For most of inland Britain, July is, on average, the warmest month of the year.  In 2006 prolonged heat waves resulted in almost tropical average daytime temperatures of up to 28°C (82°F). In contrast to the last decades of the 20^th Century, a feature of more recent July’s is a tendency for much wetter weather. July 2009 was to continue this trend…

     July started as June had ended - hot and sultry. Temperatures across central and south east England reached 30°C or more e.g. Heathrow 30.9°C (89°F) on the 1^st. In the north and west, with the high temperatures came severe thunderstorms. A violent ‘early hour’ storm roused residents in Merseyside and Lancashire on the 1^st with many houses in Southport and Blackpool struck by lightning. During the afternoon more thunderstorms developed from Manchester across the Pennines to Northumberland. Copley, Durham, recorded 90mm of rain, including 53mm in just 40 minutes! Severe electrical storms also affected Cornwall during the evening and overnight into the 2^nd, and - as the hot weather started to wane - another belt of thunderstorms and locally heavy rain affected eastern and northern England on the 3^rd. The ‘BBQ summer’ had come to an end - no temperatures above 27°C (81°F) were reported during the rest of July. Instead, a sequence of depressions from the Atlantic tracked across the west and north of the UK before stagnating over southern Norway. The first such low brought heavy showers and some longer spells of rain between the 5^th and 9^th. There were flash floods in West Yorkshire on the 6^th (30mm of rain fell in an hour at Castleford) and Tyneside. During widespread thunderstorms across the Midlands and south-east England on the 7^th, hail carpeted Buckingham Palace lawns, and flash floods swamped roads in Brighton and Hastings. 

     The 10^th marked a brief respite from the rain although north-westerly winds meant it was much cooler than in previous days - and there were even some local ground frosts in the north. Unsettled and wet weather returned on the 11^th with a band of rain showers extending slowly north-eastwards the result of two low pressure systems located across the north and west of the UK. On the 16^th, a new depression began to develop across Biscay and move towards southern England, ominously reminiscent of the scenario that heralded the floods of late June and mid July 2007. A prolonged deluge duly affected south-west England, southern counties of Wales and north-east England. 94mm of rain was recorded in 24 hours at Cardinham, Cornwall, and 101mm in 37 hours at Copley in Co Durham. The River Wear overflowed, flooding parts of Durham city centre and causing residents of Rothbury and Morpeth, Northumberland, to be evacuated for the second time within a year. Thunderstorms also affected many parts of southern England and East Anglia into the evening and overnight. On the 17^th marble sized hail pelted Swaffham, Norfolk. 

    After a brighter, albeit still showery interlude from the 18^th to the 20^th, a secondary depression tracked eastwards into western parts of the British Isles and then moved north-eastwards between the 21^st and 24^th. Heavy showers and thunderstorms occurred widely on the 23^rd and the 24^th. Deep low pressure approaching western Scotland on the 25^th pushed bands of rain and heavy showers eastwards on the 26^th and 27^th and a tornado at Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis damaged several cars and ripped slates and ironwork from roofs. Further south, Bolton, Greater Manchester, was also buffeted by a tornado which uprooted trees and reportedly bent a steel girder. A small depression brought more heavy rain to western areas on the 28^th and the 29^th. 73mm was recorded in 48 hours on the Isles of Scilly and 52mm in 12 hours at Liscombe, Somerset. Two campsites in Cumbria had to be evacuated in response to rapidly rising river levels. As low pressure cleared into the North Sea, another very showery day with widespread hail and thunder followed on 30^th with reports of hail ruining oil seed rape crops in North Norfolk. By the end of the 31^st yet more rainy weather had reached western areas.

     July 2009 was exceptionally wet. The UK as a whole received twice its normal rainfall, England and Wales two and a half times (rivalling July 2007 as the wettest in the past 70 years) and parts of the West country and north-east England four times. Not surprisingly, south-western England was dull although elsewhere sunshine totals were not so far from the average. Lightning damage was reported on at least 12 separate days during the month.

     In mainland Europe, violent storms on the 23^rd killed seven people in Poland, two in the Czech Republic, and one in Germany. High winds toppled trees and downed power lines and in the Czech Republic, leaving approximately 150,000 residences without electricity. Blistering heat scorched southern parts of Spain and Italy in the last week with 45°C (113°F) recorded in Sicily on the 25^th. Further afield, snow ploughs removed 5cm of dime-sized hail that fell during storms overnight 7^th-8^th at Yonkers, New York. In Hopkinton, a super-cell - the highest category thunderstorm - produced golf-ball sized hail and 80 mph winds! A heat wave in the U.S. Pacific Northwest during the last week in July produced record temperatures. Seattle International Airport reached 39°C (102°F) on the 29^th - breaking a 118-year record. Heavy rain, floods and landslides in south-western China 1^st-4^th destroyed homes, damaged crops and roads, and caused rivers to overflow. As a result, approximately 700,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes.

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