What Do You Want From Summer?

[Milhouse]

A repeat of last summer would suit me fine. But if i was picky i would swap June with something like June 2010 or better still 2006.

[Bottesford]

Last year those cold easterlies badly affected June and we had a few drizzly periods (inc a weekend) in July but still a vast improvement on last year. 

[Thundery wintry showers]

I recall that my location got lucky during the anticyclonic first third of June, when the North Sea low cloud tended to pass just to the east and south-east of here and I had a succession of sunny days with moderately warm afternoons.

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2013/Rrea00120130604.gif

 

However, I remember another anticyclonic spell later in the month which was very different:

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2013/Rrea00120130625.gif

I remember the usual suspects in the model output thread pointing to charts like those and insisting that it would be warm and sunny almost everywhere, but it was quite predictable that at my location it would be neither.  The main issue tended to be convective cloud hitting a cap and spreading into stratocumulus.

 

But in July the high pressure was typically centred further east and this meant that, although the west often remained most favoured warmth and sunshine-wise, conditions were somewhat warmer and sunnier than June's overall:

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2013/Rrea00120130716.gif

 

Thus, I could add "High pressure NOT generally centred to the west of the British Isles during the anticyclonic spells" to my list of wishes.

Edited March 13, 2014 by Thundery wintry showers

[matty007]

A repeat of 1995 would be perfect to be honest. However last summer was very nice also. 

 

May (technically spring) - High pressure with an occasional low , temperatures around 22-23c. An odd day of scattered cloud and showers just to keep the grass hydrated. 5 mph SE wind. 

 

June (my favourite month) -  Again mostly dominant high pressure and temperatures sitting at around 25-26c. Very little rain aside from the odd day with very light showers for 10-15 minutes giving way to complete blue sky for the rest of the day, and hazy nights. A very light (5-7mph) southerly wind. 

 

July - Breakdown at the start of the month to bring temps down to 19-20c. Cloud and light rain for the first three/four days of the month before high pressure comes in and the temperatures rise to 28-30c. This carries on right through July with thunderstorms occasionally cropping up to clear the air, rain very seldom but enough to dampen the ground but doesn't stay for any length of time. Maybe 5 minute downpours once a week. A light (7mph) northerly wind just for a slight cooling effect. 

 

August - The first week is pretty much the same as July. Temperatures dip off slightly in the second week, hovering around 23-24c. 2-3 days of sunshine and showers. Come the middle of the month high pressure moves back in and a plume develops. Temperatures rise to 32c and stay that way until the last few days of August where the temperature peaks at 34c. A breakdown occurs right at the end of August bringing raging thunderstorms and a massive overnight downpour. Winds of 10-12mph - mostly Easterly throughout August. 

 

September (is Summer) - September starts with temperatures of 18-20c after the breakdown in August. Somewhat unsettled with sunshine and light showers but days of unbroken sunshine. A week or so in, high pressure once again then develops and warm air comes in, temperatures reaching around 25c for a week/ week and a half, and then a few days of 22c. The temperature then peaks at 27c which lasts for 2-3 days but is then met with a thunderstorm and a late evening downpour. For the last week the temperature sits at around 19-21c. Unbroken sunshine which then fades into October where the temperatures gradually dip down.  South Easterly winds for September. 

 

That is pretty much my perfect Summer. In all fairness I'd love three months of complete unbroken sunshine with temps of 28-30c, however I don't think that's going to happen lol. 

 

This is my ideal British Summer that's actually feasible, albeit unlikely. 

Edited March 14, 2014 by matty007

[BlueSkies_do_I_see]

Reviewing the last 4 UK summers, I would settle for a repeat of 2010 - a nice June I seem to remember. I could even accept an unmemorable but dry summer (in the Midlands) such 2011.  I'd love another 2013 (In fact I would love every summer for the rest of my life to have this many hours of sunshine). But please not another wet one like 2012!  If we have many more of those I will need to invest in a light box or a timeshare in the Canaries.

Edited March 14, 2014 by BlueSkies_do_I_see

[Barry12]

High pressure dominated, with temperatures in the high twentys/early thirtys.

