karyo

I hate hot and dry weather so this summer is a contender for the worst summer since I moved to the UK, but of course it is still early days. Other than this one, 2003 and 2006 although at least they had some thunderstorms (especially 2003). Before 1997 i was in Greece so pretty much every summer was horrible with 1995 the bright exception. That summer the maximum temperature in northern Greece was in the 28-32c range and there were afternoon thunderstorms almost daily. That was the best summer of my life actually. By the way, 28-32c is quite low for Greek standards.

So hopefully 100 days will be reached in July. The % of spotless days has dropped from earlier in the year.

That's the only positive I can see from this but it may mean that the current cycle will not be as quiet as we were hoping.

The solar flux today has risen to 82 - quite dismal!

Sadly true. I was hoping we would reach 100 spotless days in June but this chance has long gone. Today we have three spots and the solar flux has reached 77.

Amazing video of Fuego after the deadly eruption!

You don't like storms Nick? I could kill for one! Manchester has been exceptionally dry through May and overall warm too. Not my kind of weather and June doesn't seem to offer much excitement either.

Nuisance sunspots continue to appear. Until a couple of weeks ago it looked good for achieving 100 spotless days in June but now I am starting to wonder if it will have to be pushed to July.

We have Alberto already! https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

Thunderstorm activity has increased and became better organised according to the latest advisory. Let's see if we get Alberto this weekend as the system tracks north over the open water. http://www.nola.com/hurricane/index.ssf/2018/05/tropical_depression_gulf.html

Despite the cooler waters, a low pressure system which is currently on the Yucatan peninsula may gradually develop over the next few days as it moves slowly northwards. The forecast track takes it anywhere from west Florida coast to Louisiana. I guess the further west the track is the more chance it has to develop due to the warmer SSTs. https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

Blank at last! 74 days in total for 2018 solar flux 70

It feels like ages since we had a spotless day!

I love Budapest, I went 3 times, twice in the summer and once in winter. The summer can be extremely hot (35-40c on most days) but you get the chance to see some spectacular thunderstorms. Also, many tourists in the summer. My winter visit was my favourite one as there are much fewer tourists around and you get to soak up the true atmosphere of the city. A walk up Citadella is highly recommended as you can see the whole city from there. Also try one of the numerous Turkish baths which is a great chance to mix with the locals. A lot of Budapest's magic is due to its bridges and one of them leads to Margaret island. It is in the middle of the river and a true oasis especially on a scorching hot day as it is covered in trees. A great place to relax with a drink and listen to the live music during the summer months. Language was not an issue in any of my visits. Even the people who don't speak english were friendly and happy to help.

Do you know how non-bellissimo was the air that you inhaled in London? Especially on a day with little wind to push the pollution away. At least in Liverpool your lungs are relatively safe.

Of course low humidity makes the heat a bit easier to tolerate. However, low humidity also means almost no chance of rain/storms which makes it extremely boring. It brings me bad memories of my summers in Greece - barren skies for days on end, drought, heat and deadly forest fires. At least in the UK we don't have to worry about forest fires as there are hardly any forests left.

I've read somewhere that coronal holes are more common when the sun is spotless so we should see them quite frequently in the coming months and years.

Spotless again. 5 consecutive days, 72 for 2018 The solar flux dropped to 67

Spaceweather also updated now and we are spotless for the 3rd consecutive day. The total for this year so far is 70 days.

At long last the spotless days are back. 68 days in total for 2018 solar flux 69

Yes, it's been good indeed! The first snow was in September which I was surprised to see (I went back to the East Pyrenees in September).

Yes, it makes a nice change.

Is there much snow left on the Pyrenees? I was there early May last year and there was still quite a bit.

Hopefully, @Yarmy will be able to tell us.

And we keep on counting... 11 day's blank, 63 for 2018, 61% The solar flux has dropped to 68