions spread E over Ireland too. It was a warm afternoon over E England and the Midlands, with 25C being widely reported. (Holbeach 28C, Loch Luichart 7C, Barra 15mm, Clacton 12.8h.)
The 15th dawned with patchy cloud over Cent and N England, and cloud over Scotland giving rain in S Scotland. Early low cloud anf go was reported from Cornwall, with light drizzle over W Wales. Clear conditions over E England again led to another warm day here, with thunderstorms developing in the evening over Norfolk and Suffolk. Cloud and rain over Scotland mostly cleared in the afternoon, except for some contuned moderate falls in W areas, and Ireland, wales and W England had a sunny afternoon after cloud and light precipitation cleared from these area too. By midnight there was little cloud across the British Isles, the notable exception being an area of moderate rain centred on Skye. (London 30C, Moyola 9C, Stornoway 13mm, Folkestone 13.3h.)
The 16th began wityh a mainly clear night across the British Isles, although there were overnight spells of rain and showers over N Scotland. These soon died down, and most places then had a warm and dry day, although cloud and rain spread into W Ireland during the evening. Cloud spread E into W Scotland by midnight, and fog formed across parts of E England by the same time. (London 29C, Aboyne 4C, Shobdon 6mm, Morecambe 13.4h.)
The diary for the 17th-31st was compiled by Bernard Burton, with additional data provided by Ben Gurney).
A deepening low moved northwards to the west of Ireland during the 17th, pushing an area of rain northwards across Ireland and W Scotland, while the system's cold front brought a change to broken cloud and showers, which spread across most of Ireland by midday, and to the west of Scotland by 1800GMT. This front then became slow moving over SW England, W Wales and Cent Scotland, with pulses of rain moving northwards along it. Elsewhere, most places had a fine day with plenty of sunshine, and it became hot in the south. Winds were a feature in the west and northwest, and reached gale force in places. (Coningsby, Hunstanton and Herne Bay 31C, Fair Isle. 15C max, Aboyne 5C min, St Mary's Scilly 10mm, Isle of Wight 13.3h.)
By 0000GMT on the 18th winds were moderating and the last of the gales ceased during the night in the far NW. Over Ireland and W Scotland mainly light showers continued for most of the day, but further east a pulse of heavy rain associated with a wave on the cold front, and driven by a N-moving shortwave upper trough, was over southwest England at midnight, and reached Scotland near 0700GMT, with a clearance to mostly dry conditions following through Cornwall at 0600GMT, and reaching N Scotland towards 2400GMT. However, during the afternoon heavy showers developed over and to the east of Wales, tracking NE through the afternoon and evening. Earlier in the day, a slow moving line of thunderstorms developed suddenly across Kent and East Anglia, and this continued to extend N into Cumberland by midday, the complete line thence moving slowly east out over the North Sea. (Coltishall 28C, Moyola 7C, Milford Haven 64mm, Oxford 7.8h.)
0000GMT on the 19th saw the last of the thundery rain clearing NE Scotland, and Shetland shortly after. One or two showers moved northwards over E coastal counties during the night, and more showers moved north from France into S England. Elsewhere the night was fine, with a little patchy fog around dawn. The slow moving cold front in evidence on the 18th remained quasi-stationary across SE England, with associated cloudy/overcast areas giving patchy, mainly light, rain in Cent S England which persisted to midday in places. Close to the line of the front convection developed and became organised into a line of heavy showers and thunderstorms from Cambridge to Nottingham by early afternoon, extending along its length and moving northeast to affect East Anglia to south Yorkshire before moving out over the North Sea by early evening. The rest of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland enjoyed a fair day with scattered showers, but increasing non-frontal cloud ahead of an upper trough to the southwest encroached over SW England and S Ireland by early evening, with patchy rain in these areas later. (Gravesend 28C, Castlederg 5C, Aviemore and Poole 12mm, Colwyn Bay 10.2h.)
On the 20th, England, Wales and SE Ireland had a cloudy night with patchy rain or showers, mostly light, and by morning the cloud had also spread to Scotland. The rest of Ireland had a clear night with a few fog patches around dawn. As the morning progressed the rain died out in western parts, and the cloud generally became more broken, while most of Ireland had a fine sunny morning. During the afternoon, the main cloud area shrunk further and became confined to E and SE England. Showers, some heavy, broke out over Scotland and NW England, and also in the SE, other places remaining dry and fine. A few showers persisted over Scotland in the evening, and a line of showers over the Midlands drifted southeast, while others over Kent and Sussex moved away eastwards. (Great Malvern 23C, Loch Glascarnock 5C, Hunstanton 19mm, Isle of Wight 10.2h.)
By the early hours of the 21st, remaining showers in the SE had died out, leaving the whole of the British Isles with virtually clear skies, allowing a few short-lived fog patches to form around dawn. The fine weather continued throughout the day almost everywhere, the exceptions being NW Ireland and the Western Isles, where cloud and patchy drizzle arrived late in the afternoon, and NE England and SE Scotland, where cloud and patchy rain spread in from the east during the evening. (Folkestone 24C, Tyndrum 4C, Woburn 16mm, Glasgow 14.5h.)
The area of cloud and patchy rain in the northeast spread westwards across northern England and southern Scotland during the night on the 22nd, at the same time the other area of cloud with patchy rain or drizzle spread slowly E over the north of Ireland and W Scotland. Other places had a radiation night, though often with large amounts of high cloud, and there was some fog around dawn, locally dense, especially in NW England. Cloudy conditions continued throughout the day over NE England and E Scotland, with further outbreaks of showery rain. Low cloud with patchy drizzle continued to affect western coasts of Scotland and the north of Ireland. The rest of the British Isles was dry for much of the time with variable amounts of cloud, and some places had a pleasant sunny day, but an area of showers developed over East Anglia and the E Midlands during the late afternoon and showers also developed over Ireland. During the evening, the showery outbreaks in NE England spread west across the Pennines, and those over Ireland drifted SE over the Irish Sea, and the ones from East Anglia also drifted SE and died out over Essex. (Northolt 24C, Kinbrace 3C, Castlederg 2mm, Tenby 12.9h.)
On the 23rd, much of Britain had a cloudy night, although this was thin and broken enough in S England to allow fog to form around dawn in a few places. Outbreaks of showery rain affected N England, E Scotland and parts of Wales overnight, and this was joined by a new area in the Midlands that drifted southeast. This set the scene for the rest of the day, most places were cloudy or overcast, and further outbreaks of rain or showers were widespread. The showers became heavier and locally thundery in the south during the afternoon, dying away here in the evening. (Poole 25C, Bournemouth 8C, Tenby 22mm, Stornoway 12.6h.)
Scotland and N England had a cloudy night on the 24th, with outbreaks of rain continuing. An Atlantic cold occlusion reached the Western Isles and NW Ireland about midnight, and lay Cent Scotland to SE Ireland at 0600GMT. A narrow associated rainband was most active in the north, where there was also some orographic enhancement, but the front was weak and decaying in the south. The rest of England and Wales had broken cloud, with some fog patches around dawn. As the day progressed the front weakened further, and the rain in the north petered out, only to be replaced by showers as temperatures rose. Showers also developed further south near the line of the front, and became locally heavy, and with thunder towards evening in S England, but parts of the SE stayed dry. Most of the showers died out during the evening. Convection over Ireland led to a mostly cloudy day there, with one or two light showers in the afternoon. (Southampton 25C, Altnaharra 8C, Spadeadam and Aboyne 21mm, Jersey 12.4h.)
On the 25th, most places had a dry night with well broken cloud, allowing fog patches in places, especially over Ireland. The exceptions were SE Scotland, where there was a little rain, and SW England, where an area of showers moved SW. Many places in S England became overcast and misty late in the night. Patchy light rain continued during the morning over SE Scotland, elsewhere convection led to well scattered showers, though an area of heavier showers affected the SE counties and S coast of England during the afternoon and evening. (Lee-on-Solent 25C, Loch Luichart 4C, Bognor Regis 28mm, Bournemouth 12.3h.)
Ireland and inland Scotland had a mostly clear night on the 26th, leading to fog patches around dawn. NW Scotland was cloudy, ahead of a weak Atlantic front, and this spread to the Northern Isles during the day. An extensive area of low cloud over the North Sea spread down the eastern side of England during the night, and spread also to most of Cent S England, giving a cool and mainly overcast day, with patchy drizzle here and there. Elsewhere most places had a fine day with little cloud. During the evening an area of rain over N France pushed northwards and affected the Channel Islands. (Altnaharra 24C, Ballypatrick Forest 15C max, Glenlivet 3C min, Hayling Island 11mm, Glasgow 13.2h.)
Cloud and mainly light rain from a cold front affected N and W Scotland overnight on the 27th, but by midday the front had cleared all these areas leaving fine conditions in its wake. Cloud from the North Sea also covered E and S England overnight, and persisted over East Anglia and SE England until late afternoon. The Channel Islands had a little rain overnight, but this cleared by dawn and the cloud broke there to give a fine afternoon. Elsewhere, the night was fine with a few fog patches around dawn. The front became slow moving over Ireland and N England, with low cloud and patchy drizzle spreading across Ireland during the morning, setting the scene there for the rest of the day. A few showers broke out over E Scotland during the afternoon, and there were one or two light ones over Kent at that time. During the evening the front over Ireland began returning N as a warm, and cloud from the next Atlantic system spread across Scotland, but England and Wales were fine with only small amounts of cloud. (Torquay 25C, Redesdale 3C, Jersey 8mm, Morecambe 13.9h.)
On the 28th, Scotland and Ireland were cloudy throughout, with generally light rain from time to time, though there were breaks in the cloud east of high ground in Scotland. England and Wales were dry, and after a mainly clear night apart from East Anglia, there were a few fog patches around dawn, and the morning turned out rather cloudy in many places. By midday much of the cloud had cleared, leaving a fine afternoon, though with large amounts of cirrus. Low cloud affected SW and W coasts, and cloud thickened up in the north of England and over Wales later in the day. (Torquay 25C, Benson 3C, Lusa 10mm, Weymouth 11.7h.)
A cold front, lying Scotland to SW Ireland at 0000GMT on the 29th, moved steadily SE during the day, weakening as it did so. Outbreaks of rain and drizzle accompanied the front, but this fell mostly in the west. Elsewhere most places had a cloudy day with sunny intervals. A few showers developed west of the front. N Scotland became quite windy, close to gale force in Shetland for a time. By late evening the weak cold front lay East Anglia to Cornwall, but was already returning north as a warm to the south of Ireland, and rain was breaking out in W Ireland ahead of an active baroclinic wave. (Lowestoft 26C, Redhill 8C, Morecambe 8mm, Clacton 12.1h.)
A large area of rain, associated with an active low which crossed from just NW of Ireland at 0600GMT to just east of Aberdeen at 1800GMT, covered Scotland for much of the day on the 30th. By evening the rain gave way to showers in the west. Ireland was wet until the afternoon, when clearing skies and light showers arrived here. The rain affected N England for a time too, and was orographically enhanced over Cumbria and the N Pennines. Elsewhere, the day was generally cloudy with a little drizzle and the best of the sunshine in the east. By late afternoon a cold front pushing steadily east was giving outbreaks of rain over Wales and SW England, and by late evening the front had cleared all areas except the SE, by which time it had very little rain on it. (Donna Nook 25C, Aboyne 10C, Spadeadam 36mm, Skegness 8.4h.)
