The poor summer haters club

[SunSean]

So it turned out that the Met office 11am grey-out was overly optimistic lol. Got to 10:20am before the wall of grey smut took over.

[In Absence of True Seasons]

Yep. It's done now.

The way that this country goes from a completely spotless blue sky to grey mess in the space of 30mins is laughable. 

[BlueDomeSky]

When the 850hpa temperature is 3c, I need to usual mid-morning clouding-over to hold off; better yet, I would like to see it hold off until.... October? I even turned on my fan heater this morning because I was really feeling the chill. However, before the stratus of doom appeared, the slightly pale skies this morning were reminiscent of the Costa del Sol, with the slightly pale skies that they get down there due to the haze that builds up over the Med basin in summer.

I have a native Spaniard friend living in the Costa del Sol that absolutely hates the summer heat and envies me when I tell him about the piddly sub-20c overcast summer weather that we have here. I would love to trade places with him just 3 months every summer just so I can get guaranteed blazing summer heat and clear skies.

Edited July 3, 2023 by bluedomesky

[In Absence of True Seasons]

2 hours ago, bluedomesky said:

I have a native Spaniard friend living in the Costa del Sol that absolutely hates the summer heat and envies me when I tell him about the piddly sub-20c overcast summer weather that we have here. I would love to trade places with him just 3 months every summer just so I can get guaranteed blazing summer heat and clear skies.

Grass is always greener....

I can near-guarantee that were your Spanish friend to actually live here for a prolonged period and endure grey, dull and gloomy conditions for 8/9 months of the year, he too would be sorely frustrated when those same-old monotonous conditions present themselves in the summer months as well. 

I have plenty of international friends from warmer climes who I met at university that, at first, loved the British weather as it was a novelty and a new change from the ongoing warmth and sun that dominated their home country. However, after by the end of their 3-year university degree they were already fed-up with the darkness and dismalness of October to March, and they echoed native Brits' complaints about the capriciousness and unreliability of warmth and sun from April to Sept. 

My one old friend from Italy actually moved back to Sardinia because he resigned to the fact that he wouldn't be able to cope with the climate here long-term. For many, being a bit uncomfortably sweaty from June to August is a worthy price to pay for, you know, actually getting a healthy amount of vitamin D year-round, feeling energised by warm weather, being able to eat/drink outside and host outdoor parties, go to outdoor events and not worry that the forecast will be 100% wrong, being able to go to (and use) the beach for a good part (or most) of the year, etc.

Edited July 3, 2023 by In Absence of True Seasons

[BlueDomeSky]

5 hours ago, In Absence of True Seasons said:

Grass is always greener....

I can near-guarantee that were your Spanish friend to actually live here for a prolonged period and endure grey, dull and gloomy conditions for 8/9 months of the year, he too would be sorely frustrated when those same-old monotonous conditions present themselves in the summer months as well. 

I have plenty of international friends from warmer climes who I met at university that, at first, loved the British weather as it was a novelty and a new change from the ongoing warmth and sun that dominated their home country. However, after by the end of their 3-year university degree they were already fed-up with the darkness and dismalness of October to March, and they echoed native Brits' complaints about the capriciousness and unreliability of warmth and sun from April to Sept. 

My one old friend from Italy actually moved back to Sardinia because he resigned to the fact that he wouldn't be able to cope with the climate here long-term. For many, being a bit uncomfortably sweaty from June to August is a worthy price to pay for, you know, actually getting a healthy amount of vitamin D year-round, feeling energised by warm weather, being able to eat/drink outside and host outdoor parties, go to outdoor events and not worry that the forecast will be 100% wrong, being able to go to (and use) the beach for a good part (or most) of the year, etc.

I'm in total agreement with you. My friend cannot wrap his head around the fact that I enjoy heat, to him, it's a nuisance, describing the humid heat of the Costa del Sol as suffocating.

