Funny old Summer

[The PIT]

Two very wet months and then one very dry one. One warm one followed by two below average. Overall below average Summer and the coldest here since 1987. 20 odd years not bad.

I know pattern matching doesn't work really but look at this graph showing Summer temps and look where the sharper dips occur and then think of the winters that followed soon after.

http://www.sheffieldweather.co.uk/MONTHLYAIRAVERAGE.htm

1962, 1977 1985.

Also look what the Wet Summer has done to the average Summer rainfall since 1955.

http://www.sheffieldweather.co.uk/MONTHLYRAINAVERAGE.htm

The trend was downwards before this summer.

[reef]

It was a pretty unimpressive summer here really, cool maxima but the average was held up by the minima as a result of cloud moving in almost every night. In fact, only one single day recorded a minima below 10C in the whole of July and August.

Summers of the last 15 years here from warmest to coolest:

2006: 17.8°C

2003: 17.3°C

2005: 16.9°C

1995: 16.4°C

2004: 16.2°C

1994: 16.2°C

2007: 16.1°C

1997: 16.1°C

2002: 16.0°C

2001: 15.9°C

1999: 15.8°C

1996: 15.8°C

2000: 15.4°C

1998: 15.3°C

1993: 14.6°C

What was remarkable though was the lack of high maxima, the top reading this year so far is only 24.1°C. Even summer 1988 recorded a maxima of 25.8°C on the 6th August.

[damianslaw]

It was a pretty unimpressive summer here really, cool maxima but the average was held up by the minima as a result of cloud moving in almost every night. In fact, only one single day recorded a minima below 10C in the whole of July and August.

Summers of the last 15 years here from warmest to coolest:

2006: 17.8°C

2003: 17.3°C

2005: 16.9°C

1995: 16.4°C

2004: 16.2°C

1994: 16.2°C

2007: 16.1°C

1997: 16.1°C

2002: 16.0°C

2001: 15.9°C

1999: 15.8°C

1996: 15.8°C

2000: 15.4°C

1998: 15.3°C

1993: 14.6°C

What was remarkable though was the lack of high maxima, the top reading this year so far is only 24.1°C. Even summer 1988 recorded a maxima of 25.8°C on the 6th August.

Yes your last point is the most remarkable statistic for the summer the exceptionally woeful maximum temperature that many have recorded. Other than the contested 30 degrees that Newcastle supposedly achieved on the 3 o 4th august can't quite remember here in Newcastle we never saw anything above 24 degrees!!! very very poor indeed.

[phil nw.]

Would be interested to know if the 3 Months sunshine levels were below average.

From a purely subjective view i will remember this Summer for so many days with low light levels,even in the odd dryer periods.

[mushymanrob]

an awful summer im glad to see the back of

only 3 days of 25c+, all in august (three more then the last two augusts put together!)

roll on next summer, i want to relax in my garden.

[Bottesford]

Too wet and especially too dull where what I'll remember summer 2007. August the best month as it was drier and had temps above 25c (no 25+ in June or July). It was still far too cloudy though and mostly poor maximas of around 20c. The worst summer I can remember for many years- lets hope summer 2008 can deliver something more summerlike.

[The PIT]

Lovely summer plenty of interesting weather around. Wet enough to keep the screaming brats inside so it was fairly quiet. Nothing worse than Hot weather and having to keep the windows closed because of the racket.

Anyway what about the dips I told you about and the Winters that came soon afterwards.

[Summer of 95]

Dreadful- certainly the worst summer May-July and June-July combination I can remember; overall although August was fairly dry it didn't have high enough maxima to redeem the summer- only 2 days (just) over 25C and none over the 80F mark is very poor; to put the last 2 summers into perspective only 1 day in 2007 so far has reached the average maximum for the whole month of July 2006.

The lack of warm sunny days has been like no other summer I can remember- even when the sun did come out it often seemed to struggle to get above 21C. It's no exaggeration whatsoever to say summer this year was in April, the month that has rescued this year from being the absolute worst possible.

[Snowyowl9]

Lovely summer plenty of interesting weather around.

Well it certainly was an interesting summer for cool/cold wets dark days and gales on 2 occasions.

May started that off by those very cold days at the end of the month for the time of year.

June for me was definately the most interesting best for weather of the whole year let alone summer with a warm settled fortnight to start then the fireworks expolded starting with almost 1 inch of rain on the 14th then amazing torrential thunderstorms 15th with 2.2inches causing the biggest flash floods in 50 years in a village where our streams go. :o

Followed by more fantastic thunderstorms 4 days later then more very heavy thunder shower on the 24th then 25th the N-ly gales never to be forgotten what a month. :o

July was much less dramatic but still was interesting and cool but I wanted nice weather then which was getting annoying with the endless rain and floods but there was some thunder days too and also the 2nd biggest flood ever here!!!!! with another gale early in the month.

August made up for the dry part so overall it was a very good summer except for some of July.

Edited September 1, 2007 by Snowyowl9

[Pennine Ten Foot Drifts]

From all your comments above I am fascinated by one particular question - where does this summer rank in terms of actual highest single maxima ? I would have thought it must be quite low, but I'd love to know where it actually ranks ?

[Polar Continental]

I took early retirement from work early in the spring, after having spent the best part of 40 year in an office with artificial lighting and no view outside, the only time I saw any view of the outside world during working hours was when in a meeting, then they wondered why I was never paid attention as just gazed outside skyward

So this is the first summer I have been able to spend considerably more time out doors and enjoy the English Climate to its full, and I must say I have found this summer fascinating, the mixture of weather has been grand IMO. The parched hot April, May & June monsoon, the continuing cooling heavy rains of July and some late pleasant late summer days of August, which at times have been accompanied by some lovely crisp cool mornings with shallow fog, there is nothing better than taking out the bike first thing in the morning before dawn and taking photos of the sun rising over mist in the fields, something I plan to continue doing all the way through the winter, which will bring some of its own beauty. So to me this summer has been great, rain and shine.

taken late July this year, so it wasn't all bad

Paul

[NorthYorksWeather]

lovely picture Paul, fully agree its been a great summer