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Ranking the summers since 2013


Leo97t

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Since the revival of good summer in 2013, we've had an impressive run. I am pretty sure most will rank 2018 best and 2015 worse but I'd be interested to know what everyone else thinks with some justification

My personal rankings as as follows:

1. 2018 - unbrokenly settled until the 7th august - very remarkable and the memories become even fonder with the World Cup that summer It really was perfect and by the time the pattern broke down it seemed a nice change.

2. 2019 - an eclectic mix and for that reason I loved It - just when you thought it was gonna turn south we had a hot spell and it was perfectly spread throughout with a more mixed June and a very very good July although I appreciate this summer was much better for the SE than elsewhere. It was never hot for too long also but did deliver loads of interesting patterns and the late august spell was very notable - the first properly good august in the se since 2003

3. 2013 - June was very poor so it fails on that front but July was stunningly good and august was fine. Loads of useable weather.

4. 2016 - Very similar to 2019 but with the hot spells less hot and for a little less long. Very poor June spoils it going higher. August seemed brilliant after the abysmal run since 2005 but I think looking back it was a good month but not brilliant - only relatively so at the time

5. 2014 - July was quite good but pretty unexceptional - august was cold and autumnal. All in all though felt deeply forgettable

6. 2017 - Best June of the decade imo so was such shame about the abysmal second half of the summer which was dreadful and seldom exceeded 20 by august but some good storms in July. The June hot spell was remarkably good and felt like good things were to come but alas no!

7. 2015 - Very poor other than the hot spell 30th June to 2nd July. Largely cool and cloudy - not my bag. 

 

Something I've noticed is how often the 10 days of June have yielded a fine spell with all except 2014 and 2016 having one

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Posted
  • Location: Cobham Surrey
  • Weather Preferences: clear skies , hard frost , snow !
  • Location: Cobham Surrey

Don’t feel August 19 was anything special here in the SE of England the wait for a proper summer like August goes on in my opinion ! 

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Posted
  • Location: Hounslow, London
  • Weather Preferences: Csa/Csb
  • Location: Hounslow, London

My ranking, by London standards.

2018 - a 56 day spell with no rain, 2nd warmest July on record, and plenty of sunshine too. This summer is far ahead of anything else.

2014 - very good June and July, sunny and plenty of warm, humid and thundery conditions. August was poor.

2019 - warm but very wet. July and August both averaged over 25c, and of course that 38c day in late July. August 2019 was about equal to August 2016.

2013 - after a dreadful cool and cloudy June, we had a hot and sunny July, and August finally delivered (sort of) for the first time since 2003.

2016 - June was disgusting, the cloudiest and 7th wettest on record in London. July was fairly average, but August finally produced something alright, the best one since 2003 (though that isn't saying much).

2017 - June was great - as warm as 2018. July started off hot but quickly collapsed, and a month spell between mid-July and mid-August saw temps below average every single day. Yet another bad August.

2015 - this was a cool, cloudy, generally all round poor summer, apart from the one day heatwave at the start of July, which masked the monthly average. August was terrible yet again, as has often been the case since 2006.

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Posted
  • Location: London
  • Location: London

This is an interesting topic.

Here’s my take on it.

Best to worst :

2018: without a shadow of a doubt, the best extended summery spell since 1995, and the hottest and sunniest July since 2013. It just seemed to go on and on forever, and instead of starting off well in May, where in years past the weather would deteriorate into summer, the warm sunny settled weather remained a constant feature until mid August. The August was a little average in the second half, but it was welcomed after the long hot dry spell.

2013: some give it a bad rap for the poor June, but I thought London didn’t fare too badly, although it was noticeably chilly and clouded at times, after the dreadful cold May and winter that preceded it, the warmth arrived in the second half. July was a classic hot month, and the best weather we enjoyed since 2006, so that’s why it sticks out as a decent spell. August was less hot, but still sunny and warm. The best August since 2003.

2014: a good June and July, but let down by a poor August. Some classic thunderstorms in July. Not a classic like 2013, but still decent.

2017 : a hot June, after a cool start, and was even made better after a long warm sunny spell during late April into May. Also hot and sunny for the first half of July. Up until then, I would have ranked it as the best summer since 2014, but it went downhill after those July thunderstorms and never fully recovered, apart from the late August bank holiday, which was warm and sunny. A poor second half of summer.

2016: a good August on and off, but it was letdown for me by the longer periods of cloudy and cool weather in June, while late June was humid with storms, July was also cloudy and humid. It did improve towards the second half or July, but I noticed more cloudy conditions. A forgettable summer for me, but I was in the middle of a stressful move at the time, which probably affected my observations.

2015 : hands down the worst one. Dull and cool for the most part, although August had some nice sunny weekends if memory serves me well. But, it was mostly a cool cloudy summer. The best weather came in the spring and early autumn. 

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26 minutes ago, Sunny76 said:

This is an interesting topic.

Here’s my take on it.

