The hot, dry weather at the end of June carried on into July, as the maximum temperature reached or exceeded 80F three times during the first five days. The temperature didn't fall below 68F on the night of the 2nd/3rd, the warmest night of the month and possibly of the year, but from the 8th onwards the weather began to slowly deteriorate. First of all it became cooler. The 10th had sunny spells and showers, but a belt of rain crossed the UK on the 11th along with strong gusts of wind. The 13th and 14th were both fine and sunny, but the weather was cool and unsettled for the following three days. A further depression brought widespread heavy rain on the morning of the 18th locally, and across England and Wales between the 17th and 19th. The temperature didn't exceed 59F at all on the 18th, the lowest all month.
As the low pressure system began to move away that was responsible for the unsettled weather, an anticyclone began to take it's place. There was another short, hot spell between the 26th and the 29th but the nights of the 28th/29th and 29th/30th were uncomfortable, as they didn't, at any time, fall below 64F and 66F respectively.
This was the driest July recorded since 1995 (Marginally beating 1999 - by 2 millimetres) and in fact rainfall amounts were half of what is expected for the month. No rain fell at all during the first seven days and the final ten. Both day and night-time temperatures were in excess of the average overall, yet 70F was not reached at any point between the 11th and the 21st. As the month began and ended warm, this made up for the mid-month cool spell.
Kevin Phillips - 4.10pm - Friday 3rd August 2001.
