17 replies to this topic

[damianslaw]

This time five years ago the UK was experiencing an intense hot sunny dry spell nationwide. It was the peak of the warmth we experienced in the excellent July of 2006 our last true warm summer month. I think Brogdale recorded 36 degrees on the 19th.. can anyone verify this, or did we see higher temps.

I remember the spell especially well, even here we saw a couple of days hitting the 31-32 degree mark, which is very difficult to achieve. The heat was more bearable than that of Aug 2003 thanks to lower humidity.

Would be good to hear others experiences and views of this spell.

Pity the last 4 mid July periods and now this one have delivered some preety poor cool weather.

[BrightInBrighton]

damianslaw, on 18 July 2011 - 21:00 , said:

This time five years ago the UK was experiencing an intense hot sunny dry spell nationwide. It was the peak of the warmth we experienced in the excellent July of 2006 our last true warm summer month. I think Brogdale recorded 36 degrees on the 19th.. can anyone verify this, or did we see higher temps.

I remember the spell especially well, even here we saw a couple of days hitting the 31-32 degree mark, which is very difficult to achieve. The heat was more bearable than that of Aug 2003 thanks to lower humidity.

Would be good to hear others experiences and views of this spell.

Pity the last 4 mid July periods and now this one have delivered some preety poor cool weather.

Was like no other heatwave I've ever experienced in this country, wasn't as hot as 2003 but because the warmth lasted so long throughout I put it as the best summer I have ever experienced, June had average spells but every World Cup 2006 weekend was warm/hot and plenty of sun around so was perfect for outdoors and it only got better into July which I'm not surprised had the highest ever CET recorded being so consistently warm/hot, only a couple of days felt average and every other one was outside perfect, then mid-July was amazing, even here on the coast we got well into the low/mid thirties on the 19th, and even when it did turn cooler it went out with a bang with severe t-storms, that summer was my favorite because of how June/July were so warm throughout so felt like the med and had something for everyone, warm sunny days in June, hot sunny days in mid July, t-storms in late July and even cooler showery/Atlantic weather in August, the heat even returned in September and went out in style with great storms in October and will allways be a happy part of my early teenager childhood, that summer couldn't of been more different to the next one, 2007!

[damianslaw]

BrightInBrighton, on 18 July 2011 - 21:14 , said:

Was like no other heatwave I've ever experienced in this country, wasn't as hot as 2003 but because the warmth lasted so long throughout I put it as the best summer I have ever experienced, June had average spells but every World Cup 2006 weekend was warm/hot and plenty of sun around so was perfect for outdoors and it only got better into July which I'm not surprised had the highest ever CET recorded being so consistently warm/hot, only a couple of days felt average and every other one was outside perfect, then mid-July was amazing, even here on the coast we got well into the low/mid thirties on the 19th, and even when it did turn cooler it went out with a bang with severe t-storms, that summer was my favorite because of how June/July were so warm throughout so felt like the med and had something for everyone, warm sunny days in June, hot sunny days in mid July, t-storms in late July and even cooler showery/Atlantic weather in August, the heat even returned in September and went out in style with great storms in October and will allways be a happy part of my early teenager childhood, that summer couldn't of been more different to the next one, 2007!

Thanks for your views - more please.. for me I rate it slightly behind Aug 1995 as the best summer month I have experienced. As a whole even though the first half of June 95 was dissapointing, summer 95 for me is rated as much higher than summer 06 which saw a very dull average temp August.

July 2006 did feel like the med it has to be said. I agree summer 2007 came as a major shock to the system after four very good summers for dry sunny very warm weather. Conversely if we see a summer month like Jul 2006 occuring this August - highly highly unlikely it has to be said - this too will come as a major shock to the system - akin to Dec 2010 but very different effects.

[AderynCoch]

What an amazing period of weather that was. 35C at Liverpool Airport on the 19th. The forecasts during the days leading up to the 19th left my lower jaw rooted firmly to the ground. I remember the evening forecast on North West Tonight on the 18th - an offshore breeze from the SE was not just going to override any sea breezes but was also going to make it feel even hotter. The synoptics at that time were pretty much perfect for summer heat in this neck of the woods.

What made it even better was that even after temperatures peaked after the 19th, it stayed very warm/hot right up to the end of the month. Beat August 2003 easily here, and was second only to 1995 in my experience.

[Andy Bown]

I recall that week very well because it was in my first month of outdoor work. What made it stand out for me was that after
4 days of 32c-36c maximums the 5th day reached merely 28c - a normally very hot summer day but one which felt considerably
cooler at the time.

[Alza]

What a fantastic week I had in the Lake District back then! I remember it hit 30°C in Keswick on 3 days during the week, which is amazing, and it was in the high 20s the rest of the time. Back at home an onshore breeze brought in low cloud at times, though the temperature did reach the low-mid twenties when it burnt back to the coast.

