Truly incredible SC. Having had a summer like this has given me even more respect for the 'big daddy of 1976' 

I'm sure we'll beat it eventually. 

 I'm sure we'll beat it eventually. 

The tide is rising LL. It won't be too long. 

A reminder of where we are at...fascinating.

-- HOTTEST EVER SUMMER CHALLENGE (top 6) ---

1. 1976 CET summer average was 17.77C
2. 2018 so far (to the 16th) ----17.74C
3. 1826 was 17.60c
4. 1995 was 17.36c
5. 2003 was 17.33c
6. 2006 was 17.23c

Very interesting.  By the way, worth noting that the ex-tropical storm is entraining some very moist tropical air, which will aid the night time minima to stay afloat in Lancashire

 

Very interesting.  By the way, worth noting that the ex-tropical storm is entraining some very moist tropical air, which will aid the night time minima to stay afloat in Lancashire

Perish the thought of any pesky northern site derailing the CET!

What’s not to like? Any chance of average of better than average weather is restricted to the southern half of the U.K.?

There you go, answered your question. Liking the weather hundreds of miles away is a bit pointless. 

I wouldn't even say 'southern half', Michael. I'd say the majority of the UK has had a disappointing August

We're off to Lanzarote on Thursday, and I'm glad I've timed it when I have. August has turned into a real crapfest - NW England looks like having about 2 weeks of max temps mostly around the 16-18c mark (albeit with a few days reaching the 'heady' heights of 20/21c)

 

 

I wouldn't even say 'southern half', Michael. I'd say the majority of the UK has had a disappointing August

We're off to Lanzarote on Thursday, and I'm glad I've timed it when I have. August has turned into a real crapfest - NW England looks like having about 2 weeks of max temps mostly around the 16-18c mark (albeit with a few days reaching the 'heady' heights of 20/21c)

Yes, you could well be right. I would say you have picked your holiday timing very well! Enjoy. 

 

 

I wouldn't even say 'southern half', Michael. I'd say the majority of the UK has had a disappointing August

We're off to Lanzarote on Thursday, and I'm glad I've timed it when I have. August has turned into a real crapfest - NW England looks like having about 2 weeks of max temps mostly around the 16-18c mark (albeit with a few days reaching the 'heady' heights of 20/21c)

It’s been crap in the southwest too. I’m camping in Devon and it’s been 17-18C maxes and it’s currently grey and drizzly. We arrived on Wednesday and the wind and rain wednesday night was incredible. It flattened our tent at 2.30am and snapped the poles in three places. We almost gave up but managed to strap it up using table legs and did at least get a reasonably sunny day on Thursday. But yes, August has been rubbish away from the SE corner. 

It's a warmer and drier than average month so far here and is likely to remain so, that's two of my three boxes ticked and makes it far better than most summer months since 2007 already.

Not sure what will happen regarding sunshine though, depends on how much we get in the final 10 or so days.

It's not really been any better in the SE corner compared to the rest of the country relative to average looking at Reading university's weather page. It's also been wetter in the SE than in most of England with some stations in Kent and Sussex already above average for the month, while here we've had very little rain - less than 10mm to date.

 

It’s been crap in the southwest too. I’m camping in Devon and it’s been 17-18C maxes and it’s currently grey and drizzly. We arrived on Wednesday and the wind and rain wednesday night was incredible. It flattened our tent at 2.30am and snapped the poles in three places. We almost gave up but managed to strap it up using table legs and did at least get a reasonably sunny day on Thursday. But yes, August has been rubbish away from the SE corner. 

Good to see Mother Nature balancing out the June situation where the SE corner was less well placed under NElies for much of the month, she always plays it her way

 

 

I wouldn't even say 'southern half', Michael. I'd say the majority of the UK has had a disappointing August

We're off to Lanzarote on Thursday, and I'm glad I've timed it when I have. August has turned into a real crapfest - NW England looks like having about 2 weeks of max temps mostly around the 16-18c mark (albeit with a few days reaching the 'heady' heights of 20/21c)

August has been a real disappointment here too, after the excellent weather we saw during much of June and July. It's almost been a throwback to what was commonplace last year and during many other summers over the past decade or so.

This year may have generally ended the long run of poor summers in years ending in 8, but the run of medicore Augusts, for many areas, seems to have continued this year.

