Sunshine level watch July 2023

[SunSean]

49 minutes ago, Beanz said:

Missed this thread!  Interesting stats. 

What does the colour coding represent? 

It's coloured in regions so south east counties are orange, Eastern are yellow etc

[SunSean]

Final completed table of sunshine hours for September 2023

[reef]

Probably best to put this in here as those figures are not adjusted to take into account differences in sunshine recorders:

Wide areas of the south-east actually above 175 hours.

[SunSean]

With Hertfordshire finally updating their stats, here is the full table for the 1st-15th October (halfway point).

Looking like the totals won't change much by the end of the month (not including the nice day yesterday) with all the grey sky and rain forecast!

[Summer8906]

36 minutes ago, SunSean said:

With Hertfordshire finally updating their stats, here is the full table for the 1st-15th October (halfway point).

Looking like the totals won't change much by the end of the month (not including the nice day yesterday) with all the grey sky and rain forecast!

IoW also decidedly un-sunny, whereas I believe it's supposed to be one of the sunniest areas in the country on average, if not the sunniest. I think it's a fair bet it won't exceed 70 hours for the month as a whole, so around 2hrs20mins a day.

The 137 hours at Bembridge for September is also distinctly unimpressive: 4.5 hours a day at a time of year when you can theoretically get 12. Even the "sunny" first 10 days managed just 6.7 hours a day at Bembridge, around 50% of the theoretical maximum. This supports my perception of September being an utterly overrated month.

I do wonder whether we are on course for one of the dullest July-Dec periods on record in some areas, certainly in the central south including south Hampshire, Dorset and the IoW - especially given quite a few forecasts for a mild and dull winter, especially the early part. And certainly potentially a very dull calendar year as a whole - outside that 6 weeks in May and June and the second half of January, it certainly seems to have been very dull indeed. One of the worst calendar years for weather I've ever lived through, in a memory stretching back to the late 1970s. Perhaps equal with 2012 as worst of recent times.

 

Edited October 18, 2023 by Summer8906

[SunSean]

27 minutes ago, Summer8906 said:

IoW also decidedly un-sunny, whereas I believe it's supposed to be one of the sunniest areas in the country on average, if not the sunniest. I think it's a fair bet it won't exceed 70 hours for the month as a whole, so around 2hrs20mins a day.

The 137 hours at Bembridge for September is also distinctly unimpressive: 4.5 hours a day at a time of year when you can theoretically get 12. Even the "sunny" first 10 days managed just 6.7 hours a day at Bembridge, around 50% of the theoretical maximum. This supports my perception of September being an utterly overrated month.

I do wonder whether we are on course for one of the dullest July-Dec periods on record in some areas, certainly in the central south including south Hampshire, Dorset and the IoW - especially given quite a few forecasts for a mild and dull winter, especially the early part. And certainly potentially a very dull calendar year as a whole - outside that 6 weeks in May and June and the second half of January, it certainly seems to have been very dull indeed. One of the worst calendar years for weather I've ever lived through, in a memory stretching back to the late 1970s. Perhaps equal with 2012 as worst of recent times.

 

I don't know how accurate that Bembridge station is but it got over 300 hours in June so figured it was legit but the totals it has had recently have been woeful so it has made me second guess its accuracy! Much more accurate than the Newport station in Isle of Wight though that apparently recorded over 2000 hours in total for the year so far by the end of June...yeah right lol.

Yes, it could actually end up duller than 2021 for many places in the South East & East, which is pretty disappointing. I remember thinking after 2021 that "at least we won't get another year that dull for a while" but oh how wrong I was!

[SunSean]

October 2023 sunshine table!

East Sussex as usual at the top, Kent surprisingly not in 2nd like they normally are lol.

Don't know what happened with Lancashires station, it got wiped halfway through. 

The station at Warwickshire does not look like they recorded an accurate figure of sunshine.

Isle of Wight, despite being the sunniest county apparently, continue to underwhelm. Perhaps the station I'm using is just not very accurate. 

What will November bring? My guess is wind, rain and perpetual dullness lol.

[SunSean]

1st- 5th November sunshine per county

[SunSean]

November 2023

[SunSean]

December 1-10 sunshine  

@TwisterGirl81 You're currently at the top of the pile!

