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Reports by Derek Cummings of Cwmparc |
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Weather summary for the past week 13 -19 July 2008 Another week of summer passed, and although not great by summer standards, this week at least was far drier than the previous week. With only 6.7mm of precipitation in total and with evaporation totals being much higher, this has at last allowed the ground to dry out somewhat again. July has thus far produced 249mm of rain, a very high total meaning footpaths and bridleways can still expected to be muddy in places. Sunshine totals were also low again with 3 days with no sun, giving a weekly total of just 8 hours in a month that so far has only produced 24 hours. It has been breezy at times with winds up to the low 20's mph although nothing of note. Night temperatures have been in the double digits during the week, with Tuesday getting no lower than 14.4C.Warmest day was also Tuesday, with a maximum of 21.2C. * * * The week ahead Becoming very warm with more sun than of late. Possible Thunderstorms later..... Some real summer will tempt the barbecues out this week as we experience warmer temperatures with high pressure. The week will be one dominated by high pressure that will, by mid week, be bringing winds around from a very warm continent. It will become increasingly warm and humid as the week goes on, although this will from mid week bring the increasing threat of thunderstorms from about mid week on. Temperatures could be nudging up to about 27C before the week's end. Sunshine levels should be much up on the last few weeks. A welcome break from the dismal weather we have had of late. * * * * * Weather summary for the past week 06 -12 July 2008 Another week of summer without the sunshine, making for a depressing week, best describes that just past. Wednesday an enormous 65.5mm (2.4inches) of rain fell for time of year between mid afternoon and midnight. This added to a total weekly precipitation total of 136.2mm (5.4inches), that with little evaporation has left fields and footpaths Wellington boot territory. No surprise given the large amount of rain is the low sunshine totals with just 5 hours recorded through the week, less than many a week in December. Two days recorded no sunshine at all and with two more day recording less than an hour, and the rest less than 2 hours this really goes to show how very dismal it has been. Temperatures have faired badly too with the warmest day (18.2C) Friday, the coolest daytime (15.9C) Sunday, and four of the days only getting to around 16C, all below the expected for time of year. Coolest night temperature were Saturday morning at just 9.9C. Highest wind speed were 30mph Wednesday. * * * The week ahead Warmer and sunnier Sunday Tuesday than cooler with showers. Or rain.... An improving situation is on the cards although given the last week many would say it could not get worse. Sunday should be mainly dry although a rogue shower cannot be ruled. And with lighter winds it should feel much warmer than Saturday. Monday continues that theme and if anything will be warmer with temperatures approaching the magic 21C. High pressure will be pushed back a little Tuesday as a frontal trough approaches and crosses the country, although amounts of rain on this should be small. Wednesday will see us in a broad westerly airstream making for a breezier few days and with it cooler conditions and the odd shower. Further on into the week I expect it to be mainly dry with just the odd shower although remaining cool for time of year with winds coming from a northern quarter. * * * * * Weather summary for the past week 29 June 05 July 2008 The wettest day of the week was Saturday with an amazing 67mm (over 2 inches ) falling on what turned out to be a very wet day. Coupled with well below average temperatures for the time of year (15.9C); 'summer it were not'. The first five days of July have managed 108mm of precipitation, and with a further 16mm already having fallen in this new week, on Sunday morning this is a very wet start to the month. Top temperature in the past week was Tuesday (23.1C) with a chilly low for time of year (7.4C) early Friday morning. With an average temperature of just 14C so far this month temperatures are, for time of year, well below average. Not surprising given all the cloud and rain only 15hrs of sunshine were recorded through the week. The June statistics for Cwmparc can now be viewed on the weather blog..
* * * The week ahead Unsettled with rain or showers perhaps thundery.. The Atlantic has gone into overdrive working full flow with a procession of fronts and low pressure systems forming and working their way over towards us here in Wales. As a result we can expect a week of unsettled weather with rain or showers perhaps with the odd thunderstorm thrown in for good measure. It is not all doom and gloom as there will be dry spells in-between the showers and rain, and with the sun still high in the sky it will feel very warm in any brighter intervals that occur. Tuesday looks as though it could be the coolest day as winds temporally turn around to the north, although in general in should not be too cold a week. * * * * *
Weather summary for the past week 22 28 June 2008 This week has been a week reminiscent of October rather than June with howling winds, driving rain, and low temperatures for time of year. Sunday started off with the highest winds of the week, with a top gust of 45mph. Add to that a maximum temperature of just 15.6C and it did not feel like summer. However, the coolest daytime temperature of the week were reserved for Friday - peaking at just 15C. Strong winds again occurred both Thursday and Friday - both recording gusts in excess of 30mph - a top gust of 40mph recorded Thursday. With 35.1mm of driving rain adding to the weekly total of 78.1mm Thursday was a miserable summers day. The top temperature of the week (20.8C) were recorded on Monday. Not surprising given all the wind and rain sunshine totals were low with just under 9 hours of sunshine. * * * The week ahead Becoming very warm for a time before more unsettled weather.. The week should start off reasonably settled. A shower is possible on Sunday although temperatures should be reasonable and it will feel very pleasant in the sunny intervals. Monday high pressure will influence our weather - offering more in the way of a summer weather. Temperatures will be on the rise too with Tuesday possibly becoming very warm with temperatures in the mid 20's (76F). Unfortunately not every cloud has a silver lining as once again Tuesday, despite the fine weather, has a low pressure system waiting out of the South West of the UK ready to deliver rain and cooler temperatures on Wednesday. With yet another low pressure waiting behind that one we can expect an unsettled end to the week. Enjoy the summery weather on Monday and Tuesday. * * * * * Weather summary for the past week 15 21 June 2008 This week has seen some very unseasonable weather for June with a remarkable storm in the Atlantic that will be bringing some Autumn Gale force winds to many parts the UK Sunday. This being caused by an Atlantic depression with a central pressure of 989mb expected - it really is a very unseasonal storm for time of year. Not that this will be the first blow this month. With winds reaching 30 mph + on two days this past week, top speed 34.5mph Wednesday, and 32.2mph Thursday - it has been far from calm. In general the Atlantic has become much more vigorous leading to weather warnings and rain a plenty for many. This resulted in 57.2mm of rain from a storm that moved in late Wednesday -not leaving until early hours Friday. Not as much as the 75mm that were considered possible but still an impressive total. The total rainfall for the past week were 88.4mm, or more than 3 inches in real money. Not surprising given the cloud and rain sunshine were in quite short supply although we did manage 11 hours mostly snatched during sunny intervals. Both Wednesday and Saturday failed to record any sunshine. At no time in the last week has the temperature reached the magic 21C (70F). With the best achieved during this rather unsettled week of 19.1C Monday the coolest temperature were early Tuesday at just 5.7C. Wednesday's maximum temperature were 13.9C - making for an unusually cold June day. The June 2008 average temperature now stands at 14.1C . We would need to go back to 1999 to be cooler at present. The daytime average thus far is 19.2C night 9.4C. * * * The week ahead Windy at first Becoming calmer but remaining unsettled with rain at times. Sunday starts with some very unseasonal windy weather for many. Couple this with some blustery at times quite heavy showers and it will not feel like June. Monday will still be breezy at first although expect the winds to die down late in the day. Showers are still a possibility. Tuesday a brief ridge of high pressure should give a much more pleasant summers day with calm winds although with low pressure waiting in the South West approaches ready to sweep in Wednesday with some breezy weather and yet more rain. The rest of the week looks
unsettled with showers or further spells of rain with possibly
a quite brisk Westerly wind. Come the weekend another intense
low is expected to be sitting off northern Scotland feeding all
of us a showery westerly regime although high pressure to the
south will be trying to settle things down the further south you
live. Looking a very long way ahead it seems the stage could now be starting to be set for what could be a cold Autumn, and a bitter winter ahead. But then again that is a long way ahead and for another post... * * * * * Weather summary for the past week 15 21 June 2008 This week has seen some very unseasonal weather for June with a remarkable storm in the Atlantic that will be bringing some Autumn Gale force winds to many parts of the UK on Sunday; this being caused by an Atlantic depression with a central pressure of 989mb expected - it really is a very unseasonal storm for time of year. Not that this will be the first blow this month. With winds reaching 30 mph + on two days this past week; top speed 34.5mph Wednesday and 32.2mph Thursday - it has been far from calm. In general the Atlantic has become much more vigorous leading to weather warnings and rain a plenty for many. This resulted in 57.2mm of rain from a storm that moved in late Wednesday -not leaving until early hours Friday. Not as much as the 75mm that were considered possible but still an impressive total. The total rainfall for the past week were 88.4mm, or more than 3 inches in real money. Not surprising given the cloud and rain sunshine were in quite short supply although we did manage 11 hours mostly snatched during sunny intervals. Both Wednesday and Saturday failed to record any sunshine. At no time in the last week has
the temperature reached the magic 21C (70F). With the best
achieved during this rather unsettled week of 19.1C Monday the
coolest temperature were early Tuesday at just 5.7C. Wednesday's
maximum temperature were 13.9C - making for an unusually cold
June day. The June 2008 average temperature now stands at 14.1C
. We would need to go back to 1999 to be cooler at present. The
daytime average thus far is 19.2C night 9.4C. * * * The week ahead Windy at first Becoming calmer but remaining unsettled with rain at times. Sunday starts with some very unseasonal windy weather for many. Couple this with some blustery at times quite heavy showers and it will not feel like June. Monday will still be breezy at first although expect the winds to die down late in the day. Showers are still a possibility. Tuesday a brief ridge of high pressure should give a much more pleasant summers day with calm winds although with low pressure waiting in the South West approaches ready to sweep in Wednesday with some breezy weather and yet more rain. The rest of the week looks unsettled with showers or further spells of rain with possibly a quite brisk Westerly wind. Come the weekend another intense low is expected to be sitting off northern Scotland feeding all of us a showery westerly regime although high pressure to the south will be trying to settle things down the further south you live.
