Summer 2006 - How Was It For You?

[conor123]

Well with just 6 days to go until Autumn begins even though its been like it for 3 weeks how

has Summer 2006 been overall.

Here are my thoughts:

June:

June as whole was a very warm and dry month here.

The month started sunny and the sunshine stayed through the first week

with temperatures climbing each day, by the 10th it has reached 28.5c here

and overnight on the 11th/12th torrential downpours spread up from the south west

and there was a brief storm between 6:20am - 6:40am. The 13th was the wettest

day of the month with over 10mm falling but after that the drought had begun,

The 17th brought more warmth wit highs of 25c but was followed by a windy dull

spell of weather, with highs of just 15c some days which lasted until the 28th.

The last two days of the month were warm,dry and fairly sunny with highs of 23c.

June Overall:

CET: 17.2c (1.8c Above Average)

Rainfall: 21.5mm (34% Of Average)

Sunshine: Never count this but overall according to METO - 240.4hrs (129% of Average)

July:

July started as it ment to go on with highs of 28.4c on the 1st and 29.5c on the 2nd,

the second show huge amounts of convection though there were no storms over here.

The 3rd was sunny and hot (29.6c) and on the 4th there was finally a thunderstorm which gave

over an hour of lightning with very frequent flashes to the west, another thunderstorm soon followed

just west of here to give more lightning but rain was a pitiful 0.4mm. The 5th promised storms but

ended up becoming dull with light rain despite highs of 26c and the 6th was still warm (25c) but a very

brief torrential downpour arrived in the afternoon giving 1.6mm of rain.

The 7th - 11th saw a cloudier spell with occasional very light rain it was cooler but by the 12th things

were warming up again. The 13-15th saw warm days (23-24c) followed by cold nights with lows

of a chilly 5.8c on the 15th. However the 16th turned hot with highs of 28c and that heat built even

more on the 17th with highs of 30.6c, the warmest of the year so far that temperature was smashed

again on the 18th with highs of 31.7c, then on the 19th unbearable heat arrived, apparently the record

for here was smashes as the temperature reached 34.2c but it was never confirmed, overnight there

was patchy rain which never amounted to much though it did leave a cooler day with highs of 28c

despite overnight lows of 19.8c. The weather then stayed hot and sunny for my birthday on the 21st, with

highs of 28.1c but the 22nd saw a change, it was clear by this stage to see just how dead everything was but

luckily a band of torrential downpours moved through giving 11.5mm of Rain in 35 minutes. There

was a break from the instense heat on the 23rd with highs of a still warm 24c but the heat built again

after that with highs of 27c on the 24th and then 31.6c on the 25th. I then went on holiday till the 9th August

but looking at data the storms missed overnight that night despite a moderate shower and the 26th was

slightly cooler at 27c,26c on the 27th, then 27c on the 28th where the weather remained decent throughout.

A cold front finally came on the 29th though there were still highs of 24c though it was moe around

average to end the month with a few showers around.

Overall

Temp: 19.2c (3.8c Above Average)

Rainfall: 16.4mm (27% Of Average)

Sunshine: 297hrs (163% Of Average)

August:

The month started cool but dry, with highs of 19c on the 2nd meaning the first day

below 20c since 8th July, but by the 5th the temperature was on the rise again with highs of 23c,

the heat peaked on the 6th giving a temperature of 28.2c but that was the last warm day of the summer

as rain moved through giving a still respectable 22c as a high for the 7th, the 8th saw the heat try and move

in again with highs of 24c but when i came home on the 9th it was anything but warm.

The weather stayed persistantly cool (15-20c) with occasional rain and by the 16th very unsettled weather moved in off

the atlantic, the 17th saw a nasty thunderstorm with very close lightning strikes one struck a tree nearby, and the

storm gave 18.4mm of rain. Another 10mm was added to that the next day and the weather failed to improve

by the weekend, and through the week its stayed miserable with further downpours on the 23rd.

