Summer 2013

[Costa Del Fal]

Yeah for much of the summer west faired best. easily one if my best summers here. A lot more sunshine overall had here than you easterners I expect.

[cheese]

Yeah for much of the summer west faired best. easily one if my best summers here. A lot more sunshine overall had here than you easterners I expect.

Yes, I suspect, but I'm not too fussed - one year alone does not change long-term averages. At least I can rest in solace knowing this year is probably just a blip, and that in any given year, we'll be sunnier than you. The Coleshill station near Birmingham doesn't even exceed 200 hours in any month on average - yikes.

 

Just saying is all - don't get used to it!

Edited August 27, 2013 by cheese

[Thundery wintry showers]

I think in Sandhutton this summer should have above average sunshine, with close to average totals in June and August and above average sunshine in July- quite often I've been just far enough to the west to miss the low cloud coming in off the North Sea when high pressure became centred over the west or north-west of Britain.

 

 

However when we have North Westerly winds on top of a ridging Azores High, Coastal South Wales tends to be very sunny being sheltered from this "in fill" cloud.

 

To a certain extent this also applies with westerly winds, but with South Westerly winds, this does NOT apply.

 

That sort of "cloud shadow effect" can apply to the east of the Pennines too, especially sheltered eastern coastal spots, but not always, depending on the circumstances.  June 1994 was a good example of a month when this often happened, with numerous warm, bright and breezy "westerly" days in the Tyne and Wear/Durham area and cloudy skies towards the Pennines, but I don't think eastern areas have benefitted much from that effect in westerly/north-westerly setups during this year's summer- most sunny days here have had anticyclonic and/or southerly circulation types.

[Scorcher]

Yes, I suspect, but I'm not too fussed - one year alone does not change long-term averages. At least I can rest in solace knowing this year is probably just a blip, and that in any given year, we'll be sunnier than you. The Coleshill station near Birmingham doesn't even exceed 200 hours in any month on average - yikes.

 

Just saying is all - don't get used to it!

 

I don't know why you always insist on making sweeping statements and trying to score points in your posts which are often otherwise well put-together. Sunshine averages can be very varied over quite small areas and coastal areas of the west are often as sunny if not sunnier on average than many places in the east. For instance Robin Hood Airport averages 1477 hours over the year, Blackpool averages 1566 hours. Morecambe 1507 hours. Dishforth Airfield in North Yorkshire averages 1438 hours over the year with no month reaching 200 on average. Pershore which isn't too far from Blizzards gets 1537 hours in a year.Compare to 1573 at Church Fenton. Only a couple of hours in it if you compare the sunniest month at Pershore with the sunniest month at Church Fenton and Pershore is clearly warmer.

 

There really isn't a lot of difference over the year between the stations in the west and the east. You picked out a particularly dull station in Coleshill- not sure about the location of the station but a lot of the stations around it are sunnier and very close to your average in Church Fenton. Sunshine is related to topography as well- the west is generally hillier but the flatter areas in the west away from high ground will compare favourably with those in the east. Church Fenton couldn't be much closer to sea level at just 8m.

[Costa Del Fal]

I don't know why you always insist on making sweeping statements and trying to score points in your posts which are often otherwise well put-together. Sunshine averages can be very varied over quite small areas and coastal areas of the west are often as sunny if not sunnier on average than many places in the east. For instance Robin Hood Airport averages 1477 hours over the year, Blackpool averages 1566 hours. Morecambe 1507 hours. Dishforth Airfield in North Yorkshire averages 1438 hours over the year with no month reaching 200 on average. Pershore which isn't too far from Blizzards gets 1537 hours in a year.Compare to 1573 at Church Fenton. Only a couple of hours in it if you compare the sunniest month at Pershore with the sunniest month at Church Fenton and Pershore is clearly warmer.

 

There really isn't a lot of difference over the year between the stations in the west and the east. You picked out a particularly dull station in Coleshill- not sure about the location of the station but a lot of the stations around it are sunnier and very close to your average in Church Fenton. Sunshine is related to topography as well- the west is generally hillier but the flatter areas in the west away from high ground will compare favourably with those in the east. Church Fenton couldn't be much closer to sea level at just 8m.

Indeed, Pershore isnt a million miles away from me. Though I can trump most of you when im in Falmouth. hehe. But thats not the point. We are usually far enough West so North Sea low cloud isnt too much of a pain. The hills to the west also do a good job of holding back some cloud. Today seems to be a bit of an example of that. 23c and very sunny here despite forecasts that it would be cloudier now.

