Manchester Summer Index

[Weather-history]

The Manchester Summer Index kicks off tomorrow and looks like it will fly out of the blocks.

Taken from the September 1986 edition of Weather and continued and updated by myself, here's the summer index rating for Manchester since 1901.

The Summer index is 10 x [(mean max of summer) +(total sunshine)/67 - (rain days/ :lol: ]

1901 249 1902 195 1903 209 1904 212 1905 223 1906 214 1907 147

1908 220 1909 171 1910 190 1911 274 1912 156 1913 205 1914 222

1915 196 1916 188 1917 228 1918 200 1919 203 1920 174 1921 249

1922 178 1923 174 1924 158 1925 246 1926 227 1927 175 1928 197

1929 211 1930 199 1931 173 1932 223 1933 251 1934 238 1935 243

1936 190 1937 213 1938 177 1939 213 1940 238 1941 236 1942 214

1943 209 1944 200 1945 223 1946 170 1947 255 1948 176 1949 267

1950 216 1951 201 1952 198 1953 193 1954 143 1955 277 1956 155

1957 216 1958 184 1959 269 1960 217 1961 203 1962 197 1963 194

1964 197 1965 189 1966 192 1967 223 1968 215 1969 234 1970 235

1971 205 1972 185 1973 234 1974 199 1975 268 1976 301 1977 223

1978 173 1979 199 1980 173 1981 196 1982 203 1983 278 1984 271

1985 180 1986 189 1987 169 1988 191 1989 262 1990 229 1991 207

1992 222 1993 194 1994 240 1995 298 1996 245 1997 232 1998 192

1999 234 2000 198 2001 211 2002 200 2003 247 2004 197 2005 224

2006 246 2007 174 2008 168

Summers in order with the best at the top and the worst at the bottom

1976 301

1995 298

1983 278

1955 277

1911 274

1984 271

1959 269

1975 268

1949 267

1989 262

1947 255

1933 251

1901 249

1921 249

2003 247

1925 246

2006 246

1996 245

1935 243

1994 240

1934 238

1940 238

1941 236

1970 235

1969 234

1973 234

1999 234

1997 232

1990 229

1917 228

1926 227

2005 224

1905 223

1932 223

1945 223

1967 223

1977 223

1914 222

1992 222

1908 220

1960 217

1950 216

1957 216

1968 215

1906 214

1942 214

1937 213

1939 213

1904 212

1929 211

2001 211

1903 209

1943 209

1991 207

1913 205

1971 205

1919 203

1961 203

1982 203

1951 201

1918 200

1944 200

2002 200

1930 199

1974 199

1979 199

1952 198

2000 198

1928 197

1962 197

1964 197

2004 197

1915 196

1981 196

1902 195

1963 194

1993 194

1953 193

1966 192

1998 192

1988 191

1910 190

1936 190

1965 189

1986 189

1916 188

1972 185

1958 184

1985 180

1922 178

1938 177

1948 176

1927 175

1920 174

1923 174

2007 174

1931 173

1978 173

1980 173

1909 171

1946 170

1987 169

2008 168

1924 158

1912 156

1956 155

1907 147

1954 143

[johnholmes]

some interesting years there Kevin-not many from the last decade near the top either.

A favour?

is it possible to show the winter index, or point me to where I can compare a similar table of the years please?

many thanks

John

[Weather-history]

Manchester winter indices from 1973-74 to 2008-09

1978-79: 262

1985-86: 159

1981-82: 149

1976-77: 141

1984-85: 140

1995-96: 135

1990-91: 126

2008-09: 105

1986-87: 100

1977-78: 90

1980-81: 90

1982-83: 85

1983-84: 82

1993-94: 78

2000-01: 77

1996-97: 72

1979-80: 66

2005-06: 59

2001-02: 50

2003-04: 50

1998-99: 47

2004-05: 47

1994-95: 45

2002-03: 44

1992-93: 43

1999-00: 42

1975-76: 41

1991-92: 40

1987-88: 37

2007-08: 37

1973-74: 30

1974-75: 26

1989-90: 26

1997-98: 25

2006-07: 21

1988-89: 20

[Terminal Moraine]

An interesting table which highlights just how much in a league of its own 1979 was, at least in recent decades.

