Observations from the ridge

A hand-kept record of pressure, wind and cloud from a small amateur station on an exposed ridge. Nothing here is forecast — only what was measured, on the day it was measured.

Recent entries

• 18 AugustSteady northwesterly all morning, gusting to 47 km/h across the saddle. Pressure fell 6 hPa between 09:00 and 15:00, the sharpest drop recorded this summer. Lenticular cloud held over the north face until dusk.
• 11 AugustClear overnight, heavy dew by 05:30. Minimum 4.1 °C at the screen, roughly two degrees colder in the hollow below. Wind calm until the valley breeze set in around 10:00.
• 2 AugustThunder heard to the southwest for about forty minutes without any cell passing overhead. 3 mm in the gauge, all of it in one short burst.
• 24 JulyWarmest afternoon of the year so far at 28.6 °C. Visibility poor in haze; the far range was not distinguishable at any point during the day.

How the readings are taken

Temperature and humidity come from a screened sensor at 1.5 m on open ground. Wind is recorded at 4 m, which is below the standard height, so gust figures should be treated as conservative. Rainfall is a simple tipping bucket, emptied and checked by hand each week.

Entries are written up in the evening from the day's notes. Where a reading looked wrong it is left in and marked, rather than removed.