It’s official! Buxton Coldest Summer on Record Since 2015

If you’ve spent any time in Buxton this summer, you probably don’t need to be told it was the chilliest in nearly a decade. Apart from a few bursts of hot weather that seemed to tease us, daily temperatures July to August in 2024 were generally below average, giving way to slate grey skies, blasts of wind and rain and even storms that were big and nasty enough to have names. In fact, summer was so shy this year, you could be forgiven for wondering if it even happened.

Following on from last year’s notoriously wet summer, you could say that Buxtoninans were owed some well-earned vitamin D. Bucking the European trend of prolonged record-breaking heatwaves, any mention of global warming may be met with blank looks. Of course, global warming doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll all get warm. The increase in the global temperature has caused severe disruption in atmospheric patterns and it seems that the highest market town in the UK is currently trapped in an opposite extreme. If you speak to anyone from a country that has experienced unusually high temperatures with its health risks and forest fires, they might tell us we are the lucky ones.

Planetary catastrophe aside, the people of Buxton probably wouldn’t say no to just a few more days of sunshine, giving them chance to blow the dust of their shorts, sandals and barbeques. On the doorstep of the Peak District National Park, the town is surrounded by gobsmacking natural scenery that literally comes alive this time of year. The town itself is host to a sequence of outdoor events. Give us chance to put the jumpers and umbrellas away.

But has the summer weather of 2024 really been so bad?

Checking in with local weather legend Michael Hilton of Buxton Weather, he did confirm that although parts of the UK (in the south and East Anglia) were sunnier than normal, Buxton was the coolest on his records since 2015. However, Michael also pointed out that rainfall in Buxton was lower than average and a standout feature of 2024 was how dry August was: 50.4mm (1.98 inches) the lowest August rainfall in his records since 2003! So perhaps we should actually be thankful.

Michael also pointed out: “Sunshine, with 408 hours across June, July and August, was well below the long term average, but I only have to go back to 2020 to find a lower figure!”.

Michael went on to provide us with his prospects for Autumn. The outlook is for higher chances of warmer, wetter and windier conditions than average, and that an Atlantic weather pattern will tend to prevail, especially given the current and likely position of the jet stream, with depressions more likely to pass across the north and west of the UK.

Let’s keep our collective fingers crossed for summer 2025. In the meantime, whatever the weather in Buxton, there’s plenty to enjoy and we hope to see you soon. Even if it rains, Buxtonians with typical pragmatism might give their usual response of “well, it’s good for the garden.”

With thanks to Michel Hilton at Buxton Weather for information and data in this article. Head over to Buxton Weather for the latest updates on Buxton and Peak District weather and live updates on local road conditions.

What is Buxton Climatological Station?

Having moved to the current site on The Slopes in Buxton in 1925 and continues to provide data to various bodies. Michael Hilton and a group of dedicated volunteers currently maintain the station. Read more about the Buxton Climatological Station here.