Best to worst :

2018: without a shadow of a doubt, the best extended summery spell since 1995, and the hottest and sunniest July since 2013. It just seemed to go on and on forever, and instead of starting off well in May, where in years past the weather would deteriorate into summer, the warm sunny settled weather remained a constant feature until mid August. The August was a little average in the second half, but it was welcomed after the long hot dry spell.

2013: some give it a bad rap for the poor June, but I thought London didn’t fare too badly, although it was noticeably chilly and clouded at times, after the dreadful cold May and winter that preceded it, the warmth arrived in the second half. July was a classic hot month, and the best weather we enjoyed since 2006, so that’s why it sticks out as a decent spell. August was less hot, but still sunny and warm. The best August since 2003.

2014: a good June and July, but let down by a poor August. Some classic thunderstorms in July. Not a classic like 2013, but still decent.

2017 : a hot June, after a cool start, and was even made better after a long warm sunny spell during late April into May. Also hot and sunny for the first half of July. Up until then, I would have ranked it as the best summer since 2014, but it went downhill after those July thunderstorms and never fully recovered, apart from the late August bank holiday, which was warm and sunny. A poor second half of summer.

2016: a good August on and off, but it was letdown for me by the longer periods of cloudy and cool weather in June, while late June was humid with storms, July was also cloudy and humid. It did improve towards the second half or July, but I noticed more cloudy conditions. A forgettable summer for me, but I was in the middle of a stressful move at the time, which probably affected my observations.

2015 : hands down the worst one. Dull and cool for the most part, although August had some nice sunny weekends if memory serves me well. But, it was mostly a cool cloudy summer. The best weather came in the spring and early autumn. 

what about last year?

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Posted
  • Location: London
  • Location: London
6 minutes ago, Leo97t said:

what about last year?

Lol I knew someone would pull me up about that.

Summer 19 was better than 2015, and 16, but I would put it just above 2017. June was poor, July was the best month, although it wasn’t a classic, apart from the very hot couple of weeks. August was average at best, again it was notable for lots of cloudy weather in the summer. 
 

 

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Posted
  • Location: Perth, Scotland
  • Location: Perth, Scotland

What a excellent topic. For me in Perth, Scotland

2018: Without a doubt the best summer I have witnessed I would even rate it better than 2006 especially after how good May was. The first 10 days of June were terrific low-mid 20’s by day and the nights were cool, mid range single figures there was a brief spell in the middle of June where it was a bit unsettled and cooler but the final week more than made up for it. Very hot even by my standards the maximum reached 31.C on the 28th. July continued that very warm and sunny theme for the first half although it turned a bit more unsettled in the second half with occasional thunderstorms but it still remained very warm and we just missed out on reaching 30.C again. August was a little bit disappointing after the first week but it wasn’t overly bad at all.

2013: June was a pleasant month even though temperatures and sunshine were bang average and there wasn’t any hot days we only had half the amount of rainfall and temperatures were never overly cool a lot of 16.C-19.C days. I think it felt warmer because of how cool the spring was that year. July was phenomenal that year with plenty hot, sunny weather 31.C was also reached that month and there was virtually no rain until the final week. August while quite dull was extremely dry only 30% of average and like June there was no hot days but 20.C was reached on half the days.

2019: Quite an unusual summer in the sense it was very warm but also very wet. June was pretty disappointing in the first half with a lot of cool and wet weather but the second half improved greatly with plenty of pleasantly warm sunshine and little rain. July although dull and wet was remarkably warm and very humid the period 22nd-26th July I don’t think I can recall a period where it has been that humid reaching 28.C and falling to just 19.C. August was extremely wet but it it was never cool aside from a couple of days in the second week and it was the sunniest since 2003.

2014: June was a warm month but was unsettled and wet. There was a good warm, sunny spell midmonth but aside from that there wasn’t much sunshine. July was virtually on par with 2013 and it was actually sunnier but the August that followed was awful, cool, wet and windy with little warmth.

2016: Got off to a fantastic start the first week of June was virtually unbroken warm sunshine before a thundery second week but the second half was very poor, cool, wet and extremely dull although very warm by night. July was pretty cool and unsettled for the vast majority of the month but there was a good warm spell in the third week and the thunderstorm on the 20th will stick out for a long time. August continued that unsettled theme but after the first half it improved massively and was virtually rainless after midmonth.

2017: June was extremely wet, dull and annoying cool by day but unusually mild at night. Even when there was the heatwave we missed out, aside from the 17th and 18th where it reached 25.C and 23.C respectively after that it cooled down once again. July was much the same for the first 10 days and I think it was either the 8th or 9th where it rained relentlessly, was windy and reached barely 14.C. The next 10 days were a improvement but the final week was more unsettled and the August that followed was truly awful, it felt like October most of the time and the maximum exceeded 20.C on only 4 days.

2015: A June which dry was often cool, dull and windy. July that year was an absolute write off it was extremely wet, windy and felt like late October a lot of the time. Which was a shame as the first few days were quite pleasant. August was unsettled but at least it was quite sunny.

