Cold wind will blow away that summery feeling
MIDSUMMER weather arrived early to play its part in the VE Day celebrations, lifting a little of the gloom of lockdown. But if you haven’t got around to taking down the Union Jack bunting in your garden quite yet, it might be an idea to get on with it. For today we are making a brief retreat into what will feel distinctly wintry.
The cause is a dramatic change in wind direction. The mini-heatwave on Friday and Saturday, with temperatures peaking at about 25C (77F) was fuelled by warm air blowing up from southern Europe. Late yesterday, however, northern Scotland felt the first blast of a northerly wind straight from the Arctic. Overnight, almost all of us will be in its grip.
The effect will be felt particularly strongly down the eastern seaboard, where gusts coming in off the North Sea will reach 30 to 40mph, pushing the mercury down to 10C (50F) on the coast of East Anglia and Lincolnshire, and 7C (45F) in Newcastle and Edinburgh.
In more sheltered parts, it should be warmer. The southwest corner of England will do best, at 15C (59F), with South Wales not far behind at 14C (57F). And then overnight into Monday an air frost will cast a chilly spell over much of Scotland and northern England, and could creep further southwards. By Wednesday, though, the winds will have quietened and temperatures should begin to rise.
April was the sunniest on record, and despite that late wave of showers, it was also notably dry. Those who look for patterns to predict what may lay ahead have noted that a dry, sunny April is not usually a reliable sign of a dry, sunny summer. Don’t get your hopes up too high.