This year there will have been the unusual combination of a winter with
a long predominantly cold spell (January 21 to March 23, or
thereabouts) and a summer with a long predominantly warm/hot spell
(June 2 to July 28). IMX this is a very unusual combinations - the
other summers with long hot spells such as 1989, 1990, 1994 and 1995
all followed very mild winters.

This could be evaluated in a measurement of "extremity" of a calendar
year: the mean maximum of the hottest month (probably July this year)
and the mean maximum of the coldest month (February this year). In
parts of the southeast, this must be exceeding 20C: IIRC the February
mean max were around 6C whereas this month they probably exceed 26C -
particularly as even the seemingly very ordinary airmass yesterday
maintained higher-than-average maximum temperatures.

How then will this year shape up in most extreme years by this measure?
With many reports of a good summer in 1947, combined with the
well-known cold winter, that must easily be the most extreme year on
record - but do any others beat this year? And how about the other
extreme, the drabbest, most equable year on record? Any years with very
mild winters and very bad summers with less than 10C difference between
maximum temps in the coldest and warmest months?

Nick

wrote:

This year there will have been the unusual combination of a winter with
a long predominantly cold spell (January 21 to March 23, or
thereabouts) and a summer with a long predominantly warm/hot spell
(June 2 to July 28). IMX this is a very unusual combinations - the
other summers with long hot spells such as 1989, 1990, 1994 and 1995
all followed very mild winters.

This could be evaluated in a measurement of "extremity" of a calendar
year: the mean maximum of the hottest month (probably July this year)
and the mean maximum of the coldest month (February this year). In
parts of the southeast, this must be exceeding 20C: IIRC the February
mean max were around 6C whereas this month they probably exceed 26C -
particularly as even the seemingly very ordinary airmass yesterday
maintained higher-than-average maximum temperatures.

How then will this year shape up in most extreme years by this measure?
With many reports of a good summer in 1947, combined with the
well-known cold winter, that must easily be the most extreme year on
record - but do any others beat this year? And how about the other
extreme, the drabbest, most equable year on record? Any years with very
mild winters and very bad summers with less than 10C difference between
maximum temps in the coldest and warmest months?


These are mean temps:

Year Lowest Highest Diff
1947 -1.9 18.6 20.5
1795 -3.1 16.6 19.7
1684 -3.0 16.0 19.0
1814 -2.9 16.0 18.9
1676 -0.5 18.0 18.5
1780 -0.9 17.6 18.5
1855 -1.7 16.8 18.5
1740 -2.8 15.3 18.1
1757 0.3 18.4 18.1
1776 -1.6 16.3 17.9
.........
1863 4.9 15.5 10.6
1993 4.6 15.2 10.6
1686 6.0 16.5 10.5
1725 3.3 13.8 10.5
1877 4.7 15.2 10.5
1988 4.9 15.2 10.3
1920 4.2 14.4 10.2
1922 3.7 13.8 10.1
1661 5.0 15.0 10.0
1974 5.4 15.2 9.8



--
Brian Wakem
Email: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/b.wakem/myemail.png

In
parts of the southeast, this must be exceeding 20C:
Snip.

Mean max here this month 24.8, January 5.6.

--
David Mitchell, 70m amsl, Langtoft, East Riding of Yorkshire.

wrote:

This could be evaluated in a measurement of "extremity" of a calendar
year: the mean maximum of the hottest month (probably July this year)
and the mean maximum of the coldest month (February this year).

I believe this portion is used as a crude measure of how continental a
climate is.

Yannis, SE Athens
+27.9C, RH 41%, SLP 1008.4 hPa
Greetings from August :-)

David Mitchell wrote:
In
parts of the southeast, this must be exceeding 20C:
Snip.

Mean max here this month 24.8, January 5.6.

--
David Mitchell, 70m amsl, Langtoft, East Riding of Yorkshire.

It exceeds 20° here. July mean max 26.5°C, February 5.6°C
(January 5.9°C). The mean max is lower than in July 1983 (26.7°C)
but the mean min is higher at 14.4°C compared with 13.6°C in 1983.
Thus July 2006 is the warmest month in my record (starts March 1983)
and therefore probably the warmest in the CET series unless the SE has
been warmer relative to Central England than it was in 1983.

Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, NE Surrey, 556 ft.

Felly sgrifennodd :
This could be evaluated in a measurement of "extremity" of a calendar
year: the mean maximum of the hottest month (probably July this year)
and the mean maximum of the coldest month (February this year).

Why not just the mean temperature of these months?

For comparison, he

Mean max: July 22.9 - Feb 5.9 = 17.0

Mean: July 17.6 - Feb 2.9 = 14.7

Adrian (12 miles ESE Aberystwyth, 260m/860ft asl)
--
Adrian Shaw ais@
Adran Cyfrifiadureg, Prifysgol Cymru, aber.
Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Cymru ac.
http://users.aber.ac.uk/ais/weather/ uk

Adrian D. Shaw wrote:
Felly sgrifennodd :
This could be evaluated in a measurement of "extremity" of a calendar
year: the mean maximum of the hottest month (probably July this year)
and the mean maximum of the coldest month (February this year).

Why not just the mean temperature of these months?

For comparison, he

Mean max: July 22.9 - Feb 5.9 = 17.0

Mean: July 17.6 - Feb 2.9 = 14.7

and Copley is slightly more because of the greater continental
influence on the eastern side, although last winter was slightly milder
than average. Using the mean always drags us down as nights are often
cool here.
Mean max: July 24.3 - Jan 5.1 = 19.2
Mean: July 17.7 - March 2.5 = 15.2

However in 1983 at Low Etherley 155metres asl (nearby Met O station
that I ran) when decent winters still happened around here.
Mean max: July 22.4 - Feb 3.3 = 19.1
Mean: July 17.3 - Feb 0.5 = 16.8

there are several others that are close and 1947 in Durham was
Mean max: August 23.0 - Feb 0.6 = 22.4
Mean: August 17.2 - Feb -1.1 = 18.3

I expect the South East will have greater extremes.

Ken
Copley 253metres asl, nr Barnard Castle, County Durham
http://copley.mysite.orange.co.uk