I think June tends to favour northern and western areas, whilst August tends to favour southern and eastern areas. How many times has August had this ghastly NW-SE split in recent years now? It really is an autumn month up here.

 

I wouldn't go so far as calling August an autumn month now, but in recent years (post-2003) it's been by far the worst overall summer month for this region (and I suspect a few more)

What I've noticed is that overall across all months there seems to have been an increase in winds from a direction north of WSW generally - over the northern half/two-thirds of the UK at any rate. And this possibly manifests itself most prevalently in August.

I don't know whether anyone can test this theory (from the, say, 1975 to 2018 era). I guess you'd need to have wind direction data for every day and do some sort of easy-read representation of what that showed for each month. My theory may be utter balls, but I'd be fascinated to see.

The reason this question of prevailing wind direction is so important for NW England (or at least the southern half of NW England) is the differing effects of the Welsh Mountains. A SW'ly to WSW'ly flow off the Atlantic puts the Cheshire/Merseyside/SW Lancs/much of Gtr Manchester area into a rain shadow. But move the direction past around WSW, and the Welsh Mountains act as a funnel to channel the cloud & PPN into this same region (and further north).

 

 

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The lack of sun this month is such a stark contrast to the previous summer months this year that it makes it feel even harder to take. Temperatures were ok over the weekend but there was always that threat of a shower. There was no sun at all on Saturday in my location and literally 2 or 3 minutes of sun yesterday afternoon when I went for a walk at Lymm Dam (lovely place for any North West people!).

The forecast for the next 7 days is declining even more with more rain and temperatures dipping to a cool 15C/16C on Friday and Saturday. Then it is shown to be settling down on day 8 which has been the case for a couple of weeks now so it won't happen.

I'm now looking to September hoping for better luck.

Stockport is not that far away from Warrington so I`m surprised at your post about the lack of sun this month. Here is the sunshine to date in Cheadle Hulme -

2nd-Sunny intervals, part cloudy.  4th-Sunny spells pm.  5th- Sunny intervals.  6th- Sunny intervals pm.  7th- Sunny intervals am.  9th- Sunny at times pm.  10th- Some sunny intervals pm.  11th- Sunny intervals, increasing cloud.  12th- Some sunshine pm.  16th- Sunny intervals.

 

 

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What I've noticed is that overall across all months there seems to have been an increase in winds from a direction north of WSW generally - over the northern half/two-thirds of the UK at any rate. And this possibly manifests itself most prevalently in August.

I don't know whether anyone can test this theory

(I am doing this from my phone so it might not work)

The map below shows the average 500mb heights in Aug over the last 15 years minus the previous 15 (2003-2017 minus 1988-2002).

It does show a more NW component to the flow and the main culprit is higher heights near Greenland. 

 

(I am doing this from my phone so it might not work)

The map below shows the average 500mb heights in Aug over the last 15 years minus the previous 15 (2003-2017 minus 1988-2002).

It does show a more NW component to the flow and the main culprit is higher heights near Greenland. 

 

Many, many thanks for coming up with that - much appreciated, and I get where you're coming from.

 

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I hate Augusts it's well known!! This year is no exception. 16 days in Edinburgh with rainfall recorded on 14 days and sunshine totalling 55 hrs😫
I'm on my 4th day in the Lakes and it's the 4th day of rain and mist and NO SUN. No good for man nor beast 🌧️

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I hate Augusts it's well known!! This year is no exception. 16 days in Edinburgh with rainfall recorded on 14 days and sunshine totalling 55 hrs😫
I'm on my 4th day in the Lakes and it's the 4th day of rain and mist and NO SUN. No good for man nor beast 🌧️

 

Was down in the lakes at the start of july - 30c, lake receding due to no rain, fry an egg on the pavement, burning sun, no cloud in sight, minimum temperature higher than the maxs we're getting now

 

Felt unnatural :-)

 

 

 

Was down in the lakes at the start of july - 30c, lake receding due to no rain, fry an egg on the pavement, burning sun, no cloud in sight, minimum temperature higher than the maxs we're getting now

 

Felt unnatural :-)

 

I passed by the Lakes on the west coast main line at that time and it was remarkable just how brown and parched the landscape was, Instead of the normal lush green. Add a few olive groves and a little imagination you could easily have been in Greece!

