Up to the 25th September was both mild and dry. Rainfall was nominal and the warmth was consistent throught and which included two very warms days 7-8th, the latter being the warmest September day yet recorded at this site and also the second warmest day of the year and the tenth warmest day of any month at this site.

  Autumn arrived on the 26th when it became much fresher and wetter with a couple of wet days, but was too little too late to prevent September 2021 finishing as nationally the second warmest recorded.

  High pressure was generally dominant at the start of the month, less so through the middle part but still able to prevent any low pressure systems from becoming established. It wasn't until the 26th that low pressure finally saw off the high pressure, resulting in that cooler and much wetter end.

  MSLP of 1017.3 Mb was +3.2 MB above the local average for the month and overall a mean minimum of 9.90°c and a mean maximum of 18.54°c saw the temperature 1.84°c above the twelve year average for this site.

  It was the warmest September now recorded at this site - the highest maximum temperature recorded during the month being 28.5°c (8th), the lowest minimum 2.6°c (20th).

  Rainfall of 60.7 mm (Maulds Meaburn North 55.0 mm -- Castlehowe Scar 66.9 mm) was 68.8% of average for 2007-20, making it the driest September since 2015. Of the 15 now recorded, three have been drier and eleven have been wetter.

  During the month the following was recorded: Hail fell on one day (29th) - the wind speed averaged 3.83 mph, with a maximum gust of 40 mph (30th).

  At the Met' Office site at Shap a mean minimum of 8.8°c and a mean maximum of 17.6°c saw the monthly mean temperature 1.75°c above the average and made it the warmest September since 2016, with just it and 2006 having been warmer in a record that commenced in 1992.

  Rainfall of 82.2 mm represents 64.1% of its average. It was the wettest September since 2019 and in a record that commenced in 1989 7 have been drier and 24 wetter.

  At Appleby in Westmorland rainfall of 43.4 mm represents 56.3% of its average (1856-2020) and made it the driest since 2015 - in a record that commenced in 1856, 36 have been drier and 129 wetter.

  In August Spadeadam was the wettest part of the county (when expressed as a percentage), this month with just 49.6% of its average fall, it was the driest! Whilst Spadeadam squeezed just under 50%, percentage totals did vary quite widely, but were broadly about 75% of average. However, a few locations to the west of the county and Walney in the SW finished with above average totals. The wettest location being Bridgefoot (near Workington) with 130.7%.

  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 60.2 mm (69.7 mm)

  Haresceugh Castle (Kirkoswald) 89.66 mm (88.1 mm)

  Brothers Water 144.25 mm (243 mm)

  Orton (Shallowford) 75.8 mm (??? mm [average for 1967-2020]) - making it the driest since 2015 and since the record commenced in 1967, 10 have been drier and 44 have been wetter

  204.4 mm at Seathwaite Farm (Borrowdale - 270 mm [average for 1981-2010]) - making it the driest since 2015 and since the record commenced in 1845, 54 have been drier and 122 have been wetter.

  General Synoptic Report for the Month

   High pressure (HP) was dominant at the start of the month, initially NW of Scotland before moving east to Norway then Eastern Europe. Apart from the 3rd and 4th all of the days saw warm temperatures, the days tended to start cloudy before sunshine broke through in the afternoon. The 20.4°c on the 2nd was fairly typical of that pattern, but both the 3rd and 4th remained grey during the afternoon and with it temperatures remained suppressed at 14.9°c (3rd) and 15.4°c (4th).

  The best of the conditions came during the 5-8th, by when the HP was centred in the Baltic Sea but still dominant over the UK and which now introduced a southerly flow. This resulted in rising temperatures, up to 25.7°c on the 7th and then crazily high with 28.5°c (83.3°f) on the 8th; a new record high for September at this site.

  The only rain during this period (2.7 mm) fell overnight into the 6th as an occluded front moved across the northern part of the UK before fizzling out in the HP.

  Whilst the 8th was the peak of the warmth, it wasn't finished as the 9-10th both remained above 20°c and only the 13th (14.6°c) all the way through to the 26th saw day-time maximums in the high teens, above the seasonal average and with the 15th and 24th both above 20°c.

  Whilst HP would not be as dominant as before, Low pressure (LP) never became established and any fronts that did pass over or near to the UK would be weak affairs and thus rainfall was scant; up to the 25th the rainfall total for the month stood at just 7.9 mm.

  A weak ridge of HP overnight into the 20th saw the skies clear and which provided for the season's first ground frost (-1.3°) and which maintains the 22nd of September as the 'average' date on which a ground frost will be recorded at this site.

  The weather finally changed on the 26th and the warm, dry conditions were replaced with something cooler, wetter, unsettled - autumn had arrived!

  LP would now be the driver to our weather with frontal systems passing over the UK on most days. A cold front arriving from the west 26th brought a spell of rain early hours and was followed by showery conditions and with more rain overnight into the 27th, 14.0 mm was credited to the 26th. LP saw just north of Iceland and with its associated fronts spiralling off, the pattern was repeated 27th (8.1 mm) and 28th (6.0 mm). The 28th saw the day-time maximum down to 12.3°c which was typical for the final few days of the month.

  A very weak ridge of HP 29th brought a reasonably sunny day, but still with the odd shower, one of which was quite heavy at 1315h and contained some hail. However, the month was to finish on a grey and wet note with its wettest day, 19.9 mm, as that LP still near Iceland sent more fronts across the UK.