General and Barometric Pressure

  August was yet another uninspiring month that was often dull with a deficit of direct sunshine and with rain never too far away. Sunny days were few and far between and apart from the last two days of the month, rarely consecutive.

  However, it was mild, but there wasn't a sustained warm period during the month, the best on offer being the 10-12th which did see reasonable amounts of sunshine, the 11th especially, which along with 26th June was the year's warmest day to date; but which still didn't attain 25°c. Somewhat typical of cloudy skies is the fact that it was warmer by night than by day. To compound the gloom of both the summer and of the year so far, the mean maximum temperature finished slightly below average, whilst the night-time minima, under those cloudy skies, finished above.

  MSLP would finish below average (again), by 2.4 MB with high pressure rarely establishing itself over the UK for any length of time. Pressure was at its highest during the 10-12th and then again at the end of the months; the rest being broadly unsettled.

  After the month opened with a dry and warm day (23.1°c) with variable amounts of cloud and just a few sunny intervals in the afternoon, it would then become generally unsettled. Through to the 9th each day would see some rain, albeit never too heavy (8.5 mm on the 5th the heaviest fall) and most would fall either at night or in the early hours. Temperatures remained close to the seasonal average by day, but well above average overnight, the cloudy skies keeping any day-time warmth trapped in.

  The 10-12th were reasonable days as high pressure moved north into the UK, exiting out into the North Sea, but whilst short-lived it did provide summer-like conditions. Each day had long periods of sun and this saw day-time maxima respond, rising to a month's high (and a year's equal highest) of 24.7°c on the 11th.

  Cloud then drizzle on the 13th, but a brief ridge of high pressure on the 14th brought another decent sunny day and a maximum nudging back just over 20°c - but now whilst due to endless cloudy skies night-time minima would remain well into double-digits, day-time maxima would fall constantly below the seasonal average (18.6°c).

  Rain arrived early hours of the 15th to give a poor and wet day, but a weak ridge of high pressure would bring a mix of cloud and sun 16-18th, but at least it was dry. However the period 19-25th would be disappointing and needless to say, coincided with the Bank Holiday weekend. However, apart from the Sunday (25th) it wasn't a complete write-off as whilst there were some heavy daily falls, most fell overnight.

  It was a constant stream of frontal systems moving west-east over the UK and started with 9.9 mm on the 19th (tea-time onwards), 19.1 mm on the 21st (evening and overnight) would be the month's wettest day, 15.8 mm on the 22nd (late eve' and overnight), 8.4 mm 23rd (early hours of the 24th), 15.2 mm 25th (from late morning onwards) - all fairly grim.

  Temperatures during this period were below average by day, the 25th only rising to a chilly maximum of 14.1°c, but with the cloudy conditions night-time minima once again remained in double-digits.

  And once the Bank Holiday weekend was over, it carried on raining! Tuesday 27th was yet another disappointing day with rain throughout, totalling 10.6 mm, but then it started to improve. Still some rain early on the 28th and a heavy shower late on the 29th with the days being cloudy. During the period temperatures remained subdued by day but well into double figures by night.

  Late on the 29th high pressure started to ridge over the UK and would then become established for the last two days of the month. Consequently we ended with two fine sunny days. There was a little mist overnight, but with plenty of sun the day-time temperatures responded quite nicely, but with clear skies at night, the overnight lows dipped, the 31st falling to 4.4°c and just failing to record a ground frost.

  One curiosity from my records is that up to 2023 none of the last three days of the month has ever attained 20°c, now after 2024 that record as slightly altered. Both the 29-30th still have to wait, but this year the 31st reached the dizzy heights of 20.2°c.

  Temperature

  With a mean minimum of 11.15°c and a mean maximum of 18.37°c August 2024 saw the temperature 0.20°c above the fifteen year average for this site. This saw it being the coldest August since 2021 and since the record commenced (2009), six have been warmer and nine have been colder.

  Unlike June and July before it, which both saw a two way split in mean temperature, having a chilly first half to the month followed by a much warmer second half, August was the reverse. The first half saw a mean temperature of just 15.78°c (1.22°c above average) with the second half a much cooler 13.80°c (0.76°c below). The first ten days were warm both by night and day, but whilst the mean minima held up consistently thereafter, the mean maximum fell away as the month progressed.

  The highest maximum during the month was 24.7°c (76.5°f - 11th) and the lowest minimum, 4.4°c (39.9°f - 31st).

  At the Met' Office site at Shap a mean minimum of 10.4°c and a mean maximum of 17.4°c saw the monthly mean temperature 0.2°c above average. It was the coldest August since 2021 and since the record began (1992), thirteen have been warmer and sixteen have been colder (with no data in three years).

  Precipitation

  At Maulds Meaburn rainfall totalled 117.7 mm (4.63 In), this being 109.8% of the average for 2007-23, making it the driest August since 2022. Since the recorded began (2007), nine have been drier and eight wetter.

  Locally rainfall at Maulds Meaburn North was 112.1 mm and at Castlehowe Scar 169.5 mm. At the Met' Office site at Shap, rainfall of 231.6 mm represents 173.5% of its average making it the wettest August there since 2020. And since the record commenced (1989), thirty-one have been drier and four wetter.

