East Lancs Rain

It definitely wasn’t pleasant here. It’s been terrible up here as well, loads of rain, gloomy every day and barely any sun. Yesterday was mostly dry here but still very overcast. Today is slightly better, actually had a bit of sunshine earlier today but now it’s fully overcast. It has stayed dry though which is something and the temperature is close to average at 6.6°C currently. You mean -22 lol. Before I clicked on the screenshot I actually thought Olso had recorded a high of +22C in winter lol. I’m guessing that’s in Prague and not in the UK, I don’t think anywhere is forecast to get that cold in the UK. Although many places will only see maximums in mid single digits and some frosty nights which is colder than it has been. Yes, there have been reports of extreme cold in the past, especially in the US as you said. I remember watching on the news a few years ago they covered an extremely cold spell of weather in the US. A man threw a bucket of water into the air and it instantly froze. Amazing to see. But these days they much more often report on extreme heat and drought than extreme cold. There is definitely a bias. I couldn’t agree more. The media constantly bang on about it everytime we have a hot spell or a few weeks without rain in summer. I don’t deny the climate is warming up but I do deny that we are responsible for it. There have been scientists who have said that the increase in temperature has caused the increase in carbon dioxide, and not the other way around. They want us to give up our cars, give up eating meat, give up on going on international holidays, want us to use less central heating and install ineffective heat pumps and be cold, all in the name of saving the earth. Well maybe they work quite well if you live in a modern well insulated house with small rooms in the south, during mild winter weather, but the claims they are making are just extremely exaggerated and flat out false. Maybe in a few decades, with the improvement of insulation and the winters getting ever milder, central heating won’t be necesssary anymore in the south, with just a gas fire in the living room and a couple of space heaters on standby needed for the occasional cold snap. I think AC will become more necessary in the south and south east though due to our hotter summers with more extreme heat spikes. I disagree, but to be honest I’m quite happy that we’re getting warmer summers and milder winters. Too many cool, rainy summers in this part of the world. If climate change means we get more summer 2018’s and less summer 2007/2012’s then from a personal point of view I’m quite happy about it, and if the south has to suffer then so be it… They do the same in summer as well, I heard with the “record breaking temperatures“ in Greece, they reported the ground temperatures as the air temperature and I also heard the wildfires were started deliberately…

Looks like an anticyclonic and quite chilly week to come, hopefully it’ll be nice and sunny rather than anticyclonic gloom. Pressure still low here at 983 hpa.

It appears so. Drier today but still no sun. Currently 6°C. Warm Welcome Campaign WWW.WARMWELCOME.UK The Warm Welcome Campaign exists to turn poverty and isolation into warmth and welcome through the power of local Spaces made by and for the community.

Now for anti 2006 and anti 2014, two of the warmest years on record, flipped around! 2006 One of the coldest years on record in the CET, until anti 2014, with a mean of 10.87C. Winter 2005-06 was exceptionally dull - particularly the first two months. Winter 2005-06 and spring were marked by a large number of very mild days. It was the fifth coldest summer on record in spite of a distinctly average August. The period May to September is the coolest on record. Nowhere reached 30°C all year. The increase of 3.6C between July and August has never been exceeded. Then the mean of September and October was the coldest on record. It was also the coldest autumn on record. It was however the driest autumn in Scotland for over 20 years. January. Low pressure ruled the month, and it was very wet, particularly in the south. The England and Wales average total was 166% of the long-term average. Only three years have been wetter in the last hundred years. Average temperatures overall, meaning after a cold snap it was the mildest for five years: there were mild spells early and late in the month, but a cold spell midmonth cancelled these out. The first half was extremely sunny, the second half very dull, with a lot of places having fog all day, but where there wasn’t any fog it was very sunny. It was very wet apart from some high pressure in the second week. There were some cold nights in Scotland in the second week, and mild ones in the final week, with a minimum of 11.7C at Aviemore on the morning of the 30th. February. Average temperatures overall, with a mild beginning and end but cold middle. Quite wet and the sunniest since anti 1993, and very sunny in the east. There were some exceptionally mild days - the highest temperature of the month was 18.2 in County Tyrone, the highest February maximum for a long time. A wet beginning. In the first few days there were was widespread maxima of 12-15°C for the first time in a while. The lowest temperature of the month was -11.5C at Braemar on the 21st; the maximum at Dunkeswell (Devon) was -2.9C on the 13th. Parts of north London (e.g. Northolt) had rain every day for 22 days ending on the 7th. Despite the cyclonic conditions, it was actually quite sunny when it wasn’t raining, and this was followed by a short southerly blast. After a settled spell starting on the 10th, with some frost, a mild SW wind persisted from the 20th until the end of the month. There was some flooding on the 23rd and 24th and more on the 27th, particularly in the north and east. March. Mild and dry. Southerly winds in the first week, prolonged westerlies in the middle, but a cold end with northerly winds in the final week meant it was close to average overall. A warm start with a few showers in the west. The maximum at Southampton on the 2nd was 16.4C. Several places remained above 10 degrees at night for more than 24 hours in the first four days and midmonth. The maximum at Fylingdales (North Yorks.) on the 4th was 21.3C. There was some heavy rain in central Scotland on the 11th and 12th, standing many motorists in the Glasgow area. The winds turned more NE and it became coldrrfrom the 24th. The highest temperature of the month was 23.8C on the 15th. The final week was particularly dry: just 2.4 mm of rain fell at Capel Curig in the final week of the month. It was quite sunny in the north. The CET was the warmest since anti 1996. April. It was the most easterly April since anti 1977, yet it was very wet, particularly in the east and south, but quite dry in the north and west. There was a warm spell at the start, with widespread maxima of over 20°C in the south on Sunday-Monday 9-10th. A high of 25°C was recorded at Tunbridge Wells on the 10th thanks to a southerly plume, the warmest temperature of the month. It became colder towards the end of the month; there was a high of just 1.7C in Glasgow on the 21st. Overall temperatures were about average, although this hid a contrast of some very warm and very cold days. It was quite a cloudy month. May. Overall the coldest May for five years. Another month of contrasting halves. The first half was wet, cool, and cloudy - indeed the dullest first half since anti May 1945. The second half was very dry - the driest second half of May since anti 1979. On the 4th 27.8 mm of rain was recorded at Northolt (London). It was unusually cold with temps into single digits in most places. The temperature fell to -5.9C at Kinbrace (Sutherland) on the night of the 3rd-4th. The mini cold snap was accompanied by some spectacular frosts, particularly in western and central Scotland on the 4th. Overall it was very dry, with just 15% of the average in England and Wales. It was particularly dry in west Wales and relatively wet in the far north. It was quite sunny in the east and south. June. Very chilly and wet - about the same as anti 2003, and one of the coldest since anti 1976. Low pressure for the first half of the month, more settled in the second half. A cold, wet start, with a high of just 11C at Weybourne (Norfolk) on the 11th, and then 11.4C at Heathrow 12.4C in central London on the 12th. There is another cold and wet spell again at the end of the month. It was a dry month in Devon and Cornwall however. It was a very wet month, with rain somewhere every day in the first half of the month: an average of 160% made it the wettest since anti 1995. It was the dullest June since anti 1975 (32% less sunshine than usual), and particularly dull on the south coast. July. The coldest and dullest July on record (13.2 CET), in both England and Scotland. It was particularly cold across the east and north. Scotland also had its coldest July on record. Shanklin and Eastbourne saw just 34.3 hours of sunshine. On average there was only half as much sunshine as usual. There was a cool snap at the start; with some scattered showers, particularly in the SE, on the 2nd, with a high of just 12C in London (Heathrow). After a brief warmer spell, the rain and cool temperatures returned, with a high of just 12.7°C at Penzance on the 17th. On the 19th a new July record low maximum is set, with a high of just 6.5°C in the Scottish Highalnds and 6.7°C near Aberdeen. The temp even struggles in the south with a high of just 10.5C at Plymouth, and a high of just 8.7°C (Penhow, Newport) was a new Welsh July low daytime temp record. Nowhere managed to reach 20°C anywhere in the country from the 16th to the 27th apart from the 23rd. After warming up slightly, the cool temperatures returned, with a high of 14C being recorded at Charlwood (Surrey) on the 25th. There was a drier day on the 19th. There were lots of heavy showers throughout the month. There was some flooding in places. August. An average month, but it felt wonderful after a diabolical June and July. Finally some summer weather! About average temperatures. A very southeasterly month. It was the warmest since anti 1999. The highest temperature of the month was 28.9C at Church Lawford (Warks.) on the 16th, the highest temperature of the whole summer. Quite sunny and and slightly drier than average; the sunniest since anti 1986. It was particularly dry in the east. September. September, at just 10.5C, was the coldest on record. A very northerly month. Very wet, dull, and cool until the 21st, particularly in the south and east until the 21st, more settled after that. After a settled first week, it became wetter and cooler. It was just 8C at Margate on the 6th. As the low pressure continued to build, there was 30 mm of rain at Heathrow on the 11th, and a reported 30.5 at Kew Gardens on the same day. There was a lot of heavy showers but it was drier in the south and Midlands. It was drier around the 14th. It was just 9°C at Sutton Bonington (East Midlads) on the 21st, and there was some unusually early ground frosts. Overall quite dull and wet, but the last ten days stopped it from being exceptionally so. October. Cold and dry: the third coldest on record. It was particularly dry in the north, and especially in Orkney. Sunshine was slightly above average, with more sun in the second half. The highest temperature of the month was only 18.0C at St. Peter Port, and 17C in central London, on the 19th. Wednesday and Thursday 5th and 6th were very wet, although it was very calm under the centre of the low pressure. There was flooding over large areas but north-east Scotland was drier. A boat and four lives were tragically lost at sea. 25 mm over a wide area, and 118 mm at Dartmouth in Devon with serious flooding in Paignton. November. The dullest November on record. It was exceptionally dull in the south and east, with just 10.3 hours. Shanklin had 13.5 hours, and Bognor Regis 13.6 hours. The first ten days were persistently foggy along the south coast. It was quite wet in the east but very dry in the west and north. Inveruglas, west Scotland, had just 6.1 mm of rain. It was the driest November in Glasgow on record (with just 30 mm of rain). Overall temperatures were slightly below average, although the first week was relatively mild. December. Overall colder than average - in England and Wales the coldest since anti 1988, with frequent NE winds (the most so since anti 1974). It was very dry and settled in the first half of the month, but very wet and stormy second half. It was extremely dry in the west in the first half of the month. It was relatively wet in the east. As the low pressure grew, there was some very strong gales in the south before Christmas, causing travel disruption. It became very mild in the NE, thanks to the foehn effect with 19.4C at Aberdeen on the 25th; Fyvie had 94 hours of sunshine. Although some places had dense fog in this period, others had a great deal of sunshine; Plymouth had 12 days of sunshine. It was exceptionally dull in parts of the NE; it was the dullest December on record for Aberdeen with just 8.8 hours of sunshine throughout the entire month. The month ended dry and calm in the north under a large ridge of high pressure, ideal for the Hogmanay celebrations. The weather was particularly uneventful in Northern Ireland. CET Jan: 4.0°C (-0.2) Feb: 4.5°C (+0.3) Mar: 7.4°C (+1.2) Apr: 7.3°C (-0.7) May: 10.5°C (-0.9) Jun: 12.6°C (-1.6) Jul: 13.2°C (-3.3) Aug: 16.2°C (bang on average) Sep: 10.5°C (-3.2) Oct: 8.1°C (-2.4) Nov: 5.8°C (-1.1) Dec: 3.6°C (-1.4) Overall an extremely cold year with an average annual CET of just 8.6C! Every month was below average apart from February, March and August. July, September and October were exceptionally cold. A horrible year for those who like warmth and hate unseasonably cold weather. 2014 Most notable as the coldest year on record in the CET series,with a mean of 8.55, beating the previous coldest (anti 2006). The most anti cyclonic winter on record, with the highest average pressure by some way. Also easily the driest winter on record (with an average total of just 27.7 mm. There were some severe frosts and frozen canals across the north from Christmas Eve on, with a series of very strong anticyclones. As might be expected, a very cold winter (but not record-breaking). The hihest temperature of the year was 32.3C at Swancombe Marsh (Kent) on 18 July. The lowest temperature was a frigid -19.0C at Cromdale in Morayshire on the 27th; It was a very cold spring, with a CET average of just 7C, with only a couple of years being colder. It was a poor and backloaded summer, with the best weather coming in August, an unusual occurrence. January. A very anticyclonic month. Dry, cold and calm with some very strong ridges of high pressure. There were some severe frosts in the north. February. The most anticyclonic month on record, so very light winds, cold, and dry. The mildest day was the 4th where several stations in the London area recorded 14.9C; the coldest night was the 17th with -17.7C at Altnaharra. England and Wales rainfall averaged less than 50%, making it the driest February since anti 1990. There were severe frosts on the 12th and 14th, with temperatures in minus double digits in many areas. Despite all the high pressure, it was a dull month, with a lot of anticyclonic gloom and freezing fog, although it was very sunny in NW England and SW Scotland. March. Mostly cold, wet, and dull. It was particularly cold in the SE. The highest temperature was just 15.9C in St James's Park, London, on the 30th, and the lowest was -16.8C at Redesdale (Northumberland) on the 24th. Rainfall of 131% of average made it the wettest month since June. It was very dry in Western Scotland but very wet in NE. England. England and Wales sunshine averaged just 66% of the long-term average. April. The third coldest on record (after anti 2007 and 2011). Generally a northerly month. The south was particularly cold, wet, and dull from the 8th to the 19th. The highest temperature of the month was in Scotland, at Aviemore on the 22nd (17C); the coldest night -15.2C at Aboyne on the night of the 19-20th. Very average rainfall 102%, although it came in a lot of frequent but light showers during middle of the month. Monks Wood (Cambridgeshire) was very wet with a monthly total of 125 mm. The England and Wales sunshine was close to the average (102%). May. Slightly cooler than average but also dry. Rainfall averaged just 46% (102 mm), making it the driest May since anti 2007. The driest day was the 10th with no rain falling anywhere. The third week was relatively wet however. The highest temperature of the month was 26.2 at Heathrow on the 9th. The lowest was -5.0C at Cromdale (Morayshire) on the morning of the 22nd. The maximum at Carter Bar on the 21st was only 4.5C. It was slightly more sunny than average. June. Quite cool and wet, and the dullest since anti 2010. The highest temperature was 26.5C at Strathallan (Perthshire) on the 8th; the coldest 1.0C at Lake Bala early on the 16th. Total rain was 125% of average). The highest rainfall of the month was the 18th, when 57.0 mm fell at Boughton-under-Blean in Kent in a five-hour thunderstorm. It was drier than average in parts of east Scotland, and drier in the SW. England and Wales sunshine was quite poor at just 117 hours. Lerwick was the sunniest place and saw 168 hours however. July. Cool and cloudy - in the bottom ten percent for both sunshine and warmth over the last century. The highest temperature was just 22.3°C (just over 70F) at Swanscombe Marsh (Kent); the lowest -1.2C at Braemar on the 12th. The England and Wales sunshine average was just 72% of average, Lerwick saw 336 and but St Heiler only 100. The rainfall average was 106% of average. The driest day was the 20th, with no rain anywhere. August. Warm, dry, and settled; the warmest since anti 1993 and the driest since anti 2008. The only warm month of the year. The last three weeks were particularly settled. The highest temperature of the month was 33.2C at St James's Park in London on the 17th, also the hottest temperature of the summer, while the temperature at Braemar fell to 2.1C on the 5th. On the 24th, London reorded an overnight low of 19C. The England and Wales average rainfall was just 45%. On the 19th, 32.8 mm of rain fell at Fair Isle. Sunshine was exactly average. September. The wettest in England and Wales since anti 1959 (180%) and across the UK for over a century. Squires Gate (Blackpool) recorded over 100 mm of rain. It was a chilly month. The warmest daytime temperature was only 23.0C at St. Helier (Jersey). Not surprisingly it was a very cyclonic month. The only dry days were on the 18th and 19th. Sunshine was almost exactly average. October. Quite cold, dry, calm, and settled, but not extraordinarily so. There was a cold snap on the 31st (Hallowe'en), with maximums in the mid single digits in most places, and a severe frost on the 30th and 31st. The highest temperature was just 18.7C at Kew in London and Swanscombe March (Kent) on the 1st. The lowest minimum was -14.5C at Aviemore on the morning of the 31st, a new low temperature record for Halloween. Total England and Wales rainfall averaged 76%. Achnagart (Wester Ross) recorded just 29.2 mm in the entire month. Sunshine averaged (109%). November. Very cold, particularly in the first half, and generally settled. The coldest day was the 1st, a high of just 4.3C at Loch Glascarnoch (Wester Ross). The coldest night was the morning of the 5th with -9.2°C recorded in the Scottish Highlands. It was quite a dry month, with an average of 76 mm being 76% of the 81-10 long-term mean. It was particularly dry in west Wales and wet in east Scotland. Sunshine was 104%, with Cornwall being the dullest part of the country this month. December. About average temperatures overall, slightly colder in the south and slightly milder in the north. It was an easterly but also relatively windy month. There was a cold spell mid-month, and then from Christmas on it turned much milder (but not exceptionally so). The highest temperature of the month was 14.2C at Nantwich in Cheshire on the 30th, and the lowest -9.0C at Cromdale (Morayshire), overnight on the 6th-7th. Rainfall was 112% of the long-term average, with, as would be expected with an easterly airflow, more rain than the east, while parts of the west were quite dry. It was also a very dull month, with an average of just 48%, the lowest for December since anti 2001. There was an unusual lack of windy weather in western Scotland. CET Jan: 2.6 (-1.6) Feb: 2.1 (-2.1) Mar: 4.7 (-1.5) Apr: 5.7 (-2.3) May: 10.5 (-0.9) Jun: 13.3 (-0.9) Jul: 15.2 (-1.3) Aug: 17.3 (+1.1) Sep: 12.3 (-1.4) Oct: 8.7 (-1.8) Nov: 5.3 (-1.6) Dec: 4.9 (-0.1) Overall the CET came out at an exceptionally cold 8.55°C! Every month was below average except for August. However, the cold year was mainly due to a lack of warmth and heat with very subdued temperatures rather than anything exceptionally cold.