Its now the 26th and the weather is horrid again today. The next week will see further cool and wet weather.

Expected Overall for Aug:

Temp: 14.6c (0.6c Below Average)

Rainfall: 83mm (68mm So Far) (110%????)

Sunshine: 140hrs (75%????)

So Overall for Summer 06:

CET: 17.0c

Rainfall: 120.9mm

Sunshine: 677.4hrs

A very good summer, though spoilt by lack of thunderstorms, a cold August and low rainfall.

Edited August 26, 2006 by conor123

[summer blizzard]

I do not have any statistics to back this up however this is my summery of summer 2006...

June

June 2006 was very dry, with a twelve day period in which no rainfall was observed at all, it was also sunnier than normal and if i had to guess, i would say that i had around 150% of average sunshine, it was also much warmer than normal, and as a result, i would agree with the claim thatbit was the hottest since 1976 and not 2003.

July

July 2006 was a near perfect summer month, while it was thundery at times, it was also very dry, and the trees in my area were all showing drought stress, the trees in my back garden (Birch) had all sged around 50% of levaes by the end of July, it was also substantially sunny, i would agree the claim that July 2006 was the sunniest on record, it was alo very hot with sustained heat.

August 2006

August 2006 has seen slightly above average rainfall in my area and has also been slightly above average in terms of temperature however the most startling thing is that until the 20th, i cannot remeber seeing more than a hour of sunshine.

From memory, i would say that summer 2006 is better than 2003 however not as good as 1995 (my first weather memory is that heat and sunhine of August 1995).

[Weather-history]

Damn odd! Thats how I describe it. A really peculiar summer, not often that August is at odds with the other two summer months.

My index rating peaked at 277 at the back end of July and has fallen away since then and now down to 249

2 of the last 3 summers have been really odd (2004 and 2006). Summer 2004 was really odd, a very warm start to June then that poor mid June-mid July period followed by a warm but very wet August. Very unusual to have a notably wet but also a notably warm August .

[Bottesford]

I've enjoyed this summer. June & July gave us some lovely heatwaves at the best time (i.e. when days are longest) then it freshened up. At first this freshness/dullness (or 'coolness') was not at all pleasent after the heat, but now it's ok as I'm used to it. It's also got sunnier these past few days. The dullness earlier in month was not nice.

Here's hoping we get a little more summer in September although looking unlikely at present.

[Cheviot]

Needed a trim -far too hot. Can't wait for Winter proper!

[sunnijim]

Here are some stats for my area.

May,above average rainfall,average sunshine hours and one day with 25c recorded,overall warmer than the long term average here

June.below average rainfall,above average sunshine hours,and six days with temperatures at 25c and above.The mean 1.4c above average.

July.the highest temperature ever recorded in Hastings of 33.4c on the 19th,and an incredible 19 days of temperatures at or above 25c,only 16mm of rain, and 266hrs of sunshine,the meen maximum for the month at 25c,again a record for the area.4 degrees above the long term normal.

August so far...only one day with a temperature of 25c on the 3rd,rainfall way above the long term average at 108mm.sunshine average.Temperature average.

[Tom D]

This Summer in Ware, Hertfordshire:

June was a hot and sunny month, 30c was reached on 3 days. Very little rainfall.

July was amazingly hot and sunny, hottest temperature ever recorded in July, 36.1c. Hot and sunny from start to finish, again very little rainfall.

August could not have been more different! Only 4 days on which the temperature got about 25c, and they were around the first 3rd of the month. Much needed rainfall, not really making up for the lack of rainfall altogether, but it's replenished the gardens and everything is green again.

Highest temp : 36.1c

Thunderstorms : Nil (all storms have passed to the west, or only started after they passed me, great luck...)

[MP-R]

Not a bad summer overall I don't think. Here's my summer:

JUNE

The first 11 days of the month were perfect - gorgeous weather. It was a nice change from the monsoonal rains of May. No rain fell in the first third of the month. The 3rd and 4th peaked above 26C with a small thunderstorm breaking out over Bristol on the evening of the 4th. From the 5th to the 11th it gradually became warmer and warmer with 28.1C on the 9th and a hot high of 32.9C on the 10th. The 11th was still hot with 29.4C. It was the 12th that woke us up earlyier than scheduled due to a big thunderstorm at 5am. Heavy downpours continued into the 13th with all in all 15.7mm falling. A cooler interlude was followed by another warm weekend on the 17th with a high of 26.7C. The third week of the month was cooler with spells of showery rain and hence lower temperatures but the final week recovered. The 24th and 25th were warm or very warm with 25.1C on the 24th and 28.6c on the 25th. A spell of thundery rain on the 26th amounted to 19.5mm of rain (nearly half the month's rain). After that, from the 27th to the 30th, it was mostly dry with sunny spells and getting warmer with 28.0C on the 30th.

JULY

The first 4 days of the month were hot, humid and mostly sunny.The 1st brushed past 31.1C, the 3rd at 32.2C, the 4th at 32.6C and the high of 33.0C on the 2nd. A weak thunderstorm skimmed Bristol later on the 2nd. Another thunderstorm passed later on the 4th to mark the arrival of a thundery breakdown on the 5th when thunder and rain affected Bristol during the afternoon. The 6th was exceedingly wet - the wettest day of the year so far as severe rainstorms raced through the early hours. 27.4mm fell from the storms and as a result, morning rush hour was more like a morning crawl hour. Thereafter, a cooler spell brought unsettled weather with light rain on the 7th, 9th and heavier rain for a time on the 10th. High pressure returned on the 11th and gradually things got better. By the 15th, the high was 29.7C, the 16th was 30.7C, the 17th was 31.9C and the highest temperature of the month and year was on the 18th with 34.3C. The 19th crept up and sat just below at 33.9C. Staying very warm, 30C was still exceeded on the 21st and 22nd but fresher weather arrived on the 23rd - in time for my birthday!!! 27.0C was the high on the 23rd and then the heat built again during the final week with 29.2C on the 24th, 31.8C on the 26th and a high of 32.6C on the 25th. The 27th and 28th were both very pleasant days with highs of above 25C. It changed on the 29th with cloudier weather spreading in. Heavy showers arrived later on the 30th and the 31st proved very lively with torrential thundery downpours with thunder resulting in 14.5mm of rain.

AUGUST

Thundery showers persisted on the 1st with gusty winds but from the 2nd onwards, high pressure settled and already by the 3rd, the temperature peaked at 27.5C with clear skies all day. Intermittent cloud lowered the temperature slightly on the 4th and 5th but the 6th managed a high of 28.3C. The humid weather continued into the 7th and 8th with 26.3C the high on the 7th and another very warm 27.4C on the 8th. Rain crossed overnight 8th/9th and so the 9th was slightly cooler but still warm with 26.5C. It turned distinctly on the 10th when the temperature only reached 21C. It stayed dry though with intermittent sunny spells and cloudier spells. The wettest of weather arrived on the 16th when rain pushed north late in the evening. This is when I went on holiday to sunny Kos in the Aegean. From what I was told, thunderstorms blew through during the afternoon of 17th and a big one during the early hours of the 18th resulting in 17.0mm of rain. The 19th was dry and sunny but more showery rain occurred on the 20th and 21st. Following a dry day on the 22nd, the 23rd was wet again with heavy rain and thunder. A few light showers lingered into the 24th but it was mainly dry with sunny spells. The 27th was the sunniest day. The 28th was mostly sunny after light rain overnight. A very heavy downpour passed through late in the evening but a clear night followed. This morning there was a low of 12.2C but now is sunny.

The next two days look unsettled with showers or longer spells of rain. Goodbye summer but what a good one it has been.

[flagpole]

Summer 2006

Hot

then

Not So Hot

[M'Lady]

Weatherwise June was warm, dry and sunny, July was hot, dry and sunny and August has been mostly cool and damp.

