Summer 2022 - General Discussion

Slashermcguirk · 02-09-2022 12:52pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119558869#Comment_119558869

We dont live on the mediterranean! So you honestly think dry, warm (sometimes hot) weather for nearly 60 consecutive days merits a really good summer. August has seen an abundance of sunshine here in D5, while there was plenty of cloudy days in July, there were sunny intervals in between and regardless it was constantly between 23 - 27 degrees, then of course days in high 20s to low 30s.

I think we need to be realistic about what constitutes a very good summer relative to our location in Western Europe. While we would love it to be sunny every day, to have near constant dry weather for two months and temperatures nearly constantly in the 20s until even late evening, that surely has to constitute a brilliant summer. I have not worn anything other than tshirt and shorts since the 1st week of July, that is most definitely not possible most summers for such a long period of time.

I think some people really need to manage their expectations of our climate! Surely all that matters is that its dry and warm and then you can do pretty much anything you want outdoors without having to even think about rain. I was chatting to a bunch of lads in my local club yesterday and they were all commenting on what a summer it had been as not one match had been postponed with rain over the past couple of months.

squarecircles · 02-09-2022 1:41pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119559367#Comment_119559367

It was overcast cool and at times very wet in the northwest.

overall the summer here was poor.

Cumhachtach · 02-09-2022 3:21pm

I think it's a sign of getting older but summer 1995 at 19, seemed to go on forever. Summer 2022, very good in south east Laois for July and August, seems to have passed in the blink of an eye! The Late Late Show is back this evening🙈

Artane2002 · 02-09-2022 3:34pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119559367#Comment_119559367

You clearly didn't read my posts properly. I explicitly said August was a fantastic month! As I've said numerous times now, July was duller than average and not just slightly so. That is disappointing relative to what you should expect in Ireland! And you're really telling me 6 days out of 31 of temperatures above 23C is constant? Some of you would have people believing that a summer like 2012 is an average Irish summer.

Oneiric 3 · 02-09-2022 3:57pm

Nice feeling day today with a lovely breeze but there is a real 'looming' aspect to those clouds in the sky.

DOCARCH · 02-09-2022 4:10pm

For general Autumn discussion, Autumn thread...👉️

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058261291/autumn-2022-general-discussion#latest

Slashermcguirk · 02-09-2022 4:13pm

Ok just to clarify official stats from met eireann for Dublin for the months of July and August alone, 20 degrees was exceeded on precisely 45 days. 23 degrees was exceeded on now fewer than 22 times. Of those over half were over 25 degrees.

Those are official measurements from Met Eireann for Dublin. You will be hard pushed to find a July and August where we had 45 days of over 20 degree temperatures and nearly half of those in the in the mid 20s or higher.

I have no idea where your 6 days out of 31 is coming from. There were 10 in July alone that were over 23 degrees and 13 days in August over 23 degrees.

All those numbers to me suggest summer 2022 was among the very best summers since 1995. If you disagree so be it but that in my mind is an exceptionally good summer

sryanbruen · 02-09-2022 4:29pm

Locally (Dublin Airport), Summer 2022 had the 4th highest summer index since 2006 (my earliest weather memory) with 2006, 2013 and 2018 having been higher. If we were to go back further to 1942 when available records began, there were 14 summers with a higher summer index than 2022. 1995 unsurprisingly having the highest with 277.82.

Total rain days (>0.2mm) was the third lowest out of these with 2018 and 2021 having less. This summer index uses rain days instead of total rainfall because one deluge can skew rain totals greatly which in the case of thunderstorms wouldn't take any marks off of for a lot of weather enthusiasts.

Mean max was the third warmest out of the summers since 2006 with 2018 and 2006 being warmer. July was similar to 2021 whilst August was the warmest since 1995. June was only slightly above average and unremarkable.

For sunshine, Summer 2022 was slightly above average thanks to the sunniest August since 1995 whilst June and July were cloudy. June was the 27th cloudiest and July was the 13th cloudiest since 1942. 2018, 2014, 2013, 2010, 2009 and 2006 were sunnier (the exact same summers Artane2002 says he prefers).

My summer thoughts remain the same as per my last opinionated post. June was disappointing. July was great for warmth and dry weather for getting out but the lack of sunshine was a big disappointment for a blue sky lover like myself. August was stunning and certainly the best of my lifetime. That second week of August especially will live long in the memory with the epics like mid-July 2021, late June/early July 2018 and mid-July 2013. Still can't get over the fact we had such a fantastic August.

