As well as being the Late Spring BH w/e (& PH w/e in some parts of the
UK), this year it is also the Whit weekend.

In 1967 (40 years ago), when the first 'Late Spring' BH was held
(replacing the Whitsun / moveable feast holiday), the Whit weekend fell
13th - 15th May. That weekend's weather was also dominated by a cyclonic
pattern ( with rain, heavy at times in the southeast, particularly so on
the Sunday/14th ), and a tendency for the windflow to come out of the
north or northeast! Apparently, Kew Observatory had its wettest Whit
Monday since it's records began. Rain lasted through the night
(14th/15th) & and for much of the 15th.

The actual holiday weekend that year occurred 27th - 29th, but that
weekend too was hardly spectacular, with large amounts of cloud and
periods of heavy rain, though the Monday was brighter. Unlike the Whit
w/e though, the general flow was broadly S/SW'ly so temperatures not
depressed so much as they were a fortnight before, or indeed as they
will be this year.

By the EWP series, May 1967 was the third wettest such-named month, only
beaten by 1773 & 1782!

--
Martin Rowley
Bracknell