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June 1987: A Dire Summer Month


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Posted
  • Location: Irlam
  • Location: Irlam

This June is bringing back memories of this dire summer month.

June 1987 was a disappointingly cool, very dull and wet month. The 2nd test match at Lord's, England v Pakistan, was a disaster with 3 days washed out and the first day of Wimbledon fortnight was washed out with play not beginning until well into the 2nd day. The 5th of June was a particularly wet day

Rrea00119870606.gif

This heralded a very cool spell of weather that lasted from the 7th to the 16th, a number of places never got to 16C during this period. Thunderstorms did breakout during this period with hail. For Manchester, June 1987 was actually the wettest month of the 1980s. The weather finally picked up at the end of June with temperatures getting into the 20s. Its the dullest June on record in the Areal series.

CET trackometer.

1. 13.5

2. 12.9

3. 13.0

4. 13.1

5. 12.5

6. 12.7

7. 12.5

8. 12.3

9. 12.1

10. 11.9

11. 11.9

12. 11.8

13. 11.7

14. 11.6

15. 11.5

16. 11.5

17. 11.5

18. 11.5

19. 11.6

20. 11.7

21. 11.7

22. 11.8

23. 11.8

24. 11.9

25. 11.9

26. 12.1

27. 12.2

28. 12.5

29. 12.7

30. 12.8

Abbotsinch

Mean Max: 15.9

Rainfall: 93mm (160%)

Sun: 146hrs (78%)

Durham

Mean Max: 15.1

Rainfall: 92mm (180%)

Sun: 89hrs (53%)

Elmdon

Mean Max: 16.9

Rainfall: 107mm (202%)

Sun: 119hrs (61%)

Heathrow

Mean Max: 18.6

Rainfall: 70mm (137%)

Sun: 133hrs (65%)

Manchester

Mean Max: 15.8

Rainfall: 174mm (276%)

Sun: 103hrs (54%)

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Posted
  • Location: Lincoln, Lincolnshire
  • Weather Preferences: Sunshine, convective precipitation, snow, thunderstorms, "episodic" months.
  • Location: Lincoln, Lincolnshire

This topic is relevant to the discussion of our southerly tracking jet stream in recent summers. Not only did June 1987 have a near-relentless succession of frontal depressions tracking over central and southern Britain but it was also combined with a Greenland high/Scandinavian low which repeatedly sent Arctic air southwards. The synoptic archives also pick up on the warmer interlude at the end of the month (a ridge from the main Azores High settled over central Europe but too far south/east to have much bearing on the UK's weather bar pulling the air in from a warmer direction).

At Durham this turned out to be the dullest June of the century.

This June has certainly started off on an uncannily similar note although next week looks like it may see a let-up in the succession of southerly tracking lows- it remains to be seen whether we'll end up with something on the scale of June 1987.

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Posted
  • Location: Irlam
  • Location: Irlam

What did the rest of the 87 summer deliver did it get better during July and August

Mid July to Mid August 1987 was bad, I remember a Friday in early August 1987 being really chilly and drizzly. There was a Spanish plume around the 22nd August bring thunderstorms. It wasn't great.

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Posted
  • Location: Darlington
  • Weather Preferences: Warm dry summers
  • Location: Darlington

Mid July to Mid August 1987 was bad, I remember a Friday in early August 1987 being really chilly and drizzly. There was a Spanish plume around the 22nd August bring thunderstorms. It wasn't great.

Thanks, hopefully this year won't be a repeat

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Posted
  • Location: Lincoln, Lincolnshire
  • Weather Preferences: Sunshine, convective precipitation, snow, thunderstorms, "episodic" months.
  • Location: Lincoln, Lincolnshire

The stats and synoptic archives suggest a spell of somewhat warmer, drier and sunnier weather during the first half of July 1987 as a ridge of high pressure became quite persistent to the SE and fed in frequent southerly and south-westerly winds. The high got pushed away around mid-month leaving us with a mid-Atlantic high and cool changeable north to north-westerlies in the second half of July and then a resumption of the northern blocking and southerly tracking lows into August. The brief "two fine days and a thunderstorm" setup for the 19th-22nd August shows up well on the WZ archives, but was something of a one-off.

