+ max of 35.7 today takes Heatwave degree days up to 26.1 as of today.

 

+ max 35.4 today so we are at HDDs of 31.5. Is that it, or might tomorrow give us an extra one of two? Then that really will be it.

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So the news is saying 6 days in a row of 34 plus inparts of the SE. First time for 60 odd years. So what Summer was that exceeded in then as early 60 s summers were either cool or wet. 1959 maybe which was a long hot summer. In 76 it got to 32 somewhere for some 2 weeks during the peak late June early July.

So the news is saying 6 days in a row of 34 plus inparts of the SE. First time for 60 odd years. So what Summer was that exceeded in then as early 60 s summers were either cool or wet. 1959 maybe which was a long hot summer. In 76 it got to 32 somewhere for some 2 weeks during the peak late June early July.

I think they’re saying that just because there aren’t good enough day by day records further back to be sure. There’s nothing in the 20th century in any of the weather records that gets close to 6 days of 34+.

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The best comparison I can make with this spell is  January 1987.

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So the news is saying 6 days in a row of 34 plus inparts of the SE. First time for 60 odd years. So what Summer was that exceeded in then as early 60 s summers were either cool or wet. 1959 maybe which was a long hot summer. In 76 it got to 32 somewhere for some 2 weeks during the peak late June early July.

It’s just bad reporting by the Met Office. They say “first time since 1961” but what they actually mean is first time on record, and the digital records go back to 1961. 

I work in communications, and I reckon the accuracy and clarity of the Met’s comms leave a lot to be desired at times!

 

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It’s just bad reporting by the Met Office. They say “first time since 1961” but what they actually mean is first time on record, and the digital records go back to 1961. 

I work in communications, and I reckon the accuracy and clarity of the Met’s comms leave a lot to be desired at times!

 

I'm glad you clarified that Rob. I was going to check out this legendary summer of 61 to see what I'd missed! 

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Aactually to be fair the Met tweet did say it was unprecedented “in a record dating back to 1961”. It’s the media that have turned it into hottest since 1961”.

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Ironically, 1961 did contain the hottest day of the entire 1960’s, at 33.9 - which has just been surpassed six times in six days!

http://www.met.reading.ac.uk/weatherdata/Reading_daily_AWS_graphs.html 

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Current temps in NW England (western fringes, too, largely) competing with the extreme SE for warmest - that doesn't happen very often!

Keswick - 22c

Blackpool - 23c

Liverpool - 23c

Hawarden - 23c

Woodvale - 25c

 

We're forecast to get to 28c today, but can see another 30c

 

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Some huge temp differentials across pretty small distances.

The hottest two places I can find (per XC Weather) are Bournemouth Airport and Woodvale (between Liverpool & Southport), both at 28c.

Yet within 50 miles of these, there's places struggling to get to 20c (Portland, Leek), whilst London City is at 27c and Stanstead 20c.

Is cloud the issue? We've had unbroken sunshine all morning, but I can see a lot of cloud to our east.

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Looks like some parts of Devon could be the hottest areas..
Exeter currently at 29c

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Some huge temp differentials across pretty small distances.

The hottest two places I can find (per XC Weather) are Bournemouth Airport and Woodvale (between Liverpool & Southport), both at 28c.

Yet within 50 miles of these, there's places struggling to get to 20c (Portland, Leek), whilst London City is at 27c and Stanstead 20c.

Is cloud the issue? We've had unbroken sunshine all morning, but I can see a lot of cloud to our east.

Cloud and if you are unlucky, worse, fog and mist and general North sea rubbish! Then there are some areas which have had their murk interrupted by showers.

16.6c here, dry, misty, around 2-3 miles visibility.

Looking on Wunderground it looks toasty West of the M6, Preston 25C, then declining 21C Blackburn, 19-20C Burnley and 17-18C by the time you get over these parts.

Met Office going for 30c in their text forecast for Yorkshire which is laughable, although the automated forecasts have never shown more than 22c and that was factoring in sun since this morning. 

