The summer was wet and now September as well - at present there is no reprieve from the rain.

  It wasn't wet for the whole month though, the first ten days were characterised by fairly light and patchy rain and this was followed by a dry spell 11-20th, but the last ten days of the month saw rain every day and with it some high daily totals - the first twenty days of the month had seen 20 mm of rain, those final ten days would have 102.6 mm.

  And with those final ten days came a curious record for this site, the most consecutive days to have recorded at least 5mm of rain.

  Whilst the mean temperature finished very close to average, it concealed the fact that twenty days failed to reached the seasonal average and it was only a warmer period 19th - 21st and then a run of milder nights during that final third that 'rescued' the mean temperature - so a wet month with one reasonable dry and sunnier interlude, but only with a very limited period of warmth.

  MSLP of 1015.3 Mb was +1.2 Mb above the local average for the month and overall a mean minimum of 8.38°c and a mean maximum of 16.33°c saw the temperature 0.12°c below the ten year average for this site.

  It was the warmest since 2016 and of the eleven now recorded, five have been colder and five have been warmer. The highest maximum temperature recorded was 23.2°c (20th), the lowest minimum 2.0°c (8th).

  Rainfall of 122.6 mm (Crosby Ravensworth School 130.3 mm - Castlehowe Scar 156.9 mm) was 141.7% of average for 2007-18 and made it the driest September since 2016 - of the 13 now recorded five have been wetter and seven have been drier.

  During the month thunder was heard on one day (22nd) and just the two days attained 20°c (20th + 21st).

  At the Met' Office site at Newton Rigg, rainfall of 139.2 mm (182.4%) was the wettest since 2000 and in a series back to 1900 (records missing in two years) September has been wetter in seven years and drier in 110.

  A mean temperature of 12.51°c is 0.2°c above average for the month and in a record back to 1951 September has been warmer in 26 years, colder in 40, with two years having the same mean temperature.

  Whilst Maulds Meaburn agonisingly missed out on the first ground frost of the season (0.0°c on the 8th), Newton Rigg did not, which on the same date recorded -0.1°c.

  Locally, rainfall percentages were once again well above average across the board, provisionally drier to the east and wetter than average north and west - Seathwaite saw nine days record in excess of one inch of rain.

  Figures from the Environment Agency’s rainfall sites were, (figure in brackets being the monthly average for 1961-90)   ‘Data kindly provided by the Hydrometry and Telemetry team of the Environment Agency (Penrith)’:

  Kirkby Thore 108.8 mm (69.7 mm)

  Haresceugh Castle (Kirkoswald) 111.71 mm (88.1 mm)

  Brothers Water 285.05 mm (243 mm) and

  Orton (Shallowford) 184.2 mm (127.1 mm [average for 1967-2018])

  475.8 mm at Seathwaite Farm (Borrowdale - 270 mm [average for 1981-2010]) - for the four months of June-Sept' Seathwaite is running at 162.7% of average.

  General Synoptic Report for the Month

   Generally it was a mixed, but slightly disappointing start to the month that was somewhat grey, cool and with outbreaks of rain. High pressure (HP) was virtually ever present in the Atlantic, but would give way to frontal systems travelling over its northern edge. Any periods when the HP did gain a foothold were short-lived.

  Rainfall totals were actually quite light, 4.1 mm of showers on the 1st being the greatest fall, but each of the 1st - 4th saw very little sunshine, tending to be grey with showers or spells of drizzle. Night-time minima were above average, but in a brisk SW'ly wind the day-times felt a little cool at either side of 15°c.

  The HP did become slightly more dominant from the 7th and this gave quite reasonable sunny days 7-8th and with a dip in night-time minima. The 8th saw the temperature drop to a month's low of 2.0°c (35.6°f) and whilst Maulds Meaburm at 0.0°c just missed out on the first ground frost of the season, some sites such as Newton Rigg did not.

  It once again became a little mixed during the 9-12th with a little rain, but also some sunny intervals. Now though the weather would become dry and settled.

  HP in the Atlantic would become the dominant feature, although weakly at first with frontal systems travelling west-east over its top edge, but only affecting the more northerly parts of the UK. From the 17th the HP would finally be parked over the UK and with the sunshine so the temperature rose during the 19th - 21st. This saw the 20th and 21st enjoy two fine days, albeit it was a little hazy, especially in the morning. However, it certainly felt warm, 23.2°c (73.8°f) on the 20th being a month's high.

  However and still with plenty of the month left, it would be downhill all the way.

  The HP finally gave way overnight into the 22nd allowing a succession of frontal systems to bring rain every day. Initially day-time temperatures held up but they would fall away at the month's end as the airflow turned more to the NW.

  Whilst 5mm or more of rain was credited to all of the last ten days of the month, some of that did fall overnight and days such as the 28th fell, which fell in between LP systems, did get to see some sun. However, all of the final four days of the month had at least 10mm of rain and the month's wettest day would be reserved for the 30th when 19.9 mm of rain fell on what was already saturated ground.