Weather log October 2023
Key:
Tue 10th last widely warm day of the spell: maxima Hereford 22.6c, Nottingham 21.3c, Market Bosworth & Trawsgoed 20.1c, CL 19.6c, Lwn 18.8c, Aberdaron 16.6c.
Wed 11th spells of rain, over 2 inches parts of mid & N Wales, this after a warm night, minima Mumbles 15.9c, MH & Shobdon 15.5c, Lwn 14.8c, CL & Nottingham 15.3c, CC 14.2c. CC 36.2mm wettest in the UK (also Pershore College 16mm).
Thu 12th/ Fri 13th widely 1 or 2 inches so a very wet day: 24 hours to 0900 13th Llanwnnen 32.2mm, Coventry 20.4mm. Then 24 hours to 1800 13th: Lwn 41mm, NRW gauges Felinfoel (Llanelli) 58mm & Tenby 50mm; EA gauges Monkmoor (Shrewsbury) 41.6mm, Sutton Coldfield 39.3mm, Corley (near Coventry) 35.2mm, King's Newnham (near Rugby) 26.8mm. The cold front brought a big drop in temperatures, e.g. at Church Lawford from 19c 1400 down to 11c 1600. Hereford max 21.6c warmest in the UK (sunny spell early afternoon), CL 20.1c cf Lwn max 16.0c early morning prior to the cold frontal passage. BBC early evening showed the wettest place in UK today as 'Tregaron' with 65mm although the gauge is actually at Swyddffynnon some 4 miles away. As far as the MO concerned Swyddffynnon the wettest place in the UK today with 52.6mm (2100); Coleshill 39.6mm officially wettest in the W Mids and Market Bosworth 38.2mm E Mids.
A rather cool spell around mid month:
Sat 14th maxima below average for most, CC 10.9c, Sutton Bonington (Notts) 11.9c, CL 12.0c, Lwn 12.5c, Mumbles 13.8c, Pershore though up to average at 15.9c and warmest in the UK.
Sun 15th air frost in places, grass frost quite widespread inland, lows Tirabad -0.9c, Pershore -0.3c, Trawsgoed +1.3c, CL 2.5c, Lwn 2.6c, Aberporth 7.2c. Max cool generally between 10 and 13c (CL 10.1c, Aberporth 10.7c, Lwn 11.6c, Coventry 11.7c Mumbles 13.0c, Pershore 13.2c).
First half of October has been very mild, rainfall between average and wet, sunshine rather dull to average.
Rainfall totals Oct 1st to 16th 0900:
CC 168.4mm (rather wet)
Llanwnnen 80.7mm (average)
Pembrey Sands 65.8mm (average)
MH 70.0mm (rather wet)
Coventry 47.2mm (wet)
CL 47.2mm (wet)
Pershore 46.0mm (wet)
Shobdon (Herefordshire) 45.0mm (average)
Sunshine 1st -15th October 2023:
Llanwnnen 38 hours estimated (rather dull)
Coventry 58.8 hours (average)
Mon 16th first frost Lwn min -0.4c, widespread grass frost away from coasts; Tirabad (Powys) -0.8c, Shobdon -0.3c, Coventry +1.2c, Trawsgoed 1.3c, Nottingham 2.3c, Mumbles 7.5c.
Wed 18th spells of rain pm, over an inch parts of W Mids: ROW 27.8mm, Coventry 19.0mm, Lwn 13.4mm, Market Bosworth (Leic) 10.4mm.
Thu 19th so named storm 'Babet' influencing the weather, showers or longer spells of rain today, local thunder. Warm sunny intervals too, maxima Gogerddan (near Aberystwyth) 19.1c, Trawsgoed 18.6c, Lwn 17.9c; Whitechurch (Pembs) 33.8mm wettest place in Wales, also Shawbury 23.6mm (to 2100).
