Best and worst years of the 2000s?

[damianslaw]

2 hours ago, B87 said:

2003: great summer, dry and the sunniest year on record here.

2006: cold and dull spring, excellent June and July. August was poor but September and October good.

2005: 30c in May, an average temperature but sunny summer, very good September/October

2004: fairly average throughout. The warm, wet and muggy August was unusual with average maxima but very warm nights more typical of a 26-27c average high month.

2001: very poor spring but a very sunny summer.

2009: a cold winter but a mild and sunny spring, an average summer and a good autumn.

2002: a boring year throughout, though a mild and sunny February. Spring and summer were poor.

2007: a good winter and great April, but the summer was exceptionally poor.

2000: very poor summer, apart from the average August.

2008: only February and May were decent. A very poor summer, snow in April and October and one of the dullest Augusts on record.

Autumn 08 I enjoyed, the early snow late October, a seasonal Nov with snow and cold late on and a cold first half to Dec and cold end. It redeemed the terrible first 8 months somewhat. Summer 07 was a foretaste of the southerly jet that held sway most of Summer 08 to July 13 with a few exceptions, namely late 2011.

[Harry233]

Best overall year - 2009: Remember January and February being rather cold but often dry and sunny with some lovely crisp frosty mornings. March had a wintry easterly start but then turned into glorious pleasant spring sunshine. April was often warm and sunny and May had a very warm and summery finish after a rather wet start. Summer 2009 I have some very good memories from the weather despite it getting a bad rep I think for Scotland it was one of the best summers. June was generally warm and sunny and I think from the 22nd it was consistently clear and in the mid/high 20’s. July was very wet but unlike other wet summers months the rain was rarely prolonged. I remember the weather almost always starting warm and sunny and this would follow with a very heavy downpour or thunderstorm in the afternoon before then clearing up and becoming warm and sunny once again in the evening. August was a little bit more unsettled but there was still plenty warm sunny days thrown in. September was generally quite warm and sunny from what I remember so summer extended a little bit. October was a pretty boring month from memory. November I remember being very wet and windy throughout then to finish off with that very cold and snowy December. A brilliant year for weather.

Worst overall year - 2002: A horrible mild, wet and windy winter. Spring was very boring weather wise mainly overcast only recall the last week of March being sunny. Wet and humid May. Summer was very disappointing that year especially in July with its very cool feeling. June and august were at least slightly warmer albeit humid. September was the only decent month I can remember that year. October and November were just yucky mild, wet and windy Atlantic weather and December was very very dull. Terrible year for weather 

 

2003 and 2006 also deserve a mention due to their very good summers.

[Harry233]

On 24/05/2023 at 18:12, Sunny76 said:

Yeah 2007 was crap, apart from the lovely warm April. 

I remember autumn 2007 being quite good. Recall some very good weather in the first half of September and most of October was rather dry and sunny.

[Summer8906]

Sorry, another late reply to this one.

For the 00s I think the clear winner has to be 2003. Notable for sunny months at various stages of the year and of course notable for breaking the temperature record. Have described my experiences of that year below.

The others which spring to mind as better are 2006 and 2009 though these were more mixed. 2006 had the fine early-mid summer, a warm and mostly sunny September (if wet at times) and some cold and dry weather from mid-Jan to late March. However April and May were not so good, August disappointing, and late Oct, Nov and Dec mostly mild and wet.

Meanwhile 2009 had a very good first half, a good September, and some interesting cold weather in December, though a poor July. Probably 2009 would be second when considering the year as a whole.

Poorest years overall were probably 2002, 2004, 2007 and 2008, all of which had a lot of changeable weather and less-than-great summers though each had some redeeming features. Not sure which without assigning a score to each month (+2 to -2), so:

2002: -1, -1, -1, 2, -1, -1, -1, 0, 2, -1, -2, -1 = -6

2004: -1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, -1, -1, 0, -1, -1, -1 = -4

2007: -2, -2, 2, 2, -2, -2, -2, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0 = -4

2008: -2, 2, -1, 0, 1, 1, -1, -2, 0, 1, 0, 1 = -4

Looks like 2002 then.

2003 in detail:

January was slightly milder than average but very sunny, and featured just over a week of cold frosty weather early on lasting until the 12th. This was then followed by a changeable spell of about a week but then a notably mild, but also, particularly later on, bright or sunny, period, particularly around the 25th-27th. This was followed by a very sudden change to cold but sunny northerlies following an active squall-line.

February was mostly settled and dry, the first few days were somewhat changeable but then it became dry and fairly cold with variable cloud. The third week was notably sunny and it eventually became mild, though a breakdown on the 23rd led to a dull and damp final few days.

March was a predominantly fine, warm and very sunny month following a changeable start.

