East Lancs Rain

Here it’s April I think, when the Atlantic is much quieter. Interesting. Here, May is actually the sunniest month of the year, both percentage wise and number of hours. It is the sunniest month of the year for most northern and western areas in fact, probably due to the lack of westerlies and more easterlies, which give the best weather to western areas, especially places to the west of high ground. So late spring and early summer is usually better than July and August in the north and west. In the east though, they tend to get a lot of cloud in May and June due to the easterly wind bringing in a lot of cloud off the North Sea. But eastern areas tend to be better in July and August while western areas are often plagued by cloud and rain from off the Atlantic. Tbh I remember very little of last February’s weather. Just felt like a typical February to me. Don’t remember it being particularly mild, dry or bright. The opposite here. May is the sunniest month of the year while August is the dullest month of the summer here. June 2023 was the hottest June on record with a CET of 17.0. June 1976 had a CET of 16.9 (although until recently it used to 17.0 but it got downgraded slightly). I have noticed a couple of others mention that July 2023 was a humid month but I didn’t really notice it. It was mostly just 16-19°C and cloudy here and raining a lot of the time. Not really warm enough to feel particularly humid here really.

A nasty cold, raw, damp feeling day here. Currently 2.9°C and very gloomy. Grim.

Blimey! Makes our warnings for cold weather laughable! Some impressively low minimums forecast here next week (by modern UK standards anyway) according to the Apple weather app (although I don’t the nights will be quite as cold as what it’s forecasting though). It will be very cold but at least it will be sunny for a change.

Tuesday was sunny but yesterday and especially today have been really cloudy. Easterlies are normally very sunny in May and June here but not so much in winter. A bit milder than earlier in the week, currently 5.7°C with 74% humidity, but the cloud is making it depressing. Really fed up of winter now and just want some 10-15C and sunny spring days.

GavsWeatherVids on YouTube normally does a summer “sneak peak” around this time of year. The CFS V2 model is currently forecasting a mixed summer. June and August look a bit dodgy and quite westerly with the south having the best conditions favoured. July is forecast to be the best month of the summer with the most high pressure. All three summer months are forecast to have above average temperatures but June the most, July and August only slightly above. Precipitation wise July looks to be the driest month, with June and August looking a bit mixed. So perhaps a kind of reverse 2009 summer forecast here with June and August being rather poor but July being the best month of the summer. Looking at the Cansips model next, it is also forecasting a mixed summer. June looks very westerly and unsettled, especially in the north, with a rather weak Azores high. July looks pretty poor with the Azores high nowhere to be seen and plenty of low pressure around. August looks to be the best month with high pressure over the UK, although with unusually lower than average pressure over the Azores. Temperature wise June looks to be the coolest month only being slightly warmer than average, but July and August are forecast to be warmer. Precipitation wise June has a north south split with the north being wetter but the south being drier. July and August are forecast to be quite dry however. So it looks like Cansips is going for a back loaded summer with June being the poorest month and August being the best. Of course, with it all being so far out it’s really just for fun!

I don’t think Summer 2011 was too bad here. I remember July 2011 seemed to be quite cool but fairly dry and sunny. Remember I went to an outdoor wedding that month and there was a heavy shower during the reception. I remember August 2011 was very cloudy though, not a great month, although I went on holiday to East Anglia for a week during that month and remember lots of dry, sunny weather, but back at home it was very dull and grey. I don’t like humidity either, June 2018, July 2013 and August 2022 would be an awesome summer combo. For a gentler (but still fairly dry and sunny) summer, June 2015, July 2014 and August 2021 would be nice. What I would really like to see from next summer though is much more thunderstorms. They seem to have almost disappeared here. I can’t remember even hearing a single rumble last summer. I used to get at least 1 or 2 thunderstorms every summer, usually after a warm/hot spell, but these days hot spells go out with a whimper instead of a bang here. Yes I remember quite a lot of cloudy days in that month. Had a nice few days holiday in Skegness for a few days during that month and the weather was warm and very sunny, then had a few days up in the North East of England on the coast and I remember it was very cool and cloudy. The weather is almost always better when I go down south upon summer, oooooop north it’s just too cool and cloudy! A good example of that was coming home from Paignton in August 2017. It was very warm and very sunny over the bank holiday weekend with highs of around 23/24°C in the English riveria (and of anything felt warmer than that) but the next day came home to about 14°C and cloud. Felt like coming home after being abroad. But August often is a cloudy month, at least in this part of the world and is often quite poor, often the poorest month of the summer, at least sunshine and rainfall wise. It isn’t usually a terrible washout month but it isn’t often very good either. There have been very few good Augusts in recent years, at least here anyway. Here's how I’d rate recent Augusts. 2008 - Poor, Very cloudy 2009 - Ok 2010 - Poor, cloudy 2011 - Poor, very cloudy 2012 - Poor 2013 - Ok, cloudy at times 2014 - Poor 2015 - Mediocre 2016 - Very up and down, remember some very cool and wet days and some very warm and sunny days 2017 - Poor, very cool and wet 2018 - Poor, felt very cool after the hot July and was also very cloudy 2019 - Poor, first week was warm, cloudy, unsettled and thundery then cool and unsettled for the middle of the month before turning very hot and very sunny during the last week 2020 - Rather poor outside of the heatwave, very cool at the end 2021 - Mediocre, very cloudy at times 2022 - Good 2023 - Mediocre So only one August I’d actually class as good out of the last 16 Augusts. The have either been OK, mediocre or poor. The thing that tends to let August down the most is the dullness. I think this is because August tends to have a lot of SW’s which usually bring very dull, gloomy, overcast, sometimes drizzly conditions, with cool days around 17-19°C, but very mild nights around 13-16°C, and often quite high humidity. Not great summer conditions. Would much prefer a sunny high pressure with average or slightly above average days and cool nights. That tends to happen more in early summer though. Early summer and late spring is usually the sunniest time of the year here, due to the Atlantic being quieter and when the wind is usually much more easterly. July and August are much more westerly and are warmer but also duller and wetter here.

