Summer 2021: Moans, Groans, Ramps and Banter

[Weather Enthusiast91]

Things are looking unseasonably autumnal from Thursday and into the weekend. Whilst unseasonal, it certainly isn't uncommon. It's the same as having spring-like conditions in February but in reverse. 

Back to today though, I don't really have much complaints. A top temp of 21 Celsius, mostly cloudy and a gentle breeze. So just pleasant.

Edited August 3, 2021 by Weather Enthusiast91

[SummerShower]

1 minute ago, Weather Enthusiast91 said:

Things are looking unseasonably autumnal from Thursday and into the weekend. Whilst unseasonal, it certainly isn't unusual. It's the same as having spring-like conditions in February but in reverse. 

Back to today though, I don't really have much complaints. A top temp of 21 Celsius, mostly cloudy and a gentle breeze. So just pleasant.

Same here today, not too bad, about 20c, sunny spells and dry.  Very usable for running therefore.

Did think we'd skipped to early October though this morning it was 8C and fog

[lassie23]

on the pantsometer scale this summer gets a 9 so far

[Azazel]

It wasn’t too bad today in the end after the Baltic start. Feels chilly out in the garden this evening again though. 

[damianslaw]

Met Office outlook suggesting a predominantly underwhelming August on the way but perhaps better towards tail end.. par for the course in August. Very disappointing!  

[Weather Enthusiast91]

14 minutes ago, damianslaw said:

Met Office outlook suggesting a predominantly underwhelming August on the way but perhaps better towards tail end.. par for the course in August. Very disappointing!  

That was often the case when I was at college. Mediocre weather during the summer hols, only for it to get nice again at the end of August and into September.

Edited August 3, 2021 by Weather Enthusiast91

[al78]

Here in Horsham the Met Office forecast is dry and sunny until Friday when the rain returns for the weekend, again. This year is turning into one of the worst I can remember for the number of weekends of poor weather during BST. On the other hand I keep hearing talk of a heatwave in mid-August, anyone know who has predicted this?

As for the average position of the jet stream someone mentioned earlier, it can't be over or south the UK at this time of year, otherwise the average summer would be like 2007 or 2012. In a normal year it should move about, so sometimes it is over us, sometimes it is north of us, and we get a period of warm sunny weather followed by a period of unsettled weather. The worst summers in the UK happen with northern blocking locking the UK under a trough that sticks around for weeks.

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/learn-about/weather/types-of-weather/wind/what-is-the-jet-stream

"The seasons also affect the position of the jet stream. In winter, there is more of a temperature difference between the equator and poles, so the jet stream is stronger and flows over the UK. This is why we tend to see wetter weather. The reverse is true in summer, where there tends to be a smaller temperature difference. The position of the jet stream typically ends up to the north of the UK and we see calmer, drier weather."

[DAVID SNOW]

On 03/08/2021 at 20:59, damianslaw said:

Met Office outlook suggesting a predominantly underwhelming August on the way but perhaps better towards tail end.. par for the course in August. Very disappointing!  

'Forecasters' in the MOD  thread saying things should improve for the South/South East, no good for you or them, but i suppose it gains 'likes' and increases reputation.

[The real Lomond snowstorm]

4 hours ago, damianslaw said:

Yes often a poor month here.. I always rate it way behind May, Junr and July. The Scots have it right breaking up for school hols early July, back by mid August. August often feels like an endurance test, patience wears thin... and I just want to skip to September.

In the West of Scotland the driest months are usually May, April, June, July and then August, in that order. April and June rain totals are very close and in some places may be reversed but August is usually a fair bit wetter than the others.

[Guest]

It’s a gloomy and pretty cold start to the day. Temps again down to 10C, it feels fresh and for my normal get up time of 5:45 you can tell the nights are getting longer, starting to realise summer is slipping away from us and given the outlook it’s a particularly depressing thought we might have to wait another 9-10months for another proper hot spell.

[markyo]

Lovely start to the day, nice and fresh, blues sky, gentle breeze...if only we could have more mornings like this summer would be perfect!

[Azazel]

Well now the Met have binned the chance of a warmup towards mid-month, I feel I can finally close the curtain on summer 21.

In summary, taking the whole "warm period" of the year into account (April-August) - I would summarise it as absolutely woeful. The worst spring I can remember, followed by a 2/10 summer (being generous) edging out 2007 and 2012 at a time when we really didn't need it.

One warm day in March, April and May, which are normally my two favourite months of the year were absolutely disgusting - a brief warm/hot spell in June which I managed to get lucky with because I booked a little camping trip and then one more warm spell in July. It's been so cloudy here and often wet.

