Boring months

[Summer of 95]

Over halfway through a month that has so far been devoid of any interesting weather, I wonder what months other members think of as having been boring, weatherwise? By boring I mean lacking events like snowfall, thunder, gales, floods, heat waves, and also exceptional mild/cold/wet/dull months are out because they do have something noteworthy.

 

Some from my memory are:

 

February 2011- mild, wet and snowless but not a record mild or wet month. No floods despite frequent rain- very tedious indeed and let down a good winter.

April 2009- very boring for an April, did not have a single max below 10C or above 18C. Average rain and sun as I remember too.

June 2002- this month was unbelievably boring; it had no days above 25C, no thunder, no days with 25mm rain, no cold nights, no days with over 12 hours sun. It had no weather, basically.

September 2001- cold and dull but not record-breakingly so. Lacked the late heat or early Autumn storms that month can provide.

 

Further back the Marches of 1991-94 didn't have much of note that I recall.

Edited October 19, 2013 by Summer of 95

[laserguy]

2013 has been a total borefest since the melting of March's incredible snow.

[Methuselah]

March was just about the most boring month ever, barring February 1986...

[Richard2901]

In general the higher the proportion of easterly or south easterly winds the more boring the month. You can add southerlies as well between Oct and April.

There's nothing more boring than months full of drizzle, grey skies, mild nights, low diurnal ranges and a lack of extreme weather.

Plenty of months like that in the past decade. Probably more than in any other period. These are the months that stand out as being the most monotonous

October 2004

March 2005

October 2005 (except for one heavy rain event)

Jan 2006

Feb 2006

June 2007

September 2008

April 2009

May 2011

Oct 2011

Nov 2011

June 2012

July 2012

March 2013

May 2011 wasn't dull like the rest but the lack of temperature variation was unbelievable. Mean Max 1C above average but absolute Max the lowest since 1983.

For a sequence of extreme tedious months it would be hard to beat September to December 1968. Four months of almost relentless anticyclonic gloom conditions. Really glad not to have been around back then to suffer that.

[Thundery wintry showers]

August 1998 in Tyneside springs to mind- the Azores High kept ridging far north/east enough to keep conditions relatively dry and settled and inhibit any kind of convective activity, but not enough to bring the sort of warmth and sunshine that prevailed further south.  The second half of June 2002 was similar except that even southern areas often struggled to see much sun on that occasion.

 

I'd certainly agree with September 2001, January/February 2006, September 2008, April 2009, February 2011, May 2011, Oct/Nov 2011, and June/July 2012.

 

I remember March 2013 for a brief bout of bright snowy weather on the 10th-13th with some spectacular snow squalls on the 11th and sunshine in between and a max of just 0.9C despite the sunshine, and for me that saved it from joining the list, but otherwise it would have been a contender.  Similarly, January 1996 would've been right up there had it not been for the snowy easterly on the 25th-27th, and March 1996 was also spared by just a couple of events.

Edited October 19, 2013 by Thundery wintry showers

[Don]

I would add January 2011 to that list from a IMBY perspective.  In fact 2011 was a boring year overall weather wise, up there with 2002 IMO.

[Summer of 95]

There were too many boring months in 2011 to list, I went for February as it was the worst of a bad lot. The period from mid-May to late August was certainly one of the most tedious spells I can remember.

 

October 2004 was certainly another, it didn't make my initial list because of a surprise thunderstorm one evening. That month was remarkable here for its lack of temperature variation- only about 12C in the whole month. This month isn't faring much better so far..

[cheese]

January 2008

February 2011

June 2011

July 2011

November 2011

December 2011

August 2012

 

2011 was possibly the most boring year ever, or at least a good contender.

Edited October 19, 2013 by cheese

[conor123]

There's just SO much choice even from this year here :lol:

Months like August 2008, July 2010, August 2010, Summer 2011, June 2012 (nothingness all month and then sat under a sheet a statrocumulus and light rain while the rest of the Midlands got their biggest storms for many years to top it off) and August 2013 with the same bland stratocumulus sheet day after day, week after week really take the biscuit though.

