Wildswimmer Pete

Cold night last night and very clear so I saw the full moon. Min. temp. here 4.0C - I live in a minor UHI so the nearby countryside would be lower, possibly some ground frost. Currently fine with some bits of Sc.

Passable day with long sunny periods, but that frigid Northerly was something I could do without when pedalling to my local leisure centre. Even worse coming back home as I'd spent quite a while in a heated swimming pool so that icy blast felt even colder.

Horrid cold grey day, that's about it. Sadly the cold "blip" forecast at the beginning of September was anything but, rather the commencement of autumn in all its nastiness.

Now sunny but still windy. Garden sensor reports 12C.

Following a monumentally vile day today is little improvement. Cold, windy and showery. Fitting for the first day of astronomical autumn. According to Netweather Sunday looks to be an early taste of what could be a long winter with a mere 8C at best. Oh happy days

Started bright with sunny intervals but now grey. Been in all day, it felt more like November than mid-September when I had to go out and put washing out on the line. That's the problem with the British climate - if you're lucky we get a couple of months decent Summer weather like this year, then ten months of grey, cold crap.

Short and unsweet description of today's weather: Vile

I remember the good summers of 1959, the savage winter of '62/63, summer '75, the classic summer of '76 then summer '84. After that, no memory of anything worth the effort of recalling them. Winter '81/82 was almost as nasty as '62/63. Edit: I love sprouts although Heaven help anyone who has to share my space afterwards.

Just had to turn on my central heating as the temp. in my home is now just 16C. Not very good for this early in the season. Before anyone comes out with some smart-alec comment, I'm in my late 60s and have a heart problem and need to have at least 18C.

Not too bad a day with plenty of sun but there is that definite feeling of autumn in the air. I suspect summer has now really finished as the anticipated late heatwave has disappeared from forecasts. All downhill now into SAD territory.

The cloudfest continues - grey, dreary and chilly with a very few spells of brightness. Need room lights on.

Warm and humid here but the sun only made a brief appearance before the now omnipresent grey lid reformed. Think we made 23C.

Sadly yet another dreary, cloudy day.

Not as good as 1976 especially with that cloudfest of August we've just had to endure. Before anyone bangs on about August sunshine totals I'm referring to my waking hours - I usually rise sometime between 8-9am.

The August cloudfest continues. Like most of this August the day started off well but didn't take too long for the grey lid to form. 12C at 11am isn't very good either.

Thoroughly nasty here. Heavy rain and just 10C. I've seen claims that this could be the coldest late summer holiday on record. The only other one in my memory is Aug. 1987 with similar rain and cold.

But you live right on the coast so don't suffer the convective infill. I've been to New Brighton on several occasions when it was sunny most of the day but looking back to where I live (about 10 miles inland as the crow flies) I could see the cloud shrouding Frodsham and Helsby hills. Actually the sun did put on an appearance just after lunch but the cloud has now closed in again.

The relentless slide into autumn carries on. This week a total cloudfest with little or no sunshine during normal waking hours. No doubt someone will quote sunshine stats but at this time of year any sunshine occurs during the small hours when most of us are asleep. August so far has seen clear nights followed by infill during the day which melts away around sunset, pretty well par for the course for the past few years.

The two most savage winters in the 20th century where 1946/7 (before I was born) and 1962/3 which I most definitely remember. 1981/2 wasn't too far behind.

Felt distinctly chilly tonight riding back from my swim session, was actually wearing a fleecy hoodie which I haven't needed for months. Also needed lights on my bike coming home, another unwelcome sign of approaching autumn. Mind you I'd just got out a swimming pool with water at 29C, and being lazy I didn't actually pedal, just let the motor do all the work.

I was always under the impression that 1969 was during the late Sixties I'm obviously mistaken. "But you stated matter of fact" - I didn't. A subjective opinion isn't a "fact". "You only mentioned subjective experience " I wasn't quoting "stats", I was describing a subjective experience. That's all I mentioned: a subjective experience although I know the temp. was in the Seventies F but that's not a "stat", it was the temperature I measured in one particular area, under particular circumstances for my own interest. Again, that's why I don't frequent or post in the "formal" forums. "If that's how we do things I may as well say it was 36C yesterday because I was doing physical work outside and felt pretty hot.". Precisely, you've answered your own question. My impression of today is distinctly autumnal: cloudy, windy, showery with the max here a miserable 19C and the prospect of a distinctly chilly night. That's not a hard "stat", that's my subjective impression. Perhaps I should do what I used to do, emphasise that all my posts are subjective because I don't keep weather records any more, although I did during previous years.

Sorry, but stats are irrelevant to me as when I post about the weather it's my SUBJECTIVE experience. Some people don't seem able to understand the difference. This is the Moans, Ramps and Chat thread not one of the formal threads, where I avoid posting.

Tonight I'm going swimming at my local leisure centre, doing so outdoors would be a thankless affair. Looking at the future prospect, it looks like Summer '18 is now done and dusted, at least here in the NW with early autumn now here.

No, my long-term memory is very keen. In my neck of the woods the last weekend in September saw temps. in the 70s F as I remember wandering round Chester overdressed for the heat (we used old money in those days). Summer '69 was mediocre at best with our intended holiday in North Wales rained off - we bailed out and went home so that late September mini-heatwave was a welcome surprise. I'm not interested in stats, but how I experienced the weather at the time. It became noticeably colder during early October as I had to ride a bike to work so was very aware of the chill. Likewise sunshine stats are misleading as often any sunshine occurs during the small hours before most of us are up with the almost inevitable grey lid slamming down around breakfast time - which has been the case so far this week.

The end of September 1969 saw a mini-heatwave but then was a sharp descent into cold and cloudy conditions at the beginning of October.