The weather in August

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/sep/06/weather-august

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August was a wet month in southern areas with several quite intense, but often localised, falls of rain. However, temperatures were close to average. During the first half of the month, the most unsettled weather was again over Northern Ireland and Scotland. Later, the jet-stream shifted south and formed a boundary between the cool, unsettled weather over the UK and the heat of mainland Europe. As a result, it became the focus of several heavy outbreaks of rain and thunderstorms, culminating in a disappointingly wet Bank Holiday in England and Wales. By contrast, the weather in Scotland actually improved as the month went on.

Daytime temperatures

The average daily Central England Temperature was 16.1C, 0.3C below the average for 1981-2010. Low sea surface temperatures combined with onshore winds gave western Scotland another cool month. Northern Ireland and south-west England were also rather cool, but temperatures were close to the August average over eastern Britain. Unlike July, there were very few warm days and daytime temperatures tended to be consistent. Temperatures only exceeded 30C on one day during the month, climbing to 31C at Kew Gardens on 22 August during a very brief hot spell over south-east England.

Rainfall

Rainfall over England and Wales averaged 92mm, which is 125% of the average for 1981-2010. Northern Ireland averaged 111mm, 112% of average and Scotland averaged 94mm, which is just 85% of average. There was a welcome easing in the frequency of frontal rain across Scotland in August, although showers occurred quite frequently. Late in the month, there was a run of days with relatively high daily rainfall totals: 54mm at Bramham, West Yorkshire on 22 August, 63mm at Katesbridge, County Down on 23 August, 46mm at Portsmouth on 25 August and 48mm at Heathrow Airport on 26 August. However, the wettest region relative to average was south-west England, where several places had more than twice the monthly average.

Sunshine

August was a dull month in southern and south-western areas. However, elsewhere, sunshine amounts were close to, or a little above, average. In England and Wales, sunshine averaged 152 hours, 85% of average. In general, north-eastern areas were rather sunnier than locations further south-west, and the Northern Isles and Aberdeenshire were the sunniest areas in relation to average (though not in absolute terms). Anglesey was one of the sunnier locations, with 196.9 hours recorded.