TOP 5 - Favourite Months you have experienced

[Stu_London]

Not sure if this has been done before, but was thinking that March 2013 might enter into my top 5 calandar months, so thought I would start a thread. Tell me your top 5, and why.

Here are mine.

January 1987 - A shortish spell but simply the best snow event I have ever witnessed. Probably as severe as anything in the 19th or 20th Centuries in what otherwise would have been a rather uneventful month in terms of weather.

December 2010 - Would make it on to the list if only for debunking some silly theories about cold and snow that had been doing the rounds for a few years, however was much more than that. Proved that long lasting lowland snow in England that we had seen the previous January was no fluke and delivered synoptics and weather that was stunning to witness. Only denied the spot as coldest December ever by a couple of milder days at the end of the month.

August 2003 - A fitting finale to what seemed like an endless summer that started around March time. At the time I didn't much like 38C when I was trying to lay laminate flooring in my central london flat (without air conditioning), however I do see the historical significance of it now and with the relative lack of decent summers since (except 2006), would gladly welcome back some summer sun and heat.

February 1986 - A very cold but uneventful month for most, unless you lived in the west country (which I did at the time) where frontal systems bumping into the block produced 3 separate snow events that would normally be 1 in 20 year events.

July 1983 - Very warm and thundery - once again in West Country. Remember one electrical storm that lit the sky almost all night.

March 2013 might get in, if it delivers a sub 3C CET. Honourable mentions to Feb 1991, Oct 1987, Feb 1979, Aug 1990, Aug 1995, Aug 1998, Jan 2010, Jul 1989.

I'm sure I have missed some, so get posting.

[summer blizzard]

June and July 2006.

January and December 2010.

Thrown in for good measure i will go for.. June 2005.

[Lake District Blizzard]

June 1975

May 1989

July 2006

December 2010

April 2003

[jtay]

June 1975

May 1989

July 2006

December 2010

April 2003

Are they weather related, or from a 'special interest' calendar?

[Weather-history]

December 2010

August 1995

Both for their exceptional nature.

August 2004

For how thundery it was

January 2010

For the snow

May 1992

Very warm and thundery at times.

[Richard2901]

The only Top 5 that March 2013 would be likely to enter is my top 5 worst months alongside other ghastly easterly dominated horrors like March 1996, December 2002, June 2007 and July 2012.

As for favourite months most of the best months, particularly summer, occurred before I was born but of those I have experienced:

August 1995

May 2001

April 2007

July 1994

December 2010

[iand61]

February 79, some of the biggest blizzards I've ever seen, the best month of a long and memorable winter.

January 82 for an almost rinse and repeat of the above although winter as a whole was much less severe.

July 83, hot, hot summer sun.

August 95, final hot month of a proper summer.

July 2006, glorious period but with one of the best thunderstorms I've ever seen.

I could have included December 2010 for its brutal cold but the snow wasn't anything special in these parts so it can be first reserve.

[Bottesford]

July 2006 (summer & weather at its absolute best)

August 1995 (at the age of 15 I remember this for endless sunny, dry & sunny weather which I decided made for good conditions to play the game Dune 2... hmmm)

June 2006 (much like July - supreme good weather.)

August 2003 (for the epic heat)

Hard to think of any others that I can link to a specific month but I did enjoy Dec 2010 for the extreme low temperatures although there wasn't that much snow at home.

[❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️]

August 2003 - A fitting finale to what seemed like an endless summer that started around March time. At the time I didn't much like 38C when I was trying to lay laminate flooring in my central london flat (without air conditioning), however I do see the historical significance of it now and with the relative lack of decent summers since (except 2006), would gladly welcome back some summer sun and heat.

Joe laminate floori?

[hillbilly]

it depends wether you like winter or summer and i like both so i'm doing 5 of each!!

winter...

january 1979.nothing comes close to the sheer amounts of snow we had and was very cold drifts under walls into may -0.7

february 1986.severe cold with unrelenting snow showers and never ending biting east winds for 6 weeks -1.1

december 1981.very heavy snow,very cold worse than 2010 in these parts -1.0

april 1981. to give that amount of snow in the last week of april must be the most crazy weather event in a lifetime with terrible floods to follow

december 2010 have to give credit for night temps,just lacked volume of snow -0.7

summer

august 1995 amazing

august1984 great here

july 1983 hot

august 1989

july 2006

just what came to mind,could have easily put in months from 2003,1990,1992,1997

[carinthian]

January...1962.. Record prolonged severe cold and prolonged snow retention. Monster drifts till March.

February 1969.. Polar Low experience in Manchester/ Cheshire

August 1976.. Blazing Heat

December 1981.. Early freeze followed by record heavy snowfall in Cheshire

February 2013.. Fantastic snow month in the Austrian Alps.

C

[Harve]

January 2010 for snowdrifts and an 'alpine feel'.

December 2010 for snow depths and bitter cold.

April 2011 for moderately warm, sunny and settled weather. Months like July 2006 were like this but 8c warmer... 8c too warm by my book.

