Summary
Mixture of cyclonic and anticyclonic westerlies.
Diary of Highlights
1st to 6th
Pressure built from the south on the 1st and an anticyclone formed in the North Sea before moving slowly east to Denmark by the 5th. Most parts of Scotland enjoyed sunny weather and warm air from the south which arrived on the 4th. The temperature reached 27C at Prestwick and Charterhall in the Tweed Valley and fell to only 17C at Port Ellen on Islay overnight. The warm weather continued until the 6th in the south, although by then pressure was falling in the northwest.
7th to 12th
Cooler air spread from the northwest on the 7th and a new anticyclone formed over Shetland on the 9th before moving slowly south to England by the 12th. An associated area of clear skies moved slowly south across Scotland, replacing cloud and light rain in the south before overcast conditions arrived in the north. The temperature fell to -3C at Altnaharra on the 9th.
13th to 16th
On the 13th strong south-westerly winds ahead of a cold front brought heavy rain to the northwest with a (two-day) rainfall total of 131mm at Broadford on Skye and 84mm at Aultbea. A gust of 62 m.p.h. was recorded at Barra. After the front passed through, winds veered into the north and pressure rose to give three days with plenty of sunshine. However, it was cool and on the 16th the temperature fell to 0C at Saughall in Ayrshire and rose to only 9C at Lerwick
17th to 30th
Unsettled westerly weather with depressions passing to the north of Scotland prevailed from the 17th until the end of the month. The weather was changeable with sunny periods on some days, heavy rain in the west on a few, and showers or a lot of cloud on others. A common feature was the wind, which was noticeable on most days. The wettest and windiest days were the 17th, 21st, 22nd, 26th and 28th. A gust of 62 m.p.h. was recorded at Drumalbin, near Lanark, on the 22nd, when the temperature at Lossiemouth rose to 22C. A brief outbreak of air from the northwest led to the temperature falling to -1C at Eskdalemuir on the 24th.
Statistical details
| Scotland Mean Temperature Series (series began in 1914). |
The initial value for the month was 12.1°C |
1.6 °C above the 1961-1990 average, which is in the well above average category. |
| Scotland Rainfall Series (series began in 1914). |
The total for the month was 136.4 mm |
95 % of the 1961-1990 average, which is in the close to average category. |
| Scotland Sunshine Series (series began in 1929). |
The total for the month was 105.4 hours. |
107% of the 1961-1990 average, which is in the close to average category. |
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