Record Low Barometer

Not the sexiest record to break but the low pressure systems currently giving us rinse and repeat storm events have been getting deeper and deeper.
At 1:22am it got down to 961.4mb this morning 24th December.


A long way from the lowest ever recorded though  - in 1884

(source Kevin's weather history:
http://forum.netweather.tv/user/1853-weather-history/ )

925.6mb at Ochertyre, near Crieff, Perthshire on the 26th January 1884



Here are some barometer readings of this remarkable depression.

London: barometer fell to 28.529" (966mb) at 7.30pm
Dr Beverly of Aberdeen at 11.30pm recorded a barometer reading at sea level of 27.381" (927.1mb)
Forest of Glen Tana, a reading of 27.39" (927.4mb) was recorded
Hitchin: 28.32" (959mb)
North Shields: 27.63" (936mb)
Cargen: 27.66" (936mb)
Oban: 27.39" (927.4mb)
Dublin: 28.15" (953mb)
Croydon: 28.548" (966mb) at 7.40pm
Worksop: 28.292" (958mb)

Some other weather reports

London: Violent SW gale
Stanmore: Terrific gale from SW to W after 4pm
Reigate: Violent storm with very low pressure
Croydon: Strong gale, max hourly velocity of wind 40 miles
Hythe: From 5.30 to 9.30pm, terrific hurricane, with heavy thunderstorm rain and hail
Littlehampton: Awful gale
St Lawrence: Severe SW gale with vivid lightning
Oundle: Hurricane with heavy rain, snow and lightning
Diss: Tremendous gale from west, thunderstorm in evening
Torquay: Fearful SW gale with rain, thunder and lightning
Coventry: Much lightning, violent wind and unusually low bar
Mansfield: Very violent gale with snow, vivid lightning and thunder
Macclesfield: Gales, snow, rain and lightning
Morpeth: A great gale with very low pressure
Penrith: Great storm with extremely low barometer
Elterwater: Great gale with snow, sleet and rain
Llanfrechfa Grange: Violent SW wind, thunder, lightning and rain
Girvan: Severe storm; pressure fell almost 2.5" very rapidly and rose again almost as quickly.
Cassillis: Storm of extraordinary severity with snow and rain
Keith: About two inches of snow fell with fearful drifts on the following day.
Aviemore: Severe gale from west, highland railway blocked by snow
Forsinard: High winds, snow and drifts
Castle Lough: Great storm with heavy rain followed by snow
Kilconnell: Violent storm from SW, veering to NW
Castlebar: Violent storm follwed by a fall of snow
Enniskillen: A very severe storm with remarkable fall of pressure; old trees which had stood for 130 years were blown down.
Newtownlands: The most terrific storm since 1839, wind 78 miles an hour.
Douglas: Hurricane from 4pm on 26th to 4am on 27th.
These lows are a result of pulses of extreme cold being forced out of North America into the relatively warm North Atlantic.
Each time this occurs deep depression(s) form as a result of teh huge temperature contrast, then the currently very active jet stream pushes them across in a few days.
The pattern shows little sign of changing for a couple of weeks at least.
Furthermore each event is cooling the North Atlantic and we are seeing progressively colder air entrained here  - the risk of brief snow events is increasing.