The experience of walking out of Málaga airport in July or August, out of the air conditioning and feeling the wall of heat and the intense UV 10 sunlight, seeing the bright colours of the beige and white architecture and Mediterranean plants against the clear blue sky is a true pleasure for me. Conversely, to walk out of the airport when returning to the UK and being hit with a dismal cool breeze and dingy colours of the grey concrete surfaces, black soil and grey skies is a thoroughly miserable experience.

[SunSean]

I can see the giant wall of grey incoming! Lol

[SunSean]

I'm in one of those unlucky few spots in the UK today that have had exactly 0 minutes of sunshine. 

[In Absence of True Seasons]

4 minutes ago, SunSean said:

I'm in one of those unlucky few spots in the UK today that have had exactly 0 minutes of sunshine. 

My friend lives near Sheffield and they've had mostly clear skies all day. She was sending photos of her strawberry picking earlier and there was barely a wisp! 

Meanwhile in Costa Del Dull...

[stainesbloke]

16 minutes ago, In Absence of True Seasons said:

My friend lives near Sheffield and they've had mostly clear skies all day. She was sending photos of her strawberry picking earlier and there was barely a wisp! 

Meanwhile in Costa Del Dull...

Bit better to the west of London but often quite cloudy. All very ‘normal’, apparently  

[SunSean]

30 minutes ago, In Absence of True Seasons said:

My friend lives near Sheffield and they've had mostly clear skies all day. She was sending photos of her strawberry picking earlier and there was barely a wisp! 

Meanwhile in Costa Del Dull...

Yeah and what I find amazing is that for July, all the met forecasts and most people on the mod threads were all saying more brighter and dryer the further South and East you go and that simply hasn't been the case. Its been fairly equal all over with a few bizarre exceptions like Northumberland, East Yorkshire and Warwickshire being amongst the sunniest.

[In Absence of True Seasons]

8 minutes ago, SunSean said:

Yeah and what I find amazing is that for July, all the met forecasts and most people on the mod threads were all saying more brighter and dryer the further South and East you go and that simply hasn't been the case. Its been fairly equal all over with a few bizarre exceptions like Northumberland, East Yorkshire and Warwickshire being amongst the sunniest.

Don't know about the MOD threads but the Met have been pretty consistently wrong for the forecasts for the South East since...like...April. Constantly overpromising warm and sunny weather throughout Spring then downgrading the day before or day of. Awful predictions for cloud cover, sometimes a literal 180 - forecasting sunny skies when its fully overcast, and saying it's going to be cloudy when it ends up being clear. Largely stopped looking at them tbh and just glancing out the window when I wake up to suss out what's going on

[In Absence of True Seasons]

Of course, now it's 6pm the clag has completely cleared...

[stainesbloke]

18 hours ago, In Absence of True Seasons said:

Of course, now it's 6pm the clag has completely cleared...

Happens so often, it really is so annoying. 
More foul Atlantic crud piling into the UK while the rest of Europe enjoys warm sunshine or thunderstorms. 

[stainesbloke]

Looks like yet another day of dreary Atlantic grey crud for the UK while a few miles to the south, beautiful summer weather. So close but yet, so far  

[SunSean]

41 minutes ago, stainesbloke said:

Looks like yet another day of dreary Atlantic grey crud for the UK while a few miles to the south, beautiful summer weather. So close but yet, so far  

Torturous! If only there was a machine to blow it all away lol.

[stainesbloke]

1 hour ago, SunSean said:

Torturous! If only there was a machine to blow it all away lol.

Dunno why I’m pee’d off with it lol, I’m in sunny Spain this week But just seeing it on satellite spikes my anxiety, vile stuff

[In Absence of True Seasons]

3 hours ago, stainesbloke said:

Looks like yet another day of dreary Atlantic grey crud for the UK while a few miles to the south, beautiful summer weather. So close but yet, so far  

That is a joke. It's like the cloud specifically just festers around the UK.

Always bugs me when people try to claim that our climate in Summer is basically the same as wider Northern Europe. No, it's really not! Temps might be similar but cloud-cover / sunshine levels are of critical importance at this time of year. 23c and overcast is a world away from 23c and clear skies...

