The UK has had its worst summer for almost a decade – while parts of Scotland have experienced almost double the normal rainfall for this time of year. 

Provisional figures from the Met Office show that it has been the coolest summer since 2015, with temperatures 0.22°C below the average across mainland Britain. 

However, in Scotland the mercury was down 0.40°C on average during the summer months, colder than anywhere else except Northern Ireland.  

North of the border was also “particularly wet”, with 373.8mm of rainfall across the summer months  - almost 20 per cent more than average.  

This was concentrated in the west, with the end of the summer seeing the worst of the weather.  

Scotland saw one-and-a-half times its average August rainfall (162%), while some areas of Scotland - including Glasgow, Renfrewshire, and Ayrshire and Arran - provisionally recorded more than double the average rainfall for the month. 

Storm Lilian arrived in August, brining wind and rain (stock pic)Storm Lilian arrived in August, brining wind and rain (stock pic) (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

The bad weather was down to weather conditions far to the north and out across the Atlantic having a knock-on effect to the British summer.  

Met Office Scientist Emily Carlisle said: “I don’t think it will surprise anyone that this summer has been cooler than average for the UK. Mean temperatures in both June and July were below average, with temperatures in August only slightly above.  

“This was largely due to northerly winds bringing cold Arctic air to the UK in June and July, while August saw an increase in westerly winds bringing slightly warmer Atlantic air. 

“Although we had some heatwaves and bursts of hot weather, these were fairly short-lived and conditions across the whole three months were pretty unsettled.” 

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Summer 2024 also saw Storm Lilian named on the 22 August. Lilian was the 12th storm to be named this storm season, and is the furthest through the list the Western European naming group has got since storm naming was introduced in 2015. 

Ms Carlisle added: “August was the wettest month of the summer, with some places in Scotland experiencing double their average summer rainfall during the month and Storm Lilian bringing strong winds and heavy rain at the end.” 

There ware fewer sunny days to enjoy than other years (stock pic) There ware fewer sunny days to enjoy than other years (stock pic) (Image: NQ)

However, despite the summer slump in temperatures and lashings of rain, forecasters say that temperatures are still increasing inline with global warming predictions.  

Summer 2024’s average mean temperature of 14.37°C for the UK is considered ‘cooler’ when compared to the 1991-2020 current meteorological average of 14.59°C.  

But 14.37°C would be considered ‘warmer’ than average if compared to the 1961-1990 meteorological averaging period, where the average mean temperature was 13.78°C. 

Ms Carlisle explained: “While this summer may have felt cool compared to recent years, it’s important to note where it sits in a historical context, with the changing climate of the UK increasing the frequency of warmer summers, as can be observed through our observations.  

“While climate change increases the frequency of warmer weather in the UK, our natural variability means that we’ll still experience cooler than average summers at times.”