Summer 2013

[matty007]

Don't know why people are bashing August so much, we've just been unlucky. 

 

And you people do know that August is actually warmer than July right? 

[Relativistic]

Don't know why people are bashing August so much, we've just been unlucky. And you people do know that August is actually warmer than July right?

Statistically, mean CET values would tend to disagree.

[matty007]

Statistically, mean CET values would tend to disagree.

 

If you look at the world temperatures their almost always highest in August. Of course high pressure and other factors can effect that, case in point last month. If we had those same conditions this month we would reach hotter temps due to the sun being stronger due to thermal lag. August is the height of summer, in the northern hemisphere the sun is strongest around the 10-15th of August. 

 

I'm sorry but August is the hottest month of the year, any meteorological expert will tell you that, it's just generally more unsettled in this country of late. 

Edited August 1, 2013 by matty007

[Relativistic]

If you look at the world temperatures their almost always highest in August. Of course high pressure and other factors can effect that, case in point last month. If we had those same conditions this month we would reach hotter temps due to the sun being stronger due to thermal lag. August is the height of summer, in the northern hemisphere the sun is strongest around the 10-15th of August. I'm sorry but August is the hottest month of the year, any meteorological expert will tell you that, it's just generally more unsettled in this country of late.

Whilst it may potentially get hotter in August, statistically, August is cooler than July. Edited August 1, 2013 by 22nov10blast

[johnholmes]

from the CET data page

Averages for the reference period 1971-2000

 

http://www.personal.dundee.ac.uk/~taharley/centralengav_temperat.htm

 

and August shows through each period to be slightly less warm than July

Edited August 1, 2013 by johnholmes

[Weather-history]

Don't know why people are bashing August so much, we've just been unlucky. And you people do know that August is actually warmer than July right?

August can be warmer than July, September can be warmer than August, September can be warmer than July, June can be warmer than July and August but when it comes to long term averages, I think you will find that July is warmer than August. I'm not aware of an occasion when the 30 year average for July was less than that of August. Maybe worth looking at but not in recent times, certainly not with the last three 30 year averages. Edited August 1, 2013 by Weather-history

[laserguy]

 ....in the northern hemisphere the sun is strongest around the 10-15th of August. 

 

 

 

How do you work that out?

[Lettucing Gutted]

The sun itself is actually the strongest in the period centered around 21-22nd June aka the Summer Solstice.  However late July and yes often early-mid August is the hottest time of the year because although the solar radiation slowly gets weaker both the Land and Oceans in the summer hemisphere respond slowly to the reduction in solar radiation with the land been hottest in late July and the Ocean in September.  This is seasonal lag.

Edited August 1, 2013 by Craig Evans

[matty007]

How do you work that out?

 

I think you misunderstand me, or maybe I shouldn't of said the sun. Quite rightly as Chris says the sun is strongest at the Summer solstice as that's when it's closest to the hemisphere obviously. 

 

However due to thermal lag the earth and oceans take time to heat up, it's typically around this time up to the fifteenth when this warming has reached it's max. That's why we saw the freak maximum in 2003 on the 10th, the conditions came just at the right time and the ground had time to warm for a change before unsettled conditions stole it away. 

 

Providing the conditions are right then now until the middle of the month is typically when earth is at it's warmest. As others have rightly pointed July is typically warmer for a whole month average because the whole of July is closer to the start of Summer than August is, the latter half at least. Given that it's usually more settled as well then you will see warmer average temps. However if the conditions are right building up and going into August then around this time and into the middle of August is when you will see the hottest temperatures. Not necessarily the most consistent over a whole month though. 

[laserguy]

I think you misunderstand me, or maybe I shouldn't of said the sun. Quite rightly as Chris says the sun is strongest at the Summer solstice as that's when it's closest to the hemisphere obviously..... 

 

 

 

Ok thanks.... I thought that was what you meant but wanted to make sure!

[Radiating Dendrite]

I think you misunderstand me, or maybe I shouldn't of said the sun. Quite rightly as Chris says the sun is strongest at the Summer solstice as that's when it's closest to the hemisphere obviously. 

 

However due to thermal lag the earth and oceans take time to heat up, it's typically around this time up to the fifteenth when this warming has reached it's max. That's why we saw the freak maximum in 2003 on the 10th, the conditions came just at the right time and the ground had time to warm for a change before unsettled conditions stole it away. 

