Harry's House

I think of the mid-April 1966 period as the worst for April weather that I can remember. I was living in Essex at the time, and I remember one day when snow was lying even in the afternoon as there was no April sun to melt it. If it wasn't snowing during that time, it was just cold and rainy. Later, I noticed that Cardington recorded sunshine on only one day from 11th to 20th April that year. Dreadful weather!

Hail shower at the RSPCA cattery in Ashford around 12.50 pm.

Hail shower at the RSPCA cattery in Ashford around 12.50 pm.

For the first time this year, I topped up the bird bath because it was drying out. So pleasantly warm and sunny yesterday and today.

Missed out on thunder here. Storms passing either side of me, but only light rain here.

Looking threatening here too

Had surprisingly good weather this Easter period considering that the pressure is well below 1000 hpa.

Steady rain here. Caught up with situation on forum late on. Easter service at church this morning, pigging out chocolate Easter eggs this afternoon.

Nice to have a day of a fair amount of sunshine after 4 days of almost none.

Greyhound81 July 1965 may well be the worst summer month in my life.

Summer1980 was indeed a bad summer. I was at a weather observer's course at Shinfield College near Reading in June then back to working at Herstmonceux, East Sussex in July and August. June was cool, wet and thundery with places having up to 10 days of thunder. Sunshine figures were not too bad for that month because June got off to a good start. Early and mid July was absolutely atrocious for coolness, dullness and wetness. The day maximum was 13.3 deg C at Herstmonceux on 1st. However, from 21st, it became much warmer, drier and sunnier to restore some respectability to July's figures. The absolute maximum of the summer was 26.3 deg C on 25th July. August was also poor. The 14th was an extremely wet day because of evening and overnight thunderstorms that day. Certainly a cool, dull and wet summer.

Weather-history I was living in Essex during the 1960s and I'm old enough to remember the summers during the second half of the decade. I noticed that 1967 and 1969 have the highest Manchester Summer Indices. I remember them as reasonable summers without them being great - probably the two best summers of the decade.

danm Although a very poor summer, there was a definite improvement during the second half of July. We enjoyed a barbecue at my late brother-law's house on the 22nd July in fine weather.

Hail then a little sleet in the precipitation.

Hail then a little sleet in the precipitation.

I was working at Cardington in 1974. Winter 1973/74 was very mild with a total absence of sleet or snow in January - very unusual indeed in those days at Cardington. January and February were wet. It was a dry spring until a wet period in late June when it had become more unsettled from then. July was not a terrible month, but lacked any significant warmth. August and the autumn were wet. There was no lasting dry anticyclonic spell in September which more often than not happens. October was exceptionally cold - it had the lowest CET since 1919. December was exceptionally mild with the highest CET since 1934 - actually higher than in October! The absolute maximum temperature of the year at Cardington was 25.6 deg C on 15th August, the lowest since 1962. In a nutshell, spring was the best season of that year, with a poor late summer and autumn, and an exceptionally mild December.

1989 certainly had concerns about water shortages owing to drought with the very good summer following a very good May. At Herstmonceux where I worked at the time, there were 130 consecutive days of sunshine from 2nd May to 8th September inclusive. I took these photographs of the pond at Hailsham on 8th September.

Unstable sky today. At the moment, light shower with fairly large drops.

ChannelThunder Unstable sky today. At the moment, light shower with fairly large drops.

September 1959 and 1960, very dry to very wet. April 1983 and 1984, very wet to very dry

A Face like Thunder Also a spell of unusually thundery weather for so early in the year in April and a shockingly dull early August in southern England.

What I remember about 2011 was that in every month from April to October, somewhere in Britain had its highest temperature of that year.

Nick F Beautiful sunset here as well. Even though it is the very first day of February, there was a hint of spring in the air this afternoon when I was outside my house.

At Pagham, I remember how quite dark and stormy it looked with yellowy and orangey coloured cloud, but there was only a light shower.

@Challock Weather Foggy here this morning as well, but has cleared.