The UK in May

 

Mike Hulme on last month’s weather

 

 

DAYTIME TEMPERATURES

 

May was a month of two halves with the first half being substantially warmer than the second.  Nationwide average daytime temperature reached 20ºC on the 14th, nearly 6ºC above the May average.  By the late May Bank Holiday weekend, temperatures had fallen to 1-2ºC below the average.  When averaged over the month, however, temperatures were on the mild side, the only exception being in parts of the midlands and east coast, for example Skegness.  Northern Ireland and northwest England were relatively the warmest, reaching nearly 2ºC above their monthly normal temperature.  Year 2000 continues comfortably warmer than the long-term average.

 

 

RAINFALL

 

An unusual month for rainfall with southeast England and eastern Scotland being exceptionally wet, but the rest of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and western England being average or drier than average.  May was also a month of two halves with regard to rainfall - the first 15 days recorded less than 10mm nationwide, while the last 16 days recorded well over 50mm.  Nationally, nearly 21mm of rain fell over the late May Bank Holiday weekend, but locally these totals reached 50mm.  The Channel Islands were exceptionally wet, recording over 25% of their annual average rainfall during May alone.

 

 

SUNSHINE

 

As is often the case, sunshine was inversely correlated with rainfall, with southeast England being very dull especially during the second half of the month, while Scotland enjoyed totals 30% or more above average.  Guernsey was the cloudiest location of the 20 monitored here - the first time this has happened for over a decade.  Both May Bank Holiday Mondays were pleasantly sunny with, respectively, 8.6 and 9.8 hours nationwide.  The year so far has been sunny, wet and mild.

 

 

Dr Mike Hulme is a Research Climatologist at the University of East Anglia

(more details at web site:  http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/~mikeh/)

 

 

 

May 2000: Mild, wet and sunny

 

Daytime Temperature:  0.9°C above average;        Rainfall:   28% above average;    Sunshine:  17% above average.

 

[all average figures are based on the 1951-80 average]

 

Mean monthly extremes:

 

Warmest      Bournemouth                                      17.6°C

Sunniest        Tiree                                                   315 hours sun

Wettest        Guernsey                                            180mm       

Coldest        Lerwick                                               11.0°C

Cloudiest      Guernsey                                            162 hours sun

Driest           Tiree                                                   36mm