I don’t know why you are hell bent on insisting that this summer has been better than 1976 and 1995 when the statistics just don’t support that. You can’t just focus on the first half of summer and ignore how poor August has been, as well as how wet the second half of July was. This dismal month has been far worse than June 1976 and June 1995 while June 2018 was not as good as either July 1976 or August 1995. That is why this summer will rank in the second tier of summers and not amongst the elite. 

June 1976 was not a wet month. It was in fact one of the driest Junes on record with 19mm at Dyce compared to 27mm in June 2018. Sunshine was about 90% of average not 75%. That the first three weeks were cloudy and cool at times just shows how exceptional the rest of the summer was after that because 1976 is the hottest summer on record here by some margin. It is the only summer to have an average high above 20C. Not quite as sunny as 1995 due to the dull first three weeks of June but for a combination of sun, lack of rain and warmth it is the best summer on record. 

1975 does not compare at all. Never hear my parents speak about it. Only 1976. June 1975 had snow at the start and July 1975 was a cloudy month with a wet spell in the middle. The first half of August was very impressive with an average high of 24C but the remainder was unremarkable. It also ranks in the second tier. Though not relevant to summer, May 1975 was a cold month with hardly any days reaching 15C and maxima of 10C on each of the closing three days. 

July 1995 was sunnier and drier than July 2018 though the peak of summer 1995 ran from 25th July to 24th August, which clocked up a mean maximum of 22.8C and well over 8 hours sun per day. What from summer 2018 remotely compares to that? 

The second post you made also contains incorrect information relating to temperature. Here are the actual figures

Mean Max Temperatures:

June 1976: 18.7C

June 2018: 17.7C

July 1976: 21.1C

July 2018: 20.6C 

Aug 1976: 20.3C

Aug 2018: 19.4C (to 23rd and likely to fall considerably) 

Some rainfall comparisons as well:

2003: 49mm

1976: 69mm

1947: 77mm (no rainfall in August)

1955: 78mm

1983: 88mm

2006: 95mm

1994: 97mm

1995: 100mm

Then 7 other summers with 101-139mm

2018: 140mm (so far excluding today's deluges) 

So it's currently ranking as 16th driest summer since 1946 and with another revolting Sunday will be lucky to end up much below average and the vast majority of it has fallen during the second half which has been the worst second half to a summer since 2012.

As for sunshine, 1995 finished around 670 hours, 1976 on 625 hours and 2003 620 hours. So far I have recorded 561 hours and wouldn’t hold out much hope of reaching 600 hours unless there is a big turnaround from the November levels of sun seen recently. Certainly it will be well below 1995 that’s for sure. Should just about exceed the 572 hours recorded in 2013 though to make it sunniest of the rotten, lousy decade.

Richard, I share your pain.

Many folk are perception rather than statistic lead in their weather thinking.  That is their prerogative I guess, but it makes reasoned logical comparison  impossible.

1995, glorious as it was is forever ruined by the 250mm of rain over the weekend of 12th September and the awful floods that followed.

2018 doesn't even remotely compare to 2012. For a start August has clocked up 10 20c or more maxes, that's equal to the entire June to 31st August period of 2012. A truly dismal suicidal summer if ever there was one. 

Summers in order with the best at the top 

1976 301
1995 298
1983 278
1955 277
2018 276 (up to 24th August)
1911 274
1984 271
1959 269
1975 268
1949 267
1989 262
1947 255
1933 251

Its raining round here this morning and another rain day is forecast tomorrow.

With temperatures lower than the summer average to date and no great amounts of sunshine to come , the only way is down.

A disappointment considering 2018 was challenging 1976 for the title a few weeks ago and has now slipped out of the champions league places.

Typical August have to ruin it. Even here is had been very poor nad never had a decent summery day since 7th August.  What the problem with August never deliver any summery month like other countries does? September once again going to be far much better than August from the latest output.  I would like to see the last 30C of the year next month if possible to finish off a good summer.  2018 summer had been very good but now will effect of my memory of what stupid August had done to us.

