August 1990 or august 2003?

[Summerlover2006]

August 1990 and august 2003 have always seemed very similar to me both had extreme heatwaves which both broke the records at the time and both were overall very warm and very dry months but nothing compared to a month like July 2006 or August 1995.

Overall the 2003 heatwave was a lot more impressive with 30C being recorded on 9 consecutive days and 35+ being recorded on 3 days.

but the 1990 heatwave can not be overlooked because despite its small timeframe it was extreme there was 3 days above 35C 36.6 was recorded on the 2nd and 37.1 on the 3rd the night between the 2nd and 3rd broke the record at the time for nighttime minimum with a miserable low of 23C another factor of this heatwave which 2003 didn’t have was was how much this heatwave spanned the country 35C was recorded in wales on the 2nd higher then anything in 2003.

the thing that puts both these months down is the second half’s of the month we’re both a bit boring still warm but nothing amazing.

1990 had another mini heatwave late in the month with 31C on the 29th.

2003 stayed overall pleasant apart from the last few days which were wet and cool.

overall it’s a tricky one 2003 heatwave was a lot longer but the 1990 imo was the better heatwave and 1990 had more hot weather in the second half so  I would probably go with 1990.

[A Face like Thunder]

1 hour ago, Summerlover2006 said:

another factor of this heatwave which 2003 didn’t have was was how much this heatwave spanned the country 35C was recorded in wales on the 2nd higher then anything in 2003.

Agreed. I was lucky enough to be on holiday for the very hot spells in both years, and I remember the nights at the beginning of August 1990 on Exmoor were incredibly warm. In August 2003, I was in the NE of England and I recall the heatwave was effectively over by the time of the fabled 10th August 2003, with flood records broken in another part of the Region. I too would go for 1990.

[Thundery wintry showers]

Probably depends on whereabouts in the UK. In NE England it would easily be 1990, where sunshine totals were at least as high, it got to 33C even on the north-east coast (e.g. Sunderland) on the 3rd, and there were some impressive thunderstorms around the 25th. In places like Manchester and Lancaster, probably 2003, because August 1990 was a west-east split month sunshine wise in northern England with areas to the west of Pennines having near to slightly below average sunshine.

[cheeky_monkey]

 Thundery wintry showers i was in Chelmsford in 1990 and Exeter in 2003 to very similar months in different parts of the country i assume Chelmsford in 2003 would have been hotter for longer than 1990 

[cheese]

August 1990 was warmer here than August 2003, but August 2003 was significantly drier (August 1990 had 32.7mm while August 2003 only had 6.1mm, still our driest August ever). Don't know about sunshine.

3rd August 1990 (which recorded 34.4C) remained our hottest day on record until 25th July 2019 (which was then obviously beaten by both 18th & 19th July 2022). The 3rd of August also reached 33.2C. The heat of August 2003 was much less impressive, only reaching 31.8C on the 9th. When London was reaching 38C on the 10th, we only reached 27C.

Edited September 12 by cheese

[Weather-history]

The heatwave in August 2003 wasn't that impressive here, only one day got above 30°C and 5 other days getting to 25°C and above. 

In 1990, the first three days of August were hot with two consecutive  days into the 30°Cs. There was one day in August 1990 that was an absolute shocker, the 16th. It was windy, frequent showers and freezing! Didn't even get to 14°C that day.

I think August 2003 edges as it as also contained thunderstorms. There was no thundery breakdown to the heatwave of August 1990 but there was a thundery breakdown for some parts of the August 2003 heatwave.

Edited September 12 by Weather-history

[Harry233]

August 2003 for me I wasn’t alive in August 1990 but I do believe August 2003 was a lot better here. August 1990 I don’t think was particularly warm in the north aside from the first week where it was ridiculously warm, nor I don’t think it was settled. August 2003 however I remember very well and it was pretty much bone dry, warm and the sunny for the whole month aside from the final week and the first couple of days. 
 

August 2003 I doubt will come close to getting beaten here it was a excellent month.

[CryoraptorA303]

Both were way too hot. Luckly I wasn't alive in 1990 and was only six months old during the August 2003 heatwave. Reportedly August 2003 was so hot in East London that I was only in my nappies the whole time and my mum was having four showers a day.

In terms of absolute temps, August 2003 was definitely much hotter here than 1990. At East Malling, 2003 still holds the second, fifth and eighth hottest days on record, while 1990 reached 34.6°C. While a record at the time as far as I can tell (don't think 1976 much exceeded 33°C here), it's now only the ninth hottest day. 2003 would hold more positions if it wasn't for 2020 which set three top ten days.

[SummerShower]

 CryoraptorA303 August 1990's heatwave was shorter lasting, but generally just as intense when it was on.  1990 had the heat focused on the whole UK, whereas in 2003 it was more biased towards the SE a lot of the time.

I've also thought the 2 months were similar, but 2003 edges it for the main heatwave lasting longer.  I will add that 1990 did have a 2nd mini heatwave around 23rd-25th, with a thundery breakdown in places.  2003 had no other heatwave (bar a warm weekend 23/24th but that had a lot of infill cloud)

Both months, when the heat wasn't on, were westerly, with 2003 being drier and anticyclonic.  1990 was more cyclonic in the 'off' moments and was a bit wetter than 2003 especially further north IIRC.

[CryoraptorA303]

 SummerShower Well, if you'd like to see them compared, you could always nominate one to Season Two of the Hottest Heatwave of All Time Championship

(Shameless plug I know, but it had to be done)

[Summer8906]

I think 1990 was more consistently sunny, if I remember right.

The first half of 2003 from the 2nd-15th inclusive was very sunny but the second half cloudier, though there was a further moderately sunny spell around the weekend of the 23rd/24th.

In 1990, if I remember right: the extreme heatwave at the beginning (temps around 35C, which I'd only experienced on two days thus far in my lifetime, both on the continent) followed by a rainless and cloudless cooldown overnight Sunday 6th-Monday 7th. The second week was very sunny with low humidity, and temps started in the low 20s but gradually rose to near 30 again.

Memories a little more vague after that, but I think it continued distinctly warm with mid-20s maxima, slightly more cloud (usually Cs or As) but still generally bright or sunny, before there was a short wet spell on the weekend of the 19th/20th. There was then a further build of the Azores high though and a further warm sunny spell from the 21st-25th.

Last week I was in Scotland where it was more unsettled but if I remember right from reading the weather reports, it remained dry and warm, though with variable cloud, in the south.

So 1990 was likely better than 2003 overall for sunshine. For rainfall, perhaps comparable: 1990 had that wet weekend around the 20th though 2003 also had a wet spell near the end due to a continental low.

I think being in the far south, as I was, helped things in July/August 1990 in general. It did seem to be disproportionately sunny and dry in the far south compared to other areas, perhaps there was an anticyclonic W-ly type but without fronts or Tm air to knock the sunshine on the head. July and August together were incredibly good, only 1983 and 1989 had been as good in my memory at that point (I was alive in 1976 but cannot remember it, sadly).

Edited September 16 by Summer8906