Rip Summer 2009

[William of Walworth]

...but its not a 'pleasantly warm spell' im on about! its 'summer' as in sun/dry/hot ala 1995! true id be happy with a pleasant warm spell, but thats pretty much what youd expect in a normal august.

The way one or two have posted (not you) the propects for August are akin to the July we've just had, ie scarcely any pleasant weather at all. It's that kind of over pessimistic writing off that I'm mainly disputing.,

I'd kill for a pleasantly warm spell, sunny and 22C-ish, right now ....

[Bottesford]

I think just to have max temps on the correct side of 20c would be an improvement!

Take today - it feels 'ok', it's dry and we've had some sunshine too but with a max of 19c and a lot of cloud around it's certainly not what I'd call high summer weather. In mid September this would be great, in a mixed July/August this would be fine too, but these type of conditions are the absolute best we've been getting. 20c isn't that warm - but we're struggling to reach even that this past month. I'd happily sacrifice all my 25c+ maxes if we could just at least achieve 20c every day during the summer.

Sadly there is only a few weeks left until the drop into darkness & those "not that cold but still too chilly" temperatures that dominate most of the year.

[Thundery wintry showers]

I know everyones not the same, some people would like to have cool gale force gusts and rainy conditions in their Summers while there are people like me, who want a Summer (Hot and Sunny spells with thundery breakdowns).

And some people fall into neither of those categories. Something to bear in mind as I recall that in a fairly recent exchange I noted that I have a preference for summers with hot sunny spells, thundery breakdowns and some cooler bright showery interludes, and the last bit resulted in me getting lumped together with those who want cool gale force gusts and rainy conditions- even though I am largely in agreement (I'd consider 2 out of 3 pretty good going in a British summer- and I sometimes rave about early June & July '06 which had those 2 out of 3).

My impression is that August 2009 is likely to be "average" for most, perhaps slightly on the dry sunny side towards the SE and on the cloudy damp side towards the NW- in essence pretty standard fare for a UK summer, and to some extent, a change from the washout of mid to late July.

[Uncle_Barty]

Interesting that a lot of you in the SE hold the view that it's not been too bad a summer.

Here in Bournemouth, it has been a pretty poor summer. It's been rather damp for sure, and like last year there have been long spells of cool and very breezy weather.

June was perhaps so-so, decent spell right at the beginning before it all went wrong, and only a half decent (if rather cloudy) warmer spell in the last week saving June form being very mediocre.

July.. less said the better. We have now not exceeded 22c since July 3rd - exactly a month, poor for high summer, and it has rained on all but 8 days, and on two days out of three so far this month.

Even when the weather has been ok, it has usually been unpleasantly windy.

Even July 2008 gave a decent spell near the end, we didnt even get that this year.

Only an excellent latter 2/3rd of August will rescue this summer from the 'poor' category, and if we carry on as we have, I will assess it as 'very poor', andf the third 'very poor' summer in a row.

[Snowyowl9]

Well the July just gone has for many regions particularly in the West, been far worse (definitely much wetter anyway) than normal/average.

I'm with what rob was saying too, mixed weather is fine, the odd two day spell of warm sunshine separated by showers and rain would be OK, but throughout July any hope of getting more than one dry day at a time has geenrally been folornm, at least here in Wales.

Thats not normal.

Wettest July since 1888 I see on TV the other day,just caught the tail end of it,it could`ve been Wales.

July has been abnormal and 3 in a row wettest, something is going screwy with our summers July mainly.

Fields have not recovered yet as never seen nothing like it today after mowing which is a bit risky but I got to go for it,only summer 2 years ago fields were wetter until the dry recovery in august/autumn.

1985-88 were nothing like this for how wet it is.

As for this august it could well be a similar type settled month to august 2007.

[Nick.F]

Interesting that a lot of you in the SE hold the view that it's not been too bad a summer.

I don't hold to anything, the stats bear it out, experience does too. For here in NE Essex

July 2009

24 days equalling or exceeding 22 degrees, 2 others very close.

22 days with 5 hours or more sunshine, 11 with 8 or more hours.

