A Nisly Day over Aireyholme

An old book of weather proverbs I have offers an array of predictions for March, ensuring that, whatever the weather, one can always find something vaguely reassuring within its pages¹Inwards, Richard. “Weather Lore”. 1869.. One such gem is a French proverb: “When March is like April, April will be like March.” How profound.

The notion of “April showers” stems from seasonal shifts and agricultural concerns. It refers to brief, heavy bursts of rain punctuated by sunny spells, all courtesy of the sun warming the ground and stirring up the atmosphere.

April may be famous for its frequent rain, but it manages to produce the lowest average rainfall per wet day. Climate change, however, seems determined to meddle, making conditions wetter and showers more intense. The shifting jet stream and fluctuating temperatures between land and sea only add to the confusion. In time, April showers might arrive in March, hit harder, and maintain their reputation for unpredictability amid the general trend of worsening weather²Marley, Jack. ‘April showers’ – a rainfall scientist explains what they are and why they are becoming more intense. April 8, 2024. https://theconversation.com/april-showers-a-rainfall-scientist-explains-what-they-are-and-why-they-are-becoming-more-intense-226852.

As an aside, an old Cleveland term for showery weather is “nisly.” A rather satisfying word, if nothing else³BLAKEBOROUGH, RICHARD. “DIALECT GLOSSARY OF Over 4,000 WORDS and IDIOMS NOW IN USE IN THE North Riding of Yorkshire”. 1912..

• 1
  Inwards, Richard. “Weather Lore”. 1869.
• 2
  Marley, Jack. ‘April showers’ – a rainfall scientist explains what they are and why they are becoming more intense. April 8, 2024. https://theconversation.com/april-showers-a-rainfall-scientist-explains-what-they-are-and-why-they-are-becoming-more-intense-226852
• 3
  BLAKEBOROUGH, RICHARD. “DIALECT GLOSSARY OF Over 4,000 WORDS and IDIOMS NOW IN USE IN THE North Riding of Yorkshire”. 1912.