Nagging breeze won’t release its wintery grip
IT HAS been a case of one step forward two steps back of late. The year’s hottest day last Saturday – 71.2F (21.8C) in Essex – was followed by a week where, despite some blue skies during the day, it felt positively wintery in the evenings, time to turn the heating on again. And it won’t get appreciably better any time soon.
At least the cold front, accompanied by a northerly wind, that chilled us last week has headed off. In its place has come high pressure, usually a good sign, especially in spring and summer but, alas, no one has told the northerly wind to blow somewhere else. And so, much like yesterday, there has been a lot of cloud about, especially in the east. Even when the sun does break through, mostly in the west, the temperatures are a bit below average for late April.
The good news for today is that our seemingly constant companion, the rain, will be absent for the most part. The sun will do a better job of burning off the cloud in western parts.
Northern Ireland may even see 16C (61F), with 15C (59F) in Glasgow, 14C (57F) in South Wales and 13C (55F) down in Cornwall and Devon. By contrast, on the eastern seaboard, that wretched wind will keep on blowing on shore, and do it slightly more than yesterday, its direction changing to a north-easterly. Expect 10C (50F) if you venture on to a beach in Northumbria, and 11C (52F) in East Anglia, and don’t count on too much help from the sun. Down in south-eastern England, a steady but disappointing 13C (55F) will not be putting a smile on many faces.
And next week? Same as before at first, even marginally a bit cooler. That nagging breeze just won’t release us from its grip. By mid-week, the dominant high pressure looks set to be nudged aside by a low from the north-west. And that will bring the rain back. Roll on May.*