Why we mustn’t grumble about the downpours
WELL, the farmers and gardeners were complaining about the lack of rain! But after several days where the South-east, East coast and northern Scotland all saw much-needed if prolonged downpours, of up to 1.5in (40mm), today will bring a welcome return to dry and sunny conditions.
Low pressure will finally exit the stage, with only a few last stragglers to contend with in the far north-east of Scotland. Everywhere else, the high pressure building from the warm South will dominate. It should bring decent temperatures: 68F (20C) in London and 59F (15C) in Glasgow.
And that is just the jumping-off point for the week ahead, with the mercury continuing to rise as settled, sunny and dry conditions settle in. In the South-east, it could climb to 73F (23C) by mid-week.
How long the high will last, however, is still in the balance. Wetter, cooler systems waiting over the Atlantic could displace it before next weekend, which will raise a cheer from our farmers.
The deluge of the past few days may have seemed interminable but the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology is warning that it was nowhere near enough to assuage fears of a drought. “Substantial” rainfall is needed between now and the summer.
The World Meteorological Organisation this week came up with a top five “weather disasters”. Perhaps they want to stop us moaning about a few heavy showers here in Blighty by reminding us that – in first place – the tropical cyclone that hit Bangladesh in 1970 cost 300,000 lives, while, in second place, a lightning strike in Egypt in 1994 hit military oil facilities, sparking a fire that claimed 469 lives.