UK experiences coolest summer since 2015 as thunderstorm warning issued

2 September 2024, 20:54

The UK has experienced its coolest summer since 2015, new Met Office statistics show.

While the south of England experienced a mostly typical summer, much of the UK faced cooler conditions in 2024.

The hottest day of the summer was 12 August, when temperatures in Cambridge reached a sweltering 34.8C.

But over the course of the summer months, temperatures were 0.22C below average.

This is in stark contrast to recent years, when Britain experienced a series of warm summers, with the last time Britain saw cooler-than-average temperatures coming in 2015.

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Met Office Scientist Emily Carlisle explained: “I don’t think it will surprise anyone that this summer has been cooler than average for the UK.

“Mean temperatures in both June and July were below average, with temperatures in August only slightly above.

“This was largely due to northerly winds bringing cold Arctic air to the UK in June and July, while August saw an increase in westerly winds bringing slightly warmer Atlantic air.

“Although we had some heatwaves and bursts of hot weather, these were fairly short-lived and conditions across the whole three months were pretty unsettled.

“August was the wettest month of the summer, with some places in Scotland experiencing double their average summer rainfall during the month and Storm Lilian bringing strong winds and heavy rain at the end.”

The average temperature for the UK this summer was 14.37C, which is 0.22C cooler than the long-term meteorological average.

England experienced the warmest summer, just 0.07C below average, while Scotland and Northern Ireland were 0.40C and 0.45C below average.

While these temperatures are “cooler” than recent years, 2024’s summer would have actually been considered warm compared to the 1961-1990 average.

Emily Carlisle added: “While this summer may have felt cool compared to recent years, it’s important to note where it sits in a historical context, with the changing climate of the UK increasing the frequency of warmer summers, as can be observed through our observations.

“While climate change increases the frequency of warmer weather in the UK, our natural variability means that we’ll still experience cooler than average summers at times.”

This comes as the Met Office extends its thunderstorm warning to cover most of the UK, with torrential downpours set to be unleashed.

The yellow weather warning, which is in place until midnight, covers most of England, Wales and Scotland.

Between 30 and 40mm of rain could fall in an hour widely, and in local areas between 60 and 80mm of rain could be seen, potentially sparking flash flooding, the Met Office said.

There is also a chance of lightning strikes causing damage to buildings as well as power cuts.