May was saved, statistically speaking,
by several days of warm and sunny weather towards the end.
But until the 23rd it had been decidedly ordinary.
Mean
maximum temperature ranged from 65.7°F (18.7°C)
at Heathrow airport to 51.6°F (10.9°C) at Fair
Isle (between Orkney and Shetland), Lyneham’s mean
maximum was 16.3°C which was 1°C warmer than the
average May Temperatures in Wiltshire. Mean minimum
temperatures varied between 50.4°F (10.2°C) at
St Catherine's Point (Isle of Wight) and 37.8°F (3.2°C)
at Aboyne (Aberdeenshire). Mean monthly temperature was
0.5 to 1.5°C above the average for the standard reference
period 1971-2000 in most parts of the UK - not as warm
as May 2008 but it still ranked 21st warmest in the past
100 years.
The highest maximum in the UK was 80.4°F (26.9°C)
at Lee-on-the-Solent (Hants) on the 31st, whereas Lyneham’s
maximum was 23.7°C on the 29th. The lowest minimum
was 23.5°F (-4.7°C) at Kinbrace (Highland) overnight
10th and 11th. Lneham’s coldest night was on the
4th were thermometers dropped to 3.4°C.
The lowest daytime maximum occurred on the 15th when the
temperature climbed no higher than 45.7°F (7.6°C)
at Braemar (Grampian), while the warmest night was that
of the 27th-28th with a minimum of 58.3°F (14.6°C)
at Hawarden (Clwyd).
Rainfall averaged over England and Wales was 2.19in, which
is 94 per cent of the long-term average. The equivalent
figures for Scotland were 3.19in and 140 per cent, and
for Northern Ireland 2.99in and 142 per cent. - Averaged
over England and Wales it ranked 40th driest in the past
100 years but the previous three Mays (2006-2008) were
all much wetter. Monthly totals ranged from 11.73in at
Inveruglas (Strathclyde) to just 0.76m at Manston (Kent).
Lyneham’s monthly rainfall total was 27mm which was
47% of the norm. The highest daily total was 2.21 in at
Inveruglas on the 6th, whereas Lyneham’s wettest
day was 9.4mm recorded during a twenty-four hour period
on the 18th.
Sunshine averaged over England and Wales was 229 hours,
which is 113 per cent of the average, and it was the sunniest
May here for eight years. Lyneham had 226 hours of sunshine
which was 143% of the norm, clear skies at the end of the
month allowed 15.5 hours to warm up the Wiltshire soils
during the day. The equivalent figures for Scotland were
243 hours and 131 per cent, and for Northern Ireland 214
hours and 107 percent. The largest total was 282 hours
at Fair Isle, followed by 245 hours at both Eastbourne
and Weymouth on the south coast of England, while the smallest
total was 164 hours at Eskdalemuir (Dumfries and Galloway).
It was often rather windy during the first 10 days of
the month, and a gust of 70mph was recorded at West Gerinish
(Western Isles) on the 7th. |