Flagpole's post above summed it up nicely I think!

[Bottesford]

Overall I spose this summer was 'short & sharp' with a late start to spring and now an early start to autumn with intense heat during that short summer. Wish it was longer!

[Thundery wintry showers]

I will have statistics shortly, but for now, some qualitative analysis:

June: Very warm and sunny during the first 12 days- largely unbroken sunshine at times- with some big thunderstorms on the 12th June. From the 13th June onwards the weather continued mostly dry but rather cloudy at times, with some strong westerlies around the 20th-23rd. After a cool cloudy interlude around the 25th (the only occasion on which maxima fell below the long-term average) the end of the month became hot and sunny. Overall the cloudy weather from the 13th onwards only partially offset the excess sunshine of the first 12 days, and the month was warm, sunny and dry.

July: An outstanding month. The first week was hot and sunny, with some big thunderstorms late on the 3rd including having the streetlights come on two hours earlier than they would normally have. At 25-27C it wasn't uncomfortably hot like it was for many down south. I spent the 7th-21st in France where it was hot and sunny (uncomfortably hot around the 15th-20th with highs into the mid 30s) with two massive thunderstorms at the end. It appears that the weather was similar in Britain but not as hot and with lesser-scale thunderstorms around the 21st/22nd. The last week was generally hot and sunny. The last few days were more unsettled but continued the bias towards high sunshine levels, featuring sunshine and showers.

August: A massive contrast from July. Sunshine and showers was replaced by cloud and rain at the turn of the month. It was quite warm and sunny at times in the first week, but the second week was relentlessly cloudy- no sun at all on some days- and generally dry but with some drizzle at times. The 16th-23rd was a very thundery period- 4 thunderdays out of 7- and generally wet and cloudy. Sunshine levels picked up during the last week with a bias more towards sunshine and showers.

I think my opinion of the summer might have been influenced by the fact that I've been mostly in Leeds rather than Cleadon, and as a result have seen less sea fog, more thunderstorms and higher maximum temperatures. However, on my percentage ranking system it looks like coming out with the highest score since the mid-1990s, with June and July combined, and July on its own, setting new high-score records, so I am likely to remember it as a good summer even if the August did not score very well.

[Anti-Mild]

I was in France for much of June but when I was here (1st - 16th) was almost perfect for me; temps in the mid 20's with a small showery spell around the 12th. France from the 17th to the 2nd of July was very hot then showery then very hot.

July was, IMO, too hot at times, particularly from the 16th until the 30th where it ranged from 25.9c on the 20th up to 32.2c (new record) on the 18th. I measured 4 days where the temperature rose above 30c :o !

August, although it wasn't particularly warm or sunny, was not a disappointing month. I found it interesting that 2 consecutive summer months could be so different and besides, I think another hot month could have sent me over the edge :unsure: !!

Overall, I think that this summer will only be remembered for 2 things; the exceptional July and the marked difference of August.

[Rollo]

From my perspective here in the North-East the summer ,minus August which like elsewhere was somewhat disappointing was the best for some time, May had its own shortish heatwave but June and especiaslly July were as hot as I personally can stand it The summer was overall dry and only this month have we started to catch up on the dearth of rainfall.

[Zerouali lives]

Well July was the best ever on record here in Aberdeen with a new record high too. August has been quite disapointing but we can't complain afetr what July offered!

Edited August 29, 2006 by Zerouali lives

[Bham Chris]

Well:

June-A sunny month was mainly down to the almost incredible wall to wall days of sunshine from the 2nd to the 11th.It was mostly cloudy from mid-month onwards but the wall to wall sunshine returned at the end of the month.It was also a very warm month with hot spells in the first third of the month and the end of the month.Also notablyy dry compared to the wet may but there was thunderstorms after the first heatwave very early in the morning.

