May Weather Report

On this coast, May has always been the best month for weather.  In the crofting year, it was the month that was consistently the driest - for example, May was when the fresh-cut peats were stacked to dry ready to be stored for winter.  So, for visitors who are new to this area, we often urge them to come in May so they can see this place at its best, and find out later that it has its.... wetter moments.  So the washout that was last May was a bit of a disaster and, with the first few months of this year cold, we were afraid there might be a repetition.

On the contrary - May has been wonderful.  Our records include the word "sunny" on no less than 23 of the 31 days.  But for the first half of the month the nights remained cold - the daily minimum temperature didn't rise above 9C until May 22nd, with consequences for the vegetable garden, but from that date onwards the weather has been super.  On the 28th the maximum temperature hit a staggering 30C, and the maximum was 25C or above from the 23rd to the 28th.

Sandwiched into this fine weather were a few days that were dire.  On the 13th we had a southwesterly gale which brought 30mm of rain in a twenty-four hour period, the 16th wasn't far behind with 23mm, and the 14th and 17th together added a further 26mm.  On the morning of the 16th we woke to find snow on the hills of Mull.

Outside those four days, the month's rainfall total was a pitiful 15mm. In some ways we were very fortunate to have that burst of heavy rain as, otherwise, we'd now be suffering a serious drought.  As it is, the burns are a trickle, and the wildflowers, which should be at their best, show signs of wilting.

It's so warm and dry that Mrs Diary is sending off for a palm tree to plant in the garden.  And, yes, we did have visitors in May who were every impressed with our May weather - they were here for the gale and the power outage which accompanied it.