East Lancs Rain
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Posts posted by East Lancs Rain
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A nasty cold, raw, damp feeling day here. Currently 2.9°C and very gloomy. Grim.
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50 minutes ago, cheeky_monkey said:
the coldest temp on record for my location is in danger tomorrow night -49.4c is the record from 1880s ..Saturday night low is forecast for -50c
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.
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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.
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6 hours ago, Macc2023 said:
I know we are months away but is there any early signs on what Summer 2024 could be like?
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!
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On 09/01/2024 at 23:55, summer blizzard said:
I'd basically prefer summer 11 to repeat. That was wonderful for the lack of heat and humidity.
But If we must have a hot summer then it needs to avoid humidity. June 18, July 13 and I suppose August 22 would be acceptable.
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.
On 09/01/2024 at 23:33, cheese said:August 2013 wasn't sunny enough imo. It was warm and had some good thunderstorms here though so I wouldn't say no.
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.
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On 07/01/2024 at 18:14, cheese said:
Hoping for a June like 1976, a July like 2018 and an August like 2022. Is that too much to ask for?
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.
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1 hour ago, Alderc 2.0 said:
I hope that doesn’t mean more rain though.. What’s the precipitation forecast like?
48 minutes ago, Bypass said:This morning when I first looked at Netweather the highest temperatures in the UK of 5C were very unusually at Lerwick Shetlands and the Scilly Isles. Unusual, probably never happen again, but the circulation of the high just shows what happens when we lose the continental easterly as is predicted in the next couple of days
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.
18 minutes ago, Racer said:I’m not keen on cold weather, but it’s winter and seeing the sun makes it bearable. I really don’t understand the apparent love in the MOD thread for “deep cold”. However it’s snow I really hate, makes the roads dangerous, pavements tricky and generally screws life up. I’d be happy never to see it snow again in this country.
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.
3 minutes ago, SunnyG said:That's exactly how I feel. Deep cold is not only dangerous because of ice on roads and pavements, but it's bad for the health too. People may like it, but it ain't good for them...
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.
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21 hours ago, Metwatch said:
I can understand not wanting summer to be hot, just comfortable for temperatures low to mid 20s most of the time with none of those 35 degree plus heatspikes. But wanting a 2007 or 2012 repeat with so much rain I just cannot fathom that
Only plus with a wetter summer is that there will be more thunderstorms, i.e 2019, 2020, 2023, but I would rather a summer where it's warm and dryish but with some periodic thunderstorm outbreaks instead. I think a few in the 80s were like that maybe, 1981, 1983, 89 etc. Drier summers like 2018 or 2022 are poor for storms around here, better further east I think.
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..
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On 07/01/2024 at 13:12, SunSean said:
Last 37 days accumulated sunshine comparison-
Cork airport, Ireland- 81 hours
Eastbourne, East Sussex, England- 24 hours
Charlwood, Surrey, South East England- 11 hours
Cork over 3x sunnier than East Sussex & over 8x sunnier than Surrey
Lol
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.
16 hours ago, Alderc 2.0 said:Not sure what’s worse. Dry and painfully cold or mild and wet. Winter in the UK is only a lose lose scenario.
Lol - will be 9C and drizzling if it’s in Dorset.
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.
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6 hours ago, B87 said:
It was. The 22nd had a max of 18.8c with 9mm of rain. The 23rd was back to normal with 24.3c.
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.
2 hours ago, raz.org.rain said:I think the major regional factor to consider is termination shock, as it's only really become a large influence from 2018(?) onwards. The general consensus is that sulphur pollutants were acting to mask much of the warming side effects from climate change across the northern hemisphere. Those pollutants have practically disappeared over the past few years. The more potent side effect of this is sky high SSTs. I would expect abnormal warm anomalies to be the major feature of our future weather. Weaker ocean currents are also a factor, generally speaking we'd be seeing less wet and cool weather in summer as the AMOC grows weaker and promotes blocking patterns.
