The worst combined spring/summer seasons on record

[Sunny76]

28 minutes ago, A Face like Thunder said:

but not 1985 which was the pits in the S & W.

1985 had a much better July in London. I remember it being hot and sunny.

[reef]

17 hours ago, Sunny76 said:

I think most of the 80s were better than summer 2023.

Most of the 80s summers were dreadful, especially 1985-88. This year is no comparison.

It's like people have erased their memories of June. No summer with a June that was so warm, dry and sunny could be called terrible overall. Yes, July was pants and August not great, but it has been nothing like those summers or even 2007/12.

Edited August 15, 2023 by reef

[Sunny76]

32 minutes ago, reef said:

Most of the 80s summers were dreadful, especially 1985-88. This year is no comparison.

It's like people have erased their memories of June. No summer with a June that was so warm, dry and sunny could be called terrible overall. Yes, July was pants and August not great, but it has been nothing like those summers or even 2007/12.

Oh yes, 2023 is. It’s hideously bad.

85-88 were poor years, but 2023 isn’t any better. It’s been weeks of miserable weather. The warm spell of June 2023 isn’t enough to save it for me.

34 minutes ago, reef said:

Most of the 80s summers were dreadful, especially 1985-88. This year is no comparison.

It's like people have erased their memories of June. No summer with a June that was so warm, dry and sunny could be called terrible overall. Yes, July was pants and August not great, but it has been nothing like those summers or even 2007/12.

A warm or hot June won’t mean anything if July and august that follow are poor. Most people will agree with me. It’s just a fact. 

[Sunny76]

35 minutes ago, reef said:

Most of the 80s summers were dreadful, especially 1985-88. This year is no comparison.

It's like people have erased their memories of June. No summer with a June that was so warm, dry and sunny could be called terrible overall. Yes, July was pants and August not great, but it has been nothing like those summers or even 2007/12.

Summer 23 is just as bad as 2007 and 12. I would argue it’s even worse than 12. At least 12 had a hot last week of July and some decent early August weather, but on balance 2012 had a terrible June period.

There’s no getting away from it, despite the warming climate, this summer in the U.K. has been one of the worst. 

[cheeky_monkey]

On 10/06/2023 at 13:03, Summer8906 said:

 

June 1990 was actually poor: cool, cloudy and dry becoming damp and Atlantic-dominated. The really good weather began about a week into July, and I remember the entire World Cup period being dull and damp. But it was the only poor month from March to September inclusive during a second mostly very good extended summer in a row.

interesting? i remember watching the QF Eng v Cam and the SF Eng v Ger in the garden ..me and my then GF set the tv on the table by the back door had a few friends over to watch the games..i remember the weather being pretty nice.. this was in Chelmsford btw 

[Sun Chaser]

10 hours ago, Sunny76 said:

A warm or hot June won’t mean anything if July and august that follow are poor. Most people will agree with me. It’s just a fact. 

I value June just as much as the other 2 months tbh, if anything more as I'm often away in August. If I could've swapped around June and August 2022 I would've done it in a heartbeat.

[Sunny76]

8 hours ago, plymsunshine said:

I value June just as much as the other 2 months tbh, if anything more as I'm often away in August. If I could've swapped around June and August 2022 I would've done it in a heartbeat.

June did provide plenty of sunshine and long clear evenings, but July and the first half of August has been very lacking for long sunshine levels. I’m just hoping we’ve turned a corner, and get some much needed hot and sunny weather back. 

[Weather-history]

20 hours ago, reef said:

Most of the 80s summers were dreadful, especially 1985-88. This year is no comparison.

It's like people have erased their memories of June. No summer with a June that was so warm, dry and sunny could be called terrible overall. Yes, July was pants and August not great, but it has been nothing like those summers or even 2007/12.

Agree.

June 2023 eclipses any June of the 1980s for a start and July 2023 was not as bad as 1988 on the temperatures alone.

[Weather-history]

20 hours ago, Sunny76 said:

Oh yes, 2023 is. It’s hideously bad.

85-88 were poor years, but 2023 isn’t any better. It’s been weeks of miserable weather. The warm spell of June 2023 isn’t enough to save it for me.

A warm or hot June won’t mean anything if July and august that follow are poor. Most people will agree with me. It’s just a fact. 

 

19 hours ago, Sunny76 said:

Summer 23 is just as bad as 2007 and 12. I would argue it’s even worse than 12. At least 12 had a hot last week of July and some decent early August weather, but on balance 2012 had a terrible June period.

