As if to prove my point about the temperature fluctuations, by 3pm Heathrow was back down to 29.3C (a 1.9C drop in an hour) but Northolt was up to 31.4C (a 2.3C rise!)

Utter tripe, with respect, sir 

Most of us are here because we have an interest in the weather, and that means an interest in extremes. Just how hot or cold can it get? How heavy can the rain be, how strong the gusts of wind, how deep the snow? There is something very satisfying about experiencing such extremes - yes it may be rather uncomfortable to sit out in the sun for too long when it's 30C+, but you can always move into the shade, grab a beer, whatever. I don't have any problems sleeping in temperatures of 26C or so inside - I was woken up a bit early this morning as I was in the spare room (bed taken up with my daughter in with the missus!) and there are no curtains so once the sun hit the bed it got a bit warm.

I enjoy experienciung extremes of temperature, precisely because they are so rare. It is very rare in this country that you can feel "too hot", so when it is baking hot outside I get out there and enjoy the rare sensation of hot sunshine on my skin. Likewise when it is -10C or below it is great to get out in it and feel the crisp coldness of the air. Anything but the NOTHINGNESS that characterises our climate for so much of the year, when you walk outside and it isn't cold, it isn't warm, it's just "there".

Anyone who would prefer the ambient conditions to be "Room Temperature" 12 months a year has no interest in the weather IMHO.

30.0c has just been reached in the office here at Kings Hill near the Maidstone, the first time this temperature has been achieved since we moved to the building in 2009. Girls are walking around the office scantily clad. The only thing missing at the moment is beer and shorts Dougie.

In all seriousness next week will be a real test for many..especially so those that are already struggling.

I'm sorry but I'm going to need photographic evidence of this.

I'm not a huge fan myself of hot sunshine, but for interest purposes it's fascinating stuff.

Hottest day of the year so far.

Heathrow 31.9c.

Northolt 31.4c

St James Park 31.1c

Can't see where the reading of 31.9 at Heathrow is coming from. Met Office only shows a high of 31.2 there so far

A hot 29.1c.

There is however a nice breeze taking the edge off.

It was on News 24 confirmed by the Met Office

Heathrow is now showing 32 degrees but at no point showed 31.9 on the Met Office site so I thought it was odd that the media were reporting it. Oh well!

We are not done yet I think somewhere will get to 33c today.

Rather strange weather report for Birmingham airport at the moment.

Apparantly, it is 28ºC with sand whirls.

http://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/03534.html

I'm cooking nicely now under my shady tree at a touch over 30C on the garden thermo. Some cauliflower headed cumulus congestus bubbling up just to my south

Quite possibly. Something seriously dodgy about that sensor at Heathrow though. Its gone from 32 degrees at 15.50 to 30.1 degrees at 16.00 and has been up and down all day

31.2C was the highest hourly reading - the 31.9C must be the maximum that was showing on the thermometer between readings.

Oddly Weather Online is showing 32C for Heathrow at 4pm when the 1450Z synop shows 30.1C!

Matt - nothing to do with a "dodgy sensor". I think they have to use mercury thermometers anyway. Other stations around there are also going up and down by up to 2C between hours. I'm  not sure what is causing it - changes in wind direction I imagine. See here:

The wind has switched right round from SW to NE.

(from http://www.ogimet.com/cgi-bin/gsynres?lang=en&ind=03772&decoded=yes&ndays=2&ano=2013&mes=07&day=17&hora=18 )

32c is rounded up so may have only been 31.5c. But it does go up and down quite a lot. Other stations do the same though not sure why maybe cloud cover?

now is a good time to talk about temp readings

I use aeroweather to look at the METARS - the vast majority of these only report in whole degree units. There are a very few that do report in tenths.

one question is, is there a complete list of offical stations anywhere that's reasonable quick at refreshing?

I get confused with XC weather too as most of their map locations are airports too, but not all.

Not sure really what my point is other than it is days like this that the meto confirms a high temp from a location in tenths and at speed, but this info is not availble?

it would be great to have a complete list of officals, in tenths, in hourly updates say.

just sayin it always befuddles me

OGIMET is the business:

http://www.ogimet.com/cgi-bin/gsynres?lang=en&state=United+K&osum=no&fmt=html&ord=REV&ano=2013&mes=07&day=17&hora=18&ndays=1&Send=send

One thing to watch out for - it gives the max and min in the 24 hours before the time selected, so some stations will be showing yesterday's maximum there. BUT if you click on the station name, it gives you the hourly temperatures for the past 48 hours, to the nearest tenth. Very useful.

I use weatheronline - http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/weather/maps/current?LANG=en&UP=0&R=310&TYP=temperatursyn&ART=tabelle&LANG=en&DATE=1374073200&KEY=UK&LAND=UK&CONT=ukuk&SORT=3&SI=mph&CEL=C&UD=0

Some stations on there report to the nearest degree but others report to the nearest tenth of a degree.

Cloud, too - seems to be a lot of cumulus over that area which can cause the temperature to fall a lot between hourly readings, and then rise a lot when the sun comes back out.