Hot summer? Friday frazzle? YOU SHOWER!

Forecasters admit: We were wrong on scorcher

THE Met Office blundered when it predicted a hot summer, it has admitted.

And it now says it will be the coldest for five years!

The forecasters predict a wet and cool August lies ahead – a far cry from their earlier claims that the country would enjoy scorching weather.

It is a repeat of 2009’s “BBQ summer” controversy, when the Met Office predicted a great summer but it was a washout.

The Government’s official weathermen had backed this summer to be warmer and drier than average.

But they admit their forecast has not been correct so far, with cooler and wetter than average weather in June and July.

The Met Office forecast for this summer, released on May 21, had said: “For June-August, above-average temperatures are more likely than below average. Below-average precipitation is slightly more likely than above-average.”

The forecast also said muchhotter than normal average temperatures across summer were 10 times more likely than much-cooler ones.

But summer’s average UK temperature in June and July was 14C, set to be the coolest first two months of summer since 2015, Met Office figures show. And UK rainfall is up 20% across June and July so far, at a huge 169mm.

Beaches yesterday were empty as rain engulfed them, with further showers and strong winds predicted over the next week and below average highs of only around 22C until Friday.

But a 30C, 48-hour ‘“French frazzle” is on the cards to finish off July. The two-day sizzle come over from France could bring temperatures that top 30C, making Friday the hottest day of July – but also bringing thunderstorms.

Experts said there are “clear parallels” with 2009, when the Met Office predicted a hot and dry summer before one of the wettest for a century.

Former BBC and Met Office forecaster John Hammond of Weathertrending said multiple forecasters had got summer’s forecast wrong.

He said: “Bullish projections of a dry and warm summer from some meteorological centres are dissolving away.”

Met Office forecaster Grahame Madge said: “We forecast there would probably be above-average temperatures over summer. But June and July have not been as the forecast this described. We’re not prepared to say the forecast was wrong yet as there are still five weeks of summer.”

But he added: “It would take a significant warm spell to bring summer’s temperatures up from below average.

“And August doesn’t look that great either”