No, not today but in 1910

From: http://www.torro.org.uk/severeweathe...s/maxtemps.htm

I noticed this extraordinary claim:

"Absolute `highs' for each British County were published in Weather, 48,
282-291. A remarkable British `heat-wave' occurred on 6th August 1910 when 28 C
was registered in the Shetland Isles, while nowhere elsewhere in Britain
exceeded 20 C. The extraordinary weather situation responsible is described in
Journal of Meteorology, 9(91), 211-213."

Now to me this seems ridiculous and indeed quite impossible.
I would not have thought 28C possible on Shetland under *any*
circumstances, let alone when 20C wasn't recorded anywhere
else in the UK.

Would anybody hazzard a guess at the truely bizzare weather
set-up that would produce such conditions?

I'm intrigued by this

Col
--
Bolton, Lancashire.
160m asl.
http://www.reddwarfer.btinternet.co.uk

In article , Col
writes
No, not today but in 1910

From: http://www.torro.org.uk/severeweathe...s/maxtemps.htm

I noticed this extraordinary claim:

"Absolute `highs' for each British County were published in Weather, 48,
282-291. A remarkable British `heat-wave' occurred on 6th August 1910 when 28 C
was registered in the Shetland Isles, while nowhere elsewhere in Britain
exceeded 20 C. The extraordinary weather situation responsible is described in
Journal of Meteorology, 9(91), 211-213."

Now to me this seems ridiculous and indeed quite impossible.
I would not have thought 28C possible on Shetland under *any*
circumstances, let alone when 20C wasn't recorded anywhere
else in the UK.

Would anybody hazzard a guess at the truely bizzare weather
set-up that would produce such conditions?

I'm intrigued by this

Col
Col,

A total guess but it is possible to visualise a synoptic situation in
which very warm air was advected NW'wards from far SE Europe to southern
Scandinavia then westwards to the Shetland Islands without affecting
other parts of the British Isles.

Before posting the above I have just remembered that the reanalysis
charts available on the Topkarten site go back that far. These show that
there may have been advection of low-level air from the vicinity of the
Black Sea, much as I have described above.

Norman.
--
Norman Lynagh Weather Consultancy
Chalfont St. Giles
Buckinghamshire

"Norman Lynagh" wrote in message
s.com...
Col,

A total guess but it is possible to visualise a synoptic situation in
which very warm air was advected NW'wards from far SE Europe to southern
Scandinavia then westwards to the Shetland Islands without affecting
other parts of the British Isles.

Before posting the above I have just remembered that the reanalysis
charts available on the Topkarten site go back that far. These show that
there may have been advection of low-level air from the vicinity of the
Black Sea, much as I have described above.


Just after I posted that I remembered about those archives and took
a look at that date. It didn't make sense at all. The only reason for this
that I could possibly imagine as being feasible was after a protracted
heatwave over the UK a cold front pushes north over Scotland and
somehow a wedge of hot air still manages to be at 28C over Shetland.
But the charts for the previous few days didn't suggest a heatwave at
all, just cool, wet and cloudy low pressure conditions.
Looking at the charts now considering what you have said, I can see
what you mean. The charts for the 4th/5th perhaps show the airflow better.
Even so it must have been an incrediably hot airflow for it still to be at
28C in Shetland after crossing the Norwegian Sea.
--
Bolton, Lancashire.
160m asl.
http://www.reddwarfer.btinternet.co.uk

I'd be very surprised if Dave Wheeler didn't know the detailed background to
that event via local archives + weather records. A quick search of his site
didn't reveal anything.

Dave?

Karl Cooper, Orkney

The message
from "Col" contains these words:

No, not today but in 1910

From: http://www.torro.org.uk/severeweathe...s/maxtemps.htm

I noticed this extraordinary claim:

"Absolute `highs' for each British County were published in Weather, 48,
282-291. A remarkable British `heat-wave' occurred on 6th August 1910
when 28 C
was registered in the Shetland Isles, while nowhere elsewhere in Britain
exceeded 20 C. The extraordinary weather situation responsible is
described in
Journal of Meteorology, 9(91), 211-213."

Now to me this seems ridiculous and indeed quite impossible.
I would not have thought 28C possible on Shetland under *any*
circumstances, let alone when 20C wasn't recorded anywhere
else in the UK.

Would anybody hazzard a guess at the truely bizzare weather
set-up that would produce such conditions?

I'm intrigued by this

Col
--
Bolton, Lancashire.
160m asl.
http://www.reddwarfer.btinternet.co.uk

I have a note that on 6th August 1910 a temperature of 82F (27.8C) was
reported at Sumburgh Head Lighthouse.
It is my understanding that at this time the temperature was probably
recorded using a thermometer fitted to the wall on the northside of the
lighthouse tower at balcony (just below lantern) level. At Sumburgh
this would have been some 350 feet asl.

Max temperature for Lerwick 24.1C 7th August 1975

South Lighthouse (Skadan), Fair Isle August Mean Temperatures (deg F)
1907 49.9 9.9
1908 52.5 11.4
1909 52.8 11.6
1910 56.0 13.3
1911 56.3 13.5
1912 53.8 12.1

1974-1999 August average (Field met station) 11.9C

So 1910, and 1911, were warm Augusts on Fair Isle.
Incidently, August 2003 was equal warmest (with 1997) since records
began in 1974 at Field with a mean of 13.7C and month's highest 18.2C

Wind directions (at 0900) were
1910 1974-1999
N 7 3.6
NNE 0
NE 5 1.8
ENE 2
E 3 2.8
ESE 2
SE 7 4.3
SSE 2
S 1 5.4
SSW 0
SW 0 4.0
WSW 0
W 1 5.3
WNW 0
NW 1 3.0
NNW 0

Note lack of W'lies in 1910! Fog ocurred for a total of 84 hours
(rather more than normal - that's the SE'lies. NE'lies - and usually
E'lies - fog free as short sea-track. It's my belief (and experience)
that the Norwegian mountains can produce a fohn effect - even as far
down-wind as Fair Isle - with winds from between E to NE in direction.

Rainfall for Fair Isle August 1910 was reported as 1.93" 49.0mm or about
75% of normal (1974-99).

In conclusion I would point out that, due to the 'average' size of
synoptic features (lows/highs) it is far from unusual for the Northern
Isles - and particularly Shetland - to lie under a completely different
synoptic regime to the rest of the UK!

Dave
Fair Isle