View from the Rear Window - May 2026 ~ Crafty Cabbage

Before you talk, listen. Before you react, think. Before you spend, earn - Ernest Hemingway

Everything in the garden was looking lovely during May as the weather was very conducive to luxuriant growth. The first 20 days or so had enough sunshine and rain for rapid growth and temperatures were reasonable with no overnight frosts. Everything changed two-thirds of the way through the month when the weather suddenly became much hotter, sunnier and drier. This month's garden photo was taken on the last day of May; plenty of luxuriant green growth, the first flush of roses and the purple-leaved elder in full bloom (Photo 1). May was also notable for the first heatwave of 2026 and the highest May temperature on record for the UK.

Photo 1: Garden View (31st May 2026)

Daily garden photos for May 2026 are collated in Video 1.

Video 1: Daily Photos of the Rear Garden - May 2026

Table 1 summarises some routine weather stats for our garden collected by our Davis Weather Station. The mercury hit 35 ℃ on two consecutive days (25/26th); smashing the previous record (27 ℃) for our back garden in May!! We saw more hot May days (i.e. > 25 ℃) in 2020 but, again, nowhere near as hot as those in May 2026.

Table 1: Summary Weather Statistics for May 2026
Weather Parameter	Value	Dates
Average Monthly Temperature	15 oC
Maximum Monthly Temperature	35 oC	25th & 26th
Minimum Monthly Temperature	2 oC	12th
Number of Air Frost Days	0
Number of Hot Days (> 25 oC)	10
Monthly Precipitation	39.4 mm
Greatest 24 h Precipitation	15.2 mm	2nd - 3rd
Number of Dry Days	18
Monthly Sunshine Hours (estimated)	213
Highest Wind Speed	45 km/h	13th
Heating Degree Days	143.2
Cooling Degree Days	42.3

Daily minimum & maximum temperatures for May 2026 are shown in Figure 1 (click to see a larger image). No frosty nights and a big surge in temperatures during the final 10 days of the month. From the 22nd to 30th (9 days) the daily maximum was 26 ℃ or higher. Our first heatwave of 2026 and a long one at that.

Figure 1: Daily Min/Max Temperatures (May 2026)

Daily rainfall and solar radiation values - a proxy for sunshine hours - are shown in Figure 2 below (click to enlarge). We enjoyed pleasant springtime warmth & sunshine, with enough rain to negate the need for extra irrigation, for the first 20 days of the month. The final 10 days were brutally hot, sunny and dry during our first 2026 heatwave.

Figure 2: Daily Rainfall/Solar Radiation (May 2026)

With seven years of May weather data, we might just be able to see some indication of trends; although we probably need double this before we can confirm such trends. Normally, 30 years of data are required before one can identify climate trends. Unfortunately, we are changing the climate so rapidly nowadays that we will be able to see trends over much shorter time periods.

In Figure 3, I have graphed the last seven years of temperature data for the month of May. 2020 was an unusual year (start of COVID-19) in the UK. Reduced atmospheric pollution may have boosted local temperatures a little but the main effect was meteorological as the jet stream buckled and placed a persistent block of high pressure weather directly over the UK. Consequently, May 2020 had lots of clear blue skies (due, in part, to an absence of condensation trails as air traffic took a nosedive) and unusually high temperatures. [Note: an absence of condensation trails would have a cooling effect of global temperatures - see here for some basic details)

If we treat the May 2020 data a 'anomalous', then there seems to be an upward trend in mean daily temperatures and maximum daily temperatures. The trend is less visible in the average daily temperatures because the Davis Weather Station only reports average values to the nearest degree (when changes from year to year would be measured in tenths of a ℃). Somewhat disturbingly, the increases in maximum daily temperatures are on an upward trend.

Figure 3: Time Series (2020-2026) for May Temperature Data (Hereford City)

In Figure 4, there appears to be an overall decline in May rainfall levels, albeit with a good deal of scatter. No clear trend in sunshine levels.

Figure 4: Time Series for May Rain, Sun and Wind Data (2020-2026)

The next three figures are taken from the UK Met Office's monthly report for May 2026. May's mean temperature anomalies for the UK are shown in Figure 5. Apart from NW Scotland, average temperatures were 0.5 ℃ to 2.5 ℃ higher than the 1991-2020 reference period. This is hot!! Herefordshire fell within the higher bracket (1.5 ℃ to 2.5 ℃). Our nearby Met Office weather station at Credenhill, records a typical May average daily temperature at 12 ℃. The mean monthly temperature recorded by our garden weather station was 15 ℃; i.e. 3 ℃ higher than the long-term average in good agreement with Figure 5.

Figure 5: UK Mean Temperature Anomalies (May 2026)

As Figure 6 illustrates, with just a few exceptions, May rainfall was average or below average in May. Herefordshire, including Hereford City, experienced mainly below average rainfall. With reference to the nearby weather station at Credenhill, we would usually expect between 53-54 mm of rain in May. Hence the 39 mm of rain recorded by our garden weather station (Table 1) equates to about 70% of the expected value for May. In good agreement with Figure 6.

Figure 6: Relative UK Rainfall (May 2026)

Figure 7 shows that Herefordshire received only average sunshine levels in May. Table 1 recorded 213 sunshine hours this month, slightly above the average for the English Midlands (192 hours). Once again, in good agreement with the Met Office data.

Figure 7: Relative UK Sunshine Hours (May 2026)

Jobs in the Garden

Mainly transplanting, potting on, etc of cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, aubergines, celery, celeriac, French Beans,
Sowing beet, parsnip, turnip
Finish cutting down field beans for hot composting.
Harvesting asparagus

Flora & Fauna in the Garden