IN his monthly review, Evening Star weather man KEN BLOWERS looks back on a mainly dry September, with many warm days and near average sunshine.SEPTEMBER month began with an anticyclone centred to the south west of Ireland giving sunny and warm weather with temperatures rising to 74F(23C) on September 5.
IN his monthly review, Evening Star weather man KEN BLOWERS looks back on a mainly dry September, with many warm days and near average sunshine.
SEPTEMBER month began with an anticyclone centred to the south west of Ireland giving sunny and warm weather with temperatures rising to 74F(23C) on September 5.
For many days September was on course for being a notable dry month and there was little or no rain until September 19. A south westerly airstream from the Atlantic took control of the weather thereafter but showers produced only small amounts of rain until September 24.
A cold front advanced across Britain from the west and gave a spell of continuous rain with gusts of wind reaching 40 mph along parts of the coast.
Nearly half an inch of rain was recorded in many places.
On September 24 a cold front developed a line-squall with strong gusty winds and minor tornadoes were reported in some parts of Britain. Winds from some northerly point dominated the weather for the rest of the month and temperatures fell by 11 degrees Fahrenheit on the morning of September 26 when polar air reached all areas.
There was damage to the promenade at Felixstowe on September 28 as a high tide and strong north easterly winds created waves of 30 feet at the southern end of the resort.
The month closed with the perfect autumnal day on September 30. There was unbroken bright sunshine through thin high cloud and winds were very light.
Sunshine was near average through the month and the automatic radiation sensor at Wattisham Airfield registered 145.4 hours.
Rainfall throughout the region was well below average. At Belstead Hall near Ipswich the total was 0.87 of an inch and Wattisham reported 1.05 in. Felixstowe measured 1.18 in and Ipswich 1.55 in.
September was a warm month with temperatures above average on 18 days. Warmest day was September 5 with a maximum of 74F (23C) and the coldest day was September 26 when the mercury struggled to reach only 53F(12C).
There were 20 days without measurable rainfall and the wettest day was September 24 with 0.38 in at Ipswich. One of the unusual features of the month was the frequency of north-westerly winds but several days were calm or with winds of less than 10 mph.
SEPTEMBER AVERAGES and EXTREMES
Average day maximum temperature 65F
Average night minimum temperature 49F
Average number of ground frosts 2
Average rainfall (1903 to 2006) 1.90 inches
Average number of days with rain 13
Total average duration of rain 47 hours
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