[CONOR]

I remember this hot spell very well and even in Northern Ireland temperatures were in the high 20's away from coasts. Armagh Observatory recorded it's hottest three day spell in a row
on July 17th it reached 29.4c, 18th reached 29.9c, 19th reached 29.6c. On the North Down coast Helen's Bay recorded their highest July temperature ever 28.4c 83f on the 17th and on the 19th I recorded on my Davis Vantage Pro weather station a temperature of 28.9c 84f in Bangor. Castlederg topped 30c 86f on July 18th and was the hottest temperature recorded here since the summer of 1995 ! Casement Aerodrome near Dublin had the hottest temperature in all of Ireland on this day reaching 31c 88f. It really did feel like the Med..

[Ben_Cambs]

I think it was between the 18th-22nd? when the highest temperatures were recorded. Cambridge recorded one of the highest temperatures, 36C on the 19th. The average maximum temperature for that month was 28C in Cambridge! I can remember the drought fears (mainly due to Winter 2005/06 being quite dry) and how parched the ground was. Then of course England being knocked out of the World Cup by Portugal! I can certainly remember watching that game and thinking I'd rather be outside enjoying the warmth!

A few stats below which portray how exceptional July 2006 was:

Average temperature: 21.6C
Average maximum temperature: 28C
Highest maxima: 36C on the 19th
Rainfall: 41.6mm (Pretty much exclusivly from thunderstorms!) - And also above the 1971-2000 rainfall average for July for Cambridge!
Sunshine hours: 246.9 hours
Average barometric reading: 1018mb

Source: http://www.cl.cam.ac...riod-graph.html

There was actually a couple of sub 10C nights on the 14th and 15th, but apart from that, there was some very mild nights to go with the very warm days!

Edited by Ben_Cambs, 19 July 2011 - 20:29 .

[jean91]

hello to all,

never posted here but i rank august 2003 and july 2006 as horribly hot here in paris.July 2006 was the hottest july for as long as record goes for the oldest weather station in central Paris Montsouris.Minimals were close to unbereable.i remeber the 19th july it was 37C to 38C at some stations in paris or suburbs ans at night in some places did not drop below 24C .And remenber the worl cup france in final and people waving flags on the streets after plays wondering how i was going to sleep with that hot temp.The temps never reached breaking highs but it is more with duration of it which made it out and nights temps too.
the change came on the 26th july with thunderstorms quite violent ones in the paris area. i was just out from work when it started.
But this month was beaten by a high margin with august 2003 which is simply the big one in in France.To tell you the truth i remenber quite well how i would do my utmost to avoid sunshine from work to park for lunch.
but i think nights were the most unbearable and no need to remind you what it did to eldery people here in france.Most living alone in small flats on top floors.
If ever i still experience another august 2003 that long and hot i promise you i move to scotland the following month.
ps sorry to all scots.

[Aaron]

I remember the forecast for Leeds showing temps above 30C regularly.. I remember many times walking outside around afternoon, seeing the sun right above in the middle of the sky, cloudless and very hot.. and those ripples you get.. I really don't like heat but I probably would enjoy a repeat, maybe just for one month

[Miguel Hugo Roberto]

The whole of summer 2006 was just brilliant here.

It began in early May with a taster of things to come, 26C on the 4th, 24-5C on the 10th-12th with thunderstorms. Then came the first proper hot spell in June from the 3rd-12th, surpassing 30C and ending with a bang as thunderstorms rumbled through on the 12th. The rest of the month was then largely warm and dry with plenty of sunshine but never hot until the month's end. Then the first few days of July were fantastically hot and sunny, though increasingly humid with once again thunderstorms on the 4th and 5th. I was then on holiday from the 7th-14th during which a cooler interlude ensued but arrived back for the hottest spell of the summer. Funnily enough, I don't remember thinking 'wow this is hot' but it must of been as we reached 35C on the 19th. Only this period did not give any thunderstorms so it really was like being on holiday!

August was then quite a funny month. The heat seemed to just disappear on the 29th and July 31st saw almost continuous showers. I remember August was a very humid but never impressively warm month. There were some cracking storms on the 17th, 18th and another on the 23rd.

Then September, the monsoon began. After another late heatwave of sorts in the first third, it quickly turned very wet but still warm so feeling akin to the more recent Julys. Thunderstorms were plenty and this continued into October.

It was certainly a summer to remember. Though my perceptions of August are not as bad as some make it out to be.

[Stormmad26]

I can remember it reaching 30C here on a few days, and high 20's on others. We often had sea breezes which tempered the temperatures a bit. I also remember seeing some convection build on a couple of afternoons towards the west and Dartmoor area one day, and towards the north on another. I think we had some storms one early morning in early July which moved up from France and gave mainly cloud to ground lightning a few miles to the west and towards Exeter, and possibly others, there was a storm in late June from about 4-5am with frequent lightning and torrential rain. I was ill for at least a couple of weeks in July 2006 though so can't remember it fully.
I have looked back at records and it seems like July 1983 was actually slightly better for both heat and thunderstorms here.

