Nick H

I generally think of "climate change" as a more neutral term, whereas the term "global warming" I think carries anthropogenic connotations.

1992 might be one example but it might be difficult to describe July 1992 as "exceptionally" warm. My prediction is 17.3C.

Roger, you are right!

Sunshine comparisons in modern times though are of course speculative since the switch was made from Campbell-Stokes recorders to electronic sensors. The former seem to give higher sunshine totals than the latter. I think the most remarkable figure in that list is August 1995 considering the fast diminishing available daylight in that month. We need exactly 20 hours in the last 5 days of the month to make this the sunniest month ever - an average of 4 hrs/day, should be done easily.

One thing that needs to be remembered when discussing record CETs is that sometimes it can just be down to fortuitous timing. For example, 1983's heatwave coincided almost exactly with the calendar month of July. July 2006 looks like being very similar, the weather breaking almost right at the end. Then there are 31 day periods which get ignored because they are not a calendar month: how about mid-July to mid-August 1995, that must have had a higher CET than that year's August value of 19.2.

I'm not sure where you get the idea that nuclear power leads to pollution. On the contrary, its cleanliness is one of its greatest advantages. There are no nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxides, or carbon dioxides released through its operation (cf. fossil fuels); indeed its greatest emission is that of water vapour. If we are to cut down on our emission of greenhouse gases (and this, essentially, is the crux of the debate: how can we reduce our dependence on non-renewable energy sources which most accept is contributing to AGW?) we could do worse than substituting dirty fossil fuels for cleaner nuclear power. The supposed link between nuclear power and weapons is simply playing on emotion and is one of the best reasons why the whole issue should be looked at by a scientific panel who can best objectively reach some conclusion.

I personally believe wind power is a non-starter. Apart from being ghastly to look at, they are fantastically inefficient. The idea that we can have turbines dotted around the Western Isles spinning merrily away, generating enough energy for the whole of the country strikes me as fanciful. That's if it's windy, heaven help us if it's a still day. Furthermore the costs of storing wind energy are prohibitively high imo. I don't know much about solar power tbh. For me, and having spoken to people who are more knowledgable on the subject than I am, nuclear is the only realistic option and, perhaps more importantly, is almost certain to be an actuality.

B)But records can be beaten in two ways: colder as well as warmer. The fact that more maxima are tending to be surpassed should tell you something. C) This makes no sense: if recording has got more reliable then it, if anything, would have exerted a downward trend in observations since there are far stricter specifications now, as opposed to a hundred years ago when you had thermometers in private gardens one foot above bloody great asphalt or concrete surfaces next to glass windows. I am amazed that we still heard about the Epsom 1911 "record" last week, an observation that should have been discarded long ago.

Well there aren't more weather stations on the official network today anyway: the number of stations has decreased from c. 700 to c. 500 over the last four decades or so. Mainly due to the closure of RAF stations that have become superfluous since the end of the war. Coltishall in Norfolk being the most recent example I believe.

Heathrow only recorded 5 consecutive days above 30°C in August 2003. No 30°C today, 29°C has been recorded at Norwich but I don't think this is an official station, besides it started to cool off in that city now. Mr Data, is this not Manchester's 9th consecutive 25°C+ day? Manchester also had 10 consecutive days of 25°C Thursday 7 through Saturday 16 July 1983.

Oh no does that mean the end of Dan Corbett's helpful advice? I remember once on a wet and windy day he said "Probably the day for the umbrella - two hands on it as well" That made me chuckle all day.

Yes, I heard Everton Fox say this on the 6.30 forecast this morning. Instead of "partly cloudly", they must now say "partly sunny" There's an article in the Times apparently. Always look on the bright side, eh? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4310702.stm

They should call one of the hurricanes "Hurricane Neil" after Lord Kinnock who was the biggest windbag Wales ever produced.

June was one of the warmest on record! 33.1C unofficially in Central London on the 19th...

Interesting article by our friend Mr Eden in the Sunday Telegraph yesterday about measuring a warm/hot summer.

You can add 135mm at Aber in Ceredigion to that list. And that was recorded on Sunday the 10th.... what is it with Sunday the 10th and highest temperatures in this country?

The BBC South East forecast this lunchtime had Peter Cockroft up on the roof in a black cagoule with it absolutely p---ing down around him. Did anyone else who saw this think how bloody ridiculous it looked? It seems to be an obsession the Beeb have with putting their forecasters on rooftops, so much so they even make the poor sod stand outside getting soaked. :lol:

Yes Ian, one reason (I'm sure you'll agree) why BR had to privatised.. :blink:

True - is it the far north of Scotland or far north of England? Or anything north of the Midlands?

I've noticed that too! Lincolnshire seems to be mentioned on every forecast. Norfolk's another frequent one too, followed by Cornwall I suspect. When was the last time anyone heard Northamptonshire on a national forecast?

Like the title of the thread, very satirical in more ways than one

You have such a powerful and compelling debating style. It's good to see we have such well-informed debate on this board.

I really don't know what some of you expect. Any country's media will always be biased to the capital of that country and the surrounding region, as by implication (in fact you could say something stronger - by definition) the majority of newsworthy events occur there, e.g. politics. And if you think the supposed bias is bad in Britain, let me tell you it's nowhere near as bad as France and Australia, to name but two countries I have experienced. I suspect in most of Europe it's just as marked. Some of you have it lucky - if anything we should be more geared towards the SE in our media. If we moved the capital from London to Birmingham (heaven forbid) then what would happen? All the south-easterners start complaining that the Midlands receive too much coverage?

If the largest regional proportion of the population live there and most of national income/gross domestic product is generated in the south-east then I have no complaints about the media being biased towards that region.

1956 was indeed a very wet summer. 30th July was also the Monday when Jim Laker ran through the Australians at Old Trafford, taking his famous record haul of 10 for 53 in Australia's 2nd inns. No wonder the ball spun so much with all that rain..must have been a real sticky dog.