I think it would take something pretty drastic for a consistently wet and cool summer to occur. Considering that this winter was supposed to be the best analogue for a 2010/2012-style deep freeze cold winter, and so far it's given us a near record breaking mild December, I would argue that we're seeing this demonstrated.
Almost forgot about the expanding Hadley cell factor too. It seems to be a largely under appreciated factor in climatology, which is odd considering it's arguably having an observable effect via much stronger Iberian and Azores highs.
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.
5 hours ago, CryoraptorA303 said:I don't know, Paris has been getting extremely hot as of late. They got to 42.6°C in July 2019 and 40.5°C again in 2022, and between those they're getting to at least 36°C almost every year now - Even this September they got to 36.5°C. And in August 2003 they were above 38°C for an entire week. Quite incredible for somewhere that is so relatively far north to be experiencing these temps so often. A big heatwave striking during the Olympics could lead to some of the hottest conditions the games have ever been held in. Although overall, it's very unlikely that it'll be too hot day-to-day to hold the Olympics there.
Maybe they should hold the olympics in Iceland!
No problems with heat up there.
5 hours ago, Metwatch said:I can understand not wanting summer to be hot, just comfortable for temperatures low to mid 20s most of the time with none of those 35 degree plus heatspikes. But wanting a 2007 or 2012 repeat with so much rain I just cannot fathom that
Only plus with a wetter summer is that there will be more thunderstorms, i.e 2019, 2020, 2023, but I would rather a summer where it's warm and dryish but with some periodic thunderstorm outbreaks instead. I think a few in the 80s were like that maybe, 1981, 1983, 89 etc. Drier summers like 2018 or 2022 are poor for storms around here, better further east I think.
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.
5 hours ago, LetItSnow! said:The westerlies were warmer than usual than they would have been due to SSTs being off the scale. I think that, combined with residual warmth from the June, stopped July 2023 from being worse than it could have been. People forget that July 2020 had a C.E.T. in the upper 14s/low 15s until about the 20th-25th, then one near-record hot day pushed it up to 15.8C. Conversely, 2015 had abnormally cool SSTs in the Atlantic even amongst global record heat meaning that, particularly across Ireland and further north-west, it was a pretty cool summer. I remember the final week of July 2015 being positively cold at times. Think some places had minima in mid single digits around that time. My point being is, yes, it's easier to scupper, but cool summer months like 2011 and 2012 are very much possible I think. I think 2023 had added variables on top of an already warmer world. July 2023 reminds me of August 2006, months that had cool synoptics but a warm continent/seas and lack of cool air to really be overly cool. 2006 and 2023 were quite similar in ways, just with some months mixed up and not quite as good. Does that mean a 2007 style summer for 2024? **** knows! I do think a proper, prolonged soaker with little heat spikes will come soon. I'd probably say some summer around 2025-2028 will do it when we've lost some of the effects of the water vapour (even that is debated, I know). Could even be 2024. Would be quite a shock if 2024 ends up with a cold winter and cool summer and ends up a relatively cool year. Some say it's impossible but no one thought sub-9 could ever happen again in 2009.
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.
5 hours ago, reef said:Historical records in the UK are 0900 to 0900 GMT, so in summer you could be at 13C all day, but if it reaches 20C by 10am the next morning then the maximum for that day is 20C. Likewise, if its 2C at 0900GMT in winter on Tuesday but all of that night is in double figures, then the minimum for the Wednesday is 2C, not double figures.
It all balances out in the long run, but it means its quite hard to record extremely low maximums or extremely high minimums in summer.
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.
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2 hours ago, Sun Chaser said:
Snow alert!!! Just a few flakes in central London but that means we've already got many winters beat for snow at least
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.
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On 06/01/2024 at 21:43, Metwatch said:
Lol because modern winters in the south are grim, dull, snowless and devoid of any life for the most part. Many look forward to the warmer, brighter days with more sun in spring and summer
23 hours ago, CryoraptorA303 said:Was about to say, winter barely exists in the UK anymore so there's nothing to talk about.
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…
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2 hours ago, Norrance said:
When is this cold coming?