Looking a very long way ahead it seems the stage could now be starting to be set for what could be a cold Autumn, and a bitter winter ahead. But then again that is a long way ahead and for another post... * * * * *
Weather summary for the past week 08 14 June 2008 The week started with plenty of warmth although rapid cooling took place as the week passed. The Brecon Beacons just a few miles north suffered a couple of noteworthy ground frosts unusual for this time of year. Here in Cwmparc a low of 6.1C were recorded Friday morning, and a high of 27C during Monday afternoon. Sunshine were in good supply with a total of about 31 hours recorded through the week. Precipitation was very low with just 5.1mm of rain while evaporation totals were high at 31mm making for hardening ground. It was breezy at times with a top gust of 17.3mph in the week. * * *
Sunday should start the week off reasonably warm and dry and, although a shower is possible it will likely stay dry allowing for some very pleasant sunshine. Monday and Tuesday low pressure systems will sit to our East and West - expect some sunny intervals with showers on these days. Wednesday the charts are showing a wet day for us all although precipitation should not be high, while Thursday some showers can be expected in a very cool air stream originating from the Arctic circle. It then warms up to more normal temperatures again as we come into the weekend - with high pressure building to our South. Sorry to say at present no sign of prolonged summery weather though. A watch is on for a very intense low pressure system expected to form and approach the British Islands about Sunday 22nd. At present pressure is forecast to be as low a 985mb at the centre - making it more like an Autumn Atlantic storm if this comes off. Welcome to June... * * * * *
Weather summary for the past week 01 07 June 2008 An average week best describes that just gone. Very little rain (11.8mm) with evaporation of 20.5mm allowed for good drying conditions after last weeks rain although sunshine totals were depressed at just 17 hours in a week that has seen plenty of cloud bubble up during daylight hours. Top temperature were on Monday (21.7C) with the lowest recorded at 05:51hrs (6.4C) Saturday morning. Winds have remained mainly light, the strongest gust (20.7mph) on Thursday. * * *
For the next few days at least summer will arrive with the temperature moving up a notch to possibly peak at 27C or above. The fly in the ointment could be a trough moving through the region during Tuesday although with pressure being high this is expected to be know more than a band of cloud.. From Wednesday expect the temperature to drop a notch although it will still be pleasantly warm with sun although it will become a little breezier with winds by this time coming from the North west. From Thursday the winds could turn more northerly making for much cooler weather although still staying dry. * * * * *
Weather summary for the past week 25 31 May 2008
A week with very little in the way of wind but plenty of rainfall with some flash flooding for some - is the news of the past week. The week started cool with maximum temperatures in the low teens although by the weeks end temperatures had recovered to the very comfortable low 20's. The past seven days high was Saturday with 21.4C.
As predicted the week started wet, and with rising temperatures heavy showers and thunderstorms were triggered. Cwmparc escaped with little in the way of convective rain, although to our South thunderstorms were reported, while just over the River Severn in Somerset, torrential rain with flash flooding caused chaos.
Total rainfall for the past seven days at Cwmparc was 46.3mm but with evaporation considerably below this although the rain were welcome for gardeners, for walkers rain has left a few muddy footpaths. Little sunshine has been recorded this past week with just under 6 hours showing on the graphs. With this being the last day of the current month I will be looking at May's statistics in the next few days and comparing with May 2007. If you wish to view these figures they will be available on the blog early this week. *
* * The week ahead Unsettled with showers at first becoming more settled and sunny later......... The week is expected to again be one of very little wind although conditions are still ripe for further convective precipitation to form, some heavy and still with the threat of a thunderstorm. It does look however as though come the middle of the week things will settle down with a ridge of high pressure from the Azores extending northwards to cover South Wales. With this should come sunny skies and warm temperatures. Even further ahead to the second week of June it is increasingly looking as though summer proper will arrive. Of course there is still time for this to change, although fingers crossed it is the sun hat at the ready.. * * * * * Weather summary for the past week 18 24 May 2008 This has been one of the driest weeks of the year so far. Rain fell on only one day this past week when 5.9mm fell in just one thunderstorm during Friday afternoon. Coupled with a weeks evaporation of 24mm the ground has now got quite dry, making Friday's rain welcome by gardeners. Friday saw the maximum daily high temperature of 21C recorded, whilst Tuesday we shivered with a high of just 13.6C. A ground frost were recorded on Monday morning with just 3C air temperature recorded. Saturday early morning temperatures stayed in double figures with a low minima of 10.3C. A sunshine total of 19.5hrs added to the May total so far of 63.3 hours. * * * The week ahead Unsettled with heavy rain showers or thunderstorms at times......... A bank holiday arrives and the weather takes a dive for the worse - with plentiful rain around. No surprise is it? The main worry this coming week is the threat of some quite large rainfall totals with the added threat of thunderstorms causing some flash flooding in places. The start of the new week is expected to be quite cool with heavy rain coupled with a stiff east wind. The good news is that it looks as though it will warm up somewhat as the week passes with winds turning to a more westerly flow. However, it will become quite warm, and possibly humid, later in the week as the sun comes out, although this will have the effect of setting off some heavy showers and the odd thunderstorm. * * * * * Weather summary for the past week 11 17 May 2008 This past week has been a prime example of how variable our weather can be. Sunday we basked in a peak temperature of 27.4C Friday we shivered with a maximum of just 10.4C. Cooler than the Monday early morning low of 11.6C. Both Thursday and Friday were dull days with no sunshine although we did manage 18 hours of sunshine early in the week. Rainfall figures were low with just 6.1mm falling. With evaporation levels for the week of over 22mm it has been a drying week with a need to water them plants. Saturday started with dull leaden skies although by mid afternoon things started to improve with some sunshine peaking from behind the clouds although only 13 minutes were recorded before leaden skies returned. Winds have been generally light. * * * The week ahead An improving situation with sunshine and warmer than of late......... After the cool dull last few days high pressure is expected to regain control allowing for the return of bright sunny skies and warmer temperatures. However, with winds coming from an east to north east direction temperatures will be held back a little meaning it will not be as warm as last weeks heatwave, although feeling pleasant out in the sunshine. Winds should be generally light here in South Wales, and with little rain expected, at least until Friday, and quite high evaporation, drying conditions will prevail. * * * * * Weather summary for the past week 04 10 May 2008 There really has been a good reason for people to get smiling this week as summer arrived with a vengeance. Rainfall amounts have been very light with just 10.8mm falling the past seven days just over 7mm of that fell during a thunderstorm on Friday night. Coupled with a weekly evaporation of 23mm this has allowed the ground to dry out to firm, allowing gardeners and farmers to get on with the tasks in hand. Sunshine figures have been good with Tuesday the sunniest, over 6.5 hours of bright sunshine on this day alone. Temperatures have exceeded 21C on four days. The warmest day of the year so far at Cwmparc was recorded on Wednesday with the mercury reaching 23.8C. Nights temperatures have remained in double figures five out the seven - the low of 8.2C early on Tuesday. Winds have been mainly light.
