Heatwave

[andy_leics22]

Ok just got even more confirmation that the Oadby weather station probably isn't over egging the temperature... The guy across the road from me has one too and he said it was 93f earlier now it's 90f, 93f is around 34c isnt it? So Oadby saying 33.9c doesen't look too silly after all.

[Nick.F]

Surprisingly chilly now in NE Essex;, much, much colder than last night outside. no sign of the mists and fog from last night.

Air must be much drier than earlier today, just been and shut all the doors and closed up some of the windows.

Heatwave PAH!

[chilly milly]

Feeling really comfortable now, with a temp of 23.5C and humidity at 53%

Indoors we are reading 27.6C with humidity at 52%.

[damianslaw]

The next 24 hours will see the peak of the heatwave I feel, today has been generally nationwide the first proper 'hot' day of the summer, many locations having recorded above 27 degrees as opposed to yesterday when the heat was more localised to central england.

A repeat performance will occur tomorrow, far western parts will be cooler than today, but eastern parts probably warmer. Not sure what the max today has been but I think there is a chance the highest temp of the year will be recorded tomorrow possibly 33 degrees, will have to see.

Tonight will quite likely be the warmest night of this 'heatwave', with most places not seeing temps any lower than 16 degrees. It certainly feels alot more warmer and humid than last night, the humidity is stifling and really oppressive

[TonyH]

Rather cloudy but bright am. Mostly sunny pm.

Hot and really sticky, a wonderful day to behold!

Lovely big storm clouds developed inland late afternoon looking beautiful to the NE against the surrounding blue sky.

Min: 14.2c @ 0330

Max: 27.9c @ 1430

Currently: Fairly clear, comfortable and cooling by the minute, sat out typing listening to the thrushes singing

Temp: 18.7c

Edited July 1, 2009 by Tonyh

[Nick.F]

Tonight will quite likely be the warmest night of this 'heatwave', with most places not seeing temps any lower than 16 degrees. It certainly feels alot more warmer and humid than last night, the humidity is stifling and really oppressive

already lower than that here

[Bottesford]

Still 24c here a little above this time last night. Very warm indeed - one more day to go before a change

[❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️]

Still 22C here

[Richie V]

22.2c here still

[andy_leics22]

I'm surprised that no one is making more of the 33.9c that was recorded in Leicestershire today. That is he hottest temperature of the year in any place in the UK isn't it? It can't be wrong either because the guy across the road from me said he has a weather station aswell and he said it was reading 93f this afternoon.

Is a temperature of 33.9c no big deal? lol

[Iceni]

Just 15 ° C here down from 28 ° C.

Perfect day, in fact, 2009 has been the perfect year weather-wise. Lovely cold and snowy winter followed by a nice spring and now a few weeks of sunshine with enough rain to keep the garden blooming.

[Cheese Rice]

I'm surprised that no one is making more of the 33.9c that was recorded in Leicestershire today. That is he hottest temperature of the year in any place in the UK isn't it? It can't be wrong either because the guy across the road from me said he has a weather station aswell and he said it was reading 93f this afternoon.

Is a temperature of 33.9c no big deal? lol

Unfortunatley its not as its not offical, many a times UK highest temp will have been broken but since it hasn't been offical we have to dis-miss it.

[andy_leics22]

Unfortunatley its not as its not offical, many a times UK highest temp will have been broken but since it hasn't been offical we have to dis-miss it.

Shocking though, I knew it was very hot this afternoon because I was playing tennis in it and it was overpowering and this is coming from a guy who usually plays 5 set matches in 25c heat. I knew today was another level above that, when I got home and checked the online Oadby weather station and it said 33.9c I was a bit skeptical at first but at the same time I knew it was severe heat out there this afternoon so I believed it aswell. Then it confirmed it for me when the guy opposite me said his weather station reported 93f max this afternoon.

[Summer of 95]

Unfortunatley its not as its not offical, many a times UK highest temp will have been broken but since it hasn't been offical we have to dis-miss it.

I thought there were plenty of doubts about that 2003 reading in Kent, not to mention the various "Gravesend" records (or for that matter those from long ago; those ancient Raunds readings for example). Why are they considered official and not that Oadby one today?

