16.3? I bet that had you rushing for the aircon chamber?
I work in central London every week (proper warm weather country, and warmer than the Wolf Zoo area of Reading I would think?) and the lack of any summer weather and temps is the biggest topic of discussion whether you want to ham it up with facts about overall average temps or not
Dont get me wrong, I also find it fascinating, in the same way you did the extreme heat of two summers back. It’s so out of the ordinary for recent years. Fact.
Originally Posted by: Matty H
No need for aircon last night - it was a pleasant 19 when I went to bed, and the temperature gradually fell to 18 over the night.
I generally need aircon when it gets into the 20s outside (which is most days this time of year!) as my upstairs is a shed, essentially, plonked on top of a bungalow in the 70s. It's unpleasant trying to sleep when it's 25+ indoors, of course, hence a/c to cool things down. It used to be much cooler in there in the 80s summers, with only the odd day getting above 25. Now it's unusual for it
not to get that warm.
I rarely see the wolves these days, maybe once a month, but it's split as to whether it's warmer there than here. If we get a sea breeze it's cooler here, but in the common SW'ly setup it'll be warmer at home - the north Kent coastal area benefits, if you like, from a foehn effect as SW'lies cross the Downs. It's why Faversham (6 miles away to the south) held the UK record for a while.
No hamming needed for the averages btw, just pointing out that average means just that - you would expect temperatures to be below half the time, roughly.... and in the past 10, 15 years that seldom happens - even in winter! As I've said, people generally think we're in the Med (even those in the school where I worked), and get disappointed if it's not 5C or more above average every day. That's as unrealistic as hoping for a 1987 redux in winter, but people don't see it that way.
A run of a few days that are 3 or 4C below average in June is indeed noteworthy these days. It's sad that it's come to that, really, as a run of days 3 or 4 above (as we had repeatedly in May) doesn't even make people bat an eyelid - it's expected!
PS - you have my sympathies for working in central London. It can be unbearable there in summer, especially on the Tube, and as it happens... I'll be there for a few days at the end of the month, using up my hotel points in lieu of a Japan trip. I'm hoping the cooler conditions return then, but knowing my luck it'll be 30+!