Summer is here, but how long will it last?
Paul Hudson
What a nice change to be able to report a听decent fine spell of weather as we begin summer (climatologically June, July and August), the first such warm settled spell in our area since the second half of May last year.
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High pressure looks set to dominate into early next week, with light winds and spells of sunshine, although it won鈥檛 always be sunny; a weak cold front on Wednesday for example will make for cooler, cloudier conditions, especially in eastern areas.
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The change to warmer, settled weather comes after a very cold spring.
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According to the Met Office, spring ended up the coldest across the UK since 1962 鈥� making it the 5th coldest since this modern data set began in 1910.
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But as ever, the more interesting and meaningful comparison comes from the Central England Temperature (CET) series.
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This is the world鈥檚 longest temperature data set, which stretches back to the mid-17th century.
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According to Philip Eden, writing in the Sunday Telegraph, and who is a leading expert in this series, temperature levels this spring were around the same as those in the springs of 1962, 1951 and 1941.
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But more interestingly, he says, according to the figures there has not been a significantly colder spring in the CET area since 1891.
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But back to the welcome sunshine. With current indications suggesting less settled conditions developing towards the middle of the month, it may again be useful advice to enjoy it while it lasts.
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