In the intense sunshine on Thursday the thermometer soared to 28.5C making it the hottest day since 7th September 2021 (29.2C) and a significant 8.3C above the 38-year average.
It was another dry day with the loss of equivalent rainfall through evaporation from ground sources and plant life reaching 50mm, far in excess of the 12.0mm of rainfall in June.
The heatwave threshold for Wiltshire is three consecutive days with temperatures equal to or above 27.0C. For my station on the outskirts of town and the station well up the garden away from the influence of buildings and paved areas, this won’t quite be reached as Saturday is forecast to be cooler due to a cold front approaching the area. However, in the town where the buildings and paved surfaces hold more overnight warmth, it will likely that the threshold is reached.
The news of extreme heat for London hits the headlines but normal Met Office data is from stations where the instruments are well away from buildings and paved areas.
It has been a very warm night with the temperature overnight not falling below 13.7C, which was 3.6C above the average making it the warmest night since20th October.
The sun on Friday was more muted first thing due to thin high cloud, however the thermometer had already reached 19.8C at 08.00. The light breeze has backed from the southwest to south and light.
Update at 13.30: thermometer reached 30.0C at 13.25.
Update at 18.25: maximum temperature of 31.3C, hottest for two years and only 0.9C below record set in 2017.