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Posted
  • Location: Edmonton Alberta(via Chelmsford, Exeter & Calgary)
  • Weather Preferences: Sunshine and 15-25c
  • Location: Edmonton Alberta(via Chelmsford, Exeter & Calgary)

i had the summer of 1987 down as being pretty decent. I am surprised it was counted as being less than that. I think my memory must be clouded by the fact i had a dutch girlfriend at the time..maybe that's why i remember it being decentair_kiss.gif

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Posted
  • Location: Windermere 120m asl
  • Location: Windermere 120m asl

Yes June 1987 was a poor summer month. I don't have any particular memories of the month, but I remember the summer of 1987 being rather non-descript. There were quite a number of poor summer months during the 80's most notably June and July 1980, all three months in 1985, july and august 1986 in terms of temps and July 1988 - a shocker!!! followed by a poor August.

There was a run of poor summers during the period 1985-1988, all four produced below average temps in the case of 1986 exceptionally so and 1985 wasn't that much better, below average sunshine and above average rainfall, however the period came on the back of 2 good summers, and was followed by 3 good or very good summers.

I doubt June 2012 will be as unsettled as June 1987 but you never know, we've had similiar Junes since 1987 most notably 1997, 2007 and 2008.

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Posted
  • Location: Lincoln, Lincolnshire
  • Weather Preferences: Sunshine, convective precipitation, snow, thunderstorms, "episodic" months.
  • Location: Lincoln, Lincolnshire

I'm guessing you mean 1998 rather than 2008- the latter was a pretty average June, whereas the former in NW England was even wetter and duller than June 1997 (though still not quite as dull as June 1987). June 1998 had that familiar scenario of southerly tracking lows and northern blocking, bar a brief hot southerly on the 18th-21st.

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Posted
  • Location: Derbyshire Peak District. 290 mts a.s.l.
  • Weather Preferences: Anything extreme
  • Location: Derbyshire Peak District. 290 mts a.s.l.

'Dire' in most people's books I suppose, but not in mine. June 1987 here was not quite as cool as in 1991 with a mean max' of 14.0c and 13.3c respectively. Nor was it as wet as in 1982 or 2007 but it was definitely a wet month with 162.8 mm and 23 days with measureable rain.

It was also the second dullest June on record here with 105hrs of sunshine, bettered only by 1991 with 95 hrs.

To cap it all it was one of the foggiest Junes on record with fog recorded at some time on 15 days, only June 1982 was foggier.

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Posted
  • Location: Windermere 120m asl
  • Location: Windermere 120m asl

'Dire' in most people's books I suppose, but not in mine. June 1987 here was not quite as cool as in 1991 with a mean max' of 14.0c and 13.3c respectively. Nor was it as wet as in 1982 or 2007 but it was definitely a wet month with 162.8 mm and 23 days with measureable rain.

It was also the second dullest June on record here with 105hrs of sunshine, bettered only by 1991 with 95 hrs.

To cap it all it was one of the foggiest Junes on record with fog recorded at some time on 15 days, only June 1982 was foggier.

June 1991 was particularly dire from a temperature perspective, I think it is the coldest June of the last 30 years at least. It wasn't a particularly wet month, but there were many days of cloud and drizzle brought on by a very cool northerly airflow. The first half of June 95 saw similiar conditions and looked to be heading the same way as 91 but then a rapid change occured in the third week and it ended on a very warm sunny dry note.

Going back to my previous post, yes I meant to say 1998 which was a very poor month here in Cumbria, in what was with 1993 probably the worse summer of the 90's, not as wet as 97 but much cooler.

Many are bemoaning the way this month has shaped out so far, but as this thread indicates we have had many Junes' with similiar synoptics.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Posted
  • Location: Ossett, West Yorkshire
  • Location: Ossett, West Yorkshire

Yes June 1987 was a poor summer month. I don't have any particular memories of the month, but I remember the summer of 1987 being rather non-descript. There were quite a number of poor summer months during the 80's most notably June and July 1980, all three months in 1985, july and august 1986 in terms of temps and July 1988 - a shocker!!! followed by a poor August.

There was a run of poor summers during the period 1985-1988, all four produced below average temps in the case of 1986 exceptionally so and 1985 wasn't that much better, below average sunshine and above average rainfall, however the period came on the back of 2 good summers, and was followed by 3 good or very good summers.

I doubt June 2012 will be as unsettled as June 1987 but you never know, we've had similiar Junes since 1987 most notably 1997, 2007 and 2008.

The summer of 1985 didn't have three poor summer months - look at July 1985, a CET of 16.2. Not too bad for July at all. It is true that the four summers from 1985 to 1988 all had at least one month that was much cooler than average, and also wet. June / August 1985, August 1986, June 1987, July 1988. Probably the best spell for warm and dry weather out of that little lot was in June 1986. There was a fair amount of warm or even hot days over the second half of that month, which continued into the start of July. There were also a few other warm and dry spells during those summers - July 1985 saw a fair number of warm days in southern parts at least, and after the end of June 1987 there were a number of warm dry days over the first half of July 1987, and then a warm spell from around the 16th to 22nd August 1987, but as many people rightly say, warm and dry spells were few and far between in the summers from 1985 to 1988.