Summer 2021 was pretty decent here, compared to average anyway. It was warmer and drier than average, and sunshine was also somewhat above average. The only poor weather I remember was the first week of July was wet and the middle of August was quite poor. It was like a gentler, less extreme version of Summer 2018. While July 2018 was very hot and bone dry throughout most of the month, July 2021 was more just pleasantly warm, with many fine days with temps in the low 20’s. It did get pretty hot during the third week though. I don’t think either Summer actually reached 30°C here, although they did get quite close. The last week of August was very pleasant with anticyclonic NÉ flow, a mix of sunshine and cloud, and temps in the high teens and low 20’s. I remember some eastern areas were very dull though. Summer 2021 was one of my favourite summers actually, lots of pleasant, benign, usable weather, lots of very mild and warm days but nothing extremely hot. I don’t think Spring and Summer 2021 were too bad here, May was awful but I quite enjoyed April because even though it was colder than average, it was very dry and sunny to make up for it, and there were some pleasant days in the mid teens with sunshine. Me too. June 2021 was a more temperate, more toned down version of June 2023, which is good for me as I don’t like it baking hot, and July 2021 was much better than July 2023. I’m guessing even in the south, July 2021 was still better than July 2023. Both Augusts were quite mediocre, but if I had to pick one, I think I’d pick August 2021. Yes, saw a similar advert on YouTube today. They often have adverts at this time of year for these portable heaters that you just plug in and it magically heats up your room by 10 degrees in just a few minutes… In reality it’s just a mini space heater that won’t be very effective.. And in the summer, they have adverts for portable AC units that claim to cool your room down in just a few minutes… In realty it’s just a swamp cooler that you put water and ice cubes in and it blows out cool air, but makes very little difference to the actual temperature of the room… In the one I watched, they made up a story about a university student who studied in a university with a rubbish heating system, and so he came up with a way to heat up a room very quickly for very little cost. His professors were pleased with his device but when a heating company offered him millions of pounds for his idea, he rejected it and was expelled three days later… I saw an advert last summer or maybe the summer before with a very similar story, only with AC instead of heating, making similar absurd claims like “cools a room down by 10 degrees in 10 minutes” works in rooms as big as 150 sq metres etc.. so it’s probably the same scammers ripping people off again. Yes, it would be great to have a small device that you just plug in and it cools/warms up a room by multiple degrees in just a few minutes for a fraction of the cost of conventional CH/AC, but such devices only exist in fantasyland, and sadly many will fall for it. If it sounds too good to be true then it probably is! Me too. Even up here, there’s barely been in frost since mid December. Most nights have just been in the mid single digits and cloudy and wet/windy. It will be nice to see the sun again rather than just grey cloud all day.

So am I. Here is anti 2019. There were record-breaking low temperatures in February, with lows of -28 and then -29 recorded. Summer was slightly cooler than average overall, but also sunnier and drier. An unusual combination. The average though masks two exceptionally cool spells. It was just 8.7°C at Cambridge on one day in July. The late August Bank Holiday was exceptionally cold for the time of year and very wet. It was the driest autumn on record in South Yorkshire. Overall, it was a poor spring, a cool but dry and sunny summer, and an exceptionally dry and fairly mild autumn. Generally the summer had average temperatures with dry and sunny conditions, but the exceptionally cool spells made it cooler than average overall. January. Overall close to average temperatures. The first half of the month was colder. It was a wet month, and very wet in east and southeast Scotland and northeast England, with 148% average rain overall. Sunshine was average, although again it was dull in southeast Scotland and northeast England, and sunny in the SW. The highest temperature of the month was 14.2 C at Slapton (Devon) on the 15th, and the lowest -14.3C at Braemar on the 1st. February. Very cold - at 1.7 CET the coldest since anti 2002. The mean maxima were particularly low. However the month started mild with some very mild temperatures for the first day or so. A temperature of 15.4C was recorded at Kew Gardens in London on the 1st. Winds then switched to the east, northeast, and north, bringing cold and snow from Siberia. There was a record-breaking cold spell mid-month. On Thursday 21 Scotland's record minimum (since anti 1897) was broken, with -28.3C recorded at Aboyne (Aberdeenshire). On the 22nd a new Welsh record is set with -28.1C at Snowdonia, and then broken again with -29.1C on the 24th also at Snowdonia. On Monday the 25th -20.6C broke the -20C record in Trawgoedd (and -20.4 in Northolt, London). Tuesday 26th was then exceptional: -21.2C at, and -20.8 in Porthmadog (Wales). Many places have maximums in minus double digits during this spell. It was often very cloudy too. The cold weather broke down on the final day of the month. Overall it was extremely dull (56%), being the second dullest on record (after anti 2008) and quite wet (118%), particularly in the east, especially in East Scotland. Extraordinarily then the month saw temperatures range from -29 to +15, a range of 44 degrees. The month had an unusual combination of being very cold but also wet and dull, with a lot of freezing fog, cold rain, sleet and freezing rain. It was very snowy too. March. March was dry and settled until the 17th with E and SE winds, then much wetter and cyclonic. It was cold in the south, less so in the north, particularly in the second half. The final week was very cloudy. Overall it was much colder than average, but not as cold as 2013. It was very dry (5th driest since anti 1910 with 60% of rainfall), particular in Northern Ireland and the Northwest. It was dull in England and Wales with 86% of average sunshine. Highest temperature of the month was just 14.8°C at Kew Gardens on the 6th. Lowest temperature of the month was -16.9 C at Aboyne (Aberdeenshire) on the 25th. 74.6 mm of rain fell at Capel Curig (Gwnedd) on the 26th to 27th. April. A mixed month. It started warm and settled, but turned cool from the 5th with westerly winds, before turning warmer again. Then Easter (late this year 19 - 22 April) was very cold. It was very cold on Saturday 20, when London recorded a high of just 5.5C. Scotland (3.4C, Edinburgh), Wales (3.2°C, Hawarden), and Northern Ireland (1.0°C), Helen's Bay, Co, Down) had a record-breakingly cold Easter Sunday. Easter Monday was even colder, with a high of -2.4C at Kinlochewe, -3.6C at Cardiff, and -1.7C at Armagh; it was just 4.6°C at Heathrow. The final week was settled and warm in places. Overall it was colder than average, particularly in NW Scotland. It was wet overall, with 129% of average, particularly in the southeast. It was slightly duller than average (86%). The higest temperature of the month was 25.8C at Treknow (Cornwall) on the 9th, and the lowest -6.8C at Braemar on the 20th. 58.2 mm of rain fell at Heathrow on the 7th to the 8th. May. A rather warm changeable month with some cold and warm spells. The final two days were very cold in the SE. Wet in Wales and the south but drier elsewhere, giving an average of 107% of rainfall. Average sunshine although cloudier in the south. There was a wet spell in the north midmonth. The highest temperature of the month was 25.8C at Heathrow on the 5th. The lowest temperature was -6.2C at Kinbrace (Sutherland) on the 17th. June. Record-breakingly cool in Europe, but rather good here. Overall the mean temperature was close to average. After a cool start it turned very warm and dry, hot in the East and South East, particularly between the 10th and 13th, with warm anticyclonic SW winds. A high of 28°C was recorded at Wainfleet (Lincs.) on the 10th. The final third of the month was cooler and less humid. The 29th (extremely cool in Europe with an arctic plunge) was very chilly. Sunshine was 105% of average, sunny in the Midlands and West, but duller than average in eastern Scotland and the north of England. The highest temoerature of the month was 34.0C at Heathrow and Northolt (London) on the 9th. July. Very cool overall. A warm start, followed by low pressure building, particularly giving wet weather over the south and west. The second half of the month was more settled, but there was an exceptional cool spell on 22 - 26 July. A new July record low high was set on the 25th with a high of just 8.1°C in Cambridge in an exceptionally cold arctic plunge. Many places were stuck in single digits, and many places had over an inch of rain during this period. Overall rainfall was 86%, but it was quite wet in the SW and Wales. Sunshine was exactly average. There was an interesting pheneomenon on 25 July at Donna Nook (Lincs.) when during a "cold plunge" at 10.20 pm the temperature briefly dropped from 12°C to 2°C, and there was falling snow observed for a few minutes. August. Mostly settled but an unusually deep area of low pressure and a southerly tracking jetstream brought a cool and wet spell in the south 21 - 27th and an extremely poor late August Bank Holiday: it was just 10.7C at Heathrow on Saturday 24th. The record low late Bank Holiday temperature then occurred on Sunday 25th, with a low of 3.3C recorded in rural Kent. It was the coldest late Bank Holiday Monday on record by some way, beating anti 2017, with a high of 13.2°C at London Heathrow (on the 26th). It was then 13.4°C at Heathrow on Tuesday 27th, and Southampton recorded over 50 mm of rain during the bank holiday weekend - an extremely bad bank holiday. A warm front was followed by a warm end to the month. It was slightly cooler than average, but very dry, with 47% of average, with nearly all of it falling during the bank holiday weekend and less than half the average in the north and northwest. It was very slightly duller than average across the country. 69.8 mm of rain fell in 24 hours on the 26th to 27th at St James Park in London. September. A fairly average month, with CET slightly below average at 13.1, but dry (73%), particularly in the south. The month was very changeable, and quite cool during the first two thirds, but then became very warm and dry for the final third of the month. It was a dull month (85%). The highest temperature of the month was 27.7C at Weybourne (Norfolk) on the 22nd. October. Mostly settled. Generaly rather mild, particularly in the north. It was dry in England and Wales, particulary Cornwall and Yorkshire, but slightly wetter than average over Scotland, the NW, and Northern Ireland. It was duller than average where it was wet. The highest temperature of the month was 21.3C at Trawsgoed (Dyfed) on the 21st and the lowest -6.2C at Altnaharra on the 1st. On the 26th, a very strong area of high pressure was recorded with 1050 mb recorded at Libanus in the Brecon Beacons. November. After a cold, dry start it became a generally mild, and at times warm in places, month. Rainfall overall was 103% of average, but it was very dry in the east. A high of 18.7°C was recorded at Sheffield on the 7th. It was quite sunny, with sunshine 116% of average. It was however dull and wet in NW Scotland. The highest temperature of the motnh was 19.9C at North Wyke (Devon) on the 21st, and the lowest -9.9C at Braemar on the 1st. There was 60 mm of rain at Cromdale (Morayshire) on the 8th. December. The month was settled with a very dry first three weeks, particularly in the east and south of England, where rainfall was only half the average; overall rainfall was 84% of average. It was colder than average with a few milder interludes. It was dull in the east but sunny in the west, with 87% of the average overall. There was a minimum of -18.7C at Achfary (Highlands) on the 28th, thanks to a frigid NÉ wind. On the same day the maximum at Writtle (Essex) was a balmy 18.7°C. There was a high of just -10°C at Tulloch Bridge on the 28th. CET Jan: 4.4°C (+0.2) Feb: 1.5°C (-2.7) Mar: 4.5°C (-1.7) Apr: 6.8°C (-1.2) May: 11.6°C (+0.2) Jun: 14.2°C (bang on average) Jul: 15.4°C (-1.1) Aug: 15.2°C (-1.0) Sep: 13.1°C (-0.6) Oct: 11.2°C (+0.7) Nov: 7.6°C (+0.6) Dec: 4.3°C (-0.7) Overall, a cold year, with an overall annual CET of just 9.15°C, with many months coming out over a degree below average. A very interesting year with quite a few spells of unusually cool/cold weather.

