August weather forecast 2009
The Met Office has revised its forecast for 2009’s summer weather.
The Met Office has revised its seasonal forecast for the UK’s summer weather in June, July and August 2009, following a period of wet weather across the country.
Earlier this year, the organisation had declared that there was a 65% probability that the summer would be warmer and drier than average, and that it was “odds on for a barbecue summer”. Residents and tourists were advised to seek ways to stay cool, to find shade during the hottest times of the day, and to stay hydrated.
However, following a long period of wet and windy weather across the UK recently, it has adjusted its forecast. According to the Met Office, August will have near or above average rainfall – around 84.6mm – while temperatures will probably be near or above the average for the year, which is 14.7 degrees Celsius.
The Met office has defended its earlier seasonal forecast. In a statement, it said: “We acknowledge that the weather we have seen through the last month has been disappointing, especially after the fine weather through June and the heatwave at the end of June and beginning of July.
“At no time did the Met Office state that summer 2009 would be hot and dry throughout, or forecast a ‘scorcher’.”
The Travel Association, ABTA, has predicted that the number of British people holidaying abroad will increase, especially because the majority of Mediterranean countries are experiencing temperatures up to 40 degrees Celsius. In addition, parts of the US are also currently experiencing a heatwave.
Mark Tanzer, ABTA’s Chief Executive, said: “The weather does affect business and although we know that poor weather encourages outbound tourism, it’s also true to say that by contrast overseas visitors coming from hot countries enjoy our cooler climate.”
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If I would get my work wrong as often as those who forecast the weather do, I would have been kicked out the door long ago…
July 30th, 2009 at 11:31 amLook up h.a.a.a.r.p on web. The American Government and army have a place in Alaska that can heat up the atmosphere using radio wave technology. They can move the jet stream and also destroy weapons and more! Not kidding
July 31st, 2009 at 12:09 amThe squirming claim that the Weather (whether?) Centre did not forecast a ’scorcher’ is, of course, correct. Neither, for that matter, did it forecast a ‘humdinger’, a ’sizzler’, nor a ‘baker’. So what! It did forecast a “Barbecue summer”.
When everyone from guilt-ridden descendants of possible slave-owners to people who are crippled with angst over crimes committed during the British Empire is desperate to say ’sorry’, why are the forecasters so loath to admit their failings.
Is it perhaps because they expect us to believe they know what will happen in ten, twenty, or even fifty years time. Their embarrassing failure to tell us what will happen in a fortnight certainly takes the gloss off their predictions for the future – and quite right too.
Let them concentrate their mighty intellects on telling us what is likely to happen tomorrow afternoon and getting THAT right before blethering on about long-range forecasts.
August 1st, 2009 at 6:55 pmLast year we decided at the last minute not to go camping in this country as the weather had changed the week before we were due to go… how right we were it rained all the following week…. SO hearing the forecast for a BBQ summer this year we have booked to go camping in Cornwall in August…….. with just under 2 weeks to go and not much hope for good weather ……. we are now not looking forward to our holiday but dreading it!!!!………Please please please will the weather forecasters stop giving false hope to people in this country ….. I now wish we had booked to go abroad…….. too late now ….. thanks very much!!!!
August 2nd, 2009 at 8:50 amFor goodness sake! Climatology and weather forecasting is notoriously difficult in this country - we are surrounded by sea, including the gulf stream, are a small landmass surrounded by large land masses, climate changing due to masses of people keeping their computers on complaining about the weather etc etc etc. The chances of things changing from the forecast become greater the further into the future you are trying to see.
August 4th, 2009 at 8:39 amWeather forecasters don’t do this on purpose, they do their considerable best with good technology to get it right for us every single day. 65% chance of a BBQ summer isn’t a promise of hot sunny summers - it’s not much more than an even chance. Stop whinging.
65% chance of BBQ weather they said… 65%!!!! These are not even high odds!! For goodness sake stop blaming the met office because u didn’t listen and got carried away once the word BBQ was mentioned!! Stop moaning and make the most of what u got!!
August 4th, 2009 at 9:14 amthe weather forcasters do not know what the hell there talking about. if you want to know what the weathers doing go outside and see.
August 4th, 2009 at 11:51 am