Max temp here today has been a raw 1.8C under cloudy skies and a light NE breeze.Looks like it already is cold where you are, and probably about as cold as it will ever get!
2 hours ago, BLAST FROM THE PAST said:There we go
BFTP
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…
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On 05/01/2024 at 23:20, SollyOlly said:
A "great summer" for me would be cool and sunny...no doubt we'll get bonkers heat and humidity again though, as per usual. That's why I don't begrudge those who chase winter...it's so rare these days.
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.
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2 minutes ago, Alderc 2.0 said:
Average here in Bmth was 23.5C, only 1 day failed to make 21C. So it wasn’t a terrible month.
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.
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56 minutes ago, reef said:
It needs to be located 1.25m above the ground. That is the 'standard' height for temperature measurement.
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.
3 hours ago, Summer Sun said:For all the talk of the cold spell, the temperatures the beeb are showing for the week ahead are at best only just below average
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…
2 hours ago, Alderc 2.0 said:Yes it’s 100% correct. Average maxes below for London for each July since 2013. Really quite consistent.
2013 - 26.9C2014 - 25.6C
2015 - 23.6C
2016 - 23.4C
2017 - 23.4C
2018 - 27.7C
2019 - 25.0C
2020 - 23.2C
2021 - 23.5C
2022 - 27.2C
2023 - 23.1C
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.
2 hours ago, Summer Sun said:Amber cold weather alert issued for: North West of England, West Midlands, East Midlands and South West of England.
It is in place until noon Friday
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?
2 hours ago, Alderc 2.0 said:Bit embarrassing really imo. Very little indication of severe cold.
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!
1 hour ago, In Absence of True Seasons said:I don't doubt it.
I think that average is heavily skewed by years like 2018 and 2022 as you say.
Many of those Julys have been quite poor too based on their cloudiness, not temperatures. Most people don't really care that it's 24c if you can't see the sun whatsoever.
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.
10 minutes ago, Alderc 2.0 said:13days exceeded 25C in 2019 in July so the average isn’t a surprise? Only 4days failed to reach 22C and of which only 1 didn’t make 20C.
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!
6 minutes ago, StingJet said:Another glorious day here wall 2 wall sunshine and not a breath of wind
Finished my 2023 garden "cut back" now in perfect conditions, and I have to say .. its the 7th of Jan and the earliest ever for a shorts and tee day working at the back garden , sun trap facing south , front (facing north) which is perma-shade through winter, my car (EV) appears to be still covered in moisture , it was a light frost at dawn.
My 2022 cut back (kindling) is now bagged up (20x5Kg) ready for delivery to those in need in my locale later (foc of course).Still some way to go to achieve net zero carbon.
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.
1 hour ago, SunSean said:The people of Finland, Sweden & Norway must be laughing their heads off at our "cold" weather warnings put in place for 0 to 6 degrees when they've just been experiencing -40c
Would probably feel like the Sahara to them in comparison!
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.
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4 hours ago, raz.org.rain said:
18°-22°c would be a relatively cool summer day to me. Mid-twenties is nearer to what I'd expect as average. Frequent high 20s and low 30s is what I'd expect. Mid to high 30s is a pleasant treat.
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…
3 hours ago, Metwatch said:Nice to see the sunshine this afternoon, perhaps more tomorrow then Tuesday / Wednesday, most welcome!
It's all relative. Those who live in interior southern Spain, low 30s would be classed as a cool day in summer. Meanwhile 26C in Reykjavík would be record breaking and those living there might even say it's "hot."
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.
2 hours ago, cheese said:The average July high at my closest station is 21.4C for the 1991-2020 period. I think that’s an okay temperature, especially with sunshine. A partly cloudy, 21/22C day is fine by me.
My ideal summer temperature is more like 27C though.
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.
4 hours ago, TwisterGirl81 said:22c is a minimum temperature I’d expect during the summer months and that’s below average in the south east.
24c Is what I would say is comfortable warmth
What a lovely sunny day today, hopefully many more this month to come..Boost our sunshine hours and get off to a positive start baring in mind how the last 4 months have been
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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.
