What a let down

JanuarySnowstor

I thought is was a better than average Summer tbh. The mean temperature has been well up with soil temperatures constantly 2 to 3 degrees above. Growth has been very good too. The nights in particular were nearly always over 10C and quite often 14/15C

JanuarySnowstor

Saying that August is quite poor and remarkably follows a pattern of many poor August months over last 20 years or so. What's causing August to be a lacklustre month in recent years is one to ponder.....

sryanbruen

JanuarySnowstor wrote: »

Saying that August is quite poor and remarkably follows a pattern of many poor August months over last 20 years or so. What's causing August to be a lacklustre month in recent years is one to ponder.....

:cool:

sryanbruen wrote: »

There has been a notable shift in August weather since 2006. After the very warm June and hot July in 2006, August completely deteriorated that year with a -NAO setting in. It was a significant change on July with much cooler and wetter conditions although these being more notable for other parts of western Europe as parts of Ireland didn't have it too bad. However, the main interest here is the fact that a -NAO set in which was the exception rather than the norm in Augusts from 1989 to 2005 (a period of several exceptional Augusts like 1990, 1995, 1997 and 2003). Whilst it's not just August that has seen an increase in -NAO since 2006 with many months since Summer 2007 from all seasons seeing -NAO, August has seen the most impacts from -NAO.

I did a little analysis recently on Twitter on comparing Augusts 1994-2005 to 2006-2018. I first did this using Central England Temperature (CET) max and CET min data. There was an interesting run of consecutive Augusts with a CET mean max at 20.0c or more from 1994 to 2005 but since, we have seen a reduction though improving somewhat again recently. CET mean min has remained rather stationary, not much change compared to the 90s/00s.



The contrast is greatly shown by reanalysis with Augusts in the 1994-2005 period tending to be anticyclonic or blocking over Scandinavia and favouring easterly winds. If we take 1995 out (the exceptional hot and dry August), the Scandi High signal increases a lot.



Augusts in the period 2006-2018 have tended to be much more unsettled with little signal of the Scandi High from the previous period. Anomalous below average heights over top of the UK and Ireland with a bit of Greenland blocking too. No wonder why August has been poor!



Whether this is the result of low solar activity giving a higher risk of -NAO or Arctic amplification helping the blocking and it just happened to be occurring in August is unknown. Maybe a coincidence for all we know as some decades favour certain weather for a month of the year like the 1940s with warm Aprils and cold Januaries, 1960s with cold Decembers or 1980s with mild Decembers, 1990s with warm Augusts etc. Contrast to Julys which have tended to be warm this decade, 2010 (even if very wet), 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2019.

We often hear that summers aren't as great as they used to be. Well as many on here would have experienced the Augusts of the 90s and the 80s to a lesser extent (considering Augusts 1985 and 1986 were exceptionally poor) when they were younger, maybe this saying holds some light here?

Gonzo

sryanbruen wrote: »

You’re right, it wasn’t terrible.... it was atrocious. Three days of 12c or under as a max is really really bad even by Irish standards.

The first two weeks of June were rough, I hope to not see a June as cold as this for a long time to come. June 2019 for me is head and shoulders above as the worst month of this summer and possibly one of the worst months of summer I have ever experienced in Ireland.

August has been a mixed bag so far, nice first week, unsettled second week. The past few days have actually been fairly decent here in Meath, mild to warm and mostly sunny. If we can pull a few warm or very warm days out of the bag before months end, then this August won't be too bad overall.

mean gene

It's rained everyday in Cork city bar one day so far in August. Abysmal

Mad_maxx

JanuarySnowstor wrote: »

I thought is was a better than average Summer tbh. The mean temperature has been well up with soil temperatures constantly 2 to 3 degrees above. Growth has been very good too. The nights in particular were nearly always over 10C and quite often 14/15C

I've friends in the farming sector, it has been the best ever year for grass growth, warmth and rain at the right time

August is sofar the wettest I've witnessed however

Mad_maxx

Gonzo wrote: »

The first two weeks of June were rough, I hope to not see a June as cold as this for a long time to come. June 2019 for me is head and shoulders above as the worst month of this summer and possibly one of the worst months of summer I have ever experienced in Ireland.

