Sunny76

Yes it’s above average, but it needs to be sunny to benefit from it. Last summer was warm at times but way too many days were a cloudy mess, and it felt like autumn.

Last May was beyond awful. Cloudy and cold and only a few sunny warm days towards the end. Even May 20th-24th was still cold.

My uncle said the same. He called me and said London was covered by a thick white sky. He was hoping for the 23c and sunshine. I fly back tomorrow, so might make it back to London before the storms roll in.

Yes, we do have terrible summers. Way too much cloud and damp for my liking. It doesn’t make a blind bit of difference if the summer is warmer than average, if it’s a cloudy one. It’s still not a good summer if the sunshine levels are poor. The last summer with decent sunshine levels was 2018, as 2020 fell apart in June, and only had a couple of weeks of hot or warm sunny days between June and mid August. The spring of 2020 was wonderful, but by July it felt like a distant memory.

I’m with you here. Temps of 14-19c can be pleasant in the warm May sunshine, but add cloud and wind to the mix, and these temps are cold. I’m sitting in the garden right now, and it’s 16-18c in latvia, but if the clouds block out the sun it feels noticeably cool. We’ve had some warm enough weather to be able to sit out in a t shirt, but it’s nowhere warm enough for beach days. Needs to be at least a solid 22c or above with light winds to feel comfortable.

Yes it was hot for the first week or so. Not sure if it was warm all the way, but I remember spring of 1990 was glorious, with a few days of cold weather thrown in.

I think a cooler May might be a good omen for a better later summer. I’ll take a less settled May, if it means we get a hot sunny August, and even then the nights are still long enough, despite the fact we are losing the light as a noticeable pace by the middle of the month.

Maybe the most depressing is a strong statement, but I do agree that our climate is one of the most dreary and bland at times. Currently in Latvia, and while the weather hasn’t been warm enough for the beach(usually have to wait until late May or early June), it’s been pleasant in the sunny spells. The summer can be unsettled at times, but the sunny spells and hot weather tend to be more reliable even over here. And every winter, even a mild one by Latvian standards will produce the goods, even a poor winter will give a week or two of falling and settling snow. Latvia has a slight advantage as it’s only body of water is the Baltic, and everywhere else is landlocked. Better opportunity to cool down in winter, and warm up in summer. The one thing I will say is, London and the south is the best place when the weather is sunny and warm, and lovely when it does get a covering of snow. Unfortunately events like February 2018, or even January 2021 don’t happen every year, and those snowy years of 2008/9 through 2012/13 feel like a distant memory.

A warming world doesn’t guarantee the U.K. hotter weather or early plumes. If anything, the summers of recent have been poor on the storm front, and hot periods have been very limited. 2021 was dreary and cloudy for most of last summer. One of the worst.

1992 was a golden month and probably the one that sticks out for being hot and sunny, with some cracking overnight storms around the 24th to 26ish? Similar to May 1989, but a bit sunnier and less humid. 2018 also on a par with the hot sunny weather and some storms on a Saturday night towards the end of the month. May 2020 was a carbon copy of 18 and 92 but lacked the storms. I’ll probably place 2020 as the sunniest one, but 2018 was probably better as it was part 1 of 3 sunny warm months, and it was at the start of the hot spell which would persist on and off until august. May 2020 was great, but it was not to be followed by a better period of weather, as by mid June, the long sunny spell came to an end. All 3 of them will be remembered and most will remember 2020 more, because of the lockdown. 2018 is probably forgotten if you ask most people now.

It could be argued that 1982-84 saw a period where warmer temps in the summer started to appear. 30c and above became commonplace, where as 1980 and 81 failed to touch 30c.

I predict we will see a thunderstorm event on Friday 20th May, into Saturday 21st. I’m calling it now.

Ahh, beer for the common folk. I on the other hand, like to partake in a game of polo, have a spot of lunch in the rose garden, and have a glass of the finest wines know to man!

No worries mate.

I just want to ask a question, and please don’t take offence. Do you live in the pub? It’s just you seem to pop into your local quite often. Only yanking your chain

You are right actually about the warming trend which kind of started in the spring of 82. It was very cold virtually everywhere across the northern hemisphere during January 1982, following the very cold end to 1981. Latvia recorded their last very cold December in 1981, so maybe there is something here about the gradual shift to slightly milder temps during 1982, which only became more prominent in late 1987. December 1982 ushered in the strong El Niño of 82/83 winter, which set weather records. Many places recorded a very mild or warm and sunny Christmas Day in Northern USA and Canada. Chicago had a Christmas Day max of 19c with sunshine. Maybe this warming had a knock on effect, which created a large number of storms during the U.K. summer that year. There was also a volcano in Peru, which some say lead to the changes in the atmosphere during 1982. Now just stick in Poison Arrow by ABC, and place yourself back in 1982.

January was very cold and snowy, but the winter turned milder In February. March was mild April was warmer than average. May was changeable. June started off quite hot, with severe thunderstorms. The summer was poor, but better than the previous run between 1977-81. Lots of storms during the summer period. Autumn was mild, with a warm September and the winter of 1982/83 was much milder.

You need to send some warmth up here. Sitting in the garden while it’s 15c in the sunshine is just denial. I’m trying to pretend it’s warm enough to be outdoors when it clearly isn’t lol.

Arrived in Latvia to see the in-laws for a week yesterday afternoon. We were greeted by a chilly damp weather and 15c lol. Today it’s blue skies and 13-14c max. Very fresh, but was hoping for 21c at least. Not sure if we will be heading to the beach this week, and that opportunity was blown out of the water last August lol. Seems to be the case, we either arrive before or after the heat in the summers, and sometimes miss the snow in the winter. I think someone or something is watching me lol.

I didn’t rate 97 to be honest. It was a humid mess of a summer with periods of cool and cloudy weather early on, and the only really good period was the hot weather in early August. A very humid summer, and also cloudy. The worst combination. That’s probably not going to happen lol.

Looks like a nice start to the day. Seeing the daylight creep in around 4:30 this morning with clear skies, gives me that early summer feeling. Always makes a difference when you don’t have the cloud cover. Hopefully we stay into the 20s from now until September. And the evenings will be getting warmer. Lovely

With a stinker cloudy summer with no storms.

Bone dry and boring cloudiness most of the day. A little bit of sunshine early and feeling warmer, but still disappointing for sunshine and lack of storms.

I'm impatient. Being a Londoner, I want my storms right now. Never could have imagined how spoiled we were back in the 80s and 90s, when a thunderstorm was almost a given. Mind you, 2017 and 16 were fairly decent storm years.

Where's this so-called thunderstorm then? Nothing so far.