May Weather

May started off very cold and miserable, but the second half was warm and sunny. We have managed to eat on our patio several times in the last few weeks. The first day of June has been very warm and sunny, which is promising.

Windmill in the rain

This afternoon, the sun made a very brief appearance from behind the dark clouds. Today has been very wet and dark all day. This was the view of the windmill next door earlier this afternoon. The colours are right: it was very yellowy when the sun briefly appeared.

Yet another sunny day and flying ants

For about a week now we have had better summer weather in this part of the UK. Temperatures have been in the mid 20s to low 30s (deg C) all week. We had one big storm which dropped humidity, but yesterday and today are hot.

It is also "flying ant season". Whilst I was out yesterday we had hundreds of flying ants in our bedroom. I gather these larger,flying ants are queens.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuptial_flight .

Summer at last?

Here in eastern England we have had a bad summer so far: it has been very wet and temperatures have been lower than normal. Oddly, my brother in Devon has had a good summer. Next week they are forecasting warmer weather here with sun. Temperatures of 25-22 deg C are possible here. The jet stream has been right overhead and we have seen low after low roll in with very few long sunny spells. Maybe things are changing?

UK Weather - summer?

We are now in July and certainly here in East Anglia we have had one of the worst summers I can remember so far.  We have had just a few continuous days of sun and settled weather. Most of the time it has been a mixture of rain, cloud and some sun.

In the west of the UK it has been better, but we have had a real absence of high pressure over us with long settled, warm, sunny, weather.

Roll on summer!

UK Weather Forecasts

OK, I moan about weather forecasts a lot and here I go again. 

Yesterday the forecast for OUR VILLAGE on the day said rain showers all afternoon. It was dry until we went to bed. Luckily it was dry for our Fete.

Today OUR VILLAGE was supposed to be dry all day. Guess what? It is raining! 

If you cannot rely on the forecast for NOW, what IS the point? Before readers tell me how complex our UK weather is may I say, yet again, our forecasts are rubbish.

The only reliable weather forecast in the UK is to look out of the darn window.

Millions have been spent on super-computers to enable better forecasting - oh yes?

Weather - settled spell ended

Yesterday we probably had the last warm and sunny day of the current spell, so we spent a lot of the afternoon in the garden with our son Tim. On the right is our ornamental cherry tree (full of blossom) and on the left our garden shed with the new bird-box just to the left of the shed window. It is probably too late this year but maybe it will be used next spring? Today it is dull and raining!

Next door's sumac tree is only just in leaf. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumac .

9th May 2016

Sunshine

Well, today we probably saw the last of our warm, sunny weather. Tomorrow rain is forecast. We have had very few settled period  this year with mostly low pressure systems and maybe a few sunny days. In the last few days we have had warmth and sunshine and the garden has really come on.

UPDATE 2220z:  It has been raining here now for several hours.  Ho hum - was that it? Spring and summer over?

Hail

We had a very mild and wet winter followed by a cold spell in February and March. Here we are at the end of April with a wind from the north 7 deg C, hail, and now thunder! We have had daffodils in flower since the end of November. The weather is crazy! Because of the storm risks, I have disconnected all my amateur radio gear.  There has just been another hail storm and the grass is now white!

East Anglian weather

Our village green in winter

Some have been forecasting a very cold winter here. So far, we have had very little frost and lots of dull,wet days. The ground here in East Anglia is wetter than I can ever recall. If we do get a cold snap, this will be the first real snow here for several years. I'd say our weather is changing. East Anglia used to be cold and dry, but not any more.

No snow

We seem to have missed the snow.  But there is a biting cold noth wind, it is dry and the sun has come out. It would not surprise me if we got a frost tonight. This would be the first time this autumn. Up to now it has been very mild.

This afternoon we are doing a walk in the village, but we will have to dress up in warm clothes.

UK weather

The UK weather forecasts are useless!! Today, even at lunchtime they were forecasting thick clouds this afternoon. What did we get? Blue skies and very thin clouds some of the time.

They say the UK weather is complicated, but the Met Office has spent millions on super-computers. I remain very unimpressed. It sometimes seems best to think the exact opposite to what the forecasts predict.

Summer?

Unless we get an Indian Summer I think we have now seen the best of the summer weather. There has been no prolonged good weather all summer. Today it feels much cooler and there are 3 lows waiting to drop rain on us. We have had heavy rain over parts of the UK today. A few years ago we had our best weather all year in early October.

Yet more rain

After breakfast I managed to cut our laurel hedge and the front lawn. Then it started to rain and it has been raining ever since!

We badly need the rain but the weather is just plain miserable. Apparently the jet stream has moved and now bang over us, although the forecasters suggest that later this week we may have more summer-like weather. At the moment, it feels like late autumn and we have the heating and the lounge gas fire on.

Hot weather

The intense heat continues with temperatures in the 30's deg C expected here. The thunder risk remains. As I write this at 1010 local time it already feels HOT here. This very hot weather is unlikely to last. In true British fashion, we are always moaning about it being too hot, too cold, or  too wet! We should be glad the weather is so good. It is good that the nice weather is happening around the time of long, light evenings. It is light here until after 10pm.

Dry!

Even though we have had some rain today, our garden is very dry. The grass is very dry and starting to turn yellow. In East Anglia it is not unusual for the lawns to be dry in August, but it is only mid-June!  Usually things recover well when cooler weather returns in the early autumn.  I gave everything a good soaking last night, but we need some heavy rain for a few days really.

June snow

I am reminded that 40 years ago we actually had snow on this day! At the moment, it is still windy and wet although the temperatures are not too bad. Later this week we may get better, although there is now a threat of thunderstorms! You cannot win. British weather! I love it.

Climate change again

We were meant, according to the newspapers, to be having our coldest winter in the UK for over 100 years.  It was all down to the position of the Jet Stream. Well, although some parts have had snow on the ground, we have had just a few snow flurries and not a single day yet with snow staying on the ground. Last winter was very mild with only a couple of mild frosts and no snow. I know things could yet change, but I doubt we are in for a very bad winter.

There is plenty of evidence that the world's climate is changing and our winters, here in the UK are, on average, getting less cold. I am basically a believer that the world's climate is changing, but I remain to be convinced by some of the worst projections. Another 10-20 years of data should indicate what will happen. In the meantime, we should be seriously moving away from fossil fuels.

Winter power cuts?

I wonder if we'll see power cuts this winter? Spare National Grid capacity is very low because of closures and other reasons. Some are saying the Jet Stream is moving and we are in for the cldest winter in 100 years.  See  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-29794632 .

Lovely autumn day

This end of October in East Anglia has been beautiful. The trees are changing colour, the leaves are falling, clocks have changed and the nights are drawing in, but today we had beautiful sunshine and temperatures in the high teens Centigrade (high sixties Fahrenheit).  Tomorrow also promises to be a glorious day.

Not all parts of the UK have been so lucky.   North West Scotland has had about 8 inches of rain in just a few days.