From NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT

By Paul Homewood

It’s certainly been exceptionally hot for the last few days, but even with thermometers next to airport runways, main roads and in the middle of London, the highest temperature the Met Office could come up with was 33.2C (91.8F) at Kew.

But it was in fact much hotter in September 1906:

https://digital.nmla.metoffice.gov.uk/SO_47174b54-8030-4548-97ce-a2ff84349c7d/

The reading of 96F at Bawtry, S Yorks is still officially the highest September temperature in Britain.

The widespread extent of the intense heat was in itself remarkable, stretching from the Scottish Highlands, through Yorkshire and the Midlands, and down to the South East. In contrast, temperatures last week did not appear to get above the mid 80s at most for much of the country. This was certainly the case in Rutland, where I was cycling.

Probably even more remarkable still were the three September heatwaves in 1911, the culmination of an exceptionally hot summer.

Mean temperatures in July/August were a full 2C higher in 1911 than this year. And as the chart below shows, daily maximums were consistently higher then , other than that short spell in June.

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/hadobs/hadcet/data/download.html

I have absolutely no doubt that in due course the Met Office will highlight this year’s heatwaves in June and this month, and say they are evidence of climate change.

I somewhat doubt they will even mention the summer of 1911, much less explain how it could happen in the absence of climate change!