May 2022 was milder and a little cloudier than average and the total rain for the month was below average.

A weak weather system moved south across the district at the start of the month through a fairly weak high pressure area. High pressure developed over and to the south of England resulting in over a week of dry weather. The high declined as Atlantic westerlies brought stronger winds and some rain for the 11th. Then the high pressure edged back north over southern England for another couple of days.

After this showery, even thundery, rain moved north from France to start a slightly unsettled spell around the middle of the month. Low pressure moved in from the west by the 23rd bringing some further, mostly light rain. High pressure again developed over and to the west of Britain before declining as low pressure spread south over England bringing showers. This brought some locally heavy thundery rain to areas just to the North and West of the district but they mostly skirted around the Dawlish and Teignmouth area.

In terms of statistics (30 year averages 1981 to 2010): Rainfall totals across the district were typically between 40 and 45 mm which is below average for May and follows on from a dry April. The wettest day for most was either on the 18th or the 23rd with below 10mm recorded. There were around 18 dry days, which is about normal for May, although there were around 12 days when 1mm or more of rain was recorded which was somewhat more than the average of 9 days.

The temperature for the month averaged around 13.4 Celsius, a degree above the 30 year average. The warmest day occurred on the 5th or 7th when temperatures reached 20 to 23 Celsius in most places. There were several days when the afternoon temperature reached at least 20 Celsius and in parts of Dawlish this occurred on as many as 8 Days. The coldest temperature for most of the district occurred on the 5th or the 9th when values dipped to between 5 and 7 Celsius. A few inland areas saw temperatures falling close to 3 Celsius which is low enough for a possible ground frost although most parts remained frost free. Breezy spells occurred between the 10th and 11th and again on the 17th 20th and 26th but for most of May winds were fairly light.

The sea temperature at the Dawlish wave buoy started the month at 12 Celsius, rose to 14 Celsius by the end of the month. Sunshine, estimated at around 160 to 200 hours, was a little below average. In summary, compared to the 1981 to 2010 average, May 2022 was milder, a little cloudier and had a lower rainfall total.