'April showers, only in May' forecast as unusually cold weather to turn wet as week goes on
Ulster is set for a blustery week, as unusually cold weather is set to turn wet – giving what the Met Office described as “April showers, only in May”.
It may look like T-shirts and shorts weather from a glance out of the window today, but take a step outside and the biting reality of fresh conditions quickly becomes apparent.
Temperatures hit around 12C on Monday, roughly two to three degrees colder than could be expected at this time of year.
And with the Balmoral Show due to begin on Wednesday, the weather looks to be particularly dismal as one of the biggest events of the year kicks off.
“It’ll feel much more like mid-April than the middle of May,” said a Met Office spokesperson, adding that rain is to move in on Wednesday and Thursday.
“We’ll be seeing showers, frequently locally heavy, blustery, with hail and thunder in the mix. April showers only in May, it’s not what we want to hear.”
Below average temperatures seen in the past few days, said the spokesperson, is the result of cold Arctic air moving over the UK.
“The source of our weather has been from the north and north-west,” said the Met Office. “We’re expecting that to continue for the next few days, and through into the weekend. Temperatures will be running cooler than average by day and night.
“It’s keeping the cloud at bay but lacking the warmth you would normally expect in the air at this time of year.”
Temperatures are likely to stay around 12C to 13C over the next few days, though could be expected to bounce around a little bit, added the spokesperson.
“Showers are the name of the game for Wednesday and Thursday; things come somewhat more settled and drier, but during the course of the weekend cloud and rain starts to roll in from the west. On the plus side, we are looking at temperatures recovering to average during the course of next weekend.”
Sunday looks like being a brighter and drier day, with temperatures “back to where they should be” said the Met Office.
But with the biggest agricultural event of the year about to kick off, people at the Balmoral Show will be “dodging the showers”.
“There’s a keen north-westerly wind on Wednesday, which brings showers though they will push through quite quickly,” said the spokesperson.
Across the UK as a whole, overnight some locations may experience relatively late in the season overnight frosts, while there is a chance that the Scottish mountains could experience wintry showers.
Joe Whitehead, chairman of the UK-wide Professional Gardeners’ Guild, said May is the trickiest month and can be “so difficult” for gardeners.
He said his advice is to “look at the weather every day so you’ve got an idea of what’s coming up”.
He added: “Anything tender, bring them in to the garage, to the porch, or cover them with something.
“In your allotment, think about your potatoes coming through the ground.”
Based in the east of England, Mr Whitehead said he is desperate for rain, but advised gardeners not to over-water plants.