High pressure to take charge amid a see-saw spring
AFTER the topsy-turvy conditions – with signs of an early spring rapidly replaced by what feels like a throwback to winter – this weekend and the week ahead will see a welcome return to stability. By Tuesday central parts of the UK will be hotter than the Canary Islands with temperatures of 63F (17C).
What is causing all this good news is high pressure anchored over the country, part of a system that stretches away to the south west and reaches as far down as the Azores. So today expect blue skies and warmth, but a chill settling in as evening falls.
Winds in a high-pressure system blow clockwise around our coasts, leaving a calm centre. So Birmingham should see the best of all worlds at 59F (15C), with anywhere from Plymouth and Portsmouth to Belfast a breezy 55F (13C). The seawater remains too cold for all but the most intrepid swimmers.
High pressure should stick around until the middle of the week, with Tuesday set to see the mercury climb highest. After that, a low from the Atlantic will start to edge its way in, bringing rain in the west and cloudier, cooler conditions.
Those with an eye for detail might like to consult the latest Cloud Atlas, the famous 19th century text produced by the World Meteorological Organisation. As well as the cirrus and cumulus of GCSE geography lessons, this edition adds new rarer types such as asperitas, characterised by a lumpy up and down shape that peaks in wave-like formations.
Publication was part of World Meteorological Day on March 23. To mark it, there was the release of more data on last year’s weather, notably “the polar equivalent of a heatwave” in the Arctic.