Ah yes, the three months of north easterlies over the south east quarter of the British Isles. Happens every time in late Spring and into early Summer when we want it the least. 

There's that royal "we" - I love NE'lies at this time of year, it brings a fresh feel to things (i.e. one of the few ways to get near-normal rather than warm temperatures for the time of year) and stops it getting too warm indoors as there's a breeze. And there's plentiful sun for those who like that sort of thing!

NE'lies are, of course, very common at this time of year, as the solar input increases and the polar vortex winds down. As you can see, the final warming was on the 9th April this year, a little earlier than normal but nothing too unusual:

https://charts.ecmwf.int/products/extended-zonal-mean-zonal-wind?area=nh&base_time=202604080000 

The final warming is, of course, similar to an SSW and it's no surprise we usually get a period of NE'lies or easterlies after it occurs.

Next up: the "European monsoon", traditionally early June but who knows if or when we'll get it this year!

Down here along the south coast they often bring plenty of sunshine and increasingly warm temperatures at this time of year.  Very much welcome 😁

Perhaps but only with light winds. Anything over F 3 can be lazy even at this time of year.

The models have been wobbling as usual with the prospective prolonged NE'ly/E'ly flow - yesterday morning both GFS/ECM went off the idea somewhat, but it returned last night and is still there, albeit diluted a bit, this morning. Just goes to show it happens whatever time of year, but of course in winter there are more eyes on every chart!

Talking of which, yesterday's 12z ECM was interesting - here's the "total snowfall" chart for the bank holiday Monday:

https://images.meteociel.fr/im/58/27877/ecmwfuk_33_360aku6.png 

Now I'm not expecting to see anything white at all, but it highlights just how cold the air aloft was in that run. It's a recipe for some convective action, I'd say; if you get -5 at 850 in late April/early May the strong sunshine - August levels of strength - will cause a fair bit of convection. Could be thunder, downpours, hail, the lot! I'll be keeping an eye on it, anyway.

I agree, and I've gone as far as thinking of our climate here in the far SE of being more of a wet season and a dry season. We went from the former to the latter a few weeks ago, and today's 00z GEFS London continues the essentially dry outlook for all of its forecast period.  

From aboard the IoM steam packet Manxman, with a view of the 1029 'windmills' of the Walney wind farm.

Yes, I'm sick of the assumption what everyone, but everyone, wants is 12 months a year of hot sun and no rain what so ever - plus of course they also want cheap food and plenty of cheap water to drink and water the gardens with.

It's simply not the case and it's another symptom of the complacency being brought about by anthro you know what....

And the models? It's millpond time.

The season seems remarkably similar to last year, after a wet winter, a warm and dry start to spring.

You've struck it lucky this Spring. It has been an exceedingly dull and wet Spring here so far. Even with the current drier spell, it has been mostly cloudy with only momentary glimpse of sunshine and the wind today is rough, but at least it is helping to dry things out at last. 

He’s back for another summer of moaning. I can’t criticise though as he’s the summer version of myself in winter, lol

Enjoying what looks like being an extended period of settled weather. It doesn’t get hot enough (not even close), but it’s only April and there many month of hot weather potential ahead. It’s just nice it’s dry after such a wet winter (for most, before someone says some parts of the SE haven’t got the brimming reservoirs that’s most others do now)

GFS Op 0z - ... but then the HP reverses direction and crosses Scotland on its way back northward, to Norway 1030mb Thu 30th with E-lies returning to the Channel. The high pressure just about hangs on for the BH weekend (to Mon 4th) but a trough is then moving in from the NW and develops as a closed circulation LP 995mb Irish Sea Thu 7th.

, 

ECM - agrees with GFS though E-lies from Thu 30th are more from the NE, and so likely colder. In this model the HP then moves to the west, so no new trough, and LP over the Baltic continues to feed in N or NE-ly winds

AIFS - London, maxima rising to 19C Sat 24th, and after a dip, back to 22C Mon 4th. Dry  and sunny until then, but from Tue 5th a little cooler with a little rain. Edinburgh, pattern as for London but 3 or 4C cooler, and rain from Tue 5th quite heavy

GEFS - mean temp rising to 4 or 5C above norm in the next day or two, dropping to norm or a little below from Mon 4th (gradually in S, more suddenly in N) and a number of cold outliers appearing amongst ens members. Dry until 3rd or 4th, then chance of rain increasing but by no means certain

The very dry weather is covered in the Met Office deep dive .....