After such a dry and sunny April followed by a really miserable day today with models pointing towards this month being more unsettled in general, that to me is not exactly a very good omen for the coming summer.

That is because whenever the weather has has become much wetter during April or May after being preceded by a very dry month, the following summer has usually always ended up being really wet and miserable. On that score, this year is already starting to looking a bit similar to 2007 and 2012 and of course, we all know fully well, just how those summers ended up.

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After such a dry and sunny April followed by a really miserable day today with models pointing towards this month being more unsettled in general, that to me is not exactly a very good omen for the coming summer.

That is because whenever the weather has has become much wetter during April or May after being preceded by a very dry month, the following summer has usually always ended up being really wet and miserable. On that score, this year is already starting to looking a bit similar to 2007 and 2012 and of course, we all know fully well, just how those summers ended up.

Couldn't agree more and after spending today trying to coach cricket in what were without a doubt the worst conditions I have ever experienced in May, I fear for this summer big time.

Pavilion lost its roof today with a huge gust of wind (before the relentless rain started). One of the worst May days of my lifetime today.

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The wind made the day even worse. Horrible

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The wind made the day even worse. Horrible

Other side of Manchester. The stereotypical bank holiday weather...

https://youtu.be/jUiXlSaLXkE

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-1.3C 

Ice on the cars

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Utterly dreadful weather for mid spring. Manchester had snow last night. Snow in May!! What the hell is that about?

I live many hundreds of miles south of Manchester in Central France (Correze department in the Massif Central). Only 3 hours from the Med, so we would expect warmer weather here despite our elevation (480 metres asl)

Our spring has been very cool on the whole with damaging frosts in April. February (a winter month) was the last time it was properly warm for an extended spell. 

Spring 2020 was poor here too apart from a glorious and very warm February (technically winter!!). Last year we had a frost at the end of May/early June and then summer exploded the first week in June with a drought and record breaking temperatures.

We just can't seem to get any sustained warmth here and the winds are very cool?

It seems most of northern and western europe is afflicted with this continual unseasonable cold?

Anyone knowledgeable on here know the reason why? I don't recall such cool weather so far into the year since the 1980's.

 

 

An interesting read Snowjoke. Like many here I think this must being going down as one of the longest, coldest springs any of us have experienced in Britain. Just had a rain and hail shower with the temp not much more than 6C right now. The frosts in April were at times as nippy as anything we expect to feel in the winter and seeing ice on a bird bath in South Dorset on May 1^st takes the biscuit.

The sea in the Channel is still cold which means that it has a knock on effect inland for me making even even on the sunny days, sitting outside unpleasant, unless you can get in a wind free spot. And these wind free synoptic situations have been rare.

Then of all things we had a gale the other day that did a fair amount of damage in parts of Dorset. It seems to have caught a few people out with its ferocity.

In the days when we would have been self sufficient in food, this kind of spring would have been a nightmare from sourcing food and getting crops established.

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It was foggy here this morning with ice starting to form on my car. The fog was quite picturesque, with the sun streaming through it, but I'm utterly sick to death of these overnight freezes! Getting out of work at 06:00 in the morning and having to scrape my car in May is far from ideal, it must be said. The only silver lining is, this spring has been so abnormally cold overnight, it should hopefully be while until it's repeated.

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A belt of heavy rain with a little bit of sleet has dropped the temperature down to 4.9C mid afternoon in May

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A Max of 7 C in Edinburgh today with bursts of heavy rain, hail and sleet. May 6th! It feels like midwinter, it's so dark!

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Heavy rain and hail with big wet flakes of snow now! Temperature down to 4 C at 4.20 on a May afternoon!
Sky brightening at last to the north

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A Max of 7 C in Edinburgh today with bursts of heavy rain, hail and sleet. May 6th! It feels like midwinter, it's so dark!

I think that this more unsettled weather is now going to continue for a large part of the rest of this month as the rainfall totals gradually balance themselves out and given just how dry April was, it wouldn't surprise me if this then carried on over the summer as well.

I am obviously hoping that the weather gods will prove me wrong over time but at the moment, I'm not really seeing anything other than a really cold and wet summer ahead which is similar in nature to 2007 and 2012.

I then wouldn't be surprised if it then finally warmed up next winter with the return of the Azores High and long-fetch SWs from the Canary Islands.

 

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Heavy rain and hail with big wet flakes of snow now! Temperature down to 4 C at 4.20 on a May afternoon!
Sky brightening at last to the north

Well, that didn't last for long as it has gone all dark here once again, and it is now chucking it down with rain as I write.

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Yet another horrendous May day as bleak, cold and depressing as anything in mid-winter. An absolutely grotesque 7.3C under full overcast and will likely get even colder when the rain arrives and it's windy 

8th December 2015

8th May 2021

 

No I didn't mistakenly muddle up these pictures. That is how soul destroying and dismal it looks despite into the 2nd week of the last month of spring.

It's just incredulous. This past fortnight has been an absolutely vile period of weather. Incessant grey skies, rain and stupefying cold temperatures. 5C below average almost every single day. April was one of the coldest on record and so far May has been even colder. It's just staggering.

There hasn't been a single decent day or even decent part of a day (6am-9am excluded) since 25th April. No useable weather whatsoever and this is supposed to be the best month of the year. It feels like being trapped in the Faeroe Islands in a strait jacket 

I've hardly been able to get out on the bike at all and when I do go out when it's dry it's guaranteed to start raining, or even hailing, before I get back. Last May I managed 347 miles. This year, because I will be away for 10 days, I was thinking around 200 miles but so far have managed 35. Lucky to make it to 100 with this unremitting hell 

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  It's just incredulous. This past fortnight has been an absolutely vile period of weather. Incessant grey skies, rain and stupefying cold temperatures. 5C below average almost every single day. April was one of the coldest on record and so far May has been even colder. It's just staggering.

 

Incessant grey skies? But Aberdeen has just had it's sunniest April on record. Something you conveniently fail to mention.

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Turning out to be a dogs**t spring here in Central France. Cold but sunny in April. Still not properly warmed up in May and now very wet. Only 15 degrees and heavy rain in Nice today, south of France..bonkers!

It is turning into one of the most interesting springs for years, meteorologically, for me.

Getting a cold, very dry April is very unusual, the frost frequency was exceptional, we had early season heatwave at the end of March and now we have thunderstorms occurring over various parts of the country.

Last spring may have been perfect but it was a borefest, meteorologically.

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Certainly turning into a cool wet May here, April was Dry and cold, March was just generally to cool for my liking. Only Sunday the 9th of May showed promise of actually quite warm air, something properly spring like.However that was it, back to cool and unsettled again.

What we need is rain, more rain and some warmth. Speaking from a gardening point of view of course. 10mm the other day doesn't really cut it. Back to bone dry wind although at least the sun is bringing some warmth now and temperatures creeping up to average.

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Astonishing variation in rainfall for different parts of the country. Those people claiming that this May is soaking wet should try selected parts of the southeast - Essex, see above, and also West Sussex - where watering plants to keep them alive is a daily chore.

We were in Portsmouth yesterday and 'great swagging clouds*' rolled up from the south with just enough rain to lay the dust there and none at all in Chichester, though from the rainfall radar it looked as if Dorset was being soaked.

* quote from Gilbert White's Natural History of Selborne

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