Artane2002 · 02-09-2022 4:31pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119560627#Comment_119560627

Something tells me you are using Phoenix Park for those stats, my 6 days were for both the airport and Casement and for July only.

Slashermcguirk · 02-09-2022 4:42pm

yes Phoenix park, it is in Dublin and is where the largest population of people would be close to and therefore would have experienced this summer. It is the most central station within Dublin too. I would think Casement was pretty close to those figures too. Dublin airport is always a bit more random due to its location.

pauldry · 02-09-2022 5:09pm

Meanwhile as an estimate of index in Sligo if we use the past 100 years as a gauge I'd say June was the 80th best in the index July 45th and August 9th. Giving an average of 44th best Summer. This of course is only a guesstimate and not withstanding relatively low rainfall here but low sun spoiled most of it. And cold in June and some of July.

sryanbruen · 02-09-2022 5:13pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119560934#Comment_119560934

Lol 😂 June 80th, you must be feeling generous today pauldry 🤣

Gaoth Laidir · 02-09-2022 8:11pm

What's the Summer Index and how isn't calculated? I've never heard of it.

sryanbruen · 02-09-2022 8:25pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119561716#Comment_119561716

There's various ones out there available for you to try. I've attached an old short article on Dublin summers from years ago back in 1965 and it uses the Poulter index which the Met use themselves but haven't made reference of for a good few years now. You'll find a short note on it typically at the end of a summer seasonal summary in the old bulletins.

The one I happen to use is the Manchester summer index, I am unaware of an actual name for it. It is calculated by:

10[(summer mean max in degrees Celsius) + (total sunshine hours/67) - (total rain days/8)].

Summers in Dublin.pdf

Indexes like this created to find out statistically how good or bad a summer was without skewed perceptions from poor memory but of course nothing is perfect and different people will have very different definitions of what is a good or a bad summer.

Danno · 03-09-2022 12:07am

Interesting discussion upon the reflections of this summer and everyone's thoughts upon such are equally welcomed. Perception of a season versus the cold hard data are often two very different beasts long before we bring in the old "location, location, location" angle in to things - that's where it gets even more messy!

As half the folks posting on this forum well knows, I collect climate data for Met Eireann here and I've yet to crack open the Excel sheet and pop in the numbers for the last 91 days that are jotted down in the journal beside the cupboard in the kitchen.

So, while some data is fondly remembered from those 91 days - alot is forgotten too! I'll give my thoughts on this Summer gone by before putting actual data and then reviewing said thoughts... here goes:

June - breezy - mostly north westerlies, not overly cold but no generous heat either. Second latest plus 20c to be recorded in over a decade. Sunshine was variable - but not generous amounts either. Remembering a notably wet few days towards month's end with a clatter of thunder and lightning - one of two such thundery periods this summer. Rated 4/10
July - slow burner to get going, never really felt cool at any time during the month, and the dreaded winds seemed to pi$$ off with themselves, finally. Though it was never windy this summer it started breezy. The hype mid-month about the uppper-20s heat delivering record breaking ground level temperatures failed to overwhelm - yes, we got near 31c here, but this was a flash-in-the-pan blast. The breeze again that day took the enjoyment out of the experience. Funnily enough, that day did have an interesting angle - went about 2km north of here to a friends house that evening and noted the total calm - it had been like that all day, and they spoke about the "hot" they experienced that day was like being in the south of Spain. Note to one-self - there are alot of very micro-climates in Ireland. I've probably more content for July as I was more outdoors this month - the local festival took off in the final week and eyes were peeled to the rainfall radar. Needless to say, any rains in July after the 1st were mostly night affairs and light. Not even an inch recorded. Rated 6.5/10
August - again, as the aforementioned local festival drew to a close, there was little much rainfall followed by an unexpected 24c blast on Tuesday 2nd which seemed to set the tone for the rest of the month - though the next few days were slightly on the cool side with pleasant but unremarkable highs, the sunshine was plentiful and this translated to cool nights with a few 6s and 7s in the mix. At this stage the models were suggesting another settled spell and that is when it all took off here, surges of heat leading to record breaking temperatures for mid-month were supposed to have been followed by a rapid breakdown which never happened. Thunderstorms hit, but the precipitation didn't. Instead, we got further dryness, sunshine and notable heat right out to month's end - and the breeze was light enough throughout it all to enjoy it. Rated 8.5/10 (nipping 1995's heels).