I would personally prefer something a bit more toned down - June 2018, July 2014 and August 2013 would be ideal for me - plenty of warm, dry and sunny weather but nothing crazy hot. Would be great if we could have a repeat of May 2018 and September 2021 for an extended summer as well.

https://youtu.be/VJ4IzJeYHl4?si=ecczDSep41hkOfJS Nice day today, very cold though.

I hope that doesn’t mean more rain though.. What’s the precipitation forecast like? Yes it is unusual for Lerwick to be the mildest. But it has an extremely oceanic climate with the average lows quite high for its northerly location. The scilly iles is mild all winter, with an average high of 10C and low of 6C, rarely gets cold down there. Never thought I’d see a comment like that on these forums! I am surprised by the number of people on here who prefer mild conditions in winter - this forum has always been very cold biased and before I started posting in winter I thought anyone who dared say they enjoyed mild weather would be shot down like a rabbit. But constant gloomy, rainy weather isn’t good for peoples mental health. A crisp sunny day in winter can boost your mood, especially when it’s been cloudy for so long.

Yes I don’t really understand it either. Unless you just hate warm and sunny weather so much, or love getting wet… Maximums of 10-15°C and raining all day… We just had that from October to December. And recent summers have tended to be wetter than average. I hope it’s a dry summer this year. And thunderstorms are quite rare in summer here these days (or at any time of the year). I can’t remember any thunder at all last summer. The next few months look pretty good on the CFS monthlies, some cold potential in February for winter lovers then looks mostly high pressure dominated after that. June looks a bit dodgy with that Greenland high though..

The strange thing is is that Cork is actually forecast to be sunnier than Southend. Although looking at the satellite data, things are reversed today, south west Ireland is cloudy, while SE England is sunny. Agreed. You get the occasional mild and dry day but they’re generally few and far between. That’s what was so good about winter 2018/19 (and to some extent, winter 2016/17), plenty of dry but mild (or not overly cold) weather. Currently mostly sunny here but a strong easterly breeze and only 3°C… It’s not warm.

That’s like a normal summers day here lol. A showery westerly in July would deliver that temp/rainfall here. Shows how much better Londons summers are. Maybe we should bring back the sulphur pollutants then! What is the Hadley cell factor? I think it would still be quite easy to get a consistently wet summer in the UK, especially now we often seem to get locked in to a pattern for weeks on end. All it would take is a big Greenland high and with low pressure anchored over the UK, which is the pattern that traditionally gives us our worst summers and also our coldest winters. Or if we had the same Synoptics over October, November and December, that would produce a really poor summer. However, Greenland blocking has mostly been absent over the last decade, which explains why we’ve had mostly mild winters and average/warm/hot summers. The first half of June 2019 had that pattern - and it was absolutely diabolical - many days had heavy rain all day and maximums of just 11-12°C here, and the house was freezing, had to put the heating on. In June! I’m personally looking forward to warmer and drier summers, seeing as summers are traditionally cool and wet in my part of the world, but I’m hoping we don’t continue to get more extreme heatwaves. Maybe they should hold the olympics in Iceland! No problems with heat up there. I agree. A 2007/2012 would bring absolutely atrocious weather here. It wouldn’t be too bad in London, average maximums would still be in the low 20’s and there would still be some nice days, but up north it would be much worse. I quite liked the summer of 2015 for its lack of hot days and it’s apart for the poor July - it’s generally quite average conditions. June wasn’t too bad, had some nice days, I remember some nice weather around my birthday. 1st July 2015 was really hot, think it got to about 31°C on that day here, but a couple of days later it was much cooler, and most of the month had sub 20°C maximums here. There were some very cool and wet days too. Especially at the end of the month when some days were only around 12-14°C and raining. I was on digital spy forums at the time and someone made a thread “why is it so cold”. There were a lot of people moaning about the weather that month. August 2015 was better but nothing special. Had a nice holiday in St Ives in late August 2015. Remember some nice weather on the bank holiday weekend and it was quite sunny, although often cool and breezy. I preferred it to summer 2016 which was a bit warmer but also duller and wetter, and also summer 2017 which was too chilly and never stopped raining. I looked at the anomaly charts for that summer recently, sunshine and rainfall didn’t come out too far from average, but temperatures were a bit below average compared to the modern averages, but were close to the 1961-1990 average. Had the SST’s been warmer it might have managed the 1981-2010 average. It was the last average summer in the UK really. Since then they have either been warmer than average, wetter than average, or both. As for Summer 2011, I remember June and July being quite cool but quite dry and sunny. Not much heat in that summer. I remember August 2011 being very cloudy, apart from when I went on holiday to East Anglia for a week and I remember the weather was warm and very sunny. To me, it would make more sense to do it from 00:00 to 00:00. Otherwise you get misleading statistics like in the examples you gave.

