You have a main growing season for grass? 

I mean down here if it rains the grass will grow unless of course the field becomes waterlogged. That said it's totally normal and expected for the grass to die off during the summer down here - if come mid July & August the grass is green then the summer has been poor.

The normal Main growing season for decent grass growth is as I'm sure you know during April and May even in the South with another spurt September onwards till it becomes too cold and of course the daylight is falling later on. The other point from a farming angle is that April and May grass has a higher nutritional value certainly way more than 'fresh/lush' autumnal growth might seemingly provide. So even when the grass grows again it won't be the same high quality as an early cut might provide. Unless we see a weather turn around in May/June.

So this year with the extraordinarily cold and dry dry April combined with desiccating winds means many farmers are getting concerned as to where they will be finding next autumns and winters fodder requirements. 

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The normal Main growing season for decent grass growth is as I'm sure you know during April and May even in the South with another spurt September onwards till it becomes too cold and of course the daylight is falling later on. The other point from a farming angle is that April and May grass has a higher nutritional value certainly way more than 'fresh/lush' autumnal growth might seemingly provide. So even when the grass grows again it won't be the same high quality as an early cut might provide. Unless we see a weather turn around in May/June.

So this year with the extraordinarily cold and dry dry April combined with desiccating winds means many farmers are getting concerned as to where they will be finding next autumns and winters fodder requirements. 

Yes grass very slow this year compounded by a shortage of fodder  due to very light crops last year. Quite a few dairies are already starting to graze land laid up for silage. Traditionally round here dairies would be all block Autumn calving so when the grass stopped growing in the summer most cows would be dried off so not much feed was needed. No grass at this time of year is a bit worrying if it goes on .If the weather breaks however it will turn around very quick.

 

The normal Main growing season for decent grass growth is as I'm sure you know during April and May even in the South with another spurt September onwards till it becomes too cold and of course the daylight is falling later on. The other point from a farming angle is that April and May grass has a higher nutritional value certainly way more than 'fresh/lush' autumnal growth might seemingly provide. So even when the grass grows again it won't be the same high quality as an early cut might provide. Unless we see a weather turn around in May/June.

So this year with the extraordinarily cold and dry dry April combined with desiccating winds means many farmers are getting concerned as to where they will be finding next autumns and winters fodder requirements. 

The grass will happily grow in December & January down here so long as it remains free from becoming waterlogged. It does slow a little but it does grow more easily than in a typical July or August. Come late February early March the local park's & fields will have begun to be mown as they dry out, and neighbours normally mow their lawns in late February..  in our own garden the winter grass growth through the patio slabs is a pain in the backside. 

This was taken back in January - the grass was cleared in November during the end of growing season clear up.

 

 

Not really related to MO but I cut my lawn for the first time this year. Not that it really needed it. The cold weather has slowed its progress and the dry weather has stunted it further.

Its the latest its had its first cut. Latest cut  previously was April 10th 2008. It was also the easiest first cut as well. 

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Not really related to MO but I cut my lawn for the first time this year. Not that it really needed it. The cold weather has slowed its progress and the dry weather has stunted it further.

Its the latest its had its first cut. Latest cut  previously was April 10th 2008. It was also the easiest first cut as well. 

Personally I'm awaiting now the switch to warmer dew points. Normally it happens in May but April occasionally gives a taster however this year they've been absent.

 

We are definitely due a cold one. But is it even possible in these GW times . Already the heat over north Africa and southern Europe looks intense.

Just look at the heat to our south way above average. 

https://www.wetterzentrale.de/en/topkarten.php?map=1&model=gfs&var=2&run=0&time=216&lid=OP&h=0&mv=0&tr=24#mapref

 

There is a distinct and worrying lack of propensity for the Azores High to get anywhere near us so far this spring. In fact it is conspicuous by its absence.

In the very worst summers, the Azores High just refuses to ridge our way, and that type of pattern often shows itself in the spring months.

If it doesn't start showing its hand soon, we can, at the very least, intimate that it is indeed going to be a very different summer to recent years.

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There is a distinct and worrying lack of propensity for the Azores High to get anywhere near us so far this spring. In fact it is conspicuous by its absence.

In the very worst summers, the Azores High just refuses to ridge our way, and that type of pattern often shows itself in the spring months.

If it doesn't start showing its hand soon, we can, at the very least, intimate that it is indeed going to be a very different summer to recent years.

It's still only April.  My guess is a fairly unsettled summer so not as good as the last 3. But still with occasional bursts of significant heat.

 

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16-dayer - W Europe still only sluggishly shaking off its cold pool, but it is drifting away to the NE. High temps over N Africa advancing slowly on a broad front, no sign of any plumes. Dry for week 1, week 2 has wet areas over Scotland, western Britain and S France, still only limited amounts for England.

