Scott W wrote:
There's a piece in today's Times - the Thunderer column - that talks
about the latest furore over our July temperature "record".
A temperature of 38.1C was recorded in Tonbridge, Kent, on July 22,
1868, listed in The English Climate by HH Lamb has now been struck from
the records because it apparently was not recorded to modern standards.

I have no idea of the author's scientific background but he states that
more records are being broken now because of the presence of more AWS
sites. He also puts forward the argument that "compared with old
thermometers, modern recording equipment is capable of registering very
brief increases in temperature of a few seconds duration".
I am not sure that this argument carries much weight.

Comments anyone.

The author is right about the presence of more sites so that a
high temperature is less likely to be missed but I know nothing about
the response time of AWS thermometers. Even if as short as he claims I
can't see this making a great deal of difference. The Tonbridge
"record" was recorded in a Glaisher stand which is like a Stevenson
Screen with the door open. This can make a considerable difference as
any conscientious weather recorder knows.

Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, Surrey,.