An historical perspective on the climate statistics

for Coventry during August 2010


Temperature


With a mean monthly temperature of 15.7ºC, August 2010 has become the
coolest such month in Coventry since 1993 (15.1ºC).

So warm have recent August months been, that only three August months
have been colder than this year since 1979 (1985, 1986, 1993).

The average day time temperature of 19.8ºC is the lowest such value
since 1986 (17.6ºC).

Looking at 2010 so far as a whole, the first eight months of this year
has been the coolest January to August period in Coventry (10.1ºC)
since 1996 (9.4ºC).

• 17th The warmest day of the month only recorded a maximum
temperature of 23.4ºC – this is the lowest such value in August since
1986 (20.5ºC).

• 21st This was the warmest August night (18.1ºC minimum) in Coventry
since 2004 (19.5ºC).

• 26th With a maximum temperature of 14.0ºC, this was the coldest
August day since Bank Holiday Monday 1986 (13.1ºC).

• 31st This was the coldest August night in Coventry (5.5ºC) since
1993 (4.9ºC).


Rainfall

On average, August is the wettest month of the year in Coventry,
thanks in the main to summer thunderstorms.

Over the 20th century, we recorded more than 100mm of rain during this
‘high summer’ month on average once every five years, though of late
more frequently than this, more like one in every three since 1999.

During August 2010, 126.8mm of rain fell in Coventry (191% of 30-year
mean), making this the wettest August in our region since 2004
(142.4mm).

This year’s high August rainfall total was unusual for this time of
year as it was a result of frontal rather than the more normal
convectional rain from summer thunderstorms.

From the archives, we notice that only four August months have been
wetter than this year since 1882 (1912, 1951, 1956, 2004).

Thunder was heard in the city on 3 days during the month, the highest
incidence of thunder during August since 2006 (9).

• 25th We recorded 40.6mm of rain on this day, making this the wettest
August day at Bablake since 2004 (48.6mm).


Sunshine

This was the dullest August (136.3 hours of sunshine) since 2008
(111.8 hours).

Both July’s (142.3hr) and August’s sunshine total was actually lower
than that of March 2010 (149.8hr) – so much for high summer!

• 31st We had to wait until the final day of the month for our
sunniest day (9.7hr). However this wa the lowest such reading since
August 2006 (9.4hr).

Steve Jackson
Bablake Weather Station
Coventry UK
www.bablakeweather.co.uk