"Nick Whitelegg" wrote in message
om...
Many messages suggest this is the wettest August since 1912 but I'm
wondering how does it compare against 1992? Here (Southampton) I have
memories of that one being "worse" than the current one, as (if I
remember correctly) it was unusually cold as well as wet. Don't think
there were so many heavy showers, but there was more in the way of
autumn-style steady frontal rainfall, hence less wet but less
seasonable also? Any figures to hand?

As it is, subjectively speaking, since 1980 (though my memories of the
80s are a little slim) this would be the fourth-"worst" August, beaten
by 1992, and, if I recall correctly, 1985/86/88 (which were of similar
type to 1992).

Despite the reputation of August being the wettest and stormiest of
the summer months, this does not seem to be borne out in practice.
June really seems to be the month most prone to bad weather; aside
from the four examples of 1985/86/88/92/04, Augusts since 1980 in the
south of England have really produced a lot of good summer weather.

Nick

Nick I agree with you very much regarding June. That is frequently a bad
summer month. June 1983 contrast that with July 1983. June 1995 prevented
that summer from smashing the hottest summer records. June 1995 had a CET of
only 14.3. The combined CET of July and August 1995 was a remarkable 18.9.
June 1976 had a CET of 17.0. If that had been repeated in 1995, that summer
combined would have had a CET of 18.27C. That would have trounced any other
summer quite comfortably.