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Another miserable cold, grey and dull evening after a virtually sunless day

I have never once applied sun cream this month and haven't once got sunburn. Unheard of for a supposed summer month. There is never any sun at the weekends and what little there has been in the evenings isn't strong enough now.

Not typical of recent Augusts at all the past few were miles better particularly 2015 and 2016. This is the first time August has been the worst month of the summer here since 2013. June is the worst summer month here. This year was very much an exception.

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Stockport is not that far away from Warrington so I`m surprised at your post about the lack of sun this month. Here is the sunshine to date in Cheadle Hulme -

2nd-Sunny intervals, part cloudy.  4th-Sunny spells pm.  5th- Sunny intervals.  6th- Sunny intervals pm.  7th- Sunny intervals am.  9th- Sunny at times pm.  10th- Some sunny intervals pm.  11th- Sunny intervals, increasing cloud.  12th- Some sunshine pm.  16th- Sunny intervals.

 

 

It might just be me but the past 2 weeks or so have felt very dull and gloomy overall here. Any days with sunny intervals have had very limited sun. Days that have been forecast sunny have turned out cloudy. Days that have been forecast cloudy have turned out rainy.

It's been quite depressing. I'm pining for sunshine at the moment. I'm either pessimistic or you've had a bit more sun at your end or a bit of both. Maybe saint can give his version of August because St Helens isn't too far down the lancs from me!

 

(I am doing this from my phone so it might not work)

The map below shows the average 500mb heights in Aug over the last 15 years minus the previous 15 (2003-2017 minus 1988-2002).

It does show a more NW component to the flow and the main culprit is higher heights near Greenland. 

This map sums things up for the changes we’ve seen across quite a lot of the year I would say. Less so now and in the last couple of years ago than in the horror show of 2007-2012 when the Greenland high seemed to have taken up permanent residence. Look how widely those lower heights pervade the midlatitudes, not just over us.

Hooefully (probably) a temporary phenomenon driven by decadal level variability rather than a response to reduced arctic ice which has been postulated from time to time (my feeling is the causation may work the other way, a negative AO accelerating ice loss). Certainly 2018 has seen much lower pressure over Greenland.

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What a really depressing month, this month of August is turning out to be.

For most of us, this can be quite a depressing time of year anyway because it is already getting darker at nights. This means that even in good weather, I would already be gradually turning my house lights on that bit earlier in the evenings over time as a result of that.

However, the fact that this is turning out to be such a dull month after it being sunnier than average overall during both June and July just serves to enhance that even more, and make this time of the year become even more depressing.

Tonight is a casing point for that because it was so dull and overcast during this evening that I had to put my house lights on as early as 7:30pm which for this early in that season where it is getting dark at nights, is rather ridiculous.

As I write, 20 days of this month have now passed and yet, a total of just 55.1 hours of sunshine has been recorded for this month so far at Edinburgh Gogarbank. That works out to an average of just 2.755 hours of sunshine per day.

The 1981-2010 average for Edinburgh Gogarbank in August is 149.0 hours of sunshine and since we are just about at the point where are now two thirds of the way through this month, we should really be getting a total of at least 100 hours of sunshine by now, in order for this month to be on course to be delivering an average amount of sunshine at least (in July for example, we had that during the first nine days of that month).

As things stand just now, there are another 11 days to go until the end of this month and in that time, we now need to be adding more than another 93.9 hours of sunshine onto this month's sunshine total in order for this month to end up being sunnier than average.

