Spring 2023 - Moans, Ramps & Chat

[Obese John]

Here in my Somerset back garden I am looking at an April mean temperature of around 9.5, which is a little below average; but not as bad as some years - such as 2013 when it was 8, although cold nights do skew the mean at this time of year.

The GFS for this area over the Bank Holiday weekend is not too bad, giving us 16/17 most days, which tends to equate to 18 in my sheltered space. The Camborne ascent for midnight is showing some signs of subsidence, so I'm still optimistic for the plants to grow, given the 110mm of rain we have had this month so far. The dahlias are appearing already, although they are in tubs which tend to warm up more quickly. 

Stay positive. 

 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Alderc said:

Looking at the model output this is going to be a familiar sight over the next few days. Enjoy! 

Well I may have jumped the gun…..in the last 30mins the cloud has broken quite quickly!

Also things seem to have turned fully green overnight! 

 

[In Absence of True Seasons]

9 minutes ago, TwisterGirl81 said:

Honestly this sucks so bad, this has got to be one of the dullest aprils ever been on annual leave all week and not one day that’s been warm or sunny, today was meant to be sunny! So far it looks like Monday may be but I don’t even trust that, high pressure and still flipping cloudy, what the help is going on with this weather.

if one person next year wants a late season sww im going to flip

That's a shame, it always feels like a bit of a "waste" of leave taken when that happens. Taking leave and staying in the UK really is just such a gamble weather wise. 

I had the entire month of April off last year as I was between jobs, and spent much of it outdoors, a week in the lake District as well where we had 6 out of 7 days with sun! Had a full-tan by the time May rolled around lol.

If I'd had this year's weather, last year, would have been a completely diferent story. A week of rain and muck in the lakes camping. Grim.

Weather-wise, we seem to keep getting stuck in these patterns that fail to shift or change nowadays. Last year it was favourable as we got stuck in a solid, long run of sunny, warm and dry weather. This year seems to be very much like 2021 in being the opposite - stuck in cooler, duller and wetter weather that doesn't abate.

Feast or famine...

[SunSean]

15 minutes ago, In Absence of True Seasons said:

That's interesting. Surprised by 2018, 2020 and 2022 seeing basically no sun on this day, as those years had great Aprils overall.

Yeah, really weird anomaly that sticks out like a sore thumb! There are a few others I've noticed too, most notably- 27th July!

27th July has, since 2006, only breached the 6 hour sun duration once! 7.3 hours in 2018. It has an average of 3.2 hours of sun which is pitiful. Really sticks out when looking at summer as a whole.

[richie3846]

7 minutes ago, SunSean said:

Yeah, really weird anomaly that sticks out like a sore thumb! There are a few others I've noticed too, most notably- 27th July!

27th July has, since 2006, only breached the 6 hour sun duration once! 7.3 hours in 2018. It has an average of 3.2 hours of sun which is pitiful. Really sticks out when looking at summer as a whole.

I've noticed a similar pattern to Christmas day. Often it seems to suddenly go a bit cooler and the sun comes out, where the sun has been absent on the run up to Xmas. I've got no stats to back this up, just something I've noticed because it's a bit annoying to have the sunnier day of the week on the day we are all stuck in getting fat. 

[Sunny76]

38 minutes ago, In Absence of True Seasons said:

That's a shame, it always feels like a bit of a "waste" of leave taken when that happens. Taking leave and staying in the UK really is just such a gamble weather wise. 

I had the entire month of April off last year as I was between jobs, and spent much of it outdoors, a week in the lake District as well where we had 6 out of 7 days with sun! Had a full-tan by the time May rolled around lol.

If I'd had this year's weather, last year, would have been a completely diferent story. A week of rain and muck in the lakes camping. Grim.

Weather-wise, we seem to keep getting stuck in these patterns that fail to shift or change nowadays. Last year it was favourable as we got stuck in a solid, long run of sunny, warm and dry weather. This year seems to be very much like 2021 in being the opposite - stuck in cooler, duller and wetter weather that doesn't abate.

Feast or famine...

I really hope it’s not another 21. Cold and cloudy spring leading to a warm and mix of cool cloudy summer conditions. 

[*Stormforce~beka*]

2 hours ago, In Absence of True Seasons said:

What happened to the "sunny weather" over the bank holiday  

This country is so cloudy it's actually a joke. So it's the same old over the next few days just a few degrees warmer. Great.

I'm not disappointed. I expect this every day now.

[Sunny76]

37 minutes ago, richie3846 said:

I've noticed a similar pattern to Christmas day. Often it seems to suddenly go a bit cooler and the sun comes out, where the sun has been absent on the run up to Xmas. I've got no stats to back this up, just something I've noticed because it's a bit annoying to have the sunnier day of the week on the day we are all stuck in getting fat. 

I actually prefer a cold sunny Christmas Day.

