SollyOlly

Good to read a well-reasoned post, thank you.

ha ha. Yes, the CET...the longest and most reliable temperature record created by humans in the world...but I guess 'facts' are too tiresome for some folk. Better to rely on one's own feelings...

To be fair, cold-lovers do hear that all too often...and of course, we often go whole winters without any snow these days...!

lol, fair enough. But maybe we can at least say, "garbage with average temperatures according to CET"...I do worry a little bit when people ignore research evidence and facts, though!

Well, I would argue that's because those who like heat in the summer and 'mild' (warm) in the winter get it all their way these days...the expectation seems to be for a 3-5 month 'summer' of warm/ very warm temperatures, but proper winter cold is vanishingly rare these days, at least in England from the Midlands southwards. The first half of December last year was excellent, proper seasonal weather... I'd offer the CET as evidence, anyway. Accepting that the CET doesn't apply everywhere (nobody claims that it does), we see that this 'poor' July is just...average, in terms of temperatures.

Yes, I agree. UK climate is 'temperate' in my view, I definitely wouldn't describe it as 'cold'...! But we should be thankful for that, in my view. Temperate is ok!

Do you really think so? I say that in a genuine sense, btw. I wonder if we all see that through our preferred lenses...I like cold myself, and feel that this site follows the media etc in saying "isn't warm lovely!", even when we get (in my view) worryingly warm temperatures in the winter. Sure, heat in the summer is a thing, just like cold should be in the winter...but I perceive a bias, both here and in the wider media, towards warmth. I'm not criticising you personally, just commenting on how I see it differently! I can't remember the last time I heard anybody on the radio or TV say, for instance, "we're in for a treat today, bright sunshine and minus ten in the day!". They tend to celebrate so-called 'mild'... The only 'mild' I like is beer, ha ha!

Nice run. Let's hope it stays like that! tbh, it's been pretty good for July...if we can get through another 20-25 days or so, then we should be through the worst risk of bonkers heat. Sure, it can still get hot, but hopefully the movement of the globe starts to shift in our favour again...

Hmm, yes, I saw that...like you, I don't any longer dismiss these, they end up happening all too often. Let's hope that this one stays well out in FI...!!

Looks encouraging, then. Psychologically, at least, I am trying to prepare myself for one more really hot blast, and then uncomfortable warmth can even linger on into September...but having a normal, temperate July this year has been a real boost, especially after the hell of July 2022. Let's hope that we can keep seeing 'sensible' weather for a while yet...until winter, anyway, when I would welcome extremes (of cold!) - !

Bright and breezy here today (Solihull), noticeably warmer too. A bit blowy, but otherwise this is a passable summer's day IMBY...

Yes bro, I agree!!

So am I. Cool and wet today, is what I'm saying. In what is overall, a warming climate...especially Europe. Last year, we were on one side of it (hot)...this year, we're on the other (not so hot)...

Whether people enjoy this sort of weather is up to them, I see plenty of folk rejoicing in unseasonably warm temperatures in the winter...what I would say is that this seems to be an extraordinary summer's day...cool and wet, by any measure!

Well, summer is not over yet, we've only had two thirds of it. But in a general sense, I think that we agree. Your preference appears to be for sunshine...my interest is temperatures. Sunny and not too hot, or ideally, a freezing cold sunny day in winter...great. Sunny and above 30c for any extended period...doesn't feel 'English' to me. My wife has commented, accurately I think, that my idea of an English summer is around 20-25 degrees, and sunny. I'd agree!

I don't have measurements, but pretty amazing amount of rain here in Solihull today, and cool with it. My wife and daughters even wanted the heating on for a bit! I resisted...but the contrast with last year is stark. Our cat is deeply unimpressed with the rain!!

Yes, that is precisely the point for me. Even in 'bad' months, we're well above or close to the long term average. People's expectations need a reality check.

I probably don't belong here, because I found 2022 to be an oppressively hot summer and something to hide from, not 'enjoy'. But on the principle of not 'shaming' people for their preferences...my own view is that this is more of 'normal' English summer, and people (especially youngsters) have been 'spoiled' by expecting early, regular, and continuous heat. So what is a 'poor' summer...? Sunshine levels? Temperature? Comparisons? It depends. My own view is that this has been a 'good to normal' summer so far, certainly when I was young this year would have been considered exceptional for June, and relatively normal/ slightly disappointing sunshine levels (but good warmth) for July...each to their own. Yes, I would consider that a summer from hell. And in my view, we had it last year!!

ooh, if we get the winter that followed, I'd take that...!

I reckon that with climate change, anything could happen! All bets are off. 40c one year, 13c the next...lol. Joking aside, when complex adaptive systems have a dose of chaos thrown in, predications (especially long term) can be a mugs game.

Yep, just been out on Saturday morning errands, the car thermometer says 13c and it's raining...now I am a self-confessed heat hater, but it doesn't mean that I want this, either! Remarkable weather for late July, really.

That's really interesting, thanks CreweCold. Might look that up. It all feels part of the wider chaos theory/ unpredictability...I don't want to go off topic, but I read a really interesting novel a few years back, the plot premise was that global warming tipped the planet into over-correcting and led to an (overdue!) ice-age...I loved it!

We've had some good ones in the West Midlands this year...although in a general sense, I agree, it does feel as though there's a general decline. I haven't looked at any hard data, just a perception.

Yep, it's the British press that try to keep people from thinking about what the real issues are...and the weather is all too often a convenient excuse for that! For those of us interested in meteorology, it's so disappointing that the weather becomes so politicised. Inevitable, I guess.

I agree. As an 'interested amateur', these and the deep dives are about my level. Always learning...