VISITING Fellow at the University of Reading Dr Stephen Burt watches current and historic weather patterns, and comments today on the heat experienced at the end of last week, and this week.
A recognized expert on UK climatology, historical weather records, and meteorological instruments, he frequently contributes to media coverage of UK weather extremes.
Two different weather records have been beaten this month, he says, and if tomorrow remains as hot, a third will too.
We’ve just seen the borough’s hottest May day on record, along with the greatest temperature range within a month in the 120 years since records at Reading University began.
And if tomorrow is as hot, there may also be a longest May heatwave duration to add to this month’s record breaking heights.
Dr Burt said: “I’m sure it won’t come as a surprise to anyone to know that Reading experienced its hottest May day on record yesterday (Monday, May 25).”
The previous record for the month was 31.9 °C, on May 29 1944.
According to Reading University’s Automatic Weather Station (AWS), yesterday’s temperature locally reached 32.8 °C – a whole degree warmer than the previous record.
“And it came three weeks earlier than the previous earliest date when temperatures reached 32 °C,” said Dr Burt.
This was on June 17 1917, when the local temperature reached 33.9 °C.
“Today (May 26) may be even hotter,” he said.
“It will also be the fourth consecutive day in heatwave conditions (when the maximum temperature reaches 27 °C or more), and is equal to the four days of May heatwave experienced in 1922.
“But if tomorrow also tops 27 °C, this will set a new May heatwave duration as well.”
Residents will remember that the first half of May was rather cold, with a cold northerly wind and night frosts.
This means that this month has broken yet another new record.
This May we experienced the greatest range in temperature ever recorded in any month in Reading, in almost 120 years of records.
From its coldest, on May 12, at -0.1 °C (air frost) to yesterday’s hottest, 32.8 °C, this month’s temperature range spans 32.9 degrees.
For information, visit: research.reading.ac.uk/meteorology
