Blanket of warm air to cover the country all week
It is beginning to feel a little bit summery, with high pressure dominating much of our weather – bringing settled, fine conditions to most parts by drawing in the warm air heading our way from the Azores. And the good news is that it looks like lasting well into next week and even next weekend.
Today there is a moderate switch in which is the favoured side of the country. Yesterday, the West did better for strong May sunshine, while the east coast was a little chillier because of on-shore breezes off the North Sea. Today, though, will see the mercury climbing in the East, while in the West those rain-laden weather fronts out in the Atlantic will make some progress against the prevailing high pressure and could see showers in Northern Ireland, north-west Scotland and even north-west England.
But the overall differences will be slight, as the mild air remains firmly in charge. The best of the temperatures will be in the West Midlands at 70F (21C), with the south-eastern corner of England seeing 68F (20C), and then Liverpool and Cardiff on that western flank down at 66F (19C). By tomorrow, the grip of high pressure will be loosened a little and those weather fronts will make greater inroads in the North and West. In the South and East, though, expect yet more dry and fine weather, and no change in the prevailing wind direction. So even if you are experiencing showers and clouds, they will largely be held in check by the blanket of warmer air over the whole country.
Our good fortune in these early stages of May comes down to the position of the jet stream – that ribbon of air currents in the high atmosphere that blows west to east over the Atlantic and shapes our weather. As next weekend approaches it will drift north of the UK, allowing the warmer air and more summer-like conditions to percolate into most parts, with temperatures up to 77F (25C).