I had a closer look at the figures that the NAO (North American Oscillation) table offered and noticed very interesting constellations.
I'm afraid, the forum's restriction to the size of images doesn't allow showing the screenshot in its original size, but those who are on a desktop, you can right-click on the image and go to "Show image" or "Open image". Then it will be larger.
I highlighted the months when the NAO was in minus (blue) or plus (red) at least for 3 months in a row. What we can see is that: - the 50's had far more minus values in particular over the summer months - the 60's had more red values in the summer month and the winters were colder - the 70's were hardly in red, something I also remember while living in Berlin that it rained a lot and summers were colder. The values changed quicker by the months from minus to plus and versus versa. - The big change happened in the 80's up the mid 90's, when there were most of the months above zero, which means warmer. - From the mid 90's we had more minus values over the summer and in particular more extreme colder months with - 2 and even -3 (means extreme). - Since then, the winter months have been warmer with many months constantly in red, and the summer months were more in blue means colder. - There was only one year when the NAO was in minus over 12 months in a row, and this was 2010. It started with the extreme winter in 2009/2010, and the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in April 2010 had its impact too. Also the summer 2012 as we all remember was extreme cold and wet. - Finally, the right side shows that there were clearly more red months above +2 between the mid 80's and mid 90's, but from then on, the blue months below -2 were in the majority.
I was wrong to say that 2008 had a warm summer. My blog started at the end of 2008, and so I can't check what weather we had that year. Looking at the table, 2008 was colder over the summer. I remembered that when I moved to the UK in 2007, I was a bit disappointed about the cooler summer months. It was the first time in 2013 that I said "this is what I call a summer". This repeated only in 2018. The other years in between were neither too cold nor too warm in my personal opinion.
What that means on the other side is that when Monty Don tells us on telly that Long Meadow has always been wet during the winter, than this is what indeed happened when he moved to Long Meadow. However, if he had lived in the 50's and 60's in Long Meadow, then the winters would have been less wet, but drier and colder.
Oh no @JennyJ 2012 was the year when a hosepipe ban was announced from April 17, and it started raining the very same day and didn’t stop until the Olympics started in August. You remember the late Queen and Prince Philip standing for hours at the Pageant to honour the jubilee, 11 degrees and raining all day? 2012 has been the worst year, like we had in Berlin in the 70’s.
I remember my garden growing lush and green after a slow start due to the dry spring! There were certainly enough dry days here for the grass cutting, weeding etc. I did feel sorry for the Queen and Prince Philip getting rained on though.
2012 jubilee weekend in sunny Doncaster:
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
Hosepipe ban: 5 April 2012: "It needs six months of rain to end hosepipe ban" (in South East) Bank holiday 9 April 2012: "after two weeks of warm sunny weather, it's 8 or 10 degrees outside." 16 April 2012: "extension of the official drought area (seventeen more counties have
been given drought status)" 21 April: "it rained a lot since Monday", but the weekend itself was fine. 23 April: "" Environment Agency head of water resources Trevor Bishop said: "It will take more than two weeks' rain to undo effects of two years' below-average rainfall." Don't be worried, dear Environment Agency, there is more to come. "The Met Office warned most parts will not see above-average temperatures during the next two weeks, with mid-May cooler than average for most. Independent forecasters WeatherAction predict the coldest May in a century."" 24 April: "April, set to be the wettest since 2000, has already seen 55mm of rain - more than the 54mm average for the whole month. ...The Met Office forecast heavy rain today and torrential downpours and gales on Wednesday and Thursday". 5 May: We have 8 degrees and no summer is coming. 25 May: We have had no spring this year and this is what I really don't like.
Last Sunday (17 May), "we went to Windsor to have a walk along the Thames. They
had forecast 18 degrees, but it was again 11 degrees and windy and grey
as so often in the recent weeks. Suddenly, not out of the blue, but out of the grey, the summer came. We had 25 degrees on
Tuesday and even 28 degrees on Wednesday." 3 June: 11 degrees and rain, Pageant 9 June: rain all week Pictures taken show mostly a grey sky in the following weeks like the one from Windsor Castle 8 July: "a summer without sunshine and blue sky at all". 23 July: "Finally, summer has arrived on time for the Olympics. This week we are expecting 30 degrees." Closing ceremony at the Olympics, you could hear the thunder, at 12, it started raining, and stopped raining when the Paralympics started.
If you look for Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, then it's true
It's interesting to compare different parts of the country and our different opinions on it Some of the dates @Simone_in_Wiltshire specifically mentions were quite different here.