 

 

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Picking brains chaps.

How does this past 7 days CET wise rank with any of the hottest 7 day periods on record.

I.e. How does this compare with the likes of July 2006, August 2003, August 1995, June/July 1976.

This most recent one - it must be well up there give the fact we had so many nights over 20C and 21C.

 

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Cloud and if you are unlucky, worse, fog and mist and general North sea rubbish! Then there are some areas which have had their murk interrupted by showers.

16.6c here, dry, misty, around 2-3 miles visibility.

Looking on Wunderground it looks toasty West of the M6, Preston 25C, then declining 21C Blackburn, 19-20C Burnley and 17-18C by the time you get over these parts.

Met Office going for 30c in their text forecast for Yorkshire which is laughable, although the automated forecasts have never shown more than 22c and that was factoring in sun since this morning. 

 

 

 

The crap from the East is now here and it's clouded over. 

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Picking brains chaps.

How does this past 7 days CET wise rank with any of the hottest 7 day periods on record.

I.e. How does this compare with the likes of July 2006, August 2003, August 1995, June/July 1976.

This most recent one - it must be well up there give the fact we had so many nights over 20C and 21C.

 

Good question, and I'm sure the data are there somewhere but whilst we have records for warmest day, warmest month and warmest year we nobody bothers keeping note of weeks let along concurrent 8 day periods. I don't think August 1995 or July 2006 would come close as there was only 1 day anywhere near 35C in either of them, and the maxes were more often between 30 and 33. Nights in 1995 were not that hot either. And both were more extended hot months rather than very intense hot weeks.

So it's between this event and 2003 / 1976. My instinct is that while 1976 might get close on a CET basis given the heat this time was really in the SE for most days, it would be behind 2020 if we looked at a single sight e.g. Heathrow, Herstmonceux, Kew or the SE region. 1976 was also longer, so the heat wasn't so concentrated in a short period of time. 2003 on the other hand was just over a week long and might pip this one because we also had high humidity and warm nights, as well as the record day. Would be interesting to see.

 

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Picking brains chaps.

How does this past 7 days CET wise rank with any of the hottest 7 day periods on record.

I.e. How does this compare with the likes of July 2006, August 2003, August 1995, June/July 1976.

This most recent one - it must be well up there give the fact we had so many nights over 20C and 21C.

 

1911 probably still tops it..

https://www.google.com/amp/s/notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2018/07/30/the-great-british-heatwave-of-1911/amp/

 

1-7 July 1976 had a CET of 23.54C. That will take some beating! The last five days of June were all also above 22C!

The best spell of 2003, 4-10 August, comes in at a 'mere' 22.3C.

2006 had a seven day spell averaging 21.9C.

The provisional for the last seven days is 21.7, this could be too low though and time to improve on last Thursday's figure today given the warm nights.

 

Good question, and I'm sure the data are there somewhere but whilst we have records for warmest day, warmest month and warmest year we nobody bothers keeping note of weeks let along concurrent 8 day periods. I don't think August 1995 or July 2006 would come close as there was only 1 day anywhere near 35C in either of them, and the maxes were more often between 30 and 33. Nights in 1995 were not that hot either. And both were more extended hot months rather than very intense hot weeks.

So it's between this event and 2003 / 1976. My instinct is that while 1976 might get close on a CET basis given the heat this time was really in the SE for most days, it would be behind 2020 if we looked at a single sight e.g. Heathrow, Herstmonceux, Kew or the SE region. 1976 was also longer, so the heat wasn't so concentrated in a short period of time. 2003 on the other hand was just over a week long and might pip this one because we also had high humidity and warm nights, as well as the record day. Would be interesting to see.

 

 

Yes I think if you purely take the highest max and min anywhere in the UK and average them, this past week could be the hottest ever. But the heat was largely concentrated in the SE so it won't be top dog on a national or CET basis.

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Odd day today. I walked outside just now and it was properly hot, not as much as yesterday but nearly. But my closest station London City airport is showing just 27C. Just a very muggy and stuffy 27C.

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