Chris Fawkes

If you've noticed the lack of sunshine we've had this spring, you're not alone.

New figures from the Met Office reveal that spring 2023 is likely to go down in the history books as a notably dull season, with the United Kingdom seeing only 70% of the season's average sunshine.

Those in Wales and The South of England have seen 65%, and East Sussex in southern England experienced the dullest conditions with 55% of its average (291. 7 hours of sunshine).

You'll have to go all The Way back to 1993 to see a spring as drab as this in Wales, and 1996 for southern England. April was also duller than average and The First half of May has again been lacking in notable sunshine.

Along with The Grey skies this spring, the UK has already seen More Than its average rainfall for the season, with Two Weeks still to go (though Scotland itself is drier than average).

It hasn't been the same story everywhere, with Scotland seeing some of the highest temperatures before the rest of the nations.

The Broad reasoning is that it's connected to pressure systems, as BBC Weather's Chris Fawkes explains: " Low pressures have often been to The West of the UK this spring, with winds picking up moisture on their way to our shores bringing cloudier and wetter weather than average to The South .

" High pressures have often been to the north of the UK; they've been close enough to influence our weather, bringing sunnier and drier weather than average to north Scotland. "

The warm sea surface temperatures have also allowed the consistent development of cloud.

How might the gloomy skies influence our moods?

These figures come during Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK. Rosie Weatherley, from The Charity Mind says: " The Weather can have a big impact on how we feel, especially when Seasons Change . A lack of daylight can impact our mood, especially during darker or rainier times of the year.

" When light hits the back of The Eye , messages are passed to the part of The Brain responsible for sleep, appetite, Sex Drive , temperature, mood, and activity. Without enough light, these functions are likely to slow down.

" When Seasons Change , we might find our mood or energy levels drop when it gets colder or warmer or we might notice changes in our sleeping or eating patterns. "

Many of us tolerate the shorter days of winter; however, seasonal affective disorder (SAD) can cause severe depression in Some People . Sufferers of SAD will find depressive symptoms emerging as The Days shorten and waning as spring approaches.

The current thinking is that SAD is a result of our circadian rhythm becoming desynchronised - directly caused by the decrease in sunlight.

According to a carried out in 2021, greater Time In outdoor light was associated with less severe Depressive Disorders , reduced antidepressant use and increased happiness. It was also linked to a greater ease of Getting Up , less tiredness and fewer insomnia symptoms.

Will this influence summer?

So does The Spring weather tell us anything about the kind of summer we will have? Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Steven Keates doesn't seem to think so: " A dull and wet spring is no indication of the likely conditions for summer.

" While it's not possible to forecast the specific weather for a whole season, there's nothing in the current long-range signals that's beyond what we'd normally expect for The Time of year. "

Source of news: bbc.com