Scorcher

Alright there haven't been any hot spells yet but I fail to see how this has been a 'cool' spring in any way, particularly when I think back to April. Maxima were consistently in the 'warm' category with barely a single day that could be considered cool compared to the average. It's surely not fair to judge the whole spring on the last few days, although I accept that the last few days have felt very cool in the easterly wind.

It's true that 20C has usually been reached at least once by this point in May but it has definitely not been a cool spring. It has actually been a notably warm one so far, but if May continues as it is at the moment I'm sure many will think it has been a cool spring like you do.

Interesting that people are considering this a 'cool' start to May. If you are comparing to May last year then it perhaps could be considered cool due to the difference in the way it has felt- less warm sunshine and light winds but cloud at night has kept minima above average. Up to yesterday Hadley was running at 1.7C above average for this stage of the month.

Despite some people seeming to believe this has been a cold start to May, the statistics prove it has been a rather warm one. This is likely to be due to high minima more than any notable day time warmth. There has been heavy cloud cover overnight in many areas- in fact the temperature hardly dropped at all in these parts last night and many places remained in double figures. This could again be the case tonight and tomorrow night. I think this is evidence of the fact that those who estimated a high CET for this month are justified, for the moment at least. As May progresses, cold spells that could dent the CET are obviously going to be less likely although not impossible.

Do you mean dull in terms of sunshine? It's also quite remarkable how experiences of this spring can be so different over 100 miles or so. In my area it's been one of the sunniest springs I can remember and I have enjoyed every minute. We have reaped the benefits of quite frequent easterly winds while those on the east coast have often been plagued by cloud. I agree with your comment about it being homogenously mild- in other warm Aprils we have seen 20C reached quite widely but this year it hasn't been reached much away from the South East. The lack of cool days has been quite astounding really- the coldest day of the month here had a max of 12C which is not far below average. In this area I would say minima have been below average due to clear skies but maxima generally well above although I don't have statistics to back this up. It will be interesting to look at Philip Eden's summary of the month once it goes up on his site.

I'll go for 12.9C please

I will certainly remember this month- from my point of view the lack of cold has been wonderful. One thing I can't stand is when winter extends into April, so this has really been my ideal April.

It's gone disappointingly cloudy here now after some warm sunshine. If only I was a bit further south and east!

I'm pretty sure the Pennines aren't high enough for a significant Foehn effect to occur. What's more I live just to the west of the Pennines and it was almost as warm here today as it was to the east of the Pennines. In fact 19C was officially recorded at Woodford which is just south of where I live and to the west of the hills. This is up there with any official readings in the North East today.

Fantastic day here, almost unbroken sunshine and very strong sun too. I have recorded 20C this afternoon and it seems another local weather station has also reached 20C.

Liverpool seems to be a windy location anyway, whenever I've been there there has always been quite a strong breeze, even around the Albert Dock where there are few tall buildings. It's got to be one of the windiest cities in the UK but I don't know how this could be proven.

The only way is up over the next week for the CET, I certainly can't see any days that will produce drops so it looks like this month could well be one of the warmest on record. I can't see it beating 2007 but there is a good chance it could beat 1865 in my opinion. Beating April 2007 isn't completely out of the question however with daytime highs looking very warm over the next 5 days or so.

Fantastic afternoon here, it was a bit cloudy and hazy this morning but it cleared around midday to leave almost cloudless skies and the temperature exceeded 16C this afternoon which felt very pleasant even with the breeze. The sun is getting very strong as well now (same strength as late August, although I'm led to believe its stronger in spring because of the tilt of the earth), it makes such a big difference once it comes out!

The sun is really trying to break through here, some hazy blue sky has appeared in the last half hour and the temperature has risen to 13C but that brisk easterly is still blowing. Hardly any rain here in the last week, we got virtually nothing yesterday when places just to the south were getting heavy showers!

There could be a rise today as the mid teens have been reached quite widely and minima should be rather high tonight across the CET zone. It looks like many places won't get below 10C tonight.

Feeling quite warm and muggy here with a temperature of 15C, I played football earlier and it's taken me a couple of hours to cool down! I don't mind this kind of weather at all at this time of year despite the cloud. Pretty good for plant growth with the occasional shower and the sun breaking through from time to time.

Lovely start to the day here, sunshine is a bit hazy at present but the temperature has already risen to 11C.

I just hope we are free of this annoying cloud tomorrow- it seems that only the Midlands and just slightly north of the midlands have been affected and it has surpressed the temperatures quite substantially. It seems that the West Midlands hasn't been affected as badly as your part, as Birmingham has reached 13C.

We had a surprisingly grey and chilly morning here, but the sun broke through around lunchtime and it is now a lovely sunny afternoon. It is strange that despite the sun temperatures have not risen that much, it's only 10C here at present.

You can easily tan with a UV index of 3 if you're out in it long enough. I'm not sure why people think you can't get a tan until May. Just because it's not warm enough to sit outside doesn't mean the sun isn't strong enough to tan you. Most people in this country would notice the effects of the sun on their skin from the beginning of April if the sky was clear and they were out in it long enough.

It looks like we will see a UV index of 3 in my area next week, things are looking up!

Lovely spring day here, light winds with some hazy sunshine. The temperature has risen rapidly since this morning and is now at 12C.

Beautiful spring day here, sunny and hardly a breath of wind. The sun is feeling increasingly strong too. Currently 10C here.

It really was a fantastic month and I can't imagine we will have something similar this year but I live in hope. It looks like we are going to get quite a cool start to the month in any case. Still I seem to remember March 03 starting off rather cool and unsettled before settling down in the 2nd week of the month. Virtually every day I remember waking up to the cloudless skies and it felt surprisingly warm in the afternoons. It's one of the most memorable months for me personally, particularly as I was out of the country during April 2007 which I'm sure would have been up there too. I bet it was great being in Lancaster during that glorious spring of 2003. There really is no better place to be in the spring sunshine!

Very dry indeed here, the little rain we have had has been in the form of drizzle and has not amounted to much. In these parts we have had less than a third of the average so far!