 

2013: Mean maximum: 20.3.C (+1.0.C) Mean minimum: 10.6.C (+0.4.C) Mean: 15.5.C (+0.7.C) Rainfall: 99mm (52%) Sunshine: 531 hours (107%)

2014: Mean maximum: 20.0.C (+0.7.C) Mean minimum: 10.5.C (+0.3.C) Mean: 15.3.C (+0.5.C) Rainfall: 227mm (125%) Sunshine: 534 hours (108%)

2015: Mean maximum: 18.1.C (-1.1.C) Mean minimum: 9.8.C (-0.4.C) Mean: 14.0.C (-0.8.C) Rainfall: 253mm (139%) Sunshine: 491 hours (99%)

2016: Mean maximum: 19.0.C (-0.3.C) Mean minimum: 11.0.C (+0.8.C) Mean: 15.0.C (+0.2.C) Rainfall: 207mm (114%) Sunshine: 472 hours (96%) 

2017: Mean maximum: 18.8.C (-0.6.C) Mean minimum: 10.8.C (+0.6.C) Mean: 14.8.C (+0.0.C) Rainfall: 279mm (153%) Sunshine: 452 hours (94%)

2018: Mean maximum: 20.8.C (+1.5.C) Mean minimum: 10.8.C (+0.6.C) Mean: 15.8.C (+1.0.C) Rainfall: 153mm (84%) Sunshine: 608 hours (128%)

2019: Mean maximum: 19.9.C (+0.6.C) Mean minimum: 10.9.C (+0.7.C) Mean: 15.4.C (+0.6.C) Rainfall: 276mm (152%) Sunshine: 508 hours (107%)

 

 

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Posted
  • Location: Efford, Plymouth
  • Weather Preferences: Misty Autumn Mornings, Thunderstorms and snow
  • Location: Efford, Plymouth

Heres my view from Plymouth

2018. It was a glorious hot spell down here- started with a magnificent thunderstorm at the end of May after which the heat just built and built. It was very similar to the summer of 1995, just on the edge of being memorable before the August breakdown after which although still pretty useable, didnt get up there to July heights.

2017. June was amazing here, hot almost to being unbearable. Like 2018, it all started with an amazing thunderstorm end of May and just built up. Shame it broke, but again a lot of useable times in sunshine with friends and family

2014. Enjoyed this summer, after a nightmare 2013 in my personal life, and the stormy winter. June and July were decent, August not so good, but a lot of BBQs and good times had.

2019. Wasnt a summer like the previous two, August was a poor month. June was certainly the best month but it just didnt seem to get going properly.

2016- remember it just never got going. In fact I didnt get to the beach much after a settled spell in June and early July. August was dreadful. 

2013. Now, yes it was a decent July here after a damp June and it wasnt brilliant in August. However as I was getting divorced during this summer, it could have been 1995/1976 and I'd have a downer on it! Just remember being very stressed! Ironically had a post divorce holiday in early September in West Cornwall and it was stunning warm and sunny and I was much happier sunbathing at Sennon Cove!

2015. If ever there was a summer when a shift pattern was cruel, it was this one. Every long weekend off every 3 weeks, guess what. It rained. Just awful, again the only time I got to the beach was in September and i had to go to Zakynthos for that!

Edited by philglossop
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Posted
  • Location: Windermere 120m asl
  • Location: Windermere 120m asl

From a Lake District perspective:

2018 best overall, June and July were excellent, coming on the back of a brilliant May, had things been a month later, then hands down would have ended up as possibly best ever, however, change took place tail end of July, August was very wet.

 

2013- despite a cool June, it was quite dry, July superb, August not too bad.

 

2014- a lesser version of 2013.

 

2016- decent August, June and July quite good.

2018- mixed with good lengthy dry warm spells  but also some notably wet ones.

 

2017- good start, deteriorated as it went on, poor second half 

 

2015- shortlived warm sunny spells, very poor wet second half July.

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Posted
  • Location: Hounslow, London
  • Weather Preferences: Csa/Csb
  • Location: Hounslow, London

The summers ranked by summer index.

2018: 344

2013: 311

2014: 293

2019: 293

2017: 287

2015: 276

2016: 271

 

2 good, 2 poor, 3 average summers.

Edited by B87
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Posted
  • Location: Windermere 120m asl
  • Location: Windermere 120m asl
57 minutes ago, B87 said:

The summers ranked by summer index.

2018: 344

2013: 311

2014: 293

2019: 293

2017: 287

2015: 276

2016: 271

 

2 good, 2 poor, 3 average summers.

Interesting to note 2016 worse. But very close groupings 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019 not much in them. 2013 and 2018 clearly pull ahead.

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Posted
  • Location: Hounslow, London
  • Weather Preferences: Csa/Csb
  • Location: Hounslow, London
1 hour ago, damianslaw said:

Interesting to note 2016 worse. But very close groupings 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019 not much in them. 2013 and 2018 clearly pull ahead.

2016 had the cloudiest and 7th wettest June on record in London, which penalises it. July was fairly average if on the cloudy side, and August was warm and dry (but not unusually so).