At the start of the night on the 31st, outbreaks of rain were still affecting E Scotland, and patchy light rain or drizzle in SE England, but both areas soon joined the rest of the country and became clear and dry. An exception was the NW and N, where there were some showers. Many places then had a dry and fair day, though cloud bubbled up under a subsidence inversion, so that many places became cloudy from time to time. Showers continued in the west and north, mostly light, but somewhat heavier in the north of Scotland. The evening saw most of the cloud dissolve, allowing inland temperatures to fall quickly. (Ross-on-Wye 22C, Salsburgh 7C, Kinloss 7mm, Cromer 10.8h.)
A large mobile anticyclone moved from south of Ireland to the North Sea during the 1st. Valentia reported a MSL prtessure of 1033.2mb at 0000GMT, with 1033.5mb at Aberporth at 0600GMT. All parts had a clear night and it became cold enough for a ground frost in places in N England and Scotland. Late in the night cloud thickened up in the extreme NW, spreading to other parts of Scotland and N England during the day, with outbreaks of rain, chiefly across N and W Scotland. Winds increased to near gale force in the NW. Elsewhere it was fine and dry with mostly small amounts of cloud, although it became rather more cloudy at times in East Anglia. (London 22C, Eskdalemuir 1C, Loch Glascarnoch 1mm, Tenby 13.2h.)
Early hours of the 2nd saw cloudy conditions across N and cent Scotland with some low cloud developing around dawn in East Anglia and SE England. However, rain and drizzle was generally confined to the Northern Isles, where it continued to fall in places for much of the day. Cloud in other N and SE areas diminished during the day and many areas had a warm and sunny day, although cloud did affect Ireland for a while. (Aboyne 23C, Katesbridge 3C, Wick 12mm, Tenby 12.6h.)
There was a cool start to the 3rd across N Scotland with patchy cloud and milder conditions further S. Fog formed around dawn in Cent S and E England, with patches in E Scotland too. By midday cloud affected much of Britain with sunnier conditions across East Anglia, Kent, Cornwall and Ireland. The afternoon and evening brought some light rain to NW Scotland, with mist and fog in the Northern Isles in the evening. Rain also fell in S Wales during the evening. (Jersey St. Louis 25C, Tulloch Bridge 2C, Sella Ness and Lerwick 0.5mm, Falmouth 11.5h.)
Low cloud spread to many areas by dawn on the 4th, with fog across the East Midlands, Norfolk and NE England. Much of the cloud disappeared during the morning, except across N and cent scotland where some overnight rain persisted until late morning. Early fog was also persistent in the Northern Isles, with patches remaining all day in palces. During the late evening further rain spread E to affect extreme W parts of Scotland and Ireland, with fog returning to E England by midnight. Two funnel clouds were observed from Dyce Airport, with possibly one touching down. (Cent London 24C, Redhill 4C, Coltishall 22mm, Margate 11.5h.)
The 5th dawned with cloudy conditions across most of the British Isles, mist and rain in N and Cent Scotland, widespread fog in Cent S England, and rain in W Ireland. Although cloud dissipated a little in E England during the morning, the rain and cloud in the N and W pushed into E and S Scotland, NW Wales and SE Ireland by midday. The rain cotniued to move SE during the afternoon, weakening as it did so, with falls across SW and cent S England, the Midlands and NE England during the evening. Cloud cleared behind the rain across much of Scotland and Ireland during the evening, although W Ireland and W Scotland saw showery conditions by midnight. (Weybourne 24C, Glenlivet 5C, Tiree 13mm, Clacton 10.1h.)
The 6th began generally cloudy across the British Isles with light rain clearing the SE corner of England by late morning, followed by bands of showers in many N and W districts. The cloud broke up across Ireland during the afternoon but further rain affected S England and the Midlands during the afternoon and evening. Low pressure to the W of Scotland gave Scotland a day with periods of rain from time to time. (Lowestoft 24C, Aboyne 4C, Trawscoed 18mm, Torquay 9.0h.)
Cloud spread to Ireland overnight and there was further light rain across S England during the morning of the 7th. During the night and throughout the day there were widespread showers across Ireland and W Scotland, and these also affected parts of N and SW England later in the day. Rain became more continuous across parts of N and Cent Scotland during the evening, with some heavy falls reported; much of S England and Ireland saw a clearance in the cloud during the evening. (Northolt 22C, Wick 4C, Folkestone 40mm, Torquay 9.3h.)
The early hours of the 8th brought heavy rain and flooding to Inverness. Police were advising people not to travel to the Highland city for much of the day after several areas were left under water. A number of roads were closed or left badly affected by the rain and train services were suspended south and east of the city. 200 guests at the Thistle Hotel woke to find they had become marooned in water up to five feet deep. Later in the day localised flooding was also been reported in the Shettleston area of Glasgow, where water was said to be up to three feet deep, and Strathclyde Fire Brigade attended about a dozen flooding incidents in Airdrie with crews also called out to deal with flooding in Galston and Dalry in Ayrshire. NW-moving rain reached parts of SE England and East Anglia by late morning before moving N into the North Sea. Showers again developed across Ireland, some of them heavy. Showers also affected parts of England and Wales during the day, but much of England and Wales had a sunny, dry day. A succession of thunderstorms tracked W up the Firth of forth during the morning, with another storm over NE Fife and Dundee in the early afternoon; thunderstorms also affected parts of SW Scotland during the late afternoon and early evening. At Aberfeldy pea-sized hail fell during a storm. The Burntisland area of Fife was hit by severe flash flooding; a road became partially blocked by a landslide, two cars were stuck in floodwater and drain covers were lifted off. (Northolt 22C, Shawbury 4C, Morecambe 22mm, Bournemouth 11.4h.)
At 0000GMT on the 9th rain was confined to parts of N Scotland with showers in W Ireland and SW England, and largely clear skies elsewhere. By dawn cloud had pushed N into much of S England and S Wales, with showers across S Ireland, rain in the Channel islands and fog patches in NE England, East Anglia, the East Midlands and Cent S England. By mid-morning one area of rain was affecting much of SW and Cent S England with another area across E and parts of SE England; early rain in N Scotland was confined to the Northern Isles and most of Ireland and Scotland had a sunny morning. During the afternoon the rain in the SW pushed slowly N, while that in the E pushed NW into N England and S Scotland, the two areas merging during late afternoon as rain cleared E Britain and affected much of W Scotland, N England, Wales and Cent S England. The rain area slowly shrunk in size as it became confined to N Wales, Northern Ireland, NW England and SW Scotland by midnight. There was a clearance in the cloud across SE and SW England by midnight. Four people died in SE England in accidents that were possibly weather-related. Eleven flood warnings were issued across England and Wales on Monday night. Two inches was recorded on the Isle of White in just one hour. The worst area affected was the Midlands, especially the rivers Trent, Soar, Blithe, Churnet and Tean. During the evening the casualty department of Whiston Hospital, in Prescott, Merseyside, was closed after torrential rain caused flooding. Flood water averaging eight inches in depth flooded a number of homes, shops and businesses in the seaside town of Swanage. Gusts to 54kn were recorded at St Catherine's Point. (Herne Bay 21C, Capel Curig 5C, Swanage 121.4mm, Kinloss 6.9h.)
The rain area pushed N early on the 10th, diminishing in size and intensity as it did so. To the S of it, cloud cleared rapidly and parts of S England had a slight ground frost. Temperatures at 0600GMT ranbged from 15-16C across N Scotland to 8-10C in S England, with rain and drizzle falling over parts of S Scotland and Northern Ireland. The rain became confined to parts of S Scotland before dying out by midday, much of Scotland, Wales and England then having a sunny day with temperatures up to 20C in many parts of S and Cent England. A notable exception were the Northern Isles, where fog patches formed during the afternoon. In addition, further cloud pushed E across Ireland during the late morning, and rain fell across much of W and S ireland during the afternoon and evening. (Northolt 22C, Redhill 3C, West Freugh 35mm, Southend 11.0h.)
The 11th dawned clear of cloud across much of Britain, although there were fog patches in many counties of E England, and cloud and light rain over much of Ireland and W Scotland. Cloud spread W into NE England and East Anglia during the day, reaching the Midlands and Cent S England during the evening. The rain area became confined to W Ireland and W Scotland by midday, with falls only in W Ireland during the afternoon. Other areas of the British Isles remained dry, with MSL pressure reaching 1031mb in some N and E parts of Scotland by midnight. (Cardiff 24C, Aboyne 2C, Valentia 44mm, Morecambe 12.4h.)
With high pressure continuing to dominate the weather on the 12th, it was a dry dry in almost all places. An exception was a small area around Tayside, where some light rain and drizzle was reported. Early morning fopg patches were a problem in some E areas off england and Scotland during the morning, and in the Northern Isles where fog lingered all day in places. Patchy cloud affected most areas, apart from W Scotland, for much of the day, although during the evening there was a decrease in extent to SE Scotland and NE England. Temperatures reached 24C in NW Scotland and S England during the afternoon. (Lee-on-Solent 25C, Aviemore 3C, Strathallan 0.2mm, Kinloss 10.9h.)
The 13th was a dry dry across almost all the British Isles, as high pressure continued to dominate. MSL pressure reached 1034.5mb on Fair Isle at 1200GMT. Low cloud and fog patches were present by dawn over many parts of England, with mist in S Ireland and fog patches also in E Scotland. While the cloud gradually became confined to NE England by mid-afternoon, with reports of light rain there and in S Wales, thick to moderate fog persisted throughout the day in the Northern Isles. Where the cloud and fog cleared it was a warm and sunny day, despite the mostly E airflow. (Cardiff 26C, Aviemore 5C, St Athan trace, Clacton 12.0h.)
The 14th was another dry day in most places, although frontal cloud affected N Scotland and E Britain as the day progressed, leading to a few spots of rain and drizzle in places. Cloud spread W overnight to affect much of E and Cent Britain by dawn, and then lingered in E couties for most of the day. Fog in the Northern Isles cleared overnight, and fog that then formed across ireland mostly cleared by midday. Light rain or dizzle fell in parts of NE England, the Western Isles and E Scotland during the day, but amounts were very small - much of Ireland and W Britain had a day of warm sunny spells. (Bournemouth 24C, Tyndrum 4C, Stornoway trace, Fishguard 12.0h.)
The 15th again saw little in the way of precipitation, although with the high pressure centred NW of Ireland winds were generally from a N direction and this made it feel a little cooler than in recent days. Cloud cover increased in most areas overnight, and by dawn only W Wales and Ireland were largely clear of cloud, although fog was widespread over Ireland. Fog was slow to lift over Ireland, with cloud developing as it did so, later in the morning. Much of Britain remained cloudy, with the best of any sunshine over wales and in parts of S coastal counties of England. Light rain again affected parts of NE England and also E Scotland, with amounts mostly small. (Jersey 21C, Tulloch Bridge 2C, Boulmer 0.8mm, Isle of Wight 9.0h.)
Increasing overnight resulted in the 16th dawning cloudy in most parts, and with some light drizzle around Tayside. It remained mostly cloudy throughout the day over much of the British Isles, although coastal areas of S England and the Channel Isles saw long sunny spells. There was light rain and drizzle across N Scotland later in morning and into the afternoon, with light falls over NW ireland in the evening. In Penzance the dry weather has been continuing - the fields there are now browner than at any time since 1995, with only 8.2mm of rain in the past four weeks, and only seven days with over 1mm of rain since 11 July. (Bournemouth 22C, Yeovilton 4C, Aultbea 2mm, Torquay 11.5h.)