[mushymanrob]

Summers in order with the best at the top and the worst at the bottom1976 3011995 2981983 2781955 2771911 2741984 2711959 2691975 2681949 2671989 2622013 259 up to 26th August 1947 2551933 2511901 2491921 2492003 2471925 2462006 2461996 2451935 2431994 2401934 2381940 2381941 2361970 2351969 2341973 2341999 2341997 2321990 2291917 2281926 2272005 2241905 2231932 2231945 2231967 2231977 2231914 2221992 2221908 2201960 2171950 2161957 2161968 2151906 2141942 2141937 2131939 2131904 2121929 2112001 2111903 2091943 2091991 2071913 2051971 2051919 2031961 2031982 2031951 2011918 2001944 2002002 2001930 1991974 1991979 1991952 1982000 1981928 1971962 1971964 1972004 1971915 1961981 1961902 1951963 1941993 1942009 1941953 1931966 1921998 1921988 1912010 1911910 1901936 1901965 1891986 1891916 1881972 1851958 1841985 1802011 1791922 1781938 1771948 1761927 1751920 1741923 1742007 1741931 1731978 1731980 1731909 1711946 1701987 1692008 1682012 1641924 1581912 1561956 1551907 1471954 143

 

how is this calculated? what do the points reprisent?

 

id absolutely agree with the top three... but to put this summer above 06?.. REALLY? not here mate...06 was twice as good as 13.

[Weather-history]

how is this calculated? what do the points reprisent?id absolutely agree with the top three... but to put this summer above 06?.. REALLY? not here mate...06 was twice as good as 13.

It based on the mean maximum temperatures, sunshine hours and rain days and at Manchester. So it is dependent on local data and not national data.How do you know that summer 2006 was twice as good as summer 2013 unless its a figure of speech? Summer 2006 was excellent up to the end of July but the August was unimpressive. Summer 2006 was basically a one and half summer. August 2013 is much better than August 2006. Edited August 27, 2013 by Weather-history

[Bottesford]

Yes August 2006 was fairly cool & damp but then June this year was below average (around here) with frequent cloud and a howling autumnal depression on my wedding weekend (22nd). Only the last week or so did it warm up.

June 2006 however was very warm or hot frequently so even if we only cherry pick any two summer months from both years then 2006 will still win in my book.

Also not forgetting July 2006 was much warmer than this July.

 

My data:

June 2006:

Average temperature: +18.6 °CAverage maximum temperature: +23.6 °CAverage minimum temperature: +13.6 °C

 

June 2013:Average temperature: +16 °CAverage maximum temperature: +19.8 °CAverage minimum temperature: +12.3 °C

 

July 2006:

Average temperature: +22.3 °CAverage maximum temperature: +27.8 °CAverage minimum temperature: +16.8 °C

 

July 2013:Average temperature: +20.4 °CAverage maximum temperature: +24.7 °CAverage minimum temperature: +16.1 °C

 

August 2006:

Average temperature: +17.5 °CAverage maximum temperature: +21.1 °CAverage minimum temperature: +13.8 °C

 

August 2013 (so far):

Average temperature: +18.9 °CAverage maximum temperature: +23.2 °CAverage minimum temperature: +14.7 °C

 

I don't have any sunshine data and my rainfall data is questionable so I can't factor those in (which I know would skew a 'summer index' calc).

Of course my figures are higher than an official CET station what with me being in an urban area and with periods of missing data here & there but they do give a reasonable indication of how each month felt as I remember it.

[summer blizzard]

Here in Leeds we never really had the cloud problems of the east and I'd say that June and August will be close to average in that regard however I'd still rate 2006 and 2003 far above. While June was better than August 06 the June of 06 was far superior to this August in all measures so this probably is more comparable with 1990.

Essentially this summer for me saw 5 weeks of cool to average, 3 weeks of hot and then 5 weeks of average to warm. The first 8 weeks dry, the final five probably wet due to thunder.

[mushymanrob]

It based on the mean maximum temperatures, sunshine hours and rain days and at Manchester. So it is dependent on local data and not national data.How do you know that summer 2006 was twice as good as summer 2013 unless its a figure of speech?Summer 2006 was excellent up to the end of July but the August was unimpressive. Summer 2006 was basically a one and half summer. August 2013 is much better than August 2006.

 

ok righteo... so locations will differ, i expect you didnt get 4 spoilt days in the march heatwave, courtesy of the north sea... we had a horrid dull weekend, ruined the event really...

 

yes it was a figure of speech, june was good, july great, but august poor... (06), here for 13 june was nothing, july was great but with cooler/cloudy interruptions, august was ok.

 

for me here, summer 13 was down to 3 weeks in july, with a slightly below par june, and average aug..  hence my comment about 06 being twice the sumer... i strongly suspect that if i added up the 'hot' days, or the dry sunny warm days, 06 would have c twice as many as this year..

 

edit...i see botty has just posted data that supports my memory!