The week ahead Another week of summer......... Looking at the charts for the next week they indicate high pressure to be very much established towards our North brining in an easterly flow of air that originates in more Northern quarters. As this cool northerly air moves into Europe and across the land it warms up then cools a bit as it crosses the north sea bringing very much cooler weather and some sea fog and low cloud to the east coast of England but quickly warming up as it moves west with the cloud breaking allowing for long sunny periods by the time it reaches us here in Wales. I expect for us to lose some of the muggy feel although for plenty of sunshine and for temperatures to be very summery. Rainfall amounts should be in the main very small although we cannot rule out some thundery activity moving up to us from the South after Tuesday as with any shower or thunderstorm activity rainfall can be very localised but heavy. However, in the main expect plenty of dry sunny weather for the whole week.... * * * * Weather summary for the past week 27 April 3 May 2008 The Atlantic has continued to quieten with frontal systems becoming less active. As a result rainfall figures have been light with total weekly precipitation of 25.8mm (1 inch). Winds have been moderate at times with gusts reaching 27mph on three days of the week. Plenty of cloud meant it was rather dull at times in a week that recorded just 9.7hours of sun.. Lowest temperature were 3.1C on Wednesday morning - with the weekly high of 18.4C recorded at 2:44pm on Saturday. No frost were recorded. * * * The week ahead Becoming settled with sunshine and warmer........ After a mainly cloudy start with the threat of a little light rain high pressure is expected to dominate with the breeze coming for the east or south east. Although in mid winter this would be a very cold direction the continent is now warming so we can expect plenty of sunshine and by day warm temperatures. This really will be the week to get all those outside jobs done. Rainfall should be very low with light winds. However, don't forget the sun is now getting strong with the UV getting towards the high zone. To check on the UV forecast visit my weather station link at the top of this page... * * * * Weather summary for the past week 20 - 26 April 2008 Spring at last showed its hand this past week with a general warming although sunshine totals were not good owing to several days with total cloud. Sunshine week came in at just 17 hours making a total for the month to date of about 80 hours. There were no air frost during the week with the weekly low temperature of 4.2C early on Tuesday morning. The high of 19.2C were Saturday although sunshine on this day were in short supply. Winds were generally quite light although there were a gust of 27mph on Thursday. Rainfall was quite light giving a weekly total of 20.1mm with 12.4mm of this falling during Thursday. * * * The week ahead Unsettled with rain heavy at times and becoming cooler......... Just when we though Spring had at last arrived the weather has decided to tell us otherwise. This coming week is going to see the early arrival of what is often called the May monsoon. As a result rain, heavy at times can be expected on most days. The low pressure system responsible is expected to hang around until and possibly into next weekend dragging colder air from the northern quarter during the first half. Towards the weekend air will start to be dragged up from the south bringing warmer temperatures, although the effect of this will probably be for it to turn more humid with you guessed more heavy rain or showers...On the plus side although it will be breezy at times winds are not expected to be a problem... * * * * Weather summary for the past week 13 - 19 April 2008 This really has been a week of spring on hold with winter having a last gasp before it lets loose its grip of the UK. On the plus side it has remained fairly dry with the wettest day (10.2mm) on Sunday during a week that provided a total rainfall figure of just 15mm. With evaporation figures about the same this has allowed for some drying of the ground too. It has been breezy with winds generally in the upper 20's mph. Since Thursday there has been a considerable windchill factor with a raw east wind becoming established. Never a warm direction at this time of year. Two air frosts were recorded this past week with the lowest temperature on Tuesday morning at just -1C. Warmest were Wednesday at 12.3C - although it cooled after with maximum figures remaining in single digits for both Friday and Saturday. The early part of the week provided some welcome sunshine with just over 24 hours recorded during the week, topping up the monthly total so far of a little over 64 hours. Average temperatures for April thus far have been very cool at just 6.6C. Well down on last year. * * * The week ahead Cool and breezy becoming much warmer later........ The week is expected to start much as it ended with cool easterly winds suppressing temperatures, with the threat of some sporadic rain never that far away. These may provide a heavier burst at times. That said looking at the charts it does look as though rainfall amounts should be quite small through the week. Tuesday we should have lost the strong East winds, so expect temperatures to be on the rise by then. Wednesday a stiff breeze with its origins from quite far south will be in place and although there is the prospect of some showers at times it will be very much warmer than of late. The Azores high will continue to ridge north to influence our weather for the remainder of the coming week providing a welcome respite from the cold temperatures of late. Temperatures could well rise to the upper teens or low twenties by next weekend making for a very springlike feel..... * * * * Weather summary for the past week 06 - 12 April 2008 Mixed but cool best describes the past 7 days. The week started off on the cold side with a daytime temperature of just 7.2C on Sunday. The week was also notable for April in that it produced 3 air frosts. Tuesday was coldest with a low of -2.2C. While Saturday was the warmest at 11.2C. Winds were generally on the light side although Friday and Saturday the winds did freshen with a top speed of 26mph on both days. Sunshine were plentiful giving a weekly total of over 20 hours topping up the monthly sunshine total to little under 40 hours. Rainfall figures were low although Friday managed 28.4mm in a week with a total of 37.5mm. * * * The week ahead April showers - becoming dry but cool for the week's end...... The charts indicate a typical April week with the added welcome news that the Atlantic generally is starting to quieten down. Showers on Sunday could be on the heavy side and the odd rumble of thunder cannot be ruled out. Monday another showery cool day is expected with northerly winds. Tuesday with very slack winds slow moving heavy showers could lead to localised flooding in places and again it will feel cool out of any sunshine. Wednesday should see less showers and with very light winds it will feel very pleasant out in the sunshine. Temperatures at this stage should pick up a little making for a very spring like feel. Towards the weeks end it looks as though high pressure will win the day as an approaching low pressure system is forced south to the continent. At this stage winds are then expected to swing to a more easterly direction allowing for cool dry days with night frost probable. With the sun now being quite strong out of the breeze in the sunshine it should feel very spring like though. * * * * * |
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Weather summary for the past week 30 March - 05 April 2008 A very spring like week best describes the past 7 days. Sunshine amounts have been more than reasonable with a little over 25 hours. Thursday's total of 7 hours of sunshine with little wind allowed the maximum temperature in Cwmparc to hover around the 21C mark for several hours before slowly falling. However, Friday cooler conditions had returned with a maximum of 12.4C. No air frost were recorded during the past week - the coolest night (4.3C) recorded Sunday. Rainfall amounts were quite small with a weekly recording of just 12mm. This led to some useful drying of the saturated ground. Windiest day was Sunday with a top speed of 40mph. * * * The week ahead Snow at first a cool week overall...... A high risk of snow for South Wales tonight (Saturday) and Sunday exists giving rise to the risk of some disruption to traffic for a while. Winds will remain in a northerly direction Monday, always a cold direction this time of the year, giving rise to the possibility of further wintry precipitation of hail, sleet or snow, particularly on high ground. Tuesday remains cold with further showery bands moving across the country. Wednesday winds are likely to turn more to the north once again giving a risk of yet more outbreaks of wintry weather. The rest of the week looks like remaining cool and showery. If these conditions occurred in January or February there would be some cause for concern with warnings of disruption, However, sunshine will feel warm at this time of year if out of the cold wind and readily melt any lying snow. It is likely to be a case of feeling quite warm in the sunshine only for temperatures to rapidly fall in any wintry showers. However, at this time there is no sign of the warmth of the past week returning.... * * * * * Weather summary for the past week 23 - 29 March 2008 A mixed week best describes that just gone. As forecast temperatures rose to more normal levels, and with a strengthening