The Great Drought - The Summer Of 1976

[Gavin P]

Hey all, here's my latest historic video:

http://www.gavsweathervids.com

You can watch this video and all my other historic videos here: http://gavsweathervi...historical.html

Thanks for your support.

Edited July 8, 2012 by Gavin P

[Polar Continental]

Thank you Gavin, an excellent presentation, yes what an astonishing summer 1976 was, always referred too and compared too and maybe for many more years.

[Gavin P]

Thanks Polar.

[phil nw.]

Yes i remember it well.

https://www.youtube....E4FcrGysU?rel=0

Then came the bank holiday at the end of August and we had rain throughout September.

[johnholmes]

It was indeed a summer to remember.

Another of my weather memories from forecasting at Manchester Wather Centre.

It was during the first attempts by UK Met to predict so called long range weather outlooks. Largely based on the position and strength of the jet if my memory is correct. One of our jobs at the WC was to give presentations to all manner of people, farmers, WI's, Probus clubs, Rotary etc. I well remember the day the weather broke setting off that evening with my usual set of OHP and hand outs including the latest long range. The prediction being of it extending into the first part of autumn. Fortunately I had called in the WC on my way and seen the latest charts none of which suggested much like that at all. Half way through my talk a fairly active thunderstorm temporarily stopped the talk due to the noise of thunder and hail, and BEFORE I had got to the long range. This was hastily deleted and replaced by me of perhaps more unsettled than for some time being the most likely outcome for the next month!

Edited July 8, 2012 by johnholmes

[Gavin P]

LOL! That was a good call by you then John.

[damianslaw]

Thanks - a very good watch. An exceptional summer it has to be said, the only summer to come anywhere near it since being 1995.

Some future suggestions - i'd appreciate seeing, would be an overview of July 2006, the heatwave of early august 2003 and more generally the summer of 1995 and perhaps as a counterbalance an overview of maybe one of the poor summers of the mid-late 80's, plenty to choose from the wet July and August 1988, the exceptional coolness of August 1986, the coolness of August 1986 lasting throughout Sept 1986 - I'd be particularly interested to see an overview of those both months. Summer 1985 I don't think was much cop neither, or going further back perhaps summer 1978 which I think was one of the coldest of the last 100 years???

Perhaps you could do an overview in one shot of the last three potent lengthy hot spells in the last 25 years i.e. early august 1990, early aug 2003 and July 2006. Another good summer overall was 1989, often forgotton..

Anyhow these are just some suggestions and you can ignore me completely if you so wish.

I feel summer 2012 could go down as one of the all time shockers.....but theres still a good 6-7 weeks for it to redeem itself, whatever happens given the first half has been a total shocker, even if the second half was similiar to say the second half of summer 95, it would only balance itself it to being average overall, but the probabilities of this happening are perhaps about 1 in 200..

[Gavin P]

Thanks Damian. Good choices, all of them!

I only do these historic videos occasionally, so I'll not be able to do all of those years this summer, but I'm sure over the next few years they'll all find their way on to GavsWeatherVids.

[bringmesunshine]

Fantastic vid Gavin bringing back lots of good memories. Really enjoyed the '75 one as well, as you say, the 'forgotten' great summer. Keep them coming!

[knocker]

Popping back a bit I remember the 1959 summer quite well as it was my first year working starting at the METO headquarters at Dunstable. Some difference to the building at Exeter as it was mostly wooden huts.

Anyway talking of droughts, averaged nationally, the five months May to September remains the driest such period in 312 years of records with only 52 per cent of the normal amount of rain.

http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/reports/philip-eden/Summer-1959.htm

[Coast]

[bringmesunshine]

Knocker, while too young to remember it personally would it be fair to suggest that in terms of the extended summer 1959 matches '76 as it wasn't as intensely hot but it lasted well into the autumn. My father and others used to talk about 1949 and 59 as being the great pre '76 summers. They also used to say it rained all the time in the 50's so can we assume that the only truly outstanding summer between 1949 and '75 was 1959. Which puts our current run of 'dreadful' summers into some kind of historical context.

[knocker]

Knocker, while too young to remember it personally would it be fair to suggest that in terms of the extended summer 1959 matches '76 as it wasn't as intensely hot but it lasted well into the autumn. My father and others used to talk about 1949 and 59 as being the great pre '76 summers. They also used to say it rained all the time in the 50's so can we assume that the only truly outstanding summer between 1949 and '75 was 1959. Which puts our current run of 'dreadful' summers into some kind of historical context.

Very fair. As Philip Eden notes it went on from the second week of May to the third week of October. We could sure do with some of that at the moment, even a couple of weeks.

[johnholmes]

Popping back a bit I remember the 1959 summer quite well as it was my first year working starting at the METO headquarters at Dunstable. Some difference to the building at Exeter as it was mostly wooden huts.

Anyway talking of droughts, averaged nationally, the five months May to September remains the driest such period in 312 years of records with only 52 per cent of the normal amount of rain.

http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/reports/philip-eden/Summer-1959.htm

what a young lad!

I was in Cyprus on National Service but my parents sent me paper cuttings of the village at the bottom of the Ladybower resevoir showing up.

[knocker]

what a young lad!

I was in Cyprus on National Service but my parents sent me paper cuttings of the village at the bottom of the Ladybower resevoir showing up.

I know. I'm just popping off to get the violin. I notice that Derwent showing up is mentioned in WIKI.