August has been a mixed bag so far, nice first week, unsettled second week. The past few days have actually been fairly decent here in Meath, mild to warm and mostly sunny. If we can pull a few warm or very warm days out of the bag before months end, then this August won't be too bad overall.

I live in Galway, June was nothing out of the ordinary compared to August or countless other summer months, every month of summer 2012 was miles worse , we have had more rain since August 1st than in the previous nine months of 2019 ( and last few months of 2018) and that is no exaggeration

I've family in the east, the west was drier this year much of the time compared to the east

kyler_87

Mad_maxx wrote: »

I live in Galway, June was nothing out of the ordinary compared to August, we have had more rain since August 1st than in the previous nine months

I've family in the east, the west was drier this year much of the time compared to the east

August has been poor in Cork also

Mad_maxx

kyler_87 wrote: »

August has been poor in Cork also

Poor does not come close to describing it, the drops are like buckets

Snow Garden

Build it and they will come....go the distance....

alentejo

In Dublin, August has been brutal (as usual)

Chris_5339762

Mad_maxx wrote: »

I've friends in the farming sector, it has been the best ever year for grass growth, warmth and rain at the right time

August is sofar the wettest I've witnessed however

Speaking of growth, the number of insects, bees, birds, butterflies etc etc has been far and away higher this year than any other year of recent times. Both here in Cork (where its been terrible weatherwise) and over in the south of the UK too.


All purely my own unprofessional observations.

Dickie10

we seem to always get decent september and october i have to say a dry mild october is lovely

The_Brood

Holy damn. There is simply no end to these rainy days. To say there is nothing remotely resembling a summer is a big understatement.

How is that a 4-day max work-week is not national law? You know, some effort to provide metal health rest to people. If you get absolutely no sun and no break from the rain even in the summer, what alternative is there to, you know, recharge and not go crazy miserable?

Thelonious Monk

The_Brood wrote: »

Holy damn. There is simply no end to these rainy days. To say there is nothing remotely resembling a summer is a big understatement.

How is that a 4-day max work-week is not national law? You know, some effort to provide metal health rest to people. If you get absolutely no sun and no break from the rain even in the summer, what alternative is there to, you know, recharge and not go crazy miserable?

It’s been a great summer and we needed the rain in case the grass went a bit yellow

highdef

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

It’s been a great summer and we needed the rain in case the grass went a bit yellow

Your sarcasm made be giggle.

uck51js9zml2yt

Wasn't a bad summer overall. We needed the rain ( well some of it anyway) and it was generally warm(ISH)

Even when it rained, my ground was dry within 24 hours of it stopping.

daedal

Since starting this thread I’ve made plans to leave this miserable piss pot! The lack of vitamin D is affecting my mental health and supplements just don’t cut it. So it’ll be Greece for the winter and Canada from Spring to whenever I start to miss the misery. Bye folks!

pad199207

daedal wrote: »

Since starting this thread I’ve made plans to leave this miserable piss pot! The lack of vitamin D is affecting my mental health and supplements just don’t cut it. So it’ll be Greece for the winter and Canada from Spring to whenever I start to miss the misery. Bye folks!

See ya

Ursus Horribilis

Missing you already.

daedal

Enjoy the weather! Xx

pauldry

August has been a total washout in the NW since the 3rd. After 20 days in a row with rain maybe Friday will be dry.

daydorunrun

Bon voyage. Please be careful with hurricanes, wild fires, tornadoes and other weather extremes.
Fair play to you for acting on your needs and feelings rather than just winging about it- respect.

Ursus Horribilis

This may come as a shock to you but not everyone goes into a spiral of depression and self pity over the Irish weather.

uck51js9zml2yt

daedal wrote: »

Since starting this thread I’ve made plans to leave this miserable piss pot! The lack of vitamin D is affecting my mental health and supplements just don’t cut it. So it’ll be Greece for the winter and Canada from Spring to whenever I start to miss the misery. Bye folks!

