Summer of 95

June 2005 was pretty decent, at least the second half was ( I mainly remember it for the thunderstorm on the 19th*, although there were several warm sunny days too). August 1997 was in a way the first of the "warm but cloudy and unsettled" summer months that seemed to dominate from then until 2007. August 2004 was an even more extreme example, memorable for its mugginess and a few storms, but it had lots of rain days and little sun compared to the warm summer months of the 80s and 90s. I didn't mention summer 2003 on purpose. It was average here; warmish but often cloudy and unsettled June and July, August had one hot day on the 9th, two or three sunny ones around 24-28C in the previous week (though some of that week was cloudy despite the forecasts of 30C+ and sunshine), but the majority of the month was full of cloud despite not being very wet. Admittedly this is a local perception, I know it was a different story in the SE but in this area I think 2014 was a better summer overall, never mind 1995 or 2018. *The step change that caused the huge decline in thunder round here is another thing that seems totally independent of either the summer or winter step-changes. It occurred around 2008-9 so a bit after the summers changed in 2007, and it has continued after they recovered somewhat from 2013.

February 1997 for me was the month it really seemed to change: after that there wasnt anything resembling a "classic" winter easterly for 12 years, and also the summer climate seemed to change: not so much with mean temperature but they seemed to get a lot cloudier and less settled, as if presaging the more drastic change ten years later. 2006 of course was an exception, but the only other really decent summer month I recall in that decade was July 1999, which is almost forgotten (as is June 2010, the only remotely decent summer month in the 2007-12 summerless years). The phrase "warmer than average due to high minima" is something I associate strongly with early/mid 2000s summer months... Regarding 1988, I always think of that November with its early snowfall from the east on the 20th as the last gasp of the mid-80s cold years (87/88 had a decent snowfall in the January I remember, and summer 88 definitely belonged to that era not 89-96). There was a change, as in the mild winters post-88 were (and still are) milder than in 79-87, but there were still some proper winters (90/91, 95/6, parts of 93/4 and first half of 96/7). The early 70s winters seem to have been as bad if not worse as 88/9 and 89/90 and 97/8 to 1999/00 (though perhaps not as awful as 13/14, 15/16, 19/20 and 21/22)?

Beautiful at 6am, mostly cloudy by 10. How has this happened again. Only cloud on the early satellite was in Staffs/Derbys with WNW wind. But it's just expanded, and theres mid level crud above it in the gaps. So disappointing after it suddenly cleared yesterday and I thought it might just maybe it was the start of a sunny period

Last year NW/SE split favouring the NW This year NW/SE split favouring the SE And here we end up in the cloudy zone in both setups. Same with E-W splits (E favoured the sun starts at Birmingham, W favoured it starts in Wales). In the 80s and 90s I'm sure N-S splits were more common, with the line being around 54N when the S was favoured. I really cannot remember a more boring and tedious extended spell for weather than that since October 2021. Snow, frost, thunder, warmth, cold all practically absent. The only extended spell of sunshine came in March, only really wet spell in February. A handful of sunny and warm days in June, one brief thunderstorm on the Jubilee Friday, everything else that has been forecast not turning up. The same periods in 1997-98 and 2001-02 were positively full of weather interest by comparison...

It reminded me a lot of 30 June/1 July 1995. That sweltering Friday that was still hot at 10pm, turned into a cool, cloudy Saturday with what must have been close to a 15C drop, but there was no rain let alone storms. There was some here yesterday evening but that was well after the temperature change occurred. That time the heat had been building for about 10 days which wasnt the case this time, but it otherwise seemed very similar. As I remember Sunday 2nd was a slight recovery (today the sun came out at 6pm) and it got warmer again the following week culminating in that amazing storm on 10-11 July....

Actually surprised to see that Shawbury has been reading as high as 29C this afternoon, it actually only feels like about 26-27 even though the sun is out. That unforecast wind is pretty strong ( it's from between W and SW though- so not one of those Cheshire gap breezes which are another obstacle to getting high temps round here) and the humidity must be very low. Had some more hazy gunk this morning but not as thick as the last two days and its blue sky now. A better outcome than I expected tbh (had visions of a total cloud over at a muggy 23C while eastern parts were 35C).

Finally had thunder and lightning here (5 miles N of Shrewsbury). A brief downpour but looking at the radar there was more rain a few miles to the S and W of here. Finally some weather in 2022!

Yes wild windy night and it's still blowing a hooley now. Does the naming season stop at the end of March (never seems to have been one named after then since it started)? Pressure of this system seems unusually low for April too.

Few snowflakes coming down now, some precip is managing to form but it's too light to stick even if the ground was frozen. The good old light snow at 5C in spring contrasting with heavy rain at lower temperatures in winter months

Completely dry and mostly clear since about 2am. That front last night did turn to snow but was very weak and just fizzled out, pressure too high I think. I'd also think it's too high to produce anything connective today, but Staffs and Birmingham snow magnets obviously not

It's pretty much stopped now. Is there any more precip expected?