sun out of any breeze it felt very spring like at times. The wettest day of the week was Friday (33.3mm) in a week when more than 57mm of rain fell. Thursday was the sunniest, more than 4 hours, and the warmest. (12.4C). While there was no ground frost recorded Sunday was the coldest night. (0.3C). Winds strengthened towards the week's end with the strongest, 33.4mph recorded Friday. Gusts of 30mph were recorded Saturday. Evaporation was a quarter of rainfall, meaning for now gardeners will need those Wellington boots, although conditions should start to improve rapidly from now, providing we do not have too much rain. UV levels are now into the medium range so care should be taken by fair skinned people so as to not get burned. * * * The week ahead Some rain and heavy showers. At first settled later..... Sunday should start the week with sunny spells interspersed by heavy showers that may be thundery at times. This should give way Monday to sunny spells although again it looks though Tuesday will be a day of quite strong winds and bands of showers or rain passing through. Things settle down then as high pressure builds to our south and moves over the UK. We can expect two days of dry sunny weather with rising temperatures after Tuesday maybe as high as 17C . However, as we approach the weekend, winds will swing to the north, then east, leading to a general cooling with the risk of night frost before the week's end. As ever keep an eye on the daily forecasts for the latest.. * * * * * Weather summary for the past week 16 - 22 March 2008 The past week has in some ways been typical March weather. A spring feel at times, with bouts of winter thrown in for good measure. The week started calm enough with light winds, although as expected it was all change Thursday as a cold front moved through. As the front moved through winds increased as they turned more northerly, and temperatures fell. This has resulted in some wintry showers, with snow flurries on Saturday, although amounts have been small and snow did not settle. The winds were strongest both Friday and Saturday peaking at 34mph on both days. In a week that saw a total of 36.4mm of rain the wettest Thursday (17mm) we managed good amounts of sunshine. Wednesday the sunniest day recorded the weekly top temperature of 11.7C and 5 hours of sunshine. Weekly sunshine totals were 16 hours. Despite the cold end to the week only 2 air frosts were noted, the coldest temperature - (-1.6C) Tuesday. For gardeners the good news is as the sun strengthens and days lengthen, evaporation has continued to rise. We can expect the ground to start to dry out a bit from about now - providing rainfall totals are not too high.. * * * The week ahead Mainly Unsettled and cool.... The week will start with a band of rain, sleet or snow moving down from the north on Sunday. Any snow could be a problem for a while on high ground but generally is not expected to settle for long. The cold theme remains until Tuesday when winds should turn more to a Westerly direction - allowing temperatures to rise near to the seasonal normal for a while although rain and showers will be the dominate factor of the week. We should though get some sunshine and out of the wind it should feel pleasant enough. Winds will be strong at times. Looking further ahead the charts are indicating this spring is set to stay on the cool side for a while yet. As we move into April high pressure is expected to become the dominating factor allowing for drier and sunnier days - although the high pressures position indicates winds will be from a cold direction. The charts of course could change although at present it is increasingly looking as if it will stay on the cool side until at least the middle of April.. * * * * * Weather summary for the past week 09 - 15 March 2008 The talk of the past week was the expected severe winter storm. Although winds were severe in South West Wales and South West England causing disruption and structural damage - thankfully for us we were spared the worse. This was caused by the 'eye' of the storm passing over our part of Wales allowing a maximum wind speed of 35mph as the storm moved away. Monday's storm provided us with the wettest day of the week 49.5mm (1.95inch) of precipitation during a week when no dry days were recorded. The windiest days of the week despite the warnings were on both Tuesday and Wednesday when speeds exceeding 40mph were noted. Sunshine was in short supply with less than 3 hours all week Sunday offered the bulk with 2.5 hours worth. The past three days have been very dull with no sunshine. No air frost was recorded during the week the lowest temperature 2.7C - early on Monday. Warmest of the week 10.5C was Tuesday. * * * The week ahead Becoming more settled for a time. Colder ..... After what seems an age of unsettled weather at last things are about to change to a more settled theme if only for a few days. Sunday will start wet with heavy at times. As this clears later in the day winds will turn more northerly bringing colder air with a risk of frost at night. Monday should dawn with sunshine for most as high pressure builds to our West allowing much more settled conditions than recently. Although high winds are not expected a breeze will make the chill wind feel even colder. Towards the end of the week it does look at present as though winds will become stronger and it will turn more unsettled. Winds are expected to be coming from polar origins by this time allowing temperatures to fall further. Indications for the coming Easter holiday have pointed towards a cold bank holiday spell for some time. At this moment charts are indicating it could be very cold with snow for some during the holiday period. Just when we thought winter was over..... * * * * * Weather summary for the past week 24 Feb - 1 March 2008 As forecast the past week has been a mixed bag with sunny spells interspersed with heavy rain and high winds. Winds have generally been strong with Thursday the only calm calm day. Winds in excess of 30mph were recorded on 4 days with the highest gust of 43mph recorded in the very early hours of Saturday morning. The week was not without its sunshine. Tuesday, Cwmparc enjoyed 4 hours with good sunny spells. Saturday we managed 4:36hrs of sunshine at the station before cloud moved in mid afternoon. There were some torrential rain accompanied with the high winds at times - the largest fall on Friday when 54mm (2.13 inch) were recorded. Not good news for gardeners with evaporation still low and rainfall well in excess of evaporation rates. Temperatures have continued to be above normal with only 1 air frost and 3 ground frosts recorded. Days though have been generally mild for time of year with the warmest 12.3C (54F) on Thursday. * * * The week ahead becoming cold and wintry at first warmer later with wind and rain..... A reminder that winter has not quite finished with us is about to be enacted this week. Although Sunday looks to be a breezy day with plenty of sunny intervals - Monday rain bearing troughs will introduce colder air from polar sources. By the day's end we can expect any precipitation to become wintry with a mix of hail, rain, sleet, or on the high ground snow. The cold weather is expected to last through Tuesday with a risk of some more general sleet or snow for Wales as a small low pushes South on northerly winds. The strong to gale force winds should slowly moderate into Wednesday as pressure builds nearby. This should allow some sunny intervals although Wednesday night frost and fog could become a problem. Thursday it should become much warmer as winds strengthen and turn to a more southerly direction, heralding another rain bearing system approaching our shores. Friday we should be in a westerly weather pattern with fresh winds.. * * * * * Weather summary for the past week 17 - 23 February 2008 As forecast this last week started off as it had ended with plentiful amounts of sunshine, but hard frosts at night. This years record low were recorded on Sunday morning with -4.9C (23.1F) recorded. In total there were 4 air frost during the week although Thursday much as was forecast it became milder - allowing the nights to become warm for time of year. Friday the minimum temperature were a balmy 8.2C. Despite the frosts early in the week temperatures responded well during the daytime - the maximum 10.5C Thursday. After ten days without precipitation the skies finally darkened - with rain falling Thursday - since when a total of 38mm has been recorded. With the rain arrived the wind with gust over 30mph noted on each day, the strongest on Friday at 35mph. * * * The week ahead A mixed week ahead with wind, rain and sun..... The week starts off very unsettled with rain already in North Wales Sunday morning moving south to effect all of the country. Monday a ridge of high pressure will be the calm before the storm - when it should be much more settled with some sunshine for most. However, Tuesday some very unsettled weather is expected as a deep low pressure system moves across the UK - bringing rain and strong winds that will be gale force at times. Wednesday although still breezy we should dry out again although some showers are possible. On Thursday high pressure just off South East England will offer some nice weather over there, although sadly for us it looks like rain will not be too far away - approaching the South West. After this it looks increasingly as though it is going to turn colder, with winds turning to the North by Saturday. Winter just as we enter a spring month? One to keep an eye on.. As ever for fine detail keep an eye on the daily forecasts...