Fri 20th heavy rain in places overnight, 2 inches parts of the W Mids in the 24 hours to 0900 with an inch more widely across the Midlands (Coventry 27.8mm wettest day of the year to date). Further copious rain for the N Mids & N Wales in particular during the day giving another inch or 2 widely to Notts & Derbyshire. Widespread flooding across the Midlands, severe along some rivers such as the Rother at Chesterfield and along the Severn where at Bewdley the barrier was not erected in time. Over 100mm for the past 2 days Peak District and some spots in the W Midlands. Pennerley beneath the Shropshire Stiperstones 78.6mm wettest MO station in the W Mids today & CC 58.2mm wettest one in Wales today. Coventry 62mm past 3 days. A notable rainfall event, although not especially wet over most of south & west Wales, here at Lwn just 11mm for the 2 days. Atmospheric pressure has been below 980mbar much of the past 2 days (975mbar minimum today Lwn lowest of the year to date).
A drier couple of days over the weekend then back to unsettled rest of the month, wet at times, temperatures cool to average:
Mon 23rd dry much of the day here in Lwn a mild max 15.8c (Whitechurch, Pembs 16.8c, Pembrey Sands 16.5c); band of slow moving heavy rain over Pembrokeshire during the evening with some lightning sferics. Heavy downpours then affected the rest of SW Wales overnight, Scolton Country Park (Pembs) 29.0mm wettest in Wales today.
Tue 24th SW Wales still bearing the brunt of showers and longer spells of rain today (isolated lightning sferics). Widely 1 to 2 inches across Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and south Ceredigion. Mostly dry and bright Midlands. Llanwnnen caught just over an inch between 2300 and 1600 so the October total is now closing in on the average (historically 143mm) and so assuring this will be the sixth wet October on the trot! Tavernspite NRW gauge in south Carmarthenshire caught 56mm in the 24 hours to 1800. Pembrey Sands 45.8mm officially wettest in the UK.
Fri 27th past week contrasting fortunes with much of the Midlands away from the Marches rather dry (most places receiving under 10mm) while WW has been wet. Coventry just 2.6mm cf Llanwnnen over 50mm past 7 days.
Sat 28th Pembrey Sands 30.8mm, wettest in Wales, also Coleshill 19.8mm as a band of locally heavy rain affected the Midlands during the evening.
Fri 27th to Sun 29th showers or longer spells of rain affecting SW Wales in particular, especially they have been streaming in off Carmarthen Bay giving large rainfall totals over that county. Widely 1 to 2 these past 3 days across SW Wales, but locally 100mm in the Carmarthen area, NRW gauge Llangendeirne about 5 miles SE of the town over 90mm by Sunday evening same period.
Rainfall variation late October
5 days 26th - 30th October very wet SW Wales and in particular Carmarthenshire, whereas for mid and N Wales much more modest rainfall:
5 day totals (NRW gauges):
Llangendeirne, between Carmarthen & Pontyberem c 160mm
Rhydargaeau N of Carmarthen c 140mm
Llanwnnen c 70mm
Ferwig, near Cardigan c 23mm
Bow Street, near Aberystwyth 17mm
Corris, near Machynlleth c 25mm
Cwm Dyli, Snowdonia c 29mm (relatively dry for this normally wet site)
So stark contrasts with the Carmarthen area getting some 9 times as much as Aberystwyth!
Nature notes
Sun 1st 3 or 4 Swallow heading north viewed from front window.
Mon 2nd Lampeter Co-op around 50 hirundines (almost entirely House Martin as no Swallows audible). A high number, guess they were stopping off for a feed as they move south?
Tue 3rd 5 Swallow over the garden briefly this afternoon, then 3 House Martin Lampeter.
During the warm spell 7th - 10th, lots of insects reappeared, inc Hover flies, Bees (especially enjoying the Ivy flowers), several Peacock butterflies.
Sun 8th a few Laburnum flowers on the end of the branch of the same tree that had them exactly a month back (lane by S forestry).
The odd Starling in song of late.
Sat 14th first Fieldfare flew over the garden this afternoon.
Mid month pruning the Apple tree, some out of Season blossom on a single branch (reacting to the partial prune in August?).
Thu 19th quite a few Redwing flying over Lampeter and here.
Sun 22nd southern Forestry above Llanybydder: good flock of Fieldfare and a few Redwing. Quite a few different flowers out along the lane and some Bramble in bloom too.
Towards month end good numbers of Redwing passing over some days.
