[Moans, ramps and banter]

 TwisterGirl81 Yeah, I mean we shall see how accurate it is as the week passes but fingers crossed that their more optimistic forecast is more realistic! Its much better for the mind to see a more positive outlook. Always thought their forecasts have been far too pessimistic hence why I started using BBC and its turned out that their pessimistic outlook for this week just gone was not very accurate so this new update could be just the tonic

[Moans, ramps and banter]

 Metwatch My gawd, you're my new lord & saviour! Just applied this change and the forecast looks MILES better!! Really appreciate this info man! Whether its more accurate or not, who knows, but its definitely better for the mentality seeing a forecast like this!

[Moans, ramps and banter]

Finally clouding over now but can't complain too much as was better than expected. My area should have snatched a rare 50%+ sunshine day unless their recorder is fooked lol. Fingers crossed that next week delivers decent amounts of sunshine throughout for all

[Moans, ramps and banter]

2 Lovely Spring mornings in a row? Definitely wouldn't have predicted this a few days ago with how bad the forecasts were! Question is, can we get 2 fully nice DAYs in a row despite both days being predicted to cloud over by noon? My dog is enjoying these conditions as much as me 

[Moans, ramps and banter]

Are forecasts updated with each model run? Because I checked the forecast for my area out of curiosity due to the "high pressure" coming in and I gotta admit, it looks absolutely dire, much worse than this past week. Only 1 half decent day on Thursday and every other day has complete cloud coverage and even lots of rain. This includes the BBC forecast which is normally much more optimistic! Not exactly what I would call a "high". A pathetic excuse for one maybe. I'll cling onto a small glimmer of hope using the fact that we got a few nice days this week that weren't forecast to be anything special so hopefully next week will have at least 3 nice and sunny days. That's about as good as we can get in my part of the country during this current era so fingers crossed

[Moans, ramps and banter]

 markyo My goal is to go 1 week without a moan, which for me, will be no small feat

But yes, has been a lovely day

[Moans, ramps and banter]

Yeah didn't cloud over here in the end surprisingly! Just a shame I was at work most of the day. So far this month, 2 nice days and 2 crap days. I wonder what tomorrow will be like? Since I'm off work, it will probably lean towards crap haha.

[Sunshine Level Watch 2024]

 dryfie You are correct, I don't know too much about Scottish weather, I just find it hard to wrap my head around the fact that parts of Scotland are sunnier than South East England between March & June! Although when I think about it a bit deeper, places in Finland & Denmark also get more sun than us at times so I shouldn't be too surprised. I guess it's a stereotype that Scotland is dull year round. July & August are quite dull up there though in comparison?

[Sunshine Level Watch 2024]

After 3 days of May 2024-

Stornoway in NW Scotland- 36 hours of sunshine

London Heathrow in SE England- 1 hour of sunshine

LOL.

Oh the days when the South East was the sunniest place in the UK, how I miss them! 

I don't believe places in NW Scotland SHOULD be sunnier than places in the South East between March & June, it just seems to be an incredibly unusual phenomena of late that has occurred for a few years now. It would be like NW France being sunnier than the South of France! I'm blaming the SSW crap.

[Moans, ramps and banter]

 TwisterGirl81 Yes, actually been a proper Spring morning! Was out walking the dog in the local nature park, birds singing, ice cream van out, bouncy castles set up, people smiling, sun shining, no rain or silly winds, how a Spring morning should be!

Meant to cloud over in a bit but nice to have a good morning at least. Small mercies! Lol.

[Moans, ramps and banter]

 cheese I try to avoid looking at models but annoyingly people keep posting the crap runs in here all the time so it's hard to avoid I must admit I am very pessimistic due to how long this pattern has gone on for but I do have Hope at least

[Moans, ramps and banter]

Hmm, can't be downgrades surely? Not in the UK, aka Faroe Islands 2.0?

Oh well, I'm sure Scotland & Ireland will be basking in sunshine again while Essex is like November

[Moans, ramps and banter]

 TwisterGirl81 I hope so! I swear though, if us in South East Essex are the only ones to miss out on the sunshine, I'm gonna go absolutely crazy lol.

An above average sunshine May to October would be just the tonic

[Moans, ramps and banter]

 TheOgre Oh yeah, how could I forget 2021! You could say that the North are sunnier on average now comparing to the south east What a time to be alive in this corner!

Hoping this "high pressure" we're meant to be getting next week is gonna be a sunny high rather than a dross filled, depression inducing cloudy high!

[Moans, ramps and banter]

 I remember Atlantic 252 We used to do pretty well in April & May but recently, not so much. I do find it bizarre that places in Scotland etc are consistently sunnier than South East places in these months lately. Wonder what the reason for this is?

[Moans, ramps and banter]

2 absolutely rancid days in a row in South East Essex, unsurprisingly. Since 2023, it feels like we've gone from one of the sunnier places in the UK to a middle of the road average area when it comes to getting average sunshine figures. Certain places in Scotland, Ireland & even places in the West Midlands seem to easily achieve their average or near way more often than us & lately, are sunnier overall too! Nearby Kent always does far better than us despite being pretty close. Oh how I miss the 2018-2020 era!

I always find May to be the most over-rated month of the year because it has the potential to be absolutely stunning but is so often one of the dullest months of the year in terms of proportional sunshine! In my area at least.

[Moans, ramps and banter]

 Wimbledon88 Same although he still tries in vain to avoid them, almost pulling me into them face first

[Worryingly Wet & Worryingly Sunless]

 Sentinel I was only a little toddler in that time period unfortunately. Would love another 1995 Summer, or even year in general!

