By Philip Eden

September turned out to be a very dry month over practically the entire country thanks to a remarkable dominance of high pressure; anticyclones controlled the UK's weather throughout the month except for a brief interlude between the 6th and 9th. Averaged over England and Wales the month's rainfall of 41.7mm was exactly half the normal amount, and in the last 100 years only 18 Septembers were drier including 1997 and 1996 during the last decade. Much of the rain fell on one day - the 9th - and the number of days with rain was generally the lowest since 1959.

It was even drier in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Both these countries collected only 45 per cent of the normal amount of rain, and both reported the driest September since 1996. At a more local level, less than a quarter of the long-term average fell in the Aberdeen area, parts of Yorkshire, northwest and southwest Wales, and in Cornwall and Devon. Driest of all was Plymouth where the month's total of 0.16 in (3.6mm) represented just five per cent of the local average making it the driest September here for 43 years.

Sunshine was plentiful in western and southern Britain, but there was a significant shortfall in northern Scotland, and at several sites in northeast England, the east Midlands, Lincolnshire and Norfolk. Monthly totals ranged from 241 hours at Jersey airport to just 85 hours at Stornoway in the Western Isles, while at Morecambe in Lancashire the local average was exceeded by 53 per cent. Only the Septembers of 1991, 1959 and 1933 were sunnier there.

Mean maximum temperature in September ranged from 13.5C at Fair Isle, between Shetland and Orkney, to 20.8C at St Helier on Jersey. Night minimum readings varied between 5.8C at Strathardle, Perthshire, and 14.7C at St Peter Port, Guernsey. Averaged over the whole country the monthly temperature was 1.1 degC above the long-term average. There were only 14 warmer Septembers in the last 100 years, although five of these occurred since 1989. The warmest day of the month was the 13th when 25.6C was recorded at Bournemouth airport.

(c) Philip Eden

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