[BlueHedgehog074]

Even though there’s still another 2 days of the month to go, I would, at best, probably rate this April around 5.5/10 to 6/10. Some positives and negatives of the month below:

 

> Been some brighter days, some with a good amount of sunshine, especially around Easter weekend.
> While it has been pretty chilly at times, it’s generally not been unbearably cold that it’s been difficult to go for walks or work in. (Though true that some warmer weather could have been nice, although the next few days look a little warmer).
> It’s at least an improvement over the super greyness of March, accept for the odd sunnier day and some snow earlier in March.
> Weirdly, even though rainfall seems to have been around or perhaps a little above average, have managed to get away without needing to get the umbrella out much.

 

> Still been a touch too much on the cloudier side at times and the ground is still quite wet in places which makes going for some countryside walks a bit of a pain. A few instances been able to just about get away with it, depending on the field or path taken.
> Aside from possibly again this weekend, the lack of getting any day of 17*C or above is a real disappointment. (Edit: it could, ironically make this April stand out in some ways because of that).
> Not any days of wintry weather, but to be fair, not all April’s achieve this. In fact, a good number don’t.
> Has overall, at least on some days, had a rather Autumnal feel and not helping too much with any SAD sort of feelings.
> Lack of any true April showers, except for the odd day or two of some pretty nice convection and heavy bursts of rain.

I was tempted to lower my rating to 5/10 due to the fact this sort of month occurred after a dismaying March. But focusing on the month in isolation, it’s been okay. Certainly not the worst April ever. At the same time, could have also been better - just a bit more brighter still and some warmer daytime temperatures. Not necessarily expecting everyday to be sunny with warm temperatures since the average April here not being quite like that. I think, also, some to the North-West, especially the far part of it, will probably have found this to have been a pretty good April (if bright and/or settled weather is one of your preferences). 

Edited April 28, 2023 by DiagonalRedLine

[Sunny76]

London has moved from that cold cloudy weather into a more humid cloudy period now. 
 

Although I’m not a fan, I would rather some warm and humid weather, instead of the cold cloudy variety for now.

The sunshine needs to come back asap.

[h2005__uk__]

April has definitely been cooler than average here in mid-Essex. Daily maxes at Writtle so far have averaged at 13.1C, that's 1.2C below the 1991-2020 average. March was also slightly cool at 0.6C below.

More importantly in Spring though is how early/frequently you hit 17-20C as this is the sign of the long-awaited warming after winter!

This year is in the top five latest for hitting 17C at Writtle as it's yet to do so, making it the latest since 1986. The latest ever is 11th May (1982). Looks like 17C will be breached before May though, possibly along with 18C. Interestingly it took until 3rd May to hit 18C in 2006 and that was a hot summer.

Then there's the rain - nearly three times the average in March and nearly 1.5 times the average so far in April.

March was one of the dullest on record, while April's sunshine seems to only be around early in the morning and/or late in the day - so some days may show as having 7+ hours but that's often been sunrise-10:00 and 17:00-sunset, missing the potentially warmest part of the day.

Edited April 28, 2023 by h2005__uk__

[richie3846]

11 minutes ago, DiagonalRedLine said:

Even though there’s still another 2 days of the month to go, I would, at best, probably rate this April around 5.5/10 to 6/10. Some positives and negatives of the month below:

 

> Been some brighter days, some with a good amount of sunshine, especially around Easter weekend.
> While it has been pretty chilly at times, it’s generally not been unbearably cold that it’s been difficult to go for walks or work in. (Though true that some warmer weather could have been nice, although the next few days look a little warmer).
> It’s at least an improvement over the super greyness of March, accept for the odd sunnier day and some snow earlier in March.
> Weirdly, even though rainfall seems to have been around or perhaps a little above average, have managed to get away without needing to get the umbrella out much.

 

> Still been a touch too much on the cloudier side at times and the ground is still quite wet in places which makes going for some countryside walks a bit of a pain. A few instances been able to just about get away with it, depending on the field or path taken.
> Aside from possibly again this weekend, the lack of getting any day of 17*C or above is a real disappointment. (Edit: it could, ironically make this April stand out in some ways because of that).
> Not any days of wintry weather, but to be fair, not all April’s achieve this. In fact, a good number don’t.
> Has overall, at least on some days, had a rather Autumnal feel and not helping too much with any SAD sort of feelings.
> Lack of any true April showers, except for the odd day or two of some pretty nice convection and heavy bursts of rain.

I was tempted to lower my rating to 5/10 due to the fact this sort of month occurred after a dismaying March. But focusing on the month in isolation, it’s been okay. Certainly not the worst April ever. At the same time, could have also been better - just a bit more brighter still and some warmer daytime temperatures. Not necessarily expecting everyday to be sunny with warm temperatures since the average April here not being quite like that. I think, also, some to the North-West, especially the far part of it, will probably have found this to have been a pretty good April (if bright and/or settled weather is one of your preferences). 