You need decent quality vit d and magnesium. They are not all the same quality.

daedal

Ursus Horribilis wrote: »

This may come as a shock to you but not everyone goes into a spiral of depression and self pity over the Irish weather.

Not everyone but seasonal affective disorder is a real thing and can have quite an impact on someone’s mental health. Being knowledgeable about these issues could help those close to you.

Ursus Horribilis

Must be hard having it all year round so..

daedal

Ursus Horribilis wrote: »

Must be hard having it all year round so..

It can be hence why it’s the second time I’ve decided to emigrate, I’m more mature now so I reckon I can commit and live through the homesickness. Going away the first time made me miss home, being home for the last 6 years made me realize how much better life was abroad. There is nothing I miss about the country, only family and friends.

sideswipe

daedal wrote: »

Since starting this thread I’ve made plans to leave this miserable piss pot! The lack of vitamin D is affecting my mental health and supplements just don’t cut it. So it’ll be Greece for the winter and Canada from Spring to whenever I start to miss the misery. Bye folks!

Best of luck Daedal, hope it works out for you! I’ve friends that have done it and now they complain about other things instead of the weather. Things like-
The pubs are crap
The locals have no sense of humor
The politicians make Irish one look good.
Schools are too expensive.
They live in fear of school shootings.
And then sometimes they still complain about the weather being too hot! You’ll never beat the Irish:)

daedal

sideswipe wrote: »

Best of luck Daedal, hope it works out for you! I’ve friends that have done it and now they complain about other things instead of the weather. Things like-
The pubs are crap
The locals have no sense of humor
The politicians make Irish one look good.
Schools are too expensive.
They live in fear of school shootings.
And then sometimes they still complain about the weather being too hot! You’ll never beat the Irish:)

This is the thing, i will miss all of that and it's hard to beat the Irish, but I've heard Canada is pretty decent, not what you are trying to make out. The Irish weather is getting the better of me so it's time to see if i can be happy somewhere else. I can't continue to whinge on forums all my life!

Zzippy

Trent Brief Warfare wrote: »

Wasn't a bad summer overall. We needed the rain ( well some of it anyway) and it was generally warm(ISH)

Even when it rained, my ground was dry within 24 hours of it stopping.

June and July were ok, but August has been a complete washout. 214mm of rain in Galway city for the month to date! Almost more than the previous 4 months combined...

Emme

Ursus Horribilis wrote: »

Must be hard having it all year round so..

Quite a lot of people have it all year round in Ireland. It's worse in winter when the days are shorter but relentless grey skies during the "summer" months can really get some people down.

We had 6 fairly decent weeks this summer, the last 2 weeks of June and most of July. Apart from that it has been sh!te but it's not the worst summer I've experienced by a long shot. The "summers" 2007 to 2012 were a horrific washout, I was on Vitamin D all year round those years. I take it most years September to May but I'm gone back on it now after going off it mid-June.

mean gene

Worst summer since last summer

Mobhi1

The sun has just appeared here, hazily, briefly. It's currently 18.9C. The recent high was 19.4C. I've recorded 74.7mm of rain this August (March and April(barely) were wetter months this year).

Ashleigh1986

Today is the 19th day in a row it has poured rain in galway .
I'm talking " Angela's ashes " style rain .
Rain that when it hits the ground it comes back up a foot .

I can put up winters but I'm getting to hate our so called summers .
The year is split in 2 .
Cold rain and warm rain .

Mad_maxx

Ashleigh1986 wrote: »

Today is the 19th day in a row it has poured rain in galway .
I'm talking " Angela's ashes " style rain .
Rain that when it hits the ground it comes back up a foot .

I can put up winters but I'm getting to hate our so called summers .
The year is split in 2 .
Cold rain and warm rain .

I've never witnessed an August as wet

Snow Garden

Yes June and July were fine. Got loads done.

