Best to worst year of the 1980s

[Sunny76]

This is taking into consideration, the whole 12 month period from each year. 
 

For example, my favourite year for weather in the 1980s would be 1987, as it had a lot of variety. January heavy snow, warm sunny April, thunderstorms in the summer, the October ‘Great Storm’ and the very mild sunny Christmas.

It didn’t cater to all my tastes though, as it had a poor summer, and I prefer a cold December, but being 11 at the time, I don’t think I was fussed about a mild Christmas.

Worst year would be 1986, as this had nothing redeemable about it. Cold for most of the first half, with only June feeling warm and summery, poor summer and very cool. Nothing else really stands out, apart from those thunderstorms during early August.

Best summer was 1983, but from memory it would be summer 89.

Worst summer was most definitely 1986.

Best winter 86/87, and worst winter was 88/89. 
 

I tend to forget autumn and spring weather most years. 
 

Best to worst in order then:

1/ 1987

2/ 1989

3/ 1983

4/ 1984

5/ 1982

6/ 1981

7/ 1980

8/ 1985

9/ 1988

10/ 1986, definitely worst of the bunch.

Edited May 2, 2023 by Sunny76

[Summer8906]

Interesting one.

Personally the 80s was a great decade, due to the age I was, but weather-wise, not so good at times.

None of the 80s years had both a cold winter and warm summer, which means none were ideal.

I think the best for weather would have to be 1989, as it had prolonged fine warm weather from May through to mid October, along with a dry sunny November. Jan was extremely mild but also very dry. The only really "bad" periods were Feb-March, late Oct, and 11th-25th Dec.

Least good? Not so clear. Will have to do an analysis I think. Just doing a simple analysis of "scoring" each month on a good/bad scale, relative for the time of year (+2 very good to -2 for very bad, using MWR to fill in some gaps in my memory):

1980: +1, -1, -1, +2, +2, -2, -2, -1, 0, -1, +1, +1 (Jan-Dec, in order) = -1

1981: +1, +1, -2, 0, -2, -1, -1, +2, -1, -2, 0, +2 = -3

1982: +1, -1, -1, +2, +2, -2, +1, -1, +1, -2, -1, -1 = -2

1983: 0, +2, -1, -2, -2, 0, +2, +2, -1, 0, 0, -1 = -1

1984: -2, +1, -1, +2, -2, +2, +2, +2, -1, -1, -2, -1 = -1

1985: +2, +2, -1, -1, -1, -2, 0, -2, +2, +1, +2, -1 = +1

1986: -1, +2, -1, -2, -1, +2, 0, -2, +2, 0, -2, -2 = -5

1987: +2, +1, -1, +1, -1, -2, -1, 0, 0, -2, +1, -1 =  -3

1988: -2, 0, -2, 0, +1, 0, -2, 0, 0, +1, +2, 0 = -2

and

1989: 0, -1, -2, -1, +2, +1, +2, +1, +1, 0, +2, -1 = +4

So 1989 does indeed come out best, and the worst is 1986 - despite the historic February.

In fact the only years with a positive score are 1989, and surprisingly, given how awful the summer was, 1985.

Just thought I'd compare that to some recent years, which have "seemed" bad, incidentally.

2019: 0, +2, 0, +1, 0, -2, 0, -1, 0, -2, -1, -2 = -5

2020: -2, -2, +1, +2, +2, -1, -1, -1, +1, -2, -1, -1 = -5

2021: 0, -1, 0, +2, -2, -1, -1, -1, +1, -1, +1, -1 = -4

... which are worse than most years in the 80s.

Of course, this doesn't account for weighting years higher due to good summers. I'd probably rate 1984 higher than -1 subjectively, for instance.

If we apply a factor of x2 on good summer months, then 1984 would gain 6 extra points, causing its score to increase to +5.

