The Weather Outlook

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Downpour
  • Downpour
  • Advanced Member Topic Starter
28 July 2018 22:47:17

Hi all

Is there a source for the top ten hottest days ever in the UK?

My sense is that July is a bit of a poor relation - the hottest days all fell in August. Is this right?

What - and where - are the top ten hottest temps?

Cheers.

Chingford

London E4

147ft

LeedsLad123
28 July 2018 23:03:02

http://www.torro.org.uk/hightempsyear.php

Whitkirk, Leeds - 85m ASL.
LeedsLad123
28 July 2018 23:11:36

So as far as I can see, these are the 10 hottest days in the UK:

38.5C, 10 August 2003

37.1, 3 August 1990

36.7C, 9 August 1911

36.7C, 1 July 2015

36.6C, 2 August 1990

36.5C, 19 July 2006

36.4C, 6 August 2003

36.1C, 19 August 1932

36.0C, 22 July 1911

35.9C, 2 July 1976

Whitkirk, Leeds - 85m ASL.
haghir22
28 July 2018 23:59:02
Intriguing post, great info.
YNWA
Rob K
29 July 2018 06:00:28

I posted this list in the record temps thread. There is a bit of debate about the 2 July 1990 one I believe. Also LeedsLad’s list is missing the 9 Aug 2003 which just missed the previous 1990 record by 0.2C according to Trevor Harley’s site.

 

AFAIK there are 10 days on which the temperature has reached 36C since 1900:

 

38.5C (10 Aug 2003)

37.1C (3 Aug 1990)

36.9C (9 Aug 2003)

36.7C (1 July 2015 and 9 Aug 1911)

36.6C (2 Aug 1990) (disputed)

36.5C (19 July 2006)

36.4C (6 Aug 2003)

36.1C (19 Aug 1932)

36.0C (22 July 1911)

Yateley, NE Hampshire, 73m asl

"But who wants to be foretold the weather? It is bad enough when it comes, without our having the misery of knowing about it beforehand." — Jerome K. Jerome

Roger Parsons
29 July 2018 06:06:21

Intriguing post, great info.

Originally Posted by: haghir22 

Agreed - very interesting. Thanks. Roger

RogerP

West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire

Everything taken together, here in Lincolnshire are more good things than man could have had the conscience to ask.

William Cobbett, in his Rural Rides - c.1830

Rob K
29 July 2018 06:11:58
Hmm, according to the Met Office roundup, 9 Aug 2003 only reached 36.4C, which matches the TORRO page and LeedsLad’s list. So ignore me!

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/interesting/aug03maxtemps.html 

Yateley, NE Hampshire, 73m asl

"But who wants to be foretold the weather? It is bad enough when it comes, without our having the misery of knowing about it beforehand." — Jerome K. Jerome

Jiries
29 July 2018 06:27:34
Not sure why July is a hottest month of the year but rarely see 36C and even to make it to 38-40C which can be easily done if the set-up allow it to run up to 1 week but mostly run up to few days max so that not enough time to heat up daily. Also with long daylight should enable very high temps and night temps should also easily reach 23-25C with short night time? Not sure why it hard to reach 20C when in winter we can easily get up to 13-14C in 18 hours darkness. Plus we living in the huge ocean around us should keep our night time temps high which seem to work in Scandinavian heatwaves.
DEW
  • DEW
  • Advanced Member
29 July 2018 06:44:12

So as far as I can see, these are the 10 hottest days in the UK:

38.5C, 10 August 2003

37.1, 3 August 1990

36.7C, 9 August 1911

36.7C, 1 July 2015

36.6C, 2 August 1990

36.5C, 19 July 2006

36.4C, 6 August 2003

36.1C, 19 August 1932

36.0C, 22 July 1911

35.9C, 2 July 1976

Originally Posted by: LeedsLad123 

Interesting that 1976 for all its persistence only creeps in at the bottom of this list

War is God's way of teaching Americans geography - Ambrose Bierce

Chichester 12m asl

Roger Parsons
29 July 2018 07:02:05

 

Interesting that 1976 for all its persistence only creeps in at the bottom of this list

Originally Posted by: DEW 

Consider how many cooler max years may have preceded it from 1933,  DEW.