Here is anti 2008 and anti 1963! A wonderful year for mildies, but truly horrific for coldies and those who like seasonable winter weather. 1963 1963 will be immortalised as one of the worst of all weather years (by some) for the warmest winter on record. It is estimated that a winter this mild has a 250 year return rate. The winter CET was an incredible 8.3°C. The media called it “The year without a winter”. There was no snow cover at all across lowland Britain, and many places were frost free every night from 22 December to 4 March, apart from a cold night on 28 January. It was a very warm year overall at 11.0°C , the hottest year ever recorded. The balmy winter was caused by a persistent area of high pressure to the east, giving us southerly winds for weeks on end. The winter had an interesting effect on wildlife, with many creatures coming out of hibernation in January, plenty of bumblebees about and there was already widespread daffodils by December 1962. January. The warmest January on record (10.6 CET), around 6 degrees above average. There was not a single easterly or northeasterly day in sight: there were 20 southerly days (with the rest variable or south westerly). There was no snow whatsoever apart from on the tops of the Scottish mountains. Even the Scottish ski resorts were snowless. A notable windstorm occurred on the 3-4th in the Southwest and Welsh Borders, with gusts of up to 100 mph, and 100-200 mm of rain in places; the rain was accompanied by a strong wind. The southwesterly winds lessened for a while in the second week, and there were some very high temperatures. 19.4C was recorded at Heathrow on the 11th. Plymouth had a maximum of 17C on the 12th, even Braemar managed 11.7C on the same day. 16C was recorded at Gatwick and Eskdalemuir on the 13th, with lots of sunshine. It was slightly cooler midmonth, as winds turned slightly more northwesterly; however, many places still managed double digit maxima on the 14-15th. Winds turned southerly again on the 17th for the warmest week of the winter, with the air coming all the way from Africa! There was a maximum of 22.2C at Bournemouth on the 18th: this was the highest temperature of the winter, as well as an all time record high. There was notably high temperatures on the 19-20th, particularly in the southeast, with widespread maxima of 20C in the south. The lowest minimum reported in England was a puny -0.6C at Hereford on the 23rd; also -0.6C at Stanstead Abbotts (Herts.), early on the 23rd, but then there was a maximum of 18C at Ross-on-Wye the next day. There was heavy rain on Dartmoor on the 21st. It was very sunny and warm on the 24th. Many places in the SE had minimums in double digits from the 16-25th. The weather turned colder on the 26th, with some places having the first ground frost of the month. A storm brought 948 mbar and strong winds in Scotland on the 27th. One consequence of the prevailing southerly and southwesterlies was that some sheltered easterly locations were very sunny: Aberdeen reached 114.4 hours (a record), but western areas were quite dull. Also some sheltered easterly spots were extremely dry. February. Exceptionally mild, but not quite as warm as January (8.9 CET). The two warmest winter months on record. The warmth continued into March. Again, the prevailing southwesterlies gave some poor sunshine totals in the west (e.g. 35 hours in Plymouth) but it was quite sunny in the east. Much of the country was frost free all month. The month began with balmy SSW winds, giving some light rain across the north. There were some very high temperatures in some coastal regions on the 4th and 5th: 17.8C at Coltishall (Norfolk) early on the 5th. There was a phenomenal windstorm on the 6-7th affected mainly the west (the SW, Wales, Northern Ireland), and gave 150 mm of rain at Tredegar (Monmouthshire). There were some light frosts mid month: as winds turned briefly to the north on the 9th; and some places in the south had falling snow for 4 hours on Valentine's Day, as the temperatures briefly dropped to around 1C, before it quickly turned back to rain. March. The end of the exceptional mild spell. It ended gradually. It still reached 16C in London on the 2nd. Many places in lowland Britain had thier first air frost on March 4th - for the first time since December 26th. By the 16th it was only 7C in London. The CET was close to average at 6.1C, but it actually felt quite chilly after the exceptionally warm winter. April. Following the exceptionally warm winter, many places which remained snowless all winter ironically had thier first snowfall of the season. Overall, it was slightly colder than usual, with a CET of 7.3C, which was still colder than the actual “winter”. May. Slightly warmer than average (CET 12.6) June. The month had a cool, but dry start. Overall a cool and cloudy first half, and a warm but changeable second half. A bit cooler than average with a CET of 13.4. July. Quite warm but wet, but cool and cloudy towards the month's end. CET 17.4. August. Hot (18.1 CET) and settled, with a lack of thunderstorms. After some light rain on the 16th and 17th, the winds turned southerly: East Anglia reached 32C on the 18th. It was a nice bank holiday too. September. AntiCyclonic and warm for the first 11 days, but then there was a wet spell mid-month, with cool and cloudy weather. Many districts had fewer than 1 hour of sunshine daily in this spell. It was warmer after the 17th but remained wet until the 23rd, but then was changeable. It was a very dull month in North Wales and NE England. Rainfall was around average overall but it was dry in the South West and in North West of Scotland. Temperatures overall were around average. CET 14.5. October. Generally wet but sunny with plenty of night frosts. There was a cold snap mid month with a low of 2C recorded in London on the 12th. CET a bit below average at 9.9C. November. Quite cold, and very dry. CET 5.6 December. Extremely wet and very mild. CET 7.4. CET Jan: 10.6°C (+6.4) Feb: 8.9°C (+4.7) Mar: 6.1°C (Bang on average) Apr: 7.3°C (-0.7) May: 12.6°C (+1.2) Jun: 13.4°C (-0.8) Jul: 17.4°C (+1.0) Aug: 18.2°C (+1.9) Sep: 14.5°C (+0.8) Oct: 9.9°C (-0.6) Nov: 5.6°C (-1.3) Dec: 7.4°C (+2.4) This gives a record breaking annual CET of 11.0°C! Mostly down to the exceptionally warm winter, but also down to the warm summer. The only months that were below average were April, June, October and November, but this was not enough to offset the record breaking warm winter. 2008 A record-breaking dull February. Another cold winter and a good summer, with the sunniest August since 1995. It was the dullest spring on record in Northern Ireland - this was then followed by the sunniest July to September on record there. The gap between the last and first widespread snowfall was the biggest since 1919. January. Dry and cold. Overall about the fifth coldest of the last hundred years. England and Wales rainfall averaged just 54% of the average. A dry New Year. Inveruglas in Scotland had just 6.7 mm of rain. Quite dull in the south and east, but sunny in the north and west. There as a brief mild interlude at the start of the month - southwesterlies set in briefly on the 3rd, with some heavy rain in places, but then mostly very cold. Then mostly dry. It dropped to -15.2C at Braemar on the 20th. High pressure brought some very calm, very dry and cold weather at the end of the month, although it was milder in the north. The highest temperature of the month was just 11.3C on the 12th at Penzance in Cornwall. February. Extremely dull - the dullest February since records began, with just 36% of the average. Some places in the south and east had less than a third of the average amount of sunshine. Overall it was slightly colder than average, with some very chilly days although because of the cloud, there weren’t many frosty nights. It was also a wet month, with an average of 141 mm. It was particularly wet in the southeast. There was a very mild start thanks to a long-fetched southerly. The mild weather doesn't last long though. It then becomes very cold and dull as pressure weakens and we bring in a cyclonic northerly. Midmonth low pressure rules, and despite a lack of frost and fog, and daytime temperatures are pretty low particularly in Wales and the Northwest. There were some mild and sunny days around the 19th however, the maximum at Dishforth (Yorks.) was 12.9C. The lowest temperature of the month was -10.7C at Copley (Durham) on the 11th. March. A southerly month, particularly mild in the north. The highest maximum of the month is 25.4C at Gravesend on the 22nd, and the lowest minimum -1.4C at Braemar on the 26th. It was a dry month, with just 63% of average rainfall, making it the driest in England and Wales for quite a few years. It was particularly dry in parts of East Anglia. Although slightly duller than average, it wasn't as dull as February. Many places in the south and west have a warm Easter, with long sunny spells and plenty of dry weather from Friday 21st onwards. April. Average temperatures overall. A cold start and end, but a long warm middle from the 5th to the 20th. 20C is reached on 16th April. Temperatures ranged from 22.0C at Weybourne (Norfolk) on the 16th to -6.8C at Braemar on the 28th. Slightly drier (86%) than normal. Up to 10 cm of snow fell across the NW on the morning of the 26th. It was a settled month with very little thundery showers or hail. It was a sunny month inland and in the north, but cloudy along the west and south coasts. May. Cold everywhere; very wet in the north. Overall the CET was similar to that of the coldest in recent history. The first half of the month was very chilly and dull in the south, but then it became drier and more settled, particularly in the south. However, it remained wet in the north, so for many parts of Scotland it was the wettest on record. There was 700 mm of rain at Lerwick and Fair Isle. Princetown (Devon) in contrast saw just 17.8 mm, although it fell little and often during the first three weeks, with many overcast and drizzly days. High pressure lead to some warm weather in the SW on the 29th, with 27C at Plymouth on the 11th, and the lowest minimum -6.2C at Kinbrace (Sutherland) on the 19th. The maximum at Carter Bar (in the Borders) on the 17th was just 8.2C. There were just 30.3 hours of sunshine at Fair Isle, the dullest May on record there. June. The temperatures were about average overall - but because recent anti Junes have been cool, this made it the warmest June since the 90’s. There was a cool cyclonic spell from the 8-10th, which 26.9 mm of rain at Lee-on-Solent on the 8th and St James Park (London) on the 9th. 94 mm of rain fell at Capel Curig in Snowdonia on the 8th-9th. The lowest temperature was -2.3C at Tulloch Bridge on the morning of the 24th. Rainfall was about average in England and Wales (108%), although it was slightly drier in Scotland (72%). There was a heatwave at the end of the month: with 28°C at Keswick on the 30th. 30°C was reached at Ringstone Edge in West Yorkshire on the 26th. It was slightly duller than average in England (86%); generally it was duller the further south you went: Guernsey airport had just 108 hours. July. Very warm and dry first three weeks, but very cool, cloudy, and wet from the 23rd. Overall temperatures were average. The England and Wales average rainfall total was only 21% of average, with nearly all of it falling during the final week. The temperature reached 29.7 at Kew Gardens, London on the 7th and then 30.2C (the highest temperature of anti 2008) on the 8th. 59 mm of rain fell in a thunderstorm at Pershore in the afternoon of the 28th. Sunshine was about average overall, although it was sunny in east Scotland. August. An unusual month with days warmer than average, but nights significantly cooler than average, resulting in slightly below average temperatures overall. It was warmer in the west and cooler in the east. The highest temperature of the month was 27.5C at Southampton on the 1st; it dipped to 0.5C at Altnaharra on the 15th. It was a dry month, especially in Northern Ireland and eastern Scotland. The England and Wales average rainfall was 46%. It was also very sunny in England and Wales (133%), making it the sunniest since 1995. It was the sunniest on record in parts of Northern Ireland. There was a brief southerly plume on the 1st, boosting temperatures above 25°C over a wide area. Marham (Norfolk) recorded just 15.2 mm of rain all month. Just over 10 mm of rain fell at Fair Isle during the whole month. There was a hot spell in Northern Ireland around the 16th, as parts of Belfast reached 27°C. There was a cool, but fairly sunny spell at the end of the month, with an anticyclonic NÉ wind. Humidity was quite low. September. Overall close to long-term average temperatures, although this was the warmest since anti 2001. Although it was the warmest September in Northern Ireland since anti 1994, it was still cooler than the long-term average, making it the fourteenth September in a row which was cooler than normal. Across the UK the month had a warm, dry beginning, but it then became wet and cyclonic. England and Wales rainfall averages 64% of average, although most of it fell little and often during the final three weeks. Although it was very dry in the west, with 27 mm of rain in parts of Lancashire, it was relatively wet in parts of the east. The highest temperature of the month was 33.4°C at Buxton in Norfolk on the 1st, with many places in the south exceeding 31C on that day. The highest temperature in Northern Ireland was just 31.2 deg. C. at Killowen, Co. Down, on the 1st September, almost 90F. There was plenty of Sunshine, with many central parts of the country having the sunniest September for a very long time. October. Mainly because of the warm final week, slightly warmer than average - the warmest since anti 2003. It was an easterly, changeable month, and therefore dry in the west and wet in the east, very slightly above average overall. It was a dull month, especially in the south and east, the dullest for quite a few years. There was a warm spell very late on: the 27th sees 22.9C recorded in London and at Broadness, Kent. It was very sunny on the 28th, with widespread wall to wall sunshine in the south, as a southerly plume brought up some very warm air. There was more more sunshine on the 29th. It was above 20°C by day for three days in places. It was perhaps the latest warmth in October in the south since anti 1880. On the 30th it reached 21°C in Ottery St Mary in Devon. The rainfall total for the entire month at Dunkeswell (Devon) was just 7.8 mm. November. Temperatures were close to average - although the maxima were quite high and the mínima quite low. It was quite a sunny month, with above-average rainfall apart from parts of the south east and Midlands. The presence of a large cyclone over the Atlantic for much of the month led to this being the most southerly November since anti 1971. Hawarden (Flint) recorded 20C on the 24th, and Braemar a low of -12.1C on the 3rd. It became generally milder from the 21st. Warcop (Cumbria) recorded a maximum of 13C on the 30th. December. A mixed month, with a mild beginning, a cold week before Christmas, and turning mild again on Boxing Day as winds swung to the west. It was the mildest December since anti 2001. The lowest temperature of the month was -2.9C at Aviemore on the morning of the 20th. The maxium at Kinloss on the 30th was 14.0C. It was a wet month, with 135% of the long-term mean, making it the wettest December again since anti 2001. Parts of Essex saw more than half a foot of rain. Many parts of the east and south were wet every day after the 13th. It was very dull, (42%), in many places the dullest December again since anti 2001. CET Jan: 1.7°C (-2.5) Feb: 2.8°C (-1.4) Mar: 6.1°C (bang on average) Apr: 8.0°C (bang on average) May: 9.4°C (-2.0) June: 14.5°C (+0.3) July: 16.4°C (bang on average) August: 16.1°C (-0.1) September: 13.9°C (+0.2) October: 11.5°C (+1.0) November: 6.8°C (-0.1) December: 6.5°C (+1.5) This gives an annual CET of 9.5°C, which is quite chilly by modern standards.

