Meteorologist: Europe in for cool, unsettled spring

Weather through the rest of April and May will be cool and changeable in western, northern and central Europe, German meteorologist Georg Mueller said in a seasonal update released on Tuesday, citing low pressure in the region. Mueller said he expected temperatures to be partly below normal, with frequent precipitation especially over northern and central Europe, while the UK still would not get major rain so the locally dry situation might extend into late spring. Mueller works for Point Carbon, a Thomson Reuters company which provides data for power, natural gas and CO2 markets. The trend forecast four weeks ago for a rather warm June was still present, but was maybe a bit less solid than in the previous forecasts, he said. Moving into summer, "July and August seem to get more unsettled with near or slightly above normal temperatures and near normal rain over both northern Europe and the continent," he said. "Clear signs for months with well above normal temperatures and extended dry periods are not given." Providers of power and gas for heating and lighting need to gauge likely weather patterns, as the latter drive consumer demand and utility buying of energy commodities such as coal and gas. As utilities look to the summer, they also need to know about prospects for extreme drought or heat, as this influences the cooling-water situation for thermal generation plants and the availability of water for hydroelectricity.