Pressure did not fall below 1000mb

Avg mean temp 17.9 (slightly above average)

Avg max temp 23.3 (above average)

Avg min temp 12.7 (average)

Avg humidity 71%

70.7mm of rain (above average but 25% or so fell on two days), in admittedly 19 rain days, but most of those less than 2mm

so all in all fairly good

[MP-R]

Well having read through numerous comments, so many people write of August as a summer month. Yes, the days get shorter but it's not so bad at all. Some of the best summer weather in the last few years has come in August (bar 2008 which can go in the trash). Just when we thought summer was over at this time in 2007 there was a settled spell from the 1st-12th August with a brief hiccough on the 6th and another 22nd-29th.

It would be nice though to have another August 2005. It was a little cool the first week but it was very nice 7th-11th then 14th-18th and again 27th-31st. And we mustn't forget the sunny spell in the first third of September 2004.

Edit: Bristol came up as having its wettest July since 1888. 161.8mm here which is just under the 162.4mm set in July 2007.

Edited August 3, 2009 by Michael Prys-Roberts

[damianslaw]

I expect at least one spell of settled warm weather lasting about 5 days at most and hopefully not quite as wet as July during this August most likely to occur sometime after mid month I feel, however, it isn't looking a classic August, just very average resulting in a fairly average summer but with notable poor (mid-late July) and good spells (late May/early June and late June/Early July).

Must say August ranks below May, June and July in my book, yes it can easily be warmest month of the year but it is rarely the driest and most settled unlike May and June which tend especially in the north west to be drier and sunnier. Sunshine can be quite poor in August and with the darker evenings gaining momentum it doesn't have the freshness or excitement of early summer, by late August there is that feeling that the season is firmly ending.

[Somerset Squall]

June was a good month here but July was a complete washout, it rained the majority of days, and the ground is still very waterlogged. No heat, no spell of dry weather lasting any more than about 48hrs. Hopeless. August so far continues the theme.

[butler_son]

Well, one things for sure. I believe wet summers correlate with good cider apple yields! So even in this dour summer of rain and recession, the cider farms/orchards will have apples coming out of their ears. Or so I think...

Oh, I think potatoes do well in the rain as well. Yay! Jacket potatoes all round.

Interesting that a lot of you in the SE hold the view that it's not been too bad a summer.

Here in Bournemouth, it has been a pretty poor summer. It's been rather damp for sure, and like last year there have been long spells of cool and very breezy weather.

June was perhaps so-so, decent spell right at the beginning before it all went wrong, and only a half decent (if rather cloudy) warmer spell in the last week saving June form being very mediocre.

July.. less said the better. We have now not exceeded 22c since July 3rd - exactly a month, poor for high summer, and it has rained on all but 8 days, and on two days out of three so far this month.

Even when the weather has been ok, it has usually been unpleasantly windy.

Even July 2008 gave a decent spell near the end, we didnt even get that this year.

Only an excellent latter 2/3rd of August will rescue this summer from the 'poor' category, and if we carry on as we have, I will assess it as 'very poor', andf the third 'very poor' summer in a row.

Yes, that it has. It's probably been the wettest I can remember it being round here. Granted that's only 12 and a half years mind, but still...

You've got to feel for the tourists though (or not, because they still clog up the roads). I was walking near to Bournemouth Pier/Lower Gardens and heard a family (with distinctly Estuary English) saying to a evidently grumpy kid: "You shouldn't behave like this, you should be grateful, it's not often you get the opportunity to come here" - I just laughed to myself and ploughed on through the rain. Also, I managed to ruin a pair of shoes walking along the cliff halfway from Bournemouth to Boscombe. Thanks summer of 2009!

Edited August 3, 2009 by butler_son

[Derp Patrol]

Whatever anyone says, this summer along with the past 3 has been poor to say the least, with 2007 possibly going down as absolutely dreadful. Again, like last year, temperatures have not been too far from the averages, but many people seem to think that close average temperatures = good summers, which is simply not the case. July was a good indication of this, apart from the first couple of a days during the hot spell, the sun decided to go on holiday, and along with rainfall, this ruined July. If there had not been so much cloud and rain around, then July would have been a lot better, I for one do not mind if it is 20C and sunny, it is a lot better than 25C with cloudy skies.

I don't think that anybody is misunderstanding what an average Brittish summer is, because to be honest, there isn't an average British summer. This is why every year people talk about whether it will be good/bad/wet e.t.c. And the same in Winter, our weather is so unpredictable and in some ways it is great, because it allows us to get the extremes of the summers of 2006,1995,1976 e.t.c and the extremes of the winters of the 1980s

[valiant]

We went for a walk on Friday and picked the first ripe blackberry from the hedge side - commenting on how it was still July. This morning, peering through the autumnal drizzle, the lawn is covered in brown Birch leaves and mushrooms.

