Warmer than normal but rainy weather set to hit Aylesbury Vale this week, says local expert

The last week has seen plenty of sunshine at times, apart from the weekend which was disappointingly cloudy, but sunshine returned on Monday (13 February). The sunshine along with the days getting longer and the sight of the snowdrops and crocuses starting bloom has given it a spring-like feel.

Despite the sunshine, it was quite cold, especially overnight when temperatures fell as low as -6 to –7C in places on the night of the 8th. Despite the cold temperatures at night, temperatures during the day time reached around 7-9C most days which is around average for this time of year before rising to double figures early last week.

It has not been completely cloudless skies last week as there has been some high cloud around which led to some beautiful sunsets. High cloud can really enhance a picturesque sunset. As the sun sets lower and lower in the sky, it gets increasingly red. This is because the atmosphere scattered the blue light, but allows the red light to pass through more easily. The colour is enhanced if there is lots of dust or aerosols in the atmosphere, but also if there is cloud. Low cloud, especially in the west can snuff out the colours which is why there was few nice sunsets over the weekend. For the best conditions high cloud above or to the east is needed as these catch the light and glow with pinks, oranges and yellows.

Looking ahead to the weather over the coming days and it will more unsettled with outbreaks of rain at times as fronts move in from the west. However, it is expected to be mild with temperatures well above average for February.

Looking further ahead Met Office projections suggest that parts of the UK could be hit by the ‘Beast from the East’.

At the end of February certain UK areas could face extreme winter conditions.

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