Everywhere you look now there are people wearing sunglasses, walking the streets in t-shirts and shorts and incredibly, smiling. You would be forgiven if you thought this was sunny Spain, but it is London.
In April.
Normal April weather
Students ask me if the weather at this time of year is unusual, as during the past week the temperature has been over 20C every day and the evenings have been cool and mild. The answer is – yes, yes it is! It appears that we are having an early summer, as usually around this time of year it rains loads, and we describe this month as April showers. The mornings can also be chilly and damp. As everyone has seen though, this has not been the case.
Positives
While it has certainly not been a heat wave, for April, it might as well be. I have also noticed everyone being in a better mood because of the sunshine. I can’t remember it being cloudy or it drizzling anytime over the last few weeks, and that is such a wonderful thing to say because the weather is always one of the negatives tourists and students have about London. Walking through Hyde Park, it is great to see people sunbathing and cycling in this weather.
Negatives
On the down side, there are more people sweating on the Tube because of how boiling and humid it is under ground. The sweltering heat in the carriages means tolerating the unpleasant smell of being so close to people. You may also not notice getting sunburnt if you stay out in the open too long.
My opinion
Don’t get me wrong, I much prefer this weather. It is definitely worse standing next to people who are soaked in rain, or shivering in the cold when walking on my way to work. And if you stay outside for the right amount of time, you may even get a nice tan. It’s also perfect timing because the weather forecast for the Easter weekend appears to be just as pleasant, as well as for the Royal Wedding. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if it started to pour with rain on the actual wedding day. If it does, you heard it here first! Whatever the reason for this good weather – global warming being one reason – enjoy it while you can – it’s not often we have this. Happy sunny Easter!
Weather Vocabulary
- Sunny
- a lot of sun
- Cool
- a positive description of weather that is neither hot nor cold
- Mild
- to describe a gentle temperature
- To rain loads
- when it is raining heavily
- Showers
- short periods of rain
- Chilly
- to be slightly cold
- Damp
- to describe something being slightly wet
- A heat wave
- a period of extremely hot weather
- Sunshine
- the direct light of the sun
- Cloudy
- a lot of clouds, often grey, in the sky
- Drizzling
- slightly raining
- To sunbathe
- to lie in the sun
- Humid
- to describe the air being hot and damp
- To sweat
- to emit water from your body because of heat
- Boiling
- to describe extremely hot weather
- Sweltering
- to describe the heat when it is extremely hot
- To be sunburnt
- to be overexposed to the sun, usually with the result of being red
- To be soaked
- to be extremely wet
- To shiver
- to shake because of the cold
- A tan
- when the skin turns brown because of the sun
- The weather forecast
- the predication of the weather in the future
- To pour with rain
- to rain heavily
