July may have begun with a few cool and unsettled days, but then summer arrived and in some style as there followed an anticyclonic spell with prolonged sunny and warm days. From the 23rd, whilst remaining warm, there was a breakdown to unsettled conditions with rain frequent and significantly so on the 27/28th. The days were humid with a little thunder until the 27th before temperatures returned to average.

   MSLP showed an anomaly of +4.5 Mb indicating the length of that settled period which saw 18 consecutive days of no rain and 23 consecutive days of temperatures above 20° of which 10 went on to climb above 25°c.

   Whilst the warm spell was not especially notable in terms of its intensity, the length of the warm spell was and it gave some consolation for the previous six poor years. It also was the first month since August 2012 to have an above average mean temperature, but with a final rainfall total of 120.7 mm, falling on just 10 days, it ensured that July's reputation for being a wet month continues.

   The Met' Office have kindly provided their own data for Newton Rigg (Penrith), mean maximum of 22.43°c, mean minimum of 11.43°c (month 1.8°c warmer than average) and rainfall of 86.6 mm (123% of average) and we find that it is the warmest July since 2006 and the wettest since 2012. In a series commencing 1914 this makes it the third warmest July in that time and a mean temperature of over 17°c has still only been achieved twice (2006 and 1983 - data is unavailable for 7 of the years). In the same period July has been wetter on 27 occasions with 66 drier (data unavailable for 6 years).

   Figures from the Enviroment Agency’s rainfall sites were, (figure in brackets being the monthly average for 1961-90): Kirkby Thore 97.2 mm (39.8 mm) , Brothers Water 197 mm (142 mm) and Nunwick Hall 135.8 mm (65.8 mm) - ‘Data kindly provided by the Hydrometry and Telemetry team of the Enviroment Agency (Penrith)’.

   1st - 4th    The month started on a cool theme with a succession of Atlantic frontal systems blowing through on a brisk westerly and whilst rainfall amounts were slight, day-time temperatures were below par, hovering between 15-16°c with 15.5°c making the 1st the month's coldest day.

   The days were generally cloudy, but after a frontal system cleared east mid morning on the 4th, the day brightened and summer was about to arrive in style.

   5th - 12th    The 'Azores High' now moved north and took control, becoming established over the UK and bringing settled, sunny, dry and some very hot weather. The position of the Jet Stream was well to the north of the UK and the good weather just went on and on.

   The 6th was the first day in the period to attain 20°c and every day thereafter, upto and including the 28th also made the mark. The days were hot though (25° and over is classed as a 'Hot day') and the 8th was the first day to breach the 25°c mark, peaking at 27.1°c (80.78°f) with MSLP standing at 1035.6 Mb and the high pressure anchored over the UK.

   After 26.8°c on the 9th, a cold front moved north-south on the 10th resulting in cloudier (no precipitation) and slightly cooler (20.3°c) conditions. However, on the 11th when that cold front had cleared south and with the HP still sat over the UK, the temperature shot up to 26.3°c under virtually cloudless skies.

   13th - 16th    Whilst the HP remained in control of our weather the main centre did slip south west and out into the Atlantic. This saw a slight cooling of temperatures and this was possibly the best period of the 'heat-wave' as the days were still sunny and warm, but comfortably so, especially the 14th (23.5°c) and the 15th (21.6°c).

   17th - 21st    That HP began to move back north east, becoming dominant over the UK, and consequently the heat began to rise.

   The 17-19th were perfectly sunny, virtually cloudless with big blue skies, but was it hot. The 17th at 25.5°c was the first of 3 consecutive days to attain 25° and then both the 18th and 19th went above 28° with 28.4°c (83.12°f) the highest temperature of the year and to date a new high for this site. Newton Rigg recording 28.3°c.

   And those high temperatures remained well into the evenings giving no relief to the heat, at 10 p.m. on the 18th it was still 22°c.

   The 20th and 21st whilst remaining warm became fresher with a gentle easterly breeze, although also resulting in cloudier skies as the HP system nudged further north.

