After one of the sunniest Aprils on record, May has proved to be a miserable washout so far.
Today - Tuesday - has been no different so far with even hail and a touch of sleet hitting Huddersfield.
Examiner weatherman Paul Stevens said: “I think what is happening is that May is looking in Huddersfield to be 3.5°C below the long term average. Winds have been coming in from the north west giving us heavy showers with hailstones and even sleet mixed in.
“The sun is strong at this time of year – we can feel the strength of the sun and it feels reasonably pleasant when it is out. And we are heading towards the solstice on June 21.
“Taking May as a whole temperatures have been around 10°C (50°F) on average and normally we would expect to see 13°C (55.4°F).
“And gardeners have had to beware a ground frost which may have caught one or two of them out.”
Looking ahead to the Bank Holiday weekend the picture doesn’t look much better.
“We are not going to be seeing the sun breaking the flagstones, that’s for sure,” said Paul. “Generally it will be mixed.”
And longer term for the summer he says he is not expecting an especially dry or hot one though it may well be punctuated by bursts of hot, sunny weather with temperatures of 28°C-30°C (86°F).
Wondering what to do with the kids if it's raining over the Bank Holiday? Here are some ideas!
