LONDON — It’s the phrase that haunts Britain’s weather forecasters — “barbecue summer.” It was used in April by the country’s chief weather- forecasting body when it predicted the summer would be warm and sunny.
After a soggy July, Britons are miffed. Meteorologists have been forced to defend their science and their bonuses. The government-funded Met Office has paid more than 1 million pounds in annual bonuses to staffers for meeting targets, including the accuracy of forecasts.
“That was for last year,” Met Office spokeswoman Sarah Holland said Monday.
The Met Office’s April forecast said there was a 65 percent chance the summer would be warmer and sunnier than average.
“Odds on for a barbecue summer,” it said.
The signs were good. June was nice, but soon afterward it started to rain. More than 5.5 inches fell in July, double the monthly average.
Two weeks ago, the Met Office revised its forecast: August will see average or above-average rainfall.
