In April we experienced all forms of weather – from outbreaks of sleet and snow at the start of the month to the beautifully sunny Easter weekend that we hope everyone enjoyed.
Thankfully, Storm Hannah didn’t affect the North West too severely, however, we made sure we were prepared for all eventualities to ensure that we were on hand throughout to keep powering the lives of our five million customers across the region.
Let’s see whether the warmer weather will be making another appearance in May in the latest weather update from MeteoGroup meteorologist, Richard Martin-Barton.
A look back at April
April began with a rather unsettled and cold regime for a few days, as low pressure circulated over the UK. There were widespread thundery and wintry April showers, although these were quickly followed by an unwelcome return to winter, with outbreaks of rain, sleet and snow pushing slowly south across the region on the 3rd. Temperatures struggled to rise much above 5 or 6°C for many. It slowly became drier and less cold over the coming days.
High pressure then slid south across the UK on the 8th and 9th, and remained as a strong blocking force throughout the middle of the month. Cold north-easterly winds brought widespread night frosts under clear skies from the 10th to the 14th, although a subtle change in wind direction to a south-easterly allowed temperatures to climb after the 15th. It soon became rather warm, and the Easter Weekend was gloriously sunny with barely a cloud in the sky.
However, the British weather can be rather fickle, and this was certainly the case after Easter – weather fronts approaching from the south and south-west brought a classic thundery breakdown to the region, and there were some lively thunderstorms on the 24th and 25th.
Storm Hannah brought strong winds to much of England and Wales on the 27th, after bringing storm-force winds to south-west Ireland the previous day. The month ended on a calmer note though, as building pressure across the UK prevented the usual eastward progression of fronts, bringing largely dry and settled conditions.
A look ahead to May
May will announce its presence with a cold blast from the north this weekend, pushing temperatures well below average. Although it will be chilly, there should be a good deal of dry and bright weather, perhaps with some patchy drizzle on Monday.
A significant change is expected from Tuesday onwards, as a deep depression extends across the country from the south-west, powered by a more active Atlantic jet stream. There will be a lot of unsettled and wet weather, with some persistent rain likely at time, and cold air is likely to linger across the country throughout the week. Only by the end of next week does it look like the low-pressure influence will start to wane.
During the second full week of May, we expect high pressure to gradually extend across the UK from the North Atlantic, squeezing low pressure areas away from northern Britain early in the week. More widespread dry and calm conditions should slowly develop for a time, although it does look like there could be a period of slightly wetter and breezier weather just after mid-month, when weak low-pressure areas may move in from the Atlantic once again.
Towards the end of May, it looks like high pressure will remain just to the east of Britain. This should allow it to become increasingly warm, with winds wafting up from the south or south-east. There should be a good deal of dry weather around too, although a few isolated heavy showers or thunderstorms are also possible.
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