An autumn chill with your Bonfire Night thrills
IF YOU are worrying that yesterday’s rainy conditions will persist and stop you lighting your bonfire tonight, rest a little more easily this morning. Today is definitely going to be the better day of the weekend as far as showers go. Which means that, even if the temperatures are likely to drop quite a way by the time it gets dark enough to hand around the sparklers, at least you should get a decent main blaze going to keep you warm.
There will be a chill wind from the north west over most of the UK today, which will counterbalance the increase in hours of sunshine compared with Saturday. And, though it will be bright, there will also be bite in the breeze, especially down the North Sea coast. From Aberdeen 44F (7C), through Newcastle and Norwich 46F (8C) down to London 52F (11C), you will need to wrap up if you venture out. And once that sun has set, the mercury really does fall, with some exposed areas facing 25F (-4C).
The working week won’t bring much respite. There will be frost in the countryside and the chill will linger into Tuesday, when a band of heavy rains is going to pass over.
If there is any cheerful news, it is for the southern half of England. The jet stream, that ribbon of air currents in the high atmosphere above us that blows west to east across the Atlantic and shapes our weather, looks likely to pass directly overhead for most of the week, roughly from Bristol to Hull. Above that line, Arctic air is dominant, below something altogether milder coming up from the Tropics.
And, to add insult to injury, the weather even interfered with our TV viewing last week, with some Freeview customers unable to see the Great British Bake Off final. High air pressure interfered with the digital service that works via our TV aerials. If you’re still waiting to find out the result, check Prue Leith’s Twitter feed.