Edited July 1, 2009 by Summer of 95

[TEITS]

Shocking though, I knew it was very hot this afternoon because I was playing tennis in it and it was overpowering and this is coming from a guy who usually plays 5 set matches in 25c heat. I knew today was another level above that, when I got home and checked the online Oadby weather station and it said 33.9c I was a bit skeptical at first but at the same time I knew it was severe heat out there this afternoon so I believed it aswell. Then it confirmed it for me when the guy opposite me said his weather station reported 93f max this afternoon.

As I don't have my own weather station what I tend to do on days like today its take a blend from various readings.

For example the official Peterborough weather station is based 20 miles away in the countryside in another county. Now my local weather station (unofficial) is based right in the city centre of Peterborough. The official recording today was 29C but the unofficial was 32C. So I assume the temp in Peterborough was around 30-31C.

What we really need is more official weather stations. For the Met O to use a weather station based in another county isn't accurate for Peterborough especially as its based in the countryside. I have known this to make a difference in winter because I have known Wittering to be recording snow when I have rain!

[andy_leics22]

I thought there were plenty of doubts about that 2003 reading in Kent, not to mention the various "Gravesend" records (or for that matter those from long ago; those ancient Raunds readings for example). Why are they considered official and not that Oadby one today?

The reason why i'm so confident that the Oadby one isn't lying is because when I was outside in the sun this afternoon it felt like no heat I had ever experienced before. I don't usually feel faint after an hours worth of tennis when i've downed 2 litres of water! Everyone was saying how hot it was so it wasn't just me feeling the heat. I might have been quite skeptical that it was as high as 33.9c but surely the guy across the road's weather station that read 93f couldn't be telling porky pies aswell?

Just incase you or anyone else missed it... Here is the online Oadby weather station, currently reading 20.2c, seems a realistic reading and it hasn't overcooked it right now because other places around Leicester are reporting similiar temperatures. In fact Coventry and Church Lawford are reporting 21-22c so they are higher at the moment.

http://www.oadbyweather.com/

Look on the right hand side at the bit where it says... Temperature, High...

As I don't have my own weather station what I tend to do on days like today its take a blend from various readings.

For example the official Peterborough weather station is based 20 miles away in the countryside in another county. Now my local weather station (unofficial) is based right in the city centre of Peterborough. The official recording today was 29C but the unofficial was 32C. So I assume the temp in Peterborough was around 30-31C.

What we really need is more official weather stations. For the Met O to use a weather station based in another county isn't accurate for Peterborough especially as its based in the countryside. I have known this to make a difference in winter because I have known Wittering to be recording snow when I have rain!

Too true, there isn't even an official Leicester weather station that I am able to find online. This Oadby one is only 2-3 miles down the road from me so I always use it in summer and winter to have a look at the temperature. In winter it's very helpful in snow events because it tells you the wet bulb temp, dew point etc...

[J07]

The reason why i'm so confident that the Oadby one isn't lying is because when I was outside in the sun this afternoon it felt like no heat I had ever experienced before. I don't usually feel faint after an hours worth of tennis when i've downed 2 litres of water! Everyone was saying how hot it was so it wasn't just me feeling the heat. I might have been quite skeptical that it was as high as 33.9c but surely the guy across the road's weather station that read 93f couldn't be telling porky pies aswell?

Just incase you or anyone else missed it... Here is the online Oadby weather station, currently reading 20.2c, seems a realistic reading and it hasn't overcooked it right now because other places around Leicester are reporting similiar temperatures. In fact Coventry and Church Lawford are reporting 21-22c so they are higher at the moment.

http://www.oadbyweather.com/

Look on the right hand side at the bit where it says... Temperature, High...

No one is questioning whether the equipment is correct, the issue is that it's not got good exposure. Given the behaviour of official stations around the country, it's likely this one is influenced by nearby buildings, hence it's not got standard exposure and would never be counted as official.

These comments: "It can't be wrong either because the guy across the road from me said he has a weather station aswell and he said it was reading 93f this afternoon." ; "when I was outside in the sun this afternoon it felt like no heat I had ever experienced before" , whilst not "wrong" are meaningless for corraborating the relevance of the station.

