Mixed fortunes for our distant garden parties
FOR socially distanced gatherings to work within the current rules, we need to be able to get out into our gardens and parks.
Rain, thunder and even a dusting of snow (in June!) reported in Walsall in the West Midlands this past week have made that a tricky business.
While the south-east corner of England is in desperate need of rain, having a whole month’s worth dumped in a few hours – as happened in parts of Essex – dampens even the most resilient lockdown spirits.
But relief is on the way. The blocked weather pattern is replaced today by something fresher and more fluid.
In Northern Ireland, much of Scotland and parts of north-west England, that will unfortunately mean fluid in the literal sense – more rain.
Further south and east, though, it is blue skies. Temperatures will be warm in most parts – so 22C (72F) around London and East Anglia, and 19C (66F) anywhere from Cardiff up to Edinburgh and Aberdeen.
For the week ahead, a reinvigorated jet stream, the ribbon of air that blows west to east across the Atlantic, will be over the UK. That means a succession of low-pressure systems.
Most projections suggest these will have most impact over northern and western parts, with the south and east in the warmer, drier embrace of high pressure, which could see London temperatures peaking at 30C (86F).
However, there is a degree of doubt, with an alternative scenario seeing the Atlantic lows a much more widespread influence that will see the whole country largely cool and damp.
If you’ve invested in a gazebo for garden gatherings, it may be money well spent.