Summer drier and hotter than average, Met Office suggests

THIS summer will be hotter and drier than the average, according to Met Office forecasts.

According to its three-month outlook for June to August, Britain is “moderately” likely to enjoy warmer and drier than average conditions.

However, families may want to hold off before splashing out on barbecues and garden furniture as there could still be daily and weekly changes throughout the period, the forecasting service said.

This forecast is based on information from observations, several numerical models and expert judgment.

But in 2009, the Met Office was left red-faced after it predicted a “barbecue summer” that turned out to be a washout. There were 42 days with rain in the UK during the summer, very similar to the rain-days in the summers of 2008 and 2007.

It was the wettest July on record since the series began in 1914, with twice the average levels of rain.

Millions of holidaymakers were furious as they had opted to stay in Britain due to an optimistic forecast, only to be subjected to heavy rain that flooded campsites and holiday parks.

In 2014, the Met Office told councils and agencies to expect “drier than usual” winter but it turned out to be the wettest since records began.

Jeff Knight, manager of modelling of climate variability at the Met Office, said: “Our long-term outlook for the summer suggests a greater chance that temperatures will be above average, than below average. But our outlook certainly doesn’t imply a heatwave. There are likely to be large day-to-day and week-to-week variations.”