May (and increasingly April) seem to be summer months nowadays, and August seems to be part of autumn. Time to shift the school holidays I reckon!

It certainly does feel autumnal now and feels like summer has gone,this year summer was definatly May June and July.It seems over the past decade or so June and July have given the best summer weather and most years summer returns in September.

A pleasing run from the ECM, keeping the south clear of the coolest air until 26th August.  The majority of the run in the reliable is warm and settled for the south, the cooler interlude is diminished on this model, and deferred and brief. 

The Azores high then ridges across in FI out to day 10, which would bring further warmish and dry settled conditions quite widely across England and Wales, out towards the month's end.

My suspicion is that the month will end with another bit of real warmth, but we shall see in due course.

A pleasing run from the ECM, keeping the south clear of the coolest air until 26th August.  The majority of the run in the reliable is warm and settled for the south, the cooler interlude is diminished on this model, and deferred and brief. 

The Azores high then ridges across in FI out to day 10, which would bring further warmish and dry settled conditions quite widely across England and Wales, out towards the month's end.

My suspicion is that the month will end with another bit of real warmth, but we shall see in due course.

On paper it looks good but I think the reality like today will be cloudy skies for the south and wet and cool for the north. Apart from the first week August has been pretty average in the South worse in the north.

A pleasing run from the ECM, keeping the south clear of the coolest air until 26th August.  The majority of the run in the reliable is warm and settled for the south, the cooler interlude is diminished on this model, and deferred and brief. 

The Azores high then ridges across in FI out to day 10, which would bring further warmish and dry settled conditions quite widely across England and Wales, out towards the month's end.

My suspicion is that the month will end with another bit of real warmth, but we shall see in due course.

And meanwhile the ensembles show poor BH weekend here as they getting worse with the runs and more wetter each time, it show the GFS had been very poor and not accurate lately even like today at 13-14C uppers I don't see any sun yet to bring the surface temps to high 20's.  Really keen now to get out of August and hope September do a better job. 

 

August has been a real disappointment here too, after the excellent weather we saw during much of June and July. It's almost been a throwback to what was commonplace last year and during many other summers over the past decade or so.

This year may have generally ended the long run of poor summers in years ending in 8, but the run of medicore Augusts, for many areas, seems to have continued this year.

Much comment, as ever, is perception rather than factually based, as the statistics show that August has been warmer and drier and sunnier than the LTA for many parts of the UK.

 

It certainly does feel autumnal now and feels like summer has gone,this year summer was definatly May June and July.It seems over the past decade or so June and July have given the best summer weather and most years summer returns in September.

And October,in recent years,had as many 20C + days in October than we seem to get in August,just with the shorter days,the nights are a lot cooler.

 

Much comment, as ever, is perception rather than factually based, as the statistics show that August has been warmer and drier and sunnier than the LTA for many parts of the UK.

 

That may be true for many areas according to stats, but my recollection of this month going back to and including August 1st is that it has not been warmer, drier and sunnier than the LTA for my area. Even if it has been so for south-eastern areas, I suspect that many areas towards the NW of the UK will have had similar weather to that of my area over the last fortnight or so.

 

Much comment, as ever, is perception rather than factually based, as the statistics show that August has been warmer and drier and sunnier than the LTA for many parts of the UK.

 

As I mentioned, it's been warmer and drier than average thus far here, though sunshine levels have been entirely unremarkable and most days recently have been cloudy (though this being the UK, getting cloudy days in the summer is obviously not uncommon).

The cool down next week will decide this month's fate though. The mean here so far is 18C, and has only dropped slowly recently (milder nights in particular have helped) - but any potent cool down will really put a dent in the monthly mean. 

Time will tell.

 

It’s been crap in the southwest too. I’m camping in Devon and it’s been 17-18C maxes and it’s currently grey and drizzly. We arrived on Wednesday and the wind and rain wednesday night was incredible. It flattened our tent at 2.30am and snapped the poles in three places. We almost gave up but managed to strap it up using table legs and did at least get a reasonably sunny day on Thursday. But yes, August has been rubbish away from the SE corner. 

I know I shouldn't, but I laughed out loud reading this.

I do hope you managed  a few memorable moments for the right reasons though.

Noticeably cooler overnight temps next weekend: around 11C even for the south east on last night's ECM ensemble.  That's verging on the point you turn on the heating or put on a coat: