I've written a few lines on heatwaves of the last 165 years. Temperatures have risen and reporting styles have changed greatly...

https://wansteadmeteo.wordpress.com/...ves-1850-2015/

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On Friday, June 26, 2015 at 4:37:36 PM UTC+1, Scott W wrote:
I've written a few lines on heatwaves of the last 165 years. Temperatures have risen and reporting styles have changed greatly...

https://wansteadmeteo.wordpress.com/...ves-1850-2015/

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Interesting Scott. TY. Lots of work there too, which is appreciated.

On 26/06/2015 16:37, Scott W wrote:
I've written a few lines on heatwaves of the last 165 years. Temperatures have risen and reporting styles have changed greatly...

https://wansteadmeteo.wordpress.com/...ves-1850-2015/


A very interesting read, Scott.
--
George in Swanston, Edinburgh, 580'asl
www.swanstonweather.co.uk
www.eppingweather.co.uk
www.winter1947.co.uk

In message ,
Scott W writes
I've written a few lines on heatwaves of the last 165 years.
Temperatures have risen and reporting styles have changed greatly...

https://wansteadmeteo.wordpress.com/...gue-of-heatwav
es-1850-2015/


Thanks, Scott. A fascinating read. A few comments:

"Little is written of the 17th ranked 1906 heatwave that ran from August
31st to September 2nd..." I think this was arguably the most remarkable
heatwave of all, because it occurred so late in the year.

"The season, which produced hot weather throughout July and August, is
worthy of mention, however, because August 9th saw the first occasion
when London reached 100°F." It might be better to say "the first
occasion when 100F was recorded", as I believe the reading is no longer
accepted.

"The heatwave of August 6th – August 8th 1947, which ranks 18th, was
sparsely reported save for the usual heat stroke casualty stories and
the fact that Cheltenham recorded 11 hours of sunshine on one sweltering
day." Can that figure be right? Though the days are a little shorter by
early August, I'd expect 13 or more hours of sunshine to be not that
uncommon at that time of year.

1952: 'The author takes a walk past Embankment and up to Trafalgar
Squa “The girls are in topless frocks..."' Presumably "topless" was
used a little differently then from now!

"In terms of length, heat and sunshine, therefore, 2003 comes out on
top. Though many people will argue that 1976 is the more impressive
summer that year produced two spells that satisfy my criteria, coming in
second and fifth."

I would be one of those people. I've never experienced such prolonged
heat as that which lasted from mid-June to mid-July (and of course the
following six weeks were pretty warm too). In the middle of that torrid
four weeks there was a spell of 15 consecutive days - I think it was -
when 32C (90F) or more was recorded somewhere in England. But it didn't
seem as intolerable as one might expect. I suppose one acclimatised
after a while, and also for much of the time I think the humidity was
low. Of course, I was younger then, and might have coped better than I
would now.

Is there something wrong with the 1976 sunshine hours in the table? 11.1
hours in 6 days surely can't be right?
--
I'm not paid to implement the recognition of irony.
(Taken, with the author's permission, from a LiveJournal post)

Is there something wrong with the 1976 sunshine hours in the table? 11.1
hours in 6 days surely can't be right?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another cracking piece Scott - if only the Daily Express were this
informative. I was alive for ten of them but like John 1976 sticks out
head and shoulders above the others. It is probably helped by other
significant memory jerking factors like moving to my current home that
summer. Similarly, I retired in 2003 (although did work again part time
after 2004) and remember spending the whole summer in shorts thinking
"this retirement thing ain't bad!".
Dave

On Fri, 26 Jun 2015 19:11:01 +0100, Dave Cornwell
wrote:

Another cracking piece Scott - if only the Daily Express were this
informative. I was alive for ten of them but like John 1976 sticks out
head and shoulders above the others.

I agree that 1976 is the daddy of them all, as not only was the
'heatwave' longer (albeit split with a slight and arguable break in
the middle, see below) but it also started earlier - in June,
something that is easily overlooked.

The Torro extremes list has not been updated for 8 years but the 35.6
at Southampton Mayflower Park is still the highest according to the
Met Office website, and the Torro list reveals that 4 of the top 5
June maximum temperatures occurred in June 1976. That they were spread
over three successive days, with two at the same station (Southampton)
makes it even more remarkable in my opinion. Torro lists the top 5 as:

35.6 (96.1) Southampton, Mayflower Park - 28 June 1976
35.6 (96.0) London; Camden Square - 29 June 1957
35.5 (95.9) Southampton, Mayflower Park- 27 June 1976
35.4 (95.7) North Heath (West Sussex) - 26 June 1976
35.4 (95.7) East Dereham (Norfolk) - 26 June 1976

I was working in East Fareham (the other end of town from my home) in
June 1976, over 12 miles from Mayflower Park, and I well remember my
amazement when observing an unofficial 95 in the shade behind the
building where I worked, on both 27th and 28th. June - before I knew
about the Southampton record. On both days there was a ten degree (F)
drop before 2pm as a sea breeze arrived, but I do not think it ever
reached Southampton.

It was slightly hotter in early July - though not in the Southampton
area - and I seem to recall that 32 deg C was recorded every day
somewhere in the UK for 14 or 15 successive days or more, which is
remarkable.

So I think 1976 is the true no. 1 heatwave summer of them all but
sadly, it does not appear at all in many of the lists of extreme
highest temperatures and I can't even find it described in the list of
extreme weather events on the Met office website (though the
Southampton June maximum is listed).

--
Dave
Fareham (W)

On Friday, 26 June 2015 18:40:56 UTC+1, John Hall wrote:
In message ,
Scott W writes
I've written a few lines on heatwaves of the last 165 years.
Temperatures have risen and reporting styles have changed greatly...

https://wansteadmeteo.wordpress.com/...gue-of-heatwav
es-1850-2015/


Thanks, Scott. A fascinating read. A few comments:

Thanks, John - I will modify accordingly. I don't have an editor and there's over 4,400 words there - there were 6,000 at one point

"Little is written of the 17th ranked 1906 heatwave that ran from August
31st to September 2nd..." I think this was arguably the most remarkable
heatwave of all, because it occurred so late in the year.

Yes, I thought that too. I've looked elsewhere for information, without success

"The season, which produced hot weather throughout July and August, is
worthy of mention, however, because August 9th saw the first occasion
when London reached 100°F." It might be better to say "the first
occasion when 100F was recorded", as I believe the reading is no longer
accepted.

I did look into this and it is thought that the reading at Greenwich is possibly 1F - 3F too high because a Glaisher stand was in use. They didn't use a Stevenson's Screen until 1938. It is feared that observers, on occasion, may not have turned the Glaisher stand properly - leading to a high reading. However, we will never know for sure (in my opinion) whether best practice was followed on that day. I feel it does something of a disservice to the professional integrity of the observers of that time.
It is a similar argument to whether the reading at Brogdale should stand because the screen there is close to a conifer hedge...

"The heatwave of August 6th - August 8th 1947, which ranks 18th, was
sparsely reported save for the usual heat stroke casualty stories and
the fact that Cheltenham recorded 11 hours of sunshine on one sweltering
day." Can that figure be right? Though the days are a little shorter by
early August, I'd expect 13 or more hours of sunshine to be not that
uncommon at that time of year.

Agreed - I think it was probably a figure that the journalist of the time thought looked impressive.

1952: 'The author takes a walk past Embankment and up to Trafalgar
Squa "The girls are in topless frocks..."' Presumably "topless" was
used a little differently then from now!

LOL - the manner of the reporting is very amusing in places

"In terms of length, heat and sunshine, therefore, 2003 comes out on
top. Though many people will argue that 1976 is the more impressive
summer that year produced two spells that satisfy my criteria, coming in
second and fifth."

I would be one of those people. I've never experienced such prolonged
heat as that which lasted from mid-June to mid-July (and of course the
following six weeks were pretty warm too). In the middle of that torrid
four weeks there was a spell of 15 consecutive days - I think it was -
when 32C (90F) or more was recorded somewhere in England. But it didn't
seem as intolerable as one might expect. I suppose one acclimatised
after a while, and also for much of the time I think the humidity was
low. Of course, I was younger then, and might have coped better than I
would now.

I think 2003 is my yardstick because my memories of 1976 are very vague.

Is there something wrong with the 1976 sunshine hours in the table? 11.1
hours in 6 days surely can't be right?
--
Thanks, it should be 71.6hrs

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Thanks Scott.

I particularly liked the newspaper headline in July 1952 of "P-H-E-E-W!
IT's HOT!".

The photo of people still with hats, collars and ties and jackets on
during very hot weather. No wonder they were perspiring. Funny old world
then; dare they bare any flesh....

--
Nick Gardner
Otter Valley, Devon
20 m amsl
http://www.ottervalley.co.uk

On Friday, June 26, 2015 at 4:37:36 PM UTC+1, Scott W wrote:
I've written a few lines on heatwaves of the last 165 years. Temperatures have risen and reporting styles have changed greatly...

https://wansteadmeteo.wordpress.com/...ves-1850-2015/

--

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This email was sent by a company owned by Pearson plc, registered office at
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL. Registered in England and Wales with company
number 53723.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nice work Scott. Most interesting.

Top of the table 2003 heatwave was 4 deg.C cooler here on average in SW Devon.

During the 8 days heatwave of Aug 2003 the ave temps here were
Max 26.7C (London 33.34C)
Min 17.9C (London 19.16C)
Mean 22.3C (London 26.25C)

Len
Wembury, SW Devon coast
----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

"Len Wood" wrote in message
...
On Friday, June 26, 2015 at 4:37:36 PM UTC+1, Scott W wrote:
I've written a few lines on heatwaves of the last 165 years. Temperatures
have risen and reporting styles have changed greatly...

https://wansteadmeteo.wordpress.com/...ves-1850-2015/

--

------------------------------
This email was sent by a company owned by Pearson plc, registered office
at
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL. Registered in England and Wales with company
number 53723.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nice work Scott. Most interesting.

Top of the table 2003 heatwave was 4 deg.C cooler here on average in SW
Devon.

During the 8 days heatwave of Aug 2003 the ave temps here were
Max 26.7C (London 33.34C)
Min 17.9C (London 19.16C)
Mean 22.3C (London 26.25C)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

I reached 29.0C on 10th.
This was my highest that month.

Will
--
http://www.lyneside.demon.co.uk/Hayt...antage_Pro.htm
Will Hand (Haytor, Devon, 1017 feet asl)
---------------------------------------------