Arctic air sends UK temperatures below average after record warm May start

A burst of Arctic air has flipped the mood across the UK, dragging temperatures below the May average just days after the country’s warmest start to the month on record, when 29.3C was recorded at Kew Gardens in London.

The Met Office said its five-day forecast for Monday to Thursday pointed to below-average temperatures, a rather cool and often breezy feel, and a risk of rural frost overnight. Wintry showers were also expected to affect the mountains of Scotland, where colder air pushing south has been enough to create a marked contrast with the early-May warmth many areas had just seen.

Simon King has been outlining the shift as part of the Met Office’s latest weather update, and the agency has described the spell as a seasonal cold snap rather than a return to winter conditions. Any snow, it said, was most likely to stay on higher ground in northern Scotland, while frost would be patchy and short-lived in rural or sheltered spots.

That distinction matters for households and key sectors that feel temperature swings first. Gardeners and growers are among the most exposed, especially after an unusually mild opening to the month, and chilly mornings can complicate travel for drivers and commuters in the more rural parts of the country. The Met Office’s wording suggests disruption should stay limited, but the sudden reversal is still sharp enough to catch exposed communities off guard.

The backdrop to the chill has been unusually bright and warm weather. Met Office monthly climate data for May 2025 showed the UK recorded 266.2 hours of sunshine, 139% of average, making it provisionally the second sunniest May on record and the fifth warmest. Northern Ireland was also notably mild, with a provisional mean temperature 1.6C above the long-term average.

The colder spell is not expected to last. The Met Office’s long-range outlook says temperatures are most likely to recover close to average, perhaps becoming warm at times, with more mixed conditions likely into June. For now, the story is the abrupt gap between seasonal expectations and the real effects on fields, roads and homes, as Arctic air briefly interrupts a month that began with record heat.