OMG! Theyd better get the snow plows out and shut the schools and the motorways before it’s too late! No snow here. Cold though, currently 2.4°C, and very cloudy with a gentle easterly breeze.

I think in the near future, many weather enthusiasts will stop looking forward to winter and enjoy the spring and summer more instead. Traditionally, winter has always been the favourite season for most weather enthusiasts, but that is changing. I think after more and more snowless winters and failed cold spells, many weather enthusiasts will stop searching for non existent cold weather and winter will become the quietest season on here, with more people watching the models for warmth/heat in spring and summer instead. I know Scotland is still quite cold and wintery times but lets face it. in England, winter is mostly just 6-12°C, cloud and rain these days. The climate is only going to get warmer, unless we get a major volcanic eruption or something lol. The Scilly Iles now has average maximums of 10°C (pretty much) in all three winter months on the new 1991-2020 average. The seasons in the south of England are more like this these days: Spring: 1st Feb to 31st May Summer: 1st Jun to 31st Sep Autumn: 1st Oct to 31st Jan In northern Scotland/Lerwick/Outer Hebrides however, summer doesn’t really exist up there, so the seasons are more like: Winter: 1st Dec to 31st Mar Spring: 1st Apr to 30th Jun Autumn: 1st Jul to 30th Nov Looks cold in Braemar up in Scotland though. Brrrr…

Looks like it already is cold where you are, and probably about as cold as it will ever get! Wow looks really severe! Look at all of that snow. Better get your snow shovels and your winter tyres out guys, it looks reeeeeeealy bad…

That would be an awesome combination, especially in the south where it’s warm anyway, but a very rare combination, and very difficult to achieve, especially in our warming climate. Even in a cool, wet and cloudy month, there is usually a one or two really hot days which pushes the temperature up to or close to average - for example July 2020 and 2015. Recent summers have tended to be the opposite - wet and cloudy but warm - 2019 a good example, or dry, sunny and really hot - eg 2018, 2022, or cloudy and wet but with average temperatures. Very difficult to get a summer that is dry and sunny with just average temperatures these days - let alone below average. Any high pressure tends to send the mercury flying. But it might be possible with a synoptic pattern like April 2021, dominated by high pressure but in a position where it gives us northerlies, north westerlies or north easterlies. Might still be average temps by day but would be colder than average at night. With a summer like this, London might be: June: 21°/10° July: 23°/12° August: 22°/11° Lancashire might be: June: 18°/9° July: 20°/11° August: 19°/10° Both the sunshine/summer lovers and the heat haters would probably be satisfied with a summer like this. Ok, there wouldn’t be much heat for the heat lovers, but there would be a lot of fine, dry, sunny, comfortable weather to enjoy. Just out of interest, does anyone know when our last summer month was that was drier, sunnier but also cooler than average (or had average temperatures). I’m thinking June 2015, and although technically not a summer month, September 2015.

Here the average high in July 2019 was around 21C. 4 degrees cooler than London and 2.5C cooler than Bournemouth. Although it was still quite a warm month for here.

