We have suffered six successive days of rain so far this month, reports weatherman

Rainfall so far this month has been excessive, according to an interim report by Eric Gilbert, who runs Marlborough’s weather station.

“Rainfall up to May 22 amounts to 45.9mm, which is almost 80 per cent of the long-term average for May,” he told Marlborough News Online.  “This has been due to the frequent heavy showers over six successive days, which included small hail on May 6 and 16.3mm on the very wet first of the month.

“After the very wet April, when a total of 83.6mm was recorded, some 138 per cent of the 30-year average, gardeners have been hoping for warm sunny weather and not the continuation of the wet conditions.”

And he added: “Although the ultra violet radiation has been rated high from the May 3, the daily amounts of direct sunshine have varied from 12.7 hours on the May 3 to zero on the first of the month and again on May 8.

“During April this year solar energy was only 86 per cent of the 30-year average, which was 30 hours less than in April 2013.”