Magazine - Retrospectives ·Oct 20, 2015

May 2007 -a late Spring storm

By the late May Bank Holiday weekend we expect or at least hope for some decent weather. That of May 2007 however was sadly noteworthy for how unsettled it became. The origin of the deep depression that caused this was on Friday 25th May right over the Davis Strait across the Atlantic. caused by a combination of a weak surface low and a strengthening jet moving SE out of Northern Canada. The low looked set to combine with increased baroclinicity and deepen and then develop as a deepening low across the southern UK- over the Bank Holiday weekend.

Overnight the main development took place, and was more marked than models anticipated, by early Sunday the low had reached maximum depth west of Seven Stones at around 981mb and was moving slowly ESE, gusts to over 60kts were observed over Brittany. By Sunday morning rain was extensive across England with overnight totals near or above 13mm across parts of the SW. After a cool night temperatures were struggling to reach double figures with most places seeing 9-12C - some 7C or so below average. At this stage a sting jet like feature now seemed to affect the western and southern flank of the wrap around with gusts to over 60kts reported from the Celtic Sea SE towards Brittany. At 10Z a gust to 67mph was reported from the Isles of Scilly and an 81mph gust from the Seven Stones Light Vessel nearby.

Later in the day the strong winds would move east, with 71mph reported at Brixham (South Devon). By 16Z the deep low was located inland South of St Malo in Brittany, circa 989mbs and slowly filling. Large pressure rises around its southern and western flank were driving gusts above 60kt into the Bay of Biscay and around Southern Brittany Heavy rain now covered much of England and Wales, some particularly heavy rain moving into central southern England . In the clearer air further south west thunderstorms affected the Channel Islands and the north French Coasts. The rain continued into the evening and night across England. By 18Z Monday 48 hr rainfall amounts included St Catherine's Pt 81mm , High Wycombe 64mm and Benson 62mm.

The Bank Holday Monday was a cold day with midday temperatures at High Wycombe just 4.9C and mid afternoon temperatures in Central London standing at just 7.4C making for a miserable cold and wet Bank Holiday for many in the SE. Sunday also saw the temp drop to -5.7C at Kinbrace in Sutherland. This was the lowest temperature so late in the year since 1899. Some notably low afternoon maxes were reported including 6.6C at Kenley & 6.8C at Charlwood, about 9-10C below the late May normal average, in fact the temperature at Heathrow was one of the coldest May days on record despite the fact it was so late in May. All in all then not a Bank Holiday that would go down in history for the right reasons.

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