   22nd - 31st    Low pressure systems would now control the weather through to the month's end and whilst remaining warm it now became increasingly unsettled and wet and all but the 26th saw some rain in this period. Also upto this point the mean minimum temperature had been fairly average, but now this would change as the nights became noticeably warmer.

   The HP that had dominated for so long now sat near Scandinavia on the 22nd and we sat inbetween weather systems as LP approached from the Atlantic. This drew up humid air from the continent and the 22nd at 26.8°c felt uncomfortable.

   A thunderstorm from 0745 hrs on the 23rd for some 30 minutes gave 4.4 mm of rain (using 0900-0900 Hrs readings is credited to the 22nd) bringing the drought to an end; 18 days in total of no rain and it was much needed. Another thunderstorm in the evening then gave another 6.8 mm of rain and this had been the first day of thunder this year.

   Amounts of sunshine tended to be limited now, with more in the way of cloud, but it was still warm with 20° still been easily attained each day. A couple of close, humid nights resulted and the early hours of the 25th saw another heavy downpour of 13.6 mm.

   LP was positioned just to the west of the UK and this introduced the moisture to the humid air drawn up from the south to give the perfect conditions for these short and sharp downpours and the chance of thunderstorms.

   But this rainfall was insignificant when compared to what followed. A significant frontal system moved south - north up the UK on the 27th gaining in intensity as it reached and passed over Cumbria in the early hours of the 28th. The day had become increasingly sultry with some thunder in the early evening and the rain that followed was torrential. A total of 62.6 mm (2.46 inch) credited back to the 27th (69.1 mm at Shap) made this the second wettest day recorded at this site and that fall represented 13% of the total rainfall for 2013 up to that point.

   The next few days were quieter with some sunny intervals and the 29th became the first day since the 5th that failed to attain the 20°c mark. A run of 23 consecutive days attained that mark (a new record at this site) and 10 of those days had also reached the dizzy heights of 25°+.

   The month then ended poorly with another belt of rain brought on yet another warm front travelling south - north up the UK. However, the 20.0 mm of rain fell mainly during the late afternoon and evening.

   Rainfall totalled 120.7 mm for the month, with rain recorded on 10 days of which 9 were 'Wet days' (1.0mm +).

   The Mean Temperature for the month was 17.14°c      --      The Mean Max' was   22.63°c     --      The Mean Min'   11.65°c.

   We had 0 Air Frosts in the month (year 68)              --      Grass frosts totalled 0 (year 100).

   The 1 foot soil temp ranged from a low of 14.5°c on the 1st         to      a high of 19.0°c on the 20th and 23rd     --      with a monthly mean of 17.6°c

   The 1 meter soil temp ranged from a low of 12.1°c on the 1st-2nd      to      a high of 15.4°c on the 29th      --     with a monthly mean of 13.8°c

COMPARISONS:-

   * July 2013 rainfall was 99% of the July average for 2007 - 2012

   * July 2013 was 2.87°c warmerer than the July average for 2009 - 2012 and 2.0°c warmerer than the local long term average 1981-2010

  * The 3 month mean for May/June/July 2013 is              TEMP'    13.11°c         --          RAIN    250.9 mm


  *                     May/June/July 2012 was              TEMP'    11.90°c         --          RAIN    349.7 mm

  *                     May/June/July 2011 was              TEMP'    12.22°c         --          RAIN    248.0 mm

  *                     May/June/July 2010 was              TEMP'    12.59°c         --          RAIN    155.6 mm

  *                     May/June/July 2009 was              TEMP'    12.87°c         --          RAIN    311.2 mm

  *                     May/June/July 2008 was              TEMP'                                RAIN    212.5 mm


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                             * 2013     To Date              TEMP'     7.59°c         --          RAIN    513.6 mm

                             * 2012  Jan - July              TEMP'     8.16°c         --          RAIN    601.3 mm

                             * 2011  Jan - July              TEMP'     8.58°c         --          RAIN    668.9 mm

                             * 2010  Jan - July              TEMP'     7.50°c         --          RAIN    314.2 mm

                             * 2009  Jan - July              TEMP'     8.67°c         --          RAIN    650.7 mm

                             * 2008  Jan - July              TEMP'                    --          RAIN    723.7 mm