Derp Patrol

Of interest, wasn't the record 29C recorded on something like the 15th April 1949? so only a month and a half into Spring.. so theoretically 30C is possible in late April - just wondering. It would be nice to reach 25C, just as the trees here are starting to bloom and the blossom is still out.

I think GMT +2 is a good idea, in summer only. In winter I think it would be best to keept it as it is at the moment, but If it were up to me I would move the clocks forward say 1 hour in early March and then another hour in late March. To me the benefits far outway the downsides. Benefits: More daylight during time where most people are awake - for example at the moment the sun rises at 4:45 and sets at 9:21pm on June 21st here, it seems an incredible waste for the sunrise to be so early when a tiny percentage of people are awake at that time. On the contrary, the overwhelming majority of the population will be awake at 9:21. If it were to rise at 5:45 and set at 10:21, it would save energy, increase trade for businesses such as pubs e.t.c and other things. The only downside I can see is that in Scotland sunset would be very late, after 11:30 in some places. However I think that a much larger proportion of people would prefer GMT +2 than not. At the very least I think that the clocks should go forward earlier and go back later, it is a massive oppurtunity to save energy and increase trade, particularly with the cuts the Government is being forced to make now..

Ahh totally forgot about that.. I got no snow during the winter, but yes we did get a small dusting in early April. I always forget that because I was in France at that time :s

I think it was 2008 that I had no snow lying the entire winter, and none definately in the year 2008.

Some trees started to blossom a couple of weeks ago, today my cherry tree started to blossom and I expect tomorrow it will be almost fully blossomed Looks like leaves are almost ready to burst out soon as well, give it 1 or 2 weeks and things should start looking more green that's the only downside of early warmth in March for me, it still looks a bit like winter with the bare trees

It's hard to get cool days in summer with clear sunny skies, at least I find so anyway. I remember an instance last year where we had northerlies in early May (I think) which brought beautiful sunny days and 18-21C here. With the sun at its strongest it's hard to stay cool, the only way to get a cool and dry summer is from cloudy easterlies/north easterlies for here and many eastern parts I would imagine. No matter the wind direction, with clear blue sunny skies it's usually at least average - above average temperatures I find.

Ah thanks, i remember that site, i've been looking for it for a while!

Yes, does anyone know the most reliable UV forecast site? both the BBC and Met office seem to suggest 2 at max for the next week for all parts of the UK and i don't generally find their UV forecasts that reliable. For catching the sun, 3 is usually good enough if you are in the direct sun for long periods, and when it reaches 4 it gets quite easy to burn. I remember last year it was 4 late in the first week of April for southern areas, so surely by next week in the forecast sunny conditions we should see some 3s in southern areas.

Mean temperatures are not a good indicator for measuring how good a summer is, apart from there being many other factors contributing to a good summer, mean temperatures do not show the whole picture. For example, 2007 only came out as slightly under average temperature wise due to higher night time minima cancelling out the lower maxima. I'd much prefer a 23C max and 13C minimum compared to a 19C max and 17C minimum, etc.

The area which i live in (near Heathrow, SW London) is probably the warmest part of the UK or somewhere near here in London, except during winter. It's pretty much the only part of the UK where in the summer you are guaranteed warm weather (not sun or dryness though) Most days in summer are from 21-25C and it rarely falls below 20C during what I call high summer - July to mid August. I think I read on another weather website UKWW that in the new 81-2010 averages for Heathrow, the average July max is now about 23.6C or so which is defintely the highest in the country. This area also regularly records the warmest temperatures during hot spells, and averages 4 30C days a year. My guess for the driest is also somewhere in the south east, most likely in Essex somewhere. Most areas down here average about 600mm a year so somewhere around here is a good bet! Also for sun I would reckon somewhere on the south coast, probably near the Portsmouth area? Sometimes the UK can be two totally different places as you go from NW to SE in summer, it is actually quite a difference in just a few hundred miles, the July mean in London is near to 19C, but probably a good 3C cooler in NW areas.

Yes, similar to many places in southern France and Europe! 30C would be pushing it as that's about 7C above the average Heathrow July max but I would not mind seeing that! We do sometimes get 2 week spells here where the average max is in the high 20s for the 2 weeks but for a whole month is a tough ask. Just talking about this makes me more excited though, in just over 2 months we could be looking at the first heatwaves and 30C of the year

20C in Mid March is very early yes, I think more realistically it's likely to be from the last week of March to mid April, that's usually when it normally occurs. I chose 25C in late April mainly from my heart than from my brain, it's unlikely and yes it would be fairly rare, but here's to hoping