What do you think would happen if someone had a station in their backgarden of a terrace house in London today, or in any other hot spell? Records would be smashed for sure.

Surely it is correct that the station in question DID record 33.9C. But that is not the point. If we started allowing for these stations in records across the world, then our decades/centuries of records would be rendered worthless, and our whole understanding of temperatures would change. 30C would no longer sound hot, because there would be a wealth of unofficial stations recording 35C.

[TEITS]

Too true, there isn't even an official Leicester weather station that I am able to find online. This Oadby one is only 2-3 miles down the road from me so I always use it in summer and winter to have a look at the temperature. In winter it's very helpful in snow events because it tells you the wet bulb temp, dew point etc...

Just looked at that link Andy and I noticed the equipment used is the same as my unofficial weather station. The only thing I will say is these vantage pro stations tend to be around 2-3C higher than the official stevenson screen especially under conditions like we have now.

So with this in mind I reckon the temp in your location was around 31, possibly 32C.

[andy_leics22]

No one is questioning whether the equipment is correct, the issue is that it's not got good exposure. Given the behaviour of official stations around the country, it's likely this one is influenced by nearby buildings, hence it's not got standard exposure and would never be counted as official.

These comments: "It can't be wrong either because the guy across the road from me said he has a weather station aswell and he said it was reading 93f this afternoon." ; "when I was outside in the sun this afternoon it felt like no heat I had ever experienced before" , whilst not "wrong" are meaningless for corraborating the relevance of the station.

What do you think would happen if someone had a station in their backgarden of a terrace house in London today, or in any other hot spell? Records would be smashed for sure.

Surely it is correct that the station in question DID record 33.9C. But that is not the point. If we started allowing for these stations in records across the world, then our decades/centuries of records would be rendered worthless, and our whole understanding of temperatures would change. 30C would no longer sound hot, because there would be a wealth of unofficial stations recording 35C.

I see where you are coming from but locally temperatures CAN be higher than say 5 miles down the road... I mean Oadby isn't in a City, it's surrounded by housing estates but yes I admit that you can never record 1 persons weather station as an official recording. The point I am trying to make is this... I believe it did reach 33c here this afternoon in Leicestershire but it won't be made official. I will count it on a personal note though, because 2 people have recorded temperatures of 33c in my area this afternoon.

Just looked at that link Andy and I noticed the equipment used is the same as my unofficial weather station. The only thing I will say is these vantage pro stations tend to be around 2-3C higher than the official stevenson screen especially under conditions like we have now.

So with this in mind I reckon the temp in your location was around 31, possibly 32C.

Ah ok mate thanks for that. Well even if it was 31-32c it still is one of the hottest temperatures anywhere in the UK has had this year. I'm sure a fair few places have reached 31-32c in the last 3 days, especially London on Tuesday as it was widely reported to be 30c around London on Tuesday. It was probably the hottest day of the year in the Leicester area today though, I think Monday hit around 28c here, Tuesday was around 29c and today around 31-32c.

[Thundery wintry showers]

The other thing to note is that if you're sat in a sun trap then the temperature there will usually be higher than at the official sites. Thus, chances are it did reach 33-34C in some places today- maybe even higher locally. But not at any official sites, which are the benchmarks used for climatology purposes.

[andy_leics22]

Hi Andy, I see you've taken my comment to heart. When you said 33C or 34C I wasn't saying that it's plain BS, I was merely saying that I doubt the Air Temperature reached 33-34C in Leicester. The official highest temp today was at London Heathrow, which recorded 30.9C so when people say that their area is 3-4 degrees higher I'm gonna doubt it a little.

Though as I was saying earlier on another thread no doubt that very locally, temps were a degree or two above what the official stations were recording.

Ok sorry, can't help it sometimes though when people accuse you of lying and things on here lol. I'm not saying you were doing that but sometimes people do and it really annoys me. Like if you told me in winter that it had just started to snow heavily and then a few people went "thats BS" then you would naturally be annoyed, I know I would be lol.

Sorry for being snappy.

[J07]

If it's for your own records then of course no one can stop you accepting the 33.9C. But these things happen all over the world, there's always claims that it's much warmer here than x miles down the road, and very often these claims don't stand up to scrutiny! For quite a while, there was a temperature somewhere in Australia of about 54C, and when it was investigated turned out it was a farmer with a thermometer dangling from his porch, completely sun and building contaminated.