GFS - current HP moves off to Greenlan 1045mb Tue 27th ushering in E-lies or NE-lies from LP over Scandinavia before small LP forms in this Arctic flow near Iceland Sat 1st and runs SE to Belgium Wed 5th and filling. Another LP with similar origins and Track from Fri 7th ending up in Denmark 995mb Mon 10th. A separate LP forms over Newfoundland Tue 27th and trundles across to Spain over the following 10m days or so.

GEFS - sharp dip in temp Tue 27th as previous forecast but today's run shows a slower recovery and still most runs a little below normal to Mon10th with the control on the pessimistic side. Bits and pieces of rain in different runs from 27th, no consistent pattern, if anything more towards the end of the period, and not really reflecting the passage of the LPs above except for a spike in E Anglia Tue 4th.

ECM of much the same pattern as GFS but keeps the first LP from Iceland to the west of the Uk and suggests (12z)that it could form an extended trough down to the LP over Spain EDIT now the 0z has loaded; the LP sticks over the Irish Sea Tue 4th and shows no link further S-wards

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It's still only April.  My guess is a fairly unsettled summer so not as good as the last 3. But still with occasional bursts of significant heat.

 

Yes, I agree with this. What we have seen in recent years is how easily temperatures rise with even a waft of higher 850s. We saw that in March. 

Im nervous about the Summer, but still hopeful it won’t be the disaster that some people are hypothesising.

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It's still only April.  My guess is a fairly unsettled summer so not as good as the last 3. But still with occasional bursts of significant heat.

 

This is my hunch too. I don't think we are in for a disastrous summer - far from it - but with a lack of Azores High, I think any warmth will come in short bursts with the Euro High or Scandi pulling in the heat from the East or South; albeit more fleeting than we have had over the last few years.

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Yes, I agree with this. What we have seen in recent years is how easily temperatures rise with even a waft of higher 850s. We saw that in March. 

Im nervous about the Summer, but still hopeful it won’t be the disaster that some people are hypothesising.

What I like about British Summers are that they are still very unpredictable.  We could be heading for another 2018 or 2007 and no one has a clue really what will happen.

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I'm still predicting a warm but not hot summer and a drought. Not that it's really a prediction because it hasn't really rained here for six weeks now.

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There is a distinct and worrying lack of propensity for the Azores High to get anywhere near us so far this spring. In fact it is conspicuous by its absence.

In the very worst summers, the Azores High just refuses to ridge our way, and that type of pattern often shows itself in the spring months.

If it doesn't start showing its hand soon, we can, at the very least, intimate that it is indeed going to be a very different summer to recent years.

 

Azores finally showing its hand on the latest ECM 12z. Hopefully a growing theme.

https://www.wetterzentrale.de/en/topkarten.php?map=1&model=ecm&var=1&run=12&time=216&lid=OP&h=0&mv=0&tr=24#mapref

 

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I would quick like something ‘different’. The superhot, Azores high, blowtorch, north/south split is ever so slightly tiresome.

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Any form of warmth would be good, or I would even settle for the seasonal average. The outlook in terms of temperature continues to look very disappointing.

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Jetstream currently weak but one branch close to NE of UK while something more definite through the Med. The Med continues to dominate the action through to Fri 7th with only random fragments further N - then a major loop develops with a powerful flow from the SW very close to SE England, up to Tue 11th. The pptn pattern on the 16-dayer matches this with persistent band of rain from N Spain to Ukraine lasting for both weeks with UK esp the S mainly dry.

GFS - small LP tomorrow across Scotland with little effect except to augment the NE-ly lasting through the week until LP arises on Atlantic; first attempt sees 990mb off Brittany Mon 3rd then more definitely 995 mb Sat 8th in the latter case setting up a trough to the N covering all UK by Mon 10th. The rain band mentioned above seems to be driven more by temp differential between N & S Europe than any pressure pattern, indeed, HP over C Europe quite prominent as the trough develops over the UK .

GEFS - temps dropping to lowest around Thu 29th (5 or 6 C below norm in S),  mean only slowly recovering to norm around Fri 7th but still with quite a number of cold runs. Apart from the current LP in Scotland and NE England, there's also some rain suggested for most of UK in the second week of May but no agreement on exactly how much and where.

ECM - similar to GFS until Mon 3rd when the incoming LP sets up over S Scotland 995mb Tue 4th and deepens in the N Sea the following day with a N-ly plunge.

  

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Some rain now possible, but cold and miserable!

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Looking awful with an increase in ppn spikes

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Short term 

Mid Term

In la la land 

 

Looks a real bag of pants 

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Short term 

Mid Term

In la la land 

 

Looks a real bag of pants 

Not looking good at all there. Hope I'm wrong - but looking like a 2007 or 2012 summer coming up.

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