The power of the sun and another testament to the amazing summer of 2018:

The UK heatwave has produced one of the best and earliest harvests of late summer fruits in years.

Experts are expecting bumper crops of plums, grapes and tomatoes across the country, and the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) said it was expecting its best ever apple crop at its gardens in Surrey.

The extreme cold weather that struck earlier this year actually contributed to this boost by holding back the blossom. This meant when the flowers did emerge they were not harmed by any late frosts.

The hot, sunny conditions that followed led to a bountiful harvest and kept pests and diseases at bay. The sunlight has also boosted sugars and the other ingredients that deliver tasty fruit, the RHS said.

“After a disappointing 2017, we’re extremely fortunate that this year everything has come together to produce an incredible bounty of pears, plums, apples, tomatoes, grapes, berries, olives and all sorts of other delicious edibles all over the UK,” said Guy Barter, RHS chief horticulturalist.

https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/uk-weather-heatwave-summer-fruit-beats-from-the-east-apples-plums-tomatoes-a8506466.html

Summers in order with the best at the top 

1976 301
1995 298
1983 278
1955 277
2018 275 (up to 25th August)
1911 274
1984 271
1959 269
1975 268
1949 267
1989 262
1947 255
1933 251 

A bit of strange logic there. September 1995, which isn't summer, ruined summer 1995 but August 2018, which is summer, hasn't ruined summer 2018 

In any case there was never 250mm fell in one weekend. The monthly total was 234mm of which 67mm fell on the wettest day (11th).  Other than having to take shelter in the Central Library from unbelievably torrential rain on Saturday 9th I don't remember much else from September 1995. It still ended up a sunnier month than some of the worst recent summer months like June 2007 and July 2012.

Nobody is comparing this summer to 2012. I said this has been the worst second half of summer since then. It's been appalling. 4/5 washout Sundays and I've only recorded four warmer than average days since the 10th with 21C not reached since the 6th. I've recorded rain on 27/42 days since 16th July compared to only 7/45 between 1st June and 15th July.

All the more reason I think we need a referendum on changing the annual cycle to include 14 months rather than the current 12, with the sun going a few more degrees north in the summer and South in winter.

It would go Elsa, Feb, Mar, April, May, June, July, Sirius, Aug, Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan. The solstices would be on 21st Jan and July. That way we would have at least 2 reliably warm months: July and Sirius. And with Jan, Elsa and February all being colder than currently the snow lovers would get their fix too.

Could be quite a simple referendum ballot paper: yes or no. Would have the added benefit of increasing everyone’s annual salary by 1/6.

This is why I find it funny when heat haters whinge - even in the hottest summers it's usually 2-3 months max of very warm, sunny weather amongst 9 months of often crap weather. All of the hysteria surrounding drought this year and yet the grass turned green far quicker than it turned yellow. Even in 1976 the drought disappeared in a flash in September and the following months were all wetter than average.

Those of us who like warm, sunny weather live in one of the worst countries in the world. Those who hate warm, sunny weather are blessed to be born here.

I estimate May-July had a summer index of around 296

Sunshine levels were phenomenal. Sunnier than the summer of 1976 by a margin by regional figures.

Agree. This summer overall has been a stunner to us in the UK, but even for cities like Paris or Berlin it would be a very average, unremarkable one. When I see endless posts whining about how unpleasantly warm 23C and sunny spells are I really do wonder what planet some of these people are on. God help them if they lived somewhere where a 23C minimum was one of the coolest nights between May-September!

Of course, moan about any form of cold in winter and you're a selfish attention-seeking troll who shouldn't be on a weather forum.