Edited by B87
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Posted
  • Location: Dublin, Ireland
  • Weather Preferences: Cold, snowy winters and warm, sunny summers
  • Location: Dublin, Ireland

From a Dublin perspective.

1. 2018 - No contest here. Best summer month of the period - June 2018, and a good July too. August was still dry and plenty warm days but very disappointing sunshine.

2. 2013 - Stupendous July. June was fine with a great first week and August was passable but like 2018 lacked the sunshine.

3. 2014 - Great June/July but deluge and cool August.

4. 2019 - Decent July but not a standout compared to some others. I enjoyed August for the most part too. I loathe June though.

5. 2016 - A very humid and frequently warm summer but lacked the sunshine throughout even in August. 

6. 2015 - Pleasant June that was rarely warm but very dry and largely sunny. July was crap and August was mixed.

7. 2017 - Didn't like any of the months. June started off and ended poor with a decent mid-month period. First half to July was warm and dry but lacked the sunshine whilst second half was sunnier but also cooler and wetter. August was just rubbish.

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Posted
  • Location: Basingstoke
  • Weather Preferences: In summer, a decent thunderstorm, and hot weather. In winter, snow or gale
  • Location: Basingstoke

1. 2018.  I dont think there is too much disagreement this is the best when taking the overall summer into account.  Even the 2nd half of August had some decent days.. yes there was autumnal rubbish as well but not bad.

2. 2013.  For the brilliant july.  This was on a par with,  and in fact more thundery than july 2018 especially in the last third.  The only reason the 2013 july CET was a shade lower than 2018 was the first few days were very cool.  July 2018 had NO cool days.  As an individual month the best of the decade.  August decent enough, june a bit meh, but not much rain.. just cool and cloudy at times.

3. 2014.  June and July combined were excellent and had their fair share of thunder as well (I do like a good summer storm!).  There was a classic plume, followed by a whole week of high 20s in july which stood out.  June not overly hot but consistently pleasant, and surprisingly thundery for a non-humid month.  August was a shocker though, with no heat at all and notably cool weather in the 2nd half.  If the august was better this could have been higher, perhaps?

4. 2019.  This was mixed, with an awful first half of june but it turned much better, july decent and of course holds the UK's all time high, and this alone makes it stand out to at least some degree.  August mixed but warm, and a  brilliant bank holiday weekend.

5. 2016.  I was abroad for the very thundery period at the start of june so couldn't comment, but the rest of the month was warm but wet from memory.  July meh, albeit a brief but intense heatwave 19th and 20th.  August actually very good with numerous warm and a few hot day

6. 2017.  Good heatwave in june, went downhill in july after spectacular plume storms mid month.  August poor, luckily was away for some of it!  Bank holiday being nice was the only good point of the month

7. 2015.  Apart from the july temperature record (at the time!) nothing stands out about this summer.  There were a few storms yes but nothing severe here, august had a few nice days but was generally wet

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  • 3 years later...
Posted
  • Location: Birmingham, West Midlands
  • Weather Preferences: Heat, sun and thunderstorms in summer. Cold sunny days and snow in winter
  • Location: Birmingham, West Midlands

If I had to group the summers over the last 10 years into tiers, then this is what I would choose.

The god tier
2018, 2022 (classic summers and the best ones since 1995)

The top tier
2013, 2014 (decent summers with plenty of warmth and sunshine)

The medium tier
2016, 2017, 2019 (nothing to write home about, but not particularly bad either)

The low tier 
2020, 2021 (had their moments, but poor overall)

The best confined to the bin tier
2015 (apart from one hot day, it was a poor summer)

Edited by Weather Enthusiast91
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Posted
  • Location: Plymouth
  • Weather Preferences: Sunny, dry and preferably hot. Snow is nice in the winter
  • Location: Plymouth

From my POV in Devon:

1. 2018 - without a doubt, every day warm and settled until around August 8th

2. 2022 - June was on and off, was great when it properly got going in early July but was not quite as consistent as June/July 2018.

3. 2013 - stunning July. August was decent as well, June not great but after 2012 I was totally fine with it

4. 2019 - my memory is of much warmer sunnier weather this summer than the stats suggest. But nonetheless after a poor first 3 weeks of June the rest of the summer was pretty good, no real bad weather after June 21st. July was quite hot

5. 2014 - pretty good, June + July were sunny. Stayed good until around August 8th but August was wet and cool.

6. 2021 - nowhere near as bad here as in the SE, in fact I quite liked it. June was good bar a couple of wet days late month, July had a 2 week hot spell and the second half of August was warm and dry. The other periods were quite poor but there was enough nice weather to make it a good summer overall.

7. 2016 - the start of the meh summers. First half was bad but there was a sudden switch with a very hot snap mid July, everything after this was pleasant so it was enough to save the summer. August was nice after some really bad ones from 2008-2015

8. 2017 - here solely because of unusually early hot weather mid June and a good first half of July. June was miserable outside of the 10 day hot spell, second half of July into early August was cold, and August was bad but not desperately so. Had its good moments but not a great summer at all outside of them.

