Diary of Highlights

1st to 6th
It was very unsettled with low pressure covering the UK for the first five days of the month.

There were showers or longer spells of rain and some of these were heavy with scattered thunderstorms.

Temperatures were generally near or a little below average, but it became locally warm in any sunnier breaks in the east and southeast.

On the 6th, low pressure moved to the north-west for a time and allowed some warmer weather to edge into central and south-east England for a time. The temperature reached 27.5 °C at Faversham (Kent) on the 6th.

However, later in the day, these higher temperatures helped to spark off a few heavy thunderstorms across the far south-east.

7th to 11th
Low pressure to the north-west brought generally south-westerly winds, with rain or showers at times, some heavy and thundery.

Heavy thunderstorms on the 7th gave some torrential rain across East Anglia, with Marham (Norfolk) recording 15.2 mm in the hour ending 22:00 UTC, and reports of a tornado at Lakenheath.

12th to 14th
With low pressure over the UK, England had some very unsettled days with showers or longer spells of rain.

It was windy too with gusts to 50 or 60 m.p.h. in some exposed southern areas. Temperatures were generally below the seasonal average.

15th to 16th
Higher pressure brought much drier conditions, especially to eastern England where there was some pleasant sunshine. However, by the end of the 16th, heavy rain was spreading back into the west.

17th to 23rd
Low pressure returned, with very unsettled and at times windy conditions.

There were rain or showers, and many of the showers were heavy with thunder, especially for northern and eastern England. Showers became less frequent from the west on the 22nd.

A ridge of high pressure brought drier and sunnier conditions on the 23rd after a very chilly night for August.

Temperatures fell to 4.8 °C at Fontmell Magna (Dorset), but rose to near average values in most places in sunshine during the day.

Cloud and rain spread to many western areas later.

24th to 25th
Low pressure near Iceland with westerly winds.

Weather fronts moving east brought outbreaks of rain, but these were generally lighter than on recent days and eventually brought in warmer and more humid conditions.

26th to 31st
High pressure to the south brought mostly dry conditions. However, with high humidity and westerly winds, it was generally very cloudy or dull with disappointing daytime temperatures and very mild nights.

Some cloud breaks did develop in the south on the 30th and it became locally warm by day, with Kew Gardens (London) recording a temperature of 26.9 °C.

A return to unsettled conditions on the 31st, but not before sunshine brought a hot day to parts of East Anglia with temperatures reaching 26.2 °C at Wattisham (Suffolk).

However, thundery rain spread north-eastwards with some torrential downpours across parts of London and Norfolk during the afternoon and evening, with Hampstead (London) recording 35.2 mm.

It turned cooler from the west in the rain.