As has been the norm lately, barely any convection of note. 

I said back in April when the weather was utterly vile that the "light" period of the calendar is going to feel exceptionally short this year and quicker than the blink of an eye, we are heading back into 7-8 months of grim darkness.

This year has definitely made me consider exploring the possibilities of relocating abroad. Whether you like heat and storms/cold and snow, the UK has the most miserably pathetic climate on earth, I am sure of it.

 

[Guest]

18 minutes ago, Azazel said:

Well now the Met have binned the chance of a warmup towards mid-month, I feel I can finally close the curtain on summer 21.

In summary, taking the whole "warm period" of the year into account (April-August) - I would summarise it as absolutely woeful. The worst spring I can remember, followed by a 2/10 summer (being generous) edging out 2007 and 2012 at a time when we really didn't need it.

One warm day in March, April and May, which are normally my two favourite months of the year were absolutely disgusting - a brief warm/hot spell in June which I managed to get lucky with because I booked a little camping trip and then one more warm spell in July. It's been so cloudy here and often wet.

As has been the norm lately, barely any convection of note. 

I said back in April when the weather was utterly vile that the "light" period of the calendar is going to feel exceptionally short this year and quicker than the blink of an eye, we are heading back into 7-8 months of grim darkness.

This year has definitely made me consider exploring the possibilities of relocating abroad. Whether you like heat and storms/cold and snow, the UK has the most miserably pathetic climate on earth, I am sure of it.

 

Absolutely agree. While we are fortunately spared some of the life threatening extremes of other parts of the world our weather is so bland and unpredictable and generally results in 9–10months of weather that’s not really great for outdoors activities and leaves you unable to plan things more than a few days out (I don’t really consider even in sunny conditions walking in winter, wrapped up in multiple layers through muddy paths and parks in a few hours of daylight favourable for outdoors activities before anyone says it)

I missed an opportunity to relocate abroad before I had kids so can’t really do it for another 12-14years and I’m really kicking myself at times like this. Can’t wait to buy somewhere in Southern Europe, the coming winter and dark season will be mentally challenging and tough work after an extremely stressful period, not looking forward to it. 

Edited August 4, 2021 by Alderc

[Wimbledon88]

12 hours ago, lassie23 said:

on the pantsometer scale this summer gets a 9 so far

Yup, it has been truly woeful. I don't mind the heavy showers so much, its the absolute dullness that's taking the...... 

Today looks OK, before the next onslaught. 

[Evening thunder]

The last two days haven't been great (but not terrible), a bit cloudy and bland. Though on both Sunday and Monday a torrential downpour bubbled up despite cloudy conditions, to give a little bit of interest.

Nice and sunny this morning though.

Min of 7.7C yesterday ,the lowest since June 23rd, but not unusual in this valley.  July actually had the highest absolute min of any month in my 2008-2021 records - 9.3C, and the second highest average min.

Also...

Heatwave helps mark fifth warmest July on record | Official blog of the Met Office news team

BLOG.METOFFICE.GOV.UK

---

The mid-month heatwave has helped the UK to its joint fifth warmest July on record according to provisional Met Office figures, with Scotland and Northern Ireland recording their third warmest July, in a...

Better for the north (3rd warmest in Scotland and NI), 11th warmest in England, but even for the SE it doesn't look too terrible on these maps, apart from being wet, and averages are usually made up of good and poor periods. 

Edited August 4, 2021 by Evening thunder

[Wimbledon88]

11 hours ago, DAVID SNOW said:

'Forecasters' in the MOD  thread saying things should improve for the South/South East, no good for you or them, but i suppose it gains 'likes' and increases reputation.

Difficult sometimes to see past the crazy emojis and even crazier memes to make any sense of what's going on on their thread.

[In Absence of True Seasons]

14 hours ago, SummerShower said:

Same here today, not too bad, about 20c, sunny spells and dry.  Very usable for running therefore.

Did think we'd skipped to early October though this morning it was 8C and fog

Yeah admittedly I had a grumble in the morning as it looked to be another grey-out but the afternoon was actually decently sunny after all! Again, a cloudy grey morning here in East London but hoping it follows yesterday's trend and clears up a bit.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Evening thunder said:

The last two days haven't been great (but not terrible), a bit cloudy and bland. Though on both Sunday and Monday a torrential downpour bubbled up despite cloudy conditions, to give a little bit of interest.

Nice and sunny this morning though.