I was about to say the same thing, my weather station recommends placing it five feet above the ground. It also has a function to correct the temperature reading by adding or subtracting by 0.1 of a degree. I’m quite surprised, as Gavsweathervids on YouTube forecasted it to be a cold week with highs of around 2-4C and his forecasts are usually pretty bang on. The models must have deceived him. I’m sure they’re designed to tease coldies… Shocking how much warmer it is in London compared to the rest of the country in summer. Especially NW England. Manchester only averages around 20-21C in high summer, so it around 3-4C cooler than London in summer. London is warmest place in the country most of the year (far SW of England mildest in winter) but in summer the difference is the biggest. It truely does have a much more continental climate than the rest of the UK. In contrast, Lerwick has an average high of just 14.5°C in July, around 10 degrees cooler than London! Here in East Lancashire for example, the average high in July 2023 here, one of the hottest months of all time, is around 23C, which would just be considered average or mediocre in London. July 2020, which was 23C in London, and was absolutely atrocious here, had an average high of just 17C here, a 6 degree difference! Not only is London much warmer in summer, its summers seem to be warming up much faster than here in the Uk. It is quickly becoming like the Mediterranean! For example, looking at the long term averages for Stonyhurst (near me, and one of the stations used to make up the CET), the average maximum temperature August has barely changed since 1961-90. It was 18.6°C in 61-90, now it’s 19.2°C… This is why some people get a bit wound up when Londoners moan about thier “poor summers”, when they have the hottest summers in the country, have some of the driest summers in the UK and their summers have by far warmed up more than any of part of the UK. Whether it’s down to more plumes or more heat coming up from the continent I don’t know. Perhaps Londoners who think thier summers are bad should spend a summer up in the north west of England to find out what a real poor summer is like… I would be interested to know what the average high temperature was in London in July 1988, given the highest temperature in the entire country in that month was just 22C.. I would also be interested to know what the summers were like in London in the 80’s and the 60’s, and how they compare to now. Please tell me this is a joke. We’ve had much colder weather in the past, even in recent winters without these warnings. What’s next? A sunny weather warning? Yes it’s not that cold at all here this week, especially after Tuesday. In fact, it actually looks relatively mild for here! But wrap up warm because it’s severely cold out there! At least 24°C feels warm and you can wear a t-shirt outside. Does anyone have the sunshine stats for the past 10 summers/July’s in London? Has it been cloudier than usual? But I get what you’re saying, I would rather have an 18°C and sunny day than a 22°C and cloudy one. And yet Londoners still moan about thier summers when most people in the country would be perfectly happy with a summer like that. Scotland could only dream of a summer that warm. I think in 2015 Edinburgh had only three days that exceeded 20°C. I know Londoners have higher expectations as their summers are a lot better but I feel they have been spoiled by recent summers like 2018 and 2022. If London had a summer like 2019 in the 80’s it would probably be considered a really good summer. If I lived in London I’d probably be moaning that it’s too hot and sunny in the summer! What is the temperature? I had an air frost last night (not been many of those this winter) and it’s currently 4°C and overcast here now. Exactly! The whole country grinds to a halt after a few cm of snow… And in summer, when it gets above 25C, they put out hot weather warnings and tell people to “stay out of the sun”. No wonder other countries laugh at us.

Maybe that would be a realistic expectation if you lived in Barcelona! Highs of around 21/22°C is the average for Cheshire in high summer. If you are expecting frequent temps of high 20’s and low 30’s in summer in the north west of England then you’re gonna be disappointed… 26°C and sunny feels pretty hot to me. I definitely don’t like it any hotter than that. I consider low 30’s baking hot. I imagine 20°C would be considered a heatwave up in Aberdeen or Lerwick lol. For me it’s around 20°C, which feels very pleasant in the strong July sunshine. I guess it’s all about your preferences and what you’re used to and whether you live in the south or the north. Many southerners consider 20°C cool but for many northerners it’s shorts and t-shirt weather, especially if the sun is out. Im guessing around 21/22°C is the average high in Devon, so probably around 50% of the days would fail to meet your expectations.. For me 18-22°C is a comfortable range and what I expect. 23-25°C is the upper range of what I find comfortable. I can find 13-17°C comfortable enough if I’m outside walking. Of course I’m a northerner so I’m used to cooler, cloudier summers… Average high here is around 18°C in June, 20°C in July and 19°C in August. For me, I’d say in winter: Below 0C - Bitterly cold 0-2C - Very cold 3-4C - Fairly cold 5-7C - Average 8-10C - Mild 11-12C - Very mild 13C and above - Exceptionally mild In summer: Below 13C - Cold 13-15C - Very cool 16-18C - Fairly cool, can feel pleasant in the sun 19-20C - Average, pleasant 21-22C - Fairly warm 23-25C - Very warm 26-28C - Hot 29-31C - Very hot 32C or higher - Extremely hot Here is a guy who lives in NW England and does regular Timelapse’s, so you can watch a few of them if you wish to get a feel of the climate of NW England (and no, it’s not great)… https://youtube.com/@ScottRichards10?si=NQHkHJSFokZ3O16K Here are some Timelapse’s of our poor summer weather from recent years. July 2023 June 2020 July 2020 August 2020 August 2017 June 2017