One final note - luckily my work sometimes brings me to far different counties. Galway today. The difference between here and there is remarkable. Over there - green fields, typical Irish scene. Driving back home, Killimor was the first hints of a change in vegetation. Around Birr another, hit Ballacolla and geez, It was like going into Spain. Unreal.

Had to go to NW Kilkenny (Johnstown - Urlingford) this evening and the boundary between the "those who have had rain, and those who have had none" was even more pronounced.

All of the above sells what makes Ireland an amazing country (despite lack of extremes) to observe the weather and it's effects on our climate.

Of all the Summers I've lived through, this has been up there with the good ones... 2003, 2006, 2013, 2016 (and a notable mention to 2018) but 1995 still is king, by a long long shot.

Overall Summer scores a 19/30 for me right now - before I compile data!!! Lets see if it changes after that! :)

Dazler97 · 03-09-2022 4:44pm

Convection forecast for today

Screenshot_20220903_164256_com.twitter.android.jpg

Gaoth Laidir · 03-09-2022 11:01pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119561770#Comment_119561770

Thanks for that. It's interesting to see just how sunny and dry 1887 was. Conversely, 1912 was a real pig of a summer.

In graphical form

Orion402 · 04-09-2022 10:22am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119567522#Comment_119567522

Judging what happened over a decade ago and the really poor summer and cold winter, I put a volcanic eruption into a google search for 1912 (anyone could have done this) and found a volcanic eruption that surpassed Kratatau in June 1912-

https://www.nps.gov/articles/aps-v11-i1-c2.htm

The intellectual atmosphere is presently too rough and driven by hysterics to take a closer look at short term weather anomalies and geological influences much less human influences. Humanity cannot change the planet's climate no more than a volcanic eruption can, however, there are instances of short term weather conditions displayed in the data.

Graces7 · 04-09-2022 10:54am

For me, the sheer fruit size and abundance of the wild blackberry crop bears simple strong witness to the high quality of the summer.. the blossom was like snow...

The elderberry fared less well as the blossom, being earlier than blackberries, was decimated by high winds.

"By their fruits..." In my many years here this crop is superlative and thanks to a splendid summer.

M.T. Cranium · 04-09-2022 8:37pm

From our contest stats:

MONTH _____ IMT __ MAX __ MIN __ PRC ___ SUN

JUNE _______13.8 __ 23.9 __ 2.1 __ 119% __ 85%

JULY _______ 16.6 __ 33.0 __ 6.4 ___ 51% __ 88%

AUG _______ 16.2 __ 31.7 __ 3.8 ___ 44% __ 153%

_____________________________

The composite result was a summer about 0.9 C above normal values (June only 0.2), with very high extreme MAX of 33.0 (second highest on record), rather high MIN values compared to many other summers, eventually rather dry (all that rain people were complaining about in early June was probably a blessing in disguise) and sunshine that ended up 9% above normal only due to the very bright conditions in August.

These are not quite all-Ireland averages, our IMT is based on five locations in central regions of Ireland, and the PRC on eleven scattered all around the country, while SUN looks at six locations. I would imagine the all-Ireland results were similar however. MAX and MIN are based on all official locations (and for those not familiar with our contest, they are the extreme values for each month).

Marty Bird · 04-09-2022 8:48pm

For me summer was like June and July both really bad in terms of sunshine apart from those few nice days in Aug, no denying it temperature wise it was decent but the lack of proper sunshine really killed it for me.

I’d take 20/22 every day and blue sky and sunshine than 28/30 with grey skies.

And would that incessant wind ever leave us alone.

CruelSummer · 04-09-2022 9:15pm

Summer 2022, absolutely loved it. Dry most days and it was warm. Slow to get going initially but when it did, it sure did. Just shows what a good August can bring to the table. July & August we’re both fantastic for me. Looks like Autumn is arriving quickly now for Sept.