9. 2015 - June was sunny but annoyingly the one hot day completely missed us and the summer from July 2nd was just nonexistent. July had some good days but felt more like September. Then August 2015 being one of the dullest summer months we've had. Not a single month recorded an average max above 20c here!!

10. 2020 - I just remember the entire summer being cold and cloudy. Add insult to injury by the fact the only hot spell of the summer occurred while I was out of the country. Such a disappointment after a great spring, from June 3rd onwards it was just consistently grey. The only good part of the entire summer for me was a brief hot snap June 23rd-25th but outside of this, just bad. All 3 months dull, with June and August especially wet.

If I had to rank 2023 based off June alone it's probably top of the pile but I imagine a lot can change in 2 months!

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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)

happen to be in the UK for the summers of 2014, 15 & 16.

1st = 2015 neither too hot nor too cool wasn't too wet either IMO 

2nd = 2014 June as pretty average i think July was very warm with a few Tstorms August started nice dry and warm fell away in the 2nd half was cool showery 

3rd = 2016 June was wet and miserable ..July was ok ..August was warm/v warm and mostly sunny 

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Posted
  • Location: Scunthorpe
  • Location: Scunthorpe

Summers of 2013 to 2022

Ranking by months

Junes
1    2017    Very warm and sunny, hot at times
2    2018    Sunny and warm, especially late in the month
3    2014    Warm and humid
4    2022    A poor start but quickly improves, a sunny and warm end
5    2016    Not very memorable
6    2013    Relatively cool at times but some good sunshine at times
7    2021    Nothing special
8    2019    Generally poor
9    2020    A relatively poor month after spring 2020 with one hot spell near the end
10  2015    Poor with rain at times

Julys
1    2018    Hot and sunny
2    2013    Generally hot and sunny, a good thundery breakdown late on
3    2022    very warm to hot and sunny, one extreme heat spike with 40C recorded
4    2014    Very warm and humid with some thundery activity
5    2021    Very warm and at times sunny, the best month of summer 2021
6    2016    A warm month with one brief hot spell
7    2017    Not too bad, warm and humid to begin but getting worse later on
8    2019    Poor overall but a few days of exceptional heat late on
9    2020    A meh July but not as bad as 2015
10  2015    One heat spike at the start, otherwise a poor month and wet

Augusts
1    2022    Very warm to hot and sunny
2    2020    A very warm to hot start with some thunder, average and more unsettled later on
3    2019    Starts poor but becomes hotter and sunnier later in the month
4    2018    A let down month to 2018, average and at times unsettled, similar to August 2017
5    2017    average and at times unsettled
6    2013    changeable, a heat spike early on but average at best after this
7    2016    Not very memorable and in general summer 2016 is the least memorable of all these summers
8    2021    A meh August but easily beats both 2015 and 2014
9    2015    unsettled but not as bad as 2014
10  2014    very cool, a poor August, easily the worst month of summer 2014 and Augusts between 2013 and 2022

Rankings

Using a scoring system similar to when I ranked years in the 1990's and 2000' where I rank the best month with a score of 10 down to a score of 1 for the worst, resulting in a summer score out of 30 overall. This is the result I came up with based on the above rankings.

Overall Position    Summer       Overall Score       June Score    July Score    August Score

1st                           2018              26/30                      9/10              10/10            7/10

2nd                         2022               25/30                     7/10               8/10             10/10

3rd                          2017               20/30                     10/10            4/10              6/10

4th                          2013               19/30                     5/10               9/10             5/10

5th                          2014               16/30                     8/10               7/10             1/10

6th                          2016               15/30                     6/10               5/10             4/10

7th                          2019               14/30                     3/10               3/10             8/10

8th                          2020               13/30                     2/10               2/10             9/10

9th                          2021               13/30                     4/10               6/10             3/10

10th                        2015               4/30                       1/10               1/10             2/10

As expected it was a toss up between 2018 and 2022 for the best summers between 2013 and 2022. 2018 only just edges it for me as that extreme heat spike was what ensured 2022 finished below 2018 as that was simply too hot and too extreme, even for me. Otherwise easily the top 2 summers of this particular decade of summers.

Next we had another close call between summer 2017 and 2013 that took 3rd and 4th positions for me. Summer 2017 got ahead of 2013 for me. 2017 easily had the best June of the period 2013 to 2022. July was what made the summer of 2013. Both of these summers had a let down of an August but by no means the worst Augusts of the 2013 to 2022 period either which was what helped put these summers ahead of the rest.

In general summer's 2014, 2016, 2019, 2020 and 2021 aren't that far apart in my opinion. All of them had their good moments or events such as one decent month, some good thundery activity or a few hot snaps. Overall 2014 comes out as the best one of this bunch due to 2 months of warm and thundery weather with 2021 bottom of the group with only 1 somewhat decent month. All of these summers had at least a month that let them down or overall unsettled or average conditions or were not that memorable. This held all of them back and ensured they took 5th to 9th positions.