I don't remember August 2006 as a bad month either, more average perhaps but still reasonable. I can remember walking across the fields and feeling quite hot. I think there was a reasonable amount of sunshine with temps in the low 20's and occasionally mid-20's. It seemed better than most recent August's here anyway.

[Thundery wintry showers]

I spent most of that month in Leeds where it was like being in the hotter areas of continental Europe, and eclipsed August 1995 for heat and sunshine. The hottest spell was around the 19th when it got to 31-32C, and many other days reached 26-29C. I remember finding the heat a bit uncomfortable at times around mid-afternoon but this was more than offset by being able to walk around in pleasant temperatures during the mornings and evenings- relatively low dew points probably helped as well. There were also a couple of big thunderstorms, one on the 3rd July and one on the 20th.

In Tyneside it also beat August 1995 for heat and sunshine and was also about as dry, with a mean max of 23C at Cleadon. Sea breezes often affected the daytime maxima, but it got into the high 20s at times around the 16th-20th, then the hottest spell of the mointh was the 21st-26th as a generally south to south-westerly breeze restricted the effects of any sea breezes- up to 29.4C on the 25th at Cleadon. Inland the month was even more exceptional with a mean max of 24.2C at Durham and 24.8C at Newton Aycliffe.

However I don't think Summer 2006 ranked up there with Summer 1995 as a whole for central and northern parts of Britain as although June 2006 started off in a similar vein to July 2006, with plenty of hot sunshine up until the 12th, from the 13th onwards it was often cloudy and breezy with a strong Atlantic influence on the northern flank of the Azores High, and August 2006 ranged from indifferent to poor.

[Alza]

As I posted in this thread last year (!) I spent much of the July heatwave in Cumbria, and I still haven't experienced a week like it in the UK. However, I was in Belgium during August and I must've only seen the sun once in the 2 weeks I was there. The only saving grace was a big thunderstorm on my last day, but I still remember being really disappointed as the temperature barely got above 15C.

June 2006 was also very warm at times in Cumbria, but I remember a lot of North Sea low cloud in Newcastle.

[Thundery wintry showers]

Alza 2, on 13 February 2012 - 10:49 , said:

June 2006 was also very warm at times in Cumbria, but I remember a lot of North Sea low cloud in Newcastle.

My weather records bear this out- the warmth of June 2006 at Cleadon was consistent rather than outstanding with the 11th/12th the only hot days, and I remember one evening (it may have been the 7th) sat outside in Leeds with a temperature around 21C and my parents reporting sea fog rolling into Cleadon. In Leeds, in contrast, there was quite a step-change between the unusual warmth of the 1st-12th and consistent but unexceptional warmth during the 13th-30th.

[danm]

July 2006 was an exceptional month. It was baking hot down here throughout the month.

Here are the temperatures for Heathrow:

1st: 29.7c
2nd: 32.3c
3rd: 31.4c
4th: 31.3c
5th: 23c
6th: 25.4c
7th: 22.8c
8th: 23.5c
9th: 23.9c
10th: 22.4c
11th: 25.2c
12th: 27.6c
13th: 23.6c
14th: 24c
15th: 26.3c
16th: 30.5c
17th: 32.7c
18th: 33.2c
19th: 35.5c
20th: 31.7c
21st: 31.7c
22nd: 29.5c
23rd: 26.5c
24th: 30c
25th: 33.1c
26th: 32c
27th: 30.3c
28th: 29.1c
29th: 26.7c
30th: 25.4c
31st: 24.2c

[Isolated Frost]

danm, on 13 February 2012 - 15:39 , said:

Here are the temperatures for Heathrow:

1st: 29.7c (22.9c)
2nd: 32.3c (26.3c)
3rd: 31.4c (26.5c)
4th: 31.3c (24.4c)
5th: 23c (21c)
6th: 25.4c (26.3c)
7th: 22.8c (27.1c)
8th: 23.5c (19.7c)
9th: 23.9c (16.6c)
10th: 22.4c (19.7c)
11th: 25.2c (21.4c)
12th: 27.6c (20.3c)
13th: 23.6c (21.5c)
14th: 24c (20.1c)
15th: 26.3c (20.4c)
16th: 30.5c (22c)
17th: 32.7c (26.7c)
18th: 33.2c (30.5c)
19th: 35.5c (28.7c)
20th: 31.7c (25.2c)
21st: 31.7c (24.7c)
22nd: 29.5c (26.5c)
23rd: 26.5c (26c)
24th: 30c (25.2c)
25th: 33.1c (26.2c)
26th: 32c (27.7c)
27th: 30.3c (27.2c)
28th: 29.1c (26.8c)
29th: 26.7c (26.2c)
30th: 25.4c (26.5c)
31st: 24.2c (23c)

I've done the Durham temps in brackets to compare- despite the fact we were usually a fair few degrees behind, here in NE England it was sensational, I would love anything similar to it this summer, or late spring.

[Aaron]

July 2006 blew all the other hot months out of the water IMBY