April has been the subject of recent threads. It started sunny and warm but the second week featured a drop in temperature with a rare combination of sunny and cold before it warmed up again, with the notable early heatwave. There was then an erratic breakdown to very wet and dull weather with SW-lies by the end of the month.

May was the poorest of the first 10 months of the year, being mostly dull, damp and unsettled, and generally rather cool. There was a brief warm spell on the 4th but the weekend of the 17th and 18th was notably dull and breezy with SW-lies. Eventually it improved and the second bank holiday weekend was mostly fine and warm. It remained so until the end of the month, becoming hot in the closing days.

June was somewhat changeable but also warm and sunny overall. The first 10 days had a slack cyclonic SW-ly setup which produced wet but warm weather with a mix of dull and bright days. Eventually this transformed to a fine and mostly anticyclonic regime and this persisted until almost the end of the month but there were regular interruptions by active fronts, temporary cooldowns and a renewed build of pressure. A more pronounced breakdown arrived on the evening of the 29th to a cool and unsettled cyclonic setup.

July started as June finished with cool, unsettled cyclonic weather but the parent low migrated east during the first weekend, and then it was largely warm and sunny until just after mid-month, about 10 days, becoming hot with time. Sadly a pronounced breakdown occurred around the 16th and much of the rest of the month was dull and changeable with SW-lies and just occasional fine days. There were few warm days but many warm nights.

August of course hardly needs much introduction. Nonetheless the 1st was dull and damp before the heatwave started building on the 2nd and continuing until the 11th. Then it remained warm and sunny but less notably so until the 15th, whereupon a transition to a cloudier and more changeable regime began, though still dry and somewhat warm. This remained until around the 27th with a brief, cool wet spell before fine weather again, but much cooler, to end the month.

September started with a few days fine weather. Changeable weather tried to get in around the 5th-7th but was then pushed back and much of the remainder of the month was notably warm and sunny. Towards the end of the month a sharp cold front moved south (I think this was the 26th) and the final days were cooler but still largely fine.

October started with some somewhat changeable weather but it became sunny and warm. A very interesting month synoptically of marked retrogression, the warm sunny weather being replaced by cooler sunny weather and then by more changeable northerlies producing unstable air. Due to the season it was still mostly sunny but a low around the 22nd produced night-time thunderstorms on the south coast. At the very end of the month the Atlantic got in.

Nov and Dec were less good. November was mild but often cloudy, and following a damp start became drier before turning wet again later in the month. Oddly for the season this later wet spell was, during the weekend of the 22nd/23rd, associated with a continental low and such conditions then re-occurred around the turn of the month.

December started wet with this second continental low but then became dry, frosty and often sunny though sometimes dull and foggy. It became more changeable around mid-month with a W-ly or NW-ly type with fairly weak frontal systems and mild weather mixed with cold N or NW-ly outbreaks. Round Christmas it became very much more cyclonic, and wet in the south, though cold air dug in further north, extending south at times before a generalised breakdown moved in from the Atlantic on New Year's Eve.

Edited June 17, 2023 by Summer8906

[Derecho]

I'd probably rank them as follows:

1st) 2009 - Just about takes it for me because there was lots of good wintry weather, especially in February and December. This came off the back of a load of poor winters and served as a welcome reminder that we can still get disruptive cold spells. Good spring and summer / autumn weren't too bad. 

2nd) 2003 - A very sunny and dry year with Spring and Summer superb. Winter months were pretty seasonal and we had a pretty cold October from what I can remember. Just lots of great weather.

3rd) 2006 - Winter months of this year weren't anything to write home about. Quite dry and boring. March however was very snowy here and the rest of the spring was good too. Some impressive storms in early May. Summer was fantastic bar August but September basically extended it.

4th) 2001 - An interesting year all round. Seasonal winter months with some snow at times in late December. Chilly March here too and a decent May. Summer was good with some very decent thundery breakdowns. Still holds the record for the warmest October!

5th) 2005 - Another all round reasonable year. Seasonal winter months with some snow in February and very cold late December. Spring was very varied whilst summer had good plumes (particularly late June and at the end of August). The second half of November was also very cold.

6th) 2008 - Poor winters months (though December was cold). I saw lying snow in April and October. The second half of April to the 1st half of May was superb. Poor summer.

7th) 2004 - Nothing much to remember from this year besides late January snow and a very humid, thundery August, probably the most thundery month I can remember. June was very warm at times.

8th) 2000 -  Rather poor year all round. Only decent spell of heat came in mid-June. Summer overall was meh. Awful April and total washout of an Autumn though interesting from a weather perspective. Good cold spell after Christmas.

9th) 2002 - Awful winter months, not much else to remember besides some decent thunderstorms when I was in Norfolk during August.

10th) 2007 - Awful year, snowless winter months and a terrible summer which caused historic flooding in Hull. A superb April and decent Autumn were the only good things. 

