As I recall I mentioned here a few years ago, by early July the course of our summer can often be set. A warm settled June can cause water temperatures locally around the coast to have risen above normal and the weather pattern gets set into what we weather buffs like to call a classic ‘blocked’ set up; when Azores high pressure lies to the north of its usual position, extending well to the north east across the United Kingdom, with gentle south easterly winds pulling up some very warm air up from the heart of the sun baked European continent.

Conversely, we may have found that the unsettled weather we associate with a mobile Atlantic has not let up on us through June, bringing a regular supply of depressions, albeit weak ones -or sometimes not so weak- to the northern and western parts of the British Isles.

Whilst these patterns are a regular feature of our weather across our maritime islands we should never be lulled into a sense of security that we really know what to expect from our summers on a year by year basis. For instance, this year looks different again, in that with high pressure way too far for its own good to the north recently (who wants the east of Iceland getting all that sunshine?!), cold pools of upper air have been dragged south east from Greenland rather that being taken away north east towards Iceland and northern Norway as the high pressure has blocked their progress east so so they have sat near to or across the UK instead; under such cold pools low pressure tends to form and then just remain in situ, producing a lot of showery cloudy weather across us. Whilst Climate change experts tell us we can expect different weather patterns in the future here in the UK, as we experience the effects of global warming we need also recall that other patterns that produce unusual weather such as this have not simply vanished. They may become quite dominant too at times for a short period, as seems to the case recently and indeed in June and July 2007, when we experienced some very wet weather.  

So whilst it is difficult to know quite how to cope with such variability we do need to accept that nothing is set in stone in the weather field. It is what makes the UK's weather some of the most challenging for forecasts to predict. However whilst it is wet here it's not the case everywhere at the moment. For instance Eastern and central Europe has been experiencing very hot weather recently and across Iberia it has also become very warm and still quite dry for most, after a short lived period of flooding along the eastern coastal fringe in May. This didnt replenish most aquifers though inland. 

So if you are travelling south for a holiday period try and be aware of how those in water impoverished countries take care of their own water supplies. They are encouraged to have quick showers rather than baths; use water sparingly and recycle it where possible, do not leave it running, accept that large areas of green grass are simply not feasible all summer long and utlise garden sprinklers carefully. And then be thankful when you arrive back home to our green and pleasant land. It's what the Spaniards come over her to marvel at you know!