It was a shame this year great summer had been cut off on the 8th August and last year 19th July and never recovered.  We still have enough long daylight up to 8pm sunset and now totally wasted with all the cool unsettled weather far too early so i agreed with you is the worst climate in the world and not following the season as it should be.  If other country lost the summer early on 19th July or 8th August they would get snow in early November and stay cold and snowy all winter unlike here with similar temperatures by mid winter.

Can August be renamed Hammond, after John?

His forecast was spot on and he has yet to receive any apologies after all the flak he copped

701 hours sun for that period here which is higher than any summer has managed. Mid-April to mid-July was even better with 730 hours.

However sea breezes were a problem here on the east coast during May and June. Temperatures, despite being above average, were still cooler than the July/August average never mind what was experienced in July/August 1976 or July/August 1995.

No it bloody wasn’t. August has been drier than average here which is contrary to his wet forecast. 

Also he been very wrong all summer as well as he been begging for cool and unsettled weather.  

I'd guess location matters too - I don't dislike warmth but I do dislike heat and not being able to get the house cool enough to sleep comfortably. In the far S.E you're pretty much guaranteed warm and dry summers along with some uncomfortably hot stuff. This year has seen a lot of (for me) uncomfortably hot stuff, although with the consolation of a few decent storms.

We're also sheltered from the worst the Atlantic throws at the country in Autumn and Winter (well mostly anyway) and September through to Mid October are often like cooler versions of summer - not that much wind and rain and not that cold. September here for example is often essentially warm and dry until late in the month, whereas further North it's often much cooler and more autumnal.

So for here I'm likely to get a fair bit of dry and warm stuff, often from mid April all the way to October, albeit patchier at either end.

Other than cold and snow I do get a bit bored if there's no variety in the weather - I love rainy days after more than a few days of dry weather in summer, just for the contrast. 

One consequence of the really hot dry summer down here is my veg patch - less courgettes than I'd have expected and the pumpkins I grew for Halloween for my daughter are basically fully ripe already, again with less 'fruit' than normal. Oh and my peach tree died too which was annoying.

Still, I imagine next year won't repeat this summer, which'll be nice for me but a bit rubbish where you're more exposed to the Atlantic. Perhaps some of us summer coolies can do a house swap with some of you summer hotters next year

Funny that because my apple tree that normally has loads of apples has got none. My pear tree which has been bountiful for years only has a couple of distorted looking things. Our red apple tree only has half as many apples as normal. Not sure whether the late winter caused this but we have our worst harvest ever this year.

I did have all the UK in mind when I made my comments as even the far SE has lukewarm, cloudy summers. London has an average high of 23.5C in July which is of course perfectly pleasant but would be considered very cool to most people in the world. It is also very cloudy, only 3 months of the year exceed 200 hours of sun on average and no month exceeds 50% of possible sunshine. 

The only exception to this is the immediate south coast where summers are somewhat sunny. In general though there is nowhere in the UK that I would consider to have reliably warm and sunny summers, not even close. You need to go a good few hundred miles south before you get to that.

The dryness part is right, of course, but then that applies to much of England, including this part of the world - my nearest weather station has an average of 603mm a year which is 1mm more than London Heathrow.

Summers in order with the best at the top 

1976 301
1995 298
1983 278
1955 277
1911 274
2018 273 (up to 26th August)
1984 271
1959 269
1975 268
1949 267
1989 262
1947 255
1933 251 

The second half of summer 2017 was even worse than this year in my area. In fact, overall last summer was the poorest one we have had since 2012 and even made other recent mediocre ones such as 2015 and 2016 look like half decent summers.

I honestly don't think August woulsd have seemed as poor as it has done had it not been for the excellent weather we had for much of June and July. Had those two months not been that great, August might not seemed as bad. Unfortunately, this summer seems to have followed those of 2006 and 1989 in having a very good first two months but then a somewhat poorer final month.

In the space of a week (maybe just over) we've slipped from second place down to sixth place, and may even still fall to seventh or eighth before the month is out yet. Very, very disappointing.