Met Office doesn't agree! http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/2007/august.html 1st to 5th: It was a dry, bright start to the month, but rain pushed southwards across England on the 2nd with some heavy downpours in the west. A ridge brought fine, warm weather for most on the 3rd and in the south and east on the 4th, with temperatures up to 27 °C in London. However, the 4th was wet across the north-west. It was hot, dry and sunny on the 5th with the temperature reaching 30.1 °C at Terrington St Clement (Norfolk). It is extremely unlikely that 30C won't be reached, even in one of the worst summers in recent times (2007) it was still managed, and it does not take much to reach 30C, it can be achieved with relatively low uppers

It's pretty much guaranteed that 30C will be reached, even during 2007 it was reached and it has been about 20 years since it wasn't reached somewhere i believe. London averages about 4 30C+ a year so it would be rare for it to not get breached. My guess is: 20C - 3rd April 25C - 29th April 30C - 6th June

Spring and Summer are my favourite seasons of the year, fresh growth and the prospect of things getting 'brighter' This is now the period where i start to look for mild weather only, for me I find that snow is nice and so is a bit of extreme cold for a bit, but after a while it just gets tedious, whereas i could put up with warmth forever. I will usually start looking for the first 20C in March down here as it usually happens then or during early April. The start of last summer was very good down here, we had a 2/3 week spell of temperatures in the high 20s/low 30s, whilst there were no extreme temperatures, it was nice to have a prolonged warm and sunny spell for a change. I believe the average max for July for 1971-2000 here is 22.8C and the 1981-2010 is probably into 23.5C or something, so i have pretty high expectations compared to most other parts of the country.

July 2006 for London had an average max of above 28C so it can happen, but getting a month of consistent 19-20C nights would be harder than 30C+ days

5/10 overall so far... June was probably 8/10, July 5/10 for lack of sunshine, and August 2/10 for endless cloudy skies..

Yes, I suppose people futher north in Scotland e.t.c would prefer winter as their summers are not as good. Summer is by far my favourite season, it's the only time of the year where we are practically guaranteed 20C+ on basically every day down here. Autumn is my least favourite, I agree that it feels like the weather is just 'decaying' and with the nights drawing in it can be depressing. Spring is my second favourite, and winter is my 3rd favourite. Just adding this, If I had the option, I would remove October, November and possibly March all together, then we would have a short winter and a longer warmer period.

Totally agree! I love cold if it is cold enough to bring snow, but 4-10C seems just pointless to me because unless you like cold for the sake of it feeling cold (I don't) then it's pointless in my opinion. If it ain't cold enough to snow, i'll take milder weather and cheaper bills for sure. I also love October heatwaves, it's a weird but wonderful feeling with the fairly weak sun and shortish days being able to wear shorts and a T Shirt during the day and sometimes even at night ala 2006. This year I'm hoping for that to happen in october with possibly 25C although that would be very hard to reach.

Yes, but that's what I want, i'd rather be warm and not have high heating bills than have 8-10C which feels cold and gives no chance of snow.. at least if it's cold enough for snow but even I don't like snow untill winter. October can still be a decent month as the average max here is 15C but I want a real Indian summer here.

I want a warm Autumn followed by a cold winter! It would be nice to still have 30C in late September and a very warm October with low-mid 20s as we haven't had a very warm October day down here in a while now. After mid October though we usually stop seeing 20C and it reverts to cloudy, wet and cool weather untill December when it starts really getting cold

A winter as good as last year is very unlikely, but this winter i'd prefer more of a mix.. I love the occasional very mild days when it's 15C and mild enough to wear a T Shirt, although that is usually in the form of cloudy wet weather from the SW. I'd love some repeat performances of this year, but at times it just went on for too long and got a bit tiresome.

I only stop looking for cold weather at the end of February because after that it rarely brings lying snowfall here, and although I love snow, i'd rather not freeze to death every time I walk out of the house! I still look for warm weather even in October and relish the last few 20C days in October because snow is impossible in this area up to then, and after mid October it is still exceptionally rare.

Yeah pretty similar to here, and I agree with you about the drizzle part! more often than not it's been like that here and I look on the radar to see 20 miles to our east it is bright. The warmer nights can be a nuisance in winter when looking for snow, but they are good in summer as they help to give us higher maxima. I also agree with you about the dry ground from May-September, my garden is usually very 'dusty' in summer.

Hey, it hasn't been so great here in the past month either! June down here was excellent though, very sunny and dry, mean max of over 24C and for 3 weeks we were on a run of 25C+ days... July has actually been pretty poor apart from the first week. It has been dry and warm (mean max 24C and only 8mm rain - 18% of the norm!) but it has been very cloudy which has ruined it. I would class July as 'good' for London, but nothing better than that as the higher mean temperature came from consistent slightly above average max's and min's. July was definately great here compared to northern parts of the UK, but for this area I would class it as good and no better.