Its proving one of THOSE summers so far - where clag or haar or fret or low stratus or good old fashioned sea mist is affecting coastal areas dependent upon fetch and wind direction and humidity.

Today and yesterday for example at this precise locale, classic situations where Dover Castle was (and is ) obscured by fog 0.5km to my south east whereas my garden was bathed in sunshine from the evening sun to the NW.  The last 2 days Ive literally been just the right side of the fog band.  Yes the temperatures have been no great shakes, but sunshine is king and that's made it feel warm enough.

As a rule of thumb, a north-easterly (typically in April and May and up to around this time in June) will certainly be cool but again by afternoon the clag has cleared to just clip the cliffs meaning 50% of the times that  these scenarios develop I'm just the right side of the clag.  The other 50% of the NE scenarios its a clag ridden write-off with cloud extending well to my west.

In a SWly scenario the mist will typically burn off that bit earlier and will (as on the last 2 days) just hold back along the cliffs and beaches meaning this precise locale gets "away with it" probably 75% of the time, so more favourable than the NEly scenario.

A further point would be that by early July the likelihood of coastal mist/ clag tends to reduce here, and by the final third of July and for August and September coastal clag is unusual in this locale.

I wonder how others fare in their coastal locations, and I know just how dramatic local effects and aspects of the topography can be in protecting or exposing any very precise location.  Would be interested to hear other people's coastal experiences as regards the bane of many a summer's day, or not!

Yes, that's a good point, some of the visible satellite imagery showed areas along the Pennine watershed and many points east completely clag-ridden IIRC during many days in May.

Yesterday though was an example of the opposite equally common phenomenon: sunshine along the South coast and low cloud inland. Places between Folkestone and Weymouth get the best of both worlds: no convective infill on calm days and rarely any coastal clag either.

I go fishing quite a lot off some of the beaches around here in S Dorset. Certainly been more sea fog this year than for a long time. But it’s interesting how local it can be. Here at home glorious sunshine but a short drive and the hills are covered in thick fog and the coast hidden. And even on the shore the fog can be thick one minute and clear the next with a hazy sort of sunshine illuminating the beach. 

Anyone who lives on the Isle of Portland must experience summer sea fog much more than residents on the mainland and at the top of the isle you can be in thick mist while at sea level it’s just a grey day. Eerie stuff.

In the winter places like Weymouth and the S Coast can be in sunshine all day whilst inland it can be thick fog. In the summer the opposite or at least until the sea temps rise.

But as I’ve said several times now, sea fog like we have been seeing recently around here is so often the precursor to glorious weather. That is if you like warm sunny or even dare I say it Hot days. Unless you are a wolf perhaps.

We have been plagued by sea sludge a lot during the past 6 weeks. It seems to be very much more than in previous years. One week in May when everyone else(it seems) were basking in warm sunshine, we had 5 days of thick fog am and pm, lifting slightly to mist during the day. It was damp, and barely got to 12 degrees most days. On 3 June we journeyed to Northamptonshire to visit son for his birthday. When we left at 4 ish it was 26 degrees.  Two hours later and the temperature dropped 12 degrees in 5 miles, and Cromer was shrouded in fog. I sincerely hope that the forthcoming warm sunny weather does not descend into this murk yet again, 

The cam on Clevedon Weather shows some mist at the moment. That is on the River Severn.

Winds from the NE, E or SE are a nightmare at any time of the year here. SE is by far the worst though. Just vile.

North Sea cloud seems to get worse here as the year progresses with it more likely to burn off in spring and stick around all day in summer. Used to be the opposite way round.

I'm not quite in total agreement with that. I do agree that easterlies are a nightmare during most of the time and that was shown up quite a lot during the second half of the spring and the very start of this month.

If it was the middle of winter though (especially at around Christmas) and those easterlies were bringing in a lot of snow from Siberia, I probably wouldn't be seeing them as such a big nightmare then.

Can’t remember the last time that actually happened. The easterly at the end of February was crap and failed to deliver a decent snowfall here. Just days on end of grey muck. Same in March 2013.

The easterlies in May were far better as at least the muck burned off most days and there was still plenty of sunshine.

There you go. You've just admitted in that statement alone that easterlies aren't a complete nightmare all the time.

Clag free at present.  Clear and sunny all day, beautiful weather, max of 22c.  I fear the clag will return overnight though.

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/observation/map/u10fvgptv#?map=SatelliteVis&fcTime=1530030600&zoom=5&lon=1.58&lat=54.19

Low cloud and clag/fret/haar/mist has enveloped much of the east overnight.  Looks potentially stubborn in places.  Skegness max of 13c?

As I'm sat at my desk in Gildersome/Morley the visibility is perhaps half a mile and the mizzle is visibly rolling in, almost like smoke. As you say not far to the west it's clear.

I'm not complaining too much as it gives me a chance to cool down my bit of the office. 26.5C when I came in, now 24.5C. When the sun streams in it will get to 27C even with the blinds closed, and with aircon (which will lead to the usual suspects at work preparing a hot water bottle because it's so cold).

Can see the difference west-east though temperature wise. Manchester 19c at 7.50am, Leeds Bradford 11c..

Anyway the sun is out and the temperature is climbing although it will never make 30c like over the Pennines.

A few miles to the SE of where you are it's still cloudy, but that first glimmer of sun through the cloud has just come through, so within about half an hour  suspect it will be lovely once again.

Bright sunshine in Aberdeen!! Looks like I might need to move up there.

How vile

I remember one day a few years ago when the entire country seemed to have 30°C, while the sea fret seemed to have formed itself into the exact shape of Co. Durham, and we were sat at 14°C!

Wall to wall blue sky now......