Another cloudy night saw the 17th dawning bright in the Channel Islands and some areas of SW England, but rather cloudy elsewhere. It again remained generally cloudy across the British Isles, with light rain and drizzle over N Scotland giving way to showers in the Western Isles. The best of the sunshine was in the Channel Islands, although there was a clearance in the cloudy over SW England during the evening. (Jersey 21C, South Farnborough 6C, Kirkwall 1mm, Jersey 10.9h.)
The 18th saw a continuance of the mainly cloudy conditions. The clearance of cloud in the SW spread to W Wales by mid-morning, and the Channel Islands, SE Ireland, S Wales and SW England had sunny spells during the day. N Scotland again had falls of light rain and drizzle in places, buit most other areas remained dry, apart from some coastal areas in NE England exposed to the onshore E/NE wind. (Saunton Sands 21C, Trawscoed 6C, Sella Ness 3mm, Tenby 8.5h.)
High pressure continued to dominate the weather on the 19th but conditions remained cloudy in most areas. There was some broken cloud over S Ireland around dawn, although any clearance failed to make any progress N until late evening. SW England and the Channel Islands had warm, thundery rain during the morning and afternoon, and there were also a few showers near the E coast of England, which was exposed to an E wind. Light showers were also reported from the Northern Isles later in the day. (Saunton Sands 22C, Trawscoed 5C, St Marys, Scilly 22mm, Eastbourne 9.9h.)
The 20th followed another cloudy night over much of Britain, with rain in SW England and the Channel Isles, and with some light showers across N Scotland. Brighter conditions over Ireland also reached NW Wales and W Scotland during the afternoon and evening and although it became dry in the SW, rain and drizzle continued across parts of N Scotland for most of the day. (Jersey 21C, Saughall 3C, Camborne 24mm, Glasgow 8.4h.)
The 21st dawned with two areas of cloud; one extended across much of S Ireland, S wales and S England, with the other across Scotland, with some light rain in N Scotland. MSL pressure at 0600GMT was as high as 1023.5mb in NW Ireland, and the anticyclonic conditions meant another dry day for most places. The ntable exception continued to be N and cent Scotland, where light rain and drizzle fell, and a slo afew places near the coast of E England. Early clear skies across Ireland and NW England gradually spread E and by midnight cloud was mostly confined to counties of E England and Scotland. (Plymouth 21C, Shap Fell 3C, Baltasound 9mm, Anglesey 9.4h.)
After a cold start to the 22nd in parts of Wales and S Ireland, cloud spread to most areas. Light showers affected E parts of England, being drawn inland on a breezy E/NE wind. W Scotland and SW England had a fairly sunny day, and durinhg the evening a general clearance of the cloud spread to most areas of the British Isles, with temperatures down below 5C by midnight in some sheltered inland areas of Scotland under a light N wind. (Jersey 20C, Sennybridge 2C, Wainfleet 3mm, Falmouth 10.5h.)
The 23rd dawned generally clear across the British Isles, although low cloud in the Northern Isles gave some early light rain here. The first air frost of the autumn occurred in some sheltered areas of Scotland; at 0600GMT the temperature ranged from around -1C at Altnaharra to 13C on Scilly. There was patchy cloud and long sunny spells across most of the British Isles during the day, with early rain in the Northern Isles soon clearing, although some light showers were reported moving inland from the E coast in a few areas of E England. (Bournemouth 20C, Tulloch Bridge -3C, Baltasound 5mm, Tiree 11.1h.)
Another widespread clear night resulted in temperatures at 0600GMT on the 24th ranging from -2C near Fort William to 14C at Scilly. Fog patches occurred around dawn in parts of Cent S England. Mist and fog formned later in the morning in Cent Ireland for a few hours and, although sunny spells were again widespread, cloud in E England was rather more extensive than on the previous day, with a few scattered showers. (Lee-on-Solent 20C, Tulloch bridge -3C, Manston 2mm, Falmouth 11.9h.)
Apart from low cloud across N Scotland and down the E side of England, the 25th dawned mostly clear, albeith with some fog in Noerthn Ireland. Light rain in the Northern Isles spread S into much of N Scotland by midday. Cloud gradually S across most of the British Isles as this rain spread further S later in the day; falls occurred in S Scotland, NE England, Norfolk and parts of Northern Ireland by midnight. However, much of SW Ireland and SW England remained mainly sunny during the day. (Torquay 20C, Moyola 0C, Lerwick 14mm, Falmouth 11.6h.)
The overnight pushed SE across N and E parts of England early on the 26th, giving light falls in parts of SE and Cent S England by mid-morning. Light falls of rain and drizzle also fell over parts of Northern Ireland, NW Wales and W Scotland during the morning and afternoon, with rain across N Scotland into the evening. During the evening cloud cleared over much of Ireland and in East Anglia and SE England. (Lee-on-Solent 21C, Eskdalemuir 3C, Ronaldsway 12mm, Manchester 9.2h.)
The 27th began with high pressure centred just S of Ireland (1027.6mb at Valentia at 0000GMT) and mostly cloudy skies across the British Isles. Clear skies in the extreme SE corner of England led to some low temperatures in sheltered locations, while light rain and showers affected parts of N and E Scotland overnight and into the morning. The afternoon and evening were generally dry but cloudy, although East Anglia dna parts of SE England had a day with sunny spells; sunny spells also developed in SW England and the Channel Islands as the day progressed. (Falmouth 20C, Redhill 1C, Loch Glascarnoch 2mm, Southend 10.0h.)
The anticyclone moved slowly E during the 28th, after a reading at 0000GMT of 1028.4mb at Shawbury. Many areas again had a rather cloudy day, with some light showers in the Midlands and East Anglia overnight and in the Hebrides during the day. As the high moved E a mainly S/SE airflow developed at the surface. (Jersey 21C, Redhill 2C, various places 0.2mm, Falmouth 11.3h.)
Despite continuing high pressure, the 29th began with light rain over W Ireland; clear skies in parts of E and Cent S England led to thick fog patches in places. The rain moved slowly E across Ireland during the morning, later spreading into W and N Scotland. Once the fog cleared in the SE, clear skies spread to much of England and Wales to give most places a warm and sunny day. It remained mostly cloudy over Scotland, and cloud spread into Wales during the evening. (Saunton Sands 22C, Aboyne 4C, South Uist 1mm, Hunstanton 11.0h.)
The 30th dawned with patchy cloud (mostly at high levels) across England and Wales, and lower cloud with some light rain across Scotland and Ireland. Rain also fell before dawn in Cornwall and W Wales. S winds gave a mostly warm end to the month across the British Isles, although cloud and outbreaks of rain persisted across Ireland and Scotland during the day. Late in the morning there were heavy outbreaks of rain across SW England, which later affected Wales and E Ireland as this rain area moved N. Sferics were reported around midday in SW England. (Prestatyn 23C, Redhill 3C, St Marys, Scilly 19mm, Clacton 9.5h.)
A band of rain across England early on the 2nd was slow to clear in Cent S England, and was followed by fog patches here around dawn. Further rain spread E across Ireland during the morning, before moving further E to affect much of Britain by midnight. The movement E was followed by a clearance in the cloud over Ireland durring the evening. (Prestatyn 21C, Aboyne 5C, Swanage 15mm, Guernsey 8.0h.)
By dawn on the 3rd the rain and drizzle had cleared most of Britain, except for some very light falls in the SE corner. A mostly sunny day followed in all areas, although patchy cloud and showers affected Scotland until late afternoon. (Lee-on-Solent 21C, Katesbridge 4C, Eskdalemuir 8mm, Morecambe 9.5h.)
High pressure meant a claer start to the 4th across most parts of the British Isles, altghough frontal cloud pushed into much of W Scotland by dawn. MSL pressure rose to 1032mb across Cornwall at 1200GMT. The cloud brought rain to Scotland during late morning onwards; light rain also fell across parts of Northern Ireland and N England later in the day. There was patchy cloud in Cent and S England, Wales and s Ireland during the morning and afternoon, but these areas generally had a sunny day, with the cloud clearing by midnight. (Torquay 21C, Aboyne 0C, Lusa 15mm, Oxford 10.1h.)
Cloudy conditions in the N continued into the 5th, while clear skies in S Britain and S ireland led to fog patches in S Ireland and cent S England by dawn. Rain continued across Scotland and N England into the morning, and by midday had spread S to the N Midlands; by midnight there were light falls in the Home Counties and East Anglia. Much of Ireland, Wales, SW England and the Channel Islands had a sunny day, despite the anticyclone weakening a little to 1027mb over Ireland by midnight; Shannon Airport was reporting visibility down to 200m at midnight. (Torquay 21C, Redhill 1C, Lerwick 13mm, Teignmouth 10.1h.)
Britain dawned mostly cloudy on the 6th, with some light rain in the SE corner of England and fog patches in parts of SW England. Clear skies and fog patches also affected W Ireland overnight. Once the rain in the SE had cleared (by mid-morning) the day was mostly dry across the British Isles, although light rain was reported from E Ireland and there were scattered showers over the Northern Isles during late morning and early afternoon. (Plymouth 21C, Kinbrace 1C, Capel Curig 5mm, Torquay 10.0h.)
There was widespread cloud in E areas early into the 7th, with showers and light rain in N England, W Scotland, Wales and SW England. The day continued generally cloudy across the British Isles, with rain and showers in parts of S England during the morning. More general rain spraed into W Ireland late in the afternoon, but made only slow progress E, affecting parts of W Scotland by midnight. At 1500GMt a funnel cloud was sighted at Quorn, Leicestershire. In N Norfolk a series of small waterspouts were seen off the coast at Happisburgh at about 1200GMT. (Great Malvern 19C, Shap Fell 2C, Waterstein 5mm, Guernsey 9.6h.)
Cloudy conditions continued into the 8th, although the afternoon saw a clearance in the cloud over the Channel Islands, with the clearance affecting parts of SE and E England during the evening. There was rain in W Ireland and W Scotland overnight, with light falls also in S and E Scotland, and in N England. The rain pushed into W Wales and SW England during the morning. Rainfall was widespread across Ireland during the day, with heavy falls in places, and this widespread rain affected SW Wales and SW England during the evening. With the wind blowing from the E/SE across England, temperatures were noticeably low in parts of E England, with Wattisham recording a maximum of just 11.6C. At Guernsey Airport the last week has been very sunny, with 59.0h between the 2nd and 8th; this is the sunnniest week on record for the time of year there, although in 1971 there were 10.2h on the 1st October to give that month 63.7h of sunshine in the first eight days. (Chivenor 18C, Norwich 3C, Kilkenny 27mm, Jersey 8.1h.)
Early rain on the 9th across SW Britain and over Ireland made little progress E. Indeed, widespread light rain and drizzle affected many areas of Ireland throughout the day, and by midnight was still affecting SW England and S Ireland. Clear skies, and later patchy cloud, over much of E England, spread N and W to give many areas of Scotland and Wales a sunny day, although showers were reported from Scotland. (Thorney island 17C, Bedford 4C, Cork 26mm, Folkestone 9.0h.)