Weather station Three more additions have been added to Cwmparc Weather station for those that enjoy weather statistics. First to be added this week is 'Station history'. From here you are able to view statistics by day, week, month or year back to the day Cwmparc weather was created. If you wish to look back to see what the weather was doing on Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, or your special day this is the place to view it. Another addition and following hard on the heals of the recently added weather tag - in the links section - is a simple pearl script that parses the three day forecast for the valleys from the BBC weather site. This is available to download for your website should you want too. Lastly the station has now gained the ability to measure solar strength. Additional information such as sunshine hours and evaporation rate will now be added to the data as a result. All part of ongoing site updates. * * * * * Weather summary for the past week 10 16 February 2008 Sometimes it can be hard to talk about the weather when it has been as uneventful as this week weather-wise however this really has been a week of two halves. The first being sunny and spring like, then the the last few days of the week when it turned much colder giving us a real reminder that winter it really is. However, after just one mainly sunless day on Friday come Saturday the sunshine had returned. The difference was a cold breeze from the continent that subdued the temperatures despite bright sunshine. The warmest temperature of the past week by day were on Tuesday with a very pleasant 15.9C recorded, however Friday the daytime temperature failed to get above 5.3C. There were two slight air frosts recorded, the lowest Saturday morning, at -0.7C. Winds were light turning from a westerly direction to East towards the end. One feature of the week has been high pressure with a new 2008 high recorded Saturday with pressure reaching 1043mb. No rain were recorded in a spell that has so far recorded 8 days with no rainfall.. * * * The week ahead Sunshine at first rain later.... Like all the good things the dry settled spell has to come to an end sometime. The start of the week will continue to be dominated by high pressure with some hard night frosts early in the week -but with plenty of sunshine by day temperatures should respond to give a pleasant feel out of the breeze. However, come Wednesday the
high pressure and UK will start to come under attack from frontal
troughs from both the South and West of us, eroding the high pressure
in the process and introducing unsettled weather with rain by
Thursday. Beyond Thursday the Atlantic looks like becoming ever more
active with more rain with winds that maybe gusty at times. It will
though by this time become warmer. Weather station tag An added feature this week to Cwmparc Weather Station is a weather tag that you can add to your website should you wish. To view the tag and obtain the code to link to the tag please visit Cwmparc Weather site and visit the credits link...More tags will be added at a later date. There were some problems with the forecast script on the site but this has now been resolved. Another new feature is the introduction of a 'weather cam' on the main page. Comments are always welcome -, either to 'Cwmparc Weather' or 'Treorchy net'. A link to post your views to Cwmparc weather can be found at the foot of the WebPages... * * * * *
Weather summary for the past week 03 09 February 2008 This week did not play ball as far as my forecast were concerned although the way things can and sometime does change is what makes our weather here in the UK all the more interesting. The surprise was that much more sunshine was on offer than expected. No air frosts were recorded during the week although temperatures were low enough for a ground frost on 3 occasions the lowest, 0.5C, recorded at 08:09hrs on Saturday. With all day sunshine Saturday once early valley fog had cleared temperatures rose smartly giving the week's Cwmparc high of 13.6C at 13:09hrs. A remarkable temperature for early February. Both Friday and Saturday were dry with no rainfall recorded - with Monday the wettest day (21.3mm) recorded. The early part of the week was also windy with the highest gust of 44mph recorded Tuesday evening. Temperatures have again been above average for the seasonal normal resulting in many early flowers and hedges starting to come into leaf. * * * The week ahead Settled with sun and little wind. Becoming cooler........ This is the week when we can welcome in a spell of dry weather courtesy of a large blocking high pressure cell. Welcome after all the recent rain. The week promises reasonable amounts of sunshine and with light winds it should feel pleasantly warm out of any breeze. Sunshine amounts are always hard to judge with a high pressure area in winter, and conditions will be ripe for both frost and morning fog owing to clear night skies. However, with the sun now starting to become a little stronger any early fog should disperse by mid morning. With the light winds from a mostly easterly direction and with the near continent cool and likely to cool further with low level convection we can expect the days and nights to become cooler as the week goes on. Ground frost can be expected but temperatures should respond nicely in any sunshine. The really good news is that no rain is expected, at least until the end of the week. Perfect for getting out in the garden and getting some early work done. * * * * * Weather summary for the past week 27 January 02 February 2008 The major surprise to myself - and many meteorologists - was the last minute downgrade of the expected snow event. This meant that Wales, and many parts of Southern England were spared the effects of winter. Yorkshire and Durham were not so lucky though with reports of many people being rescued from cars late this past week due to snow that drifted in high winds. The one major feature of the week for South Wales were the high winds on Thursday with a yearly high wind gust recorded at Cwmparc of 51mph. Thursday was also a very wet day with 47mm of rain recorded at the weather station. Sunday was the warmest day at 10.6C. Saturday produced the only air frost of the week with a low of -0.3C. * * * The week ahead Wet and windy at times becoming warmer....... Although February is traditionally a period when the Atlantic is expected to lose much of its energy this week that really does not hold true. As a result Atlantic driven weather is on the cards with periods of rain - at times accompanied with some quite gusty winds. During the first half of the week cold air will never be too far away so snow can be expected at times on the highest peaks particularly in North Wales. This is expected to be a week with sunshine in short supply. However, although the week will start off with average temperature values some warm air with its origins from much further south will bring in higher than normal temperatures for time of year by the weeks end. With the sun getting stronger with every day out of the wind any sunshine will feel very pleasant come Thursday. As yet there really is still no sign of any significant cold spell and with March being only a few short weeks away it is looking as though we may well exit winter with little if any snow... * * * * * Weather summary for the past week 20 26 January 2008 Another mild week was recorded this week with no air frost recorded. The maximum day temperature was recorded on Sunday (10.7C), and the coolest (3.9C) early Thursday evening before it rose again as cloud moved in. As predicted the rain became less heavy through the week, with the heaviest fall Sunday, (77mm). Saturday no rain was recorded for the first day since January 3rd. It has though been quite a breezy week with a top gust of 42mph recorded Monday. The average temperature for January in Cwmparc is 6.4C, a bit above what can be expected at this time of year although rainfall is well above average. * * * The week ahead A mild dry start becoming colder with rain then snow later in the week....... It is very unusual to get through a winter with no snow here in the Rhondda valley and I have to admit to wondering if this would be the first year for a winter to pass without. However, signs are that is all about to change as the week progresses. Sunday we can expect a reasonably mild dry day with high pressure remaining in control. Monday should be mild with light winds, making it feel very pleasant in any sunshine. Tuesday the breeze will pick up as a cold front approaches from the west, moving through the region late in the day or overnight. Wednesday will likely start off with a few showers around the region - on a day that is expected to become colder as the day wears on with precipitation becoming wintry over high ground. Showers are expected to merge into longer spells of rain, sleet or particularly on high ground, snow. Thursday is expected to be a cold day with winds having now swung around to the north or north west. Showers of sleet or snow are possible, maybe merging to give some more significant falls. Friday the wintry theme continues before becoming warmer over the weekend... A week to keep an eye on the daily forecast, at least from mid-week on. * * * * * Weather summary for the past week 13 19 January 2008 The past week has been one of those weeks when I suspect most of you living here in the valleys wished you were somewhere drier. As predicted, copious amounts of rain fell in a week that saw no dry days - setting the scene for flooded roads and swollen rivers and streams. Wind has also been a strong feature of the week gusting above 40mph on five days, the strongest gust 49mph - recorded early Thursday afternoon. Friday arrived with some very unseasonal high