 

Providing the conditions are right then now until the middle of the month is typically when earth is at it's warmest. As others have rightly pointed July is typically warmer for a whole month average because the whole of July is closer to the start of Summer than August is, the latter half at least. Given that it's usually more settled as well then you will see warmer average temps. However if the conditions are right building up and going into August then around this time and into the middle of August is when you will see the hottest temperatures. Not necessarily the most consistent over a whole month though. 

 

It is when the sun is highest in the sky..........not closest to the hemisphere.

 

We are actually closer to the sun in Winter believe it or not!

[hillbilly]

July warmer than august??.......come on there is nothing in it....What 0.4 deg...or was it 0.6 ,I forgot now .Realistically it is the same to me,certainly the first 3 weeks of august is total high summer in fact maybe the first 3 weeks are warmer than july average.Just the same as January and February ,there is nothing in it!!!!

[Bottesford]

The main difference being the light levels with later in August having nights long enough for a chill to kick in.

[cheese]

Yes, August is definitely capable of producing the first chilly nights and even air frost in the frost hollows, such as the widespread sub-4C readings at the end of August last year (3C here). However, the two months are very similar in temperature and as today, and last year, have proven, it is capable of giving us the highest temperatures of the year, and the first chilly nights typically don't occur until the end of the month.

Edited August 1, 2013 by cheese

[March Blizzard]

I wouldn't be surprised if August is actually the warmest month overall in the northern hemisphere due to thermal lag, especially in the oceans. I've heard February is the coldest month in the NH (true or not i don't know), it certainly is throughout most of the arctic, with the most sea ice nearly always well into March.

August may not be the warmest month overall but it often can bring the most heat, the same goes for Feb in terms of cold, they just can't (or rarely) sustain it as well as their earlier neighbours.

[matty007]

It is when the sun is highest in the sky..........not closest to the hemisphere.

 

We are actually closer to the sun in Winter believe it or not!

 

Oh OK, that's interesting. Always thought the Sun was closest to the hemisphere and that's why we see the higher temps. 

 

Well you learn something new everyday, thanks for telling me. 

[Eugene]

10th anniversary coming up of one of the most incredible events in UK summer history, great video I recommend you watch all of it even though its over 30 minutes long.

 

 

[March Blizzard]

10th anniversary coming up of one of the most incredible events in UK summer history, great video I recommend you watch all of it even though its over 30 minutes long.

 

 

Looks good, might have to have a watch.

[laserguy]

 

 

We are actually closer to the sun in Winter believe it or not!

 

Ye - by a coupla million miles. Good job it's not the other way round or,well,isn't summer bad enough at the best of times now?

[Summer Sun]

Confirmed hottest day of 2013 so far with 34.2c (93.5f) recorded at London Heathrow

 

Edited August 1, 2013 by Summer Sun

[Derp Patrol]

Confirmed hottest day of 2013 so far with 34.2c (93.5f) recorded at London Heathrow

 

 

Wow was it really that hot here? I thought it felt hotter than the 30C forecast but 34 is pretty impressive, not gone above 33C since 2006 so that's decent. 

[hillbilly]

Wow was it really that hot here? I thought it felt hotter than the 30C forecast but 34 is pretty impressive, not gone above 33C since 2006 so that's decent. 

amazing how it varies around the country,could only get 27.5 yesterday not even the record for this year here.Mind you the cloud didn't clear till afternoon and it was only 24 @3pm yet was still 27 at 8pm ,max between 6 and 7.30!!!!!!!!!!

[Scorcher]

amazing how it varies around the country,could only get 27.5 yesterday not even the record for this year here.Mind you the cloud didn't clear till afternoon and it was only 24 @3pm yet was still 27 at 8pm ,max between 6 and 7.30!!!!!!!!!!

 

We managed 30C here and we're only about 25 miles from you. My mum was in Leeds yesterday and she said it was much cloudier than it was in Manchester for much of the day, the cloud probably cleared too late for you.

[Milhouse]

Wow was it really that hot here? I thought it felt hotter than the 30C forecast but 34 is pretty impressive, not gone above 33C since 2006 so that's decent. 

 

34.2c is very good. Most of the good summers have had a max of at least 33c so its nice that this summer has had a decent max to reflect what a good month of weather its been.

[weatherguru14]

So much for the break down in weather.. The last 3 out of 4 days have been glorious.. Wednedsay was wet but apart from that day its been a continue of the  excellent summer weather we are having this year. Today is a bit fresher but still plenty of sunshine and should be  a warm afternoon.