2 hours ago, In Absence of True Seasons said:24-26c is my optimum range! As in, warm enough that in the evenings it'll still be mild for al fresco drinks/dinner etc, and warm enough in the day for beach / swimming, camping / whatever you fancy, whilst wearing only light layers.
I'm happy with anything of 20c and above in summer *if* the sun is shining. Which is why July 2023 was so dire. Most days failed to reach 20c, whilst also being fully overcast. It had neither of the things that make summer days acceptable - sunshine or warmth.
Hope you enjoyed the sun! Unfortunately in the SE in my area, the sun only shined for about an hour or so total, despite forecasts saying mostly sunny. It even rained for about 45 mins in the afternoon.
Next week looking better...but as always if it's more than a day or so out, I take the forecasts with an entire jug of salt.
For me, I’d say in winter:
Below 0C - Bitterly cold
0-2C - Very cold
3-4C - Fairly cold5-7C - Average
8-10C - Mild
11-12C - Very mild
13C and above - Exceptionally mild
In summer:
Below 13C - Cold
13-15C - Very cool16-18C - 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
8 hours ago, In Absence of True Seasons said:I often toy with the idea of moving up North so I can be alot closer to all the hiking, camping and rock climbing areas I enjoy...but I genuinely don't think I'd be able to hack the climate!
Most months have barely any usable weather anyway. It's just a pain in the bum because when a spell of good weather lands, I have to make the 4/5 hour drive up from London/Essex. Be much easier if the Lake District, Peaks etc were, say, within an hour away. Can go for a hike after finishing work in summer!
Big price to pay though with the even wetter and duller climate than SE England.
If only I'd been born in somewhere like Oregon or Northern California. *Sigh*.
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 2020July 2020
August 2020
August 2017
June 2017-
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3 hours ago, SqueakheartLW said:
Are you sure of a minimum of -11C in July. That would seriously smash all records?
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!)
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50 minutes ago, WolfeEire said:
Met Eireann this evening suggesting a milder outcome for next weekend, for Ireland at least.
Met.ie
It hasn’t even got cold yet, lol!
3 hours ago, In Absence of True Seasons said:I often toy with the idea of moving up North so I can be alot closer to all the hiking, camping and rock climbing areas I enjoy...but I genuinely don't think I'd be able to hack the climate!
Most months have barely any usable weather anyway. It's just a pain in the bum because when a spell of good weather lands, I have to make the 4/5 hour drive up from London/Essex. Be much easier if the Lake District, Peaks etc were, say, within an hour away. Can go for a hike after finishing work in summer!
Big price to pay though with the even wetter and duller climate than SE England.
If only I'd been born in somewhere like Oregon or Northern California. *Sigh*.
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.
1 hour ago, CryoraptorA303 said:First off, it's AMOC that could slow down or collapse, not the Gulf Stream which is mediated by the rotation of the Earth and will not collapse.
Second, no, that's a media trope. We will still be far more oceanic than eastern Canada. Although I wouldn't rule out London reaching Montreal's summer averages. At the end of the day we are still an archipelago next to a fairly warm ocean, and we have a hot desert to our immediate south. We are not going to get Canada-style winters without a return to glacial conditions, which is impossible with AMOC slowdown. We'll become more like North American climates than we are now, but we will by no means be an analogue. Parts of lowland Scotland and NE England might end up with a month below 0C average daily max, but that's about it. In that way further south could end up resembling a less cold version of somewhere like Toronto in the winter though, with very cold but generally not very long lasting spells intermixed with much milder southerly and westerly driven weather like today, except drier.
Little publicised fact about significant AMOC slowdown is our summers also get hotter than they are today with considerably more high pressure driven weather. It would also become significantly drier year-round. The main threat to agriculture etc. wouldn't be any lowering winter temperatures, it'd be the significant aridification of the European climate. I have no idea what the impact on sunshine levels would be, but I imagine Europe would become considerably less dull as the weather becomes much more HP dominated.
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.
