Hotter, drier summer forecast
April 30, 2009 by wfr.editor
Filed under Climate Change
Well, maybe it won't be THAT dry!
A hotter and drier than average summer is expected this year, according to the Met Office seasonal forecast. Ewen McCallum, Met Office chief forecaster, said: “The last two summers were wet for many but featured near-average temperatures. This summer’s forecast predicts a change, with below average rainfall and above average temperatures. We expect a trend of warmer summers in the decades ahead because of climate change.”
RAINFALL
“For the UK and much of northern Europe rainfall is likely to be near or below average. A repeat of the wet summers of 2007 and 2008 is unlikely. Average or below-average rainfall is also likely over eastern Europe.
We base our average rainfall on measurements over the whole season for the years 1971-2000. The UK average for June to August is 227 mm.”
TEMPERATURE
“For the UK and much of Europe temperatures are likely to be above average. As you would expect, temperatures can vary quite widely over the summer. So we take an average for the whole season and measure against that. The UK average for June to August from 1971–2000 is 14.1 °C.”
