Rain forecast for bank holiday weekend a relief for farmers in West Yorkshire
Rain is expected today (Saturday 24 May)
Chad Stevens from Horncastle farm in Wakefield said they’ve only had around 7.5mm of rain since the middle of April when they usually expect around 70mm.
Earlier this week we reported how this Spring is on course to be the driest season of any on record.
The lack of rain is expected to mean that this March, April, and May could be the first with less than 100mm on records that date back 189 years.
Chad added, “I desperately need rain to get the crops going. We’ve planted wildflowers as part of diversification, they’re not growing- so we need rain for that”
“Farming is always a challenge, and weather is just one of those things that we are battling against at the minute”
Professor Ed Hawkins, the UK’s principal research scientist at the national Centre for Atmospheric Science says the previous record for the driest Spring in the UK dates to 1852 at 100.7mm of rain. However, in 2025 we’re on course for around 80mm of rain this spring in the UK.
However, this weekend, the weather in Yorkshire is expected to be cloudy with outbreaks of rain on Saturday with wind and rain overnight
The rain is expected on Sunday and Tuesday with Monday being dry with sunny spells.