As we bask in a glorious spell of weather, we approach the 30-year anniversary of an infamous summer month. And by "infamous" I mean infamously bad: this was a month that most of us don't want a summer month to be.

July 1988 was a horrific month with a CET of just 14.7, making it the coldest July since the notably poor July 1965. The highest temeprature recorded in London was 22C, with Plymouth failing to better 19C! It was also extremely wet, with parts of Scotland and Northern England record rainfall on every single day of the month. For England as a whole, it was the wettest July since 1936. Finally to cap it off, it was also a duller-than-average July, recorded 75% of the average sunshine.

July 1988 began poor from the word "go" with Atlantic weather systems charging in from the west. Winds turned northerly around the 4th, producing exceptionally cool temperatures for the time of year.

The unsettled theme continued through the next week, with further Atlantic systems bringing wet and fairly breezy weather. Temperatures again were very surpressed. There was even a frost at Alwen, Clywd on the morning of the 6th (low of -0.3C).

Around mid-month, high pressure tried to move in, but the ridge was quickly flattened off as another area of low pressure charged in off the Atlantic. There was some thunderstorms reported at this time too.

Unsettled weather continued through the final 10 days of the month. On the 25th, a notable summer gale crossed the country. Across Scotland it was the windiest July day for 50 years, with a gust of 68 knots (78 mph) recorded in the Grampians.

Some data here: https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/binaries/content/assets/mohippo/pdf/t/9/jul1988.pdf

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Hmm. Looks a bit like today’s GFS 06z

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Hmm. Looks a bit like today’s GFS 06z

That is exactly what I thought. Please no!!

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I've heard that month talked about as the worst summer month since the 1960s. I was'nt living in this country at the time thank God and as a resuult missed it. But even where I was I recall people talking about it - It was that bad.

 

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I'd just finished my Degree finals in Brighton and was staying down there through July. I was really looking forward to a few weeks off enjoying the lovely summer sunshine and the Euro 88 Finals.

Both were a disaster from an English perspective!

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Heathrow
Mean Max: 20.0C (-2.0) Highest Max: 23.0C Sunshine: 162hrs (85%)
Rainfall: 76mm (149%) Number of dry days: 8
Cardiff
Mean Max: 17.6C (-1.9) Highest Max: 19.7C Sunshine: 164hrs (81%)
Rainfall: 144mm (200%) Number of dry days: 6
Plymouth
Mean Max: 16.5C (-2.6) Highest Max: 18.3C Sunshine: 181hrs (85%)
Rainfall: 98mm (151%) Number of dry days: 14
Elmdon
Mean Max: 18.4C (-2.0) Highest Max: 21.6C Sunshine: 147hrs (82%)
Rainfall: 104mm (200%) Number of dry days: 6
Manchester
Mean Max: 17.8C (-1.6) Highest Max: 21.5C Sunshine: 124hrs (78%)
Rainfall: 134mm (172%) Number of dry days: 8
Glasgow
Mean Max: 17.2C (-1.5) Highest Max: 20.5C Sunshine: 125hrs (76%)
Rainfall: 147mm (216%) Number of dry days: 9
Aberdeen
Mean Max: 17.2C (-0.4) Highest Max: 22.6C Sunshine: 167hrs (107%)
Rainfall: 84mm (111%) Number of dry days: 6
Belfast
Mean Max: 17.1C (-1.1) Highest Max: 19.3C Sunshine: 123hrs (87%)
Rainfall: 120mm (169%) Number of dry days: 4

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It was a perfect month, weather-wise.

In early July, I started work (in a bank) and would have hated a hot month to kick-off my 'career' in an office.

 

As an aside, I quickly realised banking was definitely not for me. When I left almost exactly 2 years later, I had a fortnight before starting my new job - so early July 90. I have some great memories of some hot weather round that time (including a scorching day in the Lakes)

 

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The summer of 1988 was perfect weather for me, being heavily pregnant with my youngest!  My eldest was born in July 1972 and that wasn’t too hot either!  

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I was working night shifts in a plastics moulding factory in Altrincham. It was an awful month. Better to sleep through the daylight hours of it.

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It reached 22.6C here in July 1988 which is a higher temperature than this current vile week of easterly muck is likely to produce.

Far worse Julys in recent years as well. Compared to July 2012, July 1988 was like a paradise. July 2011, 2015, 2016 all worse as well. All terrible months and July 2017 was not much better either.

1988 overall was sunnier than every summer since 1998 here except 2003 and 2013 which just goes to show how low things have sunk.

The worst ever July here has to be 1940. Sunshine of only 93 hours – still better than 2012 – but with 224mm of rain recorded at Mannofield and 28 rain days. All the worse for following directly on from June 1940 one of the best ever months with 280 hours sun.

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July 1988 turned into an awful month here and from what I remember, August was no better. That summer really turned into a very poor one here after a promising start in June.

I especially remember the gales that battered parts of Scotland on 25th July; a tree in the woods just along from where I live was blown down that day, although thankfully it didn't land in a position that posed danger to anyone.

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