In Absence of True Seasons

NorthantsSnow Neither. Try North West Scotland, lol. northriding I actually was just looking at my phone to see the photos I'd taken of the first few days of May in 2023. I'd taken quite a few because the weather was rather dire for early May, with people still wearing heavy jackets and coats etc. However, from those photos I am seeing some blue skies and sun. This year, early May is seeing people still in heavy jackets and coats but with zero sun

SunSean Agree. Issue is, our climate has no concept of a sense of 'fair'. It just does what it does, and most of the time, that 'does' is utter dross. A balancing out of 'the force' would be great, but I don't bet on it happening in the way we want it to.

Was shivering on my way back from grabbing a coffee just now. This would be why. Good grief. Love it when it's colder than 95% of winter in May

Northwest NI Shows how much different the temps can be at this time of year purely as a result of cloud cover. A solid 10c difference from your location and mine.

CoventryWeather Well, if by bias you mean "the weather that affects me specifically" then sure. I can't speak for the weather where I'm not currently present in. I'll be pleased for people elsewhere in England who get a decent weekend but I'm obviously going to be predominantly speaking for my own location when I moan about the conditions. If my location is the only region where the conditions are poor, then that'll be even more frustrating. Northwest NI I know photoshop when I see it

Sun Chaser Its definitely not bright, lol. It's quite literally the colour of a mid-December day, light-levels wise. I find my phone always 'brightens' things, I have to ramp up the contrast to actually show a reflection of how it looks in real life. But yes, I know the SW has been particularly grim too.

Has anyone else got a weird sort of 'humidity headache' from this weather? There's a weird pressure in my forehead between my eyes that appeared yesterday and persisting now.

Grim. End of. SE England on Christmas day - 14c and rain SE England in May - 14c and rain (scratch that, 11c and rain, lol)

SunnyG It's just so hopelessly inaccurate. Tuesday this week was meant to be rainy but actually ended up dry and sunny spells. This thunderstorm and LP literally appeared out of nowhere and then BOOM, bank holiday downgraded. Saturday is now 16c and showers (from yesterday wherein it was 18-19c and partly sunny). I just give up. Living in this country is like being in a toxic relationship with a drug addict who consistently promises you they'll change and do better, and you believe them time and time again, but they never do.

SunnyG It's actually so laughable by this point. I'm going to have to start digging out my memes again

AWD Yeah, we'll probably get a few days of high teens and sunny spells, perhaps scraping a 20c one day, which is obviously significantly better than whatever nonsense today and yesterday is, but it's nothing to shout about, especially in my neck of the woods (those are average max temps for May in London, I'd be expected 21-25c for a properly 'warm' May spell, which isn't uncommon here). And as you say, it is not indicative of any settled change to the current 'pattern'. It's also incredibly frustrating that the finer, more useable weather unequivocally lands when we're at work, and avoids weekends like the plague. Infuriating.

SunSean Yeah I'm generally a positive, outgoing person but this prolonged period has made me feel so insular, subdued, and just sort of...hollow, I guess is the word. Like i'm in a sort of fugue-state, an extra from the Walking Dead, lol. Several factors are involved here - the last 3 or so months of weather can not be taken in isolation. Conditions like this (dull and wet) compound over time, mentally, and in this case, 2024 is more-or-less just a continuation of the dominant theme of 2023. We are not having these conditions after a mostly dry and sunny year like 2022 was, wherein it wouldn't feel so all-consuming. High Summer 2023 was incredibly poor. Probably the worst in my life aside from 2012. Spring 2023 was also largely dire, especially in the SE. In the entirety of the last 12-14 months, for sunny, dry and warm weather we've basically had 3 weeks in June, a literal handful of days in Jul-Aug, the week in Sept and a few days in Oct, and then the week in Jan this year (not warm, obviously, but dry, sunny and great wintry weather IMO, so adding it to the list). Proceeding that, Feb, March and April this year were effectively write-offs, bar 2 or 3 reasonably warm, sunny days. May is looking mixed, but will be nothing special undoubtedly. Indeed, even next week's weather which everyone is foaming at the mouth about, is just smack-bang average weather for May in the SE - 17-20c and sunny spells. Sure, a far sight better than whatever Cthulhu-esque depths today's weather has spewed from, but nevertheless, largely just average weather (and hence very telling about how deprived we've been of anything pleasant to be jumping for job at 5 days of high teens and partly sunny). It's the protracted nature of this 'pattern' (can we even call it that by this point?) that makes it seem so hopeless. A real 'never-ending' feeling.

