Fed Up With Overcast, Rain And Cold?

[Lauren]

Crikey! Firstly last summer was actually pretty good. I was between jobs in the summer months and I sunbathed A LOT! Moreso than many recent years and I got a decent tan. I really do think being at work makes people think the weather has been worse than it is simply because you don't get to go outside in it. We had a beautifully hot April, May, September and October and the months inbetween were pretty warm.

Secondly April is renowned for being changable and rainy, they don't call 'em April Showers for nothing. We desperately needed rain and to be honest I'm more than happy to put up with a couple of weeks of rain so the chnaces of a bad drought lessen.

Where do people get this massive misconception that global warming = the whole world turning into a desert and never having any rain from?

[MP-R]

^^ What a difference the other side of a small country makes. I was working outside nearly every day during last June and July and quite confidently say that the weather was awful 90% of the time. Two particularly bad periods were 22nd-24th June and 6th-8th July when I was always getting caught in huge downpours and a rather vicious thunderstorm (the latter which I didn't actually mind for obvious reasons). It was overall very cool and below par. August was better in the sense that it didn't rain half as much but there were still plenty of cloudy, boring days to be had.

Regarding global warming, I'm rather disinterested in it as it has yet to show its hand. I'm rather more interested in the idea of climate change which does seem to be occurring.

One thing I will commend this spell of weather for is being very conducive to being hidden away in a library revising for exams which is what I'm trying to do most days. Days like Monday and Tuesday, as lovely as they were, had me at home sitting in the garden listening to the iPod lol.

[Optimus Prime]

It's been cold? Haven't noticed myself. All I remember is how remarkably warm is was back in March.

[Milhouse]

It's been cold? Haven't noticed myself. All I remember is how remarkably warm is was back in March.

Well your April temperature stats certainly paint a cold picture.

[AderynCoch]

April was cold but not significantly so. Cold Aprils have been so lacking in the Ian Brown Era that it gives April 2012 the impression of being colder than it actually was. Philip Eden has pointed out that there were seven colder Aprils between 1965 and 1989.

The warmth at the end of March (and February for that matter) was far more unusual. Overall this spring so far has been far more normal than the last one.

[Thundery wintry showers]

What's been frustrating for me in Cleadon is that we've had frontal rain and overcast wet weather by the bucketload but can't buy a day of sunshine and showers. Whenever there's been convective activity around in the North East, apart from the 21st April, Cleadon has been in a narrow strip along the coastline that stayed largely dry bar one or two light showers around dawn, and afternoons have reliably featured Cb cells just to the west and patchy stratocumulus overhead. Admittedly, it has on occasion been quite "usable" for outdoor activities as long as you kept out of the cold wind off the North Sea, but always on the nippy side.

Many of those chasing settled weather would claim that I've been very lucky- I'd be more than happy to swap my settled periods for their sunshine-and-showers periods if I could! If I was being ultra-greedy I would also ask if I could have my little coastal strip miss out on the frontal rain belts for a while, but it is of course known as "large scale" precipitation for a reason.

[Eskimo]

I don't mind if it's overcast and raining, at least the clouds are doing something and watering the plants at the same time. I absolutely hate it when it is overcast and dry, pointless weather!

[Methuselah]

So, it hasn't been a hot spring? Well - that's how 'averages' are arrived at, isn't it?

[Lauren]

I don't mind if it's overcast and raining, at least the clouds are doing something and watering the plants at the same time. I absolutely hate it when it is overcast and dry, pointless weather!

I know! Anything but cold, grey overcast weather. Do something! Anything!

[Bottesford]

If it had been sunshine and showers it would have been great but the endless frontal rain, drizzle and total lack of sunlight has made it a very trying month. The long evenings have hardly been noticed lately due to the low light levels & rain.

[Optimus Prime]

Well your April temperature stats certainly paint a cold picture.

Yeah against an exceptionally warm 2004-2011 mean. There wasn't a single April below the 61-90 average in that period. What I recorded was barely below the 61-90 - 71-000 normals.

April/September/October/November/March were all exceptionally warm months in the last 13 months.

[Guest]

During 1958 to 1959 I was living near Grimsby studying 'O' level literature part of which consisted of Nun's Priest's Tale' by Chaucer during which it referred to a warm day in April - my immediate thougtht was 'warm in April, never known it'.

The other thing which occurs is that fine sunny days often have cold nights to such an extent that the diurnal range can be some 18 to 20C in this country i.e. maxof 20C, low of 0C, whilst cloudy conditions produce very much less of a range, so that we can end up with a situation whereby in cloudy conditions the average temperature is higher albeit that the days are colder.

However, I do agree that that I am also P'd off with this lengthy spell of cloudy wet relatively cool weather but fortunately off to the nouvelle France (under M Hollande) on Thursday and provisional forecasts are showing temps up into the mid 20's.

[Village]

Well I cant take this cold dull overcast and rain, rain, rain. I am grabbing the first flight out from Southend tomorrow morning and I am going to plonk myself on the beach tomorrow afternoon, then back again on Wednesday....just a couple of days of sunshine and warmth.....great.

If I get anymore of this nonsense weather I have decided to fly to Spain for the day on a beach and come back again.

Damn the Carbon Cr-p. the furthest I have been for the day is Athens. Flights are getting cheaper and cheaper despite the governments robbing us of more and more taxes to save the world nonsense and as i predicted a decade ago, the numbers of people flying now are exploding as the weather here becomes worse and worse.

Planes are the most efficient form of transport and the new designs are becoming really efficient now, they litterally sip fuel at 30 thou and glide in without engine power from as far away as northern France. A flight from Spain is cheaper than a train ticket to London.

