August 2016 started with a thoroughly wet day, with 24.7mm being recorded for the 24 hour period up to 1000 on the 2nd. This amount proved to be just over half the entire rainfall total for the month (48.9mm). The day’s total was about four times the entire July rainfall figure too.  This day was the only one of the month when the temperature failed to reach 20C. Three quarters  of the remaining total of rainfall in August fell between the 18th-20th. As a result, the prevailing picture was of a dry, warm and sunny month.

After the unsettled start, the weather was entirely dry for nearly a fortnight. Winds were generally from the North or Northwest, so temperatures were not particularly high, but a cloudy night on a westerly wind brought the month’s (and hitherto, the year’s ) highest minimum temperature of 17.1C on the 7th. On the 15th a Southeasterly airstream brought higher daytime temperatures, with 26.2C on 16th and 26.1C on 17th. Our proximity to the coast tempered the readings of course, and the calm nights allowed the air to cool. The lowest minimum temperature occurred on the 15th at 8.2C.  Interestingly, our area (Yeovilton and Exeter Airport) recorded either the lowest  or second lowest minima in the U.K. from the 12th-14th. Then from the 15th -19th. Yeovilton went on to record the some of the highest U.K. maxima. Following the short unsettled spell from 18th-21st the weather became generally warm and sunny with only a few small showers.

August proved to be the warmest since 2013 which, as this year, recorded maxima averaging around 23.2C. The mean temperature this year was 17.5C. It was also the driest since 2013, and in marked contrast to the wet Augusts of the intervening years.

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Summer 2016 overall proved to be drier and warmer than average, but not particularly sunny. August was the warmest and sunniest of the three months, which is statistically less usual. The rainfall of July and August totalled less than the total in June, which in itself was not a wet month.

The total rainfall of 119mm made it the driest summer since 2013 (105.5mm). The mean temperature of 16.65C, put it 0.85C warmer than summer 2015, but 0.35C cooler than 2014.

Peter at Pottlelake