Summer Is, Er, Warm And Dry

Expert view: What a scorcher

- Matthew Young

SUMMER might feel like a washout but experts say it has actually been warmer and drier than average.

Met Office meteorologists say the heavy rain and flooding have made people forget the long hot periods.

Becky Mitchell of the Met Office explained: “We’ve seen a lot of reports on the news about the flooding. That’s why it may feel like a bad summer.”

She said the only exception has been the South East of England, which has already had 111% of its average rainfall for the summer. Ms Mitchell added:

“There was a heatwave during the middle part of July. The end of that heatwave triggered a lot of thunderstorms and heavy and intense rain, which is what brought some of those flooding incidents across parts of the South East.”