September 2026 Commentary

After experiencing the hottest summer on record, September represented a gradual cooling-off rather than an abrupt change to autumnal weather.

The first week was warm after which there was a short period with some cooler day-time temperatures but the remainder of the month had many very pleasant sunny days while night-time temperatures never dropped below 10C.

August had ended on a fairly wet note but September had only one very wet day on the 7th while the remainder of the month had several days with relatively small amounts which were quite welcome and really quite useful.

The average temperature for September was 17.4C which is well above the average over the last ten years, only below the 18.2C average in 2023. The total rainfall for the month was 52.4mm. (just 2 inches) which is only half the average of the last decade, though we did have two very wet Septembers in 2019 and 2024.

The rain at the end of August and the small amounts throughout September turned most people's gardens and the surrounding fields to a respectable shade of green but so far there has been little sign of the muddy paths that dog-walkers expect to regularly experience over the coming winter.

Philip Spray