After prolonged wet spells, its a breath of fresh air when anticyclonic conditions return. Sunshine strengthens the immune system and lifts our feel good factor.

In the British Isles the climate often seems to be wet, windy and cool, with low pressure systems ushering in from off the Atlantic. In summer, fine sunny weather can after several days become hazy and oppressive, with blue skies turning hazy white as pollution levels and particles of dust increase.

During the summer months heatwaves can be humid uncomfortable affairs. Due to the influence of the Atlantic Ocean, the atmosphere becomes extremely moist. During the summer months the warmer air can hold much more water, so any rainfall can be torrential and heatwaves unbearably muggy for some. When the winds come from the south-east crossing more continent than sea, skies remain sunny and blue as the air rises up over the Cotswold Hill Range and warms up and dries out as it descends into Worcestershire, this is when we log our highest temperatures.

Poor summers can lead to an Indian Summer or St.Luke's Little Summer somewhere during the first half of October, with shorter days and longer nights, moisture condenses into dew, mist and fog which can linger all day in the lowlands and valleys. November-March may bring "anticyclonic gloom" when grey overcast misty days accompany upper subsiding air linked with high pressure. In cold clear anticyclones frost and fog may result, with the coldest time of the day being between 6 and 8 am.

Next Week: Hurricanes.

The answer to last weeks question: Warming of the Globe.

This weeks question: Air from the near continent is it:

A/ Moist Air.

B/ Dry Air.

Best of luck.

Glossary:

Fogbow: A rainbow formed in fog. Because of the small size of water droplets in fog, the reflected and refracted light rays overlap and the rainbow colours merge back into a very bright white bow.

Weather for coming week (Monday-Friday).

The unsettled Atlantic flow will influence our weather during the week ahead and through this coming weekend. A short lived ridge of high pressure will settle the weather down on Thursday followed on Friday by another active Atlantic Storm System.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday brings sunshine and blustery sharp showers, even some longer spells of rain, drier and brighter on Thursday, just the odd shower about, wind and rain on Friday, followed by mixed, cool and windy conditions over weekend. Rainfall for whole of this period between 5 and 18 mm. Cooler and fresher nights expected.

Maximum temperature 16-19c 61-66f.

Minimum temperature 9-13c 48-55f.

Last Week's Observations (Monday-Sunday) Highest day temperature........24.6c on Saturday 30th August.

Lowest night temperature.......10.2c on Sunday 31st August.

Wettest day...........................1.5 mm on Sunday 31st August.