Penzance - Hot again.

[Graham Easterling]

Under calm conditions the temperature rose rapidly to 27.5C by 12:30. It also reached 27C at Lands End airport & 27C at Culdrose. I notice St Catherine's point, up the south coast, reached 28C around noon, about the warmest spot in the UK.

Mercifully, there is now something of a sea breeze, which has pushed the temperature back to 26C in Penzance, and 25C at Lands End airport.

27.5C might not sound that high to somebody in SE England, but in the 31 years from 1991-2021 I only recorded 13 days 27.5C or higher. (Sheathed thermometers in a Stevenson Screen) In 2022 the were 6. Then came 2026!

Even out on Scilly at noon it was 24C at the hill top airport, 26C amongst the sand dunes on St Martins. Don't take any notice of the silly temperature forecasts for Scilly on the BBC local weather. (20C according to DB yesterday, it's been 20-21C out over the Atlantic recently). 

Graham

Penzance

 

[Nick Gardner]

Recording 30°C or more used to be a fairly rare event here until this year, only achieved in the warmest of summers maybe once or twice. 30°C has been exceeded 10 times this month and 17 times this summer. Many more days have come close. Persistent north-easterlies preventing little or no sea influence has helped.

31.0°C today, I suspect tomorrow will be the last day of the heat though next week may see a return.

Nick

Otter Valley, Devon.

[Graham Easterling]

Wonderful out at Sennen this morning, where there was the lightest of onshore winds. According to the car thermometer driving back around noon, 24C next to the Gwenver turn, 27C half way back to Penzance, back to 25C at our place (about 600 yards from the sea front) Gentle sea breezes, though I think the NW will soon win.  Currently around 26C

SST >20C at the Penzance bouy, 19C even way out at Sevenstones, almost tepid over the beach with the light sea breeze.

Currently low water, big tides. Dive boats just off the beach. There's a wreck about there, which is probably exposed in the trench between the low water sandbars, I'm guessing that's why they are there. I had a swim around 11am, when the tide was just touching the enormous sand bank which has accummulated  at the top of the beach.

Those low tide sand banks are likely to cause significant rip current issues when we finally get a proper Atlantic swell worth the name, as opposed to some locally generated wind chop. No sign of it for a quite a while yet. Tide rarely gets this low, the presence of an Atlantic swell always keeps the general sea level higher near shore. The near Atlantic is currently a millpond.

No smoke from wild fires today, but it is very, very hazy. The last 2 days there were 2 separate wildfires between Sennen & the Cape. Yesterday residents of Sennen were advised to close windows to keep the smoke out. Big burnt area near Naquidno.

Today will be my last trip to Sennen until September, after the school holidays. Quiet spots for the next 6 weeks.

Graham

Penzance 

[Nick Gardner]

Stunning photo of Sennen & Gwenver Beaches, Graham.

At very low tide when it was calm, I have swum out to snorkel the kelp forest to the right of the breakwall. Wonderful to swim amongst the kelp as it rises up from the bottom about 3 metres down. Is it still there?

Another +30°C day, last one for a while.

Nick

Otter Valley, Devon 

[Graham Easterling]

Yes, it's still there.

There's often quite a strong current between the main beach at the harbour, which is of course why the sand accumulates there. Back around 1970 I was snorkelling below the Old Success, watching some fish, when I noticed the seaweed was being washed almost flat. Looked up & I was nearing the harbour, so I had to swim in there & walk back! 

Me - 1969

Graham