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graphs      CLIMATE-UK.COM'S  REVIEW  OF  THE  BRITISH  METEOROLOGICAL  SCENE
     MONTHLY  SUMMARY
     No. 643       For     JULY    2009
   HOT START, THEN VERY UNSETTLED WITH FREQUENT AND OFTEN HEAVY FALLS OF RAIN
Text Box: A sluggish south to southeasterly flow covered the country during the opening days, but from the 5th onwards a series of depressions crossed, and sometimes stagnated over, the British Isles. Overall, this was the sixth most cyclonic July in 137 years of records, though marginally less so than July 2007. The late-June hot spell continued for the first two days of July with 30°C exceeded at several locations in southern England. The highest reading was 31.5°C on the 1st and Stratfield Mortimer (Berks), but 29.1°C was logged as far north as Lossiemouth (Moray) on the 2nd. At Aberdaron (Caernarfon) the minimum overnight 1st/2nd was 19.8°C. There were thunderstorms, too, especially in the Scotland, Northern Ireland, northern England and Wales; in one such storm on the 1st, 90mm fell at Copley (Co Durham), most of it inside 4h, with 53mm in the first 40min. Meanwhile the sun shone for 15.6h on the 2nd at Bramham (West Yorks). The 3rd, 4th and 5th were less hot, though still warm especially in eastern England, and there were further outbreaks of locally heavy rain, chiefly in northern and western districts. A depression drifted eastwards across the UK the next day, followed by three or four days of brisk northwesterlies. The 6th was a wet day in most regions, and 91mm fell at Hastings leading to serious flooding in the town, and heavy showers, some with thunder and hail, broke out widely on the 7th. The following two days were cool and breezy with scattered showers and brief bright intervals, and overnight 9th/10th the temperature fell to 1.0°C at Tulloch Bridge (Lochaber). The 10th itself was a little warmer and sunnier although the next rain-belt reached the southwest later in the day, and rain spread northwards across the country on the 11th with 42mm at St Mary’s (Scilly), persisting for much of the 12th in northern Scotland. A showery southwesterly regime held sway from the 12th-15th with near-normal temperatures.
Text Box: A deepening depression tracked northeastwards across England on the 16th and 17th, bringing heavy and prolonged rain to much of the country, and there was a good deal of flooding especially in southwest and northeast England. Over the two days 96mm of rain fell at Cardinham (Cornwall), 92mm at Berwick-upon-Tweed (Northumberland) and 101mm at Copley (Co Durham). The temperature climbed no higher than 12.2°C at Spadeadam (Cumbria) on the 17th. The next three days were showery, breezy, and generally rather cool. A new depression brought cloudy skies and rain to much of the UK on the 21st (although it was fine and warm in the extreme southeast), again followed by three days of showery weather with local thunderstorms. A mobile ridge of high pressure gave a better day on the 25th, but a deep depression tracked northwards to the west of Ireland on the 26th delivering further heavy rain to western Britain. After a brief respite, yet another rain-belt crossed the country on the 28th and 29th, with particularly heavy falls in the West Country where St Mary’s (Scilly) collected 73mm over the two days. A gust of 54kn was recorded at Capel Curig (Snowdonia) on the 29th. The 30th was a day of sunshine and showers, and the 31st was fine in the east but wet in the west. Mean maximum temperature ranged from 0.5-1.0degC above the 1971-2000 average in northern and eastern Scotland to 0.5-1.0degC below in southwest England and south Wales. Mean minimum temperature was 0.0-1.0degC above in all regions. Rainfall was above average almost throughout the UK with the exception of scattered locations in western Scotland; there was more than twice the normal in northeast and northwest England, Wales, the Midlands and the West Country, and over five times the norm in the Isles of Scilly. Monthly sunshine totals were generally within 20 per cent of the 1971-2000 mean, but several places in southwest Scotland, northern England, Wales and southwest England reported deficits of 20-40 per cent.
                                                                                                                                               
                       TEMPERATURE                                SUNSHINE                             RAINFALL        
                                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                       
                                          Highest and lowest totals                       Highest and lowest totals        
                                              on record for month    
Maximum fall in 24 hrs (beginning 09 h)
                      on record for month    
Days with snow or sleet
 
Days with fog (Vis <220 yards at 09 h)
 
                                                                                           
     
Difference from average
   
Difference from average
 
Highest maximum
   
Lowest minimum
   
No. of days with grass minimum below 0ºC
   
Days of no sunshine
 
Maximum duration
       
First year of record
         
Days of no rainfall (0.1 mm or less)
           
First year of record
         
Days with thunder
     
       PLACE  
Mean Maximum
   
Mean minimum
             
No. of air frosts
       
Total for month
                     
Total for month
                   
                               
% of average
                     
% of average
                 
                                                                       
                                   
Highest
   
Lowest
 
Year
               
Highest
   
Lowest
 
Year
       
             
Date
   
Date
         
Date
         
Year
         
Date
           
Year
           
                                                                       
      ºC       ºC       ºC       ºC             Hrs       Hrs         Hrs       Hrs       mm         mm         mm     mm          
                                                                                                                                               