Edited May 6, 2023 by Summer8906

[A Face like Thunder]

Best year for weather for me has to be 1987, with a freezing cold and snowy January and of course the Great Storm in October. 1981 is also remembered for the floods in August and the snow in December. Heat wise, 1983 and 1989 come to mind. Worst year for me was 1985, with a very poor summer in the SE of England, and I agree that 1986 was also bad. 

Edited May 6, 2023 by A Face like Thunder

[Summer8906]

Just doing another version of my analysis above, which weights months for time of year. Good summers to me are particularly important, whereas mid-late autumn weather is least important.

So, if July and August are weighted by 4, April-June and September by 3, winter months (and March) by 2 and Oct/Nov by 1, we get:

1980: +2, -2, -2, +3, +3, -3, -8, -4, 0, -1, +1, +2 (Jan-Dec, in order) = -9

1981: +2, +2, -4, 0, -6, -3, -4, +8, -2, -2, 0, +4 = -5

1982: +2, -2, -2, +6 +6, -6, +4, -4, +2, -2, -1, -2 = +1

1983: 0, +4, -2, -6, -6, 0, +8, +8, -2, 0, 0, -2 = +2

1984: -4, +2, -2, +6, -6, +8, +8, +4, -3, -1, -2, -2 = +16 (note I adjusted August down a little, I think it was a +1 rather than a +2 on reflection)

1985: +4, +4, -2, -3, -3, -6, 0, -8, +4, +1, +2, -2 = -9

1986: -2, +4, -2, -6, -3, +6, 0, -8, +4, 0, -2, -4 = -13

1987: +4, +2, -2, +3, -3, -6, -4, 0, 0, -2, +1, -2 =  -9

1988: -4, 0, -4, 0, +3, 0, -8, 0, 0, +1, +2, 0 = -10

1989: 0, -2, -4, -3, +6, +4, +8, +4, +3, 0, +2, -2 = +16

Some changes there. This I think more accurately represents how good each year "felt" for weather, though 1984 now comes out equal with 1989 whereas qualitatively, 1989 "felt" better. Perhaps because of the sustained May-Sep fine period, which 1984 lacked; perhaps sustained fine spells in the summer months, of four months or more, need to get one bonus point per month.

The scores show that my most loved 80s months for weather, given the seasonal weighting, were August 1981, July and August 1983, July 1984 and July 1989 - and most disliked were August 1985, August 1986 and July 1988.

Finally for fun, some recent "bad" years, using the same weightings:

2012: +2, +2, +4, -6, -3, -6, -4, 0, +3, -2, -1, -2 = -13

2019: 0, +4, 0, +3, 0, -6, 0, -4, 0, -2, -1, -4 = -10

2020: -4, -4, +3, +6, +6, -3, -4, -4, +3, -2, -1, -2 = -6

2021: 0, -2, 0, +6, -6, -4, -4, -4, +3, -1, +1, -2 = -13

So 2021 and 2012 equal 1986 for poor weather.

Edited May 6, 2023 by Summer8906

[hillbilly]

All very subjective really to ones own memories,its not all about looking at numbers.Yes there were no years with snowy winters and hot summers if that of course is what you call a good year but most were very different.I think both 1980 and 1988 were probably the worst,both devoid of any meaningful wintery spells and both with poor summers.

 

1982,1985,1986 and 1987 were similar having good wintery spells and  similar poor summers[82 average] with 1986 having the most severe wintery spell which then leaves 1983,1984 and 1989 fighting for the best year[as the best year has to have a great summer for me]

For me the best year is unquestionably 1984,certainly in these parts.It didnt have a severe winter but in the Pennines did give us a monster dumping of snow in January,it also gave us a major storm on the 13th January,thunderstorms in July [York minster blaze],and for me the best summer of the 80s with a long drought just shading 1989 in these parts anyway.

 

Edited May 6, 2023 by hillbilly

[Sunny76]

86 was worse than 88 and 80 in my opinion. 

1980 had some warm sunny spells in April and May, and also hot weather during early June, but the summer was poor.

