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Weather Home UK World Sports Coast and Sea Climate Change Features Understanding Weather Sport and Leisure Health and Culture History, Literature & Religion Science and Nature Coast and Sea Weatherwise About BBC Weather Site FAQ About the BBC	UK Summers Review 2003

		Although summer typically conjures up thoughts of dry, sunny and warm conditions, there are often periods of rather unsettled and active weather.	Key Points Summer 1998 was cool wet and dull. Summer 1999 was mixed, with temperatures slightly above average. Summer 2000 was fairly dry and warm. Summer 2001 saw average rainfall and above average temperatures. Summer 2002 was wet at times with slightly above average temperatures. Also in this Series UK Summers Review 2004 UK Summers Review 2005 UK Review of Summer 2005 External Web Links The Hadley Centre Disclaimer The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites.

	In Summer, storms with thunder, lightning and hail are quite common, and sometimes even mini-tornadoes are reported! As you might expect with the UK climate, our Summer weather has varied greatly from year to year... Summer 1998 Cool, wet and dull. Despite conditions not being as good as many might had hoped, there were still some interesting weather events. 42mm of rain was recorded in Reading... In Reading during the evening of Saturday 13th June, some very stormy weather hit the area. 42mm of rain was recorded in Reading, causing flash flooding. There was even a mini-tornado reported, bringing down trees and fences in Lower Earley. Exactly a month later on Monday 13th July, in nearby Bracknell, quite an active thunderstorm passed by, producing a remarkable display of lightning. Summer 1999 Fairly mixed, temperatures slightly above average. It was quite wet during June and August, despite June being notably dry over some parts of England. The night of 22nd June was quite a chilly night across the UK, with a widespread ground frost, particularly across northern and eastern areas. Summer 2000 Fairly dry, warm, but changeable at times. On the 13th June, a deep low near the Faeroes produced record breaking gales (for June) in the north of Scotland, with wind gusts of 80mph at Lerwick. July was sunny and warm in the west of the UK, but cool and cloudy in the east. This meant that Tiree in Scotland had its sunniest July since records began in 1927, and Armagh in Northern Ireland had their driest July ever. Summer 2001 Average rainfall, but generally above average temperatures and sunshine amounts. On the 3rd/4th July, severe thunderstorms across the southwest of the UK gave Cardiff, south Wales 67mm of rain in 12 hours, with 50mm of that falling in just 3 hours. Later on in the month (on 14th/15th), further unsettled weather gave 96mm of rain in 15 hours at Keyworth, Nottinghamshire. Summer 2002 Wet at times, with slightly above average temperatures. This summer gave some very wet and thundery periods at times. Thunderstorms affecting southeast England and East Anglia overnight on 4th/5th June produced up to 42mm of rain in some parts of Surrey and Greater London. ...further heavy rain caused flash floods in the London area... Marham, Norfolk had 83mm of rain in just one day on the 30th July. This wet weather continued into the start of August, with Flyingdales, North Yorkshire having 115mm of rain in 24 hours on the 1st August, giving them their wettest day on record. On the 7th, further heavy rain caused flash floods in the London area, with some places receiving 60mm in just one hour! So as you can see, the weather during each summer can vary from year to year. Even when conditions are fairly average overall, there can still be some significant weather events at times.

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UK Summers Review 2003