May 2010 for all four seasons in one month (if mid-March to mid-April were a month, that would be better)

August 2004 for a tropical monsoon feel (even know I barely remember it)

Apologies for the 2010 dominance.

[Methuselah]

Jan '63, Feb '63, Dec '81...

July 2006, Aug 1975...

Edited March 21, 2013 by Rybris Ponce

[damianslaw]

August 1995 has to go down as my favourite month of all - it was superb, endless days of hot sunshine and no rain coming on the back of a very warm latter part of June and July - summer 95 was very special.

December 2010 - not for snow amounts which were preety woeful in these parts but for the persistant freezing temperatures - seeing the river kent freeze was quite something.

December 1995 also for the cold.

February 96 for the snow.

July 06 - only just eclipsed by August 95.

[Thundery wintry showers]

July 2006- continental-style, lots of warm/hot sunshine but also occasional showery/thundery outbreaks

November 2010- a very varied month (don't forget the mild start and the gale on the 11th for example), and the famously snowy last week

December 2010- a sub-zero month, generally bright and snowy where I was, and it had variety too (two intense cold spells interspersed with two milder interludes, rather than cold throughout the month).

March 1995- OK there was no lasting snow cover, but for the frequency of days with sunshine, sharp wintry showers and rapid fluctuations in weather, visibility and temperature, it easily surpassed any other month that I remember, and there were also two warm dry sunny interludes thrown in.

I find it hard to pick a 5th, but it would probably be one out of the following: July 1994, July 1995, August 1995, August 1996. I find it hard to compare those months objectively because I had what I can only describe as a phobia of hot weather back then. For instance I scored August 1995 as "too hot" at the time and spent most of the month playing Doom, but that assessment doesn't match up with various instances of having outdoor trips during the hotter spells and coping rather well.

Edited March 21, 2013 by Thundery wintry showers

[Guest pjl20101]

October 1987 for the hurricaine and it boded for interesting weather.

August 2004 for plenty of hot weather but constant thundery activity.

May 1992 for having classic early summer warmth

September 2006 for it being the warmest ever and love intense Indian summer in September anyway.

June 2005 for having a very cool first half, but a very warm second half and subsequently the warmest since 1976. Very interesting month indeed.

[AderynCoch]

August 1995

February 1996

July 2006

January 2010

December 2010

[Lettucing Gutted]

October 2003 because I loved the crisp, cool days and frosty mornings!

January 2010 because of the great powder snow and very frosty weather!

December 2010 everyone knows why

July 2011 because of the cool fresh nights and classic sunshine and showers days!

March 2013 because of the variety of cold and sunny days, sunshine and showers days, and cold and snowy days!

Honorable mentions also goto February 1991, June 1991, July 1993, August 1993, September 1993, October 1993, November 1993, March 1995, December 1995, May 1996, November 1996, June 1997, October 1997, November 2005, October 2008 and November 2010.

Edited March 22, 2013 by Craig Evans

[Harve]

The only Top 5 that March 2013 would be likely to enter is my top 5 worst months alongside other ghastly easterly dominated horrors like March 1996, December 2002, June 2007 and July 2012.

It seems to me as if every month seems to become your least favourite month and that the weather simply varies between dire and slightly less dire for you. Short term memory?

[Alex]

As a heat / storm lover, favs have to be

August 95 for heat and a couple of v decent storms.

June 96 for the dry weather apart from the incredible storm - one of the best ever after a spanish plume!

Aug 03 for the extreme heat- would love a repeat. We also did well for storms too here! Lots of evening ones.

July 06 feeling hot hot hot!!!

April 11 I was sitting out in shorts in easter - enough said!

July 10 was close for dry weather and managed to loads of summery things!

If I would have been alive i'm sure oct 87 for the hurricane and summer 76 would be up there!

Add me onto your twitter to get my personal weather views - @alexbweather

[Summer of 95]

December 2010

August 1995

July 2006

April 2007 (better than 2011)

June 2005

Close are July 1995 and Feb 1991.

[Metwatch]

(Final post on a much older thread for the time being )

Top 5:

May 2020: very dry and sunny most of the month.

June 2023: sunny, very warm, mostly dry between good thunderstorms mid month.

June 2018: Similar to May 2020.

December 2010: Hoar frost then few inches of snow lasting a long time. Lowest temperature i've experienced as well, -11C

January 2013: Deepest snow in my lifetime here, 15-16cm on the 21st.

 

Memorable mentions:

May 2018: warm before thundery end leading to a good summer

April 2020: dry and warmish, lovely start to mid spring

December 2017: second deepest snow i've experienced on the 10th around 13-14cm, then a bit more snow end of month

March 2018 multiple episodes of snow

June 2020: Very thundery mid month, and a lot of pleasant warm days mixed in.

September 2020 and 2021: pleasant warm summer feeling months and very dry too.

September 2023: very warm - hot first part, then strong thunderstorms mid month

July 2013: very warm, dry sunny

February 2023: Amazingly dry considering it wasn't cold, felt like a dry March

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 4 by Metwatch

[B87]

July 2006

July 2018

August 1995

August 2022

July 2022