From Met Office

Despite a mixture of weather across the UK, two warm spells around the 9th and 13th of the month have helped boost temperatures, with this September on track to be the second or third warmest for the UK since records began in 1910. Provisional stats up until 27 September show the mean temperature as 14.8C behind 2006 (15.2C) and currently ahead of 1949 (14.6C).

The first month of autumn started on an unsettled note, but then a southerly airflow bringing warm air from the continent allowed temperatures to climb. This led to the warmest day of the year on the 13th when 34.4C was recorded at Gravesend in Kent. It’s quite unusual to see temperatures this high so late in the year. The last time the hottest day of the year was recorded in September was in 1954 with 30.0C recorded at Regents Park, London on the first day of the month. However, we have to go back to 19 September 1926 to find a temperature above 30C that late in the month (31.7C Heathrow, London).

The images below show that mean temperatures were 1.5-2.5C above the 30-year average across many parts of the UK using data up until 27 September, but that eastern parts were almost 3C above average. Sunshine hours echoed this pattern with amounts above average in eastern parts. Skies were cloudier in the west, but sunshine hours were still not far off average.

September 1-27 2016	Maximum temperature		Minimum temperature		Mean temperature
	Actual deg C	Anm	Actual deg C	Anm	Actual deg C	Anm
UK	18.5	2.0	11.1	2.3	14.8	2.1
England	20.0	2.1	12.0	2.4	16.0	2.3
Wales	18.2	1.6	11.3	2.1	14.7	1.9
Scotland	16.2	2.0	9.7	2.2	12.9	2.0
N Ireland	17.1	1.1	10.3	1.6	13.7	1.3

The heat did trigger some spectacular thunderstorms and there were spells of rain both early and late in the month with some locations exceeding their monthly average. However, some areas were much drier, particularly in the east. So far the UK has received 84.0mm of rainfall compared to the September average of 96.4mm.

September 1-27 2016	Sunshine hours		Rainfall
	Actual    hours	Anm %	Actual mm	Anm %
UK	108.7	87	84.0	87
England	122.7	89	57.0	82
Wales	105.1	82	121.6	104
Scotland	90.8	86	116.2	85
N Ireland	84.4	74	98.3	107

September will end on a mixed note with temperatures a little lower than recent days by day and night. Most places will see some sunshine but there will also be rain or showers during Thursday and Friday.