Perhaps a tad cold for July, yes… Now, here’s the anti 2011! A very interesting year to flip around. After the exceptionally mild December of anti 2010, the mild winter continued until the middle of January, but then things turned much colder. Winter 2010-11 was very sunny in the South East and very dull in the NW, particularly Northern Ireland, where it was the dullest winter on record. March and April together were the wettest since anti 1938. Overfall spring was the coldest on record (6.8). The cold spring was followed by a warm and pleasant summer, the only warm part of the year: with an average of 16.4°C, you have to go back to anti 1985 for a better summer, and to anti 1993 for a better high summer. What's more, all months were above average temperature, despite the year being cold overall. It was a very cold autumn, with an average of just 8.3, the coldest autumn for a really long time. There was a notable late September cold snap, with new record lows for late September, December was a very easterly month with several severe cold snaps, and a very cold Christmas and New Year's Eve. Overall it was an exceptionally cold year (at 8.8°C), with an unusually cold spring and autumn, but with a decent summer. January. Mild and settled with no snow until the 16th, then mostly cyclonic. It was cold in the south from the 12th-16th, but generally mild, meaning that overall the month was slightly milder than average. Temperatures ranged from -14.5C at Pershore (Worcs.) on the 13th to 15C at Altnaharra on the 7-8th. The lowest maximum was -3.9C at Strathallan (Perthshire) on the 17th. It was slightly wetter than average, with 112% of the England and Wales average. It was quite a wet month in Northern Ireland, ranging from 25 mm at Inveruglas (Dunbartonshire) to 150 mm at Dishforth (North Yorkshire). Sunshine was about average, although sunshine was well below average in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Cornwall was the cloudiest place to be. February. Generally cold but sunny. It was the coldest February for nearly 10 years. The highest maximum was 15.5C at Writtle (Essex) on the 5th, the lowest minimum -16.5C at Altnaharra on the morning of the 1st. It was drier than average, with 68% of average across England and Wales. It was very dry in Scotland (17%). It was drier in the west and wetter in the southeast. Average England and Wales sunshine was 135% of the mean; it was duller in the north, sunnier in the southeast. March. Very wet, quite cloudy. Mostly cyclonic, warm beginning, settled end. The third week was quite cold; the temperature was just 5.6°C at Chivenor (Devon) on the 25th. Some chilly days but relatively mild nights, as is common with cyclonic months. Overall a little colder than average, but it was colder than average in the east and southeast, but warmer than average elsewhere. The lowest temperature of the month was -7.5C at Braemar on the morning of the 18th. At Dalwhinnie the maximum on the 18th was just -0.5C. Sunshine in E&W was just 66% of the average, Weymouth saw just 59 hours. It was the wetness however that was most noteworthy, with an average of 165% of the 1971-2000 average, making it the 10th wettest of the last century, and the wettest since anti 1990. Cambridge was the wettest place of all, with 200 mm of rain; it had rained there every day for 31 days, ending on March 21st. April. The coldest April on record. Colder than March and as cold as a typical January with a CET of just 4.1C! The month was also very wet and dull. The average England and Wales rainfall was 179% of average, making the wettest since anti 2007 and the 6th wettest in the last 100 years) and there was much more frost and snow than usual. It was much wetter than average in most places apart from parts of Cumbria and West Scotland; Moulton Park (Northants) recorded over 100 mm of rain. Amazingly, the temperature was even colder than the exceptionally bad April of anti 2007. It was particularly cold in the southeast, with many days there failing to reach 10°C, with lots of cloud and rain most days, but significantly warmer at times on parts of the east coasts of England and Scotland. The England and Wales average sunshine was just 50% of the 70-00 mean), making it the dullest April again since anti 2007, with only three duller Aprils in the last 100 years. Chichester saw just 27 hours of sunshine all month. After a mild first few days, the weather became very cold and dull in the south and east. Daytime temperatures below 5C were widespread on Wednesday 6th, with a high of just 3.9C at Santon Downham (Suffolk), 3.7C at the Olympic Site and 3.6C recorded at St James Park, London. There was a mix of cold rain, sleet and snow in many places. Many hills had snow on them nearly all month. Nearly as low temperatures continued for a few days. The next week was quite chilly too, with highs in single digits in most places, it was just 2.8C at Aboyne on the 11th. Continuing cold, with a very cold third week, particularly in the south and east. There were snow flurries in London on the 21st. The coldest Easter (it was late, Easter falling on 24 April) on record. There was a low of -17.8°C at Wisley on the 23rd, the coldest April night since 1949 and the lowest temperature of the month. The temperature rose a bit on Easter Sunday, the 24th, with a thaw and some cold rain in many places. The highest temperature of the month was just 15.4°C at Heathrow on the 26th; and there a minimum of -14.8C at Wych Cross, Sussex on the 27th. I think I would now make this month my most interesting April on record, for all the wrong reasons. May. Another poor month, although much warmer than April (CET 10.6). Dry in the north and west and very wet in the southeast. The fourth most northeasterly month in well over a hundred years of records. The highest temperature of the month was only 20.4C at Weybourne on the 17th, the lowest -16.3C at Altnaharra on the 14th. Rainfall averaged over England and Wales was 120% of the 71-00 average. It was very dry in Scotland (just 18 mm). Cluanie in Wester Ross had 4.6 mm, while Manston (Kent) had 400 mm, with some flooding. It was slightly duller than average (93%); Manston only saw 73 hours. There was a very nice day on Monday 23 May. There was a brief ridge of high pressure that saw temperatures rise into the high teens in the south. June. Although there were spells of cool and wet weather right at the beginning and end of the month, overall June was quite warm and settled, with an average just a little above the long-term - although this made it the warmest June since anti 1991 (although anti 1999 and anti 2008 were close). There was a lot of rain and cool temperatures at the start of the month. There was a lot of rain in the SE at the end of the month. 