So hope this is OK Mods. Appreciate we a few threads but with an historic day potentially ahead it would be good to have this for the classic thread. Normality can return tomorrow!

Eyes down for what could be a historic day.

Will we break the hottest July day ever recorded at 36.7C or will go a step further and break the UK record that has stood since that historic day 15 years ago when we achieved 38.5C

We are already 1C ahead of yesterday at 22C I suspect the rise this morning will be quick and spectacular. I’d like to be seeing 27C-28C at 8am

It's all very exciting, but there's a danger of getting too many threads so that no-one can find anything. I agree that today's weather is likely to spawn an extraordinary number of posts so useful to have them all in one thread. May I recommend the following protocol:

Historic Heat watch - actual reports from anywhere of temps today 25th July

High temp reports  - suspended for now, will re-open tomorrow

Potential record breaker - speculation as to where things will happen next

Current conditions - actual reports from where you are now unless meriting a post in Historic heat Watch

Convection thread  - reports of storms and their development

Model output thread - developments over the next few days

Thanks for posting Rob. If I am reading that correctly we could be already ahead of schedule. I’ve got 23C here already at 06:50

Sounding at midnight from Herstmonceaux:

http://weather.uwyo.edu/cgi-bin/sounding?region=europe&TYPE=GIF%3ASKEWT&YEAR=2019&MONTH=07&FROM=2500&TO=2523&STNM=03882

(Note that at 1000ft or so it was around 26C - the shallow inversion shows up very well).

Compared to 2003 the layer of exceptionally hot air is shallower and cooler.

http://weather.uwyo.edu/cgi-bin/sounding?region=europe&TYPE=GIF%3ASKEWT&YEAR=2003&MONTH=08&FROM=1000&TO=1000&STNM=03882

(EDITED as I mixed up the 20 and 25C lines, stupidly!

And again. I must be half-asleep, I blame the crap weather recently!)

From WeatherOnline, the highest major station temperatures so far:

https://www.weatheronline.co.uk/weather/maps/current?LANG=en&CONT=euro&LAND=UK&KEY=UK&SORT=3&UD=0&INT=06&TYP=tmax&ART=tabelle&RUBRIK=akt&R=310&CEL=C&SI=mph

At 7am (i.e. the 05.50Z SYNOP reading) Heathrow is at 23.0C. In 2003 it was 20.9C, with 23.0C being reached exactly one hour later.

Darren, I thought the upper air was a lot hotter this time around? Models suggest close to 24C at 850mb which would even beat the record from last month, wouldn’t it?

Big difference from 2003 is that hot upper had peaked and was on its way down through the afternoon, whilst today the hottest air is not here yet. Should be with us early afternoon. I think the soundings will evolve quite dramatically through the day.

Going to be an intriguing day. Hoping for something historic here and look forward to reading others reporting, hopefully experiencing the Max UK temp ever.

Max temps I have recorded in this general area are 32c in my childhood close to here, and 30.7c at my current location in 2015.

1990 - I was 6 years old but remember the intense heat . 34.4c in Leeds. I remember the next day being glued to the Guardian weather reports looking at the maximum temperatures readings for the previous day across the country.

2003 - Was a student without a care in the world. Had to log onto the PC to get weather updates and of course TWO was here. 9th August was hotter here but was fun watching other reports from the SE on the 10th.

2015 - I was in a Corfu where it was a cool 26c, so missed it but TWO kept me informed.

2019 - Smart phones now can access everything from anywhere. Loads of data and reports to be fixated on today.

It’s been interesting(ish) how Charlwood has been having consistently cool starts during this heatwave. Soil or morning mist from local rivers I wonder... It soon catches up and ends up a couple of degrees of the hotspots. 

Like you I’m looking at the 10am 30C+ as the first checkpoint today. Certainly some beautiful clear blues skies here to kick the day off. Stay cool everyone 😎 

I woke up at 5:30am a panicked when I saw a few wisps. I’m on tenterhooks.

Yes looking at the 2003 readings I think we missed out on an hour or two of extra heating really. Often Heathrow can keep rising until 5pm or even 6pm. The 2003 record came not long after 3pm I believe. 

Do you have these for 1 July 2015 too? I seem to recall temperature rising even more quickly that morning.

Takking of falling dewpoints look out for the Heathrow dewpoint plunge phenomenon that happens often on very hot days with SSE wind. Went down to7C on 10 Aug 2003, and down I think to 9C on 1 July 2015.

8 AM warmest temperatures from WO: