The Met Office’s latest announcement is about to cast a gloom over sun-seekers as 2024 tallies up as the most disappointingly cool summer in nearly ten years.
The weather officials revealed that this year’s tepid temperatures have rivalled the chill of 2015, leaving Brits branding the sunnier months a major disappointment.
Washed-out festivals like Leeds, Reading and Creamfields were battered by terrifying storms and torrential rains – leading to crushed hopes of balmy leisure and fun in the sun.
The Met Office declared on social media: “The UK has had its coolest summer since 2015, according to provisional Met Office statistics.”
People weren’t surprised by the announcement and took to X (formerly Twitter) to share their thoughts. One responded with palpable sarcasm, commenting: “Anyone who stepped outside could tell you this!!”
Another disgruntled user lamented: “explains why it was the s***test summer.” A third vented: “Translation: it’s been a s***e Summer.”
Some even say the weather is bound to make them flee the country in future years. A X user said: “Scientific proof I need to retire somewhere else.”
Thankfully, not everyone is disappointed. This is mainly because they’ve been able to sleep soundly without getting too sweaty.
One person said: “I don’t know about y’all but this summer was INCREDIBLE I only struggled to fall asleep once.”
According to data from the Met Office, the average temperature in the UK this summer was 14.37C, just 0.22C below the long-term average. They also noted: “Rainfall for the UK was 5% less than average. However, there was substantial regional variation, with Scotland particularly wet and England particularly dry.”
Emily Carlisle, a scientist at the Met Office, commented: “I don’t think it will surprise anyone that this summer has been cooler than average for the UK. Mean temperatures in both June and July were below average, with temperatures in August only slightly above. This was largely due to northerly winds bringing cold Arctic air to the UK in June and July, while August saw an increase in westerly winds bringing slightly warmer Atlantic air.”