General and Barometric Pressure

  Every month up to and including June this year has been described as 'poor' ... and now July can also be added to that list. To ask 'When will it end?' does seem to be a reasonable question.

  And like June, the first half of the month was really poor. Rain was a fairly constant and unwelcome visitor, and it was cold; the mean temperature during that first half falling significantly below average (a mean of 13.0°c being 2.15°c below average). It wasn't until 15th that a day-time maximum attained the seasonal norm' of 19.6°c.

  Whilst only marginally so, MSLP would finish below average, by 0.9MB. The first half of the month was broadly unsettled; the second half less so, but high pressure was rarely settled over the UK for any length of time during the month. Indeed any periods under the influence of high pressure were merely weak and transitory ridges.

  During the first half of the month day-time maxima were broadly stuck within the range of 16-17°c, but did fall as low as just 13.9°c on the 13th on what was a cheerless and cloudy day. There was some rain or showers on each of the 1st to 4th, but the 5-6th were pleasant enough with some sunshine, just not particularly warm at just over 16°c.

  The 7-11th were wet. The 7-8th was more a case of sunny intervals and the occasional shower, but the 9th was fairly grim as low pressure to the south moved north across the UK. The 9th would be the month's wettest day with 35.8 mm and whilst not especially wet, the 10-11th saw more outbreaks of rain and overcast skies.

  The 13-16th were also generally overcast with some spells of rain, but each of the 15-17th would attain 21°c and now it would generally become that bit warmer - however, it wasn't anything noteworthy and many days would still be cloudy or overcast and with showers or spells of rain.

  Whilst low pressure was situated just to the west of the UK on the 19th, the pressure gradient over the UK was generally slack, but with a S'ly airflow. This brought much warmer air and it was also actually quite sunny, to which the temperature responded and rose to a month's high of 24.3°c (75.7°c). The fronts from that low pressure didn't arrive until the evening of the 20th to give 8.0 mm of rain.

  It remained mild by night with double-digit minima, but now day-time maxima fell back to the seasonal norm or just above. The final four days of the month saw an area build from the SW, moving north and into northern Germany. The UK was then in between that high pressure and low pressure near Iceland, but it was dry with some sunny spells and temperatures in the range of 21-23°c, but peaked at 24.2°c on the 31st.

  Temperature

  With a mean minimum of 10.10°c and a mean maximum of 18.85°c July 2024 saw the temperature 0.68°c below the fifteen year average for this site. This saw it being the coldest July since 2020 and since the record commenced (2009), ten have been warmer and five have been colder.

  And just like in June, the split in mean temperature from the first half of the month to the second was quite pronounced. The first half saw a mean temperature of just 13.0°c (2.15°c below average) with the second half actually finishing above average by 0.75°c.

  The highest maximum during the month was 24.3°c (75.7°f - 19th) and the lowest minimum, 4.2°c (39.6°f - 8th).

  At the Met' Office site at Shap a mean minimum of 9.0°c and a mean maximum of 17.9°c saw the monthly mean temperature 0.6°c below average. It was the coldest July since 2020 and since the record began (1992), twenty-two have been warmer and nine have been colder (with no data in one year).

  Precipitation

  At Maulds Meaburn rainfall totalled 90.4 mm (3.56 In), this being 89.7% of the average for 2007-23, making it the driest July since 2022. Since the recorded began (2007), eight have been drier and nine wetter.

  Locally rainfall at Maulds Meaburn North was 94.9 mm and at Castlehowe Scar 111.3 mm. At the Met' Office site at Shap, rainfall of 84.2 mm represents 78.9% of its average making it the driest July there since 2022. And since the record commenced (1989), sixteen have been drier and nineteen wetter.

  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 77.3 mm (LTA of 75.3 mm) represents 102.7% of its average (1856-2023) and made it the driest since 2022 - since the record commenced, 93 have been drier and 75 have been wetter.

  Kirkby Thore 98.0 -- (64.7 mm)

  Haresceugh Castle (Kirkoswald) 125.45 mm -- (89.1 mm)

  Brothers Water 104.4 mm -- (161.3 mm)

  Seathwaite Farm (Borrowdale) 134.6 mm -- (229.9 mm [average for 1845-2023]) represents 58.5% of its average - making it the driest since 2021 and since 1845 when the record commenced, thirty-one have been drier and 148 have been wetter.

  OTHER:-

  During the month the following 'days of' were recorded: thunder was heard on one day -- the wind speed averaged 4.13 mph, with a maximum gust of 37 mph (4th).

  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 15.2°c on the 6th, 8-9th and 15th        to      a high of 17.5°c on the 20th - 21st and 24-25th     --      with a monthly mean of 16.2°c

  The 1 meter soil temp ranged from a low of 13.5°c on the 9th      to      a high of 14.6°c on the 30th - 31st     --     with a monthly mean of 14.0°c

   This makes the Jan' to July period of 2024 0.67°c warmer than the average for 2009-23 and with 133.9% of average rainfall for 2008-23

  Cumbrian Rainfall

  Rainfall in July was a pretty much on average across the county with a few areas in the eastern half experiencing slighter wetter conditions, whilst in the west of the LDNP and out to the coast, percentages fell quite markedly.

  And so we finished with one of the wettest locations in the county (Seathwaite) having the smallest percentage fall (58.5%) and then one of the driest, Kirkby Thore, having the largest at 151.5%. A significant difference between smallest and largest, but more broadly the majority of locations did finish that little drier than average.

  It was wettest around the 9-10th and wettest of all at Dalehead (in Wainwright's NW Fells) where daily totals of 42.8 mm and 41.2 mm were recorded. Whilst nearby at Honister 49.6 mm may have been recorded on the 10th, it could only manage 3.4 mm on the 9th.

  But whilst it may have been fairly average, finding consecutive dry days was, like the rest of 2024, somewhat elusive, the end of the month fairing the best.