Support 100 years of independent journalism.

  1. Chart of the Day
18 July 2022updated 28 Jul 2022 4:57pm

Nine of the top ten UK temperatures have occurred since 1990

The heatwave of 1976 does not feature among the UK’s ten hottest days.

By Saywah Mahmood

As the UK braces for its hottest day on record, many who oppose climate action have drawn comparisons with the heatwave of June 1976, remarking that exceptionally hot weather has always existed. Bev Turner, a GB News presenter, cited the heatwave and suggested a meteorologist should be “happy” about the temperature.

The 1976 heatwave, when the UK experienced 15 consecutive days of temperatures above 32°C, peaking at 35.9°C, does not even make the top 10 hottest recorded temperatures in the UK.



[See also: Does the UK need new heatwave working laws?]

All but one of the highest temperatures recorded in the UK, according to the Met Office, was after 1990 and more extreme hot weather events have become increasingly common since.

This increase in extreme hot weather in the UK has been occurring against a backdrop of rising global temperatures. The annual temperature anomaly, the measure of how much warmer or colder the global temperature is than average as recorded by NASA, was 0.85°C in 2021. In 1976 it was -0.1°C.

Select and enter your email address Quick and essential guide to domestic and global politics from the New Statesman's politics team. The New Statesman’s global affairs newsletter, every Monday and Friday. Your new guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture each weekend - from the New Statesman. A weekly newsletter helping you fit together the pieces of the global economic slowdown. A newsletter showcasing the finest writing from the ideas section, covering political ideas, philosophy, criticism and intellectual history - sent every Wednesday. The New Statesman’s weekly environment email on the politics, business and culture of the climate and nature crises - in your inbox every Thursday. Sign up to receive information regarding NS events, subscription offers & product updates.
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
  • Planning, Policy, Strategy
  • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
  • Projects, Programs and Advisors
  • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
  • Public Relations and Media
  • Purchasing and Procurement
  • Quality Management
  • Science and Technical Research and Development
  • Security and Law Enforcement
  • Service Delivery
  • Sport and Recreation
  • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
  • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU

Since 1976 humans have increased the world’s concentration of CO₂, a major greenhouse gas, by 27 per cent from around 330ppm to 420ppm. The hottest recorded day in the UK was 38.7°C on 25 July 2019 at the Cambridge Botanic Gardens. However, forecasts suggest that today could surpass that, with the south of England potentially hitting 41°C.

Content from our partners
Supporting customers through the cost of living crisis
Data on cloud will change the way you interact with the government
Defining a Kodak culture for the future

[See also: Are extreme heatwaves the new normal?]

Topics in this article : ,