Summer 2007 or summer 2019, which was more convective?

[Addicks Fan 1981]

Know summers of 2007 and 2019 were very wet with a load of convective episodes, but what summer did you think had the upper hand? I think both summers were incredibly unsettled with a number of southerly tracking lows.  

The advantage with summer 2019 over 2007 was we had the 38.7 day in July and the very hot Bank holiday Monday.  With 2007 the damage had already been done with our very wet may to July spell.  

With 2019 I think all our summer months were wetter than average but interesting that we had plume episodes thrown in, whereas in 2007 a case that our best month of the summer was drier and sunnier than average just about but not particularly spectacular and it was the coolest august at the time for 14 years.   

Safe to say both of these summers had interest and sometimes not always for the right reasons.     

[MP-R]

Summer 2019 was much better convectively here. Thunder in all 3 summer months, whereas August 2007 was basically devoid of convective activity as high pressure ruled the roost most of the time.

They were also very different summers overall. June 2019 was kinda like 2007 in reverse but the poor weather was worse and the good weather was better. There’s no comparison between the Julys as 2019 was good and 2007 was abysmal. August 2019’s unsettled weather was essentially crammed into the middle third with some good weather initially and a great late summery spell in the final third.

[Addicks Fan 1981]

 MP-R the thing that 2007 and 2019 had in common were the same chinese animal.  Both were years of the pig.   

[Metwatch]

2007 isn't plotted on this graph but 2019 ranks third since 2010 for most thundery year in the UK behind 2014 and 2020, via @convectivewx on Twitter / X so i'd imagine 2007 wasn't as active.

This is calculated by "how much of the UK-Ireland land area is covered in lightning (using a 10km radius from a given point) on each day of the year as a percentage, and then accumulate these values through the year. The values you then see are the areal-average 'days of thunder' for the UK-Ireland as a whole."

[Addicks Fan 1981]

 Metwatch both 2007 and 2019 were very wet summers however, but 2007 was very good at producing a months rain in a day during summer 2007 which the rain could have thunder thrown in.    Both 2007 and 2019 had preceeding summers that were scorchers, so 2007 and 2019 were deemed as wet summers to even it out.   

[B87]

2019 was far superior to 2007 in every way. It was more thundery, though also much drier overall. It was much warmer, with July and August both averaging over 25c (2007's warmest month was August which managed a rather pathetic 21.5c). It was also much sunnier. Summer 2019 had close to average sunshine total. Summer 2007 was exceptionally dull.

[Daniel*]

Well here in central ish London July 2021 was my most convective month and my wettest month on record about 150mm. These downpours were more localised to inland SE England. I think in Scotland they were very warm and dry.

[Addicks Fan 1981]

 B87 reckon at the time summer 2007 was the wettest summer since 1912 and coolest since 1998.  Not stats to be proud of at all and summer 2007 started a climate change pause up until june 2013.   

La niña was responsible for summer 2007 being horrible, as well as the easterly QBO, the AAM collapsed, there were also negative winds over the troposphere aligning with the weak sea ice too.   

It's weird really because in May 2007 there was a positive AO, but AAM collapsed and we had what we had.

[Sun Chaser]

 Addicks Fan 1981 I'd confidently say 2019 was a good summer ignoring anything pre solstice. Following the late June plume, July was warm, fairly sunny and dry, August was decent. Whereas 2007 was wet and horrible for a core 6 week period and followed on from a poor May. Both were very convective so I'd say 2019 wins

[Harry233]

I actually feel like summer 2019 was a good summer overall. Yes it was wetter than average but most of the rain came in short spells. The first half of June was wet and cool but the second half was very dry, warm and sunny. I do recall a very heavy thundery showers on the 29th and early hours into the 30th. July was generally dry and warm especially from the 16th-27th. August was very wet, (wettest since 2004 here) but the vast majority of the rain fell in three days between the 9th-11th. The rest of the month was actually quite pleasant and it was also the sunniest August since 2003. 
 

Summer 2007 was generally cool, wet and dull with only brief drier, warmer settled spells whereas summer 2019 was generally warm and settled with brief very wet and unsettled spells.

 Daniel* Summer 2021 was a cracking summer in Scotland. I would rate it better than 2003, 2006 and on par with 2013 and 2018. Summer 2022 was also a very good summer for us.

[Addicks Fan 1981]

 Sun Chaser its coincidence that in summer 2007 that umbrella by rihanna featuring jay z was number one for the majority of that particular summer, very much a curse of that tune.   

[Addicks Fan 1981]

 Harry233 summer 2007 at the time was the wettest since 1912 at the time and the coolest since 1998 as I've said in an above post.   It felt like a wet season in a hot country literally.   

Suppose the crumb of comfort is summer 2007 wasn't actually all that dull and August 2007 actually had above average sunshine albeit by the skin of its teeth.  

What followed on from the summer washout we had was a dry and benign autumn   where it was very pleasant for walks but to wrap up in a jacket be it lightweight or not.    

[Harry233]

 Addicks Fan 1981 August 2007 was actually quite pleasant from memory although I remember it being quite cool for most the month. I actually recorded average sunshine during July 2007 but it was a lot wetter than average, although there has been much wetter Julys locally to me. June 2007 was the worst summer month for me that year, it was by far the dullest June I have recorded (only 74 hours of sunshine). I still think summer 2012 was worse for me however.
 

Autumn 2007 was brilliant, the first two weeks of September was like summer with temperatures in the low 20’s and sunshine but also with the cool nights. It did turn cooler towards the months end, my favourite combination in autumn it . October followed the same script as the days were pleasantly mild but it was often cold at night with minima close to freezing on many nights. It was also very dry from memory, it was almost like spring instead of autumn. November turned a little bit more unsettled and more autumnal but to be expected by then.

[Addicks Fan 1981]

 Harry233 june of 2007 was the dullest june since 1998 and wettest since 1860, but june 2012 was the coldest since 1991, the dullest since 1987 and the wettest on record, but it did have some thundery bits towards the end of the month.     At least june of 2007 was warmer than average though by not a great margin.