  Whilst in Cumbria it was driest the further east you travelled, in the western portion of the LDNP it wasn't just wet, it was record breaking wet. At Seathwaite and Honister it was the wettest on record, both having two separate days to top 100mm and at the later the 961.6 mm represented 326% of its LTA and that total of 961.6 is the equivalent of 1.22 In falling every day of the month.

  Figures from a selection of 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 67.2 mm (LTA of 85.5 mm) represents 78.6% of its average (1856-2023) and made it the driest since 2022 - since the record commenced, 63 have been drier and 105 have been wetter.

  Kirkby Thore 54.4 -- (76.0 mm)

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

  Brothers Water 486.3 mm -- (198.7 mm)

  Seathwaite Farm (Borrowdale) 792.2 mm -- (278.5 mm [average for 1845-2023]) represents 284.5% of its average - making it the wettest yet recorded here and that is since 1845 when the record commenced!

  OTHER:-

  During the month the following 'days of' were recorded: absolutely nothing -- the wind speed averaged 6.84 mph, with a maximum gust of 47 mph (23rd).

  We had 0 Air Frosts in the month (year 23)          --          Grass Frosts totalled 0 (year 57).

  The 1 foot soil temp ranged from a low of 14.4°c on the 31st        to      a high of 17.6°c on the 2nd and 13th     --      with a monthly mean of 16.2°c

  The 1 meter soil temp ranged from a low of 14.1°c on the 28th      to      a high of 15.0°c on the 15-16th     --     with a monthly mean of 14.6°c

   This makes the Jan' to August period of 2024 0.61°c warmer than the average for 2009-23 and with 129.9% of average rainfall for 2008-23

  Cumbrian Rainfall -- Exceptionally Wet in the West, closer to average in the East

  Has there ever been a more contradictory month?

  In matters of weather and climate, Cumbria is certainly a diverse county, particularly when it comes to rainfall, but in August of 2024 that diversity was pushed to the extreme. To have some parts of the county experience record-breaking totals and yet have others with totals well below their long-term average (LTA), is worthy of comment. And of course this all follows on from what has been an exceptionally wet first eight months to the year.

  The wettest location in Cumbria during August was Honister with 961.60 mm of rain. This included the UK's greatest 24hr total for August (156.4 mm - 21st), also a second day that exceeded 100 mm and a third day that just didn't quite make it. To add context to that fall, this is the equivalent of 1.22 inches of rain falling every day of the month!

  The driest location was at Newton Rigg (just NW of Penrith) which had just 48.0 mm.

  Those totals represent 326% of the long-term average at Honister and 68.5% at Newton Rigg - the disparity between the two is just staggering.

  And just because it is the 'usual suspects' of Honister, Seathwaite and Ennerdale Black Sail where the heaviest falls where to be found, does not lessen the severity. All of these stations recorded their greatest ever fall for August and the Seathwaite record commenced in 1845! Not only was it the wettest ever August at Seathwaite (792.2 mm), but it was also the wettest ever summer month and possibly more surprising is that it was the eleventh wettest of any month all the way back to 1845.

  At Honister the 4-5th racked up 180.2 mm, but the wettest period and this applied across the county, was during the 19-28th and at Honister over those ten days 548.0 mm was recorded; but not at Newton Rigg! Newton Rigg may have had the lowest total but in the east of the county the totals for the month were low.

  And with that record rainfall in August, the disparity extended to the summer has a whole. At Seathwaite 1108.2 mm (160%) made it the 8th wettest, yet at Appleby In Westmorland 198.0 mm (90.3% of the LTA) 71 have been drier and 97 wetter.

  However, the disparity doesn't quite extend to the wetness of 2024 up to the end of August. In those eight months Appleby In Westmorland has had 722.2 mm which makes it the sixth wettest such period.

  At Seathwite though it has been the second wettest - It's total of 2971.8 mm to date has only been beaten by the 3196.4 mm of 2020.

  The wetter Jan to Aug periods at Appleby In Westmorland were: 1927 - 773.1 mm -- 1928 - 963.4 mm -- 2008 - 741.1 mm -- 2014 - 799.1 mm -- 2020 - 762.4 mm

  Another curiosity is that 1928 is miles ahead of any over year but it does have both the wettest August and also the wettest summer in the Appleby record.

  In addition to the above, the Environment Agency in their 'Situation Report' for August in the North-west, states: "The 6-month cumulative rainfall period, which include both the meteorological spring (1st March to 31st May) and summer, show a clear north-south divide, with hydrological areas north of and including the Wyre and Lune hydrological area being classed as exceptionally high, while southern hydrological areas were classed between above normal and notably high.

  This was also the wettest meteorological spring and summer combined since 1871 for:

  Cumbria, with a cumulative rainfall of 898mm, breaking the previous record of 829mm in 2019

  Esk (Cumbria) hydrological area, at 1097mm, breaking the previous record of 986mm in 2012

  Derwent hydrological area, at 949mm, breaking the previous record of 859mm in 2019

  Kent hydrological area, at 1038mm, breaking the previous record of 956mm in 1920

  Additionally, this was also the second wettest meteorological spring and summer since 1871 for the Eden hydrological area."