Maybe a fuller analysis would blow that theory out the window - but it suggests a trend.

 

36.7C, 1 July 2015

36.5C, 19 July 2006

38.5C, 10 August 2003

36.4C, 6 August 2003

37.1, 3 August 1990

36.6C, 2 August 1990

35.9C, 2 July 1976

36.1C, 19 August 1932

36.7C, 9 August 1911

36.0C, 22 July 1911

 

Roger

RogerP

West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire

Everything taken together, here in Lincolnshire are more good things than man could have had the conscience to ask.

William Cobbett, in his Rural Rides - c.1830

Caz
  • Caz
  • Advanced Member
29 July 2018 07:42:59

But you can’t really compare the whole summer of 1976 to the odd days of highest temps.  The high temps were recorded at a single location on a single day. The highest summer CET covers three months across the country. 

Market Warsop, North Nottinghamshire.

Join the fun and banter of the monthly CET competition.

Downpour
  • Downpour
  • Advanced Member Topic Starter
29 July 2018 09:16:13

So as far as I can see, these are the 10 hottest days in the UK:

38.5C, 10 August 2003

37.1, 3 August 1990

36.7C, 9 August 1911

36.7C, 1 July 2015

36.6C, 2 August 1990

36.5C, 19 July 2006

36.4C, 6 August 2003

36.1C, 19 August 1932

36.0C, 22 July 1911

35.9C, 2 July 1976

Originally Posted by: LeedsLad123 

Thanks LeedsLad and to all for the replies. It seems August is indeed the Queen of Summer!

Chingford

London E4

147ft

Tim A
29 July 2018 09:39:41
For me the 35.6c in Bawtry 2 September 1906 is one of the biggest temperature achievements. Shows extreme heat is possible into September.
Tim

NW Leeds

187m asl

 My PWS 

Jiries
29 July 2018 10:35:59

For me the 35.6c in Bawtry 2 September 1906 is one of the biggest temperature achievements. Shows extreme heat is possible into September.

Originally Posted by: Tim A 

I would love to see that again in early Sept.  Epsom also had recorded 35C on 2nd September too.  Want to know how it felt to see 35C again in early September with sun lower position this time.

GezM
  • GezM
  • Advanced Member
29 July 2018 11:08:35
I just feel lucky to have experienced 7 of those days. Not in the exact location of course but living in the home counties means that I've not been too far away from where most of these records were set.
Living in St Albans, Herts (116m asl)

Working at Luton Airport, Beds (160m asl)

superteacher
29 July 2018 11:13:56

 

I would love to see that again in early Sept.  Epsom also had recorded 35C on 2nd September too.  Want to know how it felt to see 35C again in early September with sun lower position this time.

Originally Posted by: Jiries 

Don’t forget 14th September 2016 when 34.5C was achieved.

Col
  • Col
  • Advanced Member
29 July 2018 12:24:04

 

I would love to see that again in early Sept.  Epsom also had recorded 35C on 2nd September too.  Want to know how it felt to see 35C again in early September with sun lower position this time.

Originally Posted by: Jiries 

And over 100 years later 6 days from that spell still feature as date records. Given the time of year this must surely rank as one of the most phenomenal of all UK heatwaves.

Col

Bolton, Lancashire

160m asl

Snow videos:

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3QvmL4UWBmHFMKWiwYm_gg

Bolty
29 July 2018 12:59:31

http://www.torro.org.uk/hightempsyear.php

Originally Posted by: LeedsLad123 

Some of those date records really are extraordinary, not just in summer! If we can get over 35C in September then surely pretty extreme heat is still a possibility in late August.