And these unofficial claims have a way of getting out, as we unfortunately saw in a bloody newspaper headline this year!

The Desert Road melted, Christchurch unofficially topped 40C and Kiwis flocked to the rivers and beaches as a heatwave hit New Zealand yesterday.

Weather Watch Centre head analyst Philip Duncan said the Christchurch temperature was a once-in-a-decade recording.

"The hottest period of the year does not usually come until February, but the odds are against Christchurch topping today's high," he said.

Warm air coming across the Tasman Sea has been blamed for the scorching temperatures, which went into the 30s in several North Island centres.

The MetService measured air temperature up to 35.7C in Christchurch yesterday afternoon, close to the January record high of 35.9C in 1979.

Other weather stations in the city recorded unofficial temperatures over 40C, following a similarly hot day on Wednesday.

The Desert Road section of State Highway 1 turned to toffee by 4pm yesterday, its tarseal melting and lifting in the afternoon sun.

Sand was placed on the road surface, and motorists warned to keep their speed down.

"This hot air is part of the weather system that brought temperatures to over 40 degrees in Sydney recently," said MetService weather ambassador Bob McDavitt.

"The air is 20 to 25 degrees coming off the Tasman Sea and warming by around 10 degrees when it crosses the Southern Alps and spreads over the Canterbury Plains."

Christchurch weather analyst Richard Green said some thermometers in the city topped 40C as a hot nor'wester blew in.

"This is like being in the outback of Australia," Mr Green said. "It's been quite some time since I've experienced heat like this."

Temperatures near 30C are forecast for Canterbury again today, but a cooling southerly is expected to arrive on Saturday, which should also affect northern areas.

Mr Duncan said that forecasted temperature readings could be lower than the heat people felt.

"It is important to look at not only pure data - what a thermometer tells us - but also 'polluted data'. This is the effect of hot tarseal, high density housing and metal roofs, which all make us feel hotter.

"Readings are often taken from a white box in a field. But most of us live in the city, so we are more likely to be affected by this polluted data. It may be 26 degrees, but feel like 33 degrees, and a thermometer won't show that."

The dry spell also meant no respite for rain-hungry farmers in Hawkes Bay, North Canterbury and Central Otago.

Federated Farmers adverse events spokesman Frank Brenmuhl said he would be concerned if high daily temperatures and soil moisture deficits in Gisborne-Wairoa and Hawkes Bay continued.

[A.J]

Well, unofficial or official, I couldnt care less, my own weather station outdoor sensor recorded 31.9C at 1510hrs....In my book, thats damn hot! and working outside most of the day in the heat, I know it was hot, probably lost a stone or two in sweat (well it saves going on a diet...lol)

[andy_leics22]

Thanks for that reply J07, I defanitly see what you mean. I think I can rule out that the weather station sensor was placed in the sun on this one because it would have read more like 40+c than 33.9c lol. But yes it might have been next to something which was making it read slightly higher than it was etc...

Weather09...Tell me about it mate... I was sweating so much last night in bed, I couldn't get sleep till gone 4am because I was that hot. Today when I was out in the sun it felt like heat i'd not felt before so it was certainly scorching lol. I have felt 30c heat before but today it felt like it was on another level. Probably because the sun is very very strong right now and there was hardly any breeze either. If you get 30c in late July/earlier August it would feel hot but probably not as hot as 30c in early July as the sun is stronger in early July.

Well, unofficial or official, I couldnt care less, my own weather station outdoor sensor recorded 31.9C at 1510hrs....In my book, thats damn hot! and working outside most of the day in the heat, I know it was hot, probably lost a stone or two in sweat (well it saves going on a diet...lol)

Haha defanitly, I think 32c was hit in some parts of the Midlands today. Particularly areas like Staffs, Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire. Birmingham seemed to be a degree or 2 cooler than those areas I just mentioned. I have been sweating so much the last few days, I must have lost a lot of weight in sweat too lol.

[I remember Atlantic 252]

i had 28.7oC max, today no cooler, more damn sun for the evening, storms look very weak away from W/SW not expecting anything this far east just sun all day