June 2009 Heatwave

[AderynCoch]

Yes I was looking back at the records and Lerwick even struggled to reach 20C in the notable hot spells of July 2006 and August 2003. For it to reach 22C there in this less memorable spell is even more surprising than I initially thought.

Shetland is relatively isolated from other parts of the UK, so it's quite normal for it to miss out on exceptional synoptics affecting other parts of the country (and vice-versa). Just look at July 1991 - it wasn't that special for most of the country, yet (apparently) Lerwick recorded its highest ever temperature that month.

I can't be bothered trawling through the archives, but I would hazard a guess that in July 1991 unusually warm air was advected from Scandinavia towards Shetland. This happened most famously on 6th August 1910, when 28C was reached in Shetland whilst most of the country struggled to breach 20C.