The one sore thumb and clear stand out loser here and by far the poorest summer of the whole bunch was 2015. June and July were very poor and even the 1 day heat spike event didn't save July 2015. August 2015 for me scored marginally better than August 2014 as it wasn't quite as cool but only just got ahead of it. No wonder summer 2015 scored a pathetic 4/30.

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Posted
  • Location: Islington, C. London.
  • Weather Preferences: Cold winters and cool summers.
  • Location: Islington, C. London.

These are based on my own preferences and I know these might be quite different to some of yours! I actually like cool, wet and dull weather in summer to a reasonable extent!

1. 2021: I liked this summer for the fact there was no extreme heat. June featured pleasantly warm and dry weather in the first half. There was an odd exception which was the 4th, that day featured persistent rain and cool temperatures all day and was the only day in the first half that wasn’t sunny and warm to some extent  The weather changed completely on the 17th which along with the 18th became very wet with persistent rain. The rest of the month was cool and wet with a particularly wet, cool and grey day on the 27th.  These pictures were taken that day and perfectly capture the mood.

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July was enjoyable with changeable but bright and warm weather, then turning moderately hot for a time, then cooler but with some big thunderstorms. I had moved to Islington by this point and my partners workplace got flooded out in the big storms on the 25th.

August I liked for its persistent freshness, and while I understand that the locally very cool and dull weather could put people off but I liked it. I never perceived the month was extremely sunless as even I suffer when it’s too dull. Late August saw a chilly high build in and felt genuinely cold on BHM. The cool weather lasted the first two days of September before the warm spell we’re still in took hold!

2. 2015: June was lovely, featuring plenty of  fine, dry and fresh days. We missed local storms on the 5th. The heat at the end of the month was strange as it came on the 24th ish but then became cool and cloudy on the 28th before turning hot again.

I remember July vividly well. The 1st was the first (and sadly not last) memorable experience of extremely hot weather. The rest of the month was anything but. I remember storms early in the month and on the 17th. The final ten days of the month was some of the coolest summer weather I can remember. The 24th was an absolute horror show with 12-13C maxes, driving rain and thick black clouds all day. Even I found that miserable. I think I recorded a minimum of around 5-7C at the end of the month. August I remember most for the storms on the 13th which brought a very wet day. The end of the month felt very cold and I remember I think the morning of the 30th which felt icy with moderate rain. Lush!

3. 2017: June was kinda crap. I remember a very strong windstorm on the 6th that brought stronger winds than anything from the previous winter. The hot spell felt humid and sticky and I wasn’t feeling it. I don’t think we recorded any storms locally but I think it turned wetter later on. 

July had some fine and quite hot weather early on. I remember the 6th being a hot and sunny day. I remember the month took on a very thundery nature from the 18th onwards. There until early September took on an exceptionally wet and very thundery tone to the weather locally. Our lavender plants had never been more vibrant!

4. 2018: Not usually a fan of hot summers but this one was really nice. June was absolutely delightful with bright sunshine and comfortable temperatures throughout. Even the hot weather at the end seemed to remain coolish at night. July was mostly the same. We recorded no rainfall from May 29th to July 25th. The very hot weather at the end of July took on a distinctly more oppressive feel. August was one of the most thundery months I can remember. August 7th through 10th brought repeated rounds of thunderstorms, most notably the 8th and 10th. The 10th was a day to be glued to the radar. The summer broke after that and the rest of August was much cooler and actually quite chilly at months end.

5. 2014: I remember little about June other than some fine days. I don’t remember any storms at all. I remember July and August better, particularly some storms around the 18th of July and a fine day on the 30th or 31st. I remember vividly how cool August was and me and my father remarking about how autumn had set in early.  

6. 2013: I remember next to nothing about June. July I do have some memories of though, particularly the heat mid month, a night of heavy, thundery rain the 22nd into the 23rd and being at a wedding on the 27th in a suit in hot and humid weather, breaking down into thunder in the evening, flooding the pubs car park. I still have a massive sideways fork of lightning from that engrained in my mind. August saw local severe storms on the 2nd and 5th which packed a punch. I don’t remember much else about that month apart from a fine and warm day sometime mid month.

7. 2022: My favourite parts of this summer were some cool, wet weather in early June, lovely, warm days in early July and bits of August, otherwise not for me. The heatwave in July was plain disturbing and there wasn’t enough rain for my liking. The drought ended sharply on the 15th of August and the rest of the month saw some storms, particularly on the 17th of which I got caught in while listening to music on my headphones - Bit of a spiritual experience that was…

8. 2016: I was fond of the thundery nature of June and the extreme storm of the 25th I have written about extensively on other posts, and the extreme wetness of the month locally was interesting, but the dullness was too much. It did a very noticeable shift to very dry weather in July. Early July was cool and changeable, I recorded only a high of 18C on the 2nd. I remember the hot and humid spell on the 19th and how the heat and humidity didn’t seem to leave much after that. I remember some fine days in August and severe storms on the radar on the 27th/28th which a lot of y’all got but we didn’t get down in Kent.