temperatures - a maximum of 11.2C recorded in the morning not that it felt that with the high winds and driving rain. As would be expected during such a wet windy week no air frost was recorded. The average temperature this month has averaged 5.9C thus far about 1.5C above what should be expected in January. Rainfall figures are well above the average. * * * The week ahead More rain and wind colder at times...... High pressure will be tantalisingly near during much of this week although it seems looking at the charts just too far to bring us the settled fine weather we crave so much for. A frontal system has straddled Wales and England for the past two days - wiggling a bit like a rope - and is in no mood to hurry away. This will keep the rain and wind going for much of Wales into Monday with some heavy rain at times - although it is possible it will dry out in South Wales and the valleys for a short time Sunday as the front moves north a little more before returning. Monday the rain will pep up as a low pressure cell crosses the area. Rain could again be heavy at times. Tuesday winds are expected to shift around to the north, paving the way for a much colder day with normal temperatures for time of year. Any showers could give some snow on the high ground. More rain will push through on Wednesday as a warm front moves through leading to a rise in temperatures. This should lead us into a very showery, windy, unstable air stream for Thursday. This sets the scene for the rest of the week with more rain or showers at times. The heaviest of the rain can be expected in the first half of the week when flooding could occur and surface water will be a problem on the roads. * * * * * Weather summary for the past week 06 12 January 2008 The past week was unsettled and at times very windy. For the high ground of Scotland, Northern England, and parts of Wales snow fell at times, although in such a mobile pattern this never lasted for too long. Winds gusted to 40mph on both Monday and Thursday as weather systems passed through, with Wednesday being the wettest (23.4mm) in a week that saw rain fall on every day. Wednesday's figure only just beat Tuesday (22.6mm). The warmest daytime temperature was on Thursday (9.6C) while Sunday morning claimed the only air frost of the week (-0.3C). Friday saw a maximum temperature of only 4.3C, with sleet falling and on the mountains wet snow. Saturday started bright and sunny, helping the temperature to rise to a maximum of 7.6C, although cloud quickly moved into the area by the afternoon as another weather system brought in rain and strengthening winds to the region for late afternoon. * * * The week ahead Very unsettled with rain - wind - and the threat of hill snow...... The new week is set to continue from where it left off - with a deep depression to the west of Ireland promising a very wet Sunday. This sets the tone for another very unsettled week, with rain expected just about every day. It will also be another quite windy week with the winds being blustery at times. Wednesday winds are expected to swing around to the north, bringing with it the increasing threat of snow to high ground, although snow cannot be ruled out for lower ground, particularly in the north. Any snowfall will be temporary as another weather system sits in the wings, waiting to warm it up a bit before yet more rain appears. Friday it may turn a bit warmer than it has been of late although more rain will again be the feature. There is, on the very long range charts the tantalising glimpse of what maybe the end of this current very wet spell but not at least until next weekend. Even then things could change again. Owing to the high rainfall totals of late, flooding is a risk, so if at all concerned the advice here is to keep an ear out for bulletins issued by flood watch. There will be lots of surface water on roads. * * * * * Weather summary for the past week 30 December 2007 05 January 2008 As forecast the colder weather put in an appearance in the second half of the week just past but sadly for the young and in some case not so young the snow failed to arrive. This was due to less moisture than was forecast last weekend, and for the low pressure that was expected to bring the snow remaining to our South. However, Friday saw the temperature had risen, and with it some very heavy rain arrived for the afternoon. During this storm that left many roads waterlogged an inch of rain in old money fell, or 25.1mm. The warmest temperature of the new year so far, 7.6C, was recorded at 03:37hrs on New Year day, And although a chilly week in general only one air frost were recorded, -0.9C at 07:23hrs on Thursday. Thursday was also the day temperatures struggled to get above freezing with a maximum of 1.1C. With the rain arrived the wind, giving gusts of up to 30mph and an average wind speed of 19.6mph on Friday. Saturday started bright and promising, but the weather soon took a turn for the worse as cloud moved in, with hail showers in the afternoon. At the start of the first shower temperatures dropped smartly from 7.3C to 3.7C. After this they failed to recover, staying below 5C from then on. * * * The week ahead Unsettled and windy at times with a wintry mixture thrown in...... It is already becoming apparent that this winter is very much different to last and this week will be no exception. This week is expected to be dominated by Polar maritime air originating from Canada, and although the cold air has been moderated to a large degree by it's journey over the warmer sea, some of this PM air will be cold enough to produce some quite large amounts of sleet and snow at times over high ground. Scotland and northern England is most at risk, although at times expect this to be cold enough for some snow on the Welsh mountains and high hills too. The week will be dominated by low pressure systems moving in off the Atlantic, bringing copious amounts of rain, sleet or snow for all, and winds will be strong to gale force at times too. There is at this time some concern that flooding may become an issue in some parts of the UK later on in the week. The temperature of the air will at times be finely balanced as to whether precipitation is rain or snow so you may wish to listen to the daily forecast, particularly if driving over high ground. For more information on PM air please read my updated blog. * * * * * Weather summary for the past week 23 29 December 2007. As if on cue the settled cold frosty weather of late was swept away as we approached Christmas eve to be replaced with very wet stormy, but mild weather for the rest of the week. The coldest night was Sunday morning with a frosty -1.6C recorded making this the last in a series of air frosts for a while. Sunday was also the only day to record no rainfall in a week when in excess of 90mm (3.58) of rain fell. Wind was also a big feature of the past week with gusts of over 40mph recorded on several days. Mean wind speeds of more than 25mph were recorded on both Friday and Saturday, with a top gust of 46mph recorded Friday. Both Thursday and Friday saw temperatures jump into double figures - Thursday coming in warmest by a whisker, 10.3C, followed by 10.2C Friday. Saturday temperatures had started to drop towards more normal levels. Average temperature for the week was 7.3C well up on the seasonal normal. * * * The week ahead Less windy colder snow possible second half of week.... Yes I can imagine some of you sitting up and taking notice with that 'snow' word in the top caption. But this really is the week when we can expect not only much colder weather later but snow from Wednesday onwards particularly on high ground. As I see it looking at the current models Thursday looks to be the most likely day. Things could change of course if the Atlantic decides otherwise and tries to put in an extra bit of muscle. As for the present. Sunday looks to be a good day compared to the last week with winds dropping out quite a bit and just the possibility of a light shower although many places will stay dry. The ridge of high pressure bringing the settled Sunday should still be nearby Monday - although rain will never be far away. Winds will continue to drop out and Tuesday there maybe a problem with fog and ground frost. It is from Wednesday when things get interesting with a strengthening south east breeze, bringing some rain with it. This rain could well turn to snow on the back edge. Thursday and Friday again there is the threat of snow although amounts are very hard to judge at this distance in time. If an expected low pressure system is nearer than forecast at present it could well produce more than a dusting on high ground at least. Models are struggling at present as to what happens after Thursday although it is possible this could be the start of a cold spell - bought about by one of the most intense Scandinavian highs for many years that is expected to form early this week. Friday could at this stage possibly produce some quite persistent snow. The advice is to have a warm fleece ready and listen to the daily forecasts this week. If as expected the cold weather does materialize don't forget to look in on your elderly neighbour to see they are all right. As always long range models are used to look ahead to get a peek at what maybe in store for us weather-wise for up to a week ahead. Bearing this in mind I can only predict possibilities although if snow looks to be certain during model updates I will update this forecast with a warning during the week. * * * * * Weather summary for the past week 16 22 December 2007. The last week can be summed up as cold and dry. At times sunshine was at a premium, and when the sky did clear at night we had some very cold nights. An air frost was recorded every morning this past week except this morning, Saturday, which