Saturday, 14 October 2017
Balmy Weather
As forecast Friday turned out to be an exceptionally mild day for the middle of October with the temperature reaching 20.8°C (69.4°F) the highest I've recorded this late in the year since starting my records in 2010. However, the overnight temperature Friday night into Saturday morning has been even more exceptional with the temperature not falling below 17.0°C or 62.6°F.
Temperature Record 14 October 2017
That's easily the mildest October night I've recorded, the next highest being 15.4°C (59.7°F) on 19 October 2014. It's also the mildest night since 17 June this year. We didn't have any nights this mild through July, August and September.
Although Friday was a breezy day, it didn't turn out to be as windy as forecast. More very mild weather is on the cards for the weekend and into Monday. Ex hurricane Ophelia is forecast to pass to the west of the UK on Monday. There seems to be some doubt about the exact course the storm will take but it looks like Monday could turn out to be wet and windy.
Sunday, 15 October 2017
More Balmy Weather and An Ex Hurricane
We managed a visit to the plot under our own steam on Saturday for the first time since 06 September. It was a very mild October afternoon with the temperature reaching 21.5°C (70.7°F), breaking yesterday's record and setting a new record for my weather station this late in the year.
Temperature Records 13-15 October 2017
On the allotment it was a case of starting to cut the grass paths which have continued to grow in our absence, unlike most of our vegetable crops which have done most of their growing for this season.
It's time to start clearing away all the left over crops to the compost heap. Runner beans and climbing French beans have been cleared and the canes stored away until next year. Pea haulms now need to be cleared and some of Sue's early season cut flowers have done their bit and can now be pulled up and composted. In early September the bees were still enjoying the cardoon flowers but although, these are now finished the dried flower heads still look good so I might leave them on the plants through winter.
Another grass strimming session should see the paths tidied up.
Monday is forecast to be another mild day as ex hurricane Ophelia closes in. By all accounts its set a record by becoming the furthest east, in the Atlantic Ocean, that a hurricane has been recorded. The forecasters are suggesting it won't any longer be a hurricane by the time it arrives here late on Monday but it will still be bringing severe gales to some parts of the UK.
Wind Speeds for 16 October 2017 at 16:00 (from https://www.ventusky.com/?p=53.4;-6.4;4&l=gust&t=20171016/15)
It looks like a serious storm is heading our way.
Tuesday, 17 October 2017
Ophelia Blows Through
It took most of the day for the gales force winds of storm Ophelia to arrive. It wasn't until the early evening that the winds started to pick up.
Temperature & Hi Wind Speed Records 15-17 October 2017
The gale force winds have continued through the night and into Tuesday morning. They're forecast to abate through Tuesday afternoon. The highest gusts so far recorded have been 26mph which isn't the highest of the month, that is 28mph on 02 October 2017. For us Ophelia hasn't been any worse than lots of other wet and windy weather we often get in autumn.
Like many others we had a very eerie glow in the sky on Monday morning. It was very dark for much of the morning without any hint of sunshine.
The reason for the redness in the sky was due to Ophelia's strong southerly winds bringing dust from the Sahara and smoke from the forest fires burning in Portugal.
Wednesday, 18 October 2017
What A Month and We're Only Half Way Through
We are just past the mid-point of the month and already it's been a strange month weather wise. Only this week we've had the dark red cloudy skies and later red coloured sun due to ex hurricane Ophelia, dust from the Sahara, and the forest fires burning in Iberia.
So far it's been very mild for October and at the moment it's the mildest October I've recorded at this stage of the month with an average temperature of 13.8°C or 56.8°F. Normally we're around the 11.0°C (51.8°F) mark although 2011 was very mild too with an average of 13.4°C (56.1°F) by the 17th of the month.
It's also been easily the driest October whilst I've been keeping records. Nothing comes close to the 8.6mm (0.34in) of rainfall by this stage of the month. The nearest is 2015 with 22.6mm or 0.89in.
Average Rainfall 2010 - 2017
However, it looks like another Atlantic storm is heading our way for the weekend so that rainfall total might be on the increase soon.
Last weekend I made a little video of strimming some of the plots. I experimented with the camera sitting on the shed roof.