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graphs      CLIMATE-UK.COM'S  REVIEW  OF  THE  BRITISH  METEOROLOGICAL  SCENE
     MONTHLY  SUMMARY
     No. 656     For  AUGUST  2010
COOLEST AUGUST SINCE 1993; VERY DULL AND WET IN SOUTHERN ENGLAND, SOUTH MIDLANDS, AND EAST ANGLIA
Text Box: A rather cool and moist west to northwesterly flow affected the British Isles for most of August. High pressure intervened only on the 15th-16th and the 30th-31st. Pressure was 0-2mbar below normal over the UK, and the anomalous flow was weakly northerly. A sluggish northwesterly flow during the first five days of August bringing large amounts of cloud, brief sunny spells, and occasional showers, although on the 4th the showers became heavy and thundery in places with 48mm falling at Haywards Heath (Sussex). A depression tracked eastwards across Scotland on the 6th bringing outbreaks of rain to most of the UK, and there were scattered sharp showers over England on the 7th in the wake of the low. The next two days were rare warm days in southern, central and eastern England, the temperature reaching 26.4°C at Coningsby (Lincs) on the 9th, but rain spread from the west across northern and western regions. Another depression crossed Scotland on the 10th which was a wet day over most of the country especially in northern England, Northern Ireland and Scotland, where 50mm fell at Freevater Forest in Easter Ross. A cool, showery northerly airflow persisted from the 11th until the 14th; the showers were heaviest and most frequent in eastern and central regions although western areas were not immune; indeed heavy thundery downpours affected many districts on the 12th, notably parts of Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Staffordshire, and Woodford airfield (Greater Manchester) collected 46mm on the 12th and a further 13mm on the 13th. By the 14th the heaviest showers were confined to southern districts, and a ridge of high pressure was accompanied by a generally dry day on the 15th and it became rather warm and quite sunny in many places with 14.1h of bright sunshine recorded at Prestwick. Although the 16th was fair and warm in southern and eastern England, rain was again falling in most northern and western regions, and the next three days were generally cooler with scattered showers, locally heavy and thundery. A deepening depression which had crossed the Atlantic at unusually low latitudes turned northeastwards past Ireland and Scotland during the 20th and
Text Box: 21st bringing heavy rain and a strong to gale force southwesterly wind to western and northern parts of the UK.Capel Curig (Snowdonia) collected 55mm on the 19th/20th, while gusts to 61kn were recorded at West Guerinish (South Uist) and Loch Glascarnoch (Wester Ross). Meanwhile, very humid air covered England and Wales, and where the sun broke through, chiefly in East Anglia, it became very warm; Weybourne (Norfolk) logged 26.4°C on the 20th and 26.7°C on the 21st, while a notably high minimum of 19.7°C was recorded at Santon Downham (Norfolk) on the intervening night. Heavy rain spread across central and southern parts of England and Wales late on the 22nd, dropping 42mm at Thorney Island (Sussex), and there were widespread heavy showers the next day with more persistent rain in eastern Scotland and northeast England. A tornado caused some damage near Bury St Edmunds. A further bout of prolonged heavy rain affected southern and central districts on the 25th and 26th, with 64mm falling at Mumbles (Glamorgan) and 62mm at Wattisham (Suffolk), and the latter date was unusually cold for August across mid-Wales, the north Midlands, Norfolk and Lincolnshire; the day's high at Lake Vyrnwy (Montgomeryshire) was a mere 11.6°C. Scotland and Northern Ireland stayed largely fine, but temperatures fell sharply at night and Altnaharra (Sutherland) registered a minimum of -1.3°C early on the 26th. Three showery, breezy days followed, and during the last two days of the month high pressure brought generally fine weather although nights were cold with widespread ground frost. Mean temperatures were mostly between 0 and 1degC below the 1971-2000 average and it was widely the coolest since 1993 - a reflection of the recent absence of cool Augusts, perhaps, rather than anything exceptional. Indeed, during the last 100 years thirty Augusts were cooler. The extreme maximum and extreme minimum for the month were also the lowest since 1993. Rainfall ranged from less than 50 per cent of the normal in parts of north and west Wales and Yorkshire (only 30 per cent at Trawsgoed in Ceredigion) to more than three times the average locally in East Anglia, while sunshine percentages varied between about 110 in southwest Scotland, parts of Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man, and about 50 along the Dorset, Hampshire and Sussex coastline. It was the dullest August in a 42-year long record at Hurn airport (Dorset).
                                                                                                                                             