 

2011 would be the most bland year of weather I can remember if it wasn't for that once in a lifetime late September-early October heatwave which ranks highly in my top 10 weather events here.

[AderynCoch]

2011 would be the most bland year of weather I can remember if it wasn't for that once in a lifetime late September-early October heatwave which ranks highly in my top 10 weather events here.

I completely agree with this. That was a truly exceptional spell of weather in an otherwise tedious year. The problem with 2011 was that warm synoptics dominated during the cooler months and cool synoptics dominated during the warmer months. I still can't believe we managed to achieve the second warmest annual CET since 1659 when all three summer months were below the long-term average.

 

I would also nominate February as the most boring month of 2011 (with November not too far behind). Such a disappointment after what the first half of winter was like.

[damianslaw]

I remember we had a similiar thread a few months back, asking people's opinions for the most uninteresting summer with 2002 winning hands down.

 

Yes 2011 had many uninteresting months, Feb 2011 was exceptioonally trying.

 

2002 also had many uninteresting months.

 

For a couplet honours must go to March and April 1997, high pressure sat to the NW bringing a very dry spell with patchy drizzle and very mild temps with little diurnal range.

 

From a personal perspective months dominated by southwesterly/southerly airstreams make for very trying conditions, endless grey skies murk mist drizzle rain and unseasonal mild - just like we have now. Yes October 2013 is fast turning into another very uniteresting month with little temp variation, no frost or fog or early snow on the fells.

[Weather-history]

I remember we had a similiar thread a few months back, asking people's opinions for the most uninteresting summer with 2002 winning hands down. Yes 2011 had many uninteresting months, Feb 2011 was exceptioonally trying. 2002 also had many uninteresting months. For a couplet honours must go to March and April 1997, high pressure sat to the NW bringing a very dry spell with patchy drizzle and very mild temps with little diurnal range. From a personal perspective months dominated by southwesterly/southerly airstreams make for very trying conditions, endless grey skies murk mist drizzle rain and unseasonal mild - just like we have now. Yes October 2013 is fast turning into another very uniteresting month with little temp variation, no frost or fog or early snow on the fells.

Yes I posted a thread on most boring years, weatherwise and 2002 was well featured in that thread.March and April 1997 were very tedious March 1997http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWbt7RniF2aolD2ipfraEFdAssZhObnI0April 1997http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWbt7RniF2aoD4bS9nJrqbzvaLb1J_C6y

[Jax]

Never found any weather or month boring, for example this month I have travelled to the south coast and seen some fantastic sunshine where as inland it has been dull and overcast, so I think it becomes a regional thing.  It may be kack where you are but it could be fantastic just a few miles up the road.

[Mark Neal.]

I agree March was rather boring. A persistent Easterly wind, which only brought some light snow flurries. January and February 2011 also spring to mind. 

[I remember Atlantic 252]

I agree March was rather boring. A persistent Easterly wind, which only brought some light snow flurries. January and February 2011 also spring to mind. 

 

'Eavens above, march this year was fantastic for me, best snow since '96, did you miss the snow from 22-24th then? then rest of month was cold frosty and sunny

[East_England_Stormchaser91]

2011 has to be the most boring year I've witnessed yet, along with 2008. Both really tedious years with no real outstanding month to note of whatsoever. As for months, September tends to be very boring indeed. The song 'Wake me up, when September ends' defines it.

[smithyweather]

October, September, August and May are all boring months. 

I agree March was rather boring. A persistent Easterly wind, which only brought some light snow flurries. January and February 2011 also spring to mind. 

I think this month has been awful boring.        

[Mark Neal.]

'Eavens above, march this year was fantastic for me, best snow since '96, did you miss the snow from 22-24th then? then rest of month was cold frosty and sunny

No my post was a southern point of view. We weren't as lucky as the northern areas who had snow of epic proportions it was rather a dull cloudy and cold month here.

[Don]

No my post was a southern point of view. We weren't as lucky as the northern areas who had snow of epic proportions it was rather a dull cloudy and cold month here.