25.0C on 29 March

35.6C on 2 September

30.6C on 27 September

23.6C on 31 October

Then you get really strange low records like the 13 June.

Scott

Blackrod, Lancashire (4 miles south of Chorley) at 156m asl.

My weather station 

Col
  • Col
  • Advanced Member
29 July 2018 13:13:53

 

Some of those date records really are extraordinary, not just in summer! If we can get over 35C in September then surely pretty extreme heat is still a possibility in late August.

25.0C on 29 March

35.6C on 2 September

30.6C on 27 September

23.6C on 31 October

Then you get really strange low records like the 13 June.

Originally Posted by: Bolty 

A statistical 'oddball' of course but in a dataset that has been running for well over 100 years to get a record that is 3C lower than the surrounding days does seem very strange.

 

Col

Bolton, Lancashire

160m asl

Snow videos:

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3QvmL4UWBmHFMKWiwYm_gg

Downpour
  • Downpour
  • Advanced Member Topic Starter
29 July 2018 22:04:41
Lol. Never plan a garden party on 13 June. It will rain!
Chingford

London E4

147ft

LeedsLad123
29 July 2018 22:10:15

It's also worth pointing out that the highest daily CET max for both July and August is 33.2C. The July record was set on 3 July 1976 and the August one on 3 August 1990. The September record is higher than June too. Think that shows how the heat was more widespread in 1976 and 1990 than in 2003.

Oh, and the highest CET minimum is the same for July and August too - 18.8C.

Whitkirk, Leeds - 85m ASL.
SOakley
30 July 2018 01:22:22

 

Some of those date records really are extraordinary, not just in summer! If we can get over 35C in September then surely pretty extreme heat is still a possibility in late August.

25.0C on 29 March

35.6C on 2 September

30.6C on 27 September

23.6C on 31 October

Then you get really strange low records like the 13 June.

Originally Posted by: Bolty 

 

Halloween was exceptional, going around in shorts and t-shirt with only 7-8 weeks to go to the shortest day,the only downside was that if the warmth had extended into the next day,it would have easily have beaten the November temperature record.Does anyone know which year it was when a new temperature record was set for October,i think it was about 10 years ago,and hit just over 30c on the 1st October.Of course one huge plus of summer like temps in September and October ,you can stay out in the sun much longer due to much lower UV levels.

Gusty
30 July 2018 03:13:01

 Halloween was exceptional, going around in shorts and t-shirt with only 7-8 weeks to go to the shortest day,the only downside was that if the warmth had extended into the next day,it would have easily have beaten the November temperature record.Does anyone know which year it was when a new temperature record was set for October,i think it was about 10 years ago,and hit just over 30c on the 1st October.Of course one huge plus of summer like temps in September and October ,you can stay out in the sun much longer due to much lower UV levels.

Originally Posted by: SOakley 

2011 

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/summaries/2011/october

 

Steve - Folkestone, Kent

Current conditions from my Davis Vantage Vue

https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/IFOLKE11 

Join Kent Weather on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/stevewall69/ 



Rob K
30 July 2018 08:29:22

For me the 35.6c in Bawtry 2 September 1906 is one of the biggest temperature achievements. Shows extreme heat is possible into September.

Originally Posted by: Tim A 

I actually think 29.9C on 1 October 2011 is more extraordinary. Shame it couldn’t make that last 0.1C.  

Yateley, NE Hampshire, 73m asl

"But who wants to be foretold the weather? It is bad enough when it comes, without our having the misery of knowing about it beforehand." — Jerome K. Jerome

Jiries
30 July 2018 08:35:12

 

I actually think 29.9C on 1 October 2011 is more extraordinary. Shame it couldn’t make that last 0.1C.  

Originally Posted by: Rob K 

Would be worse if we get 39.9C even if rounded up to 40C but with nagging mind it have to be 39.9C.

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