Make the most of sunny gaps – they will not last long
IT HAS been a summer in the gaps so far. The prevailing conditions are being shaped by low-pressure systems heading in from the Atlantic, bringing wet and cool weather. Then every few days a ridge of high pressure pushes its way into the gap, the skies turn blue, the strong July sun is given free range, and we all head for the beaches.
In the coming days, that pattern is going to continue. The wait for a long, uninterrupted spell of dry, sunny, settled weather isn’t over yet.
Yesterday was miserable for most, with rain and even thunder in some places, but today will see a modest improvement. Southern and eastern parts will do best, with temperatures up to 73F (23C) across the London region and East Anglia.
Over in the opposite corner of the country, in north-west Scotland, the latest area of low pressure will make landfall, bringing with it rain and a blustery wind that could reach speeds of 40mph.
Glasgow and Edinburgh will be down at 63F (17C) and the unseasonal conditions will spread into north-west England and Northern Ireland.
Somewhere between this evening and the middle of tomorrow, there will be another of those gaps where the sun reappears and high pressure tries to build in, but it will prove a shortlived taste of summer.
So if you wake up to a bright morning, get out and enjoy it because it is unlikely to last.
By afternoon, the next low will swing in from the west, making for a very wet evening tomorrow overnight into Tuesday. Again there will be sunshine after the rain and, from Tuesday through to Thursday, we will benefit from the some of the warmth of the current heatwave in southern Europe as high pressure, once more, makes its presence felt.
After that, the jury is still out in the computer projections, but the likeliest scenario as we move into August is more wind and rain. Enjoy the gaps.