Met Office predicts when warmer, drier more spring-like weather may at long last return to Sunderland

With May less than a week away, it’s fair to say the first two months of spring have been somewhat of a let down.

After waking up on Monday to another dull, wet day with a cold northerly wind, my wife perhaps rather aptly summed it up when she described the weather currently being served up as “it’s like November but with light nights”.

It follows on from what has been the wettest 18 months since Met Office records began in 1836 with the washout summer of 2023 followed by a succession of 11 named storms, the most recent being Storm Kathleen in the first week of April.

This is the most active storm season since the system of naming storms began in 2015.

While a conveyor belt of low pressure systems has more recently given way to the rarity of high pressure - normally associated with more settled, drier weather - its position to the west of the UK is currently drawing northerly Arctic winds across the country with temperatures several degrees below the late April average.

According to the Met Office today (Thursday April 25) and tomorrow will see temperatures rise to just 8 degrees Celsius in Sunderland with the chill factor making it feel more like 3 or 4 degrees Celsius.

However, don’t give up just yet as the Met Office’s long range forecast provides a little hope that the second week of May could at last bring some warmer, drier and sunnier weather which many of us are longing for after emerging from dark days of winter.

While the weather next week for the period April 29 to May 8 looks to once again be unsettled, there are suggestions of more settled conditions by the end of this period - hopefully by the bank holiday weekend.

The long range forecast stated: “Temperatures likely to trend upwards, with the chance of a warm to very warm spell in some southern and eastern parts, before conditions probably turn drier, cooler and more settled from the west towards the end of the period.”

Looking further ahead, the long range forecast for the period May 8 to May 23 suggests a greater than average probability of settled weather, particularly in the north of the UK.

The forecast stated: “In this period, the chances of unsettled weather are slightly less than usual in the north and about the same as usual further south.

“Therefore, some spells of wetter weather are likely for all, but perhaps especially southern areas with the driest conditions probably further north.

“Temperatures probably near average though with some cooler interludes possible.”

Any long range forecast is subject to change and is based on the most likely rather than expected conditions.

However, if like me you’re desperate to leave this perennial autumn behind, even the cautious prospect of May bringing conditions more in-keeping with the last month of spring is one I’m willing to cling to.

Hopefully we can soon replace the waterproofs, wellies and scarves with shorts sandals and sun-cream.