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Very sunny this afternoon - Reading is on track to record its sunniest year ever if all months following have at least average sunshine.

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The global electric circuit drives a near-constant downward current through the air (J). In Ohm's law, the potential gradient is that current divided by conductivity (PG=J/σ) and fog cuts σ, so the PG has to rise to compensate. The spike fits nicely for when fog began to form.

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You can look at fog in a variety of ways, some more niche. The Reading observatory records atmospheric electricity; suspended water droplets absorb the ions that give the atmosphere its electrical conductivity, so the potential gradient near the Earth's surface rises.

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MetJam @metjam.co.uk · 03/10/2026

A wall of fog looking towards Caversham this morning

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A reminder that I will be speaking at the TORRO conference (provided I don't evaporate before then) on the 17th of October at Oxford Brookes about dust devils that occurred during this summer - do come along if you want to hear me and others natter about all things weather!

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MetJam @metjam.co.uk · 03/10/2026

A nice sun dog this morning before cloud from a decaying cold front has moved overhead to spoil the fun, high pressure helping to weaken that front massively.

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MetJam @metjam.co.uk · 02/10/2026

September 2026: warm, dry and sunny for SE & Central S England; it ranks 6th out of 117 years in a series dating back to 1910. It is different for the UK as a whole - warm, but with average rainfall and sunshine and ranking 23rd. 1959 is still the lead across both regions.

Two side-by-side quadrant scatter plots titled "The September index: UK vs SE & Central S England". Each plots every September from 1910 to 2026 as a bubble, with temperature anomaly on the horizontal axis (cool left, warm right) and rainfall anomaly on the vertical (drier top, wetter bottom). Bubble colour runs blue (cool, wet, dull) to dark red (warm, dry, sunny) from a combined index of warmth, dryness and sunshine; bubble size shows sunshine. The four quadrants are labelled COOL & DRY, WARM & DRY, COOL & WET, WARM & WET. On the left (United Kingdom), September 2026 sits near the centre, ranked 23rd of 117 years — warm but close to average for rain and sun. On the right (SE & Central Southern England), the same month sits much further into the warm-and-dry corner, ranked 6th of 117 years, because the south-east was notably drier. In both panels 1959 and 1929 are the darkest red bubbles in the warm-dry corner, and 1918, 1974 and 1950 sit as blue bubbles in the cool-wet corner.

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MetJam @metjam.co.uk · 01/10/2026

The persistence of above-average warmth this year has been astounding; however, it seems we may get cooler air coming in this time next week. We are beginning to creep into the time of year when 850 hPa temperatures tell the main temperature story less and less, though.

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MetJam @metjam.co.uk · 01/10/2026

18.8°C minimum one night to an 11.5°C minimum the next night - I know which one my sleep preferred

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MetJam @metjam.co.uk · 30/09/2026

It's the latest 17ºC (previous was 17th September 2018) and 18ºC minimum (5th September 1949 and 2006) on record back to 1908. It was an incredibly warm night, well above anything seen at this time of year.

Two-panel chart showing, for each year since 1908, the latest date on which Reading recorded a minimum temperature of at least 17°C (top) and at least 18°C (bottom). Grey dots mark each year's latest date, and a step line tracks the latest on record. A red star marks 30 September 2026, with a minimum of 18.8°C. That was 13 days later than the previous latest 17°C night (17 September 2018) and 25 days later than the previous latest 18°C night (5 September, in 1949 and 2006).

MetJam @metjam.co.uk · 30/09/2026

A minimum of 18.8ºC at the University of Reading Atmospheric Observatory this morning is well above the previous record (+16.7ºC) for the 30th of September. It is the second-warmest September night on record. The record from 1949 of 20.3ºC on the 5th of September still stands.

Scatter plot of every September daily minimum temperature at Reading since 1908, plotted by day of the month and coloured from blue (below the 1991–2020 average) to red (above it). Most minima fall between 4°C and 16°C, and a dashed line shows the average easing from about 11°C at the start of the month to about 10°C by the 30th. A red star marks 30 September 2026 at 18.8°C, the second-highest September minimum on record, behind 20.3°C on 5 September 1949, and 2.1°C above the previous 30 September record of 16.7°C from 1923.

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MetJam @metjam.co.uk · 29/09/2026

Charlwood is running a bit toasty at 25.8ºC, wouldn't like to hedge my bets on why 😉 The next highest is 25ºC at Heathrow.

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MetJam @metjam.co.uk · 29/09/2026

Muggy out here - still eyeing up around 26°C later

MetJam @metjam.co.uk · 29/09/2026

A warm front has advected warmer air throughout the night, so the temperature hasn't actually dropped here in Reading. It's fairly misty and murky currently, but that will change soon enough.

One of the best sunset glows I've seen from Reading since moving here a year ago

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An absolutely incredible sunset glow from the Whiteknights Lake here in Reading this evening - this is a 12 shot panorama.

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Tomorrow is really looking quite warm for this time of year - up to 27ºC seems like a reasonable shout. It's possible that areas of London and perhaps some higher ground may record a tropical night - the latest on record although this will be dependent on temperatures by 10 am.

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I wouldn’t like to jinx it but the skies over Reading currently could go a little nuts with afterglow

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A partial solar halo above The Blade this morning.

MetJam @metjam.co.uk · 27/09/2026

The spectacular glow of altocumulus after sunset on Friday from Caversham Lock.

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A panorama of sunset afterglow from King's Meadow Park in Reading, taken at 19:00 BST on Friday.

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MetJam @metjam.co.uk · 27/09/2026

Dire, horrendous, grim - anyone else have any other words to describe this evening?

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MetJam @metjam.co.uk · 26/09/2026

Altocumulus - the cloud that loves to light up

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MetJam @metjam.co.uk · 26/09/2026

A picture of the setup at the London Weather Centre in 2009 before it closed in February 2010, one of the more random things I've found in the Met Office digital library archive. digital.nmla.metoffice.gov.uk/IO_dc6d7176-...

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MetJam @metjam.co.uk · 26/09/2026

Long lasting, large contrails here in Reading this morning - ready to fuel any conspiracy nutter around

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MetJam @metjam.co.uk · 25/09/2026

Windy and warm on Tuesday as this low develops to our west - maximum temperatures look like they may reach the mid-to-high 20s (lower risk), although it'll largely depend on the positioning of the low. If things turn a bit flatter (i.e., the low further east), it'll be cooler.

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MetJam @metjam.co.uk · 25/09/2026

The decaying cold front that’s given some spectacular sunsets further west has given precisely nothing here in Reading 🤣

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MetJam @metjam.co.uk · 25/09/2026

AROME has 26ºC in parts of Kent today - we will see how it comes to fruition but definitely looking rather warm for this time in September.

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MetJam @metjam.co.uk · 24/09/2026

Nice sunset in Reading tonight - up to 23/24°C tomorrow.

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MetJam @metjam.co.uk · 24/09/2026

If you are here in Reading and can see me in the next 25 minutes at the SMPC in Chancellors - go for it