29.9 mm was recorded in St James's Park, London, on Sunday 26th, and 33.3 mm at the East London Olympic Site closely followed by 33.1 mm at Gravesend on the 27th. Temperatures were only in the mid teens at best. The lowest minimum was -1.9C at Altnaharra on the morning of the 30th. There was an usually late air frost at Benson (Oxfordshire) on the 26th - the overnight temperature fell to -0.1C. It was quite dry, with an England and Wales rainfall average of 78%, although it was drier in the west and still quite wet in parts of the east. Scotland and Wales were also drier than average. It was slightly duller than average in the south, around 90%. Sussex was the dullest place and SW Scotland the most sunny. July. A warm month, with frequent S and SW winds; the warmest on average since anti 2007, and locally in the south since anti 1988. There was a wet, cool beginning and then very settled with some sunshine and warm weather. After a wet week, there was a high of 32°C at London on the 4th and 31°C on the 9th. The 5th and 6th were particularly hot in east Scotland. The 18th was a hot day, with maxima of around 32°C in the West, Wales, and in Lancashire and Cheshire. It was a cool end to the month in the south and east. The highest temperature of the month was 33.5C at Olympic Park (London) on the 5th; the highest temperature of the summer, the lowest was 0.8C at Kinbrace (Sutherland) on the 23rd. It was very slightly drier than average, 94% of England and Wales average, although there was wide regional variation, Colwyn Bay in North Wales had just 18 mm all month, while Orkney had 193 mm. Sunshine was very close to average, although it was duller than average in Northern Ireland. Bournemouth saw the most sunshine, with 258 hours, and Dublin the least (with just 64 hours). August. After a cool and wet start the month was warm and settled, with the overall result that the month was slightly warmer than average. It was particularly warm in Scotland. It was slightly drier than average (82%),and much drier in Scotland (21%), and it was particularly dry in east Scotland. It was a very sunny month (England and Wales average of 126% of the average, the sunniest since the sunny month of anti August 2008). There was a very wet day in the southeast at the start of the month. There was 30.3 mm at Swanscombe (Kent) on the 3rd, and máxima were below 20°C everywhere. There was some hot weather midmonth. There was a high of 30°C at Bournemouth on the 18th, leading to wildfires in the area. At Stratfied Mortimer in Berkshire a high of 31°C was recorded. The 28th was also a hot day; the maximum at Luton was 33.3C, the highest in the area in August since anti 1978; at Whipsnade the maximum was 32.3°C. September. A cool, changeable, very northeasterly month. Overall about 1.5C below the long-term CET average. The lowest temperature came right at the end; the lowest was -10.4C at Tyndrum on the 30th. Quite wet in England and Wales, with 131% of the long-term average, although it was slightly drier than average in Scotland and Northern Ireland. It was slightly duller than average (92%). On the 12th anticyclone Katia brought some calm and sunny weather to the north. There was a remarkable cold snap at the end month, giving some of the lowest daytime temperatures in September for a very long time. It was just 8.8°C at Lerwick on the 29th, and 9.2°C at Glasgow and in Aberdeen on the 30th. There was a lot of cloud and rain too. October. Overall a very cool and changeable month. It was the seventh coldest October on record. Most notably, the cold snap at the end of September continues, it is just 9.9C at Manchester on the 1st. On the same day there is 28.2 mm of rain at Hawarden (Flint). The lowest temperature of the month was -13.3C at Lynford (Norfolk) early on the 2nd. Rainfall overall was a little higher than average, with an England and Wales average of (106%), although there was wide regional variations. It was drier in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Glasgow saw just 13 mm all month. There was some very dry weather in the final week. Casement (Northern Ireland) recorded just 8.6 mm all month. It was slightly duller than average (91%). November. The second coldest November on record, beaten only by anti 1994. A month with winds mostly from a northerly direction. It was coldest on the north coast, with a maximum of -2.1°C at John O’ Groats on the 13th, and a minimum of -16.9C at Carleton, Skipton (North Yorks.) on the 17th. It was a wet month in England and Wales, with 153 mm of rain (also 153% of the average), although it was closer to average in Scotland and Northern Ireland. It was unusually snowy too. It was very wet in eastern England, with 111 mm at Bridlington, and very dry in the Glasgow region. Sunshine was almost exactly average, but still the highest for seven years, although it was dull in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Kinloss (Morayshire) had just 29 hours, while Plymouth had 129 hours. December. A very easterly month with frequent snow (the second most easterly December on record). The winds were very light. Overall it was colder than average, making it the coldest December since anti 2006, although it was coldest in southern England and mildest in Northern Ireland. The highest temperature of the month was 15.5C at Fyvie (Aberdeenshire) on the 6th, and the lowest -9.4C in rural Hertfordshire early on the 8th. There was a high of 13.0C at Aviemore on the 16th, while on the same day, London did not get above freezing. It was slightly drier than average in England and Wales, with 85%, much of this was snow. Although it was duller than the long-term average, it was the sunniest December for some years. A phenomenal snow event causes widespread disruption on Thursday 8th, especially to central and southern England. Major roads shut. There is 16.5 cm of snow recorded on Cairngorm. It's a cold white Christmas, with a high of just -5.1C recorded at Aberdeen. Northern Ireland had its coldest Christmas Day on record: a low of -14.3C at Murlough, County Down, while Dyce in Scotland had a low of -15.1 ºC, with daytime temperatures well below freezing. It's also a very snowy day, especially across the north, with 101 cm of snow at Sella Ness in Shetland and heavy snowfall in Orkney and Shetland. There was another severely cold day in central Scotland on the 28th. The month saw the coldest New Year's Eve (31st) of recent times, with a low of -14.8C, at Braemar (until anti 2022). CET: Jan: 4.6°C (+0.4) Feb: 1.9°C (-2.3) Mar: 5.6°C (-0.6) Apr: 4.1°C (-3.9) May: 10.6°C (-0.8°C) Jun: 14.7°C (+0.5) Jul: 17.7°C (+1.2) Aug: 16.9°C (+0.7) Sep: 12.3°C (-1.4) Oct: 8.5°C (-2.0) Nov: 4.3°C (-2.6) Dec: 4.1°C (-0.9) Note - Averages are based on the 1981-2010 average (I think!)