It's actually all snow now. Quite light and will have a job sticking unless it gets heavier but its snow

I'm clinging on to the memory of April 4th 2012, when we got a quite unexpected cover of snow a week after it had reached 20C and following a winter full of the Shropshire effect (4th Feb was unbelievable, rain below freezing) And stood outside typing there are sleety bits appearing in it....

Still just cold rain here, please not another rain in Shropshire/snow everywhere else event. Dont expect a huge dumping, would be happy with 1-2cm in the morning as it would wipe the floor with anything this winter- just no more rain here/snow everywhere else nonsense please.

More snow showers, last one was quite heavy, still having no chance of sticking as it's been too warm this morning and haven't had a proper frost in weeks. It's like snow in the day in late April.

Very wet snow shower falling, dont see much chance of anything accumulating when it goes up to 5C in between any showers. Last night was all just rain, again failed to turn on the back edge. Just one morning of snow on the ground would make me hate this winter less.

I just remember one hot weekend in late June (which was otherwise mediocre), July was cold, cloudy and rubbish and August was similar to much of summer 2002, often seemed to be trying to get warm but was stubbornly cloudy and never got much above the low 20s, ended up warmer than average due to mild nights. Not as bad as 2007, 2008, 2011 or 2012 but no better than 2009 and 2010.

This has turned to heavy snow, even if not for long, while that rain on 28th Nov refused to even though temps, dps etc were lower at the start and the intensity was the same...

Big flakes of snow! First time I've seen that this winter. Unlikely to last long but it's at least happened

Stats for this location: Winter season 2021-22 so far Snow falling 3, Snow lying 0 April 2021 Snow falling 5, snow lying 1 And that was one of the sunniest and driest Aprils on record.

"England" clearly means places east of the Pennines and M1 looking at that sunshine map. The average was obviously skewed by some exceptional totals on that eastern side whereas elsewhere it was either close to average or a bit above but not exceptionally so. Round here 120% of normal for January and 50% for December; so still definitely below average for Dec and Jan combined- a dull winter.

Worst winter EVER so far (granted there is still Feb, Mar and April but it has been so bad it needs saying now). An inexplicable rain here/snow in surrounding counties event in late Nov (heavy rain at 200m in Shropshire while it was settling snow at 50m or less in Staffs, Cheshire, Manchester, Worcestershire). Even by our standards that event defied all explanation. Not a case of missing the precipitation, or it not being heavy enough, or the wrong side of a warm/cold airmass boundary, it was a Shropshire special fail to rival any of them. 2 weeks solid without sunshine in mid to late December. Another week of next to no sunshine in January. Intrusions of blowtorch SW'lies every so often. Lots of chilly but not cold weather, little frost for such a lot of high pressure (unlike 91/92 for example). Damp and raw a lot of the time but very little actual rain, except when it should have been snowing. Basically everything I detest in a winter combined to perfection. Oh and throw in being stuck indoors with Covid for 10 days during the one notable event (even if it was the wrong kind of notable, the record warm New Year). At least during the likes of 91/2, 13/14, 15/16 and 19/20 practically nowhere had any snow, it wasnt just us in this region. 91/2 was quite frosty and the other three had memorable events like record mild Decembers or wet Jans/Febs. 07/8 was awful but was at least sunny. 88/9, 89/90 and 06/7 had some snow, even if they were much milder than this one. 99/00 and 92/3 are the only two that come close to this one, the former in particular had snow in many other areas but none here and lots of nothing weather, but I think it had more frost and less gloom. It has to improve in the next 2-3 months surely?

I remember that week well: Here we had a 1cm or so dusting on the Monday morning (which was the biggest snowfall for 2 years) and the news was full of reports of the snow in the London area. They also kept saying it would move west, and another snowfall would arrive that night. I heard 50cm in the SE mentioned on the radio at one point. It started snowing here about 4pm, until about 7, left 5cm. Not what they got in London but it did at least snow here. Tuesday morning at 7 I started work (was a taxi driver in Shrewsbury then) and the snow had frozen but all except a few side streets were perfectly driveable. Put the news on the radio for news of massive snowfalls in the east that might be coming. A man in Edinburgh rang them and said it was pouring with rain there. Further south was forecast to be worst hit but I thought anything up there would be snow as well, that anywhere that missed anything would be down to hit and miss showers. It hadn't snowed in London again either, other callers said, though it hadn't rained there. It didnt snow here either, in fact it got warm enough in the day to reduce it to about 2-3cm though we kept full cover till Wed afternoon when it got even warmer in the day. Thurs, Fri and Sat it snowed a couple of cm overnight and thawed in the day, 3 days running. It was snowy that spell but it didnt seem to be properly cold? Not a complete fail like Feb 2005 but not Feb 1991 or Mar 2018 either. London did well at the start of it but that Monday night forecast was awful.

Just totally rain here, not a flake. Turns to snow as soon as it leaves Shropshire again, this winter is the pits so far

Snowing properly at last but still struggling to stick- putting a slushy cover on the bins and cars but just making the paths wet. Although having less trouble round Birmingham again I see. Dare I think the ground is too warm after all those 12C nights and 2 weeks of constant cloud that it will need more heavy stuff than it might otherwise? And still the temp wont drop properly in the showers, though the dewpoint seems ok