[bamford6]

Online forecaster Positive Weather Solutions predicts Britain will have a summer to match or exceed that of 1976 The Met Office may have given up long-range forecasting for the general public after getting its fingers burned by predicting a barbecue summer last year, but one of its rivals is not being so cautious. Positive Weather Solutions is apparently set to predict a sizzling summer this year.

The forecaster reckons it will be a summer to match or even beat 1976, when the country baked in record-breaking temperatures through July and experienced drought conditions until the weather broke in time for the bank holiday at the end of August. Jonathan Powell, the organisation's senior forecaster, told the Daily Mail: "There will be stifling temperatures, making it possibly the warmest UK summer on record and placing it at least in the top three warmest summers recorded." Note the cautious "possibly".

The forecast, to be published tomorrow, apparently suggests June will start fine, followed by rain in the middle of the month, with changeable conditions and heavy rain in time for Wimbledon fortnight. So far, so normal. Mid-July will see a very warm spell, followed by humidity, thunderstorms and flash floods. August will have long spells of sun and heat, but with the usual caveat that it will become showery and changeable nearing September. So probably no blizzards this summer, or plagues of frogs.

[mab]

I'm still waiting for a decent rainfall here - so I'm hoping they're wrong.

m

[bucketman]

getting solar paneles fitted next week hope there right
rob

[hughesy]

It's impossible to forecast the weathe rthat far ahead. All they are doing is using statistical models based on past history. So a load of b*****ks in other words.

[SumatraJohnny]

It's just started raining here in Hampshire. Nicely timed as we've just finished our first cut of silage.

[Sandy]

Wonderful!!!

[Fi]

Funny how when we are set for a scorching summer the British public conveniently forget about the polar icecaps!! 

[doganjo]

I don't believe a word of it.  But I can hope that it is temperate - some sun, soem warmth, some rain - we need all of that

[Juno]

I'll just take everyday as it comes and fail to plan as usual, sometimes its better that way, slightly more spontanious if a little chaotic (just the way i like it) 

[doganjo]

I'll just take everyday as it comes and fail to plan as usual, sometimes its better that way, slightly more spontanious if a little chaotic (just the way i like it) 

What's 'plan'

[lill]

If you watch the forcasts on STV and BBC1 they always contradict each other, I go by nature for the forcast.

[goosepimple]

call me selfish (watchit), but we had 6 months of snow TWICE these past winters and I will take every bit of sun there is before the next lot arrives here in polar ice capped Scotland.

[mab]

Funny how when we are set for a scorching summer the British public conveniently forget about the polar icecaps!!  Huh?

call me selfish (watchit), but we had 6 months of snow TWICE these past winters and I will take every bit of sun there is before the next lot arrives here in polar ice capped Scotland.

Well, ironically our last two cold winters were cold because our normal warm wet weather was going north to greenland & the arctic, and we were getting their cold weather - bad news for the icecap.

if the same logic holds true for the summer then maybe our 'sizzling' summer will be good news for the icecap? 

I still want some rain though!   

m

[ambriel]

Funny how when we are set for a scorching summer the British public conveniently forget about the polar icecaps!! 

And don't forget those of us that live at sea level..

We've had some very nice weather recently but now we're having some very welcome rain. It would be nice to have a good summer though. Proper seasons.

[SallyintNorth]

Well I've been in "t'North" 4-and-a-half years now.  It's only because it was a great summer when we bought the farm that I know there can be summers up here...

We visited the farm 9 times over the 4 months it took to buy it.  Brilliant summer sun every time.  We moved in on Oct 16th 2006 and it rained from that lunchtime until February. 

Fabulous spring the first spring, lambing was a breeze, warm weather no rain plenty sun plenty grass.  On June 12th a quarter of a million tonnes of water fell on our farm and that rain didn't stop until end August - and then only briefly.  Next two springs and summers were wet.  The backends and winters were wet too.

2009 & 2010 the winters brought snow such as hadn't been seen in these parts for decades.  But snow always used to 'blow' in previous times, thankfully the recent snows lay quietly. 

2010 was finally a dryish spring and summer.  But cold.  The spring grass never grew, ewes had no milk, lambs cold and hungry, coccidiosis hit.  Never had a t-shirt day all that year, only one day stooking hay when the work warmed you enough to take the long sleeves off. 

Winter 2010 came a month early.  Everything carried on being a month early.  More grass end March than we'd had by end May the previous year.  Now we're back in winter having had some summer in April. 

I think you are right, hughesy.  They 'forecast' on the basis of probability.  Since the patterns have been random for the last 5 years, I forecast a fifth year when all the weather forecasts are wrong and we have to use our own judgement and local weather-sense to decide when to cut the grass for hay.