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How rare are back to back good summers and 6 cold winters in a row?


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Posted
  • Location: Coventry
  • Weather Preferences: anticyclonic unless a snow storm
  • Location: Coventry

2013 has been fantastic compared to the previous 6 summers here in the Midlands. But how rare are back to back good summers in the UK?

The only one I can think of in my lifetime is 1975 and 1976. Would 1995 and 1996 count as great summers? Any more spring to mind?

Regarding cold winters, I believe the previous 5 winters, dating back from 2008/2009 have all been in the top 10 coldest winters (CET) of the last 30 years. Has this occurred before? I thought maybe something similar happened in the 1960s? I would say a 6th consecutive cold winter would be unprecedented in recent history..

Edited by BlueSkies_do_I_see
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Posted
  • Location: Manchester
  • Location: Manchester

2011-12 was mostly very mild and surprisingly sunny- that most unusual combination in winter. In fact it was one of my favourite winters for that reason. Christmas Day was fantastic in 2011- rather springlike in feel at 13C.

1994 and 1995 for summers?

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Posted
  • Location: Irlam
  • Location: Irlam

Christmas Day was fantastic in 2011- rather springlike in feel at 13C.

That's a matter of opinion because it was cloudy and dull, I rather take the previous year's Christmas Day which was brilliant crystal clear blue skies and gloriously sunny. Edited by Weather-history
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Posted
  • Location: Coventry
  • Weather Preferences: anticyclonic unless a snow storm
  • Location: Coventry

Ok, I forgot 2011/12 was generally milder.

However, late Jan 2012 saw intense cold over Europe for several weeks. We caught the edge of it.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_2012_European_cold_wave

Edited by BlueSkies_do_I_see
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Posted
  • Location: north wiltshire
  • Location: north wiltshire

Back to back good summers: 75/76, 83/84, 89/90, 05/06

Might be able to squeeze 95/96 in too. 95 was a peach and 96 though not as good had its moments.

Hopefully we'll be able to add 13/14 this time next year.

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Posted
  • Location: Rossland BC Canada
  • Location: Rossland BC Canada

Your question essentially asks when did variability reach a peak in the past, and that would probably be around the 1780s and 1820s. You'll find some nice spreads from low winter means to high summer means in those decades. A minor peak of variability then occurred around 1940.

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Posted
  • Location: Manchester
  • Location: Manchester

That's a matter of opinion because it was cloudy and dull, I rather take the previous year's Christmas Day which was brilliant crystal clear blue skies and gloriously sunny.

 

Depends on where you were- I was in Northwich in Cheshire and there was a fair bit of brightness in the early afternoon that day and the winds were light at least for a time.

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Posted
  • Location: Leeds/Bradford border, 185 metres above sea level, around 600 feet
  • Location: Leeds/Bradford border, 185 metres above sea level, around 600 feet

2013 has been fantastic compared to the previous 6 summers here in the Midlands. But how rare are back to back good summers in the UK?The only one I can think of in my lifetime is 1975 and 1976. Would 1995 and 1996 count as great summers? Any more spring to mind?Regarding cold winters, I believe the previous 5 winters, dating back from 2008/2009 have all been in the top 10 coldest winters (CET) of the last 30 years. Has this occurred before? I thought maybe something similar happened in the 1960s? I would say a 6th consecutive cold winter would be unprecedented in recent history..

 

Since 1980 the top 10 are...

 

2010

1982

1985

1986

1991

1996

2011

1987

2009

2013.

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Posted
  • Location: Coventry
  • Weather Preferences: anticyclonic unless a snow storm
  • Location: Coventry

Since 1980 the top 10 are...2010198219851986199119962011198720092013.

The trend is clearly there for a run of cold winters. I'm spending a wedge of cash next month to insulate my draughty 1930s house next month as I am convinced we are heading for another cold one! Edited by BlueSkies_do_I_see
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Posted
  • Location: Leicester
  • Weather Preferences: cloudy in summer, sunny in winter.
  • Location: Leicester

to me the midlands has been aweful this year, too much hot burning sun without wind/breeze hardly any rain.

 

I had a conversation with my sister about this, she was ironically on holiday during much of the july heatwave but came back whilst it was still on, she said it was hot where she was on holiday but the difference was the air was fresh and it felt cool indoors.  Whilst here in leicester you dont feel cool indoors (in the shade).  Her description when she got of the train after getting back "it felt like walking into a furnace".

