In Absence of True Seasons

danm love the shade of the blue at this time of year when the sky is clear. It's why I find it such a shame when it's so often masked behind blanket grey. It's not so much the temperature I'm fussed about, but not being able to enjoy that colour. It doesn't look quite the same in high summer.

A rare mostly sunny Spring afternoon, 16.5c...so here's the obligatory (first of 2024!) "pint in the sun" that frequent my postings from April-Sept

Sun Chaser There's massive variances between the apps, it's always the way. This is what mine is showing - quite a departure from the sunny 20c you seem to be seeing! As with pretty much all of pure forecasts, anything more than 24-48 hours out is to be taken with a massive pinch of salt. What will actually manifest for the west and east respectively over the weekend, is largely still up in the air. We'll have to wait and see. I'd love 20c, but judging my the dross that's plagued us for months, my personal bet is on something closer to my attached screenshot.

Haha, well it was correct about 8-9am when I was en route to work. As it standard, the clarity of the morning fades and cloud bubbles up as the day warms. It's definitely an improvement over the dross that's been dominant, but on the cool side of this time of year.

Alderc 2.0 wednesday and Thursday looking mostly dire yeah. But by this point, are we surprised? Basically any properly settled, dry, sunny and warmer spells gets downgraded.

A nice, bright and sunny morning. Should be feeling warm later with 16c, en route to work at present and there's so still a nippy wind! Quite reminiscent of spring 2023 where even into May, it didn't feel particularly warm in the east because of that nagging N.Sea wind. P.S - cannot recall the last time I saw this icon on my phone! The clear, yellow dot.

Wade What warm and sunny springs are those? 2020 is the only one that falls into this category. 2023 was neat as dire as this year has been (thus far) 2022 was simply a standard "mixed fare" UK spring - a combo of warm, sunny, cool, wet conditions from March to May. 2021 Spring was plagued by the woeful May, and largely poor March, saved only from a sunshine perspective by the sunny April (which was cold, just sunny). Prior to that, well, we go further into just more "classic mixed bag" Springs with a variety of warmer spells, cooler spells, wetter spells and drier spells. Oh it's exactly the right word, for anyone who enjoys sunnier and warmer conditions from March/April onwards. Obviously for those who enjoy 10c and thick cloud year-round, it's joyful, not tragic.

CryoraptorA303 @Wade Not at all. Southern France has weeks and weeks on end of 25-35c dry weather in summer, which is obviously unrealistic for the UK. A dislike for cool weather from April to Sept =/= wanting boiling hot med conditions. I just don't want a "cooler than average" summer because our average *is* cool for summer, especially as a benchmark globally. If it was cool, sunny and dry that wouldn't be as bad but it'd likely be cool, overcast and wet because of our geographic proximity. I can't really recall a properly cool, dry and sunny summer month in recent history tbh.

Wade just...no. lol. This isn't Bergen.

What a joke for an entire weekend for the final days of April. That is weather for mid Feb, not a few days from May. Honestly shocking how dire this is. The absence of any sunshine whatsoever is appalling. Azazel oh 100% lol. Any sunny, warm and dry weather is downgraded 9 out of 10 times.

B87 oh without a doubt. I think it actually has been quite remarkable for its consistent mildness a(in terms of the month as a whole) and lack of any real warm days other than that one Saturday. April, especially late April, these days generally sees a few days at 20c+, and several days in the high teens *with* sun. Most of this month has just been a continuation of the "13c and cloudy" default that has plagued so many months since last year.

Shunter lol. We've had more or less the entirety of the last week comprise day maxes that are more applicable to Feb or early March. Early april wasn't exactly warm either. Can only think this is because of super mild nights/lows earlier in the month. Or fudged numbers.

Alderc 2.0 What on earth...How is that even possible lol? Literally just a line of heat down the middle of the country that just...stops, like a wall, and then plummets down by 4-6c Highly doubt that'll manifest like that! If it were 8c above average we know full well that the ol' extreme heat/climate change/worrying weather manta would be rolled out like clockwork by the press and the Met Office etc. When it's the opposite, they're all like "nothing to see here folks!"