See you all back again on Wednesday.

Edited May 6, 2012 by Village

[Somerset Squall]

Before April, we saw SO MUCH dry, calm and often cloudy weather that I am relishing this prolonged unsettled spell. I probably wouldn't hold this view normally but the tedious weather lasted such a long time it is a pleasant change to see some weather action. However, some warm and sunny weather certainly wouldn't go amiss before too long.

[Guest]

We arrive on 10.05.2012 - according to the 'previsions' - not bad, so fingers crossed it stays ok

Tendances des jours suivants

• Vendredi 11
  15°C / 28°C
  
• Samedi 12
  16°C / 30°C
  
• Dimanche 13
  15°C / 27°C
  
• Lundi 14
  13°C / 24°C
  
• Mardi 15
  13°C / 24°C
  

[Jon Somerset]

In the west country we seem to have had it slightly better than the east for the past few weeks. Although it cooled down after March we still kept a good deal of sun between the showers for a couple of weeks. The heavy rain fell in a short period - only the past two weeks have had prolonged damp periods without the sun. We seem to have one decent day about every fifth day (like yesterday) which is reducing the tedium and depression about the weather.

Once again patterns are quite different around the country - only last year I was protesting against the cool grey skies when others were saying how nice and warm it was!

[William of Walworth]

I'd rather apply a bit of optimism. Last April, 2011, was very warm and pleasant for many, predominantly, but was followed for large chunks of May, June, July and August with the indifferent summers being described in this thread, and last year was far from out of the ordinary. Other recent summers have been even worse, 2007 in particular, and I remember being annoyed in at least some of those years that we were getting too much springtime high pressure then as well! Peaking too early etc.

This April just gone, by contrast,has been mostly horrible. So is there not SOME room for hope this time that we're getting the worst out of the way earlier than normal, leaving some better windows of oopportunity for some proper summer in the higher summer months?

'Writer offers' do annoy me!

[cyclonic happiness]

Global warming is irrelevant to me - I don't care if it's getting warmer in Baffin Island, Canada. I'm sure the people of Alaska who have endured a very cold winter don't give two flying craps either.

You know, a few hundred years ago, us non believers would have been tied to a post and burned alive for our beliefs

[Polar Maritime]

You know, a few hundred years ago, us non believers would have been tied to a post and burned alive for our beliefs

The Earth was also flat a few hundred years ago.

[conor123]

As a SAD sufferer ive had to have my sun lamp on so much lately.

There's usually at least SOME pleasant weather even in the worst months, April 2012 brought just a few hours of that on the 1st with some sunny spells, all 29 days that followed were depressingly grim with no break, no letup and rainfall always arriving in the day with often clear nights!

The downgrades to any pleasant weather has also been a common trend e.g the charts went for a settled week last week with plenty of sunshine originally, then by the time it came to last week it was cloudy with frequent rain and it seems with model run that passes this weekends high pressure is getting shorter and cloudier.

Words can't describe how much I despise this weather, sunshine and showers is fine, weather fronts followed by sunshine is fine but relentless cloud is not.

[Milhouse]

Tomorrow, for the majority of the UK is not looking too bad with temperatures back to where they should be. I know that recent Springs would have had an abundance of days like tomorrow but given the dross that we've had to endure of late i am looking forward to feeling a bit of sun and warmth. I fully intend to make the most of it and get out and about.

[Bottesford]

Good to hear but sadly one day too late to enjoy for me until after 5pm. Still at least yesterday wasn't bad except bit cold.

[damianslaw]

Have to agree the weather since early April has been somewhat dissapointing, but in some respects I've welcomed the rain, having endured a lengthy very dry period since last September. If it was the middle of summer I would be feeling much more dissapointed than I am, alas it is still spring and hopefully things will improve for the start of the summer (mind how many times have we all said this during the last 5 summers). Unlike the past 5 years though, the unsettled theme has occured much earlier this year which may or may not bode well for a better second half to the summer, rather than having to wait until September - which really is a kick in the teeth..

The last 2 and half years on the whole have brought very dry sunny quiet conditions outside of the summer months, with some glorious weather in the spring and autumn and superb cold snowy weather at times in the winter. I remember back to year such as 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002 and more recently 2007 and 2008 which on the whole were one long wet dull often mild period.. compared to those years, the recent wet cloudy spell is certainly put into perspective.

[Village]

Yes i'm fed up with the cooler second half of spring Village, but don't agree that it's getting colder overall. The records show otherwise. Short term trends do not reflect accurately on an overall long term change in climate. And if you think it's cold in the South East (traditionally the warmest part of the UK), spare a thought for other areas of the country who lag well behind your neck of the woods in springtime.

Hi, I'm back now after three days on a hot Spanish beach and I came back to rain and cloud yesterday and more wind, rain and cloud today....havent seen the sun shine in my garden for ten days now.

On the subject of our climate continually warming due to the official records saying so:

IMO, the MO are underestimating the UHI effect and therefore displaying figures which demonstrtae temperature creep. The truth in this can be seen by comparing the long term trend of minimum temps from our towns and cities. Further a comparisson of temps from the southwest, furthest away from any effects of expanding ashfelt and concrete clearly demonstrates that our temps are no different now than they were 100 years ago. Finally, a variation of .5C over fifty years in any case is well within the expected natural variation even if it was occurring.

[Village]

Your most predominant wind is from the southwest. Southwest of you are many cities and towns in the UK which have expanded tremendously in the last 100 years.

Do you know exactly how much your temperature has risen? Further, I will still maintain that your temperatures are lower now over the last decade compared with the final decade of the 1900's.