[Summer of 95]

Reviewing the last 4 UK summers, I would settle for a repeat of 2010 - a nice June I seem to remember. I could even accept an unmemorable but dry summer (in the Midlands) such 2011.  I'd love another 2013 (In fact I would love every summer for the rest of my life to have this many hours of sunshine). But please not another wet one like 2012!  If we have many more of those I will need to invest in a light box or a timeshare in the Canaries.

2010 no thanks, OK June but abominably dull July (just 86 hours at Shawbury). Not one thunderstorm either. 

 

The best of the "average" summers was probably 2005, which was only not "good" because of a dull cold end to July and a lack of real heat on August, despite a lot of sunny dry weather.

[Static Prevails]

Lots of sun, warmth, and thunderstorms. A perfect summer for me.

[Costa Del Fal]

My ideal summer would be 20-25c throughout June with lots of sunshine but occassional unsettled spells bring a risk of some thunderstorms. July would be high pressure and lots of sunshine and heat like last year in fact. August would continue the same but a huge temporary breakdown mid month with violent thunderstorms. Max temperature as hot as it likes but over 30c.

[sundog]

I certainly hope we get a dry summer overall after all the rain we had during the winter.  Plenty of sunshine warm overall but not overly so and with a few good thunderstorms thrown in every now and then is my wish for this summer.

[NUT]

NW/SE Split would be perfect for me (Cooler/cloudier with rain up here obviously hotter/drier the further SE you go) Would be absolute bliss

[East_England_Stormchaser91]

Any summers between 2007 and 2012 should be discounted altogether! There was something about them, like a curse factor that just made that period rubbish! Nothing can justify anything remotely good about those summers, they were awful. As for 2006 and years prior to that throughout the 90's, pretty magical, and summer of 2013 I would gladly take that was the breakout of that unlucky string of summers we experienced for 6 long years! Not even one proper night storm was recorded in my location between 2007 and 2012. 

P.S May 28th 2008 was the closest with an East Anglian grazer if you like, that I could see flashing 10 miles east of here. That was it!

Edited March 15, 2014 by East_England_Stormchaser91

[Carl46Wrexham]

As much rain and cool temps and as little sun and warmth as possible. Oh and an apology from God for creating that wretched season in the first place wouldn't go amiss.

 

We've not long has "as much rain" as possible...it was in the "wretched season" known as Winter (stop sniggering at the back!) 2013/14.

 

The last thing we need anytime soon is another rainfest.

[East_England_Stormchaser91]

Indeed, 2010 and 2011, in particular, were poor years for thunderstorm activity, though some may disagree depending on their location.  However, even those years had noteworthy convective episodes, albeit they were very much few and far between.  2009, despite being regarded by many as a poor summer given the lack of high pressure-dominated spells, was actually a good year if you were a storm enthusiast.  From the mid-April 'plume' affecting the south-east and the west Midlands, to the notable convective period of mid-June across eastern and southeast England, it wasn't poor on the convective front. But generally, I agree, the period you mention wasn't good overall when you compare it to years prior.

 

But to answer the question: I'm hoping for a summer characterised by much higher than average thunderstorm activity, with a good few setups conducive to severe convective weather. 

The real key to these setups would be to have a huge lazy cut off low hovering to the W and SW feeding up some very hot, humid air from the low Countries, France and Spain. It would be great if we could just have that cut off low in place the whole time and a big Euro High just to the East of us. That would feed us the perfect ingredients for some explosive CAPE levels and the trigger being thundery troughs drifting up from Bay of Biscay and The Pyrenees/N Spain areas. 

We can only hope!

[Milhouse]

It would be great to have a very plumey summer. July, although fantastic was as a result of high pressure over the UK which didnt really set any temperature records. More days like 1st August 2013 would be nice with temperatures soaring.

[Costa Del Fal]

I would take last July with open arms Milhouse. Id love 30c+ but if you can get more sunny, hot days 25c+ through the July 2013, route I would take it!

 

CFS certainly keeps trending above average temperature and pressure wise.

[East_England_Stormchaser91]

Yep, a slack, long-draw S'erly; winds nice and light and backing locally at the surface. Then, with ascent increasing and veering significantly, topped by a strong W'erly mid-upper level jet.  Perfect for multicellular/supercellular activity.  June 28 '12 was as close to that scenario as we've seen in recent times, but surface and upper conditions could have been much better. 

