AT LAST! 60 DAYS OF SUNSHINE
Brits prepare to sizzle after long, cold winter
BRITAIN will finally shrug off the winter freeze with 60 days of glorious sunshine.
We are set for a welcome blast of summer heat starting in May, forecasters are predicting.
BRITAIN is set to bake in 60 days of glorious sunshine this summer.
After months of freezing, forecasters say we are in for an early heatwave.
Weather experts are predicting May will become the new August with 194 hours of sunshine.
It means Brits will get to enjoy a balmy 60 days this year where the temperature soars over 19C.
Changing weather patterns have seen the number of rainy days in May fall by 16% since the Sixties, while they have increased in August by eight per cent.
The scientific research found we should head for the beaches and get out the barbecues and picnics far earlier than we traditionally plan or face disappointment if we wait.
Looking back over nearly 40 years, the average of 194 sunshine hours in May puts July, 183, June, 180, and August, 172, in the shade. Not only does sunshine decrease in August, but rain is highest then too.
May is the driest month – with an average rainfall of 54mm across Britain – followed by July, 58mm, June, 60mm, and then August with 67mm.
Weatherquest’s results suggest April 16 should be regarded as the unofficial start of British summer. Forecaster Sian Lloyd said: “We need to ensure we bask in the sun in May as much as possible – and savour those two bank holidays with a barbecue.”
Jim Bacon, of Weatherquest, said last night: “Our research has revealed that May has indeed got drier and sunnier, whilst August isn’t always the sunny month it is thought to be.”
Discussing the weather is Brits’ most popular topic of conversation being mentioned 1,000 times a year, a survey for drinks brand Pimm’s found.
The Star Says: Page 6