Dry weather is coming! A big pattern change is on the way. Interesting to compare Londons and Romes climate. Rome much warmer year round. Rome has almost double the sunshine. Rome has slightly higher annual rainfall but it’s spread out among fewer days, which explains why Sunny G perceived Rome as being drier. What’s also interesting is that the all time highest temperature records are very similar in Rome and London, despite Romes summers being much hotter. Yes the last few months have been very wet here, the only breaks we’ve had from the rain are in parts of August, early September, a few days in early October and a week or two late November and early December. Hopefully it will be an easterly spring and summer next year, brining the best conditions to the west. Wouldn’t mind a repeat of summer 2021. I agree but I don’t think September was too bad, yes the second half was quite unsettled but it was still quite warm and that tremendous first week.. Glorious sunshine every day and highs of around 26/27°C in the NW region, although even hotter down south, I was on holiday in the Cotswolds in the first week and some days reached 30°C, one day was 31°C! Yes it’s still raining here.. Currently 7.4°C with 90% humidity, not warm enough to feel mild but nowhere near cold enough for snow. But a run of the CFS monthlies is showing a some drier months ahead and an interesting rest of the winter.. March looks quite cold and wintery before a drier April, May and June. Its forecast to turn much colder but also much drier and brighter. Not of fan of the cold but I’ll take it over what we’ve had as it’s just been blanket grey and raining every day for sooooooooooo long now!