 

To me unless you tolerable of heat, dont have anything physical to do then long periods of dry boiling hot weather is not a good summer.

 

A friend visited me from africa yesterday as well, he said leicester feels hotter than africa.  Right now i am covered in sweat again (wearing no top) today and last 2 days are the july type weather.

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Posted
  • Location: N.Bedfordshire, E.Northamptonshire
  • Weather Preferences: Cool not cold, warm not hot. No strong Wind.
  • Location: N.Bedfordshire, E.Northamptonshire

How rare is one bad winter followed by six good summers?

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Posted
  • Location: Leeds
  • Weather Preferences: snow, heat, thunderstorms
  • Location: Leeds

We haven't had anywhere near enough cold winters to make up for the mild winters of the 90s and 2000s. Still a way to go yet!

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Posted
  • Location: N.Bedfordshire, E.Northamptonshire
  • Weather Preferences: Cool not cold, warm not hot. No strong Wind.
  • Location: N.Bedfordshire, E.Northamptonshire

See personal pref and changes in life make our perception of bad/good different methinks.

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Posted
  • Location: Leeds
  • Weather Preferences: snow, heat, thunderstorms
  • Location: Leeds

See personal pref and changes in life make our perception of bad/good different methinks.

Quite. It'd be a dull world if we all had the same views and preferences.

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Posted
  • Location: N.Bedfordshire, E.Northamptonshire
  • Weather Preferences: Cool not cold, warm not hot. No strong Wind.
  • Location: N.Bedfordshire, E.Northamptonshire

Quite. It'd be a dull world if we all had the same views and preferences.

And there I totally agree with you

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Posted
  • Location: South Yorkshire
  • Location: South Yorkshire

See personal pref and changes in life make our perception of bad/good different methinks.

 

True - as far as I'm concerned we've just had a dreadful summer hot (!) on the heels of five passable ones. 'Passable' 'cos they didn't have quite enough rain to make it into the 'good' category!!

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Posted
  • Location: N.Bedfordshire, E.Northamptonshire
  • Weather Preferences: Cool not cold, warm not hot. No strong Wind.
  • Location: N.Bedfordshire, E.Northamptonshire

True - as far as I'm concerned we've just had a dreadful summer hot (!) on the heels of five passable ones. 'Passable' 'cos they didn't have quite enough rain to make it into the 'good' category!!

As a child and growing up I wanted snow filled cold winters and hot sunny summers, as I have got older and gathered more breaks and wounds along with the bills to pay for stuff I have edged more towards practical but nice, so extreme cold winters have been given the boot and to some extent too hot summers as they cost me money to be comfortable in.  Cold and damp also makes me ache more (17 years of doing and teaching martial arts will do that), I do miss my hey day when I had a horse and on days like today I would get home, skip dinner, go to the stables and tack up the horse and just hack out for as many hours as the light would give me, that was/is my complete life bliss, and boy do I miss it.

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Posted
  • Location: N.Bedfordshire, E.Northamptonshire
  • Weather Preferences: Cool not cold, warm not hot. No strong Wind.
  • Location: N.Bedfordshire, E.Northamptonshire

Ahhh bugger, I have no dosh but am now looking at ways for me to get back in the saddle and take a horse out in my spare time (trawling the nag and dog ads now, may get lucky)

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Posted
  • Location: Bratislava, Slovakia
  • Location: Bratislava, Slovakia

True - as far as I'm concerned we've just had a dreadful summer hot (!) on the heels of five passable ones. 'Passable' 'cos they didn't have quite enough rain to make it into the 'good' category!!

 

You have to be joking! If 2012 didn't have enough rain, what summer did?

Edited by AderynCoch
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Posted
  • Location: Leeds
  • Weather Preferences: snow, heat, thunderstorms
  • Location: Leeds

You have to be joking! If 2012 didn't have enough rain, what summer did?

To be fair, it does vary, as ever. It wasn't that wet here - certainly not as wet as 2007 or 2008. No summer month exceeded 100mm here, although April did. This is why I dislike headlines such as 'wettest in 100 years', because it most certainly was not everywhere, definitely not here.

 

For what it's worth, here are the wettest recent summers here. Last year wasn't even as wet as 2009 or 2004. We're one of the driest places in the UK though.

 

2007 299.9 mm

2008 255.5 mm

2004 253.2 mm

2009 241.0 mm

2012 226.5 mm

2002 220.4 mm

Edited by cheese
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