May 2026 was a warm month and the 3rd warmest on record. It also had just under average rainfall. Neither of these looked possible until a sudden change on the 22nd to a very hot spell of weather. The month featured two Thunderstorms storm and a thundery shower.
Although May kicked off very warm as 24.6C was reached on the 1st the month was basically average until or slightly below until the 21st. Without the hot spell May could well have been an average or just below average month. Temperatures from the 2nd until the 20th were mostly around mid teens. A few days above and a few days below. Night times were single digits from the 4th to the 19th. The coldest night was the 6th with a low of 2.8C. The 3rd was an exception with 10.5C being the low this not being beaten until the 21st when 10.9C was the low. May was rather warm month and didn't feature and cool spells bar one day, the 5th when 9.9C was the high. For most of the month temperatures were in double figures hanging around the mid teens which a few incursions into the low teens or high teens. Night time temperatures like wise were mostly in single digits with notable cool nights like the 7th when 2.8C was the low. Everything started to changed from the 21st when the start the weather started to rise. The hottest days were on the 25th when 31.7C was reached and 26th when 32.6C was the high. The warmest night was in this period as well when 17.8th was the low. This period pushed May out of rather cool category against the 1991 - 2020 average and also moved spring into the warmest spring on record. The weather cooled down to warm to very warm after the 26th bar the 27th which was hot again which saw 30C reached again.
May was another dry spring month coming as the 11th driest on record. The wettest day was the 2nd when 15.1mm fell. Rainfall was small until the 13th when 8.2mm fell courtesy of showers with hail. Thundery showers on the 18th brought another 7.2mm and a few rumble of thunder. Only 5.5mm fell after 19th until the end of the month. The month also featured showers with hail on 13th and the 17th. Storms forecast for the 26th didn't produce much in the way of rain and neither did overnight storm on the 28th. This meant that spring also was amongst the top driest recorded being the 11th driest.
May was a quiet month in regards to wind which is to be expected for a late spring. The highest gust was 31mph on the 12th. The windiest day was the 10th when 10mph was the average wind speed.
The month had a thundery shower with two rumbles of thunder on the 18th and a side swipe by a Thunderstorm on the 26th which produced pea sized hail for a time. More thunder overnight on the 28th didn't produce much action either.
June looks to start more unsettled with some showers and spells of heavy rain. Temperatures around normal or slightly above. The unsettled weather looks set to last up to the middle of the month. It looks to be windy for the time of year as well. Just after the middle of the month high pressure builds in with very warm to hot weather. High pressure retreats to the north west for the final week allowing cooler northerly sir flow to develop. Temperatures despite the unsettled start and cooler end of the month likely to still be above normal. Rainfall is likely to be average or just above.
| May's Averages, Highs and Lows | ||
|---|---|---|
| Average Temp 12.0C | Last Months Average 13.7C | Difference from average 1.7C |
| Average Max Temp 16.7C | Last Months Average 18.9C | Difference from average 2.2C |
| Average Min Temp 7.2C | Last Months Average 8.5C | Difference From Average 1.3C |
| High Max 32.6C on the 26th | Low Max 11.1C on the 3rd | Highest Daily Range 21.2C on the 1st |
| High Min 17.8C on the 26th | Low Min 2.8C on the 7th | Lowest Daily Range 0.6C on the 3rd |
| Number of Air Frosts 0 | Days of Thunder 3 | Days of Snow 0 |
| Days of Measurable Rain 15 Days | Days of Rain with trace 6 Days | Days with Gusts ≥ 50 mph 0 days |
| Average Rainfall 59.6mm | This Months Average 50.6mm | Percentage of Average Rainfall 84.9% |