July 2021 was the fifth hottest on record though, according to Trevor Harley’s website anyway, with a CET of 17.8°C, 1.9°C above the 1961-1990 average, so the opposite would have the be the fifth coldest on record, with a CET of around 14.0°C, which realistically could only be achieved with an exceptionally cool spell from the 13th-21st, and fairly dry but with benign temperatures from the 1st-12th and from 22nd to 31st. Perhaps I should have altered the extreme weather events of October 2021. Here is 2015 and 1976, very interesting years to flip around. 2015 A very dry year - in the top ten since 1910. A new record low for November. The UK mean temperature (Tmean) for 2015 was 8.4 °C, 0.4 °C below the 1981-2010 long term average January. Overall temperatures were about average, although Scotland was slightly milder, but a very cold spell with snow and frost between the 6th and the 14th was offset by a mild spell after that. Temperatures ranged from 16.5C at Exeter on the 19th to -12.5C at at Tulloch Bridge and Loch Glascarnoch on the 9th. On the 9th the maximum at Loch Glascarnoch was only -5.6C. Rainfall over the UK was pretty much average, England and Wales seeing 99%. It was though an exceptionally dull month, with just 37% of average sunshine; only a couple of years were duller. It was particularly wet and dull in east England. February. Overall temperatures were about average. The first week was mild, and the final week cold. The highest temperature of the month was 15.6C at Fyvie Castle (Aberdeenshire) on the 17th, and the lowest minimum -10.8C at Dalwhinnie. It was quite a wet month, with 139% of the average for England and Wales. It was driest in the NW. It was very dull, with 83% of normal sunshine levels. March. Slightly colder than average overall, but with some mild interludes. The highest temperature of the month was 17.5C at Murlough (County Down, Northern Ireland) on the 17th, and the lowest -7.4C at Aboyne (Aberdeenshire) on the 14th. It was another wet month: England and Wales average was 160% of the average. Coniston in Cumbria recorded 380 mm. The wettest day was the 6th. It was also very dull, with just 66% of average sunshine levels. High pressure brought very calm, dry weather on the 31st. April. Cold, dull and wet: the third dullest and third coldest in the last century in England and Wales, and the dullest on record in the UK. Mostly it was an cyclonic and easterly month, although there was a southerly plume which brought very warm weather towards the end of the month, when it became much more settled. The highest temperature of the month was 25.2C at St Helier (jersey) on the 25th. The coldest temperature was -8.0C at Katesbridge (Co. Down) on the 7th. England and Wales rainfall was 171% of average. The England and Wales sunshine was 51%. May. Quite warm and dry. Daytime temperatures were particularly high, with many places exceeding 24C. The highest temperature of the month was 33.8°C at Faversham (Kent) on the 11th, and the lowest was -5.6°C at Tulloch Bridge on the 1st. Rainfall was 44% of average. It was particularly dry in the west and north. June. Temperatures overall were about average, but it was a wet month, with 156% of the long-term average rainfall. There was high pressure at the start of the month, so it was settled with light winds. There were cool spells from the 4th to the 13th and in the final week. It was just 12.5C at Heathrow on 10th and it dropped to -1.9C at Resallach (Sutherland) on the 4th). It was quite a dull month, with 75% of average sunshine. 78 mm of rain fell at Northolt (London). July. An anticyclonic month, slightly warmer than average. The month starts off exceptionally cool however, with an arctic plunge bringing record low maximum temperatures. Heathrow records a maximum of just 10.7°C on the 1st, and many places have daytime temperatures in single digits. The arctic plunge is limited to one day, before it turns warmer. It is the coldest day on record at Wimbledon too, with a high of just 12.7°C. It was quite a dry month, with an average of 69%. The driest day was the 17th, with no rainfall recorded anywhere. Sunshine was close to average at 101%. At the end of the month, it turns much warmer with southerly winds, with many places in the south seeing temperatures into the low 30’s. August. Warm and settled, with a notable lack of heavy rain and thunderstorms, particularly in the second half of the month. A very dry month, particularly in the south; it was the driest August in SE England since 1976. Quite a sunny month. The highest temperature recorded was 30.9C at Kew and Gravesend on the 22nd. September. A mixed month, with some wet cyclonic spells in the second and final weeks. Overall it was warmer than average, particularly in the SE. Rainfall was about average in the SE, but wet in the NW. It was a dull month. The highest temperature was 24.0 at Braemar on the 30th, and the lowest was -1.3C also at Braemar on the 30th. October. A mostly unsettled month, but more settled at the end. About average temperature, but a wet month, with only 143% of the average rainfall, making it the wettest October for quite a while . It was particularly wet in the west and north. There was a brief ridge of high pressure bringing drier conditions from the 7th to the 9th however. It was also dull in the NW but sunnier than average in the SE. The highest temperature of the month was 22.7 at Braemar on the 7th, and the lowest was -5.0C on the 27th, also at Braemar. November. A very cold month. The month started with a new record low for November! Braemar plunged to -22.3C on the 1st, in an exceptionally cold arctic plunge. Generally the month was NE with much more frost than usual. With a CET of 4.2 (-2.0), the month was the third coldest November in the last century. It was particularly cold in the south. It was a dry month with 55% of average rainfall, and it was particularly dry in NW Wales, NW England, and SW Scotland. There was a brief mild interlude around the third week, with many places seeing thier first double digit máxima since October. The highest temperature of the month was 15.6C at Plymouth on the 22nd. The month ended on a mild, dry note. December. An exceptionally cold month - phenomenally so, with a CET of -0.7C, a phenomenally low figure, around 5 degrees below average, colder than almost any other December and much colder than most Januarys and Februarys. Many areas saw an air frost every day of the month. It was also the driest December on record, particularly in the west and north, and indeed the driest of any month on record, with just 9% of rainfall overall all for the UK. It was an extremely snowy month however. Parts of Snowdonia may have recorded over a metre of snow (40"), and there were some new record monthly snowfall totals. Given the totals, it is not surprising that there was some severe disruption across the north and west. Following very heavy snow on Storm Desmond on 5 December, there is severe disruption in the north, particularly in Cumbria. A new snowfall record for 24 hours in any month is set on the 6th, with over a foot of snow at Honister Pass. There is more snow in the north, particularly in Lancashire and the south of Scotland, with Storm Eva, on Boxing Day, with many rivers freezing over. Storm Frank brought yet more frigid polar air with even more snow in the north right at the end of the year. In the 9-9 day, 26.4 cm of snow fell at Thirlmere in Cumbria; and 34.1 cm fell at Honister Pass in Cumbria in 24 hours up to 6 pm on the 5th, setting a new UK 24 hour record. The highest temperature all month was just 7.2C recorded at Teignmouth in Devon and at Achnagart and Plockton in the Highlands on the 16th. A gust of nearly 100 mph was recorded at the Needles on the 1st. 1976 1976 was a horrible year, one of the worst, with an absolutely atrocious summer - the worst (coldest, dullest, and until 2007, wettest) on record - and there was lots of flooding. Remember the Minister for Flooding? Just look at that run of very wet months until the autumn. The awful weather started in May. May and June had long spells of cool, wet and cloudy weather, interspersed with brief sunnier, warmer periods. The worst of the summer was 22 June to 26 August. Nowhere in the country reached the 80sF (26°C) between the 22 June and the 16 July, and most extraordinarily of all, nowhere reached the 90s (32C) throughout the whole summer! Heathrow had 16 consecutive days failing to reach 20C between 23 June and 8 July, a record. The period September 1975 - August 1976 was the wettest 12 month period on record. A Minister for Floods was appointed this year (Dennis Howel, MP, 1923-1998; soon after his appointment it started to dry up, and in the cold snowy winter of 1978-79 he was appointed "Minister for Snow"). The seeds of the great deluge had been sown in 1975, and in fact the early 70s were extremely wet across England and Wales. January. Very dry. An strong ridge of high pressure at the start of the month brought very light winds on the 2nd, accompanied by very cold air, a low of -12 was recorded in NE Scotland). Very mild and very wet right at the end: from the 28-30th, tropical maritime air brought continuous rain to much of southern England. February. Very wet, but slightly colder than usual. March. Generally very wet. It had a cloudy start with some chilly days, although nights were mild and generally frost free. It became more settled in the west midmonth, and very dry in the SW around the 22nd. April. Mostly unsettled and dull. It was very wet, especially in the south. Plymouth recorded 400 mm of rain. The period May 1975 - April 1976 was the wettest 12 month period on record. On the night of the 28th, the temperature fell to -8C at Carnwath (SW Scotland). There were a few settled days at the beginning, but the rest of the month was a washout. There was some snow in the north on the 13th. May. Overall cool. A taste of things to come: very chilly early on. Heathrow and Ulcombe (Kent) recorded a high of just 9C on the 7th, the lowest daytime May temperature for some time. There were some heavy thunderstorms also on the 7th. Nowhere managed to reach 20C all month. The month was very wet in the south. June. Phew, "what a soaker." The coldest, wettest summer on record, peaking from the 22 June to 16 July. After a unremarkable beginning to the month, with some fine weather, a cyclonic period moved in and winds turned to the north. The temperature did not get out of the 50’s (10-15C) anywhere on the 7th and there was widespread maximums of just 11C in the SE on the 9th. It then turned warmer and more settled for 10 days before the low pressure returned. A cold front then moved north-east on the 21st, ushering in the extraordinary cool weather for the time of year, as the low pressure grew more intense and some very chilly air swept across the country. The previous wet weather facilitated some very low daytime temperatures. From 23 June to 7 July inclusive, for 15 consecutive days, the temperature failed to exceed 22°C (nearly good old 72°F) anywhere in the country. Furthermore, five days failed to exceed 15°C anywhere in the country. On the 26th, a high of just 15.4°C was recorded at North Heath (Sussex) and East Dereham (Norfolk). Then there was a maximum of just 15.6°C at Mayflower Park in Southampton on the 28 June. Please let us never have another summer like this one! The sun was rarely seen and the humidity was very high. Norther Ireland's recorded a high of just 10.8C at Knockarevan on the 30th. Needless to say, at the peak of the "Great Deluge", it was very wet, although there was a dry day on the 19th (a Saturday) in the south of England (providing good weather for the test match against the West Indies on the Saturday), as a very transient ridge of high pressure gave a dry day to the south. The month overall was the coldest June of the century in England and Wales (12.5C CET), around 2 degrees below average. Of course, this must be the worst June of the century for weather. July. Horribly cold (CET 14.2), particularly notable as part of the whole summer, as low pressure dominated the British Isles. It was even cold in the south. Plymouth recorded a high of just 12.4C on the 2nd. Cheltenham recorded a high of just 13.9C on the 3rd. Even London was just 10C on the 8th. There was a brief ridge of high pressure on the 9th, bringing drier weather to some places, and slightly warmer weather. Then, on the 11th, a particularly wet day, 125 mm fell across northern England and north Wales, with a NE gale. Severe flooding in Stokesley (near Middlesborough). There was actually snow on the Grampians (down to about 500m) on the 9-10th. There was flooding in Glasgow as a result of thunderstorms on the 28th (84mm in 3.5 hours), and severe flooding in Cornwall on the night of the 24-25th: a man was swept away in Polperro. Most of the country had twice the average rainfall, with some parts of Wales, Yorkshire, and the Midlands having four times as much. Nowhere in the country reached 27C (80F) between the 22 June and the 16 July. Heathrow had 16 consecutive days failing to reach 20C between 23 June and 8 July. The summer was quite good in the Western Isles, however, as it was closer to the northern blocking high pressure. Also very dull: there were just 31.8 hours of sunshine in Edinburgh. Despite the very low máxima, cloudy skies led to some very mild nights in places. It was also very wet; London saw 38 consecutive rainy days from 21 June to 27 July. August. The month continued the awful summer, although there was a nice spell right at the end. Maxima of around 10C in the south on the 24-25th, with some places stuck in single figures. Many parts of the south recorded less than 100 hours of sunshine. It was very wet, with England and Wales having 171% of the average. A tropical night with a minimum of 20.6C was reported at Bournemouth on the 1st, thanks to a brief plume of hot air and a cloudy night. It was just 12C in the south on the 26th, and by this point Teignmouth had endured its 45th consecutive rainy day. Things finally started to improve on the 26th - just in time for the Bank Holiday - as the low pressure system that had been responsible for the terrible weather retreated towards Iceland, bringing a warmer, drier and sunnier SW airflow across the country. For many places, the great deluge ended on the 29th or 30th: in some areas there had been 45 consecutive days with rain. The dry autumn partly made up for it. There was lots of sunshine and dry weather on Saturday 29th and Monday 30th in the south, with 25C in East Anglia. So bizarrely Bank holiday Monday (30th) in 1976 was warm, sunny, and dry, after an extraordinary bad summer! With a CET of 14.8, it was a chilly month. September. After the exceptionally wet summer, we had a very dry month. The month was mostly dry, for which we were all truly grateful after the great deluge. Then, on the 11th, a particularly warm day, widespread maximums of 25C were recorded across southern England and South Wales, with a balmy southerly wind. There was barely any rain in Middlesborough all month. Most of the country had half the average rainfall, with some parts of Wales, Yorkshire, and the Midlands having only a quarter as much. Only one September was drier. It was a sunny month. October. Continued very dry after the great deluge. Indeed, September and October 1976 combined were the driest on record in England and Wales. The driest October of the century for Northern Ireland. Very windy (90mph) in Edinburgh on the 26th. Sunny on the east coast. November. There was a very strong area of high pressure on the 9th (with 1050 mb at The Needles). Near average temperatures overall. December. The month had a calm and settled beginning. At 6.5C overall, this was a very mild month. It was a mild and dry month, with barely any frost and fog. The lowest temperature was -6 at Crawford John on the 3rd. Despite the mild weather overall, there was lots of snow in London on Christmas Day making it the first White Christmas for years.

