The 2nd was mainly cloudy with a shower but the 3rd was a sunny, dry day, and the 4th was bathed in constant sunshine, with light winds and almost cloudless skies. The next day was more overcast. Strong winds were recorded on the afternoon of the 6th, but that also was a dry and sunny day. The observations for that day again had to be taken by someone else as I was in Blackpool on a day-trip, and there was sand blowing from the beach onto the promenade there. The weather quietened down in the evening though.

After a fairly warm, quiet and dull few days, dense fog was recorded during the early hours of the 11th but when it lifted the weather became warm and sunny. 80F was recorded, the highest temperature of the month, warmer than any day in July this year. The 12th was also fine and warm as well.

For what was to be such a wet month statistically, the first half of the month was mainly dry and settled. Only 9 millimetres of rain had fallen so far and at that rate the month would have been a repeat of September 1997 for dryness. It wasn't to be. However, September last year was also dry and settled for the first half, and very wet for the second.

The weather changed mid-month, as slow moving fronts brought very wet weather between the 15th and the 21st. The 15th was a grim, wet day with heavy rain falling throughout most of it. The 16th was a fine and fairly sunny day but the weather turned unsettled again on the 18th. The 19th started very foggy, was cold under a biting northerly wind but at 1pm rain started to fall, which was very heavy at times. It didn't stop for the rest of the day, lasting until about 1am on the 20th, which started fine but turned wet from mid-day and a severe thunderstorm broke at 3.50pm, which lasted almost an hour. It was the only thunderstorm of the month recorded though. Heavy rain fell early on the 22nd but that day and especially the 23rd were warm and sunny.

The rest of the month was unsettled, with showers and sunny intervals and temperatures around or above average for the time of year but the 25th and 26th were quite warm.

Daytime temperatures were above average, but night-time temperatures exceeded the average by 2.3C, well above average for the time of year. Overall it was the fourth consecutive warm September. You have to go back to 1994 to find a cooler than average September. The month turned out to be just over 2 millimetres wetter than September 1999 and was the wettest September recorded since 1993. In the last 10 years wet September's have been recorded in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1999 and 2000, with 1991, 1996 and 1997 being dry September's. Rainfall was average in 1998. Sunshine was well below average, in marked contrast to last year, making it the dullest September since that of 1994.

Kevin Phillips - 2.55pm - Sunday 8th October 2000.