Edited August 27, 2013 by mushymanrob

[Milhouse]

Very impressive figure for this summer. Look at how far you have to go down to find the next best one since 2006. And then poor old 2012 languishing near the bottom.

[AderynCoch]

I'm also surprised to see 2013 above 2006, but this has been a summer of consistency rather than extremes (the one exception being July's unusually-high amount of sunshine for most places). While July 2013 couldn't quite hold a candle to July 2006, the summer as a whole has been sunny and not that wet. There has been some heavy rain and some pretty autumnal days, but they haven't dominated to the extent they have in much of the previous summers and there has been a lot of dry, sunny weather to be had. Even August has turned out pretty decent despite threatening not to.

 

Also of course that's only the index for Manchester. The rankings won't be the same everywhere.

[Milhouse]

One thing i have noticed about this summer is that when a low pressure has come along, it has more often than not been followed by the Azores high rather than another low and another one after that like last year. The unsettled spells have been 2/3 days max and there has always been some form of high pressure showing in the models at present or in the not too distant future. This August has been superb here with little in the way of cool weather. Cloud amounts have been large at times but it has felt like summer for the majority of the time.

[J10]

I think in Sandhutton this summer should have above average sunshine, with close to average totals in June and August and above average sunshine in July- quite often I've been just far enough to the west to miss the low cloud coming in off the North Sea when high pressure became centred over the west or north-west of Britain.

 

 

 

That sort of "cloud shadow effect" can apply to the east of the Pennines too, especially sheltered eastern coastal spots, but not always, depending on the circumstances.  June 1994 was a good example of a month when this often happened, with numerous warm, bright and breezy "westerly" days in the Tyne and Wear/Durham area and cloudy skies towards the Pennines, but I don't think eastern areas have benefitted much from that effect in westerly/north-westerly setups during this year's summer- most sunny days here have had anticyclonic and/or southerly circulation types.

 

I think this is partly due to lower pressure in NE areas at times, moreso than is sometimes the case.

 

Eastern areas do tend to better with South Westerly winds and this has happened a bit in later summer, but not to the extent of the beneficial to western areas at the start of the summer.

[Weather-history]

August 2006 was poor here, which pulled down the index value for that summer.

I think this August is going to be the sunniest here since at least 2003.

[NeilN]

I'm not surprised 2013 is top ten in the best ever summer stakes. It really has been impressive, despite a slow start.

 

2012 - let's face it, it's one of the worst ever. Surprised the infamous 1988 and 1993 ones are ranked higher!

[AderynCoch]

August 2006 was poor here, which pulled down the index value for that summer.

I think this August is going to be the sunniest here since at least 2003.

 

Out of interest how does the individual score for August 2006 compare with other months? I was disappointed with that month due to what came before, but I don't recall it being that bad in absolute terms.

[Weather-history]

Out of interest how does the individual score for August 2006 compare with other months? I was disappointed with that month due to what came before, but I don't recall it being that bad in absolute terms.

August 2006 was 174It was the dullest August since 1986 ie for 20 years. So it was a poor summer month.

[AderynCoch]

Didn't have to wait long for a duller August.

 

I do recall 2006 rivalling 2008 for dullness in some parts of the country (like the Peak District).

[hillbilly]

Just amazing how statistics can be read and how different areas of the country are.I am amazed how high up the table summer 2013 is.It may be so in the figures but not round here 1989 was far ,far better than this year in fact if you take away the 3 weeks of july it would struggle to make the top half of the table.......june 6/10

july 9/10

august 6/10

[Isolated Frost]

June 6/10

July 8/10

August (so far) 6/10

[NeilN]

June 7/10

July 10/10

August 7/10

[Bottesford]

June 5/10

July 9/10

August 7/10

[DAVID SNOW]

Summer 2013 1/10 whats the point of all the heat humidity and warmth without a run of storms to compensate!

[Summer of 95]

Nowhere near as good as 2006 here, it's been nothing special save those 2 weeks in July.

 

June far too cool despite being dry and at times sunny, highest max 22.5 which even June 2012 bettered. Felt like a good April.

 

July had that spell which was better than anything since 2006, but was disappointed it didn't hit 30C when all the conditions seemed right. The month was however wetter than average here thanks to its monsoonal last 9 days, which infuriating didn't produce any overhead storms here either.

 

August had a cracking first 3 days, 29.5C on the 1st (would surely have hit 30 if the sun had come out before 2pm though....) then the first overhead storm since 2011 on the 3rd. All downhill then until yesterday, far too cloudy during the day and will struggle to make average sunshine now.

 

Overall about equal to 2005, with the best bits not as good (19th June 05)  and the worst bits not as bad (that appalling dull cold end to July 05) as that year.