 

I feel that March provided plenty of interest even from a southern point of view.  Yes, we missed out on most of the snow but the south coast got a pasting on the 11th/12th and I also had a reasonable snowfall during the morning of the 23rd.  March 2013 will always stick in my mind as a memorable month.  As for comments about 2008 being a boring year, again I disagree.  Some months were boring namely January and February, but March and April had some wintry weather, May was notably warm and who can forget the early snowfalls of October!  However, what really stands out about 2008 for me is that it marked the start of a run of colder than average Winters.

Edited October 19, 2013 by Don

[stewfox]

Over halfway through a month that has so far been devoid of any interesting weather, I wonder what months other members think of as having been boring, weatherwise? By boring I mean lacking events like snowfall, thunder, gales, floods, heat waves, and also exceptional mild/cold/wet/dull months are out because they do have something noteworthy.

 

 

 

I don't remember the individual months but I do remember a lot winters in the 1990s and up to around 2008 of lamp post watching at 4am in March for chance of seeing first snow flakes of the season.

[Steve C]

October, September, August and May are all boring months. I think this month has been awful boring.

 

I guess you must particularly like long daylight, combined with warmth and short days, combined with cold then?

 

I generally like May and October, as they are transitional months. May has vibrant colours of nature and gives me much optimism of summer and October, especially, can deliver a decent windstorm.

 

In terms of boring months for myself, in recent memory, I'd have to go with summer 2011; the coldest since 1993, but not wet, just utterly mediocre. I disliked it way more than 2012, which at least had weather interest, in some record breaking rainfall and wasn't so cold.

 

 

[MP-R]

Boring months for me would have to be:

 

November 2011

October 2011

August 2011

March 2011

February 2011

September 2008

August 2008

January 2008

October 2007

September 2007

August 2007

May 2007

January 2006

November 2004

July 2002

June 2002

March 2002

January 2002

 

Months saved:

 

July 2012 - heatwave at the end

December 2011 - snow mid-month

January 2011 - snow early on and at least cold for most of the month

July 2010 - overall warmth and occurrence of thunder

February 2009 - very wintry first third

June 2008 - warm spell early on and thunderstorm around the 21st

October 2006 - incidence of thunder during the month

August 2006 - very thundery mid-month

February 2006 - bright zonal spell mid-month and snow at the end

January 2005 - brief snow around the 23rd

October 2003 - cold, sunny and frosty spell later on

September 2002 - very unsettled spell around the 8th

August 2002 - very thundery spell during the first third

[Bottesford]

Months dominated by easterly based low cloud are high contenders for 'boring'. as are many recent August months where its 'warm' but not quite warm enough and we live under constant cloud with very mild nights. Although a boring warm August far beats a boring cold April for example.

This year spring got very boring because of the unending chill and low cloud although I did enjoy the extremity of March and seeing my yard full of snow!

 

Surely the definition of a boring month would need the following:

- High cloud amounts

- Little diurnal range but...

- Temps nothing special - a -5 to 0c range/25c to 20c range is interesting whereas 8c to 13c isn't!

- Lack of heavy precipitation.

- High frequency of drizzle...

[stewfox]

 

 

Months saved:

 

July 2012 - heatwave at the end

December 2011 - snow mid-month

January 2011 - snow early on and at least cold for most of the month

July 2010 - overall warmth and occurrence of thunder

February 2009 - very wintry first third

June 2008 - warm spell early on and thunderstorm around the 21st

October 2006 - incidence of thunder during the month

August 2006 - very thundery mid-month

February 2006 - bright zonal spell mid-month and snow at the end

January 2005 - brief snow around the 23rd

October 2003 - cold, sunny and frosty spell later on

September 2002 - very unsettled spell around the 8th

August 2002 - very thundery spell during the first third

 

What about Dec 2010 ? Somerset got a pasting. I find it harder to remember or record boring months

 

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/interesting/dec2010

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cep3ysHwYOQ

[Lettucing Gutted]

January 2007

February 2011

March 2012

April 2011

May 2011

June 2003

July 2013

August 2003

September 2011

October 2006

November 2011

December 2006

 

These the just the worst of the most boring months for me.  There are way too many more to list but not far behind. 

Edited October 20, 2013 by Craig Evans