Calm after Storm Amy with record temperatures, reports Wick weather watcher
A local weather pundit noted the record-breaking warm temperatures of today (Monday, October 6) after the departure of Storm Amy from Caithness.
Keith Banks from Wick said that the “summer made a spectacular riposte to Caithness on Monday” with temperatures climbing to values well above the October average.
He added: “Wick experienced its hottest day on record for any October, with the temperature hitting a remarkable 20.2C (68.4F) at lunchtime. The town's previous record for October warmth was 19.7C (67.5F), recorded on October 3 1973.”
Wick's average daytime temperature for October is 11.8C (53.2F).
“Monday's unseasonal warmth has been caused by a warm and moist south-westerly air flow originating from the Azores region of sub-tropical N Atlantic affecting the far north of Scotland. Wick, sheltered from the SW breeze, in the lee of the northern Highlands, benefited from a process called the ‘Foehn effect’, boosting the temperature to today's record-breaking value.”
Keith said that Storm Amy pummelled the county with force 8 to severe gale force 9 winds from Friday through to Sunday.
The highest gust witnessed in Wick was 72.5mph (violent storm 11), recorded on Friday evening.
“In Wick, a spectacular fall in the atmospheric pressure occurred in the 24 hours ending midnight on October 4.
“The pressure tumbled by a staggering 45.7 millibars. The mean sea level pressure (MSLP) bottomed out at a very notable 952.7mb. This was associated with a process called explosive cyclogenesis.”
He noted that 31.6mm of rain fell on Wick during the 48 hours ending 10am (BST) on Sunday, October 5.