ended a run of 12 nights of consecutive frosts. The coldest temperature of the year, -3.5C, were recorded on the morning of the 20th. It has been a dry week although as I type this report rain is again been recorded in the gauge, ending a run of 12 dry days. Winds have been mainly from an east or South East direction dragging air from the near continent, the reason for our colder air. * * * The week ahead Windy at times. More unsettled with rain at times.... Just in time for Christmas milder air is sweeping in again from the Atlantic with the promise of wind and rain for the coming week. Although temperatures are only expected to be average to a little above, some nights could still be on the cool side with a touch of frost in places should the sky clear. Sorry to say dreams of a white Christmas are just that, unless you are on the top peaks of the Scottish mountains. Sunday is expected to be a bright day with some sunshine, and feeling a lot warmer than of late. Late Monday rain is expected to sweep in from the Atlantic on freshening winds, and this rain could still be hanging about till noon on Christmas day. Boxing day looks to be drier although breezy with the chance of a shower, while Thursday looks to be back to the wet theme as another system passes into the UK from the Atlantic. The rest of the week looks much the same with some quite breezy weather, and rain at times. For snow lovers sadly there is no sign of any snowfall in the short term at present but some of the models are trying to introduce a wintry flavour for the new year. But - a week is a very long time in weather and we never really know what is around the corner. * * * * * Weather summary for the past week 09 15 December 2007. Last year may have been one of the mildest winters on record but this year, so far, is proving anything but. As predicted last week the last of a series of storms passed through, and by Tuesday high pressure had built to our east allowing for much drier, but colder conditions to dominate. As a result air has been sucked in from the nearby continent, allowing temperatures to fall a little each day. Maximum day temperature on Sunday was 7.7C . Saturday the most we could muster was a maximum of just 1.7C. Nights have been frosty as we endure our coldest outbreak for a few years. Air frost less than zero C were recorded 6 night in a row. Winds have been mainly light although by Saturday a keen east wind become established - leading to a wind chill that made the temperature feel lower than -3C during daylight hours at times. On Friday the highest air pressure of the year were recorded, settling at 1040.6mb. It has been a mainly dry week with no rain falling since Monday. * * * The week ahead Settled cold frost fog... In weather circles there has been much discussion as to when to expect the breakdown of the high pressure system and the return of rain bearing Atlantic fronts. Don't expect any breakdown to happen this week though. Looking at the charts the high is set to stick, drawing in ever colder air from the continent. We can expect daytime temperatures to be only a little above freezing, and for some quite sharp air frosts at night. By mid-week we could have daytime temperatures at freezing point. Winds will continue to be from and an easterly or south east direction. At times these may become light leading to a risk of fog in places. No rain or snow is expected. At present it looks increasingly possible that this high pressure system will hang around a while longer than expected, and be with us over Christmas. However, position holds the answer as to temperature. My view as of today is that it will still be in a position to draw in some very cold winds. Snow although not likely cannot be ruled out as any depression trying to make it into Wales from the Atlantic could come up against some very cold air leading to the classic battle of cold versus mild air. As we know this can and sometime does lead to heavy snowfall. However, as said this really would be the outside horse to back... * * * * * Weather summary for the past week 02 08 December 2007. The past week can be summed up aptly with few words Wet and windy. With very little calm weather and winds gusting to over 40mph on most days, and the wind driving some at times very heavy rain this has been, unless you are one of the few that like this wild weather been a totally miserable week. During a week that has seen almost relentless rain it is no surprise that local flooding has become a problem with reports of over 60 houses and Ystrad Rugby Club flooded. As a result of all the moist sub tropical maritime air moving over the area temperatures have been very mild for time of year with for the most time temperatures being into double figures. The coldest temperature of 3.3C was at 5:35hrs on Saturday morning. As I write the wind is again gusting with warnings of very high wind speeds reaching us in the early hours of Sunday morning that look like supplying Cwmparc with another wind speed gust record for the year. * * * The week ahead Settled and less windy later.. Although there is one more storm to get out the way the good news is this looks like being the last of the major storms for a while allowing a chance for us all to dry out, and for more sunshine as high pressure takes control for the remainder of the week. Sunday more rain or showers is expected, and depending on the exact track of a low moving across the UK it could be a very stormy day with some very high winds. This storm will move off smartly into Europe leaving cold north winds in its wake. Although still breezy Monday the winds are not expected to be as high as Sunday. Tuesday we can expect a mainly dry day as the wind becomes light with pressure building nearby. High pressure is expected to settle a little to the east of the UK allowing for the remainder of the week to be settled with very light winds. Frost and fog may become a problem in the early hours from mid week on. Day temperatures will be on the cold side early week but pick up to more normal levels later on. There should be much more sun on offer this coming week than last. At the present time Christmas looks like being green with near normal temperatures more on this next week. * * * * * Weather summary for the past week 25 November 01 December. The last week has seen a huge transformation in the weather as Autumn bowed out to allow in the first week of winter. Torrential rain on Friday led to nearly 3 inches falling, (73.2mm) - adding to a wet week that produced nearly 5 inches of rain in total. Friday was also a very windy day with a top wind speed of 49.5mph recorded at 17:19hrs. On the same day at one time an average wind speed of 29.6mph was recorded making for the windiest day of the Autumn. Saturday was a showery day with gusty winds. Showers were wintry in nature at times, producing a little hail, and sleet on high ground. Thunder was also heard in the Rhondda on this day. With the cooler temperatures on Saturday it really did feel like the start of winter. No grounds frost has been recorded this past week - cloud and unsettled weather has kept the temperatures up a little. The month of November produced 5 air frost in all with the coldest temperature of -2.9C recorded on the morning of the 24th. As would be expected the warmest day of last month was at the start with a high of 18.4C recorded on day 3. The average temperature for the month as a whole was 7.9C a little above the seasonal normal. Total rainfall was 163.6mm (6.4 inches). Nearly half of which fell this Friday just past. * * * The week ahead Windy and unsettled.. Sunday looks to be a truly dreadful day with heavy rain and very strong winds moving in overnight Saturday as a low pressure system intensifies and moves over the UK. Damaging winds are expected to break small branches from trees and to dislodge anything not battened down. And so starts a week that will be very unsettled at times and breezy. Although temperatures are mostly expected to be normal to a little above - as a depression moves across to the continent on Monday some quite cold air could be sucked in from the North for a short while to produce some sleet or wet snow on the Welsh mountains. For cold lovers is a continuing wait for winter proper to come with the expected chance of snow. * * * Live Weather. Apologies to anyone attempting to, but failing to obtain live weather from Cwmparc Weather on Thursday afternoon and early evening. Unfortunately this was beyond my control as it was caused by an outage on our websites host server. The good news is the weather station has now undergone a major upgrade that means the station is instantly broadcasting data as and when weather events happen. The anemometer on the old station, a La Cross 2300, was far from ideal resulting in lower readings than were occurring. The rest of the instruments were reasonably accurate but data was only being relayed to the console every 120 seconds. Far from ideal in storm conditions and hardly live when you are seeing what occurred two minutes ago. This also meant some data was missed, such as wind gusts. The new station relays fresh data to the console every 2.5 seconds, from where it is sent to the website within seconds of receiving it. The anemometer is also highly accurate and is now about 22 foot above ground level. Meaning you are seeing truly live conditions. The other sensors have a high degree of accuracy. The result is you are now able to see a completely reliable sample of the weather as of when you view it. Another feature of the new station is the ability for it to generate a forecast. This can be viewed as a 'Nowcast' on the main page. Please be aware forecasts generated this way are only expected to be accurate about 80% of the time. Forecasts are generated hourly on the