4 days of factor 3 forecast by MetO starting tomorrow. Late for a rash of 3s. Top up on VitD before the big dark.

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Reading just nipped 1.5 yesterday. Today there is thin cloud across the sun but the cloudbank ends just a few miles east. Might walk there.
Here, sun's angle now just short of 20 degrees. 

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 Wonder if we can do better than last year in the UV stakes. Reading's readings:

 a poor year really with even the August heatwave hitting just 5s and about 6.

 First 2 last year: 17/2
First 3 17/3
First 4  26/3
First 5  10/4 (not bad to this point)
First 6 5/5
First 7 17/5 
Then poor. No pre-solstice 8. 
8 recorded only on 7/7 in July.

Fun prediction game? 5 day windows allowed to allow for weather. 
First 5, 6 and 7: 5- 3-7 April
                         6: 27 Apr- 1 May
                         7:  12-16 May.

We'll see!
🙂

 

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Seeing you said poor in the summer months it was true as it was very poor summer here due to HP bringing too much clouds with it so only clear skies early and late which no use for recording sun index which need midday peak sunlight.  I hoping this year summer to be much better than last year to see more sun between 9am to 3pm.

Here is the sunshine anomaly map for last summer. 

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/pub/data/weather/uk/climate/anomacts/2022/14/2022_14_Sunshine_Anomaly_1991-2020.gif 

Judge for yourself.

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Here is the sunshine anomaly map for last summer. 

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/pub/data/weather/uk/climate/anomacts/2022/14/2022_14_Sunshine_Anomaly_1991-2020.gif 

Judge for yourself.

It was just over 100% in here mainly 90% at early and late sun which on the charts look misleading and assumed was lot of sun between 9am to 3pm.  Notice a grey spot in north Wales? seem odd perfectly half rounded so not sure why.  So I still hoping a decent summer this year like 2018 which have many full sun between 9am to 3pm.  2022 is a year of horror first is record 2 weeks dull days after 40C temps which now distant memory unlike 2003 always in my mind.  2nd for 2022 is snowless year.

Yes, apologies, I was unclear; I meant poor in terms of high UV values, rather than hours of sunshine, which is of course far more relevant to most of us!

 

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Yes, apologies, I was unclear; I meant poor in terms of high UV values, rather than hours of sunshine, which is of course far more relevant to most of us!

 

I’d settle for either. 🤣

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Yes, apologies, I was unclear; I meant poor in terms of high UV values, rather than hours of sunshine, which is of course far more relevant to most of us!

 

I used to have sun recorder and it usually peaked at midday solar strength so if I had them last year it would only show highest index early or late sun strength and rare peaking at midday.  Only 3 times was clear at midday in July and 1 week in August heatwave. 

Allthat said, I feel sure I can remember even Aberdeen being forecast 6s at some point last summer.

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Allthat said, I feel sure I can remember even Aberdeen being forecast 6s at some point last summer.

In the old days of the better old BBC graphics used to show indexes and go up to 9 highest for SE and 10 over Cornwall during clear HP hot days in June to early July.   Maybe last year 19th July was 10 in the south and 9 in the Midlands?

 A 1.8 then 1.7 in Reading, and a 1.9 in Camborne.
Won't say I can feel it yet, but the light is changing, slowly, and the sunat 21.5° altitude is just clipping the tops of the school trees.

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A 1.8 then 1.7 in Reading, and a 1.9 in Camborne.
Won't say I can feel it yet, but the light is changing, slowly, and the sunat 21.5° altitude is just clipping the tops of the school trees.

It's nice isn't it B, a bit of sun yesterday and I sat indoors most of the day without the heating on because I felt warm - it was only 17c in my study though, it can be 20c inside and grey out and I feel cold. Pretty much 5:30 now down here for dusk, a few more weeks to go before spring, from a daylight perspective at least, rears its head.

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1.8 in Reading today. The 2 is edging closer although bizarrely, the Beeb is forecasting Medium UV for next week in Winchester.

Can't paste and of course the link changes regularly, but isn't M a 3 at least? I'd get a sunny 2 from here on in (although my mean earliest 2 seems to be about the 17th) but a 3? Now? Not possible surely unless a significant O3 dissipation is imminent.

 

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Reading looks like a 1.9 today although the graph alignment might be out with a peak at 1130-1145 then a steady drift cown (not the sudden reduction you'd get when it clouds over). 

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Reading looks like a 1.9 today although the graph alignment might be out with a peak at 1130-1145 then a steady drift cown (not the sudden reduction you'd get when it clouds over). 

Another peak a bit later on made it to approx 1.99 I would say, I think the 2 was achieved on the 13th if you haven't looked back a few days... felt nice in the garden today that's for sure.

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When the sun reaches 25 degrees above horizon there's a marked step change in solar reaching the surface, as the atmosphere reflects or refracts more energy downwards rather than back into space from above that angle.
Here that happens about 22nd Feb this year but further south will have been there at least two weeks already.
https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/ 
 

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When the sun reaches 25 degrees above horizon there's a marked step change in solar reaching the surface, as the atmosphere reflects or refracts more energy downwards rather than back into space from above that angle.
Here that happens about 22nd Feb this year but further south will have been there at least two weeks already.
https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/ 
 

It's the 12th here - coincidentally the time that it starts to get into the 20s on a sunny day upstairs (flat roof=sun trap) and around the time the grass usually puts on a real spurt; there are some impressive looking clumps popping up on the lawn and the rest of it will follow soon enough.

It's also coincidentally the time there's a marked change in the quality of light. From my POV, spring arrives in mid-February!




 

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It's the 12th here - coincidentally the time that it starts to get into the 20s on a sunny day upstairs (flat roof=sun trap) and around the time the grass usually puts on a real spurt; there are some impressive looking clumps popping up on the lawn and the rest of it will follow soon enough.

It's also coincidentally the time there's a marked change in the quality of light. From my POV, spring arrives in mid-February!

 

It certainly felt like spring in the greenhouse today planting the tomato and chilli seeds into their trays, the batteries on the indoor thermometer need replacing but I reckon it was close to 20c, certainly no jacket required.

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Surprised Reading looks to have easily achieved a 2 today, it was pretty cloudy, very few glimpses of the sun. Next up is the 3.

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