The 10th dawned with widespread cloud across S and E Britain, and over N Scotland and S Ireland. Early rain ovber S Ireland and SW England had generally cleared by dawn, although showers over Scotland continued for much of the day, although becoming scattered by late afternoon. Rain in the Channel Islands early in the morning spread Cent S England during the morning before weakening, as did E-moving rain over the Hebrides around midday. By midnight another belt of rain reached Belmullet from the W. (Lee-on-Solent 21C, Loch Luichart 4C, Jersey 8mm, Anglesey 8.0h.)
There was a cloudy start to the 11th across the British Isles, and by dawn an area of rain had pushed E across much of Ireland, with falls in SW Scotland too. By midday cloud had thickened further in E areas, and the rainband extended across much of Scotland, E Ireland, the Irish Sea and NW Wales. Rain affected Scotland during the remainder of the day, with some heavy falls in SW Scotland, and by midnight had spread E across much of England, with a clearance extending across most of Ireland. (Jersey 19C, Pershore 6C, West Freugh 39mm, Jersey 7.4h.)
Rain continued across Scotland early on the 12th, making only slow progress E. The rain also pushed E across England overnight, with Wales and Sw England dawning dry. By early afternoon the rain was largely confined to E Scotland, NE England and parts of East Anglia, with sunnier conditions to the W and a few showers across Ireland and W Scotland. By midnight the rain was still lingereing over NE Scotland, while cloud and rain spread into parts of S Ireland, S Wales and SW England. Under the cloudy skies in E England it was a cold day, with Coltishall and Wattisham recording maxima of 11C, and just 8C at Copley. The onset of rain at watford in the early hours ended a 31 day spell in which only 1mm of rain fell. (EXTREMES DATA NOT YET AVAILABLE)
The 13th dawned with rain across NE Scotland and in S Ireland, SW England and S Wales - with generally clear skies in between the two rain areas. Air frosts occurred across N England and S Scotland, with freezing fog in places here. The rain in Scotland gradually decresed inn extent, but lingered in palces throughout the day. Heavy rain affected SW England and S Wales, and the rain area gradually extended NE to reach most of England by midnight. Gales affected S coastal areas, with peak gusts recorded during the day including 74kn at Alderney and 63mph at Jersey; gusts of 50mph or more were quite widespread along the English Channel. At Penzance 55mm fell in the twelve hours beginning 0200GMT. The fire brigade was called to several properties flooded in Penzance, Newlyn, and St Ives. Other notable 24-hour falls included 66.7mm at Velindre (beginning 0900GMT) and 76.5mm at Cardiff (Llandaff) in the same period - the latter being the second wettest day in any month in 13 years. Temperature remained below 10C in parts of the West Midlands during the day. (Jersey 16C, Sennybridge 7C maximum, Tulloch Bridge -2C minimum, Milford Haven 75mm, Stornoway 8.8h.)
Rain continued across England and parts of Wales early on the 14th, with clearer skies across Ireland leading to ground frost and fog patches. Scotland also had a cloudy night with showers in the E and a ground frost in some areas. The rain area diminisehd during the morning, with falls mostly over Cent England, N Wales and N England by midday. Patchy rain and showers affected most areas of Britain during the afternoon and evening, while the early fog patches failed to clear until afternoon from parts of S Ireland. During the evening rain and drizzle again spread NE into the Channel Islands and SW England. (Torquay 17C, Castlederg 1C, Ross-on-Wye 49mm, Newquay 7.4h.)
There were localised pockets of air frost in NE Scotland on the 15th, while by dawn further heavy rain in SW England had spread NE affect much of Cent and S England, with falls over most of England and Wales by midday; these falls finally reached most of E England by midnight. Rain also affected S Ireland during the day, while Scotland had a sunny day with showers. It was windy along the S coast, with gusts to 66kn at Alderney and 57kn at Portland. A tornado was reported from Torquay, where it blew off part of the roof of Victoria Park Methodist Church in St Mary Church Road blew off; several trees were also felled. At Bourne End (Buckinghamshire), a tree was blown down, crushing a car. At Keyworth the 24-hour rainfall total from 0900GMT was 30.8mm, with stormy weather in the evening causing local flooding, a 2-hour power cut to S Nottinghamshire and N Leicestershire villages and loss of TV reception to a wider area. A grand opening ceremony to unveil flood defences in Northampton was forced to be postponed as high winds and torrential rain prevent the use of cranes intended to hoist the final few concrete blocks on top of an embankment along side the river at Weedon Bec. Coventry recorded 36.0mm 0f rain on making this the wettest October day in the city since 1949; since 1892 only three October days have recorded more rain there. There were two reports of tornadoes in Essex, at 1600h at Tiptree (near Colchester) causing minor damage, and at 1630h at Mundon (near Maldon) causing destruction to outhouses and fencing. By midnight more than 200 calls were made to the Suffolk emergency services as a result of the weather, while in Norfolk the fire brigade received 50 calls. Thunder was observed around 0805GMT in the Reading area. (Jersey 17C, Lossiemouth 0C, Cardinham 50mm, Kinloss 5.1h.)
By dawn on the 16th the rain had cleared from most of East Anglia, as another area of rain pushed into the Channel Islands and SW England. This rain, and showers affected coastal areas arounf the S Irish Sea and the English Channel throughout the day and into the evening. Showers on a N/NW airflow affected many other coastal areas of the British Isles, particularly in N and E Scotland. There was an air frost in NW, Cent and W Scotland away from the coast by dawn. (Guernsey 15C, Tyndrum -3C, Lowestoft 64mm, Tiree 8.7h.)
The 17th dawned with cloud and some rain over Scotland and NE England, shwoers over W coastal areas of the British Isles, and rain in the Channel Islands (after earlier thunderstorms here). There was a ground frost in other parts of N England and the Midlands, with Ringway reporting freezing fog at 0600GMT. Thunderstorms continued to affect the Channel Islands during the morning, before it turned drier during the afternoon. Rain and showerrs continued to affect Scotland, NE England and coastal areas of the British Isles throughout the day, although inland areas saw sunny spells and were dry in many areas. The N airflow made it feel cool, and there were gusts to 40kn in the Northern Isles during the morning. Showery activity generally lessened during the evening, with temperatures falling to 2-4C across much of Cent England and inland Scotland by midnight. (Lee-on-Solent 14C, Katesbridge -3C, Jersey 53mm, Folkestone 8.1h.)
Areas of rain moved s down E Britain early on the 18th, while by dawn more widespread rain had become established over SW and cent s England as a small low developed over the area. Clear skies in SW Scotland led to a widespread air frost here. The rain in S England was slow-moving but cleared by early afternoon as the low filled, after giving some locally heavy falls; thunderstorms were reported shortly before dawn over the Channel Islands. Showers affected E Britain throughout the day, while showers over high ground in Cent Scotland were wintry in places, with hail and sleet in the Northern Isles. In Ireland and W parts of Britain it was a mainly sunny day with little cloud, although daytime temperatures remained below 10C in many parts of Scotland. There were reports of one or two high-level roads being blocked in Scotland due to snow. (Jersey 14C, Saughall -3C, Altnaharra 22mm, Isle of Man 8.9h.)
Showers, wintry at times, continued in to the 19th across much of N Scotland, with outbreaks also occuring around dawn over N Ireland. Clear skies and a generally NW airflow led to a widespread air frost across many inland areas of the British Isles - the first of the season in many S districts. During the day showers were mostly confined to N and W Scotland, NW England and N Ireland. These were wintry in the N and over high ground. (Guernsey 14C, Loch Glascarnoch 3C maximum, Eskdalemuir -6C minimum, Loch Glascarnoch 15mm, Lowestoft 9.6h.)
Rain reached S Ireland and SW England in the early hours of the 20th, but over N Britain clear skies again led to a widespread air frost, although warmer air in the Scilly and Channel Islands led to minima of over 10C here. Wintry showers affected parts of N Scotland during the day, while cloud soon spread from the S across England, Wales and Ireland, while areas of rain pushed N to reach S Scotland by midnight as the cloud extended N to cover much of Scotland. Maximum temperatures varied greatly, from 12-15C in S England and the Channel Islands to around 6C in some parts of N England and Cent Ireland, and only 4C at Aviemore. (Jersey 15C, Aviemore 4C maximum, Carnwath -9C minimum, Cork 28mm, Kinloss 7.3h.)
The 21st dawned with total cloud cover across most of the British Isles and rain in many areas, gradually moving N. At 0900GMT temperatures ranged from -1C at Altnaharra to 6C at Glasgow and 15C in the Scilly and Channel Islands. There were several areas of widespread rain that affected the British isles during the day, giving heavy falls across Ireland, Wales, N England and Scotland, with heavy showers across England. Falls in the extreme N of Scotland were generally slight, however. Temperatures rose to 17C and above in S Wales, S England and the Channel Islands. Blizzards affected the mountains of N Scotland, and the ski centres e.g. the Lecht, opened their doors for skiers and snowboarders for the only the second time in 20 years in October. (Jersey 19C, Aviemore 3C maximum, Altnaharra -5C minimum, Lough Fea 47mm, Colwyn Bay 5.5h.)
The 22nd dawned generally cloudy with minimum temperatures as high as 14C around the Solent and Channel Islands. Rain was widespread overnight, with heavy falls across N Scotland. By mid-morning the rain was mostly confined to Scotland and N parts of Ireland, with widespread showers elsewhere in the NW airflow to the S and W of a low centre that pushed NE during the day. Gusts to 50kn were reported in NE Scotland later in the day, while there were maximum temperatures of 17C and more over parts of S England. A funnel cloud was seen shortly after 1300GMT at Weston-super-Mare, and there were sferics across parts of N England during the late afternoon. In Scotland schools were closed and homes evacuated as flooding and high winds struck first in the south of the country and spread northwards during the day. Many roads were closed throughout Lothian and Borders. Flooding and high winds also affected roads around Inverness. The main eastern railway line was shut between Innerwick, in East Lothian, and Grantshouse in the Borders. By the evening there were 15 flood warnings and 27 flood watches in effect in Scotland. (Guernsey 18C, Baltasound -1C, Charterhall 65mm, Torquay 5.8h.) Rain continued across N Scotland during the early hours of the 23rd, with a gradual clearance of the cloud occurring elsewhere by dawn. Gusts to 60kn occurred in the Northern Isles during the morning, and as the rain diminished across n Scotland during the morning it was replaced by showers which extended across much of N parts of Britain and Ireland by midday. These showers fell as hail and snow on high ground, typically above 300m, in the N. The Ochil Hills (Clackmannanshire) and Lammermuir Hills (East Lothian) were snow covered above 500 metres by the late afternoon, with snow falling across parts of West Lothian during the early evening. There were isolated reported of thunder across parts of Scotland and N England at times during the day. Heavy sleet and snow showers fell across the Peak District all day. The early rain in the N led to some flooding in NE Scotland; near Peterhead the River Don reached its highest level for 30 years. One farm near Fraserburgh reported that 150 sheep had drowned overnight. The main Aberdeen to Inverness railway line was closed between Nairn and Huntly due to landslips and flooding. (Lizard 15C, Loch Glascarnoch 2C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch 0C minimum, Aultbea 46mm, Isle of Wight 8.9h.)