July-An incredibly hot and sunny month where 35C was officially recorded at Birmingham airport on the 18th,an all time record for Birmingham.The month was relentlessly hot and I had never known anything like it before!Towards the end of the month there was finally signs that the hot weather was leaving us,with temperatures going down to the lower mid twenties.

August-August started off cool,but by the 6th it was hot yet again,but it was to prove the last hot day of the month with 28C being reached.It was very warm for a couple of days after that but turned fresher by the 9th and it was sign of things to come for this month.And from then it was mostly unsettled with a lot of dull weather but the sunshine levels have picked in the last week or so.We've constantly had highs of around 20C this month making it an average month but a very wet month due to many heavy downpours and persistant rain.

So generally a good summer,very strange due to the amazing turnaround between the months of July and August.I've been happy with this summer,the June sunshine was welcome,and the July heat was fascinating,and the much fresher August has been welcoming,but I'm now hoping we will see a nice warm September,nothing amazing but a week or so of blue skys again please!I must also say that due to the not so good August month,this summer has not been in the leagues in 1976 or 1995,but I feel it's still up there with 2003.

Edited August 29, 2006 by Bham Chris

[Supacell]

Summer 2006 for me in Derby can be briefly summarised as hot and sunny June/July and then a wetter and cool August.

As a storm chaser i have to say this year has been my best so far (i started chasing in 2004). Yes there are some parts that saw very little storm activity (i.e. parts of the south east)- but overall i think that there has been a real abundance of storms.

Best storms of the year for me:

May 10th - North Wiltshire

June 12th - Humberside

July 22nd - Derbyshire

July 26th - Norfolk

August 23rd - Worcestershire

[senior ridge]

The most notable memory of summer were the hot nights - 23c during the night! :lol:

July reminded me a lot of 1983 and 1994 which were very warm months followed by a cool August

[Mr Sleet]

2006 was the " 6 week summer".

Nowhere near as good as 1995 , 2003 or of course 1976 which were much longer lasting.

I agree with Tamara, there was something for everyone. Lets hope winter is the same !

[Snowly does it]

It was quite an amusing summer from a weather perspective, I am one for the tease and the summer taunted and teased us with the promise of a record breaking season only to change tack and plump intead for a dramatic drop in CET July to August.

I asked it whether this meant we could anticipate a long and lusty winter, but the summer was almost out the door (in fact she is still trying to squeeze through) and she merely laughed, tossed her golden hair and whispered 'maybe, maybe, maybe'.

Edited August 30, 2006 by snowmaiden

[WBSH]

A sandwich - (if you count late May as Summer, I dont, but it fits the "sandwich "description if I do for this summer! )

Some terrific downpours when we were approaching summer followed by two months of hot, mainly sunny and very dry weather. Got almost a bit too much, which was whilst all of the rain and cooler weather in August was a relief, it was a suprise as well.

WBSH

[Rustynailer]

I have lived on the IOW for 16 years, as far as i can remember the last 2 weeks of July were the most thundery i have seen so far, almost as good as Kent where i lived in 87.

Oh yes and i well remember feeling the urge to photograph storms for the first time, thanks to all on NW

I have seen the Island as dry and yellow, but i think it was hotter ie, in the 30s for longer than any period whilst i have lived here.

Russ

[Thundery wintry showers]

I can confirm that on my 'percentage rating system' this summer had the second highest mean score of all of the summers since I started taking records.

In simple 1-10 rating scale terms, June scored 7, July 9 and August 6.

So to all intents and purposes I will remember it as a good summer- I even found August okay in the end, though I think being in Leeds rather than S Tyneside might have been a significant contributory factor.

[Weather Watcher]

Summer 2006 for me,

A dry and hot July with very little rainfall, and uncomfortably hot at night too! Towards the end of July it cooled down which was a relief and August Followed onto be a cooler, wetter month with some torrential downpours and Thunderstorms.

[summer blizzard]

Moderators, could you merge the two summer 2006 evaluation threads??