Summer 2024, SE England - why has it been so poor?

[WindyCommon]

I can’t recall a summer as poor as this. Never have I seen so many club cricket matches lost to rain. Great weather for groundsmen and greenkeepers; just depressing for the rest of us. I can only recall a couple of properly warm evenings. We haven’t even bothered to get our patio furniture cushions out.

Yes, just a pointless rant but I’m truly sick of it. 12degC and pouring down here again this evening.

What - in meteorological terms - is causing this? What pattern shift needs to happen for summer to start properly? No climate change stuff please, I’m looking for a more granular explanation.

[B'stard Child]

WindyCommon said:

I can’t recall a summer as poor as this. Never have I seen so many club cricket matches lost to rain. Great weather for groundsmen and greenkeepers; just depressing for the rest of us. I can only recall a couple of properly warm evenings. We haven’t even bothered to get our patio furniture cushions out.

Yes, just a pointless rant but I’m truly sick of it. 12degC and pouring down here again this evening.

What - in meteorological terms - is causing this? What pattern shift needs to happen for summer to start properly? No climate change stuff please, I’m looking for a more granular explanation.

Position of the jet stream

Borrowed text cos I couldn't find the pictures I was looking for

If the polar front jet is situated significantly to the south of the UK we will experience colder than average weather.

If the polar front jet is situated to the north of the UK we will experience warmer than average weather.

If the polar front jet is situated over the UK we will experience wetter and windier than average weather.

If the polar front jet has a large amplification then cold air will travel further south than average and warm air will travel further north than average.

The direction and angle of the jet stream arriving at the UK will determine what source of air (i.e. cold, dry, warm, wet, from maritime or continental sources) the UK experiences.

[Boringvolvodriver]

B'stard Child said:

WindyCommon said:

I can’t recall a summer as poor as this. Never have I seen so many club cricket matches lost to rain. Great weather for groundsmen and greenkeepers; just depressing for the rest of us. I can only recall a couple of properly warm evenings. We haven’t even bothered to get our patio furniture cushions out.

Yes, just a pointless rant but I’m truly sick of it. 12degC and pouring down here again this evening.

What - in meteorological terms - is causing this? What pattern shift needs to happen for summer to start properly? No climate change stuff please, I’m looking for a more granular explanation.

Position of the jet stream

Borrowed text cos I couldn't find the pictures I was looking for

If the polar front jet is situated significantly to the south of the UK we will experience colder than average weather.

If the polar front jet is situated to the north of the UK we will experience warmer than average weather.

If the polar front jet is situated over the UK we will experience wetter and windier than average weather.

If the polar front jet has a large amplification then cold air will travel further south than average and warm air will travel further north than average.

The direction and angle of the jet stream arriving at the UK will determine what source of air (i.e. cold, dry, warm, wet, from maritime or continental sources) the UK experiences.

It’s a genuine question because I don’t know the answer - what influences the direction of the jet stream?

I know that in the last the weather people will say that either the hot weather or wet is down to the jet stream as above but I may have missed why it is in the position it is.

[B'stard Child]

Boringvolvodriver said:

It’s a genuine question because I don’t know the answer - what influences the direction of the jet stream?

I know that in the last the weather people will say that either the hot weather or wet is down to the jet stream as above but I may have missed why it is in the position it is.

Weather below us drives jet stream movements

https://www.westweather.co.uk/jetstream#

Click on the > to see what is predicted

Precis - it's sticking to a sitting on top of the UK so expect a st summer