88 also had a decent June I think and some warm days in May.

86 only managed good weather in June for a couple of weeks, but it was mostly cool or cold around that. 

[hillbilly]

Sorry,i forgot all about 1981,a very interesting year,very little wintery spells only to shock us all with monster winter weather at the end of April,an average summer with a good August but the most famous of cold Decembers at the start of the 81/82 winter.Will probably rank 4th best year.

 

[Sunny76]

4 minutes ago, hillbilly said:

Sorry,i forgot all about 1981,a very interesting year,very little wintery spells only to shock us all with monster winter weather at the end of April,an average summer with a good August but the most famous of cold Decembers at the start of the 81/82 winter.Will probably rank 4th best year.

 

81 is quite far down my list for some reason. I think the summer wasn’t good enough, despite the hot sunny spell in august, and severe storms. Apart from that, only the cold snowy december stands out for me.

The previous winter of 80/81 seems quite boring without any snow for the south or London area. March was rubbish and the spring was cold. Not too dissimilar from 2023 in a way. 

[B87]

1989 by a long way

1984 

1983

1982

1981

1988

1985

1987

1980

1986

1989 is in a league of its own. 1984 and 1983 had decent summers but let down in other areas. 1982 was inoffensive but a bit too cool. 1981, 88, 85, 87 were generally awful but had at least a couple of decent months. Nothing redeeming about 1980 or 1986 at all. 

Edited May 7, 2023 by B87

[Sunny76]

46 minutes ago, B87 said:

1989 by a long way

1984 

1983

1982

1981

1988

1985

1987

1980

1986

1989 is in a league of its own. 1984 and 1983 had decent summers but let down in other areas. 1982 was inoffensive but a bit too cool. 1981, 88, 85, 87 were generally awful but had at least a couple of decent months. Nothing redeeming about 1980 or 1986 at all. 

April and May 80 were sunny and warm. 

[B87]

1 minute ago, Sunny76 said:

April and May 80 were sunny and warm. 

April 1980 recorded 161 hours of sun and an avg max of 14.0c, so it was cooler and cloudier than April 2023. May 1980 was sunny though a max of 17.3c. Both months were dry. Not ideal when that summer was absolutely dreadful, with September being warmer than June or July.

[Sunny76]

I think spring 80 was better than this year, but it wasn’t great either. Yeah September was warm, but it was too late.

[cheeky_monkey]

20 hours ago, B87 said:

 

1989 is in a league of its own. 

for things not weather related i agree 1989 was a banger ..IMO the summer of 1983 was better than 1989..for interesting weather i would plump for 83...had the flip from a very Mild January to a cold snowy February ...very wet spring followed by a flip to a hot dry summer...Xmas was alright for me 

[Sunny76]

1 hour ago, cheeky_monkey said:

for things not weather related i agree 1989 was a banger ..IMO the summer of 1983 was better than 1989..for interesting weather i would plump for 83...had the flip from a very Mild January to a cold snowy February ...very wet spring followed by a flip to a hot dry summer...Xmas was alright for me 

Christmas was very mild in 83. 

[Summer8906]

On 07/05/2023 at 18:38, B87 said:

April 1980 recorded 161 hours of sun and an avg max of 14.0c, so it was cooler and cloudier than April 2023.

This must have depended on where you live, as my memories of it (and May) were sunshine: though it looks like it was not spectacularly sunny in the SE according to MWR. Nonetheless slightly above average at 104%.

Where April 1980 won by a country mile was the rainfall, or rather lack of it at just 42% in the SE, and even lower than that in many areas. It also exceeded 21C in most areas apart from the SW and Scotland.

Edited May 14, 2023 by Summer8906

[Summer8906]

On 06/05/2023 at 21:05, Sunny76 said:

81 is quite far down my list for some reason. I think the summer wasn’t good enough, despite the hot sunny spell in august, and severe storms. Apart from that, only the cold snowy december stands out for me.