6 hours ago, In Absence of True Seasons said:I actually don't dislike SE England's climate outside of the dullness. Aside from outlier years like 2023, rainfall in London isn't actually as bad as the stereotypes, and as you say, summer is generally pretty warm, and Spring can bring great conditions too. But the lack of average annual sunshine hours are the primary issue. Alongside any real wintry weather most years. London is about 20% less sunny than the USA's dullest city, Seattle, which I've heard many Americans bemoan as a very miserable place to live because it's so cloudy. Perhaps they should check Stornoway's climate and be thankful for Seattle haha.
If the Gulf Stream shut down, would we not end up having a climate similar to North American locations on a similar latitude to us? Like Montreal?
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. -
2 hours ago, In Absence of True Seasons said:
Yes, London does have one of the least "maritime" climates within Britain. But small mercies, and scraping the bottom of the barrel as it were.
If you're used to very mouldy fruit, slightly mouldy fruit will be fantastic by comparison. Regardless, the fruit isn't great in either case...
In regards to cool summer, I think there's a degree of subjectivity to this in terms of what one constitutes as cool. 22c in Summer to me is a pleasantly warm day, but nowhere near hot and definitely requires some sort of layer for the morning and nighttime. But as the Heat Haters thread in summer shows, there are people who find 22c to be the upper-end of their tolerance for warm weather and anything more than that basically unbearable. 24-26c is probably the "optimum" upper range for the average person's warmth/heat preference, which makes sense as this coincides with the sort of climate that we'd have been able to survive in as a species prior to any sort of development (e.g. wearing clothes, building shelter, etc).
Cloud cover is also an extremely important factor for Summer, just as much if not moreso than temperature imo. 20-22c in June with a clear sky feels completely different to 24-27c with an overcast sky, and I'd take the former every time.
I actually don't dislike SE England's climate outside of the dullness. Aside from outlier years like 2023, rainfall in London isn't actually as bad as the stereotypes, and as you say, summer is generally pretty warm, and Spring can bring great conditions too. But the lack of average annual sunshine hours are the primary issue. Alongside any real wintry weather most years. London is about 20% less sunny than the USA's dullest city, Seattle, which I've heard many Americans bemoan as a very miserable place to live because it's so cloudy. Perhaps they should check Stornoway's climate and be thankful for Seattle haha.
If the Gulf Stream shut down, would we not end up having a climate similar to North American locations on a similar latitude to us? Like Montreal?
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…-
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2 hours ago, CryoraptorA303 said:
2013/14 and 2014/15 were neutral winters. 2015/16 and 2018/19 are the two latest El Nino winters in recent memory.
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.
On 04/01/2024 at 13:49, In Absence of True Seasons said:The Baltics and the British Isles have rather different climates tbh. We are at the mercy of the jet stream which means we often get milder, cloudier and wetter weather (both summer and winter) whereas the likes of Estonia and Latvia and even South Finland get cold, snowy and sunnier winters but also sunnier and drier summers.
Outside of the extreme situations like the one you're currently in with -20c temps that prevent you from doing basically anything, your climate is far preferable to ours, imo
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!
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3 hours ago, baddie said:
I would say it was average temperatures
July and December would be fun to write about. But August, September, October and November, pretty boring months to flip
Someone should do an anti-1996 or anti-2020I did an anti 2020 earlier in the thread (see below). An interesting year to flip.
On 03/12/2023 at 11:13, Summer8906 said:I realise the year isn't over yet and prospects for this month are still up in the air, but it's possible I might be too busy to post something around the Christmas/New Year period - but a good way of judging how good or bad a year is, is to look at its opposite.
So based on Jan to Nov, here is the "anti-2023". Better, or worse, than the real thing?
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.
On 01/01/2024 at 20:31, East Lancs Rain said: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.
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39 minutes ago, Josh Rubio said:
I know you shouldn’t pay too much attention to automated weather forecasts but I’m seeing a gradual change from sunny spells to full dull cloudy days.
Is this going to be a ‘not quite as cold and sunny as first expected’ type of spell?
Looks like it. Now looking less sunny and less cold. But this is the UK so..
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General summer chat
in Spring Weather Discussion
Posted
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.