[johnholmes]

Manchester winter indices from 1973-74 to 2008-09

thanks Kevin

[J07]

Can you define rain day please...is it a day with >1mm of rain?

[johnholmes]

Kevin can you post your current Manchester summer index please?

thanks

[Weather-history]

Kevin can you post your current Manchester summer index please?

thanks

Its in my signature, John

186 now

[johnholmes]

tks Kevin

no one has a signature at the moment which is why I asked mate!-how does this year then compare with other years please?

many thanks

[Weather-history]

Manchester Summer Index for 2009: 194

Decadal averages

1900s: 204

1910s: 206

1920s: 199

1930s: 212

1940s: 219

1950s: 205

1960s: 206

1970s: 222

1980s: 211

1990s: 229

2000s: 206

[J07]

Summer index for Wellington, New Zealand for last two "summers"* :

2007-2008: 290

2008-2009: 272

07/08 was considered the best summer for 10 years, both summers were quite sunny, pushing close to 700 combined sunshine hours. Both had fewer than 30 raindays and average highs were 21-22C.

* Somewhat hard to know if the index goes for or against us....I used Dec-Feb as "summer", but March is almost always warmer than December, and drier, but December is usually sunnier!

Using this definition we also lose a few days of sunshine compared to the UK due to the shortness of February.

Just checked, if summer were defined Jan-March then we increase to 292 in 2008.

In 2009 we increase by only 0.1!

Anyway, more research would be required, but it goes some way to ratifying the belief that March over here is summer and December is Spring...

[Weather-history]

Manchester winter indices from 1973-74 to 2008-09

1978-79: 262

1985-86: 159

1981-82: 149

1976-77: 141

1984-85: 140

1995-96: 135

1990-91: 126

2008-09: 105

1986-87: 100

1977-78: 90

1980-81: 90

1982-83: 85

1983-84: 82

1993-94: 78

2000-01: 77

1996-97: 72

1979-80: 66

2005-06: 59

2001-02: 50

2003-04: 50

1998-99: 47

2004-05: 47

1994-95: 45

2002-03: 44

1992-93: 43

1999-00: 42

1975-76: 41

1991-92: 40

1987-88: 37

2007-08: 37

1973-74: 30

1974-75: 26

1989-90: 26

1997-98: 25

2006-07: 21

1988-89: 20

Indices for these winters

1949-50: 42

1950-51: 146

1951-52: 78

1952-53: 74

1953-54: 87

1954-55: 132

1955-56: 136

1956-57: 43

1957-58: 79

1958-59: 77

[Thundery wintry showers]

Manchester Summer Index for 2009: 194

Decadal averages

1900s: 204

1910s: 206

1920s: 199

1930s: 212

1940s: 219

1950s: 205

1960s: 206

1970s: 222

1980s: 211

1990s: 229

2000s: 206

As per Mr_Data's suggestion I'll add a little to this thread from the discussion over at the winter area.

That list strongly backs up my perception that the summers have gone downhill as far as sunny dry weather is concerned since the 1990s. I'm pretty certain that this has been the case in Tyneside during the 2000s also, with only 2003, 2005 (very marginally so) and 2006 being sunnier than average, and rainfall coming out rather above average overall.

Regarding the warmth of August 2008, warm but dull and wet summer months historically haven't been that unusual. Junes 1966 and 1982 spring to mind, for example. A long way further back in the archives I remember Summer 1834 often being quoted as a warm dull wet one. August 2008 was quite warm because of frequent tropical maritime air and warm nights, particularly in the last week- and this has been true of many recent summer months.