Yes it would be one of (if not the worst summers ever!) Trevor Harleys weather website says this about the 15th Dec 2018: There was a cold spell midmonth followed by snow, sleet, and widespread freezing rain on the 15th. Yes that -26C was a bit unrelastic! The text originally said: “The highest temperature of the month was 26.3C at Donna Nook (Lincs.) on the 13th, and the lowest -8.6C at St Harmon (Powys) on the 30th; the reading at Donna Nook is the highest maximum so late in the season on record.” To make it fit so that the second week was very cold and the last weekend very warm, I swapped a high of 26 with a low of -26! Also the 28C in late October was probably a bit unrealistic. I should’ve had just swapped the temps around so that the low of -8.6 occurred on the 13th and the high of 26.3 occurred on the 30th, although it would have to be a pretty exceptional southerly plume to reach 26C so late in the year, high teens would be more reasltic. Yes I made the last day of Feb only 14C, but to be fair you could argue it wasn’t until the 1st that the exceptionally warm air was fully entrenched over the country. 1988 and 2007 were both very interesting years to flip around, here is 2021, hopefully the temperatures on this one are more realistic. The spring of 2021 was warm: after a mediocre March, both April and May were warm, although April was also wet and dull, but May very dry and sunny - April was the fourth wettest on record and May the fourth driest. It was the coldest summer on record in Western Scotland, and the wettest summer in Glasgow since 1869. Autumn was wet and cool until the final week of November, with leaf-fall very early. January. A mild month, but there was a big north-south divide, with the south being cold and Scotland very mild. There was more sunshine in England than in Scotland, and it was the fourth dullest January in Scotland since records began (in 1919), while the SE of England was very sunny. NW Scotland was wet and the Highlands very wet, but it was a very dry month in the south. The month started very mild with no snow no frosts: it reached 12.3C at Loch Glascarnoch on the 6th, and 13.0 at Dawyck (Peeblesshire) on the 9th. It then turned colder in the south, but stayed largely milder in the north, with the country becoming something of a battleground between cold and mild air masses. An area of high pressure brought calm and very dry weather to the UK on the 19th - 21st, with no rain at all in many places. It was particularly mild and snowless in the Midlands. It then became colder in the south but remained mild in Scotland. A minimum of was recorded at -14.2C at Pershore (Worcesteshirer) on the 28th, but a high of 13.0C at Braemar on the 31st. February. Mild first half, very cold second half, making for a near average month overall, which hides a very mild, wet spell, particularly in the west, midmonth. A dry month, with 84% of average rainfall, and near average sunshine overall. The highest temperature of the month was 18.4C at Plymouth on the 14th, and a minimum of -23.0 ºC at Braemar on the 21st. A snow depth of 38 cm was recorded at Aboyne (Aberdeenshire) on the 20th. 125.8 mm of rain fell at Honister Pass (Cumbrai) on the 13-14th. The far north of Scotland was particularly dull and wet, with Shetland being 54% duller than average. March. Mostly settled; overall slightly colder than average, with a mild start but cold second half to the month. A blast of cold air from the north gave a high of just 4.5°C in Kew Gardens on 30 March, and generally there widespread cold temperatures across the south at the end of the month. It was quite a wet month, with 111% of rain overall, being wetter in the south and east and drier in the north and west. Sunshine quantities overall were average. The lowest temperature of the month was -8.5C at Braemar on the 26th. 177.2 mm of rain fell at Seathwaite (Cumbria) on the rain day ending on the 29th. It was very windy in the south on the 13th, with some snow in the Highlands on the same date. April. Very mild, but also wet and dull, mostly cyclonic wth frequent southerly and south westerly winds. There were an unusually low number of night-time frosts, with the mean minima well above average. It was the fourth wettest since systematic records began in 1862. The south west coast was particularly wet: Penzance recorded more than 100 mm for the month. There was just 48% of expected sunshine, it was particularly dull in northern England and southern Scotland. The highest temperature of the month was 21.4C at Treknow (Cornwall) on the 1st, and the lowest -9.4C at Tulloch Bridge on the 12th. May. May began very warm, and was generally warm, calm, dry, sunny, and settled, except for the final few days. Nationally it was the warmest May since 1996. The maxima were particularly high. Many places saw half the average rainfall, with an average of 39%, making this May the fourth driest since 1862; Wales had its driest May on record (with 24.5mm), as did Devon. There was plenty of sunshine (apart from Northern Ireland), with 114% of the long-term average. The only cool weather came right at the end of the month, when a high of 5.1°C was recorded at Kinlochewe (Ross & Cromarty) on the 31st. The lowest minimum of the month was -6.1C at St. Harmon (Powys) on the 2nd. The highest 9-9 raifall total was 10.3 mm at Mickleden (Cumbria) on the 20th-21st. Snow lay to 1 cm at Achiltibuie (Ross & Cromarty) on the 25th. All in all a May to remember. June. After a nice May, June 2021 in contrast began cool, wet and cloudy, with a high of just 14.3°C recorded at Northolt (north London) on the 2nd, before it turned somewhat warmer. It reached 29.7C at Teddington (London) on the 14th. The second half was warmer and more settled, with some widespread heavy thunderstorms away from the southeast. Overall it was nationally slightly cooler than average. It was wet in the north, with triple the rainfall in places, but very dry in the southeast, with half the average rainfall, giving an overall UK average of 141%. Overall there was 93% of sunshine, although it was more sunny in parts of the east. The lowest temperature of the month was -2.4C at Altnaharra on the 22nd. 74.0 mm of rain fell at Princetown in Devon on the rain day ending on the 28th. Meanwhile, in an extraordinary cold snap in the NW of America, a high of just 9.6°C was reported in the town of Lytton, British Columbia, not far from Vancouver in Canada; the town was destroyed in a flash flood the next day. July. July 2021 was very cool, with a long cool spell in the middle sandwiched between a settled beginning and end. It was a very unsettled month in wetern Scotland. There was some exceptionally heavy rain in Edinburgh on the 4th, with 41 mm of rain recorded in one hour at the Botannical Gardens, leading to flooding. An area of low pressure then built, giving unsettled and increasingly cooler weather, as well as sunless skies, across most of the UK. At the same time a prolonged area of high pressure led to a serious drought in Germany and parts of surrounding countries. There was a cool spell midmonth, particularly affecting the south and west, with 8 consecutive days failing to reach 20°C. Here are some of the cool spell highlights. A new record low maximum temperature of 11.2°C was set on the 17th in Northern Ireland at Ballywatticock near Newtownards in County Down). It was then 11.6°C at Heathrow on the 18th, 11.4°C there on the 19th, and 12.2°C there on the 20th. The cool air then moved west. There was more very chilly weather in Northern Ireland: on the 21st with 11.3°C at Castlederg; it was 11.1 at North Wyke (Devon). It was then 11.4°C at Armagh Observatory on the 22nd (11.2 at Gogerddan, Ceredigion), and then 10.1 at Castlederg on the 24th (9 ºC at Castle Douglas in Scotland). A high of 9.3°C was reported at Threave Garden (Kirkcudbrightshire) on the 22nd. In the cool air, there were some exceptional widespread hailstorms away from the SE and East Midlands, particularly on Tuesday 21st. Overall, July 2021 was the fifth coolest July on record. Rainfall was very variable, with overall 107% of the average, but parts of England and the Highlands were very dry, while Northern Ireland and western and northern Scotland were very wet. Sunshine was 89%, particularly in the west and western Scotland; Lochaber had 70% less sunshine than average. It was third coolest July in Scotland on record. The month ended with very light winds in southern England on the 30th thanks to a strong ridge of high pressure. The lowest temperature of the month was -10.1 at Braemar on the 2nd. It was very cool in Europe, with a minimum of just 16ºC in Greece on the 31st, while maxima were about 24°C. Wildfires were few and far between. July 2021 was the coldest month on Earth since at least the beginning of the twentieth century. August. A settled first half, but it was more unsettled from the 23rd. Close to the centre of the low pressure system, there was a cold and wet spell in Scotland: a high of just 7.2°C was recorded at Tyndrum in the Highlands on the 25th. The cyclone was a record-breaker for August, with a new August low pressure reading of 938.5 mbar (more properly now, hPa) at Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis on the 31st. On the whole it was a month of average temperatures, although relatively warm in the southeast, slightly wetter than average overall, and sunny, athough there were wide geographical variations: it was driest in the southeast, and very sunny in the Midlands and parts of eastern England (the sunniest on record for 60 years in parts) while dull in western Scotland. September. Overall very cool and unsettled. It was the fourth coldest September since the start of the twentieth century, it was the second coldest in Scotland. Rainfall totals were close to average, 118%, however in many places the rain fell little and often until the final four days. It was sunny in the west and dull in the east, overall 104%. The month saw a notable early cold spell. The cold snap saw two consecutive days fail to reach 10°C, 7th and 8th (Northolt 9.3 on the 8th, Gogerddan near Aberystwyth 9.7 and 9.8 at Hartpury College (Gloucestershire, the lowest maximum temperature of the month on the 7th). There was a brief dry day on the 9th, but it remained cool. The chilly air was widespread across Britain, with Scotland recording its coldest September day since 1906 with 8.6°C at Cherthall in the Borders, and 9.1°C at Floors Castle near Kelso on the 8th. Wales recorded an air frost, with a new record low minimum for Wales on the 7th of -0.5°C. A dramatic warm front swept south on Monday 27th, bringing much warmer air and light rain. Tornados were reported in eastern England: widespread damage was reported at Humberston near Grimsby. 76.6 mm of rain fell at White Barrow (Devon) on the 9th. October. Mostly settled and dry, with below average temperatures and many frosts. There was some widespread very heavy rain away from the NW at the end of the month. Rainfall overall was 72 % of the long-term average, and even drier in the NW. It was quite sunny, with 113% of average sunshine; it was particularly sunny in Scotland. The highest temperature of the month was 22.9 ºC at Thornes Park (West Yorks.) on the 8th, and the lowest -3.6 at Redesdale Camp (Northumberland) on the 16th. It was extremely wet for the whole country during the last few days, except for Cumbria and SW Scotland which were much drier. November. A very cold first three weeks, often unsettled and wet, but with a milder final week. The highest temperature of the month was 17.6 ºC at Nantwich (Cheshire) on the 29th; with the Foehn effect it reached 16.3 ºC at Dyce (Aberdeenshire) on the 28th. The lowest temperature of the month was -8.7 ºC at Shap (Cumbria) on the 9th. Anticyclone Arwen brought balmy southerly winds on the 26-27th. There were 18 cm of snow at Middleton, Hillside (Derbyshire) on the 7th, and snow fell as far south as Bognor Regis (which is rare in November). Overall the month was slightly colder than average, with temperatures tending more above average the further south you went. It was generally a wet month, with 137% of average rainfall, and London and the South East seeing 180%, the wettest November since 1956, although it was dry in the far NW of Scotland. December. Mostly settled, mild start, but with an exceptionally cold end, making it a cold month overall, particularly in the south. It was a very sunny month, 127.6 hours of sunshine in December, provisionally making it the fifth sunniest on record (since 1919). Rainfall overall was 110% of average. A few places in the south, particularly on higher ground, saw a true White Christmas. Many new low temperature records were set for the New Year's Eve, with -16.5C at Bala, a record for Wales, and also the lowest temperature in the UK for the month, while Keswick in England dropped to -15.9 C, Kinlochewe in Scotland dropped to -16.1 C, and Magilligan dropped to -15.0 C in Northern Ireland. I will do 2006 and 2015 later, should be interesting.

2020 is also an interesting one to flip around. Probably a good thing it didn’t turn out like this otherwise we would have had a horrendous spring in a very unusual and depressing time. The dullest spring on record by some way, with almost 60 hours less than the next dullest, it was also very wet. A very dry summer, although it was wet in the southeast and far north of Scotland. There were three ntoable brief cool spells through the summer. There were two notable anticyclones in August. Overall 2020 was the third coldest in the CET series, and the fifth driest and the eighth dullest on record. January. Very cold. Around 2 degrees below average. Cyclonic for the first week and again from the middle of the month until the 26th. The month saw an intense storm develop; London's lowest ever pressure of 949.6 mbars was recorded at Heathrow on the 19th, and then 950.5 mb was recorded at Mumbles, Swansea, on the 20th. There were more frosts than usual and a lot of snow in many places at the end of the month. Rainfall was 100% of average but it was drier in the west and wetter in the east. Sunshine was 106% of average, but particularly sunny in the NW. The highest temperature of the month was 15.5C at Achfary (Sutherland) on the 7th and the lowest -7.9C at Braemar on the 10th. On the 10-11th 138.0 mm of rain fell on Skye. February. Extremely dry with three large high pressure systems. It was the driest February on record, with less than 50% of average overall, and under 40% in placs. It was slightly colder than usual, particularly in the south. Two high pressure systems (Ciara and Dennis) brought light winds and dry weather midmonth. There was widepsread drought, particularly in Yorkshire, parts of Wales, and the Severn valley and its tributaries. Sunshine was 96% of average: Sunny in the west but duller in the east. The highest temperature of the month was 16.0C at East Malling (Kent) on the 16th, and the lowest -10.2C at Braemar on the 13th. There was some snow, particularly on hills on the north. March. A classic month of two halves. The dry autumn and winter continued into the first two weeks of the month. A low pressure of 951.2 mbars recorded at South Uist, Outer Hebrides, on the 29th, was a new March record. Overall slightly wetter than average (118%) and very dull, particularly in England and Wales (66%). The first week was mild but it then became cooler; the cyclonic second half saw some mild nights but cool days. Overall temperatures were close to average, with a high of 19.4 C at Rhyl on the 24th and a low of -7.6 C at Aboyne on the 16th. 107.2 mm rain fell in 24 hours 7-8th at Alltdearg House (Skye). April. Mostly cyclonic with frequenty westerly winds. It was the dullest April on record (49% of average). Overall it was colder than average (fifth coldest since 1884) and very wet (over 200% of average rainfall). Most of the month was very wet except for the last few days of the month. Highest temperature of the month was just 16°C at Treknow (Cornwll) on the 10th, and the lowest -16.9C at Braemar on the 19th. 64.8 mm of rain fell at Portsea (Hampshire) on the 17-18th. May. Mostly a very cyclonic month. It was a very dull month, the dullest May on record, with 57% of average sunshine, and was particularly dull in England and Wales. It was also a very wet month, overall with over 200% of average rainfall, but it was extremely wet in the southeast. It was slightly cooler than average, although there was some very mild nights early and midmonth. The highest temperature of the month was 28.3C at Cromdale (Morayshire) on the 29th, and the lowest -6.6C at Kinbrace (Sutherland) on the 3rd. It was a dry month in the far NW. June. After the poor May, June soon become much more settled. There was a late cool spell: a high of just 13.6°C recorded at Heathrow on the 24th, and 13.4°C there on the 25th, followed by some dry weather. Overall it was slightly cooler than average, and it was much drier than a typical June, with 56% of average rainfall. Sunshine was close to average, although it was quite sunny in the west and central and eastern Scotland. The temperature fell beneath 5C at Gosport and Hastings on the south coast on the night of June 25th, a rare example of a cold summer night. The lowest temperature of the month was -1.9C at Tulloch Bridge on the 8th. July. Settled until midmonth, then with low pressure midmonth, especially in the south, for a while. There was a very brief cool spell right at the end, with a maximum of just 13.8°C at Heathrow on the 31st. Overall warmer than average, dry (78%, and very dry in southern Scotland and NW England), and sunny (117%). SE England tended to be cooler, wetter and duller. 101.8 mm of rain fell at Heathrow on 30th to 31st. The lowest temperature of the month was 0.6 at Kinbrace on the 8th. August. After a dry start, it became very cool, particularly in the southeast. There was a notable cool spell midmonth, with a maximum of 16.4°C recorded at Heathrow on Friday 7th. It was 10.1°C at Kew Gardens on the 6th, then 14.5°C at Herstmonceux on the 8th, 14°C there on the 9th, 15.5°C at Heathrow on the 10th, 15.7°C at Heathrow on the 11th, and 15.4°C at Heathrow on the 12th, giving seven consecutive days below 20°C. St James Park in London recorded six consecutive days below 14°C. The very cool spell, mostly localised to the SE, saw five ground frosts, with minima below 3°C. There was a minimum of 2.3°C on the 8th at Langdon Bay (Kent). It became more settled midmonth, and often dry and calm. Overall it was mostly much cooler than average, and slightly sunnier, with 112% of the expected sunshine. It was a dry month, with 65% of average rainfall. There were two notable anticyclones towards the end of the month, Ellen (19th to 21st) and Francis (25th). Wind speeds reached just 7.9 mph at Capel Curig, Conwy during anticyclone Ellen and 8.1 mph at Needles Old Battery (Isle of Wight) during anticyclone Francis. September. Overall very slightly cooler than average, but maxima were below average in the SE. An easterly start to the month. Then was another short cool spell: after a cool start to the month, it was 9.6°C at Charlwood (Surrey) on the 14th, and then 11.3°C at Frittendn (near Tunbridge Wells, Kent) on the 15th. It wasn't cool everywhere: in East Scotland it was 18-19C, and in the west of Scotland it was 23.2°C at Baltasound (Shetland). The next day it was much warmer, but still quite cool, with a high of 16.8°C at Hurn near Bournemouth on the 16th. There were some unusually warm nights late in the month. On average it most mosty wet (123% rainfall) and cloudy (83%). The temperature fell to -5.0C at Altnaharra on the 4th and Braemar on the 7th. October. Very settled. It was a very dry (58% of average rainfall) and very sunny (128%) month. It was particularly dry in the east. It was the fifth driest and fifth sunniest on record. About average temperatures overall, although days were slightly warmer and nights slightly cooler than average. The 3rd has been declared the driest day on average across the UK, on record. The highest temperature of the month was 19.1C at Writtle (Essex) on the 8th and the lowest -3.3C at Tyndrum (Perthshire) on the 15th. November. Overall quite a cold, wet but sunny month. It was a mixed month with some dry periods and a couple of milder interludes. The month had quite a lot of northerly winds. There was very little fog, especially at the end of the month. Both maxima and minima were below average. The CET was 5.7 (-1.4C). Rainfall was 116% of average and sunshine 107%[ it tended to be drier the further west you went. The highest temperature of the month was 18.4C on the 1st at Thornes Park (West Yorkshire) and Hawarden (Clwyd); the lowest temperatue of the month was -6.1C at Aboyne (Aberdeenshire) and Cromdale (Morayshire) on the 29th. 129.2 mm of rain fell at Skye Alltdearg House (Invernessshire) on the rain day ending on the 12th. December. Overall December 2020 was slightly colder than average. Mild first week, then cold and calm, with a milder final week. Anticyclone Bella brought lighter winds, dry and mild weather on the 26th. It was a dry month, with 65% of average rainfall, and slightly sunnier than average (107%), and particularly so in the north. The highest temperature of the month was 14.9C at Prestatyn in Clwyd on the 18th, and the lowest -10.2C at Dalwhinnie on the 30th.

