Sunny76

One of the least interesting years for weather in the 80s, and this was during my first year at high school. During this time we were informed by our English teacher of the dangers of using deodorants, and their impact on the environment. This was around the time of the hole in the ozone layer, and probably the first time I was made aware of terms like ‘global warming’ or ‘greenhouse effect’. 1988 definitely seemed to be the first year when more warmer records were being set, and this coincided with our first very mild winter of 1987/88. The first time we didn’t see snow in London for a number of years, and it felt strange at the time, but I think personally, it was possibly down to the harsh January of 1987 and how unusual that event was. January and February weren’t that memorable, but I vaguely remember it being sunnier than normal, and this trend continued into the spring, along with warmer than average temps. April felt summer like at times, and there was a thunderstorm on a Monday evening. May was also quite warm, and more storms moved into the London area overnight on a Saturday. This was a hot period, plus more humid and thundery weather moved in on the Sunday. Think it was mid May, but can’t remember exactly. I have no memory of June, apart from a holiday to Torquay, and think the weather was average summer temps with decent spells of sunny weather. Have no memory of the cold and wet July, but do recall a few hot days in early August. Autumn was forgettable, apart from a warmish weekend in early October. Christmas Day was mild dull and dry.

That’s what I remember most about 04. It was warm and humid for a time in August, with an overnight storm in London, but the middle part of the summer was quite cool, and at the time, it was the poorest since the 1980s.

I think November that year had a couple of 21c days, which at the time would have been a record. We had to wait until 1994, until temps were just as mild in the early part of the month.

It's such a tonic, to have this lovely weather for the past week or so, and it wasn't so long ago, we were all freezing. A mild winter still produces cold days. I'm glad the darker days are behind us now until September.

I disagree with the 94-96 and 00s comparisons. I only rate 94/95 and 2003/06 as decent. 96, 2004, and 05 all contained poor or mediocre summer months.

Was quite young then, but remember late May being thundery in London, but I might be getting this mixed up with 1985. The stats show May 84 being cold and dull, which doesn’t usually produce thunderstorms. The summer holidays were quite hot and sunny at times. Was down in the Isle of Wight in August, and most of the days were warm and sunny. We just don’t seem to be able to get Augusts like that anymore. Don’t remember much else.

I’m enjoying this current warm spring spell, but not going to expect another 2020, and won’t be surprised if we have another period of cold dull weather. What I don’t want though, is the cold to linger into May, because by that stage, we need the warmer days to enjoy the longest daylight hours.

It probably will do next winter, when we don’t want a cold snowy one, and everyone will be hammered by the expensive energy bills.

Here’s hoping it doesn’t become another 2012 summer. That would be depressing, after the shocker of last summer in the south. I hope we get a mild winter next year, as a cold one is going to be tough for many of us who struggle to heat our homes with the high cost of energy bills. We can expect a Godzilla El Niño.

It was early in the month. I remember walking from Richmond back to Chelsea, and the weather was cold and rainy.

July was awful that year in London. I remember one day where it failed to reached 15c, and was the coldest July day since 1980.

Really looking forward to some 19-20c days this week. Will be good to lose the chilly wind, which made it feel uncomfortable at the weekend. Much more pleasant today while walking round, and didn't need my winter jacket for the first time since probably late October.

I'm hoping we don't see anymore below 13c days until October from here on in. Had enough of the chilly and damp stuff, and the morning frosts are still present. Only another month or so, before the real warmth starts to kick in.

Staying with the 2000s. My memory of this year, was a chilly January, cold early February, followed by a very mild second half. March was mixed. April was damp and cool with a few warmer days, and a early evening thunderstorm towards the end of the month. May was quite warm and sunny, and early June was decent. The main summer period was disappointing though, with way too much cloudy and damp weather. August was very warm at the start, but it was a humid and cloudy month. Warm sunny September, and probably the best spell of settled weather since May that year. Don’t remember much about the autumn, but Christmas was cold dry and sunny.

