So, how bad is this summer?

The summer is about two thirds over and there are two schools of thought as to how it is progressing. Some think it is very pleasant with good growing weather. Others think it is cool and wet. Statistics point towards the latter claim....but with reservations! It has been said many times that the manipulation of numbers can often produce the results you want to see and the following figures come with the same caveat. By using a ranking system from 1 to 112, with 1 being the warmest or driest since 1900 and 112 being the coolest or wettest since 1900, comparisons can be made. For example, June and July 1976 were both warm and dry. Using equal weighting, June 1976 produce 1+6=7 and July gave 8+16=24. The total therefore was 31. By way of contrast, the June and July of 1987 were both very poor and produced 86+86=172 for June and 56+92=148 for July, a 2-month total of 320. So far, the numbers for June are 67+94=161 and for July 90+59=149, a total of 310. It can be seen that using basic comparisons of temperature and rainfall, the first 2 months of this summer are up there with the worst of them! Let's hope that August 2011 is less forgettable than the early months of summer.