Fair Isle 300hrs sunshine in 26 days

Summer of 95 · June 4, 2008

According to climate-uk Fair Isle recorded over 300hrs between 2nd-27th May.

If accurate that means an average of more than 11 hours per day for nearly 4 weeks, a match for anywhere in Spain or Greece let alone an island in the UK supposedly shrouded in fog and blasted by wet westerlies for weeks on end.

Just shows what is possible at 60 degrees north close to the summer solstice, providing the said westerlies are absent- the most easterly May on record producing some disappointing sunshine totals in England (eg 149hrs at Shawbury and 134 near Birmingham; that makes me wish I had spent May on Fair Isle) while the far N and W of the UK basked in sunshine.

Scorcher · June 4, 2008

Very interesting, quite an amazing amount of sunshine. Here on the west coast of Northern England we have also benefitted from the quiet Atlantic over the past month. I have been wondering what all the moaning has been about in terms of the lack of sunshine, even the second half of May wasn't bad here for sunshine but I know areas further south and east had a very dull last third of May.

Geordiesnow · June 4, 2008

Pretty amazing i must say, and it also prooves northern blocking is not all bad after all.

PersianPaladin · June 4, 2008

Looks like the Isle has lived up to its name then.

Cookie · June 4, 2008

we've benefited from the good weather as well and wouldn't be surprised if we weren't to far behind

J07 · June 5, 2008

According to climate-uk Fair Isle recorded over 300hrs between 2nd-27th May.
If accurate that means an average of more than 11 hours per day for nearly 4 weeks, a match for anywhere in Spain or Greece let alone an island in the UK supposedly shrouded in fog and blasted by wet westerlies for weeks on end.

Just shows what is possible at 60 degrees north close to the summer solstice, providing the said westerlies are absent- the most easterly May on record producing some disappointing sunshine totals in England (eg 149hrs at Shawbury and 134 near Birmingham; that makes me wish I had spent May on Fair Isle) while the far N and W of the UK basked in sunshine.

Fair play, that is really an awesome total!

Funny that we got more sun in May than Birmingham. That gives me some gloating rights over those back home