The following represents a provisional assessment of the weather experienced across the UK during Summer 2008 (June/July/August) and how it compares with the 1971 to 2000 average (period used for the seasonal forecast).
Mean temperatures for the UK were slightly above average for all 3 summer months. There was a notable contrast between maximum and minimum temperature during August, with maximum temperatures 0.5 °C below average and minimum temperatures 1.3 °C above average. The maximum temperatures for the UK for August, were provisionally the coolest since 1994, although August 2007 was only 0.1 °C warmer.
All 3 summer months had above average rainfall across the UK, with August being the wettest month. Well above average summer rainfall across most areas, with parts of Northern Ireland and eastern Scotland having around double their average rainfall. In contrast, some areas of northern Scotland had below average rainfall.
3 contrasting months for sunshine over the UK, with June being above average , July close to average and August having exceptionally below average sunshine. Summer sunshine levels were below average across many areas and well below average across south-east Scotland.
| Mean temperature | Rainfall | Sunshine | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The provisional mean value for the season is 14.4 °C, which is 0.4 °C above the 1971-2000 average. Summer 2007 was cooler with 14.1°C and Summer 2006 was warmer with 15.8 °C. | The provisional total for the season is 327.3 mm, which is 144% of the 1971-2000 average. Summer 2007 was wetter with 357.1 mm and Summer 2006 was drier with 187.8 mm. | The provisional total for the season is 463.9 hours, which is 91% of the 1971-2000 average.Summer 2007 was slightly sunnier with 473.1 hours. Last duller Summer was 2002, with 439.1 hours. | ||||||
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Provisional graph of UK daily mean temperature for Summer 2008
Provisional mean temperature anomaly (difference from average) map for Summer 2008
Provisional rainfall percent of average map for Summer 2008
