Forecaster warns of longer spells of rain as autumnal weather is set to hit Aylesbury Vale

This summer has been a mixed bag so-to-speak, with June providing some lovely summer sunshine and July being largely unsettled and wet; August has been almost a middle ground in terms of weather conditions.

Areas of low pressure moving in from the Atlantic, two of which were named storms - Antoni and Betty - have given us spells of rain and brisk winds throughout August, as well as some thunderstorm activity last week too. By no means has the unsettled conditions meant that the Vale has seen too much rain however, with the precipitation amounts a touch below the average for the time of year – the same for air temperatures too! A slightly windier month, all thanks to the named storms yet more notably, we have had a little more in the way of sunshine, with up to 10 per cent more than the average for the time of year.

Overall, August has been a rather bland month in terms of weather statistics, even with two named storms (which is more on the unusual side for the summer month!). The autumnal feeling is creeping in nonetheless, and the hours of daylight have been fading fast – disappearing before our eyes in

fact - as we approach meteorological autumn on Friday (1 September). From the start of the month, the days have shortened by nearly two hours (one hour, 47 minutes and 28 seconds to be exact), and the sun now sets before 8pm.

Adding to the autumnal vibes, we will be finishing the working week off with longer spells of rain at times. Yet, there are some increasingly promising hints of high pressure and dry days ahead over the weekend and into the new week.

The Met Office has predicted a similarly mixed set of weather across the UK this week. With certain parts of the country set for heavy rain and brisk winds, whilst temperatures are likely to be high reaching 24C in some parts of the south of England. The Met Office states that the UK may witness the rise of high pressure, potentially bringing drier conditions with sunny intervals for many places, in early September.