Dr Phil Smith Consistent with a warming trend, England experienced the second hottest May ever, a heatwave in the last week reaching a record May peak of 35.1oC at Kew Gardens, London. Fortunately, it wasn’t quite as hot here, though Crosby reported a blistering 33oC on 25th. It was also a relatively dry month, Rachael...
Wildlife Notes March 2026
Dr Phil Smith Following a mild winter, March 2026 was the 10th warmest since records began in 1884. According to the Met Office, rainfall patterns continued to show strong month to month variability. Rachael Parks measured 53 mm of precipitation in her Formby garden, about 30% below average for March. There were 14 rain-days but...
Wildlife notes February 2026
Dr Phil Smith A strange month weather-wise; it was the fourth warmest February on record for England, with very few frosty mornings and no snow at all in Formby. Rainfall varied widely in different regions of the UK, several having a deluge. In contrast, Met. Office maps showed the Northwest of England had average or...
Wildlife notes January 2026
Dr Phil Smith January was a very wet month for many but not for us! A succession of Atlantic systems, including three named storms, brought heavy rain to eastern, southern and southwest England, northeast Scotland and Northern Ireland. Some counties had their wettest January on record. However, Met Office maps show that, surprisingly, our region...