Nearly clear skies overnight in all areas apart from N Scotland and some W areas of Ireland led to a widespread start to the 24th. By mid-morning frontal cloud had spread E across much of Ireland, with rain in the W. Early showers in N Scotland fell as hail and snow, and wintry showers continued for much of the day. By mid-afternoon cloud had spread to most E areas of England and Scotland, with the rain pushing into SW Wales, NW England and Cent Scotland by early evening, giving some heavy falls in places. Precipitation fell as sleet even at low levels in Scotland. By midnight 80mm had fallen at Rosslare, as another area of heavy rain affected parts of Wales and S Ireland during the evening. (Saunton Sands 15C, Redhill -4C, Rosslare 50mm, Hunstanton 9.0h.)
Overnight into the 25th the rain areas continued to make progress E, giving falls across all of England and Wales, Ireland, W and S Scotland. By midday falls were confined to N Scotland and parts of E England, with widespread showers across Ireland and W Britain. These showers continued into the evening, with reports of thunder across S Ireland, Wales and England in places during the afternoon. The showers were blustery, with peak gusts including 65kn at Culdrose and 70kn at Mumbles. A hail shower at Carlisle at 1330GMT lasted 10 minutes and led to a covering on the ground, some stones being 1cm diameter. A tornado was reported in Porchester at about 1415GMT, damaging several properties, with roofs removed and garages destroyed. Another tornado was reported from Ballinalee, Co Longford, lifting a mobile home and moving it over 15m, and one was also reported earlier in the day at Ashford, Co Meath. The rain across Scotland finally cleared in the evening, giving way to showers as it did so. (Gravesend 17C, Altnaharra -2C, Capel Curig 43mm, Ronaldsway 5.5h.)
A band of rain and showers affected parts of N England, S Scotland and Northern Ireland early on the 26th, with breezy but clear conditions in most other areas at first. By late morning this rain area had moved E and showers were largely confined to W Scotland as a band of cloud spread E across Ireland. This cloud then spread E to the E coast of Britain by midnight, bringing with it rain to most areas except N Scotland. E Britain had a sunny day before the cloud arrived, but by midnight MSP pressure had fallen to 978.6mb at Belmullet. It became gusty along the English Channel and in S Ireland during the evening, with thunder along the S coast of Cornwall, Devon and Dorset, and Cork reporting 49kn gusts at 2400GMT. (Jersey 15C, Altnaharra 0C, St Angelo 43mm, Scarborough 8.1h.)
The morning of the 27th saw stormy conditions across Ireland, Wales and England, as a low centre pushed rapidly from SW Ireland to NE England. The rain associated with the low crossed Scotland overnight and into the morning, with falls of snow over high ground in the cold air to the N of the centre. Further rain, heavy in places, affected N Wales, Northern Ireland and N England, with widespread showers to the S, and following the rain from the W. Showers over N Scotland were wintry, but by mid-evening showers had cleared from all areas except for W parts of Scotland and Ireland. Peak gusts included 83kn at Mumbles and 79kn at Aberdaron. Mean wind speeds reached gale force at Cork, Liverpool and Jersey, and it places in-between, and seven people were reported killed as fallen trees and power lines devastated road and rail networks, forcing some roads and bridges to close and train companies, ferry operators and airlines to suspend or delay services. By late evening the Environment Agency has 14 flood warnings in place across England and Wales, with a further 15 areas on flood watch. (Eastbourne 16C, Kinbrace -2C, Capel Curig 68mm, Littlehampton 7.8h.)
Showers before dawn on the 28th were mostly confined to N and W Scotland, some N parts of England and Ireland, with some wintry showers across N Scotland. Elsewhere, cloud was rather sparse and there was a ground frost in places. The showers continued across N Ireland and w Scotland during the morning and into the afternoon, while more general rain reached SW Ireland around midday and pushed NE to affect most areas around the Irish sea by late evening. (Guernsey 17C, Aboyne -1C, Tulloch Bridge 17mm, Kinloss 7.7h.)
The 29th started generally cloudy, except over Scotland where some N areas had a slight air frost. Further S rain fell across most areas, although by mid-morning falls were almost non-existent across SE England. Cloudy conditions continued across these areas throughout the day, although the rain area became restricted to S Ireland, N and Cent England by mid-evening as clear skies developed across much of Scotland and Ireland. (Guernsey 18C, Aboyne -2C, Capel Curig and Casement 25mm, Kinloss 5.4h.)
Cloud pushed E into W Scotland by dawn on the 30th, with light rain in S Ireland and Cent S England by dawn. There were early wintry showers over Shetland, with fog around dawn in many parts of the Midlands. Rain and drizzle affected S Ireland, S Wales and S parts of England for much of the day, accompanied by low cloud and poor visibility. Gusts to 40kn were reported from the Northern Isles, with showers around N and W coasts of Scotland. During the afternoon and evening the rain area in the S migrated SE across the English Channel, although some outbreaks of drizzle persisted. It remained foggy ij Glasgow all day, with 4C being the highest temperature at Bishopton. (Guernsey 17C, Bishopton 4C maximum, Glenlivet -3C minimum, Aberporth 13mm, Aberdeen 6.5h.)
Cloud and showers continued into the 31st across N and W parts of Scotland, with fog patches and low cloud persisting across much of Cent and S England and Wales and outbreaks of rain in places here. Clear skies over N parts of England and Ireland, and over S Scotland, led to an air frost in places here. Outbreaks of light rain continued across parts of S Ireland and SW Britain throughout the morning and afternoon with generally low cloud across other parts of s Britain. During the afternoon and evening there was light rain across W parts of Scotland and Ireland. (Guernsey 17C, Shap Fell -3C, Filton 6mm, Norwich 7.9h.)
The two rain areas had mostly cleared by dawn on the 2nd, but fog formed across the Midlands and Cent S England by this time. Further rain pushed across Ireland before dawn and into SW England and S Wales. During the day the rain spread E across England and into Scotland; across N Scotland the SE wind was gale force around the coasts with gusts of 50-60kn in places. Fair Isle reported a 56kn gust at 2100GMT, with 58kn at Belmullet. During the evening the rain became confined to S and E England, and to parts of Scotland, with clearing skies across Wales and Ireland and showers in W Ireland (some of which were thundery). (Chivenor 16C, Katesbridge 3C, Milford Haven 39mm, Cromer 4.6h.)
By dawn on the 3rd the rain had cleared from most parts, being confined to N Scotland and the Channel Islands. Showers across W Ireland had turned thundery at Valentia and SE gusts across the Northern Isles of 60-70kn were still occurring. During the morning showers became widespread across Ireland, and across Cent S England where they turned thundery. Later, showers also affected W and Cent areas of Scotland, as the winds decreased further N. E England remained mostly dry throughout the day, and by late evening showers were confined to only a few W coastal locations. Two people died as storm force winds caused major disruption in Shetland, and a ferry was adrift in stormy seas in the North Sea after losing power about 150 miles east of Wick. (Guernsey 15C, Aboyne 4C, Sella Ness 23mm, Scarborough 7.8h.)
Rain and showers continued into the 4th in N Scotland, with light rain and drizzle later in E England. Cloud spread W across W Scotland and Ireland during the morning, with rain in W parts by midday. After a mild night across SW England and S Wales (12C at St. Mary's, Scilly at 0600GMT) it remained mild during the day, although cloud encroaching from the W meant that the best of the sunshine was in E England. The afternoon and evening saw the rain affecting some Irish Sea coastal areas, with falls also in parts of Scotland, and gusts to 40kn across the Northern Isles. (St. Mawgan 16C, Aboyne 2C, Tulloch Bridge 12mm, Isle of Wight 7.7h.)
Cloud pushed E across England early on the 5th, but it remained mild in SW England with 13C being the minimum vtemperature in the Scilly Isles. There were scattered outbreaks of rain across S England and the Midlands before dawn, with falls also continuing in W Scotland. Further rain spread across Ireland and into W Scotland during the morning, as falls in S and Cent England continued to spread slowly E. It was a mostly cloudy day everywhere, except for NE Scotland. (Saunton Sands 17C, Redhill 0C, Eskdalemuir 8mm, Aberdeen 6.0h.)
By dawn on the 6th rain was falling across much of England and wales, with lighter falls in E Scotland and a clearance across Ireland and W Scotland, in which showers were developing. These brighter conditions gradually spread SE across the British Isles, clearing Kent by early evening; by midnight the showers were confined to W coastal areas of Ireland and Britain, although more etxnesive cloud and light rain affected W Scotland during the evening. After a mild night under the rain across Britain, the clearance of the rain during the day was accompanied by a noticeable fall in temperature. (Weymouth 15C, Tain Range 4C, Eskdalemuir 30mm, Ronaldsway 6.4h.)
Clear skies led to a cold start to the 7th, although showers continued throughout the night in some W coastal areas, including NW Scotland where the rain turned patchy. The showers spread E across most W districts of the British Isles during the day, with E Britain remaining mostly dry but sunny. Hail fell in the showers in NW Ireland during the afternoon, before more widespread cloud and rainbands pushed NE across Ireland during the afternoon and evening, affecting SW England, Wales and SW Scotland later in the evening. (Plymouth 13C, Fyvie Castle 0C, Ballypatrick 18mm, Folkestone 8.4h.)
Overnight rain across Ireland and showers over W and N Scotland spread E during the 8th, affecting all but a few parts of E Scotland during the day. There were a few moderate to heavy falls in places. During the late morning and into the afternoon and evening precipitation consisted mainly of light rain and drizzle over Ireland, and it turned drier and clearer across W Scotland, SW and NW England into the evening. (Guernsey 15C, Topcliffe 0C, Capel Curig 51mm, Lerwick 4.7h.)
There was early cloud across S Britain on the 9th, with rain and drizzle in S England and S Ireland, although Scotland had a mainly bright start to the day with occasional showers in the N. It clouded over across Scotland during the morning, although most parts of the British Isles remained dry apart from S Ireland and SW England and S Wales, where rain and drizzle persisted for most of the day. During the evening rain spread to W Scotland and N parts of Ireland. (Torquay 16C, Loch Glascarnoch -2C, Rhyl 9mm, Lerwick 4.6h.)
The 10th dawned cloudy across the Britain, as a band of rain pushed NE across Ireland and Britain before clearing skies over Ireland. The clearance spread to most of Scotland during the morning, and into N England and Wales in the afternoon. Further light rain and drizzle affected N Scotland later in the afternoon, and there was some heavy rain in the Channel Islands, as cloud cleared across mainland remaining parts of England and Wales. Showers persisted across W Ireland throughout the day, with falls over Scotland continuing into the late evening, although by midnight it had also turned dry in the Channel Islands. (Yeovilton 16C, Kinbrace -4C, Mumbles 17mm, Ronaldsway 6.6h.)
There were showers before dawn on the 11th across W coastal areas of the British Isles, and more widespread cloud and rain/showers across Scotland. These showers continued during the morning, as cloud and rain spread NE into SW England by early afternoon. Showers across Cent Scotland turned squally with sharp temperature falls; a fall in temperature in the afternoon at Aberfeldy from 9.4C at 1200GMT to 5.1C at 1230GMT and 3.7C at 1530GMT coincided with a vigorous squall and snowfall above 500m. Rain in the SW turned light and showery later in the afternoon, and showers continued over W Ireland throughout the day, with hail in places. (Guernsey 15C, Redhill 2C, Sella Ness 22mm, Clacton 7.8h.)
