[Just for fun: Guess the year]

 LetItSnow! 1984

[April 2021 - Very Cold but Very Sunny]

I personally loved it in spite of it feeling really cold in the shade sat outside a pub. It had an almost identical mean sea level pressure anomaly as September 1986, and very similar weather. Albeit being colder.

[Longest run of consecutive wet months?]

While it's clear there's no particular trend in Summer rainfall, to get another summer month as cold as say, June 1991 or August 1986 for example, would only be possible as a result of a Volcanic winter. 

[May 2021 - horrendous]

 Summer8906 In fact, compared to the 1961-90 CET averages it's the only month since May 2021 that's below average. Which is shocking, and I'm pretty sure unprecedented.

[May 2021 - horrendous]

I quite enjoyed this month apart from having to sit outside until the middle of the month when the pubs reopened on April 12th. Some spectacular cloudscapes and convection kicking off. It seems that even since 3 short years ago warming has accelerated at an alarming rate. No below averages months since December 2022 now, and counting. 

[Most extreme mild Jan-Mar periods]

  @Summer8906  I distinctly remember 1990 being exceptionally early for Spring flowering and budburst of trees and shrubs. I was 12 at the time and remember Hawthorn bushes coming into leaf in mid February that year, over a month earlier than normal! 2017 was also an exceptionally early Spring also, 2011 after the record warm April, the trees and plants appeared as they would have done in late June or early July. There was damaging frosts in early April 1990 which caused a lot of damage to fruit crops etc.

 

[Favourite Januaries]

My personal favourite January has to be 1987 as I was too young to remember 1979 but do have vague memories of walking to play group aged 4 in the snow in 1982. We didn't have anywhere near as much snow as the South East in Jan 87 but must have been over 15cm easily and a -5c max on the 12th was epic!  I was a bit disappointed by January 2010 here to be honest in terms of snow depth but had several ice days. Nothing is ever mentioned about January 1980, with a CET of 2.3c it would be classed today as a very cold month. Did any noteworthy snow events occur during that month?

 

 

[Memorable Foggy Spells]

I seem to recall late November into early December 1989 being very foggy for several days around here. 

[Topsy turvy months.]

The second half of May 2008 was cooler or seemed so from memory than the very warm first half. Counter to the climatic norm.

 

[Long sunny periods]

Just now, A Face like Thunder said:

I'm sure you are right on this one. I think summer 1980 began and ended on 1st June when there was a heavy overnight rainstorm in Hampshire where we were camping The rain then moved north and there was flooding at Darwen and NE Scotland on the 5th.

Spring Bank Holiday week 1978 - the year as a whole doesn't always get a good press, but that week, we had wall-to-wall sunshine in the SE of England.

Yes, although there was a brief heatwave between June 3rd and 5th before violent thunderstorms broke out across the North. After that, it was downhill from there for the Summer of 1980.

[Long sunny periods]

Going back a fair bit, and I don't have the exact figures on this, but I believe the period May 9th to the 19th 1980 was an exceptionally sunny period.

 

[The Great Midlands Blizzard 9th December 1990]

I remember it very vividly, on the Saturday morning I was awake early to the deepest snow I've ever seen. All the conifers in the back garden were bent all the way over by the weight of the wet snow. Must have been around 30cm approximately and thundersnow to, the power went out about late morning and when it did come back on, we were only getting half the normal supply as the lights were dim, truly surreal. My Dad some how got to Birmingham from Tamworth on the train but was stranded there for two days but was put up in a hotel by the company he worked for. 

[August 1912: Coldest, Wettest, Dullest]

On 22/08/2023 at 21:11, Harry's House said:

There are other parallels between the Augusts of 1912 and 1986.

Apart from both being so poor, the Norfolk floods giving up to 8 inches rainfall in part of Norfolk occurred at the same time in August 1912 as did ex-tropical storm 'Charlie' giving its trouble in August 1986.

The Septembers of both years produced welcome droughts but they were both still very cool.

Yes I remember ex-hurricane Charlie very well as we went to an open day at Whittington barracks and it was relentless driving cold rain. I also remember a camping trip with the Cub Scouts from September 12th to the 14th and there being thick frost on the grass and tents. 

[August 1912: Coldest, Wettest, Dullest]

I would want to experience an August like 1912 just for the novelty factor. The closest I've come in my lifetime to that is August 1986, when I was 8 going on 9.