Yesterday’s record-breaking heatwave in Southern England was a certain sign of End Times – as the BBC acknowledged on Newsnight by wheeling on a climate scientist to explain how totally doomed we all are thanks to our selfishness, greed and refusal to amend our lifestyles.
But before you all go and top yourselves, Paul Homewood has some cheering news. In the context of the temperatures Britain experienced in the much more widespread heatwave of August 1990, yesterday’s “hottest July day ever” – based on the 36.7 C recording from just one spot: Heathrow airport – was really nothing special.
This Met Office hourly data chart, showing the maximum temperatures recorded in the two respective years, tells you all you need to know.
| Max Temp C | 1990 | 2015 |
| Cheltenham | 37.1 | 32.1 |
| Cambridge | 36.5 | 30.3 |
| South Farnborough | 36.2 | 32.1 |
| Hawarden | 35.2 | 27.2 |
| Newport (Shrops) | 34.8 | 28.7 |
| Sutton Bonnington | 34.8 | 33.2 |
| Cardiff | 33.1 | 23.2 |
| Bidston | 31.4 | 27.0 |
| Sheffield | 34.3 | 33.2 |
| Prestatyn | 32.4 | 26.4 |
| Eastbourne | 32.6 | 31.5 |
| Tynemouth | 31.9 | 27.6 |
| Skegness | 32.4 | 26.9 |
| Leuchars | 30.8 | 17.5 |
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