UK climate: When will the rain cease?
Last yr, the UK noticed record-breaking temperatures of greater than 40°C recorded, igniting wildfires that destroyed homes and melting practice tracks.
However, this July was the UK’s sixth-wettest July on record.
Here are some solutions on what’s inflicting the rain and whether or not there’s a probability the climate will enhance.
Why has July been so moist and chilly?
Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon stated the changeable climate is all the way down to the UK being an island that’s extra “exposed” to the Atlantic together with the place of wind stress.
He stated: “It’s being driven by the position of the jet stream that sort of has been steering low pressures towards the UK through July.
“Of course, don’t forget, June was an exceptionally dry and warm month for many, so we’ve had both ends of it this year.”
How moist has July been in contrast with earlier years?
Last month was the UK’s sixth wettest July on file, and the wettest ever July in Northern Ireland, based on provisional figures from the Met Office.
The UK noticed a mean of 140.1mm rain throughout the month, the sixth-highest complete for July since data started in 1836.
The file for the UK’s wettest ever July was 1988, with a mean of 150.5mm of rain, adopted by 2009 (145.5mm), 1939 (143.5mm), 1936 (142.6mm), 1888 (142.2mm), and now 2023.
Northern Ireland had a mean of 185.4mm of rain final month, simply above the earlier file of 185.2mm set in 1936.
This determine could possibly be revised as soon as all rainfall information for July is collected and reviewed, the Met Office stated.
What about temperatures?
Met Office figures present July was barely cooler than regular, with a imply temperature throughout the month of 14.9°C — 0.3°C beneath common for the interval 1991-2020.
By distinction, the earlier month was the warmest UK June on file, with a imply temperature of 15.8°C — 2.5°C increased than common.
The mercury this July has didn’t hit the heights of final yr, when a UK file temperature of 40.3°C was present in Coningsby, Lincolnshire on July 19, 2022.
When will the rain finish?
Forecasts by the climate company level to an easing of downpours later in August however situations are unlikely to succeed in anyplace close to the sweltering temperatures of final yr.
The west of England is more likely to see extra settled situations on Friday earlier than the downpours return, Mr Claydon stated.
He added: “There are some early signs, there could be some potentially more settled or warm weather by the end of next week, so there’s a lot of uncertainty around that because of the movement of the various low-pressure systems across the Atlantic that would lead to that.”
Looking additional forward, the current forecasts suggest there will be warmer and drier conditions in the second half of August, with some spells of rain.
Is local weather change responsible?
When requested whether or not the changeable UK climate was all the way down to local weather change, Mr Claydon stated: “I don’t think there’ll be necessarily a link to climate change driving the unsettled nature of the weather here.”
He pointed as a substitute to the place of the jet stream which has introduced low stress to the UK.
In distinction, sturdy winds above the Earth’s floor have prompted exceptionally excessive temperatures of greater than 40°C and wildfires in Europe.
Mr Claydon stated these excessive temperatures had been all the way down to the jet stream however had been “exacerbated by climate change”.