UK weather: Highest air pressure recorded in six decades

Highest reading since January 1957 documented in Swansea

The highest air pressure in the UK in more than 60 years has been recorded in Wales.

A reading of 1050.5 hectoPascals (hPa) was recorded at the Mumbles, in Swansea, on Sunday evening, making it the highest UK reading since January 1957.

High pressure brought chilly and sunny weather to much of the country over the weekend, with many waking up to frost on Monday morning as temperatures plummeted.

But a spokeswoman at the Met Office said the rise in pressure “for most of us, means nothing in real terms” and most people “will not notice any difference”.

Nicola Maxey, a Met Office forecaster, added: “I don’t think, as far as most of us are concerned, it has any impact at all.”

The current highest pressure ever recorded in the UK is 1053.6 hPa, taken in Aberdeen on 31 January 1902, which the Met Office said is unlikely to be broken in the current weather spell.

Low pressure leads to unsettled weather conditions and high pressure leads to settled and fine weather conditions, according to the Met Office.

High pressure in the winter leads to cold, dry days, with light winds, and frost overnight if skies are clear.

The mercury dipped to below freezing in the south overnight into Monday, while temperatures in the north were much warmer.

It is expected to be another cold and frosty start across much of the UK on Tuesday, particularly in the south, where there could be patches of freezing fog, according to Ms Maxey.

Conditions in northwest England are cloudier, with the chance of an odd shower on higher ground.

Public Health England issued a mid-range cold weather alert from Sunday to 6pm on Tuesday, urging people to prepare for cold weather conditions and look out for those most at risk.

The forecaster said the spell of high pressure is not related to Storm Brendan, which caused travel havoc when it hit the UK early last week.

Additional reporting by Press Association.