There’s no getting away from it, despite the warming climate, this summer in the U.K. has been one of the worst. 

 

Edited August 16, 2023 by Weather-history
,

[Thundery wintry showers]

In response to the original question, the two years that stick out for me are 1912 and 1954.  1912 did have a dry sunny April, but the summer was even more extreme than 1954, especially for lack of sunshine.  

In recent years, probably 2012, as the warm sunny weather was confined to March, a spell in late May, and to a lesser extent early August.  I remember quite enjoying the first half of August 2012, but the second half of August went back into the dull wet rut that characterised the rest of that summer.  In some parts of the country (e.g. Leeming in North Yorkshire), March 2012 was the sunniest month of the year.

 

Like Reef I tend to discount 2023 as a contender because of the way June went.  In the months with greatest warmth and daylight (May to August), we didn't have a month remotely like that in 1912, 1954 or 2012.

[mushymanrob]

On 15/08/2023 at 13:16, Sunny76 said:

Summer 23 is just as bad as 2007 and 12. I would argue it’s even worse than 12. At least 12 had a hot last week of July and some decent early August weather, but on balance 2012 had a terrible June period.

There’s no getting away from it, despite the warming climate, this summer in the U.K. has been one of the worst. 

Nonsense.... we had a record breaking June, and whilst July rivalled 07 and 12, this month isnt bad.

Summer 2023 will end up in the "average" range....

[Bristawl Si]

1 minute ago, mushymanrob said:

Nonsense.... we had a record breaking June, and whilst July rivalled 07 and 12, this month isnt bad.

Summer 2023 will end up in the "average" range....

Yep, overall, we're heading towards pretty average.

It'll end up as a sandwich; the bread was ok, but the filling was dreadful.

[Nick L]

24 minutes ago, mushymanrob said:

Nonsense.... we had a record breaking June, and whilst July rivalled 07 and 12, this month isnt bad.

Summer 2023 will end up in the "average" range....

As I've said before, it's like labelling the winter of 2010/11 dreadful from a coldies perspective.

There has been a 3 week spell in July which was dreadful, no getting away from that. But June was exceptional, you will struggle to get a better June than what we had. Now we're into a decent spell of pleasantly warm weather in the summer holidays. Anyone claiming that this summer is anywhere near one of the worst needs a reality check.

Edited August 16, 2023 by Nick L

[Derecho]

On 15/08/2023 at 13:14, Sunny76 said:

Most people will agree with me. It’s just a fact. 

Most people disagree with you because they have a better understanding of what the UK climate is typically like.

I'd say its been better then the average summer here in the NE, June was amazing and July was poor. The first week of August was abysmal but it has been great on most days since then.

Edited August 16, 2023 by Derecho

[mushymanrob]

1 hour ago, Nick L said:

As I've said before, it's like labelling the winter of 2010/11 dreadful from a coldies perspective.

There has been a 3 week spell in July which was dreadful, no getting away from that. But June was exceptional, you will struggle to get a better June than what we had. Now we're into a decent spell of pleasantly warm weather in the summer holidays. Anyone claiming that this summer is anywhere near one of the worst needs a reality check.

I think that the bad weather that coincided with the weekends has also skewed peoples perceptions of Summer 2023.

Edited August 16, 2023 by mushymanrob

[Fourty Point Three Degrees]

On 15/08/2023 at 13:14, Sunny76 said:

 

A warm or hot June won’t mean anything if July and august that follow are poor. Most people will agree with me. It’s just a fact. 

Why can't we say this summer was a good summer? We always say 2013 was good summer when its only known for its 10 day hot spell in July. Both June and August 2013 were dreadful months.  

[Sunny76]

6 hours ago, Weather-history said:

Agree.

June 2023 eclipses any June of the 1980s for a start and July 2023 was not as bad as 1988 on the temperatures alone.

Summers 1983 and 84, also 89 were far better than anything from June 2023.

4 minutes ago, Fourty Point Three Degrees said:

Why can't we say this summer was a good summer? We always say 2013 was good summer when its only known for its 10 day hot spell in July. Both June and August 2013 were dreadful months.  

This summer was below par for me personally. Too many weeks of dull miserable weather, and it happened in the peak of the summer.

5 minutes ago, Fourty Point Three Degrees said:

Why can't we say this summer was a good summer? We always say 2013 was good summer when its only known for its 10 day hot spell in July. Both June and August 2013 were dreadful months.  

