Summer 2020:
The summer of 2020 was the 12th wettest in 139 years of data for Bristol
with a total of 311.3 mm when the long term average is 201.9 mm.
It was also the 17th warmest summer in 130 years of data. At 17.8°C it was
1.3C above the long term average of 16.5°C.
August 2020:
It was a wet and warm August with several highs
and lows. With 126.1 mm of rain it was the wettest August since 176.6 mm in
2014.
It was the warmest August with an average temperature of 18.9°C since 19.3°C
in 2004. The warmest August on record was 21.3°C in 1995.
The average minimum temperature of 15.0°C is the highest since 17.1°C was
recorded in August 1997 making 2020 the 5th warmest average minimum
temperature for the month since records began in 1893.
The maximum average temperature of 22.9°C was the highest since 24.2°C was
recorded in 2004. The highest for the month of August was 26.7°C in 1995.
The 24 hour maximum rainfall of 39.8 mm on the 27th was the highest for the
month since 56.1mm was recorded on 11th August 2004.
The average wind speed on 25th of August of 15.2 mph was the windiest day
recorded for August since this data started in 2005.
The maximum wind gust of 44 mph also on the 25th was the highest gust of any
for an August day since records began at this site in 1995.
The minimum solar radiation of 1.94 Langley’s recorded on the 15th was the
lowest for any August day from data starting in 2005.
The high daily maximum temperature of 34.7°C on the 12th was 2nd highest for
the month after 36.0°C was recorded in 2003 on the 9th of August. This data
started in 1937.
The highest daily minimum of 20.2°C on the 13th was the highest since 21.8°C
in 1997 which was thye highest since the data began in 1960.
The high average daily temperature of 27.3°C on the 12th was the highest
recorded at this site starting in 1993.
The
2019 Annual summary is here:
http://www.bristolweather.org/weather2019annual.htm
For the full monthly summary please go here:
http://www.bristolweather.org/weather2020August.htm
The
Meteorological site is situated in an urban housing area approximately one
mile to the south of the Centre of Bristol.
This area is in a district called Totterdown.
Statistical correlations with the Bristol
Meteorological Office site, that was
less than two miles to the North and was
situated on top of a City Centre office block, were generally good with
rainfall and barometric data particularly close.
The site of the station is approximately 34 metres above sea level with the
manual instruments mounted in a Stevenson screen. The screen is sited
centrally in a small concreted garden area. A Snowdon
rain gauge is mounted correctly in the ground but does not have the full open
space required around it. A Davis
Vantage Pro2 Plus automatic weather station (AWS) was
added in May 2005 and this is mounted 4 feet above a concrete shelter. The
wind data is gathered automatically from a Davis Vantage Pro2 Plus anemometer which is
sited 3.3 metres (10 feet) above the house top.
Manual observations are still taken at approximately 09:00 hours GMT every
day for rainfall and cloud cover. Rainfall manually recorded in the Snowdon rain gauge is entered for the previous day. The
wind data is constantly logged and automatically reset at 24:00 hours GMT
every day (in the summer BST -1 hour. The Davis rainfall tipping bucket was recalibrated in November 2005 and is now
consistently under 3% under recording (an improvement from installation in
May 2005 when 10% was more
typically the norm).
Since the arrival of the Davis
Vantage Pro2 Plus equipment in May 2005 temperatures, humidity and barometric
pressure are recorded from the new equipment. These figures will be more
accurate and will be taken at exactly 09:00 GMT (in the summer BST -1 hour)
as the data is now logged to a computer.
By default the Davis
equipment records every parameter for the 24 hour period 00:00 to 23:59 BST
or GMT. Data analysis will enable manual data extraction of temperatures and
rainfall to 09:00 GMT (adjusted in the summer). Due to the 0.2 mm (tipping
bucket) measurements of precipitation recorded by the Davis equipment the
Snowdon rain gauge will still be used due to its greater accuracy (see
above).