Met Office shuts down reports UK is set for 50 days of rain this summer

I'm sure many Brits are thinking the exact same thing right about now: How on earth are we nearly in June and it's still chucking it down?

Well, I know I am at least.

May should be the month of beer garden antics, garden BBQ motives and a whole bunch of soaking in the sun.

However, many of us here in the UK have been severely let down by the less than lovely weather.

Just yesterday (28 May), a number of news outlets suggested that this summer may end up being one of the wettest on record.

However, following all the drizzle, the Met Office has had to come forward to shut down reports that the UK is reportedly set for 50 days of rain this summer.

A spokesperson told Tyla: "It is not possible to forecast a specific number of days of rain for the whole of summer.

"When looking at forecasts beyond five days into the future, the chaotic nature of the atmosphere starts to come into play - small events currently over the Atlantic can have potentially significant impacts on our weather in the UK in several days' or weeks' time."

Because of this, the Met Office explains, while it can still forecast the 'general feel' of the weather to a relatively high level of accuracy using its ensemble models, it becomes harder to offer local detail to as high a level of accuracy as the shorter range forecasts.

"For this reason," the spokesperson continued. "Longer range forecast tend to be for the average conditions over the UK as a whole. Regional deviations from the UK average can occur."

The Met Office also noted that it measures and relates rainfall over months and seasons to average using accumulation (mm) not using days with rain/days of rainfall over a certain threshold as has been done in the original reports claiming we were set for 50 days of rain this summer.

📰 Seen some curious online headlines around summer rain?

Here's our #FactCheck on the reports 👇 pic.twitter.com/BhCICBVX6h

— Met Office (@metoffice) May 28, 2024

"As is typical for forecasts made at this time of year, signals for prevailing weather patterns over the UK during summer are relatively weak. However, signals show the chances of a wet or dry summer are fairly balanced," the spokesperson added.

So, while rainfall signals are limited, some spells of unsettled weather can be expected.

"As is typical for the time of year, these spells are likely to see heavy downpours and thunderstorms for some regions," the Met Office finished up.

Well, it seems like it's not all doom and gloom then!