Why has summer 2024 been so cold?

2 July 2024, 12:34

With cooler temperatures, lots of us have been left wondering why summer has been chilly this year.

With cool temperatures and plenty of rain, you'd be forgiven if you thought it was spring rather than summer.

While we have experienced a short heatwave and there is set to be another on the way, lots of us are waiting for scorching temperatures make their way to the UK.

After June brought us chilly weather, all eyes are on the July forecast, however with rain expected as well as breezy winds, it's looking like we may have to wait a while until we get our sunglasses out.

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Why has summer been so cold? Everything we know about the low 2024 temperatures.

Why has summer 2024 been so cold?

Following cooler temperatures in June, the Met Office have explained the real reason why we have been having a cold start to summer.

Meteorologist Alex Deakin revealed that a powerful jet stream has had an impact on the warm weather, stating: "The jet stream has set up this pressure pattern that allows the winds at the surface to come down from the north and bring us the Arctic air."

Speaking at the beginning of June, Mr Deakin added: "What we’ve had for this week is a high pressure [system] out to the west, where the winds are going round clockwise, and low pressure out to the east, where the winds are going around anticlockwise, and we’re in between the two, and that’s been drawing down the northerly."

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However things do look like they may be on the up and temperatures are predicted to rise in July.

According to weather maps by the forecasters at Netweather, the UK could see highs of around 30C, with areas in Southwest England exceeding 25C.

The Met Office have also hinted that we could see another heatwave soon, stating that between the 11th-25th of July that there is a "slightly higher than normal chance of heatwaves developing through this period."

The full long-range forecast predicts: "Typical of the time of year, predictability at this range is very low compared with, say, the winter half of the year, thus forecast confidence is very low.

"That said, current indications suggest that a continuation of the trend towards more settled weather through mid-July is weakly favoured, with below average rainfall and temperatures around to a little above average. Any more significant rainfall would most likely be in the northwest, and in thunderstorms elsewhere. There is a slightly higher than normal chance of heatwaves developing through this period."

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