Indeed. I'd also say that the weekend just gone and a few other unsettled interludes aside, IMO this summer has been generally more settled than last year, which wasn't really that notable aside from the fortnight long heatwave last July.
Originally Posted by: Phil 2804
Can't agree with that for my part of the country. Last summer was vastly superior - much sunnier and more settled with only a wet spell in late July and late August. It was the best summer since 2003 by a wide margin. Other than July, which was warm and sunny but not that settled, this summer has been terrible especially at the weekends which have been as bad as 2007/2012. The last dry one was 31st May/1st June
There has not been a 7 day dry spell here this year which is without precedent. Depressingly, I've had just two dry days since 30th July and the outlook is shocking with some rain possible every day for the foreseeable. I've already had almost 20% more rain than the whole monthly average and with the rain that fell in Moray this is heading to be one of the wettest Augusts, if not the wettest August, on record in NE Scotland. Another hideous foul summer month in what is almost certainly going to turn out to be yet another wetter and duller than average summer.
It does look as though for once the weekend is going to see the best weather in the current outlook, though still not great this http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/Rtavn961.gif should be reasonable for NE Scotland.
Only the briefest of respites though as things turn worse again next week. This is just disgusting httpp://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/Rtavn1921.gif A horrible north easterly flow there 
2014 is truly up there as one of the most awful years ever. We've endured the 2nd wettest January since 1856, the most cyclonic February and indeed most cyclonic month since at least 1862, the dullest May for over 20 years, the 7th dullest June since 1881 and now an August that almost certainly will finish in the top 10 wettest since 1856. To get so many top 10 awful months in a short space of time, with records dating back well over 100 years, is just incredulous
Originally Posted by: richardabdn
I can only assume you weren't born and raised in the NE of Scotland. Although I live in the south of England I spent 3 weeks in July and the first 10 days of August in Aberdeenshire and everyone of my family and friends have commented on what a lovely summer its been in Aberdeenshire, and I can echo their sentiments, no scorching classic in the 1991, 1995, 2003 or 2006 sense but a very nice summer and hardly any outright wet days, you will always get convection in the NE in summer the geography of the region especially favours it and certainly in the areas around Inverurie, Oldmeldrum, Turriff and Huntly, the upshot of that is these are the areas that usually get the best of any thunderstorms.
A quick glance at Weather Online has shown me 16 days where Aberdeen airport got into the 20s during July, given the average for the month is around 18c that's not a bad summer at all, in fact its the same number of occassions as July 2013, July 2003, and six more than July 1995, July 2006 holds the record though as all but a few days saw the temperature exceed 20c and of course we had the record heatwave that month too, where Aberdeen broke its record set during August 1995. While it appears Bertha has ruined the summer for all of us, the rain last Sunday was nothing spectacular, let me cast your mind back to September 1995 when Aberdeen Airport recorded 9 inches of rain in 72 hours as a thundery low got stuck over the region. That without question is the wettest weekend I can ever remember in my life.
As for the winter while very wet and windy, my Dad turned 65 this year and cannot in all his 65 years recall a winter with virtually no snow and little frost in the region, in fact such has been the weather his tomatoes were about a month ahead of usual this year and many local farmers had all the winter barley in before the end of July, again almost unheard off.
Originally Posted by: David M Porter