The Curse of the British Summer infographic

Throughout the supposed-to-be-sunny-season, heavy rainfall has seen Brits reaching for their hats and scarves instead of sunglasses and bikinis. The infographic designers at London-based infogr8 have created an informative visualization revealing the effects the wet weather has had in the UK, and also looking at the climatic conditions around the rest of the globe.

The UK suffered their wettest June for more than a century, with shops seeing big rises in the sales of umbrellas – purchases at Superdrug were up 500% - and Wellington boots – 97% up at B&Q; while hosepipes (thanks to the Government’s interestingly-timed introduction of a ‘hosepipe ban’) were left stuck on the shelves, alongside barbecues and sun cream.

Parts of the USA were at the other end of the scale, with more than 60% of the country experiencing moderate to exceptional drought, causing power cuts, crop shortages and wildfires. The lack of standing water in states such as Kansas and Missouri has seen a sharp drop in the number of mosquitoes - perhaps one grace from the heat and humidity.

Other parts of the country, however, are being battered by Hurricane Isaac, as it wreaks havoc along the Gulf Coast, exactly seven years since the same area was left in ruins by Hurricane Katrina.

Conditions have been variable around the world – as Spain enjoyed their fourth warmest June since 1960, Hurricane Carlotta battered southern Mexico with torrential rain and winds in excess of 165kph. 5 million people were evacuated in China due to heavy rainfall, and Typhoon Mawar brought 185kph winds, heavy rains, flash floods and landslides to the Philippines.

The weather recently in the UK has been a tale of two halves, with temperatures reaching nearly 33C (91.4F) in some parts and heavy downpours and showers in others. As the infographic shows, forecasts tell us that temperatures are likely to be around average or just above for the rest of August, with rainfall just below average, so it might not be time to put the bucket and spade away for another year just yet!