There was early rain in NW Scotland on the 12th while showers in SW and Cent S England turned to more extensive rain by dawn. Elsewhere, cloud cover was patchy overnight. By mid-morning morning rain was spread over NW Scotland, over NW England and parts of Wales, and over much of Cent S England and East Anglia. The rain across England and Wales pushed NE during the morning and afternoon, with some heavy falls in S England, finally clearing E Scotland and East Anglia during late afternoon. To the W, in the clearance behind the rain, there were showers, while further heavy rain pushed into SW England and the Channel islands by midnight. An Islander aircaft, returning to Tingwall, Shetland after an ambulance flight to Aberdeen, was hit by lightning somewhere off Peterhead (probably at 8,000ft). With all navigation equipment unusable the aircraft limped on to Orkney where it landed safely - though airport emergency services were on full alert. Thunder was also heard at Maidenhead shortly after midnight, while there were also isolated reports from W Wales during mid-morning. (Falmouth 15C, Charterhall 0C, Thorney Island 33mm, Newquay 5.7h.)
After a clear night across much of Ireland and N Scotland the 13th dawned with a ground frost here, but with rain and showers across S Scotland. Rain pushed into SW England overnight, and by late morning had moved NE and lay across S parts of N England, through East Anglia and SE England, with showers over Irish Sea coasts and around SW England. The rain area across N England gradually broke up as it moved into S and Cent Scotland by mid-afternoon, by which time E England was also clear of rain, Rain affected E Ireland and parts of Scotland during the afternoon. Showery conditions in Ireland were accompanied by falling pressure during the morning, and by 1800GMT MSL pressure was down to 975.3mb at Valentia and 977.5mb at Scilly. Another extensive area of rain pushed into SW England and the Channel Islands during the afternoon accompanied by gusts to 50kn, before moving N to cover most of Wales, S England, the Midlands, and E areas of Ireland by midnight, giving some heavy falls in SW England. Lots of roads were flooded here in mid-Devon by late evening. By 2400GMT pressure had fallen just below 968mb in SW Cornwall. (Falmouth 14C, Aviemore 3C, Swanage 33mm, Bognor Regis 4.0h.)
The rain area continued to move N overnight, and by dawn on the 14th was affecting much of N and Cent parts of Ireland, SW Scotland, Wales, SW and N England, with broken bands of rain in the SE corner of England. Most other areas of the british isles had a cloudy night, and at 0600GMT MSL pressure was down to 965.9mb at Aberporth, with blustery winds across much of England and Wales, including gusts to 60kn around the Isle of Wight. At Penzance 84.5mm of rain fell in the 24 hours ending 0900GMT, around 80mm of which fell in the 12 hours commencing 1600GMT on 13th. Flooding was so severe in St Ives the inshore lifeboat was used to rescue people; St Ives is not flat, the water was just gushing through the town. The force broke down doors, washed away cars, and injured several people who were taken to the local hospital which was also flooded. Flooding was also widespread in Newquay, Hayle, St Erth, Crowlas, Penzance. A total of 53 flood warnings had been issued for rivers in the South, South West, East Anglia and the Midlands by 0900GMT. By midday the rain had become confined to N and Cent Ireland, N England and S Scotland, with some heavy showers over Wales, S Ireland and S England. During the remainder of the day the rain area contracted in size and became concentrated over S and E Scotland, with gusts to 50kn across N Scotland. Thunder was reported along S England and in parts of East Anglia in showers during the afternoon and evening; earlier in the day gusts in S England included 62kn at Solent MRSC and 64kn at Portland. (Guernsey 14C, Moyola 1C, Dublin 60mm, Jersey 7.2h.)
Rain continued to fall across Scotland into the 15th, with showers across S England. The rain across Scotland gradually became confined to NE parts, where it persisted all day with some heavy falls. Showers continued across S England for most of the day, while in the evening there was more extensive rain in Cent S England with thundery activity in Cent S England for a while. Rainfall totals in the 24 hours ending 1800GMT over Ireland included 87mm at Dublin Airport. Flooding closed a number of roads and a large part of the Aberdeen to Inverness railway line, with heavy rain in the area making conditions hazardous. Railtrack said the rail line had been closed between Forres and Insch due to four separate instances of flooding. (Saunton Sands 16C, Hawarden 1C, Wick 33mm, Bournemouth 7.4h.)
Rain continued to fall across NE Scotland throughout the 16th until the early evening. Scores of people were evacuated from their homes as severe flooding continued to affect the north and north-east of Scotland. Severe flooding on the River Lossie in Elgin, Moray, led to lifeboat crews being called out to rescue people trapped in their homes. Elsewhere in Scotland many inland areas had a frosty start to the day, although England had a cloudier start with rain in Cent S England and fog patches in places. During the afternoon there were thundery showers along the S coast of England, which affected the Channel Islands during the evening. (Falmouth 14C, Saughall -3C, Kinloss 33mm, Newquay 6.6h.)
Clearing skies across N Scotland led to a cold start here on the 17th, and an air frost was also reported from Cent Ireland and parts of W Wales. Elsewhere, the day dawned cloudy with some rain and widespread fog patches across the Midlands, SE and E England. Cloud spread across Ireland during the morning, and into Wales and W Scotland later in the day with rain in places in W Scotland and W Wales during the evening. E Scotland remained bright during the evening, while Cent and and E England had a generally cloudy day with outbreaks of light rain in places. By midnight widespread fog had formed across much of the Midlands and Cent S England. (Guernsey 14C, Tulloch Bridge -6C, Loftus 24mm, Eskdalemuir 7.2h.)
The foggy area extended across much of East Anglia and SE England by dawn on the 18th; elsewhere the day dawned generally cloudy with an air frost in NE Scotland and patchy rain across Ireland and SW Scotland. The fog was slow to clear from some areas and by 1200GMT was still persisting across much of the E and S Midlands, Norfolk and the Thames Valley, as rain pushed E into SW England. The fog persisted until the evening in many of these areas, some places seei9ng a slight clearance before midnight. The fog caused some low daytime maximum temperatures across England, including 5C at Wittering and Marham. Light rain moved east over Scotland during the morning, while further outbreaks were slow-moving over the Irish Sea and, later, Wales and SW England during the afternoon and evening. (St Catherines Point 13C, Altnaharra 2C maximum, kinbrace -7C, Scampton 10mm, Folkestone 6.8h.)
There was an air frost in parts of Cent Scotland and Norfolk on the 19th, as conditions remained dry and clear in these parts (except for some fog in East Anglia that was slow to clear overnight). There was also early fog in NE England, while rain fell across Ireland and W parts of Wales and England by mid-morning. Fog lingered until late afternoon in parts of the East Midlands, and the rain in the W was generally slow-moving. It turned cloudy during the day across Scotland with some showers here, and E England remained misty in many areas until midnight. (St. Marys Scilly 13C, Hunstanton -2C, Milford Haven 13mm, London 6.0h.)
Generally cloudy conditions prevailed early on the 20th and air frosts were confined to stations well above sea level. Rain fell over W Scotland, Ireland, SW England and places bordering the Irish Sea, before pushing into N England and E Scotland. During the afternoon the rain area continued to move NE across NE England and E Scotland, with later falls in E England, and showers fell across Ireland and W parts of Britain as the rain cleared. During the evening another area of rain, heavy in places, pushed into S Ireland, SW England and the Channel Islands. The SE wind gusted to 50kn durring the afternoon and evening in N and NE Scotland, with gusts to 40kn in some coastal locations around England and Wales. (Guernsey 14C, Honington 2C, Ballypatrick 47mm, Jersey 6.0h.)
The 21st was a mostly cloudy day axross the British Isles as low pressure continued to dominate. Overnight rain in S Ireland and SW Britain moved NE to affect most other areas of England, wales and Ireland by midday. Scotland dawned mostly dry, apart from some rain in N and NE parts but gusts of over 50kn continued to affect coastal areas. By late afternoon the rain was confined to N Britain, becoming mostly restricted to Scotland by midnight as clear skies developed across much of S England and Wales. During the evening there were reports of isolated cracks of thunder from Hertfordshire and SW London, while another area of rain pushed into SW England, accompanied by blustery showers over S Ireland and the Channel Islands. Among the strongest gusts during the day were those of 51kn at Fair Isle and 50kn at Culdrose. (Saunton Sands 14C, Spadeadam 5C, Aboyne 30mm, Newquay 3.6h.)
Overnight rain across Scotland bacame mostly confined to the Northern Isles eaerly on the 22nd, with a few showers in W areas. Showers across SW Britain moved NE and affected many areas of England, Wales and Ireland during the day, with some more general rain in SW and Cent S England later in the day giving some heavy falls in places. Across Scotland showers became more widespread during the day. The showers in N Scotland were blustery, with gusts exceeding 50kn in the Northern Isles. People living in Brechin were evacuated from their homes after the South Esk river burst its banks. Sandbags used in Brechin to stem the overflow of the South Esk could not prevent the town's River Street becoming deluged. Earlier more than 40 elderly residents of a nursing home at Insch, Aberdeenshire, were evacuated after a local burn off the river Urie burst its banks leaving several feet of water surrounding the building. (Saunton Sands 13C, St. Angelo 3C, Aboyne 24mm, Skegness 5.3h.)
By dawn on the 23rd precipitation was mostly confined to NE Scotland, SW England and S parts of Wales and Ireland. Showers in SW England were thundery during the morning. Further rain and showers affected S England and the Midlands during the morning, and N England later in the day. Showers became widespread across Ireland during the day, while it remained blustery across N Scotland with further gusts to 50kn in the Northern Isles. Thunder was also reported from E Ireland and SW Wales during the afternoon and early evening. Thunder was preceded by a heavy downpour of hail at Cronykeery, Co. Wicklow. During a thunderstorm which affected west Cornwall in the afternoon, a surfer was struck by lightning at 1545GMT on the sea off St Ives. There were reports of a thunderstorm with hail in Boscombe in the afternoon, with a lightning bolt destroying a television after hitting a house. (Torquay 13C, Cranwell 2C, Sella Ness 19mm, Jersey 6.8h.)
Shwoers became confined largely to S Ireland, parts of S England and Scotlandm, with moderate to heavy rain in parts of N Ireland by dawn on the 24th. There were clear skies at first over much of Wales and the Midlands, with fog in parts of the E Midlands and E England, lingering to late morning in a few places. Bands of showers affected Ireland and W Britain in the afternoon, with heavy falls in places. Showers were thundery around dawn in Cent S England, and in the London area during late afternoon. By midnight clear skies covered most of Ireland, Wales, S and Cent areas of England, albeit with a few coastal showers in Ireland. (Saunton Sands 14C, Great Malvern 1C, Machrihanish 18mm, Jersey 6.8h.)
Rain shwoers affected S Ireland and parts of W Scotland into the 25th; clear skies across much of England and Wales led to fog formation by dawn. This fog lingered all day in parts of the Midlands and Cent S England, with daytime maximum temperature as low as 4.7C at Boscombe down and 4.9C at Lyneham. Showers continued across Ireland, SW Britain and some parts of Scotland throughout the day. (Guernsey 14C, Aviemore -4C, Islay 15mm, Saunton Sands 7.3h.)
The fog lingered through the night into the 26th across parts of E Englandm, the Midlands and Cent S England, before finally clearing all areas by midday. Rain in Ireland moved E to affect W Scotland and W wales during the morning, with some heavy falls around dawn in SW Scotland. The rain declined in intensity into the afternoon, but persisted across Ireland and some W parts of Britain for much of the day. Most areas had a cloudy day, although SE England and East Anglia saw clearing cloud and a sunny afternoon. (Saunton Sands 14C, Bracknell 0C, West Freugh 12mm, Bognor Regis 6.9h.)
