They say May is the Friday before summer – but with it only looming a few days away, the weather may not feel like it.
Despite a warm start to April with the mercury hitting a very welcome 22C earlier this month, chilly temperatures appear to have crept back in. Winter coats are back out as Brits shivered in 6C weather in parts of the UK this week.
So why has the wintry weather returned, and, more importantly, when will we see that eagerly-awaited spring sunshine? A spot of high pressure in the west is to blame for the April chill, according to weather presenter Jo Wheeler.
The Sky presenter said: “High pressure to the west of the UK and Ireland gave hopes for a few days of settled weather, even though it was forecast to be a ‘cloudy high’.” The pressure brought cold northerly winds to parts of the UK and other parts of Europe, she added, but was weak enought to “allow frontal systems to move through it”, so not enough to stop rain clouds.
“And, winds were strong enough to give a significant wind chill along the North Sea coasts, which was pretty bitter.” But things are set to take a turn for the better soon, said Jo.
“Low pressure, spreading from the south at the weekend, will bring milder conditions but also some rain and fresher winds.” According to the Met Office, Friday will see “another chilly start” with more “unsettled weather” over the weekend with even a chance of storms.
“Temperatures [are] likely to trend upwards, with the chance of a warm to very warm spell in some southern and eastern parts, before conditions probably turn drier, cooler and more settled from the west towards the end of the period,” the service said.
