Lancashire has had the coolest (and most stormy) summer since 2012

Mark Tattersall captured this stunning photo of lightning over a house in Barnoldswick

There was little opportunity for sunglasses, shorts and ice creams in Lancashire, which experienced the coolest temperatures since 2012.

It was a summer riddled with storms and downpours, and temperatures averaged just 13.9C across the county.

According to the Met Office, Lancashire had 243mm of rain this summer, with an eight per cent rise in downpours.

But it wasn’t the wettest part of the country; Britain averaged 271mm of rain in June, July and August, so Lancashire’s share was five per cent lower than the national average.

And there was one day when Lancashire was hotter than parts of Spain, including Barcelona.

On the July 1, Britain experienced its hottest day since 2006. Stonyhurst recorded the highest temperature in Lancashire at 32.6C. On average, high temperatures in July reached 19C in the county.

The Met Office blog looks back at our summer: “No-one can deny that we have had a pretty disappointing summer with a lot of unsettled weather and only a few warm spells.

“Despite a dry and sunny June and a brief ‘heat-wave’ at the start of July, summer overall has been cooler than average and cooler than either summer 2013 or 2014.

“It has also been wetter than average, despite near average sunshine.

“Our weather has been dominated by low pressure over and to the west of the country that has brought us periods of heavy rain from the south – what we call the Spanish Plume.”

And it doesn’t look like we’re going to be treated to an Indian summer this year either. Last year saw the driest and warmest September in the UK since records began almost 100 years ago.

But the forecast for the next couple of weeks predicts more unsettled conditions with outbreaks of rain and showers, with some strong winds and even gales.

More settled conditions are possible late in September and into October, but there is still likely to be some rain.