The central heating has been clicking on in the evening.

We booked a week in Cornwall from June 20th onwards. It was super summery weather but, as I recall, it was poor weather up to then - and when we came back there were cloudbursts as we drove through the west midlands. Since then, we've had the odd half day of pleasant weather.

I'm no manic depressive - and there seems to be a divergence of views on this week's weather between NW and the BBC - but it IS getting me down, that Bonfire Night is now in my thoughts.

Edited August 4, 2009 by valiant

[mushymanrob]

Who's writing off this month?

the met office!

[Wynn D Woo]

We went for a walk on Friday and picked the first ripe blackberry from the hedge side - commenting on how it was still July. This morning, peering through the autumnal drizzle, the lawn is covered in brown Birch leaves and mushrooms.

We had our first blackberry crumble at the beginning of last week and they do seem to be ripe early this year around here, but when we were in Glastonbury over the weekend the blackberries were still some way off ready.

Too early to definitely write of this summer yet, June was quite good, not too wet with some warmth and sun, where as july has been quite wet and dull, August will be the make or break as to whether this summer has been good bad or indifferent.

[mushymanrob]

my blackberries are nowhere near ready, and this is unusually late. im normally picking by the time i go on my hols ..... which is this week!

[Winter1981]

my blackberries are nowhere near ready, and this is unusually late. im normally picking by the time i go on my hols ..... which is this week!

This is my first time posting, so please be gentle with me. I have been lurking for a couple of years though reading the many informative posts.

I would like to offer an observation on the summer of 2009, based on 2 weeks I recently spent on the beach in Cornwall (Lizard & Far West). Whilst I agree that on the whole, so far, the summer has not been particularly good, the actual weather I experienced from 17 - 31 July was in fact very good. Admittedly there were 2 days that were complete washouts (Sunday 26th & Wednesday 29th), but the remaining days on the beach were on the whole sunny & acceptably warm, and I have come back with a nice tan.

I have been visiting this part of Cornwall for the last 6 years now and every year the weather near the coast has been good. Interestingly, the weather there is often better when the models do not look good. For example, much of the recent 2 weeks I was there were showery - but these showers did not, and often don't, fall on the coast - they fall on the moors in land. When frontal systems pass through, they often do so within 3- 4 hours, and the clearance behind is usually dramatic with clear blue skys. Conversely, when the general weather pattern is set fine, it can be a case of dodging the fog banks that form when the weather becomes hot & see breazes set in.

So, in summary, yes the general weather pattern has not been great, but in my experience local conditions in Cornwall are often at odds with the general pattern, and they were in the last 2 weeks of July. I just think this should be borne in mind before we write off the summer from a holiday makers point of view.

Hope this is Ok in this topic.

[Snowyowl9]

I`ll wait until the end of august because if we get a good settled spell like august 2007 then this summer won`t of been so bad,besides the extremely wet July which is out of the ordinary by far, but at least it was a very interesting month for thundery torrential showers.

[Solar Cycles]

I think what is happening is that since it's been 3 years since our last proper Summer, people have redefined what a UK Summer should be like or, altered their expectations of Summer. This 'average' weather we've been having over the last month is NOT what Summer should be like, even in this country. I don't like when a people say we were spoilt in years such as 2006, with alot of sunshine and record breaking temps. No we weren't, that's just what Summer should be like fullstop. Can't we all just agree that this Summer hasn't been good because seriously, it just hasn't.

I'm sorry but your wrong, this summer is what an actual British summer should be like, some warm and dry spells, interupted by cool, wet/showery, interludes. It's only the younger members, who think every summer should hot and dry, well them and the MetO!!

[Alex95]

I'm sorry but your wrong, this summer is what an actual British summer should be like, some warm and dry spells, interupted by cool, wet/showery, interludes. It's only the younger members, who think every summer should hot and dry, well them and the MetO!!

I'd say June was what it should be like - not much hot weather, but plenty of fine weather and high pressure close by. Sure there was some bad days aswell, but that is to be expected. July on the other hand has be rotten - I had a week in the Lake District and it poured every day but 1. Even for the Lakes that is worse than what you should expect in summer. If August is a good one I would pass this summer as slightly better than average at best, or slightly below average at worst.