Danno · 22-09-2022 12:15am

Durrow - Summer 2022 Statistics:

Temperature:

Summer Average Daily Maximum: 21.0c (June 18.3c, July 21.3c, August 23.3c)

Maximum Recorded: 32.1c on August 13th - All time station maximum going back to 2010

Coolest Maximum: 12.9c on June 5th

Summer Average Daily Minimum: 10.9c (June 9.8c, July 12.5c, August 10.3c)

Minimum Recorded: 4.3c on June 2nd - Grass Minimum: 0.8c also June 2nd (No air frost or ground frost this Summer)

Warmest Minimum: 16.6c on August 2nd

Rainfall:

Summer Total: 140.1mm (June 104.6mm, July 21.4mm, August 14.1mm)

Wettest Day: 33.6mm June 24th (Thunderstorm)

Wet Days (1mm or more) June - 9, July - 4, August - 3: Total - 16

Rain Days (0.2mm or more) June - 11, July - 9, August - 8: Total - 28

Wind:

Summer Average Speed: 5.2mph - June 6.0mph, July 5.3mph, August 4.4mph

Summer Top Gust: 35mph on June 25th

Dry Spells - Five or more in a Row:

June 11th to June 22nd inclusive (12 Days)

July 4th to July 10th inclusive (7 Days)

July 12th to July 18th inclusive (7 Days)

August 4th to August 13th inclusive (10 Days)

August 24th to August 31st inclusive (8 Days)

Photo: Local GAA field in Durrow taken on 30th August

Photo: Countryside on the northern side of Durrow taken August 31st.

Overall Thoughts:

Summer 2022 was quite a good summer overall that got better as it went along. A few thunderstorms, most of them evening time though. Apart from the late June downpour, it was dry overall especially as the season wore on. Drought conditions were very evident as we closed the season as per photos above. Sunshine was meh to allright, though August was stunning which saved the season in that regard. Heat was notable for August, though a one-day wonder in July we did also get to 30.8c. Nights were mostly comfortable, a few cool ones and an odd sultry one. A good overall summer, good warmth, low rainfall generally, light breezes overall though June was breezy for a time.

Gonzo · 22-09-2022 10:39pm

Spotted this today, this Copernicus EU Sentinel-3 image taken on 12 August 2022 shows the extent of the drought conditions over much of the UK and parts of eastern and southern Irealnd.

Graces7 · 23-09-2022 6:25am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119652903#Comment_119652903

Just horrific.. Thank you

sporina · 27-09-2022 6:26pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119571568#Comment_119571568

where is this?

sporina · 29-09-2022 2:47pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119571568#Comment_119571568

where is this?

sryanbruen · 01-10-2022 1:34pm

Here's a table of where summer 2022 stacks up in the records for various Irish synoptic stations in terms of seasonal mean temperature. Clearly the more north and west you go, the more unremarkable the summer was with southern and eastern regions being warmest (Claremorris being an exception). In the warmest places, 2022 tended to be the 4th or 5th warmest summer. Warmer summers tended to be 1995, 1976, 1983, 2006 and 2018. 1995 is clearly the warmest on record for the nation with most places sharing it as their warmest summer.

Using the data that's come in so far, here's the station maximum temperatures that were set during summer 2022 whether during the July heat spike or August heatwave. *The record history for Oak Park refers to when it became automatic in 2003, the 1983 record was from when the station was manual.

Should be noted that if the Phoenix Park value is disregarded (which is unlikely as it passed provisional QC), the Athy value of 32.4C would also be a new July record for Ireland as the old record was 32.3C in July 2006.

In terms of rainfall, the most remarkable stat was Cork Airport with 126.4mm of rain during summer 2022 which was its 4th driest since 1962. Only 2018, 1995 and 1972 were drier. Dublin Airport had its 6th driest since 1939 with 106.5mm - 1975, 1995, 2018, 2006 and 1959 were drier. All places were drier than average.

01-10-2022 11:16pm

Yes those stats show it was a pretty good summer, all told. Out east particularly.

any stats on sunshine. I feel some people think that wasn’t so great.

sryanbruen · 02-10-2022 7:44pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119690870#Comment_119690870

Problem with sunshine is, our station network for it is very lacking to begin with and a good bit of the data is not public. As uafásach mentioned, the western part of Northern Ireland was notably cloudy and this would likely carry on into Donegal and other northwestern parts. Magilligan in Derry had only 249.5 hours all summer whilst Thomastown in Fermanagh had 308.1 hours. Aldergrove near Belfast had 429.0 hours.

Here's the available sun totals (hours) from the seasonal summaries for recent summers (rounded).

2022 and 2019 tended to be somewhat similar whilst 2018 was definitely the sunniest and 2020 was the cloudiest. 2021 was just here or there.

Summer 2022 - General Discussion

Comments