Dr Phil Smith According to the Met. Office, November was warmer, wetter and sunnier than normal. England had about 49% more rain than the average, tying in remarkably well with Rachael Parks data from her Formby garden. She measured 140.5 mm, of rainfall, which is roughly 48% more than the long-term average for the district.…

Dr Phil Smith This month was the 3rd dullest October on record and, although slightly warmer than average, it was relatively dry for a month that is normally one of the wettest. Rachael Parks recorded 82 mm of rain, which is about 20% lower than expected. Most notable were a named storm (Amy) on 3rd…

Dr Phil Smith According to the Met. Office, following on from a record dry summer, September was a wet month in the UK with rainfall in Sefton being about 50% above normal. This fits rather well with Rachael Parks daily measurement of precipitation in her Formby garden. She recorded 129 mm which is about 60%…

Dr Phil Smith The almost unprecedented summer drought continued throughout August, Formby receiving only 13mm of rainfall, about 20% of the expected amount. The Met. Office reported the warmest summer on record, beating even the scorcher of 1976. They pointed to high contrasts nationally, with a named storm, heatwaves and drought, all consistent with a…

Dr Phil Smith After the much-needed rain in June, dry weather returned, Rachael Park’s Formby rain-gauge showing only about 30% of the July norm. The Met. Office tells us it was the fifth warmest July since 1884, with rainfall below average throughout the Northwest of England. So far this year, only June has seen above…

Thankfully, the longest spring drought in living memory came to an end in June, with Formby experiencing 17 rain-days, giving a rainfall total of about 112mm at Rachael Park’s rain-gauge. This is around 40% more than the average for the month. It was the warmest June on record in England, though we largely escaped the…