Rain at the start and end of the month produced the largest amounts with 12.7mms falling on the 1st, much of it in the space of two hours, but there were many dry days, especially from the 16th to 25th.
With average figures of 15.4C (maximum) and 5.0C (minimum) the mean for the month was 10.2C, an anomaly of minus 0.4C (which might cheer the hearts of global warming sceptics).
By much the warmest spell was from the 20th to 24th with maximum figures over 20C, including 25.0C (21st), 27.4C (22nd) and 25.5C (23rd) and with a minimum of 12.5C on the 20th.
Much of the month however was quite cool and there was an air frost on three nights: the 4th, 11th and 13th (the latter down to minus 2.0C).
This was the coldest May night since 1996 (minus 2.6C) and the fourth coldest on record.
Cold northerly and easterly winds dominated up to the 12th, keeping temperatures below the seasonal norm.
After a reading of 1008.2mbs on the 1st there followed a brief spell of high pressure (1030.5mbs on the 4th), and another period of anti-cyclonic weather from the 17th to 23rd saw pressure reaching 1034.8mbs on the 20th and 21st.
This helped to produce a figure of 1019.2mbs for May as a whole, some 4mbs above the monthly average. Southerly winds were in evidence later in the month, particularly during the spell of warmer weather.
An average relative humidity of 69.8 per cent gave the lowest May value since 1980 (69.3 per cent) and there were several days on which readings were below 60 per cent at 09.00hrs (including the 4th, 11th, 12th and 18th).
The estimated sunshine total of 143.5 hours was somewhat lower than might be expected when compared with recent years (about 85 per cent of the 'norm') the sunniest days being the 18th, 22nd, 23rd and 24th, and the dullest the 5th, 14th, 19th and 29th.
There were 17 cloudy or overcast mornings but visibility was very good on 23 days and there was no fog or mist to record. There was hail on the afternoon of the 1st and thunder was heard on the afternoon of the 21st.

SPRING 2010
IT was the driest spring since 1984 and the 14th driest over the past 110 years with a total of 173.3mms with measurable rain falling on only 39 days.
Both March and April had above average sunshine amounts giving an estimated total of 428 hours for the three months (almost 10 per cent above the expected value).
The average temperature was 8.1C (max 13.1C; min 3.0C) as against the 1971-2000 figure of 8.4C and it was the coolest spring since 2001 (7.6C).
Air frost occurred on 22 nights (the average is 13) but there was no fog and only one occurrence of mist (March 25th).