Traditionally, Britons expect it to be cold and wet on a Bank Holiday Monday, so May 6, 2019, lived up to expectations, with temperatures in the UK a full 15 degrees Celsius below last year’s record-high figures.

Almost the whole of Europe has seen a brief return to a few days of winter-like weather because an Arctic wind blew south as the month of May came in. Temperatures dropped typically at least 10C from one day to the next. The driving force, a centre of low pressure over Scandinavia, seems to be reluctant to move.

Low-pressure centres often bring storms. Snow has fallen in the Netherlands, France, Germany and Switzerland. A gale blew down the Rhone valley, whipping up the Mediterranean. Hail fell thickly from thunderstorms in Bulgaria.