[TwisterGirl81]

11 hours ago, SunSean said:

December 1-10 sunshine  

@TwisterGirl81 You're currently at the top of the pile!

Thankyou @SunSean It makes a change from it being Eastbourne hopefully we can get a graph like this next spring/summer but with much higher sunshine figures ha 

[SunSean]

7 hours ago, TwisterGirl81 said:

Thankyou @SunSean It makes a change from it being Eastbourne hopefully we can get a graph like this next spring/summer but with much higher sunshine figures ha 

It's gotta be ain't it. Hopefully over 200 hours of sun for every month from March to October! Is that too much to ask? 

[damianslaw]

Its been a very dull December so far it feels, after a sunny start. Not much sunshine on the horizon, interested to see how we are doing sunshine level wise. Suspect everywhere below average, and a notably dull one on the cards.

[sawan]

20 minutes ago, damianslaw said:

Its been a very dull December so far it feels, after a sunny start. Not much sunshine on the horizon, interested to see how we are doing sunshine level wise. Suspect everywhere below average, and a notably dull one on the cards.

According to our local weather station, Coventry received a whooping 21 hours of sunshine in the first 20 days of December. Most of this was either in the morning or at the time of sunset.

Edited December 22, 2023 by sawan

[SunSean]

December 1st- 20th sunshine per county ️

[In Absence of True Seasons]

54 minutes ago, SunSean said:

December 1st- 20th sunshine per county ️

Absolutely dire! Unsurprising though. Can't believe that in 20 days, we still have counties that haven't even managed double digits in sunshine hours, which is particularly woeful. 

Most of those hours across the board were probably obtained from the first couple of days in December too, when it was cold and sunny. Don't think I've seen the sun in my area since then. Coming week or so looking same too.

Northern areas generally doing better, as expected given they're generally colder. 

Thanks for compiling

Edited December 22, 2023 by In Absence of True Seasons

[damianslaw]

Shap 22 hrs, suspect most of these happened first 5 days, abysmal, no wonder people escape for sunnier climes this time of year, this is very much the low point of the year sunshine wise. 

[SummerShower]

11 hours ago, SunSean said:

December 1st- 20th sunshine per county ️

I thought it has been a dark month and this confirms why for this region.

If we can get March 23, April 21 and May 20 sunshine levels this coming spring that will make up for it.

[Mapantz]

I reckon there must be some unobserved areas that may have seen zero?! It's looking like the dullest month I've ever recorded, that's for sure!

[MP-R]

48 minutes ago, SummerShower said:

I thought it has been a dark month and this confirms why for this region.

If we can get March 23, April 21 and May 20 sunshine levels this coming spring that will make up for it.

I presume you mean March 22?

[SummerShower]

18 minutes ago, MP-R said:

I presume you mean March 22?

Ah I actually meant March 03, the best that i recall, but yes March 22 was sunny as well.

March 23... no!  That was a horrendous month for sun IIRC. Mistyped there lol

[MP-R]

25 minutes ago, SummerShower said:

Ah I actually meant March 03, the best that i recall, but yes March 22 was sunny as well.

March 23... no!  That was a horrendous month for sun IIRC. Mistyped there lol

I’d take either to be fair, but yes I think 03 takes first prize. The unsettled first third also more interesting than 22’s.

[SunSean]

27 minutes ago, SummerShower said:

Ah I actually meant March 03, the best that i recall, but yes March 22 was sunny as well.

March 23... no!  That was a horrendous month for sun IIRC. Mistyped there lol

Haha yeah I was gonna say! March 2023, God no! 

[al78]

On 22/12/2023 at 22:34, SummerShower said:

I thought it has been a dark month and this confirms why for this region.

If we can get March 23, April 21 and May 20 sunshine levels this coming spring that will make up for it.

Nine hours of sun at Charlwood in the first three weeks of the month, that matches my perception it has been a very dull month in Horsham. I hope the entire winter isn't going to be like this, we've had enough of it now.

[reef]

We're on 45 hours now. December 2020 and 2021 were actually duller with 37 and 38 hours each but this month has actually felt worse.

Ironically we're on 1671 hours for the year, or 105% of normal. It hasn't felt that way though as its mainly due to massive positive anomalies in January, February and June. Even though Spring wasn't great it has been a decidedly front-loaded year sunshine-wise.