Monthly Weather Review - Pitsford Hall

Headline: Warm, but rarely hot. Rainfall below average. Sunshine significantly below average.

July began with a mainly southerly airflow resulting in fairly warm weather across Northamptonshire. Although we did not experience the heat recorded in other areas, daytime temperatures generally remained in the mid to low 20s, it was particularly warm and humid overnight on the 2nd. Some residual rain associated with a passing frontal system was recorded on the 1st and 2nd. Following this initial rain, a protracted dry period followed culminating in a couple of hot days on the 9th and 10th when temperatures reached 28.3C and 27.0C respectively. During this period a fair amount of sunshine was recorded, although amounts were extremely variable from day to day. No other day during July though would beat the 12.2hrs of sunshine recorded on the 3rd, although the 10th and 11th came close.

Cyclonic conditions developed across the UK from the 12th as a deep low tracked northwards across the UK followed by a second low a few days later. It remained wet across Northamptonshire from the 12th to the 17th. However, apart from the 13th which saw over 5mm of rain falling in the space of an hour, most days recorded just a few mm. It became quite windy through the 15th and 16th with gusts reaching 41mph on the 15th at Pitsford. Temperatures correspondingly fell with daytime maxima on most days reaching 20 or 21C, although the 13th struggled to reach 17C.

A ridge of high pressure built in on the 17th giving a brief spell of settled weather. Temperatures recovered significantly and by the 19th it had become hot again with highs reaching 27.3C. However, apart from the 6.8hrs of sunshine recorded on the 19th, most days were largely cloudy. The warmth on the 20th triggered some showers, but the 22nd saw more significant outbreaks of rain during the day. A new ridge of high pressure moved across the UK on the 23rd and 24th giving a couple of fine days, although temperatures remained in the low 20s and sunshine amounts were disappointing.

As the month came to an end, a moist westerly or north-westerly airstream was introduced. There were some dry days, but generally it remained rather overcast with temperatures refusing to climb much above 20C. Typically, each day would start promising, but with cloud and showers or longer spells of rain moving through later.

Overall, July was a rather disappointing as a summer month in Northamptonshire. Although temperatures were above the seasonal norm, they were rarely hot and sunshine was in particularly short supply. Again, it was another dry month – the fifth month in succession to see less than the expected amount of rain.

Air Temperatures    
The Highest Maximum: 28.3 C on 9th
The Lowest Maximum: 16.7 C on 13th
The Highest Minimum: 16.7 C on 2nd
The Lowest Minimum: 9.9 C on 30th
The Mean Maximum: 22.3 C  
The Mean Minimum: 13.4 C  
The Overall Mean: 17.9 C  
Difference from the Monthly Mean: +1.1 C  
    
Solar Radiation    
Maximum (at 0900): 843.0 W/m^2 on 5th
Mean (at 0900): 374.5 W/m^2  
    
Relative Humidity:    
Highest Relative Humidity (at 0900): 96.4 % on 20th
Lowest Relative Humidity (at 0900): 56.6 % on 6th
Mean Relative Humidity (at 0900): 79.5 %  
    
Dew Point:    
The Highest Dew Point (0900): 19.8 C on 20th
The Lowest Dew Point (at 0900): 9.7 C on 6th
The Mean Dew Point (at 0900): 14.2 C  
    
Rainfall:    
Total: 21.8 mm  
Percentage of the Monthly Mean: 48.7 %  
Duration: 19.6 hrs  
Highest 24 hour fall (0900 to 0900): 5.5 mm on 13th
Rain Days (>/=0.2mm): 11   
Wet Days (>/=1.0mm): 7   
    
Sunshine:    
Total Duration of Bright Sunshine: 135.5 hrs  
Sunniest day: 12.2 hrs on 3rd
No. of days without sunshine: 1   
Percentage of the Monthly Mean: 62.1 %  
Cloud cover (mean at 0900): 5.8 oktas 72.5 %
    
Pressure (reduced to sea level):    
The Highest Pressure (at 0900): 1026.3 mb on 6th
The Lowest Pressure (at 0900): 1000.5 mb on 15th
Mean Pressure (at 0900): 1015.3 mb  
    
Winds    
Run of wind (mean over 24 hrs): 117.9 miles  
Mean daily wind speed: 6.4 mph  
Run of wind (cumulative): 3655.7 miles  
Highest Maximum Gust: 41 mph on 15th
No. of gusts of 50mph or more: 0   
Highest wind strength (at 0900): 20.8 mph on 16th
Mean wind strength (at 0900): 8.8 mph  
    
Winds from the Following Directions:    

N 1 NE 1 E 0 SE 1 S 6 SW 11 W 5 NW 5 Calm 1
    
Concrete     
Lowest Concrete Minimum: 10.0 C on 30th
Mean Concrete Minimum: 14.0 C  
    
Evaporation    
Piche 113.7 ml  
Pan 107.24 mm     

Days with:    
Thunder: 1   
Hail <5mm: 0   
Hail >/=5mm: 0   
Snow or snow & rain: 0   
Snow lying: 0   
Fog: 0   
Air Frost: 0   
Gales: 0  

All data © Pitsford Hall weather station.

The weather station publishes a full Monthly Weather Report (ISSN 1741-4733) which is distributed to libraries across Northamptonshire. This report comprises a full UK weather diary, reports of extreme weather events across the county, statistics from Pitsford Hall's affiliated stations across the county as well as news from the weather station itself. Individuals may download this report for £2 or take out an annual subscription for the paper-based report for £25. Click here for further details.