That's a beautiful summary

[ANYWEATHER]

I don’t believe it

[sunny_vale]

30 minutes ago, Sunny76 said:

London has moved from that cold cloudy weather into a more humid cloudy period now. 
 

Although I’m not a fan, I would rather some warm and humid weather, instead of the cold cloudy variety for now.

The sunshine needs to come back asap.

Dare I say tomorrow looks like a nice day for London. Finally!

[Sunny76]

1 minute ago, sunny_vale said:

Dare I say tomorrow looks like a nice day for London. Finally!

Yeah, but we need to have some sunshine.

I want blue skies not this milky half way house dross.

If El Niño is waiting in the wings, this could be a poor year for nice sunny weather. More cloudy and humid will be the order of the day, which is just as bad as long periods of cool and dull.

But, I wait to be surprised

[h2005__uk__]

Tomorrow looks fairly decent here with sunny intervals through the day.

However, once again Sunday, Monday and Tuesday are forecast to be sunny first thing, then cloud over, then be sunny at the end of the day.

Thought it may be wind direction related but it doesn't appear to be?!

[MP-R]

Crikey the sun has come out and it feels WARM! Even in the shade it feels milder.

[Andy Bown]

2 hours ago, In Absence of True Seasons said:

That's interesting. Surprised by 2018, 2020 and 2022 seeing basically no sun on this day, as those years had great Aprils overall.

This is why I keep notes and temperature/rain records. There’s always info to fall back on. 28th April was a rare grim wet day in that first lockdown.

2 hours ago, SunSean said:

Yeah, really weird anomaly that sticks out like a sore thumb! There are a few others I've noticed too, most notably- 27th July!

27th July has, since 2006, only breached the 6 hour sun duration once! 7.3 hours in 2018. It has an average of 3.2 hours of sun which is pitiful. Really sticks out when looking at summer as a whole.

That doesn’t surprise me, my son’s birthday is the day after and of the 7 28th Julys he’s been on this planet there have only been 2 dry! 

[sunny_vale]

16 minutes ago, Sunny76 said:

Yeah, but we need to have some sunshine.

I want blue skies not this milky half way house dross.

If El Niño is waiting in the wings, this could be a poor year for nice sunny weather. More cloudy and humid will be the order of the day, which is just as bad as long periods of cool and dull.

But, I wait to be surprised

I hear that. Hopefully there will be some sun tomorrow.

[Guest]

Up to the dizzy heights of 15C, although under again completely cloudy skies and a keen breeze it’s feels anything but warm. 

[richie3846]

1 hour ago, ANYWEATHER said:

I don’t believe it

The blue patch has extended as far as Swindon now, thanks for the gift

[In Absence of True Seasons]

1 hour ago, h2005__uk__ said:

April has definitely been cooler than average here in mid-Essex

The sun being out is incredibly important this time of year for warmth perception. It's been overcast for the vast majority of the month here in London / Essex which makes it feel significantly less warm than it actually is. 

The days where its actually been clear, has felt noticeably warmer as a result, even if its like 12/13c air temps, because I'm like "oh wow, so thats what the sun is meant to feel like on my skin!" 

So, yes whilst the mean temps are important to a degree, the sunshine levels are more impactful in April overall. A good example of this is April 2021. A really, really sunny month but also colder than average...however, felt lovely during the daytime even if it was only say 11/12c. 

23 minutes ago, richie3846 said:

The blue patch has extended as far as Swindon now, thanks for the gift

So jealous

The SE continues to wallow in cloud, actually where i am in London looks ready to rain, its so bloody dark. I do genuinely think that England has flipped in recent years, SE and London is often way more cloudy than everywhere else, even if it is 'warmer'.

Edited April 28, 2023 by In Absence of True Seasons

[B87]

Weatheronline at least is finally showing a change towards something spring-like as soon as we go into May. Reminiscent of 2018 or 1989.

Edited April 28, 2023 by B87

[In Absence of True Seasons]

I'm really confused as to how the Met Office just consistently gets its predictions so wildly wrong on the actual day-of. They are currently claiming 19c and partly sunny in London / SE by 2pm...considering it's nearly 1pm and I'm sitting at 12c and fully overcast (looks about to rain tbh), I honestly can't fathom how they post things like this. 

I can just go outside and feel the weather, right now, and it's so radically different to what this shows. 

But heyho, apparently it's going to warm up by 8 degrees in the next 60 minutes

 

[B87]

Just now, In Absence of True Seasons said:

I'm really confused as to how the Met Office just consistently gets its predictions so wildly wrong on the actual day-of. They are currently claiming 19c and partly sunny in London / SE by 2pm...considering it's nearly 1pm and I'm sitting at 12c and fully overcast (looks about to rain tbh), I honestly can't fathom how they post things like this. 

I can just go outside and feel the weather, right now, and it's so radically different to what this shows. 

But heyho, apparently it's going to warm up by 8 degrees in the next 60 minutes

 

It's currently 15c in London so 18-19c isn't out of the question with another 3-4 hours of warming.