Min of 7.7C yesterday ,the lowest since June 23rd, but not unusual in this valley.  July actually had the highest absolute min of any month in my 2008-2021 records - 9.3C, and the second highest average min.

Also...

Heatwave helps mark fifth warmest July on record | Official blog of the Met Office news team

BLOG.METOFFICE.GOV.UK

---

The mid-month heatwave has helped the UK to its joint fifth warmest July on record according to provisional Met Office figures, with Scotland and Northern Ireland recording their third warmest July, in a...

Better for the north (3rd warmest in Scotland and NI), 11th warmest in England, but even for the SE it doesn't look too terrible on these maps, apart from being wet, and averages are usually made up of good and poor periods. 

Think the thing with July is that the overnight mins really held up, outside the warm spell mid month we had lots of cloudy days at 21C or so but mild nights at 17C, rubbish in reality but statistically warmer than average. 

[MP-R]

Looks like another fine day here in this neck of the woods. This week has certainly been better than I expected here up to this point.

[Nick L]

2 hours ago, Azazel said:

Well now the Met have binned the chance of a warmup towards mid-month, I feel I can finally close the curtain on summer 21.

In summary, taking the whole "warm period" of the year into account (April-August) - I would summarise it as absolutely woeful. The worst spring I can remember, followed by a 2/10 summer (being generous) edging out 2007 and 2012 at a time when we really didn't need it.

One warm day in March, April and May, which are normally my two favourite months of the year were absolutely disgusting - a brief warm/hot spell in June which I managed to get lucky with because I booked a little camping trip and then one more warm spell in July. It's been so cloudy here and often wet.

As has been the norm lately, barely any convection of note. 

I said back in April when the weather was utterly vile that the "light" period of the calendar is going to feel exceptionally short this year and quicker than the blink of an eye, we are heading back into 7-8 months of grim darkness.

This year has definitely made me consider exploring the possibilities of relocating abroad. Whether you like heat and storms/cold and snow, the UK has the most miserably pathetic climate on earth, I am sure of it.

 

I think weather enthusiasts of all preferences will agree here. There's a reason why people go abroad for heat, storms, snow etc.

[In Absence of True Seasons]

1 hour ago, Azazel said:

Well now the Met have binned the chance of a warmup towards mid-month, I feel I can finally close the curtain on summer 21.

In summary, taking the whole "warm period" of the year into account (April-August) - I would summarise it as absolutely woeful. The worst spring I can remember, followed by a 2/10 summer (being generous) edging out 2007 and 2012 at a time when we really didn't need it.

One warm day in March, April and May, which are normally my two favourite months of the year were absolutely disgusting - a brief warm/hot spell in June which I managed to get lucky with because I booked a little camping trip and then one more warm spell in July. It's been so cloudy here and often wet.

As has been the norm lately, barely any convection of note. 

I said back in April when the weather was utterly vile that the "light" period of the calendar is going to feel exceptionally short this year and quicker than the blink of an eye, we are heading back into 7-8 months of grim darkness.

This year has definitely made me consider exploring the possibilities of relocating abroad. Whether you like heat and storms/cold and snow, the UK has the most miserably pathetic climate on earth, I am sure of it.

How much faith do we have in Met office predictions though? I don't recall them predicting the July hot-spell, or June one either, until it was basically upon us. For instance, If I'd known 2 weeks in advance that there was that solidly hot week in June approaching, I'd have booked some leave for then, but I didn't see or hear anything about it until a couple of days before. I'm not saying we're going to get a great August 2021, but I wouldn't completely rule out the chance for a 'heatwave'. September can sometimes see 20+ degree weather for days on end as well, albeit the nights are shorter.

The weather this year, particularly for those of us living in the those South, has indeed been dire though. Awful spring leading into a generally very cloudy and wet summer. It hasn't been overly cold, but just lacking in sunlight and clear skies. I feel like the single adjective of 'grey' is enough to sum up 2021's weather on the whole (unless you live in the North or Scotland where it seems they had a better run of things in June and July). 

