That’s better! Spring’s got 1C warmer since the 60s

You may have long said that spring seems warmer than it used to.

And now Met office figures have revealed that British springtime has indeed grown warmer since the 1960s, with fewer frosts.

The average temperature for the months of March, April and May across the uK has risen one degree, from 7.1C (44F) between 1961 and 1990 to 8.1C (46F) in 2007 to 2016.

The three warmest springs on record – 2011, 2014 and 2007 – have all happened in the last decade, with 2011 being the hottest at 9.2C (48F).

There was also an annual average of just 33 frosts in the last decade, compared to the 1960s when there were 37 in a given year. ‘Within many people’s lifetimes, spring in the uK has become appreciably warmer,’ said Dr Mark McCarthy, head of the Met office’s National Climate Information Centre.

‘The average spring temperature across the uK has risen by about 1C and the number of days recording grass frost has fallen slightly, particularly for Scotland.’

However, he warned that with a chilly Easter weekend forecast, we may still wake up to frosty grounds.

He said: ‘We have seen relatively few widespread frosts so far this year, but this Easter weekend gardeners in rural areas, especially in northern Britain, caring for tender plants may encounter a ground frost.’ Scots will shiver in single figures this coming Sunday and Monday, with Glasgow struggling to reach 11C (52F).

Snow on Easter Sunday will be confined to higher ground in the Central Belt and parts of the Highlands; but all areas will suffer the wrath of two weather fronts coming in from the North.

In northern Scotland, this will bring some rain – heavy at times – and frequent scattered showers. Saturday should offer the best day of the weekend, with bright sunny spells promised and only occasional showers.

But in the North and NorthEast, the wind will pick up, with gale force gusts predicted. Temperatures are expected to plunge to -1C (30F) on Saturday night and -2C (28.4F) on Sunday night.