April And May 2011

[Ja23]

Any reason why April was so dry and much warmer than normal? And that May was different more unsettled and Scotland recieved a lot more than average rainfall meanwhile the South continue to suffer with no or very little rain. Is it climate change to blame or just a rare occurence?

[damianslaw]

Any reason why April was so dry and much warmer than normal? And that May was different more unsettled and Scotland recieved a lot more than average rainfall meanwhile the South continue to suffer with no or very little rain. Is it climate change to blame or just a rare occurence?

Its quite an unusual occurance it has to be said, however, on average April is often a very dry month especially in the NW and we can see 'blocked sluggish patterns' with a weak atlantic and thus synoptics taking a more unusual turn with easterlies and northerlies at their yearly montly maxim peak.

This year saw persistan high pressure near or over the country with a continental source - the atlantic was dead and thus we maintained very dry sunny warm weather.

May saw a NW-SE split with the atlantic trough close to the NW throughout delivering copious rain here but keeping the SE in the rain shadow.

I would have much preferred to have seen the synoptics of April happen in May and vice versa - 30 degrees would have easily been reached by late May -it would have felt truly a summer month - alas summer warmth in April is too early and is not supported by the light nights of May, June and July so it can never really feels like summer has arrived -a bit like early cold in October far too early for it to feel like winter..

[Ja23]

Thanks for the reply explained it all. So it was just a rare/unusual occurrence then.

[Alex]

I would think so ja23 as the spring was the driest on record in some spots and April was obviously record breaking! Unusual as both events have never happened before.

Saying that it's interesting that it took just 4 years to beat 2007s April record!

[Optimus Prime]

In recent years it seems not. Take April 2007 for example - very warm throughout. Then towards the end of May 2007 one of the coldest spells of May weather on record. Maximum of 8.0c in London and 6.9c here.