This summer, Brits haven’t yet had the chance to store away our wellies, umbrellas and mackintoshes for the summer. The weather outside is miserable. Over the first week-and-a-bit of July, there’s been a chill in the air and the UK has seen pretty much nothing but rain and wind, including a yellow weather warning. So much for summer, eh?
And things aren’t letting up anytime soon. Parts of England saw a month’s worth of rain in the first week of July alone. Northolt in west London experienced 119 percent of the total rainfall it would normally expect in a whole month.
Yuck. Turns out forecasts that this might be the rainiest summer in 100 years might’ve been right all along. Here’s exactly why the weather is so rubbish – and when things might change for the better.
Why is the UK weather so bad right now?
It all comes down to the jet stream, a fast-moving strand of air five to seven miles above the Earth that blows west to east. The jet stream has flowed across the UK or further south, allowing areas of low pressure to move in, which brings wind, rain and cooler temperatures.
David Hayter, deputy chief meteorologist at the Met Office, told the Metro: ‘For warm weather in the UK in summer, you’d tend to see the jet stream shifted further north, which allows the possibility of warmer air to drift over the UK from the south, though this isn’t always the case.
‘Unfortunately for those who like the warmth, we have only had brief periods where this pattern has been present in summer so far.’
When will the weather improve?
The good news is that the weather is set to get better. We’re due to get a break from the dreary weather later this weekend as some high pressure flows over the UK. The Met Office has forecast that things will get drier with some warm sunny spells.
Looking further ahead, there’s a chance we could even get a 10-day, 40C heatwave – find out more about that here.
Is this summer’s weather actually worse than usual?
It’s not all been bad. The sun pulled through for Glastonbury a couple of weeks ago and spring this year was actually the UK’s warmest yet. However, June 2024 didn’t hit the same temperatures as last year and just nine days in, most places in England and Wales have already seen rainfall close to their total July average.
Come rain or shine with Time Out
As the school holidays roll around, it’s always good to make plans for whatever the weather might throw at us. Here’s a bunch of things to do in London when it’s soggy outside, these are the best things to do there when it warms up and take your pick of these 35 best things to do across the UK. And if the clouds are getting you down, here’s why an why an overcast summer isn’t really that bad.
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