The previous winter of 80/81 seems quite boring without any snow for the south or London area. March was rubbish and the spring was cold. Not too dissimilar from 2023 in a way. 

What was nice about the winter of 80/81 was (where I lived) the unseasonably sunny weather. Also dry. While winter 80/81 could not be classed as interesting, it could be classed as pleasant. And it even managed one morning of good lying snow on Feb 22nd.

I'd agree that there were similarities between March/April 1981 and March/April 2023, though this April of course lacked any interesting snow. Thankfully this May looks like it won't be quite as dire as May 1981.

[Summer8906]

On 06/05/2023 at 20:07, Sunny76 said:

86 was worse than 88 and 80 in my opinion. 

1980 had some warm sunny spells in April and May, and also hot weather during early June, but the summer was poor.

88 also had a decent June I think and some warm days in May.

86 only managed good weather in June for a couple of weeks, but it was mostly cool or cold around that. 

Was that the case? I am sure I remember it becoming warm around the 12th and then remaining warm for the remainder of the month; looking at the MWR the change did indeed occur on the 12th.

Strangely ISTR 1988 and 1989 both flipping from cool and cloudy to warm and sunny around the same date - though it appears that June 1988 was much cooler and cloudier than I remember it (this has come up on a recent thread somewhere).

Edited May 14, 2023 by Summer8906

[B87]

Summer index for the 1980s.

1980: 242

1981: 268

1982: 264

1983: 326

1984: 307

1985: 244

1986: 264

1987: 239

1988: 247

1989: 339

Only 3 years there with anything decent. 1983 and 1989 were good, while 1984 was slightly better than average. 1987 had a worse summer than 2012 (242).

The next best summer on that list is 1981, which had a lower index than 2021 in London (268 vs 270).

Edited May 14, 2023 by B87

[damianslaw]

Dry sunshine heat lovers would rejoice 1989. A exceptionally dry sunny and warm year preety much throughout, 2022 came close to it, but correct if wrong not had a drier year since.

Edited May 14, 2023 by damianslaw

[Sunny76]

1989 was bliss.

Probably why I would take milder winters over cold snowy ones, if we were always guaranteed a summer like 1989.

[damianslaw]

8 hours ago, Sunny76 said:

1989 was bliss.

Probably why I would take milder winters over cold snowy ones, if we were always guaranteed a summer like 1989.

Summer 89 whilst never excessively hot, was consistently warm or very warm, dry and sunny on the back of a warm sunny May. An excellent period of weather every bit as good as the summers held in higher regard.

[Sunny76]

19 minutes ago, damianslaw said:

Summer 89 whilst never excessively hot, was consistently warm or very warm, dry and sunny on the back of a warm sunny May. An excellent period of weather every bit as good as the summers held in higher regard.

89 is my favourite, up against 95, 2018 and 2022 for long periods of hot sunny weather. But unlike 22, 89, 95 and to a certain extent 2018, had longer periods of warm days without being too hot, but 22 suffered from more cloudier periods. 
 

89 was definitely a great summer.

[cheeky_monkey]

55 minutes ago, Sunny76 said:

89 is my favourite, up against 95, 2018 and 2022 for long periods of hot sunny weather. But unlike 22, 89, 95 and to a certain extent 2018, had longer periods of warm days without being too hot, but 22 suffered from more cloudier periods. 
 

89 was definitely a great summer.

83 was better IMO ...July 1983 was sensational much like August 1995..both were easterly dry heat kind of months...much like the continental heat i get on the prairies out here

[Sunny76]

13 hours ago, cheeky_monkey said:

83 was better IMO ...July 1983 was sensational much like August 1995..both were easterly dry heat kind of months...much like the continental heat i get on the prairies out here

Yeah and it’s much sunnier and clearer.

Thats why I don’t rate 97, as it was too humid and cloudy. Something I don’t to experience again.