Threat of thundery showers in Aylesbury Vale as unsettled weather continues

It is of little surprise that August was hotter than average, by quite some margin - more than 2 degrees C hotter for the Aylesbury Vale area - and it became the 15th consecutive month with above-average Central England Temperatures (CETs).

In addition, 2022 was provisionally in the top five hottest summers for CETs on record.

What many may remember most, however, is how dry the summer was. In Aylesbury Vale, precipitation anomalies were less than 50 per cent of an average August.

Even this sounds a little too high, considering how harsh the drought was.

But much of the recorded rain for the Aylesbury area in August fell in the form of intense showers or thunderstorms on a handful of days with mostly parched soils, therefore barely having any impact on soil moisture or plants suffering drought stress.

In comparison, the start of meteorological autumn has been a little cloudier, and damp, with several misty mornings along the Chilterns.

It has also become increasingly unsettled. Since the start of September, almost to this day, a low pressure system has been sat out in the Atlantic, just a little way off the Irish coast, affecting the weather across England.

The low has barely moved since then and has been the cause of the heavy showers in the past few days and Sunday night’s thunderstorms.

The same low pressure system will continue to bring unsettled and showery conditions across the Aylesbury Vale through the next few days, continuing the threat of some thundery bursts.

This weekend, there is a chance of a drier and more settled interlude - but it will be brief, as low pressure will again bring showers and outbreaks of rain into next week.