Not sure what the answer is to the question about this disappointing
August Nick, but up here in Coventry, we have just had our coolest week
33 since 1999, the wettest since 1997 and the dullest since 1980!

As I am currently painting the outside of my house, I would like summer
to return soon - when I started this job it was still too hot to work
mid-afternoon - today I had to come inside by 5-30pm because it was too
cold outside in shorts!!!

I know what you mean there.. the most disappointing aspect of this
period is the lack of warmth in the air, even in normally warm parts of
the country such as Southampton or Bath (where I was over the weekend -
it was uncomfortable sitting outside yesterday). Since the 10th August,
temperatures have been struggling to get up to the 1961-90 average,
never mind the rather higher averages since 1989. Such a sustained
period of temperatures not widely exceeding the 61-90 average has
generally been rare in recent years, though it's happened several times
in the past 12 months.

Well you never know, summer might still have one more card to play...
will the recent pattern of warm/dry Septembers be repeated again? GFS
is suggesting something of a southerly pattern in early September,
though not always anticyclonic. Still at least it would be warm, so if
you get stuck out in a thundery downpour (as I was over the weekend :-|
) it'll dry off quickly...


Nick