Rain continued to affect Ireland and W Britain into the 27th, with E Britain gradually turning cloudy. There were heavy falls during the morning over parts of Ireland, SW England and SW Wales during the morning; the rain pushed E across Britain with heavy falls over Scotland during the afternoon and evening. Strong SE wind across Scotland and Ireland were acoompanied by gusts to 50kn, especially over N Scotland during the afternoon and evening. By midnight mostly light precipiation was being reported, from E Britain with a few ashowers across W Ireland and SW England; elsewhere skies had cleared by temperatures remained above the average for the time of year in a SW/S airflow. At Ashford, Co Wicklo 32mm fell in the 24 hours ending 1800GMT, causing problems with flooded roads. At Penzance the month was now the wettest of any name for over 12 years. Cornwall also saw widespread flooding. The A30, the main road into Cornwall, was closed by flooding this morning in several places. Flooding was also reported from Swansea. (Falmouth 15C, Skegness 5C, Culdrose 37mm, Littlehampton 6.4h.)
The 28th dawned mild in much of S England; overnight rain cleared E Scotland leaving falls across SW Scotland with showers in SW Ireland and parts of SW England. These extended into Wales Cent S England during the morning, with thunder reported from few places in both areas. Showers became widespread across other parts of W Britain during the day, but by midnight were restricted to Scotland, Cent S and SW England; mist and fog formed across the Midlands in the evening. Flooding was reported from Caernarfon. (Gravesend 14C, Fifeness 3C, Llansadwrn 31mm, Saunton Sands 6.0h.)
Showers continued into the 29th in Wales, S Englandd and W Scotland. These cleared in the S as fog formed across Cent England by dawn, with the fog taking until late morning to clear in places. Showers continued in parts of N Ireland and W Scotland throughout the day; the day was generally dry in other areas apart from some drizzle in E England, but fog formed during the evening in Cent England again. (Falmouth 14C, Redesdale Camp -1C, Jersey 22mm, Torquay 7.0h.)
Cloud spread from the W across the British Isles before dawn on the 30th, as bands of rain spread E across Ireland and into W Britain by mid-morning. Early fog in Cent England cleared by mid-morning, with the rain pushing into E Scotland and Cent England by midday. Rainfall amounts in SE England were generally small and, after a temporary clearance across W Scotland and Ireland during the afternoon and evening, further rain reached W Ireland by midnight. In general, it was a rather cloudy day with only 1.2h of sunhine at the sunniest site (Folkestone). (Saunton Sands 13C, Aboyne -2C, Lough Fea 16mm, Folkestone 1.2h.)
The 2nd started with widespread except in E England, and gusts to 50kn around Irish Sea coasts. Low pressure was centred over SW Scotland, 975mb, at 0000GMT and this led to heavy falls of rain across Wales, S Scotland and parts of N England. As the low moved slowly E across N England/S Scotland bands of rain and showers affected areas to the S, with falls also across E parts of Scotland. The evening saw a clearance of the rain and showers activity across much of Ireland and W Britain. (Gravesend 12C, Tulloch Bridge and Aviemore 3C, Capel Curig 52mm, Swanage 5.2h.)
The 3rd dawned with cloud across E Britain, with clearing rain in SE England and N Scotland, and clearer skies to the W. During the morning rain and drizzle pushed NE into W Ireland and SW England, before moving slowly E to affect other W parts of Scotland and England by midnight. E Britain had a generally cloudy day, but skies acro9ss Ireland cleared during the evening as the rain moved E. (Lee-on-Solent 13C, Machrihanish 1C, Capel Curig 20mm, Bournemouth 3.8h.)
Rain across W Britain continued to move slowly E on the 4th, finally clearing much of E England and E Scotland by late afternoon. Behind the rain skies cleared and showers followed in a developing W/NW airflow. By midnight skies were clear in all areas, apart from the Norther Isles and a few localised parts of coastal S Scotland and SW Wales. (Jersey St. Louis 12C, Redhill 1C, Sloy 17mm, Tenby 5.2h.)
Skies were generally clear across the British Isles early on the 5th, except along E coastal parts of England and Scotland. During the day, under rising pressure and a developing E airflow, showers were mostly confined to N England, E parts of England and E Scotland, with a few falls in Wales. Despite the increasing pressure, gusts to 35kn were reported from exposed E areas. (Saunton Sands 12C, Altnaharra -3C, Aberdeen 11mm, Teignmouth 7.7h.)
By midday on the 6th MSL pressure had risen to 1040.5mb at Fair Isle, but the anticlone was turning rather cloudy with scattered outbreaks of rain across England overnight and in N and E parts of the British isles during the day. Early patches of fog, freezing in places, in cent Ireland were slow to clear in places and reformed again during the evening. The best of any sunshine was generally across W Ireland and some SW parts of England and Wales. (Falmouth 11C, St Angelo 4C maximum, Loch Glascarnoch -3C minimum, Loftus 7mm, Fishguard 3.1h.)
Cloud persisted across Britain and E Ireland into the 7th with light precipitation in E areas. High pressure persisted throughout the day, MSL pressure at 1200GMT ranging from 1023mb in the Channel Islands to 1040mb in the Northern Isles. There were variable amounts of cloud in W parts of Scotland and Ireland, with mostly cloudy conditions elsewhere, and falls of light rain and drizzle in E and S England, E Scotland and parts of Wales. Sleet was observed during the day in E Kent. There was also some lying snow on high ground in NE England at times during the day, and sleet falling at lower levels there. (St. Marys 9C, Leek 4C maximum, Aviemore -2C, Albermarle 7mm, Aspatria 2.0h.)
The falling temperatures made the 8th feel the coldest day yet of the cold spell, with gusty winds to 40kn and temperatures hovering around 4-6C in many parts of Britain. Low cloud again persisted across much of the british Isles. There were wintry showers in the Northern Isles, snow was observed around Dartmoor and across the moors of NE England while light rain and drizzle again affected other S parts of England. There were also falls of rain and drizzle in SW England into the evening, and in E Scotland and the Channel Islands. (St. Marys 8C, High Wycombe 2C maximum, Saughall 0C minimum, Hillsborough 4mm, Aspatria 3.7h.)
The early hours of the 9th saw a change to the generally cloud conditions as cloud cleared across much of Scotland, and N and cent England. It persisted across S England and Ireland where there were further falls of light rain and drizzle overnight. Gusts to 40kn continued to affected E coastal areas with 30kn gusts in many other parts of Britain during the day. By midday cloud and light precipitation was confined to W and S Ireland, SW England and S wales, and to E Scotland despite MSL pressure at Lerwick having risen to 1042.3mb. By late evening the cloud and precipitation in SW parts of the British Isles had mostly cleared although patchy cloud and some precipitation was still affecting NE England. (St. Marys 8C, Dunkeswell 2C maximum, Monk's Wood -1C minimum, Torquay 5mm, Hunstanton 6.8h.)
By dawn on the 10th cloud had once again extended across much of S England due to low pressure centred to the S of Britain, while light rain continued to affect E Scotland. Central areas of the British Isles had a clear start to the day. Cloud in the SW spread slowly N, with some falls of rain - and snow/sleet in parts of SW and Cent S England, and S Wales by mid-afternoon. Rain showers continued to fall in coastal areas of E Scotland. By midnight the cloud and precipitatiuon in the S had made little further progress N, lying generally S of a line Shannon-Aberporth-Essex and with light snow in places on higher ground in S Wales and Cent S England. There were also scattered reports of light snow and snow garins around the Home Counties. Much of N Britain, apart from E Scotland, had a very sunny day. The first casualties of the cold spell were a couple who died when a large tree fell on their car in London. (Baltasound 7C, Dunkeswell -1C maximum, Dunkeswell -2C minimum, Aberdeen 1mm, Manchester 6.3h.)
By dawn on the 11th cloud had pushed N as far as Dublin, with generally clear conditions further N, except in E Scotland where onshire showers persisted. Precipitation amounts were slight in the S, but included light snow on some of the higher ground of SW and Cent S England; later in the afternoon and evening more extensive rain pushed into S Ireland and SW Wales accompanied by a rise in temperature in S Cornwall. (St. Marys 10C, Sennybridge -1C maximum, Hawarden -4C, Culdrose 5mm, Hunstanton 6.3h.)
During the early hours of the 12th cloud spread N across Ireland, England and Wales and by 0900GMT rain was falling over a large part of Wales, SW and Cent S England with lighter amounts over S Ireland. Across higher ground the rain turned to sleet and snow, with snow and freezing rain also falling at lower levels in the Midlands. This rain and snow pushed N into N England by mid-afternoon, as cloud spread to most of Scotland. The rain weakened in intensity as it moved N, and falls in N England were mostly light although there was some snow cover on high ground. Behind the rain, mist and fog formed widely across Cent and S England during the afternoon and into the evening. The late evening brought reports of thunder in S Devon. (St. Marys 11C, Sennybridge 0C maximum, Leeming -3C minimum, Plymouth 12mm, Scarborough 5.9h.)
The 13th began with mostly cloudy conditions across the British Isles, with fog across the Midlands and Cent S England, and light rain and drizzle across S England. There was also some light precipitation in NE Scotland, with sleet showers in the Northern Isles. The fog was slow to clear from many places, while rain and drizzle affected SE and E England during the morning. During the afternoon the rain and drizzle moved N into NE England, while the fog redeveloped in many central areas (and also across SW England). Elsewhere, light rain and showers continued to affect NE Scotland throughout the day, with mostly dry and cloudy conditions elsewhere. (St. Marys 11C, Leeming -3C, Plymouth 13mm, Scarborough 5.9h.)
The 14th was a mostly cloudy day across the entire British Isles, as a depression pushed N towards the S coast. Fog persisted across Cent S England and the Midlands until late morning in places, as the rain over NE England pushed into SE Scotland giving falls of sleet and snow over higher ground. An area of rain pushed into SW England by midday, ahead of the low, reaching SE England and the Midlands by midnight and giving localised, heavy falls. Nearly 3,000 new luxury cars on board a carrier ship which sank in the English Channel are almost certainly write-offs; the multi-million pound cargo of vehicles, including BMWs, Volvos and Saabs, is lying on the seabed inside the sunken Norwegian carrier ship the Tricolor, which collided in thick fog with a 20,000-ton container vessel in the early hours, about 50km east of Ramsgate. (Guernsey 11C, Biggar -2C, Shap Fell 14mm, Tiree 0.8h.)
Very little sunshine was seen across the Britain on the 15th, while there were sunny intervals across W Ireland. Rain moved N across England, Wales and E Ireland during the morning, with further falls of rain and drizzle continuing to affect S and Cent England throughout the day. W Ireland and W Scotland remained mostly dry but mostly cloudy. (St. Marys 10C, Altnaharra -4C, Herstmonceux 32mm, Guernsey 0.2h.)
The 16th dawned with widespread cloud across the British Isles, rain across S Scotland, N England and the Midlands, and fog and drizzle over Cent S England. Clears were almost clear over SW Wales, parts of Cornwall and S Ireland (where fog also formed for a while). With rising pressure, by mid-morning the large area of rain extended across NW England and the N Midlands, with other falls in the Channel Islands; there were falls of sleet and snow over some high ground. Both areas diminised in size into the afternoon and a clearance in the cloud across much of Ireland and W Scotland expanded in size during the late morning and into the afternoon. Onshore showers fell for much of the day in E Scotland, with sleet in places. Across S England, however, misty conditions with drizzle persisted throughout the day, while MSL pressure reached 1027mb over Cent Scotland by midnight. (St. Marys 11C, Loch Glascarnoch -4C, Topcliffe 15mm, Tenby 6.5h.)
