Sunny skies for our dark times
Turned out nice again. Parts of Britain are enjoying the sunniest spring on record and despite an Atlantic low pressure system moving across the north west of the UK yesterday providing a brief blip to the days of uninterrupted blue skies; expect more of the same into next week.
In truth, yesterday morning it was a relief to wake up and see the roof slicked with rainfall. Things have got so dry in recent weeks that on my road we are watering the street trees just to keep them alive.
Data from the University of Reading’s weather observatory showed that by 10am on May 20 there had already been more than 610 hours of sunshine since the start of March, with more than a week of May still remaining. That makes it the highest spring total since the university’s sunshine records started in 1956 – beating the previous record of 604.6 hours in the spring of 1990.
Ever since lockdown was declared it seems the sun has shone. Rolling out of bed each day under paradisiacal skies reminded me of Tennyson’s The Lotos-eaters. Re-reading the poem, a line jumps out that seems eerily reminiscent of these past few months: “Give us long rest or death, dark death, or dreamful ease.”
Interestingly it may be the lockdown itself which has contributed to the fine weather. Previous research by Nasa has shown that pollution can seed clouds, while particles in the sky block incoming sunlight.
Research published this week has shown a 17 per cent fall in carbon emissions globally because of the lockdown. Some areas of London have seen a 48 per cent reduction in nitrogen dioxide levels.
While we may regard the weather as entirely distinct – something that occurs regardless of our actions – it is important to remember our connection: be it the record rains of last winter or this current sunny spell.
And as lockdown eases and the economy wakes from its enforced slumber, hopefully the new world we build pays greater homage to this universal truth.