May 1996 had a CET of just 9.1C. It was the coldest May since 1902 and one of the coldest Mays on record. Winds were frequently from the north and east and this often pulled down cold pools of air from Scandinavia. Consequently maxima were often well below average, sometimes below 10C even in the south and there were ground and air frosts at night. It wasn't until the end of the month did maxima finally break 20C. Snow did fall at times but this was generally over the hills and was not disruptive.

BBC forecasts from May 1996

https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWbt7RniF2aofRMQMHADLFzQUKtAmlhqT

mean maxima for the May 1996

Stornoway: 10.8C

Aberdeen: 11.7C

Glasgow: 13.2C

Manchester: 13.5C

Birmingham: 13.6C

Heathrow: 15.1C

Cardiff: 13.5C

Belfast: 12.9C

CET trackometer

1. 8.6
2. 7.9
3. 7.5
4. 6.9
5. 6.8
6. 6.9
7. 7.1
8. 7.0
9. 7.0
10. 7.0
11. 7.0
12. 7.1
13. 7.2
14. 7.4
15. 7.6
16. 7.4
17. 7.3
18. 7.2
19. 7.3
20. 7.4
21. 7.5
22. 7.6
23. 7.8
24. 8.0
25. 8.1
26. 8.2
27. 8.4
28. 8.5
29. 8.7
30. 9.0
31. 9.1

Temperatures recorded during May 1996 in Manchester. Maximum first value, minimum second value.

1. 12, 7
2. 8, 6
3. 10, 2
4. 10, -2
5. 13, 0
6. 15, 2
7. 13, 5
8. 13, 2
9. 11, 4
10. 12, 4
11. 10, 4
12. 13, 5
13. 16, 2
14. 18, 3
15. 11, 6
16. 10, 1
17. 10, 3
18. 12, 3
19. 11, 6
20. 15, 5
21. 14, 5
22. 14, 7
23. 14, 9
24. 16, 9
25, 15, 6
26. 14, 8
27. 15, 10
28. 14, 6
29. 18, 13
30. 23, 12
31. 17, 10

Amazing the CET at 7.8C as late as the 23rd. 😮

Have only a vague recollection of this, and that's because we got married in May 97, and I remember thinking "we can't have two **** Mays running!"

(incidentally, May 97 wasn't very good, either. The third week, in the run-up to our wedding, was dull with bouts of drizzle. Our wedding day itself had beautiful weather - sunny from late-morning onwards and warm (after a dull month, it felt very warm). The subsequent marriage has been rather stormy!)

Brrr, I remember May 1996 very clearly. I was working at the local theme park and it was really bitterly cold, made worst with the winds blowing off the unusually cold North Sea (it's been a cold Winter and March). There was sleet and hail on 4th! 

Yes, a wet, cyclonic start to the month, the wind were predominantly NE'erly, with high pressure to the NNW from 7th and persistent low pressure on the Continent, but it was dry and mostly bright here. The low pushed northwards by the 18th giving a very dull wet weekend, then the winds switched to predominantly WSW'erly from the 20th.

The weather was then mostly poor with frequent rain, and, whilst the temperatures were not great, it was comparitably much less cold here.

The was a short quite warm, humid spell in the closing days of the month.

The rubbish weather did not last long thereafter! The Summer was a good one, with plenty of warm, dry sunny weather here.