Latest news with #KathrynChalk
The Independent
29-05-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Wales sees sunniest spring on record
Wales has had its sunniest spring on record, the Met Office said. Some 648 hours of sunshine were clocked in the country between March 1 and May 28 – higher than the UK average. Kathryn Chalk, a Met Office meteorologist, said the provisional figure beats the previous peak of 647 hours in 2020. She said: 'It'll remain often cloudy across Wales today and into tomorrow, but some more brighter interludes are likely on Saturday as we end spring.' The UK as a whole has clocked 636.8 hours of sunshine in spring this year, beating the 626 hours set in 2020. Wales joins Scotland and Ireland in setting new peaks but England has not yet set a new record, Ms Chalk said. Met Office sunshine data goes back to 1910. On Wednesday, Met Office scientist Emily Carlisle said: 'We all remember the exceptionally sunny spring of 2020 but that title has now been surpassed by the spring of 2025. 'It has indeed been an extremely sunny and dry spring for the majority, but with a few days left of the season and more unsettled weather this week, it's too early to say what will happen with other records.' Figures for rainfall are due to be published by the Met Office later this week. They are likely to show the UK has experienced one of its driest springs, despite heavy downpours in some areas in recent days. Wales has faced a huge number of wildfires this year, with March being the driest since 1944, according to Natural Resources Wales (NRW). By the middle of April, Wales' three fire services had responded to more than 1,300 grass fires, with charities warning some areas could take decades to recover from the destruction. Last week, NRW moved the country into 'prolonged dry weather' status, with many rivers reported to be 'low or exceptionally low'. Rhian Thomas, sustainable water and nature manager at NRW, said: 'Such a dry start to the year is causing considerable concern for the health of our ecosystems and habitats, as well as for land management and the agricultural sector. 'As such, we have taken the decision to move the whole of Wales into prolonged dry weather status. 'For us, this means stepping up our actions and monitoring across Wales to help mitigate the impacts on the environment, land, water users and people, and responding to environmental incidents. 'Our drought teams will continue to meet regularly to review the status.' Ms Thomas urged people and businesses to 'use water wisely' to ensure water can continue to be supplied without damaging the environment.
BBC News
29-05-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Wales weather: Met Office confirms sunniest spring on record
Wales has had its sunniest spring on record, the Met Office has 648 hours of sunshine were clocked between 1 March and 28 May - higher than the UK Chalk, a Met Office meteorologist, said the provisional figure beat the previous peak of 647 hours in added it would remain cloudy across Wales on Thursday and Friday, with "some brighter interludes likely on Saturday as we end spring". The UK as a whole has clocked 636.8 hours of sunshine in spring this year, beating the 626 hours set in joins Scotland and Ireland in setting new peaks but England has not yet set a new record, Ms Chalk Office sunshine data goes back to 1910, and its figures for rainfall are also due to be published later this are likely to show the UK has experienced one of its driest springs, despite heavy downpours in some areas in recent has faced a huge number of wildfires this year, with March being the driest since 1944, according to Natural Resources Wales (NRW).By the middle of April, Wales' three fire services had responded to more than 1,300 grass fires, with charities warning some areas could take decades to recover from the week, NRW moved the country into "prolonged dry weather" status, with many rivers reported to be "low or exceptionally low".Rhian Thomas, sustainable water and nature manager at NRW, said: "Such a dry start to the year is causing considerable concern for the health of our ecosystems and habitats, as well as for land management and the agricultural sector."She urged people and businesses to "use water wisely" to ensure water can continue to be supplied without damaging the environment.
Daily Record
19-05-2025
- Climate
- Daily Record
Exact date Scotland's 'mini heatwave' to end as Met Office warns of 'heavy showers and rumbles'
Scots may be seeing the driest spring in 40 years, but forecasters are warning that the 'mini heatwave' will come to an end shortly- along with some showers. The entirety of the UK has been basking in abnormally warm conditions over the past few weeks, with temperatures reaching well above 20C in parts of Scotland. Last Monday (May 12), Auchencruive in South Ayrshire was hotter than Los Angeles, California, which records an average of 23.6C in May. A searing temperature of 24.5C was recorded in Auchencruive, followed by a whopping 25.5C the day after. However, this mini heatwave is to come to an end later on this week, after a short spell of showers will temporarily interrupt the sunshine this afternoon. While hot weather will continue through most of this week, temperature maps are showing much cooler conditions for the whole of the UK this coming Friday, May 23- just in time for the Spring Bank Holiday Weekend. Two temperature maps from WXCharts show a sharp cooling-off in temperatures over this week. While much of Britain is shaded in red on, Tuesday, May 20, showing conditions warmer than the seasonal average, by Friday they turn blueish, meaning they have dropped below what you would expect for this time of year, reports the Mirror. But while the hot weather will continue tomorrow, May 20, with highs of 21C in Scotland, we may see some showers today, May 19. Met Office Meteorologist Kathryn Chalk explained that Monday will see "cloudier skies across northern parts of England, Northern Ireland and southern Scotland, and here, some showers will bubble up, some of them on the heavy side, perhaps even with the odd rumble of thunder." But while the heatwave seems to continue after today's short spell of showers, that's all to change later this week. Met Office weather maps show temperatures in Scotland this coming Friday to range between a sharp 10C and a milder 17C, but it seems the heatwave that brought temperatures over 20C will indeed come to an official end. Saturday's temperatures look similar, with highs of 17C in Scotland. Sunday, May 25 will come with the coolest temperatures we'll see this week, with the maximum temperature to reach just 15C in Scotland. While it's a shame for Scots to say goodbye to the scorching weather, those taking part in the Edinburgh Marathon this Sunday may be glad for the cooler spell. Some showers are also expected across the Scottish capital on Sunday. And meteorologists say this turn towards more "unsettled" weather may be set to last the rest of the month, according to experts at the Met Office. The Met Office's medium-term outlook for the UK reads: "There are signs that this prolonged dry spell could begin to break down towards the end of next week, with rain and stronger winds potentially arriving from the west or south, possibly bringing further thunderstorms. "As we move into the latter part of the month, the long range outlook suggests a gradual shift toward more unsettled weather. "Western regions may see more frequent rain and showers, while the south and east could still maintain drier spells."