It’s very interesting if you flip around 2018. Imagine the moaning on this forum if the anti-2018 summer happened! I gathered the info and statistics from Trevor Harleys weather website and the met office, and flipped them around. Overall cold, dull, and wet: the second dullest year since records began in 1929. It was particularly dull in May, June and July. East Anglia had its dullest year on record. It was a very cloudy winter with only 77% of the long-term average, being. the second dullest winter since 1929. An atrocious cold, wet, dull summer, particularly in the south. In some places the coldest on record, with particularly low average daytime maxima. Morecambe Bay in Lancashire recorded almost no sunshine from 29th June to 5th July, set a new record for least sunshine recorded in a seven day period,. Although a very wet first half of the summer, with a drier August it was the 12th record wettest across the UK. Overall, on combined measures of sunshine, temperature, and rainfall, it was the fourth worst summer since 1910. The provisional UK mean temperature for 2018 was 8.3°C, which is 0.6 °C below the 1981-2010 long-term average, ranking as the seventh coldest year in the historical UK series from 1910. Summer 2018 was the equal-coldest in the UK series, with 1912. The UK rainfall total for 2018 was 108% of the 1981-2010 average, making this a wet year overall although not exceptionally so. However, parts of northern Scotland received as much as 125% of average rainfall. Southern England recorded its wettest June since 1912. The UK sunshine total for 2018 was 85% of the 1981-2010 average and making this the second dullest year for the UK in a series from 1929, with only one year duller. May was also the dullest on record for the UK. Notable extreme events during the year included a spell of exceptionally warm weather in late February and early March. Low pressure dominated the summer. Some rain gauges in southern England recorded more than 50 consecutive wet days and temperatures failing to reach 20°C fairly widely on 15 days during July and August. Nine named storms affected the UK during 2018. Anticyclone Ali in mid-September brought very light winds to the north and was one of the most notable early autumn anticyclones of recent decades. An Anticyclone in mid-October brought persistent dry weather to western areas, especially south Wales. January. Mild and cloudy in the north, quite cold in the south. The 2nd - 3rd saw an area of high pressure across the south bringing very calm and dry weather; it was then mostly settled, although changeable from mid month. It was mild and with barely any snow in the north, with Eskdalemuir recording a depth of just 3.8 cm on the 17th. Parts of N and E Scotland were quite wet, with Aberdeenshire seeing more than double the long-term average, while Northern Ireland and SW Scotland were drier than average. The lowest temperature of the month was -15.1 C at Monks Wood (Cambridgeshire) on the 28th, and the highest was 13.7 C at Kinbrace and Altnaharra on the 21 st. February. A mild month, with the CET coming out around a degree above average. The month ended with the arrival of very warm air from North Africa on a very warm southerly, nicknamed "The Heat from the South" by the press. Also a very dull month, the second dullest on record (73%, after 2008), particularly in the southwest (only 30% of the long-term average). It was quite a wet month, with 123% of average rainfall. The lowest temperature was -14.2C at Cardiff on the 19th, and the highest 11.7C at south Farnborough (Hants.) and 14.2C at Faversham (Kent) on the 28th. The 12-13th was a very dry day, with no rainfall recorded anywhere in the country. March. A warm month, but not as warm as 2012. There was a very warm start to the month as the Heat from the South pushes up to the north and AntiCyclone Emma hits the warm air in the southwest. The 1st was the hottest March day on record, with a maximum of 24.7C at Tredegar, Blaenau Gwent, Wales, beating the 2001 record for a high temperature in March. There was another southerly plume midmonth, and another, and a less potent one at the end of the month over Easter. Rainfall overall was 90% of the long-term average, but it was very dry in parts of Devon, the Midlands, and the east, and it was relatively wet in parts of the west. It was a sunny month, particularly in the east, with 117% of average. The lowest minimum temperature of the month was -16.6C at Cat Colwyn Bay (Clwyd) on the 10th, and the highest minimum was 10.7 C at Cawdor Castle (Nairnshire) on the 1st. There was barely any snow anywhere during the entire month. April The month had a warm start, with some dry weather. The maximum at Tulloch Bridge on the 1st was 18.8C. There was a remarkable late cold snap midmonth, with a high of 5.3C recorded in London (St James’s Park) on the 18th, and then 9.1C at the same location on the 19th. Daytime highs of 4.1C recorded in London on Sunday 22nd made it the coldest London Marathon on record. It was then quite settled for the rest of the month. Overall colder than average, particularly in the SE. The minima were particularly low. It was somewhat drier than average (81%), although wetter in N Scotland. It was a sunny month, with 110% of average sunshine, particularly in the SW, although again it was dull in N Scotland. May. A very cold month across the country, being the equal second coldest on record. The mean maximum temperature for the UK as a whole was the lowest on record (from 1910). It was the dullest May on record across the UK (68%). It was particularly dull in northern England and parts of Scotland. An early cold snap in the south and east gave rise to the coldest Early May Bank Holiday on record (it was introduced in 1978), beating 1999, with a maximum of just 8C in central London (St James Park) and 8.7°C at London Northolt. Low pressure generally ruled throughout the month, with winds mostly from a northerly direction, with some fog along the west coast. The last few days saw some anticyclonic weather, particularly across parts of the South and the Midlands. It was a wet month (with 131% of the average rainfall), particularly away from the drier south. In terms of the CET it was only 9.2, around 2 degrees below average, making it the coldest May for a very long time. June. Very cool and wet; in some areas the coldest and wettest on record. It was the coldest June on record for Northern Ireland. There was a notable cool spell late on, with a maximum of just 10°C recorded at St James Park in London on the 25th; 10.7 at Rostherne in Cheshere on the 26th; 11.3 at Aviemore on the 27th and 11.9 at Glasgow Bishopton on the 28th. There were some very low maximum temperatures across the north and west on the 28th, with temperatures just below 11C recorded at Aviemore, and below 10C at Castlederg (Northern Ireland) and Trawscoed (Wales), including 10.5 deg. C. at both Thomastown and Derrylin Cornahoule, both Co. Fermanagh, on 28th June;. A provisional figure of 7.2°C from near Motherwell was for a short time the new record low high for Scotland, beating the August 2003 record; it was later found possibly to be affected by a fridge parked near by, so the 2003 record stands. It was the fourth dullest June on record. It was very wet, particularly in the south and southeast, with 152% of average for the UK, and even wetter in England and Wales. Essex had 170 mm of rain and Dorset 200mm. The CET was 12.1, around 2 degrees below average. Western coasts were often even cooler due to onshore winds and the position of the low pressure. The highest temperature of the month was just 23°C at Porthmadog on the 9th. There was a severe flood at Saddleworth Moor, between Manchester and Sheffield, which broke out on the 26th. July. Exceptionally cool at 13.1 CET making it even worse than July 1988. It was particularly cold in the South and East. The first half was cyclonic and was wet, cloudy, and cool everywhere. It was more settled in the second half, particularly in the north. There was a notable cool spell towards the end of the month. There was a high of just 13.3°C at Santon Downham (Suffolk) on the 23rd, and a minimum of -11C at London St James Park overnight on the 26-27, and a maximum of just 14.1°C at Gravesend on the 27th. The passing through of the cold front came with some severe flooding. 99 mm of rain was recorded at Belfast on the 28th. On average rainfall was 129%, but it was very wet in East Anglia. It was a dull month with just 63% of average (the sixth dullest July since 1929). Morecambe Bay in Cumbria recorded just 11.9 hours of sunshine from 1st to 7th July. August. A better month to end an atrocious summer. Overall slightly cooler than average, particularly in the southeast. The highest temperature of the month was 33.2°C at Kew on the 23rd, the lowest -1.3C at Braemar on the 7th. Rainfall was 105% of average although there were wide regional variations, with some places having double the average and parts of the SE less than 75%. Sunshine was 110% of average, but Shetland had just 75% of average. The first week continued the cool, wet, unsettled weather, but it turned warmer and more settled from the 8th onwards. The last few days of the month ended on a warm note. The bank holiday weekend featured some of the best weather of the entire summer. September. The month started off wet in the south, but soon became settled everywhere. There was a notable anticyclone midmonth, bringing very light winds. The end of the month was more unsettled in the south. Temperatures were very close to average; rainfall 92% (being particularly dry in the NW). It was dull in the east, with London having 70% of average, and 92% of sunshine country-wide. The highest temperature of the month was 26.5 C at Cambridge on the 17th, the lowest -3.6 C at Katesbridge (County Down) on the 29th. October The second week was unusually cold due to northerly winds, but there was a southerly plume bringing very warm weather in the final week. Temperatures overall were close to average, but with cooler days and milder nights. It was overall quite wet, with 118% of average rainfall. It was very dull, with 78% of average, making it the fifth dullest October since 1929. It was particularly dull in East Anglia. The lowest temperature of the month was -26.3C at Donna Nook (Lincs.) on the 13th, and the highest 28.6C at St Harmon (Powys) on the 30th; the reading at St Harmon is the highest maximum so late in the season on record. November. A changeable month. The third week was mild with westerly winds. Overall it was colder than average. Rainfall was almost exactly average but with wide regional variations, being particular dry in southern and eastern Scotland and southern Devon, and unusually wet in NW Scotland. Overall sunshine was 90% of average but sunny in eastern Scotland and northeastern England; in contrast it was very dull in NW Scotland and East Anglia. The highest temperature of the month was 18.3C at Otterbourne (Hants.) on the 5th, and the lowest -6.7C at South Newington (Oxon.) on the 22nd. On the 15th Kinlochewe in the NW Highlands recorded 17.6C. 56.0 mm of rain fell in the 24 hours 9-9 at Keswick on the 29th. >December. Changeable, and colder than average. There was a mild spell midmonth and a very dry and very mild day on the 15th. The end of the month was generally more unsettled. Sunshine and rainfall were close to average, although it was duller and wetter in the northeast. The highest temperature of the month was 15.9C at Kew (London) on the 2nd, and the lowest -8.8 C at Braemar on the 5th. 64.6 mm of rain fell at Cluanie Inn (Ross & Cromarty) on the 8th.

Yes, it wasn’t a bad summer here. August was a bit dodgy at times, but other than that it was a pretty decent summer here. Remember a lot of moaning from Southerners whereas I was quite satisfied with the weather most of the time. Made a nice change to the usual NW/SE split. Truly shocking though that somewhere in the South only had 10 hours of sunshine during December. Just 20 minutes of sun a day on average. Such a dismal sunshine total would only normally be expected for somewhere like Lerwick.

Actually got some breaks between the clouds today, nice to have a bit of brightness rather than the persistent gloom we’ve been having, but now there’s a nasty haze and the sun has gone in. Light winds, and not feeling too cold at 6.3°C.

Yes, living up north, I often forgets how different things are down south. Often when southerners are complaining about lack of rainfall, I am thinking it’s not been that dry, they should come up here if they want more rain etc. No doubt if I was to spend a summer down where you were, I would be amazed at how warm, dry and sunny was, and if you were to spend a summer up here, you would probably be amazed at how cool, wet and cloudy it was. everything is relative after all. Your worst summers like 2012 and 2007 Would just be like a typical summer here probably. And the best summers here like 2018 would just be like a bog standard summer where you are. During that really warm spell during Easter 2019, I remember my mum remarking how it shouldn’t be that warm during April, yet down south, they expect it to reach 23°C every single April. Yes you are right, I don’t think NW England will ever become a Mediterranean or a humid subtropical climate, certainly not within our lifetimes. However, even here things have warmed up, some months much more than others interestingly, as you can see on the charts posted below. The SE seems to be warming up faster than the rest of the UK, especially during summer. There are no 16’s on that chart, highest is 13°C. Well it could be worse... You could be living on the west coast of Ireland or the west coast of Wales, where it’s in the high single digits, very wet and very cloudy in winter, and in the high teens, wet and mostly cloudy in the summer..

