warm May – spurred on by high overnight temperatures – concluded a Spring that goes down as the fifth warmest on record for the UK, according to provisional statistics from the Met Office.
According to a series that goes back to 1884, May 2022 was the fifth warmest on record, thanks largely to record-breaking overnight temperatures, with northern and western areas recording particularly high overnight temperatures for the time of year.
Mean temperatures for the UK stood at 11.8°C, some 1.2°C above the long-term average, but these figures were largely spurred on by average minimum temperatures of 7.8°C, which is 1.5°C
Average maximum temperatures for the month were 0.8°C above average, which is not enough to trouble any temperature records. The highest individual temperature recorded in the month was 27.5°C at Heathrow on 17 May.
Interestingly, despite the high mean temperatures, the number of sunshine hours has been below average for the month, with northern and western areas being particularly dull. Sunshine hours were down by around a fifth from the long-term average, with 152.8 hours in the UK.
Rainfall amounts for the month were near-average for the UK, albeit with quite a marked difference between different areas. England had 50.7mm of rain (89% of average), Wales 63.2mm (73% of average), Scotland 118.3mm (133% of average) and Northern Ireland 89mm (120% of average).
Going even more granular, the north of Scotland saw 54% more rainfall than average with 148mm of rain in the month.
Dr Mark McCarthy of the National Climate Information Centre said: “High minimum temperatures are the most notable statistic coming from May’s provisional figures, helping to bring mean temperatures for the month into the top five on record for May.
“Cloud cover has been one part of the picture for the higher-than-average minimum temperatures, with overcast skies helping to lock some heat in through the night, especially in northern and western areas. Warmer air from the continent has helped keep minimum temperatures up in the south and despite that lack of daytime sunshine, maximum temperatures have remained above-average for most, although without any prolonged spells of very high daytime temperatures.”