Edited June 17, 2023 by Quicksilver1989

[Harry233]

On 24/05/2023 at 18:41, Weather-history said:

2002 was the worst year for me  of the decade because it was the most tedious. 
 

Best year? 2009 edges it

I really hope we never get another year like 2002 again.

[mushymanrob]

My Summer Index... (relative values of precip, sun,cet)

1 - 2006
2 - 2003
3 - 2009
4 - 2001
5 - 2000
6 - 2004
7 - 2005
8 - 2002
9 - 2008
10 - 2007

[StretfordEnd1996]

Apologies late reply but here are a few years that stand out to me - can't remember the entire decade due to my age but here are a few favourite to least - 

 

2009 - a lot of others have put this one near the top. All three Winter months Jan, Feb, Dec were extremely wintry. Summer very mixed and average but contained some hotter spells. Autumn also a nice mix - a settled September, November extremely wet.

2006 - Winter months brought a bit of something as did March (12th?) Severe drifting. Summer extremely hot and after tapering off in August re-energized in September

2003 - akin to 2006 in some ways

And for the more least favourable years

2008 - Forgettable Summer but as someone else touched upon, I think 7 months of this year I saw snow falling. (Jan, Feb, March, April, October, November, December). Albeit Jan, Oct and Nov was just a very brief fall but it's still some stat 7 months. 

2007 - Nasty year, horrid Summer, forgettable Winter.. just April warmth that stands out

[Thundery wintry showers]

2003 just about edges it as my favourite year of the 2000s mainly because of how consistently sunny it was.  There were also some marked temperature contrasts in January, and in eastern England there were also some notable thunderstorms from May to August. 

I also have some fond memories of 2001 (mainly for the snowy weather early and late in the year, and a warm sunny May), 2005, and as others have mentioned 2006 and 2009.  I wouldn't put 2006 top mainly because I remember the autumn and December being very consistently warm with not a lot happening where I was, although the frequency of thunder was unusually high in parts of the south-west during that period.  The standout month of 2006 would have to be that July, it was like being on the Continent for a month and many places had record temperatures and over 300 hours of sunshine.

I remember things got a bit heated regarding July 2009, as for some (especially towards the south-west) the month was a washout, but in Norwich (where I was) it was quite warm and sunny and although it was wet, most of the rain came from short-lived showers and thunderstorms.  July 2009 had 7 days with thunder at both Norwich and Cleadon in Tyne and Wear, and 8 thunder-days at Waddington near Lincoln (where I currently am).  I remember spring and autumn 2009 being quite boring though, though with a lot of pleasant warm sunny weather around mid-March in particular.  I also have quite fond memories of February, June and December 2009.

Least favourite year of the 2000s?  It has to be 2002.  Apart from a bright frosty New Year and some fine sunny weather at the end of March and during April, not much really sticks out during what was a rather forgettable year.

Edited June 24, 2023 by Thundery wintry showers

[damianslaw]

On 24/06/2023 at 10:52, Thundery wintry showers said:

2003 just about edges it as my favourite year of the 2000s mainly because of how consistently sunny it was.  There were also some marked temperature contrasts in January, and in eastern England there were also some notable thunderstorms from May to August. 

I also have some fond memories of 2001 (mainly for the snowy weather early and late in the year, and a warm sunny May), 2005, and as others have mentioned 2006 and 2009.  I wouldn't put 2006 top mainly because I remember the autumn and December being very consistently warm with not a lot happening where I was, although the frequency of thunder was unusually high in parts of the south-west during that period.  The standout month of 2006 would have to be that July, it was like being on the Continent for a month and many places had record temperatures and over 300 hours of sunshine.

I remember things got a bit heated regarding July 2009, as for some (especially towards the south-west) the month was a washout, but in Norwich (where I was) it was quite warm and sunny and although it was wet, most of the rain came from short-lived showers and thunderstorms.  July 2009 had 7 days with thunder at both Norwich and Cleadon in Tyne and Wear, and 8 thunder-days at Waddington near Lincoln (where I currently am).  I remember spring and autumn 2009 being quite boring though, though with a lot of pleasant warm sunny weather around mid-March in particular.  I also have quite fond memories of February, June and December 2009.

Least favourite year of the 2000s?  It has to be 2002.  Apart from a bright frosty New Year and some fine sunny weather at the end of March and during April, not much really sticks out during what was a rather forgettable year.

2003 had a lot of variety and probably most interesting year of the 2000s with a strong continental influence at times but also strong atlantic as well, kept you on your toes.

2006 was good until August.

2009 I still rate the best but namely for Jan and first half Feb and Dec, along with the Spring. The summer brought a mixed affair. Nov 09 was a shocker though, flooding nearly as bad as Dec 2015.