Spring 2021: Moans, Groans, Ramps and Banter.

[Number 23]

I think this April feels so much worse because we're all anticipating finally having some freedom.

Last spring would've been perfect for some BBQ/beer garden weather to celebrate some positive news.

As it stands, inviting a friend or family over to sit in the bloody cold in the back garden doesn't really cut it.

Let's hope we're getting this tripe out of the way early

[Stabilo19]

I don't think those in the SE are exaggerating, it's been pretty chilly, and at times cold, under the cloud and in that easterly wind. I don't doubt that it feels pleasant further north in the sunshine though! 

[Weather Enthusiast91]

For me, this month is turning out to be a dry version of April 2012.

[Nick L]

58 minutes ago, Weather-history said:

There were only 3 air frosts during the meteorological winter of 2013-14, this April has been wintrier than that winter even in terms of snowfalls. 

I refuse to call that season a winter. 

[Arch Stanton]

Lovely as this sunshine & dry weather maybe, where are the April showers that used to be almost guaranteed every year? I fear this prolonged dry spell will eventually reverse (and balance itself out) and we'll be stuck in a 6-7 week-long trough at some point this year.

There seems to be no balance in our weather anymore, well not in the South East at least. 

[Nick L]

18 minutes ago, Arch Stanton said:

Lovely as this sunshine & dry weather maybe, where are the April showers that used to be almost guaranteed every year? I fear this prolonged dry spell will eventually reverse (and balance itself out) and we'll be stuck in a 6-7 week-long trough at some point this year.

There seems to be no balance in our weather anymore, well not in the South East at least. 

This is something I've noticed in recent years. Rather than getting regular spells of rainfall, we seem to switch between very dry and very wet spells.

[cheeky_monkey]

another cracking day here in Edmonton..wall to wall sunshine not a breathe of wind high forecast of 18c after frosty morning couldn't get any better

[Arctic Hare]

The usual pattern here. Chilly but sunny morning, okay early afternoon with patchy cloud, now 80-90% cloud cover and feeling distinctly chilly again. Not especially pleasant to be out now, and even though the wind's light it still carries a distinct nip. I also see the MetO text forecast for Saturday afternoon IMBY has become significantly cloudier than the one issued for the same period 24 hours ago.

Probably fair to say that the special circumstances that apply right now have a bearing. In a normal April when you're out in town and it gets too cold to sit in a beer garden you can retreat inside the pub, right now that's not an option (at least in England). So because we have to stay outdoors so much, we're feeling the chill we'd normally be able to avoid more easily. Also we're inevitably going to think back and mentally compare with last April, which was exceptional.

[Cheshire Freeze]

55 minutes ago, Nick L said:

This is something I've noticed in recent years. Rather than getting regular spells of rainfall, we seem to switch between very dry and very wet spells.

Yep I noticed that too. Seems to be all or nothing.

[AderynCoch]

On 15/04/2021 at 15:18, AderynCoch said:

More sleet/graupel showers today. Meanwhile there's a foot of snow on the nearby hills (about 500m). Sadly by the time I get a chance to visit it will probably be all gone.

I love a bit of reverse psychology. It was more like two feet in some places! In others though it was starting to turn slushy, and there was almost none left on the forest canopy exposed to the sun.

I had the place to myself pretty much, and the untouched snow looked so pristine.

 

Malý Javorník weather station:

[Weather Enthusiast91]

4 hours ago, Arch Stanton said:

Lovely as this sunshine & dry weather maybe, where are the April showers that used to be almost guaranteed every year? I fear this prolonged dry spell will eventually reverse (and balance itself out) and we'll be stuck in a 6-7 week-long trough at some point this year.

There seems to be no balance in our weather anymore, well not in the South East at least. 

I must admit, I was expecting a fairly wet April after the exceptionally dry one we had last year; but it looks as if this one is panning out to be the same way albeit cooler. I reckon May will be dry as well.

Even though it has only been two Aprils in a row so far, I have a feeling that April showers will soon become a thing of the past and that dry springs will become more commonplace.

Edited April 16, 2021 by Weather Enthusiast91

[hillbilly]

1 hour ago, Weather Enthusiast91 said:

I must admit, I was expecting a fairly wet April after the exceptionally dry one we had last year; but it looks as if this one is panning out to be the same way albeit cooler. I reckon May will be dry as well.

Even though it has only been two Aprils in a row so far, I have a feeling that April showers will soon become a thing of the past and that dry springs will become more commonplace.

Not sure where you get that from?Yes we have had some dry Aprils lately but you couldnt say that about 2018,2016 and certainly not 2012!