                       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   20.4   -0.7   12.3   -0.5   24.1   09   08.1   30   00   00   00   08.5   09   112   059   1910   282   1995   097   2008   09   26.4   22   116   190   1910   184   1975   02   1995   00   00   00  
  Thorney Island   20.6   -1.2   13.0   -0.3   25.1   16   08.1   30   00   00   01   11.5   16   130   060   1958   303   1976   117   2008   14   42.0   22   114   252   1941   141   1960   04   1976   01   00   00  
  *Wattisham   20.1   -0.9   11.9   +0.3   25.4   21   07.1   11   00   00   01   10.5   09   123   065   1968   285   1995   122   2008   09   45.8   25   * 147   318   1960   130   2006   03   2003   02   00   00  
  *Wittering   20.2   -0.2   11.6   -0.4   24.9   09   05.0   30   00   00   02   10.8   22   131   069   1950   258   1995   090   1971   08   32.6   25   138   254   1948   162   2004   03   1983   02   00   00  
                                                                     
  Lyneham   19.8   -0.6   11.3   -0.6   24.1   16   06.5   30   00   00   03   10.7   16   138   069   1952   297   1995   111   2008   08   26.4   22   096   168   1945   136   1951   02   1995   01   00   00  
  Ross-on-Wye   20.5   -0.4   11.7   -0.5   24.5   15   05.0   30   00   00   01   11.1   28   154   085   1915   307   1995   107   1922   07   39.7   25   114   213   1859   202   1878   04   1936   03   00   00  
  *St Athan   19.1   -0.9   12.5   -0.1   22.3   15   06.4   30   00   00   02   12.8   30   159   076   1954   325   1995   089   2008   12   31.6   25   117   161   1954   202   1997   22   1955   01   00   00  
  Culdrose   18.6   -0.3   12.8   -0.2   22.1   15   06.7   30   00   00   02   12.0   30   166   077   1961   312   1976   105   2008   07   24.2   25   070   119   1961   208   1997   04   1981   00   00   00  
                                                                     
  *Edgbaston   19.1   -1.8   12.0   -0.8   22.3   17   07.9   30   00   00   01   08.7   16   108   058   1887   282   1995   085   1896   12   24.6   25   105   228   1887   173   1912   06   1940   02   00   00  
  *Valley   17.9   -1.0   12.3   -0.4   21.4   15   06.3   30   00   00   01   12.4   15   175   086   1946   291   1976   086   2008   18   07.8   19   032   050   1941   210   1956   05   1959   00   00   00  
  *Woodford   18.7   -1.0   10.4   -0.8   22.9   20   01.4   30   01   00   03   11.1   16   116   067   1945   284   1995   079   2008   08   46.0   12   117   168   1942   201   1956   07   1976   01   00   00  
  *Watnall   19.6   -0.8   11.4   -0.6   24.3   16   07.2   30   00   00   01   10.9   16   122   065   1948   261   1995   098   1963   12   11.4   09   081   149   1942   154   2004   04   1995   02   00   00  
                                                                     
  *Leeming   19.6   -0.5   10.0   -1.4   23.9   20   02.6   27   00   00   01   11.5   24   143   085   1945   246   1995   086   2008   13   07.8   07   030   035   1945   165   1971   07   1947   02   00   00  
  *Boulmer   17.6   -0.3   10.7   -0.7   24.2   20   05.8   25   00   00   01   11.5   26   132   079   1945   273   1995   072   2008   13   31.4   23   094   141   1945   199   1956   03   1947   00   00   00  
  *Eskdalemuir   17.5   -0.2   08.4   -0.8   21.8   15   00.4   27   02   00   03   11.0   30   115   078   1911   260   1947   041   2008   12   27.2   19   096   094   1911   393   2009   01   1947   01   00   00  
  *Bishopton   18.8   -0.3   10.0   -0.6   23.3   15   04.2   30   00   00   01   12.5   30   170   106   1921   254   1995   068   2008   09   29.4   23   089   127   1921   213   2004   00   1947   00   00   00  
                                                                     
  *Leuchars   18.7   +0.2   09.9   -0.7   23.9   20   05.5   30   00   00   01   11.6   30   153   088   1922   242   1995   095   2008   09   06.8   24   047   081   1922   213   2004   07   1955   00   00   00  
  *Dyce   17.4   -0.5   10.2   +0.2   23.0   20   04.8   27   00   00   01   09.7   19   114   071   1941   257   1947   076   1963   09   14.2   23   044   065   1941   162   1962   00   1947   00   00   00  
  *Stornoway   15.8   -0.3   10.2   +0.1   18.0   09   04.9   26   01   00   05   10.2   19   090   059   1880   262   1899   065   2006   11   19.8   16   060   096   1943   203   1982   13   1947   00   00   00  
  *Aldergrove   18   -0.4   10.5   -0.5   22.4   15   04.5   30   00   00   00   13.0   15   146   097   1927   276   1976   061   2008   11   13.2   16   060   093   1927   181   2008   09   1947   00   00   00  
 
                                                                                                                                             
  Stations marked with an asterisk record sunshine electronically; comparisons      
  with earlier records are therefore somewhat speculative. Thorney Island's     * New highest  
  sunshine figures are from a nearby site.