WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SHETLAND

Thursday, 02 September 2010 at 10:20

HEADLINES

TODAY: DRY AND BRIGHT
TONIGHT: MISTY
TOMORROW: DRY BUT CLOUDY
DAYS 2-5: MOSTLY DRY, FRESHENING SE WIND
DAYS 6-10: SOME RAIN

As is more often the case than not in Shetland, July saw the largely settled weather patterns of spring and early summer replaced by a more changeable and unsettled cyclonic-type, with depressions often following a track close to north-west Scotland.

While mean temperatures for the month were close to the 1971-2000 normal across Scotland, it was slightly colder than average in Shetland.

Across the Northern Isles, like the rest of the UK, the first week of April was unsettled. After this, as high pressure wandered slowly around the British Isles until mid-month, there was a period of relatively settled weather. This left the second half of the month again cyclonic and unsettled over northern Scotland.

During the first half of the month pressure was generally high over the British Isles. As its focus moved from west of – to a position over – the UK, an initial cold northerly airflow across the Northern Isles soon became a milder west or south-westerly, bringing an end to the snow cover that seemed to have lain across Shetland for much of the winter.

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.

A former Lerwick optician is suing his estranged wife and erstwhile business partner for more than £800,000, claiming that her actions after they went their separate ways six years ago effectively left him out of work.

New SIC chief executive Alistair Buchan came face to face with all councillors this week for the first time since taking up the post for what he described as “very positive” initial discussions about how to react to major criticisms in the Accounts Commission’s recent report on the local authority.

Multiple Grammy winner Steve Earle, the outspoken singer-song­writer responsible for a host of classic Americana songs including Copperhead Road, Guitar Town and Galway Girl, will be stopping off in Lerwick next Thursday for a re-arranged show at Clickimin.