"Record" May Heat....1922

[Weather-history]

Late May 1922 saw an exceptional heatwave where maxima got into the 30Cs.

The highest maxima recorded on these dates

21st: 30.6C

22nd: 32.8C

23rd: 31.7C

24th: 32.2C

The CET for the period 21st-31st May: 16.9

Was this the start of an exceptionally hot summer?

In one word: no.

June wasn't too bad as it wasn't wet and the first half was fairly warm but July and August were diabolical, very cool and often wet.

CETs

June 1922: 13.8

July 1922: 13.7

August 1922: 13.6

July was joint 5th coolest July on record

August was joint 10th coolest August on record

Summer 1922 CET: 13.7

It is the 12th coldest summer on record.

Only on 13 days did the CET maximum reach 20.0C and 9 of those occurred in the first half of June 1922.

From the Times of the 23rd of May

[Weather-history]

Neufahrwasser recorded a maximum of 38.3C on the 24th of May 1922

Also 35.6C was recorded at Paris and 35C at Frankfurt on that same day

[reef]

I can only imagine the reaction of people if we had a 13.70C summer nowadays, especially the 13.6C and 13.7C July and August. Looking at the charts it seems that summer the pattern was one of WNW zonality almost throughout. It shows how the patterns in May (like November just gone with regards to winter) have no bearing on how the following season might play out.

It sort of puts into context how recent summers werent really cold at all. 2007 (15.23C), 2008 (15.43C) and 2009 (15.83C) all over 1.5C warmer.

[damianslaw]

I can only imagine the reaction of people if we had a 13.70C summer nowadays, especially the 13.6C and 13.7C July and August. Looking at the charts it seems that summer the pattern was one of WNW zonality almost throughout. It shows how the patterns in May (like November just gone with regards to winter) have no bearing on how the following season might play out.

It sort of puts into context how recent summers werent really cold at all. 2007 (15.23C), 2008 (15.43C) and 2009 (15.83C) all over 1.5C warmer.

Yes recent summers haven't been too bad temp wise, just poor on the sunshine and dry stakes.

More fairly recent summers like 1985, 1986 and 1987 brought some very cool conditions indeed, 1985 was consistently cool with few notable high maxima, and Aug 1986 was positively autumnal.

Its been a long time since we have seen a appreciably cooler than average summer, it would be very unusual if we saw a very cool summer on the back of a much colder than normal winter, however, this year has been very different synoptic wise - you never know we could just be about to get that very cool summer.

[Summer of 95]

I notice the phrase "practically confined to southeastern districts"; it doesn't even seem to have reached the other parts of the south, let alone Scotland or the north. London 17C hotter than Devon?

Recent summers' CETs weren't that cold, but the Julys and Augusts especially had average maxima that were. Look at http://hadobs.metoffice.com/hadcet/cetmaxmly1878on_urbadj4.dat- we haven't had a month with the monthly CET max over 21C since July 2006. And the warmest months by maxima in 1986 and 1987 were slightly warmer than the warmest in 2007. It's the minima- usually due to the cloudiness of recent summers- that causes the overall average to look unexpectedly high.

[Optimus Prime]

It sort of puts into context how recent summers werent really cold at all. 2007 (15.23C), 2008 (15.43C) and 2009 (15.83C) all over 1.5C warmer.

You are comparing them with one of the coldest summers ever!

[Weather-history]

From the Guardian

22nd    23rd 

 

24th   25th      26th 

 

28th 

[damianslaw]

 Proof by late May in the right circumstances we can achieve temps that in some years are not reached in the summer months.

[cheeky_monkey]

7 hours ago, damianslaw said:

 Proof by late May in the right circumstances we can achieve temps that in some years are not reached in the summer months.

it happens here quite often i can think of 4 years in the last 12 where the hottest weather came in May and those temps were not achieved again through the summer months

[damianslaw]

3 hours ago, cheeky_monkey said:

it happens here quite often i can think of 4 years in the last 12 where the hottest weather came in May and those temps were not achieved again through the summer months

Sun strength is a big factor and less humidity and unstable imported air from continental climes reduce risk of cloud cover suppressing temps. In rare occasions the same happens late November. 2019 I think produced a night on the 30th that was colder than any night in the following winter months. 2010 would no doubt have done the same on the 28th/29th which was exceptionally cold had we not had an extraordinary December. By late May we are only 3-4 weeks off the summer solstice likewise late Nov 3-4 weeks off winter solstice. 

[ANYWEATHER]

Interesting that the exceptional heat of that May 1922 was amongst the coolest summers of the 20th century, 1922 and 1920!. Summer 1922 ,was picticularly noted for a lack of sunshine and as a result persistent coolness. Agriculture suffered in all parts of the country.  France also recorded record heat that month.