But August seems very wet. Is it breaking records?

Thelonious Monk

Can people stop saying June was fine?

Gonzo

Snow Garden wrote: »

Yes June and July were fine. Got loads done.

But August seems very wet. Is it breaking records?

June was extremely poor bordering on atrocious, especially the first half of the month. The final few days of June brought a hint of summer and July was decent enough as was the first week of August. The past 2 weeks haven't been great, a few nice days but plenty of unsettled conditions, the past 4 days have been a write off for most of the country.

The upcoming warm spell has been watered down alot, particularly in the west with spells of rain there over the weekend.

Will be interesting to see the rainfall totals to end this month. I'm guessing most places will exceed 100mm, with western areas finishing up between 200 and 300mm for the month.

My local station at Dunsany is currently sitting at 112.6mm which is getting close to double the average August rainfall, and we will have another 8 days of August left.

Athenry is currently sitting at 217.6mm.

Mad_maxx

Gonzo wrote: »

June was extremely poor bordering on atrocious, especially the first half of the month. The final few days of June brought a hint of summer and July was decent enough as was the first week of August. The past 2 weeks haven't been great, a few nice days but plenty of unsettled conditions, the past 4 days have been a write off for most of the country.

The upcoming warm spell has been watered down alot, particularly in the west with spells of rain there over the weekend.

Will be interesting to see the rainfall totals to end this month. I'm guessing most places will exceed 100mm, with western areas finishing up between 200 and 300mm for the month.

My local station at Dunsany is currently sitting at 112.6mm which is getting close to double the average August rainfall, and we will have another 8 days of August left.

Athenry is currently sitting at 217.6mm.

The second half of June was very good, the first half was a piece of cake compared to the last three weeks.

Thelonious Monk

Mad_maxx wrote: »

The second half of June was very good, the first half was a piece of cake compared to the last three weeks.

Agh. It wasn’t! Maybe the last week.

iamwhoiam

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Agh. It wasn’t! Maybe the last week.

Depends where you were .

Mad_maxx

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Agh. It wasn’t! Maybe the last week.

It was in Galway, more rain in August than the rest of the year combined

Donegal Storm

The first 10 days of June were a complete washout with temperatures that wouldn't look out of place in December, right up until the last week it was mid teens at best for most of us with constant grey skies, Dublin airport didn't top 18C once until the 28th with rain on most days until the last week

A few days at the end of June and the second half of July are the only remotely summery periods we've had throughout here in Donegal, awful summer

joe40

Donegal Storm wrote: »

The first 10 days of June were a complete washout with temperatures that wouldn't look out of place in December, right up until the last week it was mid teens at best for most of us with constant grey skies, Dublin airport didn't top 18C once until the 28th with rain on most days until the last week

A few days at the end of June and the second half of July are the only remotely summery periods we've had throughout here in Donegal, awful summer

I live in Donegal and was just commenting to someone about the number of really heavy summer showers we have this year.
They don't last very long so overall rainfall might be similar, but extreme downpours have been quite common.
Maybe just dodgy memory but I don't recall as many in previous summers

juneg

Lads I've so much laundry built up to do for this alleged fine spell it's not even funny!!

Snow Garden

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Can people stop saying June was fine?

Looking at Athenry, the rainfall in June was less than average and much less than 2016 and 2017. It seemed like a very dry and pleasant month to me.

Thelonious Monk

Snow Garden wrote: »

Looking at Athenry, the rainfall in June was less than average and much less than 2016 and 2017. It seemed like a very dry and pleasant month to me.

Oh fair enough. It was brutal in Dub.

Clonmel1000

Snow Garden wrote: »

Yes June and July were fine. Got loads done.

But August seems very wet. Is it breaking records?

June was fine? Where?

iamwhoiam

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Oh fair enough. It was brutal in Dub.

We had visitors last two weeks in June in Dublin and its fine . We sat out chatting a few evening . Cant give dates but I remember hanging out washing quite a bit in June