Weather-history

Looks as though May is going to be the best month of spring 2023 for our area

A highly variable month with heat and snow, low and high pressure extremes, gales and calmness. Wartime reporting restrictions has relegated this month to obscurity Newspaper reports

Matt Hugo (MattH) has said in the past despite all the available data and advancement in computer modelling, low cloud amounts/location/will it clear is still one of trickiest things to forecast.

Always fascinated me, May 1833 Reports from May 1833 Canterbury thunderstorm and other storm reports Agricultural Data Cambridgeshire Plymouth

Going to be the sunniest day of the year so far in terms of hours of sunshine.

Beautiful sunny morning.

13th May 1907, thunderstorms

1907 and 1920 were pretty poor

Wettest springs on record for England and Wales (mm) 363.0 1782 326.2 1818 316.0 1979 313.8 1947 309.8 1981 290.0 1983 275.7 1862 273.6 1913 273.3 2000 273.1 1920 272.3 1932 269.6 1792 269.5 1951 259.7 1886 258.4 2018 258.3 1843 257.9 1986 256.3 2008 254.0 1998 253.1 1889 252.3 1969 251.7 1903 251 2023 (up to 10th May)

Odd movement of the clouds today

At Greenwich in 1862, the highest maximum of the year at that site was on the 6th of May with just 27.5°C

4.0mm of rainfall yesterday

363.0 1782 326.2 1818 316.0 1979 313.8 1947 309.8 1981 290.0 1983 275.7 1862 273.6 1913 273.3 2000 273.1 1920 272.3 1932 269.6 1792 269.5 1951 259.7 1886 258.4 2018 258.3 1843 257.9 1986 256.3 2008 254.0 1998 253.1 1889 252.3 1969 251.7 1903 249.6 2001 249.4 1877 248.3 1937 247.8 1821 245.9 1867 245.3 2006 244.2 1967 243~ 2023 (up to 8th of May)

14th of May 1965 recorded the highest temperature of the year for the UK with 28.9°C at Kensington Palace

Was? Have you got a time machine?

Still waiting for the first thunderclap of the year.

The real killer is the Atlantic system moving in.

Wettest spring since 2018 just based on March and April rainfall totals for England and Wales Question is how high up the list in terms of wettest springs for England and Wales will it get?

3 cricketers sheltering in the pavilion were killed by lightning in my home town on the evening of the coronation,

A cell shot up to my east around 2.55pm

A cell really took off about 2.55pm to my east

Just showers here, no hail nor thunder.

Back to Spring 2023 Wettest March-April for England and Wales since 1998

Manchester Summer indices 1901 249 1902 195 1903 209 1904 212 1905 223 1906 214 1907 147 1908 220 1909 171 1910 190 1911 274 1912 156 1913 205 1914 222 1915 196 1916 188 1917 228 1918 200 1919 203 1920 174 1921 249 1922 178 1923 174 1924 158 1925 246 1926 227 1927 175 1928 197 1929 211 1930 199 1931 173 1932 223 1933 251 1934 238 1935 243 1936 190 1937 213 1938 177 1939 213 1940 238 1941 236 1942 214 1943 209 1944 200 1945 223 1946 170 1947 255 1948 176 1949 267 1950 216 1951 201 1952 198 1953 193 1954 143 1955 277 1956 155 1957 216 1958 184 1959 269 1960 217 1961 203 1962 197 1963 194 1964 197 1965 189 1966 192 1967 223 1968 215 1969 234 1970 235 1971 205 1972 185 1973 234 1974 199 1975 268 1976 301 1977 223 1978 173 1979 199 1980 173 1981 196 1982 203 1983 278 1984 271 1985 180 1986 189 1987 169 1988 191 1989 262 1990 229 1991 207 1992 222 1993 194 1994 240 1995 298 1996 245 1997 232 1998 192 1999 234 2000 198 2001 211 2002 200 2003 247 2004 197 2005 224 2006 246 2007 174 2008 168 2009 194 2010 191 2011 179 2012 164 2013 247 2014 236 2015 192 2016 189 2017 192 2018 272 2019 199 2020 182 2021 238 2022 261 Summer 2020 was overall very poor, the only thing going for it was the thunder activity. Most of July 2020 was dire, one of the poorest summer months of recent times. An index of 182 is poor. I don't think any summer has caused more widespread disagreement than summer 2021. Overall, it was a pretty decent summer around here. An index of 238 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The indices of the summers of the 1960s are not that bad overall, there are 5 that are 200+, which says to me they were not as bad as some may remember. 1960 217 1961 203 1962 197 1963 194 1964 197 1965 189 1966 192 1967 223 1968 215 1969 234 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1990s was the best decade for summer weather according to the indices in the last 120 years. 8 summers of at least 200+. The poorest being 1998 with an index of 192. 1990 229 1991 207 1992 222 1993 194 1994 240 1995 298 1996 245 1997 232 1998 192 1999 234 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summers 2007-2012 were poor to diabolical, 4 summers in that list with lower indices than any summer of the 1960s 2007 174 2008 168 2009 194 2010 191 2011 179 2012 164 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summers of the 1950s contained some extremes ranging from absolutely atrocious to the superb 1950 216 1951 201 1952 198 1953 193 1954 143 1955 277 1956 155 1957 216 1958 184 1959 269