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Posted
  • Location: Catchgate, Durham,705ft asl
  • Location: Catchgate, Durham,705ft asl

June 87 certainly a chilly month.

I think June 2012 will end up being wetter than 87' though.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Posted
  • Location: Windermere 120m asl
  • Location: Windermere 120m asl

Well in the end June 2012 certainly vies with June 1987 as being perhaps the worst June in the last 30 odd years at least. Interested to see how June 1980 compares - this was a very dull cool month if I'm correct in thinking.

Whilst June 1987 was cooler than June 2012 it was not as wet, consequently I think June edges it.

The rest of summer 1987 wasn't that great but it was substantially better with some warmer sunnier interludes.

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Posted
  • Location: Lincoln, Lincolnshire
  • Weather Preferences: Sunshine, convective precipitation, snow, thunderstorms, "episodic" months.
  • Location: Lincoln, Lincolnshire

According to the MetO's UK-wide datasets:

http://www.metoffice...te/uk/datasets/

June 2012, remarkably, was the wettest since before 1914 (even beating the likes of 1997 and 2007) although the number of wet days was a little below 1991 and 1998 and it was marginally less dull than 1987. The mean maximum temperature was just fractionally above 1987's although a full degree above 1991's. Thus as far as shocking Junes go, it's certainly a contender for the number one spot.

The stats show up June 1980 as an exceptionally wet month but not quite as cool or cloudy (about level with June 1998 on both counts). Had it not been for a warm humid thundery start, and a thundery but brighter interlude after the 20th, it might have rivalled June 2012 for coolness and lack of sunshine as well as rainfall. However the 1980 one was a stark example of such a June that also led into a near-relentlessly cool cloudy wet July and August.

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Posted
  • Location: Alresford, Near Colchester, Essex
  • Weather Preferences: As long as it's not North Sea muck, I'll cope.
  • Location: Alresford, Near Colchester, Essex

According to the MetO's UK-wide datasets:

http://www.metoffice...te/uk/datasets/

June 2012, remarkably, was the wettest since before 1914 (even beating the likes of 1997 and 2007) although the number of wet days was a little below 1991 and 1998 and it was marginally less dull than 1987. The mean maximum temperature was just fractionally above 1987's although a full degree above 1991's. Thus as far as shocking Junes go, it's certainly a contender for the number one spot.

The stats show up June 1980 as an exceptionally wet month but not quite as cool or cloudy (about level with June 1998 on both counts). Had it not been for a warm humid thundery start, and a thundery but brighter interlude after the 20th, it might have rivalled June 2012 for coolness and lack of sunshine as well as rainfall. However the 1980 one was a stark example of such a June that also led into a near-relentlessly cool cloudy wet July and August.

I was in Egypt for most of the School summer holidays of 1980. I vividly remember how 'untanned' of all of my friends were on my return. This (anecdotally) ties in with your description of that summer. I hope this one doesn't repeat.sad.png

I also remember driving down flooded roads in June 1987 here in Essex. 1987 was a very memorable weather year in the southeast, obviously.

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Posted
  • Location: Windermere 120m asl
  • Location: Windermere 120m asl

According to the MetO's UK-wide datasets:

http://www.metoffice...te/uk/datasets/

June 2012, remarkably, was the wettest since before 1914 (even beating the likes of 1997 and 2007) although the number of wet days was a little below 1991 and 1998 and it was marginally less dull than 1987. The mean maximum temperature was just fractionally above 1987's although a full degree above 1991's. Thus as far as shocking Junes go, it's certainly a contender for the number one spot.

The stats show up June 1980 as an exceptionally wet month but not quite as cool or cloudy (about level with June 1998 on both counts). Had it not been for a warm humid thundery start, and a thundery but brighter interlude after the 20th, it might have rivalled June 2012 for coolness and lack of sunshine as well as rainfall. However the 1980 one was a stark example of such a June that also led into a near-relentlessly cool cloudy wet July and August.

Quite possibly the accolade of worse summer in the last 40 years at least would go to 1980, with 1978 not far behind. If however, summer 2012 continues in similiar vein, I think it would easily get first prize... in more recent times the worse summer of the last 25 years probably goes to 2007, with 1987, 1988, 1998 and 2008 not far behind. Years ending in 8 have fared poorly in recent times...

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