SunSean I honestly think a big part of it is that we live in Britain. Our geographic proximity means we are effectively sat under the giant bum of whatever the Atlantic decides to crap out of its meteorological hole, which can happen quickly and explosively, and completely change the predicted forecast on an hourly-basis. In my experiences, forecasts have been far more reliable in other countries that I've been in / traveled to. This has ranged from mostly accurate, to bang-on accurate. My favourite instance of this was when I was camping in Ontario Canada with my friend from university who lived out there. She was checking her phone and went "Ok, so it's going to be fully sunny until 3.15 or so, and then a shower for about 30 mins, then sunny again". I replied "how on earth do you know it's only going to rain for half an hour!? And that it starts at 3.15!?" She goes "because it's on the forecast" Well, lo and behold, it did rain at just after 3 for about half an hour, to my shock. The only other place where it's been similar to the UK i.e. forecast shows zero rain but then out of nowhere it rains, was Banff in the Canadian Rockies - which is understandable because it's subarctic alpine with mountains so big they create their own micro-climates.

Once again the forecasts was very wrong today. This time, for the better, as it's much sunny and drier for longer than was anticipated. I'm at the point where I may as well just ignore the forecasts. Sticking my head out the window tells me all I need to know.

Agree. A couple of several-day heatwaves do not make a good summer, let alone a hot one. Same as how in winter a couple of cold snaps in and otherwise mild season, don't make a proper winter (2023/24 being a prime example).

A decent morning. Shame it's not going to last until much later but better than the entire day being dull and dreary

SunSean I think you're being quite favourable to the likes of August and November 2023 imo. But agree with all the others! Alderc 2.0 That's awful luck, sorry to hear. I try to live by the "things happen for a reason" philosophy so maybe we will get a fantastic summer for you to enjoy here. Can you re-arrange/post-pone that adventure?

This is because you spend all your free time in here with us weirdos

Careful about the deathclaws though. They know how to ruin a good Saharan Plume.

MP-R Oh yes, agree. I just meant that mentally for me it's a bit of a kick in the teeth when we so rarely seem to be able to obtain those sort of conditions in April to August haha. I'd rather have a fantastically sunny, warm and dry April and May and sacrifice September, than the other way around. TwisterGirl81 I played the games as a teen (Fallout)...very interesting to now see it becoming fully mainstream with a TV show

*Stormforce~beka*Quite literally looks like someone was pulled a giant cotton wall blanket / duvet over the sky. What a pretty shade of grey

B87 I feel like most people would prefer the sort of weather we get in September nowadays, in April or May. I certainly would. 20c+ weather in Sept feels like a tad of a waste, especially in the latter half of the month.

CryoraptorA303 indeed. In my childhood, which was the 90s and very early 00s, August was always the "king" summer month. The month where things were generally warmest, sunniest and driers. We used to go on a family trip every August to Devon, and in my mind's eye it was generally sunny and warm most years, enough so for me as a child to swim in the sea, my parents would lounge about on the beach etc, sometimes my dad would get the kayak out and I'd sit in the back. There's plenty of photos I've seen of those holidays too and most of the photos show sunny weather, everything very vibrant. If I had been a child in the 2010s to now, that decade of summer holidays in August would show a very different picture. July tends to be the "king" summer month nowadays, August a disappointment, and then a final blast arriving in Sept.

B87 Lack of sun has been super noticeable. This sort of daily, blanket greyness is quite overwhelming for this time of year. Especially in the SE / London. It's definitely not some something I associate with Spring. I'd expect it in the depths of December or whatnot but not nearly May. I think the stats are being bumped up by sun hours occuring in the mornings and evenings/nights which is the least beneficial time for those hours and doesn't make the day really "feel" sunny