WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SHETLAND

Monday, 15 March 2010 at 11:23

HEADLINES

TODAY: RAIN MOVING NORTH
TONIGHT: BECOMING DRIER
TOMORROW: MOSTLY DRY
DAYS 2-5: RAIN, SHOWERS AND STRONG WINDS
DAYS 6-10: SHOWERS

Atypically, the month was generally cyclonic and unsettled, with a high frequency of winds from between north and east in direction.

The first week of January in Shetland was cold and cyclonic, with low pressure over the North Sea or eastern UK bringing mainly north-easterly winds.

December was rather changeable. The first 10 days were mild with mainly south-westerly winds, as a number of Atlantic depressions tracked in a roughly north-easterly direction.

An anticyclonic spell ended as October began, with several depres­sions – separated by transient ridges – tracking east close to Shetland between the 3rd and 12th.

September saw a reverse of the pressure field of July and August, with below normal pressure over Greenland, the Norwegian Sea and northern Scandinavia, and above normal pressure over the British Isles and much of central Europe.

Based on the data from Lerwick, this summer in Shetland was more than a degree milder than normal, with a mean temperature of 12.4°C com­pared to the normal 11.1°C. It was – despite a dry June – wet, with rainfall 116.6 per cent of normal, mainly because of a very wet August. Despite this, sunshine was well above average for the three months, with 124.9 per cent. All months were sunny, especially June, with almost twice the normal sunshine.

Apart from a couple of days during the first half of the month and shortly after mid-month – when shallow lows passed close to Shetland – June was a notably anticyclonic month with mean pressure well above average.

by DAVE WHEELER

The month began with high pressure over the UK. However, this quickly declined and cyclonic conditions prevailed across Shetland during the first two weeks of April, as depressions tracked north to the west of Scotland.

The 11th to the13th was notably sunny as pressure built across the area. The third week of…

By Dave Wheeler

As with last year, the first half of March was rather unsettled and changeable, with low pressure systems, separated by transient ridges, passing close by, or over, Shetland in quick succession.

The period between the 16th and 21st – again very similar to last year – was more settled, as an anticyclone…

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