If there is one certainty we can all count on, it is that British weather remains utterly unpredictable. From balmy sunshine one moment to hailstones and thunderclaps the next, we have all grown accustomed to the capricious climate across the UK. While the Met Office does sterling work delivering timely updates and precise forecasts, occasionally it is worth consulting good old-fashioned Mother Nature herself for clues about what is coming.
Old Wives' Tales and Weather Proverbs
We are all familiar with Old Wives' Tales, age-old sayings passed down through countless generations. Among them, traditional English weather proverbs remain remarkably prevalent. Having encountered many of these weather sayings since childhood, it is always fascinating to observe natural signs and discover whether the adages prove accurate. Remarkably often, these proverbs hit the nail on the head.
The Proverb: 'Ne'er Cast a Clout 'til May Is Out'
One particularly well-known saying is 'Ne'er cast a clout 'til (the) May is out', which first appeared in written records in 1732, though it likely existed in spoken form long before. To decode this traditional English proverb, 'clout' is an archaic term for an article of clothing. Many interpret the word 'May' as referring to the 'May Flower', commonly known as hawthorn, one of the UK's most widespread plants which flowers in May. Others interpret May as its straightforward meaning, namely the month of May itself.
Put simply, the age-old adage roughly means 'don't remove your warm layers until May (plant or month) has passed, as chilly weather can make a surprise return at any time' — something we are witnessing right now. Indeed, May has been filled with unpredictable fluctuations in British weather, as we have seen a full week of hailstorms, rain, and thunder across several regions, immediately succeeded by a week-long heatwave throughout much of the UK. This was again followed by rainy and damp conditions, further reinforcing the notion that old wives' tales are well-known and apparently quite precise for good reason.
Met Office Data and Climate Change
According to the Met Office, all three months of meteorological spring in the UK recorded mean temperatures that ranked within the nation's top 10 warmest on record. Met Office scientist Dr Emily Carlisle said: "While we expect fluctuations from year to year, this spring shows some of the changes we are seeing in our weather patterns, with more extreme conditions becoming more frequent." The high temperatures also brought another consequence — shifts in rainfall patterns. According to the Met Office, spring rainfall this year declined by 14% compared to the long-term meteorological average for the UK.
So, while it certainly means there has been, and will continue to be, considerably more sunshine in store for UK residents, it is also a stark reminder that the weather is being impacted by climate change. Similar to the traditional saying we have explored, most of us have not managed to fully shed our winter layers, with every other day demanding we wrap up warm and face the cold and blustery conditions. However, nature has demonstrated that it conceals all the indicators within itself, and all we need to do is observe carefully and closely.
