Spring will be coldest in 50 years, Met Office says

[davieG]

This spring is on track to be the coldest for more than 50 years, provisional Met Office figures suggest.

This month has seen lower than average temperatures and it has been wetter than usual, forecasters said.

The UK's mean temperature for spring - based on figures from 1 March to 28 May - is currently 6C.

If conditions stay the same in the last days of May, it will be the coldest spring since 1962, and the fifth coldest since records began in 1910.

The Met Office said earlier figures from 1 March to 15 May suggested spring was on track to be the sixth coldest since records began, and the coldest since 1979.

But cooler than average weather in the past fortnight has pushed the mean temperature for the season slightly lower, it said.

'Cold air'

The provisional temperature for this spring goes against recent form for the season, forecasters said, with eight of the past 10 years seeing warmer than average springs compared to the long-term (1981-2010) average of 7.7C.

The main reason for the low temperatures in spring was a colder than usual March, which had a mean temperature of 2.2C to 3.3C below the long-term average. This made it the coldest March since 1962.

The forecasters added that the colder than average conditions had been caused by frequent easterly and northerly winds, bringing cold air to the UK from polar and northern European regions.

Rainfall amounts for March and April were below average, but May is already wetter than average, with the average area receiving 86mm of rain up to the 28th day of the month - 70mm is the average.

The Met Office said this suggested that spring overall would be slightly drier than average - but not as dry as the springs of 2010 and 2011.

[Fox92]

Not a suprise is it. Constantly rains and we're nearly in June now. Only get the odd day of Sun.

[MooseBreath]

Haven't not worn a coat in the morning yet. Can't even imagine it. Joke climate.

[Guest MattP]

Glad I've missed most of it. Can hardly remember a sunny day here.

[purpleronnie]

suppose to pick up for the weekend.

 

My memory with these things isnt good but I had my nephew over for a week, must have been a couple of weeks ago and it was really nice.....or did I imagine it?

 

Need that gulf stream to move.

[Vlad the Fox]

We've had over twelve months of shit weather now. I can remember on the news last April they were talking about hosepipe bans and needing three months of constant drizzle to bring the water table up to what it should be. The next week it started raining and thirteen months later it ain't ****ing stopped. willy puller.

[Leicesterpool]

Going to be warm from tomorrow onwards!