Weather pressure record tumbles in the Mumbles, Wales

  • Published
Mumbles, with pier in background and two people walking on beach, on a clear, bright dayImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Mumbles: The high pressure means clear skies and settled weather

The highest air pressure in the UK for over 60 years has been recorded in Wales - in the Mumbles, Gower.

Atmospheric pressure readings were recorded at 1050.5 hectopascals (hPa) on Sunday night - the highest reading since January 1957 in Scotland.

Weather experts said an "incredibly strong" Atlantic jet stream had pushed vast amounts of air over the UK - sending the mercury rising.

It means a spell of settled weather - with some frosty mornings for some.

According to the BBC Weather service, the high pressure system has been driven by winds hitting 238mph (383km/h) over the central Atlantic ocean.

Image caption,

Llyn Padarn, Llanberis, where high pressure also means some frosty mornings

In turn, that has lead to a "pile-up" of air over the British Isles, pushing down on the land mass, with the increase in air pressure.

By comparison - the global average air pressure is 1,013 hPa.

In contrast to the highs - during the recent Storm Brenda, the air pressure slumped to just 939 hPa as the cyclone moved across the north Atlantic.

The highest recorded reading for air pressure at sea level in the UK was in 1902 at Aberdeen, when it hit 1,053.6 hPa - or 31 inches of mercury if you are looking at your old wall barometer.

Around the BBC

Related internet links

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.