It hasn’t even got cold yet, lol! Maybe a move up to NE would be a good compromise. The sunshine and rainfall levels are similar to London, thanks to some protection from the Atlantic from the Pennines, it’s just a few degrees cooler.. And you’d be closer to the Lakes and the peaks. Interesting. I’d like the higher pressure and drier weather, and maybe the warmer summers (as long as it didn’t become too hot) but I don’t think I’d be too fond of the colder winters... But at least we’d get more snow. It would probably be worth it though for the nicer springs and autumns and the warmer, drier summers. Yeah I don’t think Londons climate is too bad - I would prefer it a bit sunnier and with summers a bit cooler though. Maybe a bit milder winter too... Average max of 10C in January and 22C in July with around 2000 hours of sunshine a year would make it a great climate for me. I think if the Gulf Stream shut down we’d probably end up with a climate like Newfoundland, like in the chart below. Newfoundland climate: weather by month, temperature, rain - Climates to Travel WWW.CLIMATESTOTRAVEL.COM Climate information for Newfoundland (Canada) - weather averages in Celsius and Fahrenheit. With tips on the best time to visit.

For me, I’d consider 22°C to be pleasantly warm too, and it can feel very warm in the sunshine. I agree cloud cover is important, I’d probably take 18°C and sunny over 23°C and cloud. But would probably take 23°C and sunny over 18°C and cloud, even if it feels a bit hot. I’d certainly take 20-22°C and sun over and 24-27°C and cloud, but would probably take 20-22°C and cloud over 24°C-27°C and sun, given I don’t like the heat that much. Of course, I’m used to Lancashires climate, so I’m used to cooler, cloudier and wetter conditions all year round, but esspecially in summer, when there’s around a 4°C difference between daytime maximum temperatures here and in London. If I moved down to London, I would probably develop a higher tolerance for high temperatures but have less tolerance for poor conditions (below 20C and cloudy/raining) in summer. Up here, summer is much worse than London (worse being subjective of course as some people dislike and warm sunny weather and prefer cool and cloudy weather), with around 5 hours of sunshine a day, around 80-100 mm per month and an average high of around 18°C in June, 20°C in July and 19°C in August. I find the temperatures quite comfortable, but the summers are too cloudy and wet for my liking. In fact, it’s usually very cloudy and very wet most months here, apart from April - June which is usually drier and sunnier. If I moved to London, I’d enjoy the extra sun and dryness, but I’d probably find the average summer maxima of 23°C/24°C a bit high, as there are regular spells of 27-33°C in London in summer. My ideal summer maxima is around 18-22°C. I’d enjoy the cooler Atlantic spells but I wouldn’t like the heatwaves, especially if I lived in a well insulated warm building, as a lot of houses and flats in London are. I would probably get frustrated with the summers in London as most of the time Id have to choose between temps of 21/22°C and cloud/rain, or temps of 26°C/27°C and full sun, rarely having the ideal conditions (for me) of sunshine and low 20’s (and with the warming climate it would only get worse) whereas further north, we usually have quite a lot of partly cloudy/mostly sunny days in the high teens and low 20’s, which I find more comfortable. I think ideally, the best climate in the UK for me would be somewhere on the south coast, or in Devon or Cornwall. Somewhere that is still sunny (by UK standards) but has cooler summer máxima around 19-22°C, and still fairly dry (although Cornwall is quite wet). The east coast (anywhere from Newcastle to East Anglia) would also be ideal. Ive heard southerners moan on here before about their summers - it’s either cloudy, raining, or it’s too hot. And of course in winter, it’s the reverse, it’s usually either cloudy, raining, or it’s too cold… We’re never happy. Maybe we just like to moan too much about the weather in this country, but one advantage of a Northern England or Scottish Summer over a Southern one (especially SE England) is that we get more days that are sunny without being too hot, so when the weather is nice, you can enjoy it more. And when it rains, the temperature nearly always drops below 20°C, so you rarely have that problem of it being wet but too warm to wear even a lightweight waterproof jacket. When we get a heatwave, the south east swelters, whereas up in the north, it’s usually more comfortable while still having sunny weather. Maybe I’m just scraping the barrel trying to find something good about Northern Englands summer weather… Although even up here, I’ve often moaned because we’ve had a heatwave with temps persistently in the high 20’s, then it breaks down and we go into the other extreme - a cool, cloudy and wet Atlantic spell, and the temp doesn’t get above 20°C for weeks, and I am bombarded with cloud and rain, and I moan again… Neither extreme is good or useable for me. Summer 2019 and 2020 was like this, short bursts of intense heat followed by weeks of miserable weather - so annoying. Whereas NE England tends to be cooler during a heatwave but gets less cloud and rain during an Atlantic spell, so I often envy thier climate in summer, as they tend to get more pleasant days that aren’t too hot. I often envy the east coast during a heatwave and London during an unsettled Atlantic spell - as they both tend have the ideal weather and temperatures in each scenario. Anyway, enough moaning from me. Hopefully next summer is one that is high pressure dominated but with the air coming from the NÉ or NW, giving pleasant weather but with comfortable temperatures - no heat spikes and no prolonged unsettled spells - but it will probably will be a week of 30°C and sunshine and then 11 weeks of 15-19°C, cloud and rain, as typical in our modern summers. The ideal conditions of dry, mostly sunny conditions and temps of 20-23°C don’t seem to happen in our summers as much now - it’s either blowtorch heat or an Atlantic onslaught - rarely do we seem to get a happy medium - although Summer 2021 was like that here, with a lot of fine, quiet weather with temps in the high teens and low 20’s. It was a nice change after the bipolar summers And our winters aren’t ideal either. They’re in that frustrating range of being too mild for regular snowfall but nowhere near mild enough to actually feel pleasant. The worst of both worlds. They’re also very cloudy and wet, especially here in NW England. We tend to miss out on the snow in Scotland but we also tend to miss out on a lot of the really mild, springlike days the south gets. So winter here is mostly just 5-8°C, gloomy skies, and… rain. The best time of year here is mid April to late June, when the Atlantic is usually dormant and we get more easterlies and northeasterlies which bring much sunnier, drier conditions here. July and August is usually mostly cloudy and wet, with occasional heat spikes, September is often nice, then October - December is usually an Atlantic onslaught with tons of wind and rain. January and February usually still wet but a bit colder. So April, May, June and September are really the only good months of the year here, no wonder I moan so much! In other news, the sky has gone an usual blue colour, there’s a strange dazzling bright ball in the sky and the grass and roofs have gone a strange colour…

