A warm blast before we all get the cold shoulder
A PLEASANT blast of warm Azores air these past few days has brought temperatures nudging 22C (72F), a record for the year so far, and tantalisingly dangled the prospect of a burst of the best that spring can bring. Brace yourself, but it may turn out to be a false dawn, as Scotland found yesterday when rain and cooler air started working its way in. Today we will all be having that same sinking feeling, especially our poor farmers struggling to plant their crops in rain-sodden fields. There is, though, a glimpse of something better arriving later in the coming week.
The morning will see low pressure spreading downwards from north to south, accompanied by showers initially in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Everywhere it is going to feel markedly fresher, with that warm shot of air a fading memory. Expect nothing better than 10C (50F) in Scotland’s central belt, 11C (52F) in Northern Ireland, 12C (54F) over north western England and much of Wales, 13C (55F) in Cornwall and Devon, 14C (57F) in East Anglia and 15C (59F) in Greater London. All more less in line with seasonal averages, but after the past few days when coats were left on their pegs it will feel disappointing.
Tomorrow, the mercury edges down further still, with bands of rain sweeping the country from north west to south east, followed by a mix of sunshine and showers. It will stay cool – as low as 46F (8C) in some parts – until later in the week when high pressure, a welcome arrival anytime in the spring and summer months, starts returning bringing with it warmth and sunshine from the south. Looking ahead, a complex task given all the variables in forecasts, projections are pointing towards a marvellous May, especially in the northern half of the UK, but experience, surely, has taught us not to take anything for granted.*