[MP-R]

17 minutes ago, hillbilly said:

Not sure where you get that from?Yes we have had some dry Aprils lately but you couldnt say that about 2018,2016 and certainly not 2012!

Indeed, and only the last three Mays have been on the dry side. 2017 and before was a different story. Before then, I would've said that a dry April would be majorly corrected in May but given the last few years, who knows!

[damianslaw]

7 hours ago, Number 23 said:

I think this April feels so much worse because we're all anticipating finally having some freedom.

Last spring would've been perfect for some BBQ/beer garden weather to celebrate some positive news.

As it stands, inviting a friend or family over to sit in the bloody cold in the back garden doesn't really cut it.

Let's hope we're getting this tripe out of the way early

Hit nail on the head, the weary drained feeling posed by the last 12 month situation, combined with the fact we can only meet up outside, is making everyone want warmth more than ever, and whilst dry and sunny it has not been warm enough to feel comfortable for any length of time, certainly not once entering the evening. 

[Nick L]

23 minutes ago, damianslaw said:

Hit nail on the head, the weary drained feeling posed by the last 12 month situation, combined with the fact we can only meet up outside, is making everyone want warmth more than ever, and whilst dry and sunny it has not been warm enough to feel comfortable for any length of time, certainly not once entering the evening. 

The cruel irony with the convective infill is that it clears away fairly quickly going into the evening, but by that point any appreciable strength in the sunlight has gone.

[Arctic Hare]

I suppose it could be worse. We might have ended up with a very warm, humid late April - and stormy weather is not ideal if you can't dash inside when you're at the cafe or pub! Still getting fed up with the chill, though. Cold is great in January if there's snow to be had. Cold is not great in the second half of April, definitely not when there's even more of it stretching away for some time to come yet.

[Weather-history]

Another day, another air frost that's 13 for this month.

 

Edited April 17, 2021 by Weather-history

[damianslaw]

16 minutes ago, Weather-history said:

Another day, another air frost that's 13 for this month.

 

An exceptionally frosty April so far

[Evening thunder]

A min of -3.7C here this morning, the lowest of the month.

Didn't expect it to get quite that low. Although a couple stations within a few miles of here on higher ground, or on the coast, were several degrees warmer which is not unusual.

I wonder how cold we would have been had we got a properly clear calm night right after the Arctic northerly.

[Scorcher]

2 hours ago, Weather-history said:

Another day, another air frost that's 13 for this month.

 

Not as cold last night though at the official weather stations in the area- Manchester Airport remained above freezing overnight.

Another sunny morning which is the positive side of the clear sky overnight.

It's been an exceptionally sunny month so far at Rostherne with close to 120 hours already.

We don't seem to have been as badly affected by the infill in the afternoons as many other places this month.

[Evening thunder]

19 hours ago, Weather-history said:

There were only 3 air frosts during the meteorological winter of 2013-14, this April has been wintrier than that winter even in terms of snowfalls. 

We had 19 here,
Dec: 5
Jan: 9
Feb: 2

Just wanted to post a few stats as my location seems to throw up a few surprising/interesting quirks:

January 2014 had a lower temp (-2.7C) than both January and February 2013 (both -2.4C)
All 3 winter months had a lower min temp than Feb 2021's -2.2C (though only just, Feb 2014 saw -2.3C).

Guess that's the difference a clear calm night makes in a valley floor location. Westerlies can still be colder than cloudy/windy easterlies if it's clear with light enough winds. 

Edited April 17, 2021 by Evening thunder

[Scorcher]

I was just looking at the sunshine stats for my local weather station Rostherne and the sunshine levels for the month so far are almost identical to last April at this point in the month. 

Only 8mm of precipitation so far as well.

Temperatures have obviously been a lot lower however. 

Rainy Manchester eh!

[Methuselah]

3 minutes ago, Scorcher said:

I was just looking at the sunshine stats for my local weather station Rostherne and the sunshine levels for the month so far are almost identical to last April at this point in the month. 

Only 8mm of precipitation so far as well.

Temperatures have obviously been a lot lower however. 

Rainy Manchester eh!

Apart from a lot more in the way of sleet & snow, this April has indeed been similar to last year's: oodles and oodles of sunshine, even if temps have been a fair bit lower (especially overnight). But, as I spend three days each week working in polytunnels, why should I care? 

[stainesbloke]

Grim here in Prague, overcast, bits of sleet in the wind, 4°C, vile The wild plums (which grow like weeds here) are in blossom, but they’re a month late, as is all plant growth. Can’t wait for some warmer weather.

[NEVES SCREAMER]

Started at minus 2c here in Dudley. Now shot up to the dizzy heights of plus 12c. Light wind. Sunny. Just need a genuine warm up now but it looks like the chill is coming back by Wednesday.