Even though August hasn't been quite as bad as July, it doesn't hide the fact that it has been a very poor month. The general theme was an unsettled one, but with a few short-lived settled spells during the month. The month may have finished slightly warmer than average, but this was on the back of the nights been very mild and not with any notable warmth by day. However, unlike July, August did at least have one day that managed to imitate 'something summery', but after two such poor months the summer had the last laugh as that one good day came on the 31st!

  Like July, only four days would attain 20°c, but night-time minima was rarely into single figures. Sunshine was once again limited and we had a number of wet days, the 14th especially which was simply grim and now the wettest day of the year to date.

  Rainfall was fairly constant - after a wet and cool start to the month, 1st - 6th, it was drier 6-10th with some broken sunshine and quite warm 9-10th. The period 11-15th was very wet with temperatures falling away and included the 14th which saw 42.1 mm of rain that was torrential at times. After a brief lull the rain returned late on the 19th and most days through to the end of the month would see some rain at times, but it did become brighter and cooler from the 27th. The month ended with two reasonable days, the 31st in particular, but which still failed to hit 20°c.

  Somewhat curiously, in my now 15 years of temperature records none of the last three days of the month have ever attained 20°c!

  It was a wet and unsettled start to the month as a succession of low pressure (LP) systems visited the UK with any ridges of high pressure (HP) being weak and short-lived. Rainfall totals quickly built up with 8.9 mm (1st), 10.5 mm (2nd) and 13.4 mm (3rd), the 3rd also having a few peels of thunder at 1730h. There was also rain on each of the 4-6th, but daily totals were only slight.

  Under cloudy skies night-time minima during the 1st - 6th were comfortably in double figures, day-time maxima generally close to the seasonal average 1st - 4th (apart from the 2nd which was bleak and cool with the rain lasting all day). A vigorous area of LP on the 5th moved west - east across the UK, bringing overcast conditions and a really chilly day with a maximum of just 13.7°c, a month's low. Maxima would then remain suppressed 6-8th, being in between 17-18°c.

  There then followed a brief respite 9-10th from the rain and suppressed temperatures as HP to the south built and moved north. Apart from being dry the temperature finally rose above 20°c, the 9th seeing 21.6°c, but with a month's high of 26.5°c following the day after. However, the 9th had only been 'cloudy but bright', the 10th at least seeing some sun late morning and for a few hours in the afternoon.

  Unsettled conditions would now return and on the 14th was it unsettled! A slow moving area of LP in the Atlantic controlled the weather 11-13th, bringing some spells of rain or showers, only the 13th seeing any sun. However, the 14th was simply grim and would rack-up a fall of 42.1 mm.

  A new and vigorous area of LP quickly developed to the SW of the UK, moving NE through England before exiting out into the North Sea 15th. The rain during the 14th was relentless and contained some very heavy bursts during the morning and again from 1430h and would last all day and evening.

  The LP system that brought that rain would clear during the 15th, albeit with some rain from 1730h, but behind this HP would develop to the north and ridge down over the UK. Both the 16-17th were reasonable days and both would just scrape in above 20°c. However, the HP retreated during the 18th as a vigorous little LP system developed in the SW and which would travel NW over Eire. Rain arrived at 2130h and was heavy overnight into the 19th, giving a total of 19.5 mm (credited back to the 18th).

  Through to the end of the month it was generally cool by day, only two days topping 19°c in that time, still fairly mild by night although with a few nights that did fall below 10°c, and with rain on most days, but this was totally insignificant from the 27th.

  MSLP of 1011.6 Mb was -1.5 MB above average for the month and overall a mean minimum of 11.33°c and a mean maximum of 18.37°c saw the temperature 0.31°c above the fourteen year average for this site.

  It was the coldest August since 2021 and since the record began (2009), five have been warmer and nine colder - the highest maximum temperature recorded during the month being 26.5°c (10th), the lowest minimum 6.0°c (9th).

  Rainfall of 142.7 mm (Maulds Meaburn North 137.1 mm -- Castlehowe Scar 160.2 mm) was 135.9% of average for 2007-22, making it the wettest August since 2020 and since the record began (2007), twelve have been drier and four wetter.

  During the month the following 'days of' were recorded: Thunder on one day -- the wind speed averaged 3.55 mph, with a maximum gust of 40 mph (19th).

  We had 0 Air Frosts in the month (year 32)          --          Grass Frosts totalled 0 (year 64).

  The 1 foot soil temp ranged from a low of 16.0°c on the 31st        to      a high of 17.6°c on the 11th     --      with a monthly mean of 16.6°c

  The 1 meter soil temp ranged from a low of 14.9°c on the 1st, 2nd and 11th      to      a high of 15.5°c on the 15-16th     --     with a monthly mean of 15.2°c

   This makes the Jan' to August period of 2023 0.74°c warmer than the average for 2009-22 and with 102.9% of average rainfall for 2008-22

  At the Met' Office site at Shap a mean minimum of 10.6°c and a mean maximum of 17.8°c saw the monthly mean temperature 0.5°c above average. It was the coldest August since 2021 and since the record commenced (1992), eight have been warmer, twenty colder and with no data in three of the years.

  Rainfall of 154.2 mm represents 115.5% of its average. It was the wettest August since 2020 and in a record that commenced in 1989, 25 have been drier and 9 have been wetter.

  Cumbria Rainfall

  Whilst undoubtedly the broad consensus would be that August was a poor and wet month, it just simply did not apply across the county.

  Some parts were wet, but these tended to be outnumbered by the drier locations and best typified at Carlisle which had both the lowest total fall (45.8 mm) and the lowest percentage fall of its LTA (51.5%).

  The W-NW portion of the coast tended to be the driest overall, but with Barrow 180% of its LTA, down in the SW fairing worst of all. However, it tended to be the eastern fringes of the LDNP and heading east from there that was more broadly wetter than average.

  Much of this wetness was accrued on the 14th (Barrow as well) which was a particularly grim day which saw a period of torrential rain in the afternoon. Whilst Barrow saw 44.1 mm that day, Grange over Sands 46.2 mm and with a handful of sites in the east also topping 40 mm, at Honister and Seathwaite only 19.4 mm was recorded and up at Longtown it was just 8.6 mm.

  Only Thirlmere and Greenside Mines would be the other sites to top 150% of their LTA and this month Ennerdale Black Sail would record the month's highest total (261.4 mm), followed by Greenside Mines (Helvellyn) with 256.6 mm.

  The month's greatest 24hr fall of 50.8 mm would be recorded on the 12th at Dale Head (NW fells), but curiously the 12th would only be the wettest day at one other site, nearby at Thirlmere.

  Figures from the Environment Agency's rainfall sites were, (figure in brackets being the monthly average for 1991-2020)   'Data kindly provided by the Hydrometry and Telemetry team of the Environment Agency (Penrith)':

  At Appleby in Westmorland rainfall of 100.7 mm (LTA of 85.4 mm) represents 117.9% of its average (1856-2022) and made it the wettest since 2020 - since the record commenced, 114 have been drier and 53 have been wetter.

  Haresceugh Castle (Kirkoswald) 133.71 mm -- (94.4 mm)

  Brothers Water 251.15 mm -- (198.7 mm)

  Seathwaite Farm (Borrowdale) 231.8 mm -- (278.8 mm [average for 1845-2022]) - making it the wettest since 2020 and since 1845 when the record commenced, 69 have been drier and 109 have been wetter.