Leaf fall started but plant growth still evident especially Nettles and some other 'weeds'. Still a few (albeit soggy) flowers but Fox & Cubs for the most part over, did well to populate the lawn almost to November!
Mistle Thrush heard singing weakly from the garden several times towards month end.
October 2023 summary
Wet or very wet; very mild; rather dull to average sunshine-wise.
Over twice the average some areas, nearer 300% parts of N Mids and S Wales; Elsewhere remarkably Wattisham in Suffolk had 257mm which is over 4 times the average! Parts of mid & N Wales nearer average in contrast.
Llanwnnen sixth successive wet October (2006-23 average 155mm); October average past 5 years over 203mm and so wetter than the long- term December average (2006-22) of 184mm (wettest month of the year).
Coventry past 4 Octobers very wet, all over 100mm, similarly for the England & Wales average; Coventry averaged 113.7mm past 5 years (remarkably wet run of a month).
Most places between 1 and 2c above the October average (a month that has warmed considerably since the 1990's.
Rainfall totals Oct 2023
Capel Curig, Snowdonia 302.6mm (110%)
Mona, Anglesey 134mm (rather wet)
Aberdaron, Llyn Peninsular c 165mm (wet)
Trawsgoed, Ceredigion c 190mm (wet)
Aberporth, near Llangrannog c 135mm (rather wet)
Llanwnnen 221.9mm (156%)
Pembrey Sands, Carms c 295mm (224%)
Milford Haven, Pembs 205.8mm (173%)
Mumbles, near Swansea 164.4mm (165%)
Nottingham c 155mm (over twice average)
Shawbury, Salop c 175mm (257%)
Coleshill c 135mm (very wet)
Coventry, Bablake School 130.6mm (192%)
CL, Warks 106.0mm (158%)
Pershore, Worc 125.4mm (194%)
Hereford c 125mm (very wet)
Shobdon, Herefordshire 153.6mm (182%)
National Resources Wales (NRW) rain gauges Oct 2023
Llyn Cefni, Ynys Mon 134.4mm (rather wet)
Bethesda Quarry (Gwynedd) 187mm (average)
Cwm Dyli (Snowdonia) 370.4mm (rather wet)
Corris (near Machynlleth) 297mm (wet)
Bow Street (near Aberystwyth) 168.2mm (very wet)
Pontrhydfendigaid (near Tregaron, Ceredigion) 203.6mm (very wet)
Penuwch (Ceredigion) 242.6mm (very wet)
Rhos Ymryson (near Gorscoch and 5 miles NW of Lwn) 222.6mm (very wet)
Cellan (2 miles NE of Lampeter) 200.4mm (wet)
Abergorllech (Brechfa Forest, Carms) 278.4mm (very wet)
Rhydargaeau (Carms) 307.6mm (very wet)
Llangendeirne (Carms) 346.6mm (over twice the average)
Garnswllt (near Ammanford, Carms) 227.2mm (wet)
Felinfoel (near Llanelli, Carms) 289.2mm (twice the average)
Victoria Park, Swansea 389.8mm (three times the average) note: doubt over this as Mumbles MO just 5 miles away had less than half as much (164.4mm) while most Swansea PWS around 300mm?
Ferwig (near Cardigan) 128mm (average)
Maenclochog (near Preselis, Pembs) 249.2mm (wet)
Tenby (Pembs) 252.4mm (very wet)
Bolton Hill (near Haverfordwest, Pembs) 207mm (very wet)
COL stations rainfall Oct 2023
Llansadwrn 161.2mm (125%)
Ludlow, Salop 188.6mm (229%)
Alvechurch, Worc 178.2mm (214%)
Warstock, Brum 154.0mm (191%)
Cosby, Leic 95.8mm (139%)
Hinckley 144.6mm
Towcester, Northants 99.7mm (129%)
Sunshine totals Oct 2023
Llanwnnen estimated 62 hours (78%)
Coventry, Bablake School 100.4 hrs (99%)
Shobdon, Herefordshire 78.5 hrs (76%)
COL stations sun:
Ludlow 83.1 hrs
Alvechurch 86.7 hrs
Cosby 99.5 hrs
Towcester 116.9 hrs