Other than last Friday, this July is turning out to be quite dross all-round. Just a smack-bang middling British summer month. Showers, lots of cloud, sunny spells, and temps not really going above 22/23c for the most part. Unless there's a big shift towards the end of the month I'd not be shocked if we don't see another 30c day until August...which is rare for England, especially South England, in July. 

Edited July 11, 2023 by In Absence of True Seasons

[stainesbloke]

1 hour ago, In Absence of True Seasons said:

That is a joke. It's like the cloud specifically just festers around the UK.

Always bugs me when people try to claim that our climate in Summer is basically the same as wider Northern Europe. No, it's really not! Temps might be similar but cloud-cover / sunshine levels are of critical importance at this time of year. 23c and overcast is a world away from 23c and clear skies...

Other than last Friday, this July is turning out to be quite dross all-round. Just a smack-bang middling British summer month. Showers, lots of cloud, sunny spells, and temps not really going above 22/23c for the most part. Unless there's a big shift towards the end of the month I'd not be shocked if we don't see another 30c day until August...which is rare for England, especially South England, in July. 

Yep, UK, home of festering Atlantic gloom. It never ceases to amaze me how low pressure races towards the UK, then just stops for days giving us crap, then when it decides to move on, speeds up again and Europe gets fleeting frontal cloud. What’s that all about?!

[In Absence of True Seasons]

10 minutes ago, stainesbloke said:

Yep, UK, home of festering Atlantic gloom. It never ceases to amaze me how low pressure races towards the UK, then just stops for days giving us crap, then when it decides to move on, speeds up again and Europe gets fleeting frontal cloud. What’s that all about?!

Honestly don't know, it's as if it's just magnetised towards the British Isles landmass for whatever reason. When I look at satellite coverage, I often find that there is cloud specifically in a loose shape of the UK, just around the UK (and Ireland tbf), whilst everywhere else (even the likes of Sweden, Norway etc) just have cloud patches here and there. 

[stainesbloke]

1 hour ago, In Absence of True Seasons said:

Honestly don't know, it's as if it's just magnetised towards the British Isles landmass for whatever reason. When I look at satellite coverage, I often find that there is cloud specifically in a loose shape of the UK, just around the UK (and Ireland tbf), whilst everywhere else (even the likes of Sweden, Norway etc) just have cloud patches here and there. 

Yes, utterly baffling and ridiculous. I’m so glad I don’t live in the UK anymore, shame I have to work there a lot though

[stainesbloke]

More festering infill……zzzzzz

[*Stormforce~beka*]

2 hours ago, stainesbloke said:

More festering infill……zzzzzz

Why does it do that? It's everywhere

[stainesbloke]

2 hours ago, *Stormforce~beka* said:

Why does it do that? It's everywhere

Grim, isn’t it? And the next 10 days look similar, the weekend looks positively horrendous. I’m not after a heatwave, just some blue skies! Hope you’re coping ok with it? I know how depressing the constant grey gloom can be. Hugs  

Edited July 12, 2023 by stainesbloke

[*Stormforce~beka*]

9 minutes ago, stainesbloke said:

Grim, isn’t it? And the next 10 days look similar, the weekend looks positively horrendous. I’m not after a heatwave, just some blue skies! Hope you’re coping ok with it? I know how depressing the constant grey gloom can be. Hugs  

Oooh I like a hug! Thanks!!

Actually tbh I'm ok at the moment. It's starting to get me but I'm not really bad yet. My big girls birthday at the weekend so will be busy which should help some!

[stainesbloke]

2 minutes ago, *Stormforce~beka* said:

Oooh I like a hug! Thanks!!

Actually tbh I'm ok at the moment. It's starting to get me but I'm not really bad yet. My big girls birthday at the weekend so will be busy which should help some!

That’s good If you’re busy then there’s less time to get sad and depressed, a little party will definitely do the trick and lift the spirits