October 1998

Colder (-0.9°C) and wetter (140.8%), but with hours of sunshine (100.5%) very near normal.
Snow and/or sleet reported on 9 days - previous October highest value 6 days in 1993.   Hail reported on 15 days - previous October highest value 13 days in 1983.

A similar story across Scotland as a whole - wet, with flooding, but also record sunshine.   At Glasgow Airport it was the second sunniest October since records began in 1922 (that of 1997 the sunniest, beating this October's total by a mere half an hour).

Several frosty nights resulted in mean monthly temperatures falling to 1.5° Celsius to 2° Celsius below average in some inldna districts.

Rainfall was between 150% to 200% above average over most of the country.  Glasgow Airport had its second wettest October on record and, with a 24 hour fall of 49 mm on the 22nd, its second wettest October day on record.

Rainfall and temperature statistics for Fair Isle for the month were very much in line with Lerwick, Shetland (rainfall 135.8%, temperature -1.0°C).   However Lerwick, with 84.4 hours (138.4%), recorded significantly more sunshine.

With pressure high over Scandinavia and low across the south of the British Isles the month began with a mainly dry south-easterly airflow across the Northern Isles.  High pressure over Scandinavia and the Norwegian Sea then produced a period of mainly dry, settled weather with light south-easterly winds for the next few days before the high declined on the 8th as a deep Atlantic low tracked north-east towards Iceland.

This low, tracking between Faeroe and Iceland, brought mild temperatures with gale-force south-westerly winds and heavy rain on the 9th.  A strong, showery north-westerly then followed as the low moved into western Norway on the 10th.  Winds quickly eased as a ridge swung east, to be quickly followed later on the 11th by further strong south-westerly winds and rain as another low tracked east to the north of Shetland.

A weak ridge of high pressure then gave a mainly dry and sunny few days before a deep depression near Iceland drove frontal systems east across the Northern Isles on the 13th to give further spells of rain and strong to gale force west north-westerly winds.

As low pressure moved away into the Norwegian Sea a spell of cool, showery weather followed with fresh to strong north-westerly winds maintained until the 15th.  A ridge of high pressure, swinging quickly east across the area ahead of the next Atlantic low heading towards the UK, gave a cold night with a wide-spread ground frost early on the 16th.  The low tracked east across Scotland on the 16th, bringing strong to gale force south-east to easterly winds and heavy rain.  As the low moved away into southern Norway a cold and showery northerly airstream developed on the 17th.   This quickly backed south-westerly early on the 18th as a low moving through the Iceland area pushed fronts across Scotland.  As this low, tracking east to the north of Shetland, moved into Norway, on the 19th, cool north-westerly winds again developed across the Northern Isles.

A series of Atlantic lows tracking north-east between Scotland and Iceland then brought a period of unsettled winds, often with strong to gale force south-westerly winds, for the next few days.  The 24th saw an intense Atlantic low heading towards the UK.  This brought very heavy rain and strong to gale force easterly winds to the isles as it crossed Scotland later in the day, before moving across the North Sea on the 25th - with strong north-westerly winds and heavy hail showers developing across the Scotland.

Weather Diary - October 1998

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3. Showers after 1950 UTC.

4. Showers, some moderate/heavy.

5. 7 okta SC sheet (3800 ft) with edge vis to east of Fair Isle. Hanging along this edge several short, well developed funnel clouds were observed at 10:45UTC. Seen with the naked eye these appeared to be some 300'-400' in vertical extent below the SC base. Through binoculars (10x50) very fine, almost hair like coiled, mobile extensions were vis from several of them. The length of the extension was estimated at 200'-300' One of these extensions appeared to double back on itself - I surmised that in fact it had twisted round into a horizontal position. During the next 20 mins I watched these funnel clouds forming and dissipating - their number varying between two and five, with thin extensions visible on one or two, at any one time. They each appeared to persist for between three and ten minutes. Some very slight convection was observed along the SC edge.

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10. Frequent showers during the afternoon.

11. Rain overnight - showery morning, some moderate/heavy with small hail. 0555-0615 UTC wind veer 200° - 240°. 0625 UTC wind veer 240° - 280°. c. 1030 UTC a/c reports CB tops to 16,000 ft.

12. Showers dying out during the morning.

13. Strong halo pm. 1825 UTC wind veer 220° - 280°.

14. 0747 UTC a/c reports tops to 16-17,000 ft. Early pm, moderate shower of small hail, rain and snow. A showery day, DW was told of lightning seen during the evening.

15. Frequent, mainly light, showers of rain and small hail. Moderate hail shower, with some rain and snow mid-afternoon.

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18. Strong aurora glow with rayed arch late evening.

19. Showers overnight, becoming frequent moderate/heavy and squally during the morning. Showers wintry with rain, small hail and hail - with some temporary accumulation E'=1 1300 and 1400 UTC. Gale 0945 - 1205 UTC. Wind at Sumburgh 1007 UTC 320 15 kt and 1200 UTC 330 12 kt, gst 26 kt. Auroa glow to north late evening.

20. Small hail showers dying out overnight. Strong halo late morning/early afternoon. rain from 2000 UTC. SE'ly wind increasing gale 2145 UTC.

21. Gale ceased 0117 UTC, quickly easing and veering SSW'ly by dawn.. Rain and mist overnight. Dry late morning, wind veering SW'ly, drizzle and fog early afternoon.

22. 1310 UTC increase from 24 kt to 36 kt, gst 47 kt. Gale ceased 1330 UTC. Moderate aurora glow during evening, with low arch and a few short rays by midnight.

23. Squally small hail showers from mid-morning. Moderate aurora glow late evening.

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25. Lowest ppp 967.2 mb shortly after 0000 UTC. Gale 0752 - 0812, 0915 - 1055 UTC. Slight aurora glow late evening.

26. Extensive CB anvils during the morning. Moderate hail shower 1215 - 1220 UTC.

27. Gale 0310 - 0335 UTC 0415 UTC veer 150° - 190°, then steady veer to 240° by 0530 UTC. Gale 0830 - 0840 UTC. Extensive low CB anvils during the early afternoon. Moderate rain, snow and hail showers during afternoon. 1414 UTC a/c reports moderate icing at 10,000 ft. (lots of a/c 'weather avoiding').

28. Gale 0225 - 0235 UTC. Gust of 61 kt at 0040 UTC.

29. Moderate aurora glow late evening.

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31. Showers of rain, rain and snow, and hail overnight.

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Last edited on 09 January, 1999   Dave Wheeler weatherman@zetnet.co.uk
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