A dazzlingly bright sunny day with 10.8 hours (so far) of strong May
sunshine. Visibility was for once excellent and the sky a deep blue though
that cool northerly kept temperatures pegged back a little to 15.9°C.

It was another cold start with a minimum of just 2.4°C.

Nice to see the countryside looking almost summer-like now with most trees
in leaf. The oaks (which are the dominant tree species (Quercus robur)
around here) are the exception and only have just started coming into leaf.
The bluebells are generally all out now. It seems things are about 2 weeks
later than normal, but catching up. The cold April nights mid-month might
have held things back a little.

Forecast not looking good, was kind of hoping for a taste of summer. This
dry, cool air is stopping the sea from warming up, SSTs on the coast here
currently stuck around 10°C to 11°C despite the sunshine.

South-westerly wind direction seems to be a rare thing these days, almost
non-existent since early December. Will we see a dramatic 'return of the
westerlies' in June and an end to this blocking weather pattern?

(19:50), 12.4°C, RH 56%, DP 3.7°C, 1025 hPa (F), Wind 4 mph N.
_____________________
Nick
Otter Valley, Devon
83 m amsl
http://www.ottervalley.co.uk