5th May 2012 warm and sunny, 15°C
17th May 2012 sunny but cooler, 11°C
Week beginning 9th June mostly mixed cloud and sun one wet day, daytime temps reaching mid teens but a northerly breeze so it probably felt cooler.
Week beginning 9th July 2012 one wet day (10th), the rest sunny and warm with only a few showers
8th July 2012 sunny and pleasantly warm, 19°C
23 July 1012 sunny, hot, 23°C
12 August 2012 (olympics closing ceremony day) sunny intervals after early rain, sunny some light showers in the afternoon, warm 18°C
If only every summer could be like that - plenty of both sun and rain, mostly pleasant temperatures, not too hot to be outside.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
Posts
I'm afraid, the forum's restriction to the size of images doesn't allow showing the screenshot in its original size, but those who are on a desktop, you can right-click on the image and go to "Show image" or "Open image". Then it will be larger.
I highlighted the months when the NAO was in minus (blue) or plus (red) at least for 3 months in a row. What we can see is that:
- the 50's had far more minus values in particular over the summer months
- the 60's had more red values in the summer month and the winters were colder
- the 70's were hardly in red, something I also remember while living in Berlin that it rained a lot and summers were colder. The values changed quicker by the months from minus to plus and versus versa.
- The big change happened in the 80's up the mid 90's, when there were most of the months above zero, which means warmer.
- From the mid 90's we had more minus values over the summer and in particular more extreme colder months with - 2 and even -3 (means extreme).
- Since then, the winter months have been warmer with many months constantly in red, and the summer months were more in blue means colder.
- There was only one year when the NAO was in minus over 12 months in a row, and this was 2010. It started with the extreme winter in 2009/2010, and the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in April 2010 had its impact too. Also the summer 2012 as we all remember was extreme cold and wet.
- Finally, the right side shows that there were clearly more red months above +2 between the mid 80's and mid 90's, but from then on, the blue months below -2 were in the majority.
I was wrong to say that 2008 had a warm summer. My blog started at the end of 2008, and so I can't check what weather we had that year. Looking at the table, 2008 was colder over the summer. I remembered that when I moved to the UK in 2007, I was a bit disappointed about the cooler summer months. It was the first time in 2013 that I said "this is what I call a summer". This repeated only in 2018. The other years in between were neither too cold nor too warm in my personal opinion.
What that means on the other side is that when Monty Don tells us on telly that Long Meadow has always been wet during the winter, than this is what indeed happened when he moved to Long Meadow. However, if he had lived in the 50's and 60's in Long Meadow, then the winters would have been less wet, but drier and colder.
I ♥ my garden.
2012 has been the worst year, like we had in Berlin in the 70’s.
I ♥ my garden.
I ♥ my garden.
Hosepipe ban: 5 April 2012: "It needs six months of rain to end hosepipe ban" (in South East)
Bank holiday 9 April 2012: "after two weeks of warm sunny weather, it's 8 or 10 degrees outside."
16 April 2012: "extension of the official drought area (seventeen more counties have been given drought status)"
21 April: "it rained a lot since Monday", but the weekend itself was fine.
23 April: "" Environment Agency head of water resources Trevor Bishop said: "It will take more than two weeks' rain to undo effects of two years' below-average rainfall."
Don't be worried, dear Environment Agency, there is more to come.
"The Met Office warned most parts will not see above-average temperatures during the next two weeks, with mid-May cooler than average for most. Independent forecasters WeatherAction predict the coldest May in a century.""
24 April: "April, set to be the wettest since 2000, has already seen 55mm of rain - more than the 54mm average for the whole month. ...The Met Office forecast heavy rain today and torrential downpours and gales on Wednesday and Thursday".
5 May: We have 8 degrees and no summer is coming.
25 May: We have had no spring this year and this is what I really don't like. Last Sunday (17 May), "we went to Windsor to have a walk along the Thames. They had forecast 18 degrees, but it was again 11 degrees and windy and grey as so often in the recent weeks. Suddenly, not out of the blue, but out of the grey, the summer came. We had 25 degrees on Tuesday and even 28 degrees on Wednesday."
3 June: 11 degrees and rain, Pageant
9 June: rain all week
Pictures taken show mostly a grey sky in the following weeks like the one from Windsor Castle
8 July: "a summer without sunshine and blue sky at all".
23 July: "Finally, summer has arrived on time for the Olympics. This week we are expecting 30 degrees."
Closing ceremony at the Olympics, you could hear the thunder, at 12, it started raining, and stopped raining when the Paralympics started.
If you look for Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, then it's true
I ♥ my garden.
https://www.wunderground.com/history
If only every summer could be like that - plenty of both sun and rain, mostly pleasant temperatures, not too hot to be outside.