Peterborough weather: The chances of a bank holiday washout - and hosepipe ban - after no rain falls in city for a month

It will come as no surprise to anyone that this spring has been one of the driest in recent years in Peterborough.

There has been wall to wall blue skies and sunshine for much of May – and March and April were very dry too.

In fact, it maybe a surprise to hear that the spring of 2025 is NOT the driest spring of the last 20 years.

When did it last rain in Peterborough?

However, meteorologist Trevor Pratt, from Peterborough Weather Watch, said the last rain recorded was nearly a month ago – and the last ‘proper’ rain was even further back,

He said: “Currently, with my data to May 18, the rainfall for this season is at 54.8mm, which surprisingly is NOT the driest spring in my data series, which goes back to 2006. My driest Spring is 2020, when i recorded only 50.5mm.

"The last rain I recorded was April 23 when 3.5mm fell. Last proper rain fell on April 21, when there was 8.5mm and before that on April 15 with 14.1mm.”

While we have had plenty of sunshine, it has always been the warmest.

Trevor said: “Temperature wise, the month mean is at 10.7°C, which puts it in at 6th mildest spring in my data. Mildest, mean wise, was 2009.

“If we look at max temperature averages, currently this spring is running at 16.0°C, which puts it in at 3rd mildest. Obviously still around 11 days left, that figure will change, but it shouldn’t change too much.”

Will it be a bank holiday wash out?

Of course, many families will be looking to the weekend, with the bank holiday and the start of the school half term break for many.

Trevor said: “The outlook for the next few days does see the risk of some showers on Wednesday, difficult to pin down amounts though.

“The weekend looks a little unsettled with the risk of some rain through Saturday, the risk of some showery rain on Sunday but perhaps less risk than Saturday, but likely a breezy day.

"There is a risk of showery rain on Bank Holiday Monday as well.

“Temperatures are not looking to bad, in the range 17°C to 20°C.”

Will there be a hosepipe ban?

However, despite the dry spell, anyone worried about a hosepipe ban has been reassured by Anglian Water that there are no plans for restrictions on water use, with all reservoirs around 90 per cent full.

An Anglian Water spokesperson said: “We currently have no plans for a hosepipe ban this summer, following a wet start to last winter and plenty of rain the year before.

"However, we can all do our bit to reduce how much we use, so we can manage demand for water when the weather heats up. ”For our part, we're best in class at finding and fixing leaks quickly, and by the end of the decade, all of our customers will have smart meters in their homes so they can keep an eye on how much water they use too, as well as manage their bill.

“But it's never too soon to start being water-wise, so we have a number of water-saving tips for our customers ahead of the summer months:

“Leave a jug of tap water in the fridge to cool down rather than running the tap until it's cold. Make sure you stay safe and hydrated in the heat.

“If you’ve already filled the paddling pool for the day, don’t empty it! You can save loads on your water bill by using gentle disinfectant tablets that keep the paddling pool water fresh for days of use and fun with the kids. If you can’t save the paddling pool for another day, make sure you reuse the water to wash the dog, the car or water the flower beds, before reaching for the hose.

“Learn to love your brown lawn – leave the sprinkler in the shed this summer. Grass is extremely hard to kill. Your lawn will soon bounce back and be vibrant and green again once the rain comes

“Use your bath or washing up water to top up your water butt to use on your plants.

“Cutting showers to just 5 minutes a day can help save each household an approximate 28,000 litres of water and over £100 in energy and water every year.”