30 September 2003

Faversham: the hottest place in Britain!

This September looks set to be the sunniest on record since the England and Wales sunshine series began in 1961, reveal Met Office figures released today. This month there was an average of 6.06 hours of bright sunshine per day - the most since the series began. It has also been the driest month since 1997, with only 33 mm of rain falling, which is 58 per cent less than average. And we've seen warmer temperatures than the usual, with an average Central England Temperature of 14.6 °C - not quite record-breaking but still 0.9 °C above the norm.

The dry, warm and sunny conditions in the first three weeks of September followed similar conditions in August, when records were also broken. It had originally been thought that Gravesend in Kent had recorded the hottest day ever, with 38.1 °C on August 10, but, following official Met Office verification, it can be revealed that Brogdale near Faversham now holds that record, with 38.5 °C being recorded on the same day.

The average maximum Central England Temperature for this year so far has also broken records. At 16.26 °C, it is the warmest January to September period since records began in 1659.

Notes: These figures are still provisional, up to and including September 28. Rainfall data is based on the Met Office's England and Wales Precipitation series which dates back to 1766.