Two of my favourite winters, especially winter 2018/19. Despite winter 15/16 being very mild and wet overall here, I actually had a bit of snow in January. Personally, I’d prefer Britains warmer winters and cooler summers but with Estonias sunnier and drier conditions. Although such a climate that is a mild but also dry and sunny is hard to come by, although the west coast of California is like this. Mild, wet winters, but sunnier and milder than ours, and with pleasant summers with average highs ranging from high teens to mid 20’s, with plenty of sunshine and barely any rain. Somewhere like San Francisco would be the ideal climate for me, mild year round with temps in the low teens in winter and in the low 20’s in summer, and much sunnier than UK. This kind of climate is achieved (sunny but relatively cool) be being quite a long way south but moderated by a cold ocean current, hence the significantly cooler and more temperate summers than you would normally find at that latitude. We are much further north, although we are moderated by a warm ocean current, which helps to warm up the climate, especially in the winter and at night, winters are much milder than you would normally expect at this latitude - but this comes at a cost of a lot of cloud and rain. It would be interesting to see what would happen to the UK’s climate if the Gulf Stream shut down or the zonal flow changed from westerly to easterly. That said, although London may seem to have quite a maritime climate compared to many places in Europe, it is actually has one of the most continental climates in the country - ranging from an average high of around 8C in January to 24C in July, is around a 16C difference between the warmest and coldest month. In comparison, Penzance ranges from around 10C in January to just 19C in July, only a 9C difference, and it’s also much wetter and windier than London. Stornaway is around 8C in winter but only around 16C in summer. And it is much cloudier, wetter and windier… Ireland is also even more Atlantic dominated than England, with generally even milder, wetter, windier and cloudier winters and even cooler, wetter, windier and cloudier summers. So any Londoner who thinks the climate is too maritime should be thankful they don’t live further west in somewhere like Penzance or Stornaway! Up here, the summers are even cooler, wetter and cloudier than in London!

I did an anti 2020 earlier in the thread (see below). An interesting year to flip. I’d say the anti 2023’s summery weather occurred at a better time (July and August), when most people expect the best weather, and ideal for school/college kids. The real 2023 was quite cruel and ironic in that it was a poor July and a mediocre August, but then as soon as the schools and colleges went back, we got an extremely hot and sunny week. I’m sure the staff and pupils couldn’t believe how unlucky they were. However, the anti 2023 would have worked out worse for me as I was on holiday in the Cotswolds during the first week of September (it was 31°C on one day) and although I’m not the biggest fan of heat, I still would have preferred it to highs of 12-15°C and showery/wet northerlies, especially being on holiday, you want the weather to be good.

Looks like it. Now looking less sunny and less cold. But this is the UK so..