Met office RECORD: UK heatwave the HOTTEST on record with 38.7C scorcher
THE MET OFFICE has said the hottest day on record in the UK may have happened yesterday after all as it released a new provisional temperature recording of 38.7C - here are the latest updates.
Met Office weather: UK set to reach a scorching 39 degrees
Britain sweltered in roasting heat yesterday as hot air from Africa swept through Europe. Now the Met Office has said Thursday, July 26 may be the hottest day on record in the UK after receiving a provisional temperature recording of 38.7C at Cambridge University Botanic Garden. The weather body said the observation will need to be "thoroughly investigated" in "quality control and analysis" before it can be confirmed. In a tweet, the Met Office said: “It will be quality controlled & if validated would be the highest temperature officially recorded in the UK.”
The current all-time UK temperature high is 38.5C in Faversham, Kent, in August 2003.
Weather forecasters said the mercury officially hit 38.1C in Cambridge at 4pm yesterday.
This made it the second hottest day on record and the hottest July day on record.
The previous July high was for the month of 36.7C set at Heathrow in July 2015, while the previous second hottest temperature was 37.1C, recorded in August 1990.
Speaking about the latest findings, Dr Mark McCarthy from the National Climate Centre (NCIC) at the Met Office stressed validation may take weeks.
He said: “As the official source of meteorological statistics for the UK, we take the quality of our recordings very seriously.
"We are talking about a potential new record for the highest temperature recorded in the UK and we therefore need to thoroughly investigate the observation with our partners at Cambridge University Botanic Garden through statistical analysis and by visiting, to check the site and equipment and ensure there are no potential problems.”
“The Met Office observations team will carefully analyse this figure, along with any other readings submitted over the coming weeks and will keep the public, our partners and government updated."
How are weather records observed?
Weather records are calculated using weather observation sites with calibrated, standard instruments and carefully monitored exposure, the Met Office says.
Official observations date back to 1853 but the Met Office says it has historical paper records dating back even further at the Natural Meteorological Archive and Library.
The organisation says historical records also continue to be validated for accuracy.
The extreme heat has subsided today after thunderstorms and lightning struck the UK on Thursday afternoon continuing overnight.
Further torrential downpours are expected over the weekend, potentially bringing travel disruption and localised flooding.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for rain from 9am on Saturday until 3pm on Sunday.
The warning covers all of England, except for the south-west, plus central Scotland and Northern Ireland.