hour - using a whole variety of data that is received from the station. Cwmparc weather also sends data every few seconds to international weather site, Underground weather. Many thousands of amateur weather stations from around the world link to Weather Underground, so providing the weather service with another tool to predict future weather by using the data it receives from around the globe. The data from Cwmparc Weather to Weather Underground can be viewed at http://www.wunderground.com/weatherstation/WXDailyHistory.asp?ID=IWALESTR2 * * * * * Weather summary for the past week 18 24 November. Last Sunday more than made up for the dry start to the month with 37.2mm of rain falling on the day most of the total of 51.4mm recorded for the week up to late Saturday afternoon. This now gives us a rainfall total of 57.6mm, just over 2 inches in old money although still on the dry side for November. Friday pressure was at it's highest, 1030mb, and was the only day when no rain was recorded in the gauge. Friday also offered clear sunny skies, and good clear visibility, although it was a cold day with a bitter wind. By nightfall the temperature had dropped below zero giving an air frost and our coldest temperature of the year, -2.8C were recorded at 01:21 hrs on Saturday morning. The graphs showed an interesting sharp rise in temperature just after 5.30am as the wind rose and mixed the cold stagnant lower air with warmer air above. Sadly this was a prelude to deteriorating weather as cloud with it's attendant rain moved into the region, to give a raw feel to the day as a high wind chill took affect with winds gusting to more than 20mph. All in all a much more typical Autumn feel to end the week. * * * The week ahead The Atlantic takes charge again. The overall theme this week is that with declining high pressure, the Atlantic is expected to take control of our weather once again sending a serial of low pressure systems hurtling towards out shores. And so the charts say. High pressure is never too far away in the first half of the week, and for this reason I would expect to have some pleasant intervals between any rain, and with warmer temperatures as the week progresses it may well feel quite nice in what may turn out to be quite a windy week in general. However, it has to be said confidence in the charts at present are low. For more information on this take a peek at my updated blog. (top right of the page) In summary, expect a warmer feel than of late, with more wind also, and at times rain, more so towards the end of the week. There should though be some sunny intervals on offer making it feel pleasant out of the breeze. * * * * * Weather summary for the past week 11 17 November. The week went much as expected although rainfall was lower than expected. This month has to date remained exceptionally dry with a monthly total of just 5.5mm 2.5mm falling this past week. It has been a cold week with 2 air frost with our lowest temperature of the season recorded at -1.7C on Monday morning. In all there were five days when the temperature dipped below 5C. From Wednesday to today, Saturday, the air has been still with little wind although with pressure now dropping and rain approaching the wind is picking up. * * * The week ahead Unsettled heavy rain and showers at times. After weeks of high pressure being in charge pressure is dropping fast as low pressure gets set to take charge of our weather for much of the coming week. Some heavy rain is expected this week to more than make up for the low rainfall totals recorded so far this month. This will lead to considerable surface water on roads at times so one to watch out for. Mist and fog can also be expected on mountain roads. The low pressure system moving into the UK is set to dominate our weather for much of the first half the week after which it will be replaced with another as that moves away. It is likely to feel cold at times especially in the wind and rain. In summary expect some heavy rain this week with showers in-between and little in the way of sunshine and settled weather. Sleet and snow is possible on the highest ground both in South Wales and to the North, including North Wales, at times during the week. Although there is a risk both for Sunday and Sunday night it appears looking at the charts there maybe an even larger risk later in the week. A week to keep an eye on the daily forecast... * * * * * Weather summary for the past week 04 10 November. The Atlantic has been asleep a while but as has been seen has awoken with a vengeance leading to more seasonal Autumnal weather. Thursday was for me an interesting day weather wise. It started breezy but relatively mild soon after midday the wind strengthened and the rain arrived - the wind then peaked at 24MPH. The temperature then dropped about 5C in half an hour, the rain stopped, wind dropped and sky cleared. A classic squall cold front had passed. In Scotland it was all the more dramatic with winds up to an incredible 90MPH and blizzards, at least on the high ground as the temperature dived. The month though remains very dry so far with only 3mm of rain falling to date. No ground frost has been recorded this past week. My updated weather blog -that includes my views on the coming winter- can be viewed at www.derrylynne.co.uk/weatherblog.html * * * The week ahead cool and breezy but becoming settled later. The coming week is expected to remain windy in the short term but to become settled with light winds with the risk of frost and fog from Wednesday onwards. Sunday we can expect rain or showers with a strengthening north wind making it feel a bitterly cold day. Monday should be a much quieter day with light winds with the risk of a shower. The wind will have picked up to a stiff breeze for Tuesday with more rain passing through so again feeling cool out in the wind. From Wednesday we see high pressure reasserting itself over South Wales leading the way for drier more settled conditions and lighter winds. There is though a risk of both frost and fog night and early morning from then to the end of the week. From North Wales northwards into Northern England and Scotland. I expect it to be windier and wetter in the latter half of the week with the high pressure having less effect on them areas. * * * * * Weather summary for the past week 28 October 03 November. The end of summer time may have passed, and the clocks put back an hour, but so far the weather refuses to step into line. Another mainly settled week has passed, with today, Saturday, recording an astonishing 18C at my weather station. Indeed it was so warm today many, like me, were walking about town with just a short sleeve shirt instead of full winter garb. Coupled with calm winds it really did feel like summer. The only rain of the week fell on Sunday and Monday with a total of just 17.9mm recorded. Pressure rose after Monday, and continued to do so until it reached a more than respectable 1035.9mb, not far from this year's record. Nights were also quite warm with no ground frost recorded. * * * The week ahead Becoming breezy. A hard week as far as forecasting is concerned due to many factors that give some uncertainly over rain and cloud amounts. While rain bearing weather fronts will move through South Wales during the first half of the week, baromic pressure will be on the high side so amounts of rain that do fall early in the week are expected to be quite small. Monday a cold front will pass though as the high recedes to the West, introducing fresher weather and a cooler feel. The high will then start to build in again making for more settled conditions Tuesday. Looking at the charts, if they hold, Wednesday could be the best day of the week with high pressure directly over the country, although this is the calm before the storm as Thursday is expected to bring a cold front down from the North West with very breezy and possibly showery weather following on. To the North in Scotland this will introduce very cold air and snow can be expected on the mountains there Thursday. * * * October statistics. After a very warm October last year it came as no surprise for this October to come in as a rather average month temperature wise with a mean monthly temperature of 11.1C recorded. During the month as a whole a temperature of less than 5C but above freezing was recorded five times, allowing for a ground frost on several occasions. It was a dry month for October with total rainfall recorded of 94.2mm (3.71in). The highest temperature of the month was 20.1C and lowest recorded 1.9C. Although there was a wind gust of 17.8mph recorded, at the time the anemometer was in a far from ideal place for recording true wind speed. This has now been rectified making for much more accurate wind recording this reflecting on the wind graph available to view at Cwmparc Weather. Last month I opened a blog on the forthcoming winter. Clear trends are starting to emerge that I shall be watching over the coming week. After which the blog will be updated to give my views on the coming winter and of the various forecasting agencies. One thing is clear already this winter will be colder than last. A cold snowy season is overdue. Will this be year? * * * * * Weather summary for the past week 21 27 October. Winter continues to draw closer and with it the longer and colder nights and short cool days. This past week has been no exception with some very cool days. On several days this past week night and daytime difference in temperature was only a couple of degrees not helped by grey skies that kept nights warmer and with little sun days cooler. Very little wind this past week either. Saturday of last week we had the highest pressure of the year, 1036.3mb and the coldest morning of this new season with a recording of 1.9C. Since last week the pr | |||