THE UNIVERSITY of Reading has said that records could be broken for September temperatures as forecasts show a heatwave is set to continue this week.
The MET Office is estimating that temperatures are set to reach 30°C in Reading today, Wednesday, September 6, and remain high well into next week.
The UK Health Security Agency has also upgraded its current heat alert to an Orange alert, as hot, sunny spells can lead to difficulties for the elderly, or those with existing health conditions.
The warning means that it is possible that NHS services could experience extra strain as a result of heat-related conditions in some areas, including the south of England.
The last time temperatures reached 30°C during September in Reading was in 1949, and the hottest ever September day on record was less than two degrees hotter at 31.7°C.
Dr Stephen Burt, from the University of Reading’s Department of Meteorology, has been looking at temperature records from years gone by.
He said: “Since records began at the University of Reading’s Atmospheric Observatory site in 1968, the highest temperature recorded in September was 29.6 °C on 11 September 2006, so this coming week could see that record broken.
“Further back, the last time temperatures reached 30 °C in Reading in September was back in 1949, when 30.0 °C was recorded on 4 September at the University’s London Road site.
“Our hottest September day on record was 7 Sept 1911, which reached 31.7 °C, closely followed by 31.2 °C on 4 Sept 1929, again both at the London Road site.
“For this year to date, the hottest day has been 10 June, 30.9 °C at the Observatory. At present, it looks unlikely that figure will be surpassed, but it is not unknown for the hottest day of the year to occur in September – University records show this happened in both 1929 and 1954. In 2011, the hottest day of the year was 28.2 °C on 1 August, but the second-hottest day was 1 October, at 27.8 °C.”