July 2013 was brilliant, August 2013 was lovely down in London. It’s regional though, because I didn’t think 21 was great, and others really enjoyed that summer. 

[Sunny76]

6 minutes ago, mushymanrob said:

I think that the bad weather that coincided with the weekends has also skewed peoples perceptions of Summer 2023.

No, it’s not just the weekends. The weekdays have seen many periods of poor overcast rubbish. 

[mushymanrob]

On 15/08/2023 at 13:14, Sunny76 said:

A warm or hot June won’t mean anything if July and august that follow are poor. Most people will agree with me. It’s just a fact. 

if its a "fact" then you could supply actual data to support that claim.

please feel free to view the data thats freely available online, however i can tell you now that with the current CET at 16.4, julys at 16.1 and junes at 17, this Summer is heading for a CET of 16.5c which would rank it 32nd/364 ....

[Sunny76]

48 minutes ago, Derecho said:

Most people disagree with you because they have a better understanding of what the UK climate is typically like.

I'd say its been better then the average summer here in the NE, June was amazing and July was poor. The first week of August was abysmal but it has been great on most days since then.

That’s your opinion, and that’s fine

I personally have not been a fan of this summer. It’s been too cloudy, and some days I’ve had to cancel outdoor activities because of the rain. 
‘

It’s been poor for a much longer period of time, over anything that would be deemed as ‘acceptable summer conditions’ for the U.K.

Again, I’m from the south, so my expectation of what I see as a good summer, will vary completely from people further north, or people who prefer much cooler weather.

2 minutes ago, mushymanrob said:

if its a "fact" then you could supply actual data to support that claim.

please feel free to view the data thats freely available online, however i can tell you now that with the current CET at 16.4, julys at 16.1 and junes at 17, this Summer is heading for a CET of 16.5c which would rank it 32nd/364 ....

Stats don’t mean anything, if it’s been dull for the majority of the summer period. Most people will tell you it’s been a bad summer. 
 

 

[mushymanrob]

2 minutes ago, Sunny76 said:

Summers 1983 and 84, also 89 were far better than anything from June 2023.

This summer was below par for me personally. Too many weeks of dull miserable weather, and it happened in the peak of the summer.

July 2013 was brilliant, August 2013 was lovely down in London. It’s regional though, because I didn’t think 21 was great, and others really enjoyed that summer. 

STOP DIGGING...... you are talking utter rubbish ... try using statistics, not memory, memory is flawed and you live in the past as 99% of the posts you create are about the past. You imagine everything modern is not as good as what it was in the past - you are wrong when it comes to the weather... opinion doesnt count, facts do, back up your claims with stats. but stop digging!

 

[Nick L]

1 minute ago, Sunny76 said:

That’s your opinion, and that’s fine

I personally have not been a fan of this summer. It’s been too cloudy, and some days I’ve had to cancel outdoor activities because of the rain. 
‘

It’s been poor for a much longer period of time, over anything that would be deemed as ‘acceptable summer conditions’ for the U.K.

Again, I’m from the south, so my expectation of what I see as a good summer, will vary completely from people further north, or people who prefer much cooler weather.

Because that has never happened in summer, absolutely unprecedented.

[mushymanrob]

1 minute ago, Sunny76 said:

Stats don’t mean anything, if it’s been dull for the majority of the summer period. Most people will tell you it’s been a bad summer. 
 

 

LOL... since when have YOU spoken for "most people"?... youve been ripped apart on here by fellow weather enthusiasts... stats mean everything, they PROVE what conditions have been like.

STOP DIGGING!

[Sunny76]

2 hours ago, mushymanrob said:

Nonsense.... we had a record breaking June, and whilst July rivalled 07 and 12, this month isnt bad.

Summer 2023 will end up in the "average" range....

It wasn’t record breaking for everyone. It was a handful of days tipping 32-33c. Some of the eastern areas of the country were under cold and cloudy conditions at the start.

It was warm and sunny. A pleasant month, and not too hot. Shame it didn’t continue to be honest.

[Sunny76]

2 minutes ago, Nick L said:

Because that has never happened in summer, absolutely unprecedented.

It’s happened before yes, but we are just judging this summer as it is. It’s been terrible, and I find it hard for anyone to defend it.

The people trying to challenge me on this argument are clearly coldies, and people who enjoy summer daytime highs of less than 24c. That’s fine, but it’s just very poor for July and August.

A decent sunny summer isn’t too much to ask for.