[Worryingly Wet & Worryingly Sunless]

 In Absence of True Seasons I'm a fan of balance in nature so to balance out the conditions since March 2023-

12 out of those 14 months have seen above 50mm rainfall so I think it would be only fair now, to see 12 of the next 14 months, below 50mm. Not a big ask as I'm not exactly asking for a load of sub 10mm months (Although that would be lovely jubbly)!

11 out of those 14 months (For my area, Shoebury) have been below average for sunshine so for balance sake, it would be fair for 11 of the next 14 months to be above average for sunshine!

Even worse, only 14 out of the last 94 days in my area have had days with 50%+ sunshine, which is by all intents & purposes, utterly, utterly dreadful so to compensate, I'd expect 80 out of the next 94 days to be above 50%+ sunshine!

Only fair surely?

Anyone that is a fan of the current weather cycle we've been in since March 2023, has pretty much won the lottery. We're well overdue a different type of weather.

[Worryingly Wet & Worryingly Sunless]

 In Absence of True Seasons It is exceptionally worrying! I honestly had hoped this thread would work as a lift of the curse, just like how the guy's one did when he made the "worryingly dry" thread lol but so far, no avail. I plan to start praying at night in the hopes of more sunshine because lately, for someone like me who rarely gets down or sad, this has been one massive test of my mental state lol.

I've done 4 solo trips abroad since March 2023 & if I hadn't done any of those, I'd no doubt feel even worse at our current situation!

[Moans, ramps and banter]

I always find it a massive shame when you get days in May, June & July with zero sunshine. It's so unseasonal & just doesn't look correct. I do wish our rubbish climate had far, FAR more sunshine because the past couple of years have been extremely testing. I think the entire country would be a lot more happier & optimistic if sunshine levels were about 50% more than average, not including temperatures, rainfall etc, just more sun PLEASE.

In Winter, what would look & feel better? A gorgeous deep blue sky on an icy morning but with the warmth of the sun hitting your skin, just enough to still be able to sit outside with a morning cuppa or walk around with your significant other at a fayre or market, soaking up the festive vibes or- Mild, exceptionally dark & wet conditions that make venturing outside completely unpleasant.

In Autumn, a misty start that evaporates into a lovely pleasant & mild day with beautiful blue skies giving the perfect backdrop to the yellows & reds of falling leaves, or- Mild, grey & wet drizzle reminding you of the many months of dark, gloomy weather to get through just to have a 50-50 shot at a nice Spring & the sight of another blue sky.

In Spring, a crisp morning with a nip in the air, getting warmer & warmer in the strengthening sun with beautiful blue skies as you watch leaves & trees begin to bloom, listen to the chorus of bird songs, relaxing your mind & soul with the excitement of the months to come, or- The melancholic sounds of birds fleeting in the backdrop of a dark, overcast & miserable day, completely indistinguishable from the darkest days of Winter.

In Summer, the glorious blue sky & beautiful warm temperatures give a joyous vibe & energy to everyone around you as people are laughing & playing on the beach, people are enjoying a pint in the pub gardens & the kids are walking around with ice cream while the adults have their seafront fish & chips, or- Overcast all day as people sit inside a pub, with no difference to a day in January & the streets are almost empty with not an ice cream van in sight, nor a single soul on the beach & an eerie silence resonates around you.

The SUN is the life giver, it gives us energy, positivity, happiness, peace & without it, the world just feels like a dark, soul-less place with indistinguishable seasons and lacking that bright warm hug that sometimes, we all need!

I'm a simple man, if I could have ONE wish, it would be for at least 50% more sunshine than we currently get. Watch how people would suddenly become a lot more positive & happy in life.

So please, our yellow friend in the sky, come say hello to us in the UK more often, we miss you like crazy!

[Moans, ramps and banter]

One of the most non-descript & monotone days in May I have experienced. 100% grey rubbish with drizzle to come later on. Even worse tomorrow, on my day off too because of course! If someone woke up from a coma & you told them it was November, there would be absolutely no questions asked & you would both move onto the next subject!

[Moans, ramps and banter]

April 2024 sunshine- 1 table for official UK Met office stations & the other table for 60 counties & coasts in England. 

Remarkably, the Scottish Highlands have been the sunniest place in the UK so far this year and East Sussex, supposedly the sunniest place in the UK having one of their dullest years on record, languishing far down in the bottom half.

Will May 2024 finally see an above average sunshine month or more of the same dull & wet rubbish?

[Moans, ramps and banter]

Woke up in the early hours of the morning to one of the best thunderstorms I've heard in ages! It lasted around an hour plus and at one point, there were 3 lightning flashes per every rumble & the rumbles were about 4 seconds apart. One of few things I don't mind getting woken up by lol.

Main downside is that we've already recorded 10mm of rain on the 1st day. Please, I am TIRED of constant 50mm+ months, it's way beyond the point of ridiculous now. Massive dry spell please, for the love of God!

[Sunshine Level Watch 2024]

 baddie Don't remember April 2012 but for my area, Shoeburyness, April 2018 was FAR better than 2024. We recorded 150 hours of sun in April 2018, which isn't much but better than the measly 124 we got this year. Plus in April 2018, from the 14th to the 26th, we had 11 out of 13 days with over 7 hours sunshine, most days around the 10 hour mark or above along with very warm temperatures. That spell alone was so great, that despite April 2018 finishing on a low figure overall, is a month I still remember more fondly and was 1000 times better than anything we got in April 2024 or even 2023 for that fact. Perhaps it was rubbish the whole way through in your area, Nottingham though.