This summer was the UK’s coolest since 2015, bucking the trend of warm summers seen in recent years, says the Met Office.
The mean daily temperature - the average across 24 hours - was 14.37C which is 0.22C below average, according to provisional Met Office data.
The last time the mean temperature was this low was in 2015, when the summer’s average was 13.91°C.
But the forecaster pointed out that this would still be considered warmer than average if compared with 1961-1990, when the figure was 13.78C.
Met Office Scientist Emily Carlisle said: “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.
With rain, showers and thunderstorms expected to affect the UK at the start of the week, there is less certainty later in the week with a number of scenarios possible.
— Met Office (@metoffice) September 2, 2024
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“Although we had some heatwaves and bursts of hot weather, these were fairly short-lived and conditions across the whole three months were pretty unsettled.
“August was the wettest month of the summer, with some places in Scotland experiencing double their average summer rainfall during the month and Storm Lilian bringing strong winds and heavy rain at the end.”
Rainfall rates for the UK were around average, but with some substantial regional variation, said the Met Office.
Summer 2024 also saw Storm Lilian named on the August 22. Lilian was the 12th storm to be named during the season, and was the furthest through the list the Western European naming group has got since storm naming was introduced in 2015.
Ms Carlisle said: “While this summer may have felt cool compared to recent years, it’s important to note where it sits in a historical context, with the changing climate of the UK increasing the frequency of warmer summers, as can be observed through our observations.
“While climate change increases the frequency of warmer weather in the UK, our natural variability means that we’ll still experience cooler than average summers at times.”
It came as forecasters said the UK is unlikely to “see the return of summer” this year.
London is set to see temperatures in the low 20s throughout the week, with widespread cloud and some patchy rain.
Liam Eslick, meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “There could be quite a bit of change by the time we get to the latter part of the week – so it looks like it’s going to remain unsettled.
“We’re not looking likely that we’ll see the return of summer as it’s now meteorological autumn as we’ve started September.
“We still have got that heat coming off the surface of the Earth, and with that warmer, more humid air coming off the continent as well – it’s not unusual that we see thunderstorms around this sort of time (of year),” he added.
According to the Met Office website, the meteorological seasons divide the year into four periods of three months to make it “easier” to compare seasonal weather statistics.