 

I say this but I should keep in mind the consequences of such activity over densely populated regions were it to occur, especially in a nation that is particularly ignorant in this area of meteorology (convective storms), moreso severe convective weather.

My god, I remember that day very well. Here in Cambridgeshire I thought unlucky was an understatement! I think we were part of the inflow to the storms that gave Sleaford the tornado, as i saw rapidly towering Cb's heading N into the centre of the main cluster and that wind feeling like a hairdryer as we hit 30c, but unfortunately it all got away NE too quickly. 

Another chance of that setup would not go amiss, that for sure!

[Milhouse]

I would take last July with open arms Milhouse. Id love 30c+ but if you can get more sunny, hot days 25c+ through the July 2013, route I would take it!

 

CFS certainly keeps trending above average temperature and pressure wise.

 

I hear in Cornwall it was as perfect a summer month as you can get with winds mostly easterly delivering some very high temperatures for that part of the country. Over here its the plumes that deliver heat right on the coast. But i rated last July a solid 8.5/10 so a repeat would be amazing.

[Thundery wintry showers]

It was a similar story when I was living at Cleadon two miles inland from the Tyne and Wear coast- the hottest days were usually associated with plume-type setups with a south to south-westerly wind, usually fairly light, but strong enough to hinder the development of sea breezes.  

 

I recall reading in an article by Dennis Wheeler in Weather that the exceptional heatwave in early August 1990 conveniently produced that synoptic setup on the 3rd, and consequently Sunderland hit 33C, which was actually fractionally hotter than Durham managed (32.5C).  During my time in Cleadon the nearest approach was on the 18th August 1996 when it nearly reached 30C.  

 

The high frequency of south to south-westerly winds in the second half of July 2006 was responsible for many coastal sites in NE England reporting average maxima of 23C or higher, whereas in August 1995 (which, averaged nationally, was a comparably hot and sunny month), sea breezes restricted most North Sea sites to an average maximum ranging from 19C at coastal fringes to 21-22C a few miles inland.

Edited March 15, 2014 by Thundery wintry showers

[Methuselah]

A summer along the lines of 1975 will do me just fine.

[Thundery wintry showers]

I have to say I've always liked the sound of June & August 1975 in particular (July was cloudier/changeable at times in the north though)- that summer perhaps suffers in many people's memories due to being surpassed heat/sun/drought-wise by 1976, but statistically it was the hottest since 1911.

Edited March 15, 2014 by Thundery wintry showers

[March Blizzard]

Temperatures generally between the high teens and mid twenties during the day, between 10-15C overnight.

No spell of one weather type lasting more than a week or so at a time.

The odd hot day, the odd cool one.

Ample rain but in short bursts.

A few good thunderstorms thrown into the mix.

Generally low humidity.

Frequent gentle breezes, some calm days.

Plenty of sunshine.

So, all in all, pretty standard British summer conditions.

[draztik]

I like a mix of weather types in the summer. Sunshine & showers could be used to describe this; My preference is for max daytime temps of around 20/21C. Above this would be bearable, but only for a short period. Last summer was not appreciated. My garden wasn't too thrilled either! Changeable weather pls. Interestingly the jma ensemble model is going for a wet & cool spring. Id prefer the opposite, a mild and dry spring, a cool(ish) and changeable summer.

Edited March 16, 2014 by draztik

[GRHinPorts]

I have to say I've always liked the sound of June & August 1975 in particular (July was cloudier/changeable at times in the north though)- that summer perhaps suffers in many people's memories due to being surpassed heat/sun/drought-wise by 1976, but statistically it was the hottest since 1911.

Ive often wondered whether people conflate 1975 with 1976 in their memories to create one uber-magnificent Summer.

 

The number of people who are old enough to remember who tell me how wonderful the Summer of 1976 was and that it started with snow in June. Of course it was 1975 that had the snow in June.

[BlueSkies_do_I_see]

My grandfather was born in 1911 and I was born in 1975. I would love either of those summers again. Others that would be good to experience, 1959, 1983.

If i could handpick 2 weeks of temps in the low to mid 20s C it would be late May and early June. They have long warm light evenings and the spring flowers are still in bloom. I love coastal path walking and the flowers at that time are lovely. Also to boot there are less people about as schools have not broken up.

Edited March 16, 2014 by BlueSkies_do_I_see