HIGH pressure dominated a month for the first time for over a year.
Anticyclones have, of course, made appearances in the meantime, but never hung around for more than a few days. Their stay was timely, as in May we can appreciate the fine weather they bring, and this was especially welcome after the dreadful weather of late.
For us in the North-East, the high pressure centres did not settle in the ideal place. They tended to become anchored over or to the east of Scotland, which meant, as the circulation round them is clockwise, that the winds blew in off the North Sea. Consequently, coastal districts were often chilly, although sea frets, also frequently brought in from this direction, were thankfully scarce.
The month began with a northerly spell as a depression moved away across the North Sea. A front crossing the region from the North-West brought a few outbreaks of heavy rain during the morning of the 3rd. Pressure then rose steadily as a ridge of high pressure built north-eastwards across Scotland from an anticyclone over the Azores. This turned the airflow into the north-east, maintaining the bright, dry but chilly conditions over the bank holiday weekend.
Gradually during the next week, very warm, continental air filtered into the country as winds became more south-easterly. Nevertheless, the coastal strip remained cool. The contrast between the seashore and inland was illustrated than on Friday the 11th. At 2pm, the temperature here at Carlton, near Stokesley, was 23C (73F), whereas at Kirkleatham, on the west side of Redcar, it was just 13C (56F). This represents a drop in temperature of almost 1C (2F) per mile. On the beach, the mercury was probably hovering around 9C (48F), about that of the sea, barely a degree or so warmer than at its coldest in March.
Despite the high levels reached inland during the afternoons, with clear skies, temperatures fell rapidly at night as the breeze dropped off. Ground frosts occurred on every night during the first ten days, except early on the 3rd. There was a touch of air frost too on a few occasions.
The exceptional weather was maintained over the middle weekend (12th-13th) with hardly a cloud in the sky. However, low pressure was gradually edging towards southern districts. This pushed cloud ahead of it until, by late evening on the 15th, we had some light rain. Winds changed into the south-west for the first time in the month. Temperatures by day generally came down with a bump, though at the seaside, with the wind now off the land, it warmed-up.
During the evening of the Thursday the 17th, as a depression moved across the country and into the North Sea, the breeze veered into the north again, bringing a downpour lasting a couple of hours. This was the wettest day of the month for most of us. Then, almost unbelievably, another cell of high pressure moved from the south-west up the Channel and into the North Sea to give another fine spell by the next weekend.
This high finally declined towards the south-west over the second holiday weekend. This allowed weak fronts to cross northern Britain. On the Monday, a small depression scooted across Scotland causing a brisk westerly. Coming from that direction, only small amounts of rain fell and it stayed quite warm - warmer, once more, for the coastal strip. It remained this way till the start of June with just a few showers.
All in all, it was a magnificent May: very sunny, and, with only one-third to a half the expected rainfall across the region, the driest since 1992. It was warm inland, but nearer normal adjacent to the sea and generally at night. Mean maxima were the second highest in my 18-year record at Carlton after those of 1992.
It was the fourth consecutive mild May and it ended the run of cooler than usual months that we've experienced so far this year. It allowed soil temperatures, well down at the start of the month, to pick up to above where they should be at the end.
Spring temperatures overall were 0.5C (1F) below normal, making it the coolest since 1996. Low minima were responsible for this, these being the coldest since 1984. Rainfall was about average, though it was the driest spring for four years.
MAY TEMPERATURES & RAINFALL AT CARLTON IN CLEVELAND
Mean max 17C, 62.5F (+2.2C, +4F)
Mean min 6.3C, 43.5F, (-0.1C, -0.2F)
Highest 23.6C, 74.5F, 11th
Lowest -0.3C, 31.5F, 4th
Total rainfall 24mm, 0.95in, (-20mm, -0.8in)
Wettest day 9mm, 0.35in, 17th
No of rain days, with 0.2mm (0.01in) or more: 9 (-4)
(Figures in brackets show the difference from the 17-year mean, 1984-2001
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