WEATHER readings by David Naylor and Roy O'Sullivan for the Okehampton area during September show it was cool and wet for the first two weeks before turning warmer and mostly dry.
The 1st to the 11th was a wet, disturbed spell with bands of rain moving from the west alternating with days of sunny spells and showers. The East Okement river was a raging torrent on the 5th, with 66.6mm falling in the first week — about half the normal month's rainfall. The ground was sodden by the 11th.
Pressure started to rise during the afternoon of the 11th, heralding a change of weather type, and by the morning of the 13th, was 10mb higher. From the evening of 13th to the evening of 29th, the pressure remained above 1020mb (between 'Fair' and 'Very dry' on the barometer) as anticyclonic conditions, became established.
After an initial cloudy spell, the lost summer arrived as warm and sunny conditions prevailed from the 18th through to the morning of the 22nd. After a little more cloud during the next three days, the gloriously sunny weather returned for the 26th, 27th and 28th. Only 0.2mm of rain was recorded from the 18th to 28th but there were some cold nights. Pressure started to fall late on the 28th, heralding unsettled weather at the close as westerly winds returned.
Although both temperatures and rainfall were average for this month, this was the coolest and wettest September for five years – which just goes to show how good the Septembers of recent times have been.