The Irish Sun
18-05-2025
- Climate
- The Irish Sun
Remarkably dry start to spring set to end as rain forecast for parts of the UK in just hours & some could get thunder
RAIN is set to fall in just hours in parts of the UK, marking the end of the remarkably dry start to spring, the Met Office has forecast. Some areas could even see thunder as the skies open up amid the 3 Rain could be on the way today across major cities in the UK Credit: Alamy 3 It comes amid the driest start to spring in six decades, with Brits enjoying temps as high as 29C over the past few weeks Credit: Alamy 3 The Met Office has warned some areas could experience thundery showers today Credit: x./@metofficeuk The Environment Agency has also warned there could be a risk of a drought this summer without sustained rainfall, with millions of households told they may face water restrictions in the coming months. As of Friday, just 80.6mm of rain has been recorded for the UK this spring - that's almost 20mm less than the record low of 100.7mm, set in 1852 for the full season. However, this could change imminently, as the Met Office has warned of showers landing in the north of the UK throughout Monday. Met Office meteorologist Kathryn Chalk explained showers hit across southern Scotland and northern England overnight on Sunday, with some reaching as far south as Wales. Read More on UK News Heading into Monday morning, there are expected to be "much-welcome" showers across the central belt of Scotland, northern England, and Northern Ireland. Cities such as Edinburgh and Glasgow in Scotland could be washed out by the rainfall, as could Manchester in the north of England. Met Office meteorologist Dan Stroud added that Monday would see sunny spells in the west develop widely with a "few scattered showers developing across the north during the course of Monday afternoon". He added: "One or two of those could be heavy, potentially thundery, but most places are going to be warm and dry." Most read in The Sun However, from Tuesday onwards there could be "an increasing chance of showers across southern areas of the country," Dan said. "Then beyond that, Thursday and Friday are likely to become dry, fine and sunny again, with good deals of sunshine for much of the country." Conditions in the UK this spring had been "remarkably dry up until now", Dan explained. However, as we approach the final week of May, which is also when schools break for half-term, the weather is "looking increasingly changeable, with areas of cloud and rain arriving from the west". The Met Office explained the prolonged warm and very dry spell, which has seen Brits enjoy However, by Tuesday, changing conditions could see "occasional heavy and potentially thundery showers developing across parts of Wales and the Discussing Wednesday's forecast, Dan said: "It will be a bit of a chilly start across England and Wales with plenty of sunshine to kick the day off. "But showers will develop across England and Wales, with some of those showers potentially heavy and thundery and breaching into the London area." Met Office forecast Today: Cloudy at first, but turning brighter with warm, sunny spells developing for most. Mainly dry, though showers bubbling up in the west, perhaps turning heavy or thundery during the afternoon. Tuesday to Thursday: Sunshine and showers for some on Tuesday and Wednesday, these perhaps heavy and thundery at times. Drier on Thursday with bright or sunny spells. Locally chilly overnight.
The Sun
18-05-2025
- Climate
- The Sun
Remarkably dry start to spring set to end as rain forecast for parts of the UK in just hours & some could get thunder
RAIN is set to fall in just hours in parts of the UK, marking the end of the remarkably dry start to spring, the Met Office has forecast. Some areas could even see thunder as the skies open up amid the driest start to the season in nearly six decades. 3 3 3 The Environment Agency has also warned there could be a risk of a drought this summer without sustained rainfall, with millions of households told they may face water restrictions in the coming months. As of Friday, just 80.6mm of rain has been recorded for the UK this spring - that's almost 20mm less than the record low of 100.7mm, set in 1852 for the full season. However, this could change imminently, as the Met Office has warned of showers landing in the north of the UK throughout Monday. Met Office meteorologist Kathryn Chalk explained showers hit across southern Scotland and northern England overnight on Sunday, with some reaching as far south as Wales. Heading into Monday morning, there are expected to be "much-welcome" showers across the central belt of Scotland, northern England, and Northern Ireland. Cities such as Edinburgh and Glasgow in Scotland could be washed out by the rainfall, as could Manchester in the north of England. Met Office meteorologist Dan Stroud added that Monday would see sunny spells in the west develop widely with a "few scattered showers developing across the north during the course of Monday afternoon". He added: "One or two of those could be heavy, potentially thundery, but most places are going to be warm and dry." However, from Tuesday onwards there could be "an increasing chance of showers across southern areas of the country," Dan said. "Then beyond that, Thursday and Friday are likely to become dry, fine and sunny again, with good deals of sunshine for much of the country." Conditions in the UK this spring had been "remarkably dry up until now", Dan explained. However, as we approach the final week of May, which is also when schools break for half-term, the weather is "looking increasingly changeable, with areas of cloud and rain arriving from the west". The Met Office explained the prolonged warm and very dry spell, which has seen Brits enjoy temperatures as high as 29C, was primarily caused by high pressure. However, by Tuesday, changing conditions could see "occasional heavy and potentially thundery showers developing across parts of Wales and the Midlands, with one or two of those breaching into London". Discussing Wednesday's forecast, Dan said: "It will be a bit of a chilly start across England and Wales with plenty of sunshine to kick the day off. "But showers will develop across England and Wales, with some of those showers potentially heavy and thundery and breaching into the London area."