  *Hampstead   21.2   -0.2   12.9   +0.0   27.9   02   09.4   10   00   00   00   11.6   02   156   084   1910   321   1911   109   1913   10   12.5   24     077   162   1910   193   1924   05   1921   02   00   00  
  Thorney Island   20.5   -1.7   14.2   +0.9   27.7   02   10.4   10   00   00   01   12.6   02   183   082   1958   336   2006   153   1978   08   11.2   11     061   142   1941   122   1945   06   1949   02   00   00  
  *Wattisham   21.8   +0.8   12.0   +0.3   27.0   02   08.6   10   00   00   00   14.9   02   187   099   1968   295   1976   131   1978   10   18.0   17     080   185   1960   101   1987   05   1977   04   00   00  
  *Wittering   21.5   +1.0   11.9   -0.1   29.0   01   07.5   31   00   00   02   13.1   02   181   096   1955   283   2006   115   1965   12   14.0   29     057   127   1955   153   2004   06   1977   05   00   00  
                                                                       
  Lyneham   20.0   -0.9   11.9   -0.2   29.3   01   08.0   10   00   00   00   12.2   02   202   094   1952   314   2006   129   1965   13   20.4   29     065   150   1945   149   2007   04   1955   02   00   00  
  Ross-on-Wye   20.7   -0.4   12.5   +0.1   28.9   01   07.2   10   00   00   02   13.0   21   190   102   1915   311   2006   095   1944   09   35.0   29     157   355   1859   197   1872   06   1935   03   00   00  
  *St Athan   18.9   -1.2   13.7   +1.1   27.0   01   10.8   09   00   00   01   11.2   23   142   066   1954   319   1955   131   1965   08   24.2   29     * 188   314   1954   168   1965   13   1977   03   00   00  
  Culdrose   18.0   -0.8   13.8   +0.9   25.0   01   11.9   10   00   00   01   11.5   07   184   083   1961   306   1971   117   1991   06   30.0   16     * 197   396   1961   145   1993   05   1999   02   00   00  
                                                                       
  *Edgbaston   19.9   -1.4   12.6   -0.3   28.4   01   09.7   10   00   00   00   11.4   02   151   084   1887   285   1990   067   1888   07   17.0   19     122   311   1887   183   2007   07   1911   05   00   00  
  *Valley   18.2   -0.6   13.4   +0.8   25.8   01   09.2   10   00   00   01   13.6   25   176   087   1946   341   1955   115   1986   07   25.0   02     113   239   1941   114   1957   09   1983   01   00   00  
  *Woodford   19.7   -0.1   12.2   +0.8   28.0   01   08.4   31   00   00   02   11.6   02   124   073   1945   280   2006   102   1954   05   24.4   07     153   238   1942   187   1973   10   1999   03   00   00  
  *Watnall   20.4   -0.1   12.1   +0.1   29.4   01   06.9   31   00   00   01   12.6   02   155   082   1948   273   2006   087   1965   07   24.6   29     122   272   1942   148   1973   11   1982   05   00   00  
                                                                       
  *Leeming   20.2   -0.1   11.4   -0.3   29.3   01   05.7   11   00   00   02   15.0   02   165   099   1945   276   2006   091   1965   09   45.4   16     * 139   328   1947   139   1973   09   1984   04   00   00  
  *Boulmer   19.1   +0.9   12.0   +0.1   22.5   04   08.8   26   00   00   01   13.8   02   138   077   1945   268   1955   105   1957   08   61.4   17     * 155   320   1945   126   2008   07   2006   02   00   00  
  *Eskdalemuir   18.3   +0.3   10.1   +0.8   28.7   02   03.3   25   01   00   01   11.1   11   110   073   1911   266   1989   075   1931   05   36.7   28     224   251   1911   269   1988   25   1913   03   00   00  
  *Bishopton   19.9   +0.6   11.5   +0.6   28.2   02   06.2   10   00   00   00   15.1   10   153   088   1921   297   1989   086   1931   10   28.2   03     135   234   1921   147   1988   11   1984   02   00   00  
                                                                       
  *Leuchars   19.5   +0.6   11.0   +0.1   25.0   01   06.4   10   01   00   01   14.0   02   181   095   1922   262   1955   091   1931   11   30.8   17     100   185   1922   181   1940   13   1983   01   00   00  
  *Dyce   18.7   +0.5   11.5   +1.3   26.3   01   07.7   21   00   00   03   13.6   02   145   088   1941   263   1955   078   1968   11   27.6   17     105   171   1941   198   1957   13   2003   00   00   00  
  *Stornoway   17.1   +1.1   11.7   +1.2   22.7   03   08.7   30   00   00   04   16.3   11   146   106   1880   227   1917   057   1939   07   23.6   23     134   224   1943   165   1988   14   1955   00   00   00  
  *Aldergrove   19   +0.3   12.1   +0.8   23.0   03   08.4   25   00   00   00   09.5   22   132   092   1927   274   1955   086   1986   07   22.0   01     101   129   1927   155   1950   12   2000   01   00   00  
                                                                       
                                                                                                                                               
  Stations marked with an asterisk record sunshine electronically; comparisons      
  with earlier records are therefore somewhat speculative. Thorney Island's     * New high record  
  sunshine figures are from a nearby site.