9. 2020: I spent June and the second half of August in the south, the rest in the north. I missed all of the heatwaves this summer, the highest I got was 30C in Carlisle on the 31st. There was some nice breezy northerlies in early June and then winds switched easterly and brought in some cloudier, humid and thundery weather. I think around the 14-17th brought some severe thunderstorms of which I got caught in! July was so cold. There were barely any sunny days and every day seemed to have a max between 12 and 16C with no sunshine. I like this kind of weather but even I thought it was a bit too much. I was going through a terrible time and it made it worse. The north misssed out on all the heat but it did turn quite warm in the first half of August but still with some wet and unsettled weather. The south lost the heat by the time I returned and the second half of August 2020 was unremittingly wet and the end of the month was actually cold and foggy with rain. 

10. 2019: I enjoyed the unusualness of the cold and extremely wet weather of early June but once the extreme heat started showing its hand I wasn’t about it. Just to the north of where I lived in Maidstone was an exceptional spell of heavy rain in Snodland which IIRC recorded over 100m of the rain at some day between the 8th and 13th. More storms on the 17th and maybe the 20th. The heat felt very hot but didn’t last long. July actually was quite nice in the first half with some fine, nondescript weather. Wasn’t a fan of the heatwave at all! I remember how quickly it ended though and how by the 27th it actually felt cool! I spent time in the north in August and it was very wet and unsettled there.

 

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Posted
  • Location: Hull
  • Weather Preferences: Cold Snowy Winters, Hot Thundery Summers
  • Location: Hull

From worst to best...

10) 2015 - Fine up until the 1st July  with that crazy day at the start of the month. Very poor thereafter especially at the end of July. Not as bad as 2012 and 2007 though.

9) 2014 - Pretty good during June and July with some good thunderstorms towards the end of July. August was a real shocker though and that brings this summer down.

😎 2021 - An underwhelming summer all round really. Good start to June and some decent weather in late July. August wasn't that bad but has to be one of the most boring months of weather I can remember.

7) 2017 - Decent June (though wet) and July. The heatwave in the later part of June was impressive. Some great thunderstorms when I was in Southampton mid month but the summer took a nosedive thereafter. So overall a mixed bag.

6) 2020 - A good June with a big thunderstorm later in the month after a short spell of heat. July was very poor. The heatwave at the start of August has to be one of the most intense I can remember for its humidity... and thunderstorms! August was exceptionally wet though. A decent summer

5) 2019 - Awful first half of June but a lot better from there with some decent plumes. A fine August with a heatwave near the end and some decent storms to finish off. Getting into the good territory now.

4) 2016 - Unsettled June but some decent weather and some great thunderstorm around the referendum. Good plume in mid-July and a fine August.

3) 2013 - Despite the average temperatures, I remember June being a fine month. July was superb with a long spell of heat. August had an impressive plume at the start of the month but the rest of the month was a bit boring.

2) 2018 - A fantastic summer with a world cup as well. June and July were warm and summer almost throughout. It went downhill at the very end of the month though and another standard August with a brief plume early in the month. Good memories.  

1) 2022 - This summer just seemed like a step up. Sure it wasn't as hot as 1976 CET wise (I don't think?) but that was because June wasn't that hot. It was still a fine month though. July and August were superb. The July heatwave in the middle of the month was incredible and I remember working at my old forecasting job constantly refreshing the latest temperatures webpage on the Tuesday as those records were smashed. Unbelievable. The August heatwave was also impressive for how long it went on for. This summer is neck and neck with 2018 so difficult to decide between these two.

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Posted
  • Location: Hounslow, London
  • Weather Preferences: Csa/Csb
  • Location: Hounslow, London

Best to worst for London.

1. 2022: a fantastic summer. Hottest August on record and the sunniest since 1995.

2. 2018: another excellent summer, very sunny and dry although August not as good as 2022.

3. 2013: a poor June, but good July and decent August, finally breaking the run of awful summers from 2007-2012.

4. 2014: a warm and sunny June and July with some good thunderstorms. August was very cool (21.9c) but sunnier than average.

5. 2019: a wet but warm June, followed by a very warm July/August with average to above average sunshine.

6. 2020: June and July were fairly unremrkable. August had a great heatwave early on with 6 days in a row of 33-36c.

7. 2016: June was one of the wettest on record, as well as the cloudiest. July was average but August was warm, dry and sunny.

8. 2017: an excellent June, but then the summer completely fell apart in mid July, and we had a 28 day spell with below average temperatures every day. August was dreadful.

9. 2015: June was decent, but then it became unsettled in mid July and August was once again dire, although at least saw 30c.

10. 2021: absolutely dire. One of the cloudiest summers on record, with a very cool and record cloudy August (22c and 103 hours).

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Posted
  • Location: Hampshire
  • Weather Preferences: Bright weather. Warm sunny thundery summers, short cold winters.
  • Location: Hampshire

Best to worst here in southern Hampshire. Note I am not sure about 2022 due to being out of the country for much of it, so I am relying on second-hand information. Same is true for the first half of 2019.