I'm on board with your sentiments about our climate though. It's fine for someone who is more indoorsy, the sort of individual who likes cosying up with a cup of tea and a book, playing board games and finds rain against the windows peaceful (no disparagement to someone who enjoys that btw). But for someone who likes to spend their free time hiking, camping, rock-climbing, kayaking etc (such as myself), I honestly feel that the UK has a very suboptimal climate. The argument I always here as a retort to this is "Yeah but at least our weather isn't extreme". They then point to somewhere like Canada as an example of said 'extreme' weather. IMO, that's not extreme....it's just distinct seasons where the contrast is huge. I'd honestly take -15 in winter and +30 in summer (for example like in many parts of British Colombia), over 16c and cloudy / drizzly that we get for most of the year in the UK. Take this year for instance, the Winter Solstice was as warm (if not warmer? Can't quite recall) as the Summer Solstice. Very few countries can boast such a feat lol. Maybe the Faroe islands. 'Extreme' weather means variance...which IMO is interesting weather, as well as oftentimes usable weather. We don't get the bluebird winters that Scandinavia or North America do, where its freezing cold, but sunny and clear...winter in UK is broadly just wet, grey and muddy. And summers ,equally, are pretty much just a dice-roll of whatever weather patterns decide to hit that year...could be wonderful like 2018, could be dross like this year. But one thing is for sure...planning in advance for outdoors activities is a big gamble, and wildly uncertain.

I think a lot of us have a 'grass is greener' mentality when it comes to living abroad. It also comes down to one's priorities - what constitutes QOL is somewhat subjective. As someone whose primary hobbies require being outdoors, for me, having a decent (usable) climate is a top QOL factor for me. I couldn't care less about the shopping centres, retail & leisure activities, fancy restaurants and such that so many people obsess over in the UK. How much the British weather affects you is very much dependent on your lifestyle. Or perhaps, in part, our climate somewhat dictates the lifestyles that people lead? Are Aussies often outdoorsy, physically active, beach-lovers who know how to surf by age 9 because they have an inclination towards that, or because they live in a country with a climate that's very conducive to that lifestyle? IMO its a bit of both.

Admittedly, I would love to live abroad, but as a young-ish person whose career is not a specific 'trade' and also single, I'm not exactly high priority on the rankings to get into somewhat like AUS, NZ or Canada. I have a friend who tried (pre-Covid) for years to emigrate to Canada as he wanted to live in Vancouver. He was an electrical engineer and his long-term girlfriend worked in healthcare. They were rejected multiple years running, despite pretty much fitting the bill for the 'ideal' emigration candidates. It's incredibly difficult to move to such countries unless you have relatives there, are married to someone from said country, or you have a trade and just get lucky. 

[NEVES SCREAMER]

Why is Wednesday always the nicest day of the week and Saturday is always a pile of manure. It's remarkable.  Lovely morning here today. Blue skies. Fluffy clouds. Sunny.

[Captain Shortwave]

I don’t think I have seen such a sluggish summer pattern, frequently stuck in slow moving patterns, quite often throughout the  atmosphere, which has resulted in several days where some places have seen exceptional amounts of rain.

The crazy thing is the stats show that even in the south conditions have generally been around average except rainfall, which has been above average in many places. Talk about washing out the extremes. 
Honestly if we had not have had the persistent north easterlies in late June/Early July then this summer would not have been considered too bad because the rest of the time has seen a couple of settled and very warm spells or some interesting patterns for showers/thunderstorms.

[kold weather]

42 minutes ago, Alderc said:

Think the thing with July is that the overnight mins really held up, outside the warm spell mid month we had lots of cloudy days at 21C or so but mild nights at 17C, rubbish in reality but statistically warmer than average. 

Yeah the mins have been the main story for the south, though the heatwave did bring decently above average maxes for a week for pretty much the whole country.

Because of that I think for the south its going to be perceived as a somewhat cooler summer even if the actual statistics don't really bare that out due to those high mins due to the very high cloud levels outside of the two one week long hot spells this summer.

One thing that 100% will be the case is the summer is going down as a very wet one for the SE in particular!

[Thundery wintry showers]

There is regional variation around the UK, I can certainly say I find Lincoln's climate more interesting than Exeter's or Tyneside's for example.  Leeds and Norwich were two other places that I quite enjoyed climate wise when I was there.  However, I've seen the British climate referred to overall as a "jack of all trades, master of none" climate - we are capable of a greater variety of weather than almost anywhere else in the world, but the prevailing synoptic patterns and our position at the downwind end of the Atlantic mean that bland nothingness happens for the majority of the time.

Certainly having been on holiday to many parts of France and viewed some of the Munich webcams, I get a strong sense that I'd find the climates of much of central and eastern France and southern Germany more interesting and enjoyable than anywhere in the UK.  On the other hand, I can also think of plenty of climates around the world that I'd find less interesting than ours.  I think among those of us who like storms, snow and temperature variety, in Britain we rather suffer by comparison with our continental neighbours, but by global standards our climate isn't that boring.