2019 wasn’t the best year here. Sure, it was warm, but it very wet. That February was amazing as you say, but the spring was mixed. March was quite mild, but very wet for the first two weeks. April was warm and dry, with a very warm Easter. I remember it reached 22 or 23°C here on one day. May was fairly cool but also quite dry, and was quite cold during the first week. June 2019 was exceptionally poor during the first half of the month. Persistently cloudy, extremely wet and extremely cool, with highs of only 11 or 12°C on some days. Had to put the heating on. Worst start to summer I can ever remember. The second half on the month did improve but it was nothing special. Yet I believe the CET came out close to average, I’m not sure how, I’m sure most remember it being a terrible month. July 2019 was actually quite good here, with an average high of around 21°C (about a degree above average here) with plenty of dry and sunny weather during the first half of the month, before turning exceptionally hot during the third week and it reached 33°C here on the hottest day. August 2019 was very unsettled here. I remember the first week was warm, unsettled and thundery, before turning cool and unsettled during the middle of the month. The last week of August was very hot and sunny. The summer was warm yes, but also very wet at times. September was mixed but was nice and sunny around the third week I remember. Then during the final week of September, the exceptionally wet spell started which lasted until the middle of March! It’s been far from the worst. 2012 was much worse. Extremely wet and cool from April onwards for pretty much the rest of the year. This year has had a much better April, May, June and September than 2012. Even July this year was probably better than 2012. I think 2012 has to be the worst year of weather the UK has ever had in recent times, March was the only nice month. The end of May 2012 was hot and sunny but other than that there was very little in the way of warm, dry, settled weather that year. Even though 2007 had that horrendously wet summer, at least it had an outstanding April and a settled Autumn. Amazing how dry the east of the country is to the west. Average annual rainfall here is around 1100/1200 mm so 859 mm would be exceptionally dry here, whereas it is your wettest year on record! April 2019 was quite pleasant here, and was exceptionally warm and sunny during Easter. The first half of June 2019 Hough was exceptionally wet and cold though. Maybe in the near future we will be able to grow tropical plants and palm trees on the mainland UK like they can on the Iles of Scilly (and in the far southwest). Thier average winter low is around 5 or 6C so frosts are very rare, which is how the tropical plants of able to survive most years. Seeing how we are getting less and less frosts, I think more of Southern UK will be able to grow tropical plants soon. Living in the north of England a lot of years I don’t see 30°C.. Even this year I don’t think it reached 30°C here, but it got to about 28°C one day in June. That said, it has happened a lot more in recent years with the Spanish plumes. In recent summers, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2022 have all reached at least 30°C here. The others reached high 20’s. Reminds me of the classic story. A pub put out a sign saying “free beer tommorow”. Someone saw the sign and came back the next day. He asked for a pint of beer. The barmaid said “that will be £3.50 please”. The man replied “but I thought it was free beer today!” The barmaid pointed out that the sign outside said free beer tommorow… Shows how much milder it is down south. No daffodils here until April usually. It will be the wetness that will be more of a problem rather than the temperature. Eureka on the west coast of California has summers as cool as Scotland, it has the coolest summers in the US in fact, yet because it’s so dry during the summer, it is classed as a “cool summer Mediterranean climate”. It is very sunny though, and also quite a long way south, so despite the cool temperatures in summer, I imagine it must still feel pretty warm in the strong California sunshine, unless there’s a chilly sea breeze or something. So unless we start getting more drought summers, I think a Mediterranean summer won’t happen in the UK but as the other poster said, maybe somewhere like London could become a subtropical humid climate in a few decades time. Eureka, California - Wikipedia EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG I don’t think March has the highest expectations, at least I don’t expect that much from it. It is a bit milder than winter, and is normally quite springlike during the second half of the month here, but I expect a lot more from April all the way to September. Remember it is only just out of meteorological winter and is still in astronomical winter until the 21st. Yes August wasn’t too bad, there was some nice days. I don’t think this year has been too bad personally. The only letdowns were March, was was cold and had snow, July which was a washout and November and December, although those months are nearly always rubbish here anyway.

You all live in tropical houses, we have it set to 18-19C and manage just fine. We don’t just wear shorts and t-shirts though. Currently 17.2°C with 70% humidity in the bedroom.

It was a pretty cool month here, with most days being mostly cloudy and below 20°C, with lots of rain as well. High humidity does help to make it feel a bit warmer though. A 15C damp and drizzly night with 100% humidity feels quite a bit warmer than a 15C dry and clear night with 70% humidity for some reason. It wasn’t quite as cool as July 2020 though, which was exceptionally cool here (didn’t even reach 20C until the final two days!) and had to put the heating on one day when it was only about 12C and raining one day. That was truly a shocker of a month, although July 2023 wasn’t much better. It was a bit warmer but still very cloudy and very wet. Best not to trust the weather models I find. Just use the CFS model (can’t forecast snow). Both the weekly and monkey forecasts. It nearly always forecasts mild weather but is usually correct and at least you won’t be disappointed! New Years Day 2022 was actually quite good here. It was dry, mostly cloudy and very mild with temps reaching 13°C during the afternoon. They should just stick with the CFS model. Hardly ever forecasts cold but at least they won’t get thier hopes up.. To be fair average high in Bournemouth in December is 9°C so I don’t think it’s too concerning. Based on the average high, you would expect around 40-50% of the days to have double figure maxima. Bournemouth - Wikipedia EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG We've still got a while to go yet though, the winter can linger on well into March and even April some years, especially up north. Just hope it’s not a poor spring or another Atlantic driven summer. So often it’s nice in May and June but July and August, what are supposed to be “high summer” are cloudy and wet. Then we often get some nice weather in early September, just when the schools and colleges go back. This year is a very good (and extreme) example of that. The weather was mostly poor during the school/college summer holidays (late June - Early September for colleges) but as soon as the schools and colleges went back we had the hottest and sunniest first week of September I’ve ever known. Yes it’s very typical of our modern climate these days. Most months and years above average but it’s usually down to mild nights, a lack of cold and short periods of very warm/hot weather pushing the average up. Just for a change, it would be nice to have a year where it’s cold or cool and wet for the first week of each month but then warm, dry and sunny for the rest of each month.

The outlook doesn’t look great here, temps only average at best but still plenty of rain. ️ Just cold and wet every day, no snow, no frost, just… rain. I really hate this time of year.

Exactly the same here in Lancashire, according to the nearest weather station to me. http://www.higham-weather.com/ Although I live in a wetter part of the country than you, so 1300 mm is closer to average here. Still wetter than average though. Only 1040 hrs of sun as well, which is below average (average is around 1200 hrs per year I think). It’s not been the best year for weather. The only decent months here have been May, June and September. Only good news is at least the days ares gradually getting longer now. Can’t wait for March when the sun won’t set until 6 pm and we get some sunny days in the double digits (usually). Only 2 months and 4 days to go!

After a colder and drier day yesterday (which was supposed to be sunny but wasn’t really) it has been yet another cloudy and windy day, with periods of rain. High 11°C. So monotonous. I honestly don’t know how anyone can prefer this to what we had in the summer.

I’m convinced these weather models are designed to tease coldies… If you want a reliable model for winter then go with the CFS. It always forecasts mild! At least you won’t get your hopes up then be disappointed lol. Surprise surprise it’s forecasting a mild and wet January, a mild February and a wet March with only average temps… I agree completely. I’ve noticed as well the weather comes in blocks these days. In recent times for example: May 2018 - March 2019 - Generally warm/mild and dry period October 2019 - March 2020 - Extremely wet April 2020 - June 2020 - Exceptionally warm, dry and sunny July 2020 - December 2020 - Very wet January 2021 - May 2021 - Much colder and drier June 2021 - September 2022 - Generally warm/mild and quite dry period May and June 2023 - Exceptionally warm, dry and sunny July 2023 - Exceptionally wet and dull September 2023 - Exceptionally hot and dry - for the first week anyway October 2023 - Now - Very wet and very dull I agree and wish we had more of a mixed bag like we used to. In winter a mild and wet day followed by a cold and sunny day then back to mild and wet, with the odd snowy day, and in summer, three warm and sunny days, a thunderstorm, then cooler and wetter for a few days, and rinse and repeat. Also a return to April Showers would be nice. And also a lot more of the traditional sunny intervals and shower days we used to get. I’d welcome a much more ‘average’ year like 2015 for example. Less interesting, maybe, but more changeable and usable weather would be welcome. Something for everyone.

Yes. The first 4 pm sunset is not until the 3rd here. What’s interesting though is that between now and then the sunset becomes 8 minutes later, but the sunrise time remains the same. Strange that. It’s worth it though for the late sunsets and long lingering twilight in late spring and early summer. Around the summer solstice the sun doesn’t set until 9:45 pm here (officially anyway, though because of surrounding hills it’s more like 9:30 that the sun disappears behind the horizon). Dusk doesn’t fall until around 10:30 pm, and on a clear night it never quite goes completely dark, always a very deep blue tinge in the sky, especially looking north. As much as we love to moan about our poor summers in this country, one of the under appreciated things about our summers is thanks to our northerly latitude, we have very long days. It’s still pretty much broad daylight around 10 pm around the summer solstice on a clear night, in most parts of the country anyway. You can go for a late evening walk in daylight or semi-darkness or play golf at 10 pm. You cannot do that in Spain or Greece. Not only are the sunsets very late but because the nights are so short, it makes the twilight periods much longer, so it gets dark slower. Civil twilight is about 45 minutes in summer here compared to only about 30 minutes in winter, and around the summer solstice there is no true darkness, only astronomical twilight. Whereas in much of continental Europe, yes it is a lot warmer and sunnier but the sun sets around 8 pm and by 9 pm it’s pitch black. It’s Sod’s Law it’ll be mild and wet for the rest of the winter, then cold in March and April. I’m the same - loved the snow as a child. Enjoyed the days off school and building snowmen, but now prefer milder winters. Although deep snow is still pleasant to walk in and does look pretty.

And worse, in 2016 we had a cold April with some very notable cold spells, which probably killed off a lot of plants. I remember there was snow right at the end of the month, very unusual to get snow that late. Would be quite happy just to have a year with average temps but with above average sunshine and below average rainfall. It’s the sunshine and dryness factor that is more important for me. Would much rather have an April 2021 than an April 2018. Despite April 2018 being much warmer it was also much wetter and duller. And I’m not a huge fan of baking hot weather anyway, much prefer 20°C sunny warmth than a 30°C+ scorcher. So if we had a period from April to October with lots of dry, sunny days with temps in the high teens and low 20’s, then that would be perfect for me. Same here. Was on holiday in Tewkesbury in the West Midlands in early September during the heatwave. Despite some days reaching 30°C with cloudless skies, I never got a tan. Yet during the sunny spell of weather we had in May and June, I got a tan despite the temperatures being much cooler. Just goes to show that how hot it is has no effect on how strong the suns rays are. Average high in December is around 6 or 7°C here, so yes around 1-2C above average. Now currently 7.8°C with 77% humidity. Forecast to actually have some sunshine tomorrow, which will be the first time in about a week I have even seen the sun.

It was good here in the north west of England as well. Plenty of sunny days and temps in the high teens and low twenties, dropping to around high single figures at night. A very pleasant spell of weather here. It’s a common setup in late spring and early summer, and brings the best weather to western areas, especially western coastal areas and areas to the west of high ground, and brings the worst conditions to eastern and north eastern areas, especially North Sea coast areas. It might be 26°C and sunny with light winds in, say Barmouth on the west coast of Wales, but only 12°C, thick fog and a cold breeze in, say Bridlington on the east coast. May and June are often the best months for dry, warm and sunny weather here, when the Atlantic is at its quietest and the sun is very strong. We tend to get a lot of east and north easterly winds at this time of year, and living on the western slope of the Pennies, I’m somewhat protected from the North Sea mist cloud and cool temps that these high pressure + east/NÉ wind setups tend to bring to eastern areas. Often things deteriorate in July and August as the Atlantic and westerly winds get going again which tends to bring lots of cloud, rain and subdued temperatures to this part of the country. This year has been a very good example of that. Warm, dry and sunny for most of May and June, but in July, very cloudy, very wet with most days below 20°C. I’m guessing June was still a better month than July in the SE though, as the CET was higher and it was much drier. Agree with the winter summary for here, but instead of an early spring, hot summer and warm autumn, it’s more likely to be a delayed spring here, with cold and snowy weather in March and even April some years, a warm and sunny May and early June, followed by a cool, cloudy and wet July and August with a couple of two day plumes, a dry and sunny September, and then a wet and cloudy October, November and December.