1. 2022. June looks mixed with brief hot spells. July was very dry and warm though perhaps looks less sunny than 2018; perhaps rather cloudy outside the period 7th-19th? August was the best since 2003 though perhaps, rather like 2003, a bit cloudier and more changeable in the second half?

2. 2018. Prolonged warm to hot, sunny spell from June 21 to August 7 with only brief interruptions. First 20 days of June rather cloudy but very dry. August fairly poor after the 7th though not terrible.

3. 2013. Dull, cool if dry June. Long hot sunny spell in July with more changeable end. Benign, pleasant weather in August if not spectacularly sunny.

4. 2014. Fine sunny weather in June and July. Changeable and rather wet August, warmish to start, then cool. Very dull and wet for a brief period round the bank holiday.

5. 2016. Terrible June but dry and warmish if cloudy July, and warm August with reasonable sunshine totals.

6. 2017. Ten-day hot spell in mid-June with more changeable start and end; generally warm first half of July with variable sunshine. Terrible, 2007-like second half of July and dull, cool and rather wet August. A summer of two halves.

7. 2019. Dull wet June, warm but often cloudy July, changeable August. Note I was out of the country from June 2 to July 18 so also relying on second-hand information here.

8. 2015. A generally fine sunny June. Rather cloudy and changeable July with a warm and often sunny start before going downhill. Changeable and rather wet August though reasonable first week or so.

9. 2020. Persistently changeable aside from brief hot spells. Only terrible in the second half of August though.

10. 2021. Prolonged dull and damp spell from mid-June to about August 20 broken only by hot spell of a week or so in mid-July.

 

Edited by Summer8906
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Posted
  • Location: London
  • Location: London

2018 - just no contest in my opinion.

Weeks of endless sunny weather, mixed with some very hot weather, cooler less humid sunny days, with the odd 2-3 days of cooler cloudy weather.

The first 10 days of August was hot and sunny, but the second half was poor, but was kind of welcome after the weeks of hot sunny weather. It wasn’t as bad as some really poor Augusts.

2022 - mostly warm during June, although cloudy at times. 
 

July and August were mostly warm and sunny and the hot sunny days were plentiful between mid July and mid August. 
 

Definitely the best August for 2 decades and more recently the best August since 2013.

2013 - in some ways, this has become the forgotten good summer, probably overshadowed by 2018 and 22, but I really liked July. It was the hottest month since summer 2006, and mostly remembered because it came off the back of some very poor summers between 2007-12.

June kind of lets it down a bit, but August 2013 was sunny and warm enough at the time. Before 22, 2013 was the best August in my area since 2005.

2014 - started off well with a warm sunny June, with July feeling hot and sunny for a time, mixed with some cooler days.

Like 2013, some decent night time storms moved in during July 2014(similar to July 2013).

August kind of lets it down, as it was mostly dull and cool from memory. September was warmish with some thunderstorms if memory serves me right.

2020 - probably the bottom of the rung where the good summers of 2013-22 and the poorer ones merge. 2020 is one of those I’m afraid.

It was a lovely sunny warm spring, from late March, until early June, and one lovely spell that rivalled 2018 at the time, but it’s summer we are talking about, so unfortunately for 2020, the period from when the shops reopened in mid June 2020 was when we started to see a deterioration in sunshine levels. June had a hot spell at the start(continuing from late Mays warmth) and a hot spell at the end of the month, but it was very cloudy in between and not especially warm. A few storms broke out during this period, but it was just the odd few rumbles in the London area.

July was cloudy, with one hot day at the end, as August was also hot for the first week or so, but after that it went downhill with many dull days.

2019 - nothing memorable for me, apart from the hot and humid spell in mid July, June wasn’t anything special and August was kind of a mixed bag. Not a summer that stays in my memory.

2017 - poor overall, apart from a hot spell in June, and the first half of July was also hot and sunny with overnight storms mid month, then the summer was mostly poor after that.

2016 - don’t remember much about it, humid cloudy and damp, warm sunny weather for a time in August, but nothing stands out.

2015 - forgettable and boring.

2021 - dull and humid, and dull and cool for most of the summer. 2 decent sunny weeks in June and one hot sunny week in July, just about sums how how atrocious 2021 was for the summer. 

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Posted
  • Location: Hampshire
  • Weather Preferences: Bright weather. Warm sunny thundery summers, short cold winters.
  • Location: Hampshire
On 22/06/2023 at 20:04, SqueakheartLW said:

Summers of 2013 to 2022

Ranking by months

Junes

10  2015    Poor with rain at times

 

10th                        2015               4/30                       1/10               1/10             2/10

 

The one sore thumb and clear stand out loser here and by far the poorest summer of the whole bunch was 2015. June and July were very poor and even the 1 day heat spike event didn't save July 2015. August 2015 for me scored marginally better than August 2014 as it wasn't quite as cool but only just got ahead of it. No wonder summer 2015 scored a pathetic 4/30.

Was June 2015 really as poor as that where you are?

Here it was likely the sunniest June between 2015 and 2022 inclusive, with long spells of settled weather and moderate temps except at the end when it became briefly very hot.

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