PRESS ASSOCIATION -- This summer is set to be Britain's coolest in nearly 20 years, the Met Office has said.
The mean temperature for summer 2011 has been 13.63C (56.53F), close to 1993's 13.39C (56.1F), provisional figures for June 1 to August 29 show.
Last summer's mean temperature was more than 1C higher than this summer so far at 14.65C (58.37F).
But while the summer has been wetter than last year's it has been considerably drier than 2007, 2008 and 2009, the forecaster said.
Figures show this summer has seen 267.7mm of rainfall so far, compared with 2009's 323mm. But last summer was drier with 243.8mm of rainfall.
Across the UK in August the temperature has generally been about 1C lower.
The amount of sunshine in August has been about three-quarters of "what you would normally expect", a Met Office spokeswoman said.
"It has been a changeable summer. We have had some very hot spells such as back in June with temperatures reaching 33C.
"But equally we have seen much cooler and wetter spells."