April showers to dampen sunny days

Hot weather comes to an end as rain crosses much of country and temperatures revert to seasonal averages “Was that it then?” asked hundreds of thousands of Britons as the weekend’s mini heatwave began to collapse just in time for the Monday morning return to work. The answer from the Met Office is essentially: “Afraid so”, as temperatures revert to seasonal averages and rain crosses much of the country, ending the driest early spring since 1953. A cold front has begun moving in from the Atlantic, initially in the north-west, but it is expected to reach all areas by Wednesday. Sadness at the transitory nature of the “little summer” – which will at least persist for much of Monday along the south coast – was mixed with relief at a bit of damp for farmers and the horticultural industry. Resorting to mains water has leached supplies from reservoirs, especially in the south-west where some have dropped to 80% capacity at a time of the year when things are usually more waterlogged. The area may miss out on heavy rain which is expected to cross northern England and the Midlands on Tuesday. But few will escape an accompanying fall in temperatures, with unsettled and sometimes gusty weather in place nationwide by Wednesday night, according to forecasters. Victoria Kettley, of MeteoGroup, said: “Barbecue weather will be beating a retreat for at least the next few days. The front system will be moving in across the UK over Ireland, Scotland, and north-west England bringing colder air and rain. “Temperatures will be cool across north and western parts of the UK with readings between 11-14°C.” Much of the UK was hotter than the north Mediterranean and even Bermuda over the weekend, with Scotland joining in the bonanza. The highest temperatures were at the country’s opposite ends, with both Southampton and Aboyne near Aberdeen recording 23°C. The Algarve and Rome recorded 21°C. The peaks were 8°C above April averages and the natural world has produced its usual crop of anomalies as a result. Dandelions are on average three weeks earlier, brightening roadside verges and keeping gardeners busy. Dominic Price, of Plantlife, said: “They respond to the sun and it has suddenly become warm enough to trigger them so all the flowers have opened at once, creating a mass of yellow, but not always where it’s wanted, such as on our lawns. Large numbers of dandelions also come at the expense of other wildflowers, such as orchids and harebells, as they will gorge on the nutrients in the soil, leaving the weaker plants struggling to survive.” Weather Martin Wainwright guardian.co.uk

Posted by on April 11, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.