[johnholmes]

I think what is happening is that since it's been 3 years since our last proper Summer, people have redefined what a UK Summer should be like or, altered their expectations of Summer. This 'average' weather we've been having over the last month is NOT what Summer should be like, even in this country. I don't like when a people say we were spoilt in years such as 2006, with alot of sunshine and record breaking temps. No we weren't, that's just what Summer should be like fullstop. Can't we all just agree that this Summer hasn't been good because seriously, it just hasn't.

I'm afraid your age (21 it seems) explains why you made the comment above.

The majority of summers are much like the comment below from SC

I'm sorry but your wrong, this summer is what an actual British summer should be like, some warm and dry spells, interrupted by cool, wet/showery, interludes.

Having experienced 70 summers, well I missed two whilst in Cyprus doing National Service, his comments are much nearer the mark than yours. Averages are just that, averages, preferably over as long a time scale as possible, thus the hot and cold ones are evened out. Very few summers have the length of heat that 2006 had nor its crop of storms-most are rather different. Not that different from this year in fact.

Edited August 4, 2009 by johnholmes

[johnholmes]

have a look at the cet data sets-only temperature I know but it will give a 'flavour' of what summer is often like in that area, and its not too far out for most parts of England and Wales in most years.

another useful indicator is the Manchester one which Mr D shows us from time to time.

Edited August 4, 2009 by johnholmes

[Bristawl Si]

I suppose if we divide the summer into 3 key months; June, July and August.

June was pretty dry and warm, July was wet and fairly cool at times, August has only just started so let's wait and see. At the mo i see it as 1-1, with 30+ 'minutes' to go.

This summer, so far, feels 'different' because we've had two quite contrasting months in June and July. The interludes of rain/showers against sunny days appears to not have actually happened as a 'normal/average' british summer brings. Instead we've had the two types of weather in two separate months!!

It was announced yesterday, for instance, that my home town, Bristol, has experienced our wettest July since the 19th century!!

So i disagree with the member who says it's been totally rubbish, but also disagree with those that says it's been 'normal'.

[Duncan McAlister]

Ok, forget 2006 and it's exceptional records but am I so off the mark with the perception that these last few Summers have been quite awful, or am I alone on this one? Gee, if this is what Summer should be like, and will continue on being like, I'm getting outta this country. And whatever happened to the Autumn season? Isn't that the period associated with cool and windy weather or do we not have any Seasons anymore?

I think you're right weather09. Apart from the temperatures which have been more or less average, the last three summers are NOT what you would expect from a 'typical British summer' for the simple reaason that the rainfall has been considerably above average and sunshine below. You wouldn't hear a January of 5.5C as a 'typical' British January just because British winters are generally mild. Whilst that may be the case, they aren't as mild as that. The same for summers 2007, 08 and this one which looks to be heading the same way. Whilst a British summer is typically rainy, it is not, historically, as wet as it's been the last three summers.

[A.J]

I'm afraid your age (21 it seems) explains why you made the comment above.

The majority of summers are much like the comment below from SC

I'm sorry but your wrong, this summer is what an actual British summer should be like, some warm and dry spells, interrupted by cool, wet/showery, interludes.

Having experienced 70 summers, well I missed two whilst in Cyprus doing National Service, his comments are much nearer the mark than yours. Averages are just that, averages, preferably over as long a time scale as possible, thus the hot and cold ones are evened out. Very few summers have the length of heat that 2006 had nor its crop of storms-most are rather different. Not that different from this year in fact.

I must admit, I'm kind of with weather09 on this one, but for a different reason....This is my 3rd summer living in the west midlands, and to be frank, each one has been poor (plenty of rainfall, too many sunless days) to what I'm used to having lived a good chunk of my life on the South Devon coast....There does seem to be a higher percentage of thunderstorms up here, but the sun was definitely more previlant in Torbay during summer!

[johnholmes]

I take the point about rainfall and I have not got that to hand. Just returning to the temperature alone and to show how 2006 really was pretty unusual

from CET data

sum up the 3 summer months for a total number of 'means' for each month

2006=51.7

only beaten by 19756 with 53.3 and 1995 with 52.1

other 'notable' summers were

1947=51.1

1959 and 1997=49.7

and 1949=49.5

I may well have missed out other summers which had similar numbers. It was done quickly just to try and illustrate, how 2006, temperature wise, was fairly unique, even in our warming climate.

this summer scores so far

so is extremely unlikely to figure anywhere in the table above!

14.8

16.1

Edited August 4, 2009 by johnholmes