Clear skies over much of Scotland and Ireland early on the 17th resulted in a widespread air frosts here, while remaining areas of the British Isles had a mostly cloudy start with some light rain and drizzle in Cent S England and NE England. As high pressure became centred over the British Isles (1031.1mb at Belfast at 1200GMT) the clearance spread S suppressing the precipitation in most E and S parts. Cloud did, however, develop across parts of N Scotland with outbreaks of rain and showers in NW Scotland and the Northern Isles. By midnight the only other cloud extended down E counties of England and in the Channel Islands, together with a patchy cover across S Ireland; temperatures were already down to -4C in sheltered areas of Ireland by this time. (Barra and St. Louis (Jersey) 9C, Altnaharra -8C, Charterhall 5mm, Newquay 6.9h.)
There was a clear and cold start to the 18th across most of the British Isles, with a widespread air frost inland. There was some patchy cloud overnight across Cent Scotland and in a few S and E parts of England; gusts to 50kn in SW England occurred despite MSL pressure of 1035mb over NE England by midday. Cloud cover remained patchy throughout the day, although a snow flurry was reported from Brighton at 1745GMT and there were a few rain showers across N Scotland. (Barra 9C, Castlederg -1C maximum, Castlederg -8C minimum, Folkestone 4mm, Folkestone 7.3h.)
Mostly clear conditions across the British Isles into the 19th led to a widespread ground frost, with a sharp air frost in parts of Scotland and N Ireland. However cloud in SW England and S Ireland led to a warmer start to the day here, while low cloud and fog affected many parts of Cent and E England by dawn. At Glasgow and the Kyle of Sutherland the fog condensed out into a fall of snow grains before dawn. By mid-morning cloud covered most of England, Wales and Ireland and remianed all day, with light rain pushing into S Ireland during the evening. In parts of Cent Scotland freezing fog persisted all day, with temperatures remaining below freezing as a result. (St. Marys 9C, Strathallan -3C maximum, Altnaharra -8C minimum, Baltasound 2mm, Folkestone 6.1h.)
There was a generally cloudy start to the 20th in all areas, with widespread mist, fog and low cloud, and light rain across S Ireland and SW England and Wales by dawn. As the rain moved slowly N it introduced warmer air in he SW, with 12C across parts of Cornwall by midday. However, fog and mist lingered all day across Cent and E England, becoming thicker during the afternoon, and accompanied by light rain and drizzle over S England and the S Midlands by 1800GMT. As the rain moved E across the Midlands and S England during the day it weakened, before clearing Kent by midnight. Showers affected parts of N Ireland and SW cotland during the morning, becoming mostly confined to W and NW Scotland later in the day. (Falmouth 14C, Strathallan -1C maximum, Loch Luichart -8C minimum, Cardinham 13mm, Aviemore 1.8h.)
Another band of rain pushed into S Ireland SW England shortly befiore dawn on the 21st, and by midday extended from Galway to the Channel Islands, with some heavy falls in parts of S Ireland. There was another mostly cloudy start to the day across the British Isles, and the overnight mist and fog through E, Cent and SE parts of England lingered throughout the morning in the light winds. The rain area continued to push N and E throughout the day, with heavy falls across parts of E Ireland and Cent Scotland, and by midnight rain was falling W and SW Scotland and most of England and Wales. The rain cleared across Ireland during the afternoon and evening and by midnight temperatures had risen above 10C across S Ireland, Wales and S England. Many of the afternoon Scottish football fixtures were cancelled due to frozen pitches. (St. Marys 13C, Buxton (Derbyshire) 0C maximum, Strathallan -3C, Cardinham 29mm, Keswick 3.2h.)
The rain area continued its progress N and E into the 22nd and by dawn was confined to NE Scotland and E England, with gusts to 40kn across NE Scotland. Winds were lighter across England due to a shallow low over the N Midlands. By midday the rain had cleared most of E Britain, although some light rain and drizzle continued to affect the Northern Isles and E Scotland into the afternoon. Parts of Scotland were also affected by mist for much of the day. Despite the clearance of the rain, it was a cloudy day generally across the British Isles. During the early evening another patchy band of rain pushed into S Ireland and SW England, before affected W Wales and much of Ireland by midnight. (Great Malvern 13C, Aviemore 1C, Isle of Wight 35mm, Ross-on-Wye 1.7h.)
The rain area over Ireland moved N before dawn on the 23rd, giving falls over SW Scotland, NW England, Wales and parts of the Midlands and SW England. Falls were heavy across Cumbria and in Ireland. Mist and fog formed before dawn across Cent S England and with a S airflow temperatures at 0700GMT ranged from 8C across the Northern Isles to 13C at Dublin and Scilly. By midday rain was widespread across Scotland, Ireland, Wales and SW England, and the afternoon saw it moving E across N England, the Midlands and Cent S England. By midnight the rain in the E was confined to Scotland, N and E England, while another area was beginning to affect S Ireland and SW England. Despite a long-lived dry spell once the earlier rain had cleared, it was a cloudy day in almost all areas. (Llanbedr 15C, Aboyne 0C, Walney Island 17mm, Saunton Sands 0.2h.)
The two areas of rain continued to move E into the 24th and by dawn rain in the E had cleared NE Scotland. The following area of rain was then affecting SW Scotland, areas bordering the Irish Sea and parts of S England, but it was becoming broken and patchy and showery in nature. It was another mild night across the entire British Isles, with temperatures of 10C at 0600GMT S of Glasgow, and 13C at Scilly. However, gales made it feel cooler in the Northern Isles, with Lerwick reporting gusts to 55kn around dawn. Showers and longer periods of rain affected W Britain, and Scotland, throughout the day, with some heavy falls over high ground in Wales and Cumbria, and the winds slowly eased in N Scotland. The late afternoon and evening saw some heavy rain around the Channel Islands, while the showers gradually weakened. (Torquay 15C, Sella Ness 5C, Shap Fell 41mm, Skegness 4.8h.)
The rain over the English Channel affected parts of S England before dawn in the 25th N and W overnight. Elsewhere, showers continued around W and N Scotland, during the morning and for most of the day. E areas of Britain were generally dry but continued cloudy. Further bands of rain reached S Ireland and SW England during the afternoon and spread across Ireland, S Wales and SW England during the evening, weakening all the time. By midnight another extensive area of rain had reached the Channel Islands and SW England with some heavy falls in places. (Guernsey 13C, Leek 8C maximum, Tain Range 0C minimum, Keswick 11mm, Kinloss 3.4h.)
Low pressure areas over S Britain were slow moving on the 26th and led to another cloudy start with rain spreading across S England to N England and S Scotland by dawn; falls were very heavy in some W hilly areas with over 12mm reported in an hour at Mumbles. There was an early air frost in parts of N Scotland. During the afternoon and evening the rain area continued to move slowly N over Scotland (almost clearing the N by midnight), with showers following on to the S over Britain and Ireland. Towards the end of the afternoon a further area of heavy rain began to affect the Channel Islands and by midnight this was affecting much of Wales, S and Cent England and S Ireland. (Guernsey 13C, Kinbrace -3C, Cardinham 34mm, Jersey 3.4h.)
The rain in the S associated with an occluding warm front, continued to move N on the 27th, reaching Cent Scotland by midday. Further bands of rain and showers affected parts of W England and Wales, with heavy falls in places. Throughout the day the N area of rain continued to push NE, clearing NE Scotland during the evening, while the rain and showers in the S moved E, weakening as they crossed S England and the Channel Islands. Further showers affected W Ireland, N and W Scotland throughout the day. Once the main area of showers had left SW England and S Wales, it turned bright and sunny here and this broken cloud conditions spread E to other parts of S and Cent England during the evening. (Falmouth 14C, Aldergrove 3C, Sella Ness 23mm, Saunton Sands 5.6h.)
There were a few showers over SW Wales, N and W parts of Scotland and Ireland before dawn on the 28th, but E areas started mostly dry once early rain had cleared the E end of the English Channel. Showers persisted over Ireland and W areas of Britain during the day, and during late afternoon the next area of rain reached SW Ireland. Under rising pressure many Cent and E areas of England had a bright day with sunny spells, before cloud again encroached from the SW. By midnight rain was widespread across much of Ireland, W Wales, SW England and the Channel Islands. (Torquay 13C, Eskdalemuir 1C, Loch Glascarnoch 8mm, Isle of Wight 6.0h.)
The rain continued to push NE on the 29th, reaching SW Scotland and Lincolnshire by dawn after producing some heavy, localised falls and accompanied by misty conditions. Across W Ireland the rain was giving way to light drizzle in places by this time. Under patchy cloud ahead of the rain, N and Cent Scotland had a cold start to the day, while a ground frost also occurred in some E parts of England before the cloud arrived. The rain continued to push N and E during the day, and by early evening extended across much of East Anglia, N England, N Ireland and S Scotland; the evening saw the rain mostly confined to S Scotland and N England with another band of rain and showers reaching SW Ireland, SW England and the Channel Islands. Winds reached gale force during the day over the English Channel, with gusts to 45kn along S coastal counties; at Brighton a large section of the semi-derelict West Pier collapsed into the sea. (Torquay 14C, Redesdale 1C, Trawscoed 42mm, Stornoway 0.6h.)
The rain across N England and S Scotland pushed slowly E early on the 30th, and by dawn was confined to N England, while rain in the SW became slow-moving, but with some heavy falls over Cornwall and the Channel Islands. Elsewhere the day began generally cloudy, but with some clearer skies over N Scotland leading to some air frost. By 0800GMT there were 92 flood warnings in operations across England and Wales, especially in East Anglia and the Midlands. It remained mostly cloudy across all but NW Scotland throughout the day, with rain falling over much of S England throughout the day, with lesser falls over Ireland and parts pf N England. Widespread rain on Sunday night caused localised flooding in parts of East Anglia. The Environment Agency issued a flood warning for Suffolk and Cambridgeshire and a lower level flood watch for Buckinghamshire. Heavy rain has also affected Norfolk - some houses in Poringland near Norwich have been surrounded by two feet of water. Motorists have been urged to take care after a taxi overturned overnight after hitting four feet of water on the road at Hardingham, near Dereham. Firefighters were called to help two boys who became stranded while fishing at a river in Costessey, Norfolk. (Torquay 14C, Altnaharra -2C, Folkestone 32mm, Torquay 5.4h.)
Skies cleared across much of Ireland and W Scotland before dawn on the 31st, but it remained cloudy over much of England and Wales with further light rain in places before dawn. The clear skies in NW Scotland led to some shrap air frosts here. Cloud again spread to Ireland during the day, with rain in S Ireland by noon, spreading across Ireland and into SW England, W Wales and W Scotland later. Some snow was observed over high ground in N England and parts of Scotland. With more rain on the way, there were flood warnings on 20 rivers across East Anglia. At 0500GMT in Norwich, police and firefighters rescued a 65-year-old woman from a freezing river. (Falmouth 13C, Loch Glascarnoch -7C, Buxton (Derbyshire) 14mm, Kinloss 5.5h.)