AWD Issue is, next week's HP is still numerous days away. Could easily dissipate by then, as it often does. That's not me being pessimistic either, its just the reality of the last 12+months. Virtually every single spell of dry, sunny, warm and settled weather magically gets smacked by a low at the last moment.

Northwest NI enjoy it. Sorely wish I could say the same as today and the next few days are going to ruin mt BH plans. Same as last year, and pretty much every year though I suppose. Going to have a look at how difficult it is to emigrate to Australia in my lunch break today.

SunSean Most of my sentiments already covered here, but I'll add - imo, one of the main reasons why the UK socio-culturally and politically seems so depressive and stifling, is the lack of sun. I've been to plenty of places that are objectively poor, and where the average person has far less than we do materially, but they just on the whole week far more carefree, upbeat and positive. My time in Rio De Janeiro was a turning point for thoughts about this. Just such a vibrant people, energised is the word.

How long is this thread going to be relevant? I'd really hope come May I wouldn't need to post in here, but here we are. This has legitimately been the worst prolonged periods of weather in my entire life. Not really sure how I cope with our climate if this is any sort of "new normal" or a type of pattern that starts happening more frequently. If it's a "once in a blue moon" situation, sure, but I have this horrible feeling that it won't be. The "once in a blue moon" will more likely be a 2022 situation where things are much sunnier and drier for a prolonged period.

I'd try to mentally prepare myself for the weather today as I knew it was going to be bad but...f me. Horrific. Nice to see the only decent day (tomorrow) of the BH now downgraded also. At wits end.

Alderc 2.0 Yes, and moreover, are we going to actually get any solidly *above* average temps days for May anytime soon? Seems all too easy to get below average days, doesn't it. Yet no doubt come June, the Met Office report will show the stats as "above average temps". Yes. 14c day max and 13c nighttime minimum will do that, lol.

Well, heavy rain out there again. Garden was just about drying up so really needed this. More tomorrow, can't wait

Bristawl Si Apparently there's going to be a week of it in July 2026.

TheOgre One of the biggest disparities I've ever seen for May. Talking about 22/23c and sunny vs single digits in the likes of parts of Cornwall, and a mere 10-13c and thick cloud across much of the wider South.

*Stormforce~beka* Second year in a row that I've kept my coats out way longer than I'd like. Last year was also very cool well into May.

SunnyG Yep. Meanwhile, it's 7.45pm in early May and we are looking (and feeling) like 3.30pm in early December lol. Think I'll have to dig out my winter gloves for tomorrow. Bloody cold.

StingJet Indeed. It's not only pedantic in terms of the whole "but the stats show..." discussion, but just outright disingenuous. He said "April has been normal". Well, firstly, April is inherently a very varying month so "normal" is a loose term to use here. Secondly, no, it literally hasn't been, lol. 50-70% average sunshine hours and significantly above average rainfall in pretty much every region. Zero frosts whatsoever (abnormal for April), and no real burst/s of properly sunny Spring warmth days (which in my area happen nearly every April). If 10-13/15c and overcast nearly every day is "normal" for April, then sure, but it's not. Normality (and reality of experiencing weather) goes way beyond C.E.T averages. April is classically a month of changeable and mixed conditions but generally bright and Springlike. This April was not that. The main thing that changed was shades of grey. Little else. Said my piece