paul tall

Starting to rain here. Incidentally, the met office site in Durham recorded 31.0ºC yesterday.

To be honest it was 34.5º at 10.30 in Heathrow, I couldn't believe my eyes and was thinking that the all time record was under threat - but then the temperature started dropping away, but obviously it's risen again.

Wow what a day though, all in the space of a few hours. A nice warm sunny morning with temperatures around 24 just before noon, before a southerly wind sent the temperature rocketing above 30 in the space of around an hour - I've never really seen that before as normally the breeze picking up has a moderating effect. So by 2pm it was sunny, windy and red hot - felt like walking into an oven every time I walked into the garden. Then a quick storm has washed all that away and we're overcast, fresh, and 21.9º! In fact it looks like it's brightening up again in the south, could we see it be sunny again and warm right back up? May yet get the BBQ out...

Dave the July record has gone, 36.7º at Heathrow. An very impressive max of 30.8º here before the storm, and some temperatures locally above 31º

Whoa, that was short and sweet, heavy rain for about 5 minutes dropping 3mm, loads of thunder and lightning, and it looks as if the storm has already passed through - a whopping drop in temperature of more than 7ºC, from around 30º to 22.6º

If this storm hits it's going to be biblical. I've never heard so much thunder it's literally every heartbeat.

Loads of thunder to the south now, and lightning.

I think I can hear distant rumbles of thunder to the south... Anybody else picking that up?

Currently 30.3ºC here after a high of 30.8ºC. Other notable local high temperatures...all of these are Vaisala roadside weather stations. Prissick Base 31.1º Nunthorpe 31.1º Ushaw Moor 31.0º Bradbury 30.7 Great Stainton 30.6º Tow Law 28.4º And Teesside Airport 31º

Crikey it's 31.0ºC in Ushaw Moor, and let's not forget that this is a council operated Vaisala weather station, not a poorly sited home weather station in someone's garden. We can take that as a true temperature.

I think there was a 36.5 in July 2006?

Hi Dave, long time no see, you never got that 30 degrees in Ferryhill did you, but fear not the latest temperature at Bradbury just near Ferryhill is 30.7 at 1.40pm! Agree about the sea breeze but to be honest I never expected it to get as hot as it already has done today anyway.

Well I think I might have maxed out at 30.8ºC as it's became a bit overcast. Temperature has slipped back to 30.5º now. Bradbury nearby has recorded 30.4ºC at 1.30pm. Even Tow Law is at 28.1ºC

Latest temps in the NE.. Teesside Airport (EGNV) 31.0ºC Here (Newton Aycliffe) 30.6ºC Bradbury 30.2ºC Ushaw Moor 30.0ºC

Equalled my all time record with 30.3ºC. Edit: She's gone, 13.22 we have 30.4ºC