With mean sea level pressure showing an anomaly of -4.5 Mb, May was generally unsettled and thus both colder and wetter than average. Lamentably, whilst night-time minima were only slightly below average and fairly constant throughout the whole month with just two air frosts recorded, day-time maximums showed a large departure (1.6°c) from average. Only ten days achieved the average (15.1°c) maximum for May and five days even failed to attain 10°c.

   So the run of colder than average months continues with May's mean temperature of 9.36°c some 1.0°c down on average - that is now nine consecutive months colder than average!

   It is only the coldest May since 2010 and making comparison with the Met' Office site at Newton Rigg we find that since 1959 May has been colder on 10 occasions, warmer on 42, with two having the same mean temperature.

   Also this Spring of 2013 (March-May) has been the coldest on record at Newton Rigg in a series going back to 1914. At just 5.58°c it is colder than 1941 (5.76°c), 1962 (5.85°c) and 1979 (6.01°c).

   Rainfall at Maulds Meaburn totalled 81.0 mm some 129% of the average for May and rainfall figures at the Enviroment Agency’s rainfall sites were, (figure in brackets being the monthly average for 1961-90): Kirkby Thore 57.4 mm (48.0 mm) , Brothers Water 179.4 mm (138 mm) and Nunwick Hall 65.8 mm (53.0 mm) - ‘Data kindly provided by the Hydrometry and Telemetry team of the Enviroment Agency (Penrith)’.

   1st - 4th    The month started with no dominant weather system in control, but the 2nd under a temporary ridge of high pressure (HP) saw the month's coldest night at -1.3°c (29.66°f) and a fine sunny day which reached 15.1°c.

   The 3rd/4th saw low pressure to the north of Scotland push a cold front south and this brought a mix of showers and sunny intervals.

   5th - 7th    HP to the south of the UK now nudged north to bring a few settled and dry days for the Bank Holiday. However, sunshine was limited to the late afternoon following cloudy starts to both the Sunday (5th) and Monday. That HP was weakening come the 7th but this still managed to be a fine, warm and summers like day. At 22.9°c (73.22°f) it was easily the warmest day of the year so far and somewhat staggeringly 7°c warmer than anything else upto that point.

   But fine blue skies were steadily being replaced by high cloud thus indicating a change in the weather.

   8th - 15th    Low pressure (LP) now became dominant bringing wetter, windier and much cooler conditions. Initially LP to the west of Eire pushed fronts east, giving 6.7 mm of rain on the 9th, then for the 11-14th LP lay to the north of Scotland resulting in generally overcast and showery weather with an ever present cool SW'ly wind.

   Rainfall totals were generally low, but the next shower was never too far away. But the days became much cooler with just 9.2°c (48.56°f) on the 13th the month's coldest day.

   The 15th saw LP to the south of the UK pushing NE and whilst we avoided the main belt of rain we didn't avoid another cold day at just 9.3°c. During the 13-16th snow was to be seen on the summit of Crossfell and some but not all Lakeland mountains.

   16th - 17th    The LP system had continued north and now we sat in a slacker area and the winds became lighter and with clearer skies the 16th saw a ground frost of -2.4°c. The day was relatively bright but showery from late afternoon.

   18th - 20th    The rain actually arrived at 2300 hrs on the 17th, but by the time it had stopped raining on the 18th had given 27.8 mm of rain in total. LP lie to the east of the UK and this pushed a warm front west and increasingly humid air that would give overcast and gloomy conditions for the 19-20th.

   21st - 24th    With HP in the Atlantic and LP to our east this period became quite cold has a northerly air flow was drawn down. A cold front moving north-south on the 22nd introduced cooler air in place of the humid air and the 23-24th was typically showery (some of hail on the 23rd), but especially cold in that bitter northerly wind.

   The 23rd attained a maximum of just 9.3°c and in some of those showers in the afternoon actually plunged below 5.0°c! The 24th only saw 9.4°c and which for so late in May is cold and some 6° down on the average day-time maximum.

  25th - 26th    The Bank Holiday weekend saw two fine sunny days on the Sat'/Sunday with both peaking at 16.2°c as a ridge of HP extended out from the Atlantic. Night-time temperatures were cold though and the 25th even recorded an air frost of -0.2°c which is the latest (Spring) date at this site to record such.

   27st - 31st    The Bank Holiday finished on a wet note as LP to the NW of the UK now took control, displacing the HP system that moved SE into France. An occluded front pushed east on the 27th bringing a wet day of 15.8 mm and which was also cool at just 9.8°c.

   LP remained in control and indeed lay across the UK with an occluded front lying through the centre of the UK and which brought some rain. However, the gloom was significant with a run of overcast days until the month's end when HP ridged in from the Atlantic to give a warm and sunny day (31st) which managed to attain 20.0°c.

   Rainfall totalled 81.0 mm for the month, with rain recorded on 18 days of which 14 were 'Wet days' (1.0mm +).

   The Mean Temperature for the month was 9.36°c      --      The Mean Max' was   13.49°c     --      The Mean Min'   5.23°c.

   We had 2 Air Frosts in the month (year 68)              --      Grass frosts totalled 8 (year 98).

   The 1 foot soil temp ranged from a low of 9.0°c on the 2nd         to      a high of 13.0°c on the 22nd     --      with a monthly mean of 10.7°c

   The 1 meter soil temp ranged from a low of 7.5°c on the 1st-2nd      to      a high of 9.7°c on the 25th      --     with a monthly mean of 8.7°c

COMPARISONS:-

   * May 2013 rainfall was 128.8% of the May average for 2008 - 2012

   * May 2013 was 0.72°c colder than the May average for 2009 - 2012 and 1.0°c colder than the local long term average 1981-2010

  * The 3 month mean for March/April/May 2013 is              TEMP'     5.80°c         --          RAIN    204.6 mm


  *                     March/April/May 2012 was              TEMP'     8.02°c         --          RAIN    213.9 mm

  *                     March/April/May 2011 was              TEMP'     8.75°c         --          RAIN    216.2 mm

  *                     March/April/May 2010 was              TEMP'     7.33°c         --          RAIN    112.4 mm

  *                     March/April/May 2009 was              TEMP'     8.21°c         --          RAIN    155.2 mm

  *                     March/April/May 2008 was              TEMP'                    --          RAIN    221.6 mm


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                              * 2013     To Date              TEMP'    4.60°c          --         RAIN    343.7 mm

                              * 2012  Jan - May               TEMP'    6.29°c          --         RAIN    342.4 mm

                              * 2011  Jan - May               TEMP'    6.77°c          --         RAIN    533.5 mm

                              * 2010  Jan - May               TEMP'    4.78°c          --         RAIN    173.4 mm

                              * 2009  Jan - May               TEMP'    6.45°c          --         RAIN    410.7 mm

                              * 2008  Jan - May               TEMP'                    --         RAIN    536.5 mm