This could be a bad signal for summer. If we get all the better weather now, come July and august it will be either tipping down or cloudy. Still, we need to enjoy it, so I’ll shut up now lol.

I can’t wear shorts in this current weather. Nowhere near warm enough. I’ve cranked up the heating now, as the evening becomes colder. I think even early June can be still good for hikes, especially by the coast. But come mid June the humidity starts to build.

It’s been a lovely day and you can feel the transition from winter to spring is more notable now. Still needed my layers and winter jacket, as the wind was quite strong and dragged the temp down. Walking by the river in west London and top temp was around 14-15c, but 12-13c in the wind. Felt pretty chilly. This is the type of weather set up I would love more of in May to August, as it would give us a dry heat. Just need the temps to be 23-28c and it will be lovely come May.

I still have the heating on low on one radiator, and still have it on low at night. It’s not warm enough just yet. Yes, the current spell is an improvement and warmer than it was just a few weeks ago, but I won’t be wearing a lighter jacket and t shirt until we hit 19-21c. T- shirt weather comes in around 20-21c, but if it’s breezy, I’ll still wear a light jacket. 22c is where I might consider wearing shorts, but only if there’s no breeze. 24-25c is usually where it feels warm enough to feel comfortable in shorts for me. The chilly wind is a reminder of how cold it can still get, even on a warmer day. Sitting in the shade can still be chilly even into April, and April 2020 had days where it was cold in the shade, even during that nice long warm spell. It’s not until we see a number of days exceeding 23-24c where it starts to feel warmer in the shade.

I think the summers of 2008-12 were more up your street.

Christmas was sort of average I feel, similar to Christmas 2013, which was dull and damp.

I think late March has the same effect as late September in some ways, but you are right in saying the clocks going back in late October have more of an impact, as we plunge from late summer/early autumn feeling, into a more winter state of mind. Its starting to feel better now, compared to just a few weeks ago, but the real spring summer feeling will take shape after March 27th. Even if it’s still chilly, the longer evenings and daylight until 8pm makes such a difference. Then it’s like that until late August, before the slow decline.

I hope we have a warmer April this year. Last year was ok, but it still felt cold even in the sunshine.

Yeah I can’t wait. That’s where you really feel a difference and the full transition away from winter into spring gets going. Will be glad to see the back of cold mornings and evenings.

I have a decent memory of this year, being 27 at the time. I also stopped working at the start of March as a decorator. Was working for a builder in West London, carrying out office maintenance, but the work dried up, and following a few private jobs I ended up taking a long 9 months of a so- called sabbatical.(I was basically unemployed and still paying rent to my mum at the time) Spent most of April and the summer sunning myself on the roof terrace. This was the best year for sunny and warm weather, after a number of mediocre summers, and in my opinion was the best summer overall since 1995 at that time. January was quite snowy, despite the mild middle, and it was the first time London was covered in snow since February 1994. Also was the start of a string of winters with some snowfall in London. 2004, and 05 produced snow in London, although we had to wait until Feb 2009 for a heavy dumping of snow to rival the 90s. It was noticeably colder during January and February, and considering the previous Christmas was very mild and damp, the winter as a whole felt chilly and not very mild. March was sunny and warm, April was even better and felt hot later in the month. Similar to April 2002, as that was also warm and sunny, but much better in terms of longer spells of sunshine. May was very drab and forgettable. June, July and August were mostly warm or hot and sunny. There were a couple of weeks in July where it became a little unsettled, but I don’t remember getting any storms during summer 2003. The Autumn was a cooler one, but don’t remember anything that interesting towards the backend of the year.

I think 1994 was a classic year for weather, even in a post 1987 climate. We still managed a bit of snow and chilly unsettled spring weather with sunshine and showers, a cold May, which I really hated at the time and cold early June, followed by the first decent hot spell since 1990ish and in some respects best spell of dry sunny weather since May 1992. Some decent storms also, but the very mild weather accompanied by dull and damp conditions from September is what let it down a bit. The mild sunny spells in October were nice, but was a bit too late to enjoy it by then.