May 2024 has left Britons scratching their heads as the Met Office's provisional figures reveal that May 2024 was the warmest since records began in 1884, with a mean average of 13.1C. This not only surpasses the previous record of 12.1C set in 2008 but does so by an entire degree Celsius!
Contrary to the usual association of warmth with sunshine, May 2024 was characterised by a surprising lack of sunny days for many across the UK. Instead, for many the month felt like an endless deluge of rain, contributing to the wettest Spring since 1986. Spring 2024 saw 301.7mm of rainfall, exceeding the annual average by a whopping 32%. However, amidst the damp and dreary conditions, Spring 2024 also claimed the title of the warmest on record, with a mean temperature of 9.37C, narrowly edging out Spring 2017's previous high of 9.12C.
The anomalous warmth of May 2024 can be attributed to the unusually high temperatures experienced in the north of the UK. Scotland, in particular, was warmer than usual, with its average temperature soaring 1.6C higher than the previous record.
Nighttime offered little respite from the unusual warmth, as cloudy skies blanketed the UK, trapping heat and leading to higher-than-usual overnight temperatures. The average UK minimum temperature surpassed the previous record by a notable 1.2C.
May 2024 will undoubtedly be remembered as a month of contrasts, where warmth and wetness collided in a manner that left the nation drenched. Conditions varied depending on where you live. In England and Wales, it was generally wetter than average, but in Scotland and Northern Ireland, there was less rain.