That works out to an average of more than approximately 8.536 hours of sunshine per day. At the moment, it is still mathematically possible for that to happen. However, June had an average of 6.32 hours of sunshine per day whilst July had an average of approximately 6.44 hours of sunshine per day.

Those were both much sunnier than average months which occurred during the time of year when daylight hours are at their maximum and yet, both of those figures are less than the 8.536 hours of sunshine per day or more which we would need to be seeing from now on in order for this month to end up being sunnier than average.

From that, I think we can just about safely say that this is not going to be going down as sunnier than average month and given the latest model output, it is virtually certain that this month will instead, end up being substantially duller than average in the end.

In the end, this is therefore a very disappointing way to end what was otherwise, a really good summer.

 

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The gloom continues, this is turning into a very dull August, as Richard summed up permacast hell. Drizzle ,heavy cloud laden skies, nothing like the forecasts give. Yesterday was only slightly better after the rain and drizzle cleared around after 11am, finally seeing some sun but then probably no more than 2 hours the whole day. Certainly turning into a very poor August

Not only Aberdeen has coma inducing dreadful summers, Gloucestershire shares them too.

Another shockingly bad forecast today. Was meant to brighten up with SW winds and a high of 18C.

Reality vile murky filth all day, drizzle, SE winds and a dismal high of only 14.9C. A thoroughly repulsive 2.3 hours sun in the past four days 

Can't wait for the colder air to arrive as it will likely bring warmer temperatures with it and certainly more sunshine and drier air.

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Another shockingly bad forecast today. Was meant to brighten up with SW winds and a high of 18C.

Reality vile murky filth all day, drizzle, SE winds and a dismal high of only 14.9C. A thoroughly repulsive 2.3 hours sun in the past four days 

Can't wait for the colder air to arrive as it will likely bring warmer temperatures with it and certainly more sunshine and drier air.

If "colder air" was to bring warmer temperatures, then you wouldn't be able to refer to it as "colder air" any more.

 

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Shocking in the Western Lakes (Wasdale). My 6th day of fog, drizzle, wet clothes and feet, think I'll be getting trench foot soon. 3 dull days before that in Edinburgh has given me 9 days of depressing wet murk with no sun in a summer month and I'm going stir crazy 😫😫😫😫

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It's 11pm and it's still 19c outside - Gosh some really uncomfortably mild, close overcast and sticky humid nights! At least during June and July heatwaves we had nighttime minimums of 15c - past 4 nights we have not got below 18c here in Exeter by night!

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Rather incredibly, the temperature at the botanic gardens here in Edinburgh at 3am this morning was still up at 19.0°C with 18.3°C being recorded at Edinburgh Gogarbank and 18°C at Edinburgh Airport.

It is very muggy here just now, which is hampering my ability to get to sleep.

Furthermore, it is hard to believe that I am actually here in Scotland just now with those sorts of temperatures at this time pf night because this is actually more typical of what we would normally be expecting to see down in Central London during a hot and humid spell of weather, rather than in the centre of Edinburgh (I'm not sure how they would cope with those conditions down there, although I suppose that they would just be used to that).

We are expected to be seeing a cold front move through which is supposed to be clearing the air a bit, but where is this cold front when we really need it?

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Yet again we have a front stretching from here to Dublin instead of over the Highlands where they used to sit.

Yet again we have an utterly foul dark depressing morning. So bad I needed the light on in the bathroom and put the heating on.

Such a vile week of weather it seems like late October already and that is the 21st century horror show version of October, not the sort of October's we used to get.

This revolting August is just sucking the life from me. One of the most depressing months of any name I have had to endure. It's completely ruined the summer for me.

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You can't honestly believe it is like late October. It may have an early autumn feel on the worst days but late October?! It is just a standard disappointing grey August. Nothing too extreme either way which is disappointing after the great summer but it really isn't like October. The coming Friday will probably be the closest it gets to October.

Lack of blue skies now with cooler feel . Dreary..... 

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