The UK in August

 

Mike Hulme on last month’s weather

 

 

DAYTIME TEMPERATURES

 

For the 7th successive August, daytime temperatures in the UK were above the long-term average - despite what has been claimed by some educationalists wanting the school year to start earlier because of poor holiday weather.  For most of the country August was warmer than June or July.  The hottest day occurred on the 25th, just before the Bank Holiday weekend.  Skegness was particularly warm, reaching nearly 2.5C above the norm, whereas Lerwick just failed to reach its average August daytime temperature of 14C.  The year 2000 remains about 0.7C warmer than average.

 

 

RAINFALL

 

For the third successive month, rainfall across the UK was below average, but the wet winter and spring mean that there should be no danger of water shortages.  Only the west of Scotland - in contrast to July - and some isolated locations with heavy storms - for example Bristol and Belfast - recorded more rainfall than usual during August.  The driest spell of the month occurred during the 4th week and the 19th was the wettest day of the month.  Only the 23rd was dry everywhere. 

 

 

SUNSHINE

 

The sun returned to Britain in August after a disappointing June and July, making it the 6th successive August with sunshine totals above average.  Only the far north of Scotland, and a few upland areas, failed to reach average sunshine levels.   The 3rd and 4th weeks were definitely the best for sunshine and the week beginning 20th August was the sunniest of the year.  Scarborough, for example, averaged over 8 hours of sunshine a day, compared to an average of just under 6 hours.  Year 2000 sunshine levels are now slightly above average again.

 

 

 

Dr Mike Hulme is a research climatologist at the University of East Anglia

(more details at website at www.cru.uea.ac.uk/~mikeh/)

 

 

August 2000: Warm, dry and sunny

 

Daytime Temperature: 1.0C above average;          Rainfall:   21% below average;    Sunshine:  16% above average.

 

[all average figures are based on the 1951-80 average]

 

Mean monthly extremes:

 

Warmest          Bournemouth                                  22.1C

Sunniest          Folkestone                                      265 hours sun

Wettest          Eskdalemuir                          159mm 

Coldest          Lerwick                                             13.9C

Cloudiest          Lerwick                                             115 hours sun

Driest           Guernsey                                        12mm